Blog-versary

I can hardly believe that I started this blog 3 years ago. Yup, it was 3 years ago today that I put up my very first post..........and it said:
"Blogging is a new concept for me. I have absolutely no clue as to what I am doing just yet, but I have never let that stop me before. I have found many blogs to be intriguing and inspiring. What will I bring to this forum?...................I do not know. I will just have to see where this leads."

In the beginning I didn't even know how to upload a photo and creating links was a complete mystery. I have met some fabulous people through this medium, been given some wonderful opportunities and have enjoyed having this place to chronicle my journey as I grow into the artist I want to be and most of all, to be able to share ideas.

What is a blog post without an interesting photo? You'll have to wait until next week to learn more about this one.

In the mean time don't forget to enter the giveaway I am hosting, read my previous post to find out how to be entered into the drawing for the digital scrapbooking software, My Memories Suite
(Comments/Entries must be made in that post, thanks )

It is Giveaway time!!!!

Are you a Scrapbooker?........not me.........well ......not until I was contacted by Liz from My Memories Suite. Liz asked if I would like to review their product and host a giveaway. What is the product you ask? My Memories Suite is a digital scrapbooking software, I have to warn you right off......... it is rather addictive. I have been having a blast exploring what can be created using this software and I have barely scratched the surface.

First of all, if you are a regular reader of my blog you may have noticed a few changes to my site. Do you like my new banner? it was created using the My Memories software.Did you happen to notice that on my sidebar, I have changed the way my galleries are presented? you guessed it.........each was designed using My Memories.
Let me tell you a little about my experience with this digital scrapbooking software, it was quick and easy to download and install (Instant gratification.........no waiting on the postman)
The software is super user friendly, I was able to start creating immediately, but IF you find that you sometimes need a little help, My Memories has wonderful customer support. There are lots of easy to access instructional videos so you can "see" what you want to know or use the fabulous searchable PDF covering everything. My Memories Suite comes loaded with great background papers, templates, shapes, embellishments, you can even add music, make a video, I can't possibly cover it all, so if you want to see more about this software and what it can do, why not take a few minutes to check out some of the YouTube videos. The MMS blog has some wonderful tutorials as well........these are sure to make you an expert in digital scrapbooking

One of the things I thought I might do with this software is to create an album where I can show some of my projects from start to finish....Or maybe just a pretty way to showcase my quilts using some of the software's papers, embellishments and Word Art (I'll share more of my ideas soon)


So, how would you like a chance to win your own copy of My Memories Suite?

To be entered in the random drawing for your very own copy of this digital scrapbooking software, I am asking that you go on over to the My Memories Suite site HERE , check it out and then come back and leave me a comment (in this post)telling me what your favourite papers or designer packs are.

but wait......would you like to better your odds of winning?........okay, I will give you several ways to get even more chances to win this prize.
For additional entries:

You can become a follower............leave a comment telling me.

If you are already a follower.................leave a comment letting me know

Help spread the word, create a post linking this giveaway on your blog.................come back and leave a comment for me.

If you would like to Facebook or Twitter...link this giveaway.........then be sure to return here and leave a comment telling me what you did

Visit the My Memories blog....become a follower there..........remember to come back and tell me

There, lots of ways to get extra chances BUT wait!!! This is the best part........No one will go away empty handed, because even if you don't win the giveaway of this terrific software, MyMemories Suite has given me a special code for all of my readers,
YES, that's right...your very own Share the Memories code that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software AND a $10 coupon for the My Memories.com store - $20 value!)
So don't forget.......if you don't win ( or can't wait) the coupon code is: STMMMS69407

I am going to leave this open for the week and announce the winner on Monday October 24th to give you lots of time and please be sure I have a way to contact you.

Just a few more tests

My last post garnered some interesting comments and suggestions about using those FriXion pens, Some of them led me to want to do a couple more tests. This time I drew a pair of marks side by side on fabric which I then cut in two. One would have the marks removed with heat (I used a hair dryer) and the other had the marks removed by washing only.
I discovered something very interesting I wanted to show you, this was difficult to capture with the camera but when looking at the fabric that had the markings removed with heat.......the markings "appear"to be totally gone BUT if you hold the fabric at just the right angle in just the right light, look what you can see, it is almost a "ghost" image of those markings. Click on either of these images to get a good, close up look....see how the markings now appear to have been drawn with a white pen?

I tried this again, but first actually stitched out the design, then rinsed/washed. While I can see some of the ink lines very, VERY faintly, the no heat and washing method seems to give the best result.
These pens write extremely well on fabric, the ink flows easily, but I think that I will only use them for perhaps marking applique placements or something where the markings will be covered by other fabrics, I don't think I'll be using them to mark my quilt tops.

Be sure to check back later in the week, you'll want to get the details about a giveaway I will soon be hosting.

Quilters BEWARE!

We have all heard it said.........if its too good to be true, it probably is.

Have you seen the pens on the market that are erasable? Have you seen them at your local quilt store? They are called FriXion. The ink disappears when you run the iron over it. It seems like magic.....ah, but remember that line about something being too good to be true?

Back in April, I tried this pen out and was impressed, well that was until I saw the warning on the packaging.........extreme temperatures? (click on the image for a better view) What happens at extreme temperatures?

Well the ink reappears. Great for a magic act at a child's birthday party, but not so good for your quilts.

I found that if I put the fabric I had "erased" into my freezer, the ink reappeared, I wanted to give it a better test, so I did the same thing again but this time I left the "erased" fabric for 6 months before exposing it to the cold (hoping that after this much time had passed, the ink would not reappear) Nope, no such luck, the markings did indeed re-emerge.
You can see in the photo below that the markings come back VERY visible.

Now you may be saying to yourself...........why would I put my quilts in the freezer? well of course you would not BUT think about times when your quilt could be exposed to extreme temperatures. I can tell you that during our Canadian winters it can get mighty cold in the trunk of my car on the way to a guild meeting, what happens when you ship your quilts? They can often spend a day or two in very cold warehouses or in a cold shipping truck. I can just imagine sending a beautiful quilt off to a show and the judges opening the package only to see lots of ink all over the quilt........I am fairly certain they would NOT be impressed.

I have seen these pens available at quilt shops, (they come in lots of colours) upon speaking to one shop owner, she was completely unaware of the problem with these pens AND because the pens a sold individually, you probably are not getting that packaging with the warning on it. So just beware of what "could" happen if you decide you want to try these pens out on your quilts and please share this with other quilters you know.

Told ya, I don't like to waste a thing!

I have an old June Tailor board, it is a cutting board on one side with a pressing mat on the other, but as you can see it is now in pretty rough shape. It is scorched, there is fusible stuck on the pressing surface, then the glue is all dried out and the whole thing has begun to separate.

Do I need a new one? no, not really. I just created a bag/pillowcase sort of thing with handles that I can slip the board into. Now it is still usable, I can press on the new, clean fabric and simply slide the board out for cutting, as an added bonus, when taking it to workshops I can slide my long rulers inside to easily take them along.
I decided to create something similar to make it easier to move about with applique projects. This time I used a piece of leftover sheet (most of the sheet was used as backing for this Row Robin project) The top part of the sheet still had that nice edging, I again, made a bag/pillowcase sort of thing with handles but this time I slipped a piece of Styro-Foam inside.

It is super lightweight, portable, and I can pin into it. This will easily accommodate an 18"block

No Waste

I hate to waste any of my art supplies and more often than not, when I have been playing with paints, I find that I have a bit extra leftover. I just can't bear to watch it get washed down the drain, so I add water to what is left to really dilute the pigment, then I sop it all up with wet paper towels. I think that leaving them to dry on a slightly scrunched plastic bag might help contribute to the texture. Here are a few that turned out kind of interesting. These have all been pressed flat, so what you are seeing is the way the colours dried, blended and the lines that were created. (click on the photos for a closer look)
What do I do with them? Well, this is a postcard I recently made for our quilt guild's exchange. The only "fabric" is that small bit of selvage edge, the rest is painted paper towel that has been stamped and heavily stitched.

Easy, simple, and best of all..........nothing is wasted

Artist in Residence

That's me!
When I was asked if I would consider taking on the job of CQA's Artist in Residence, I immediately said yes..........what a fabulous opportunity and learning experience this will be. I am thrilled to be a small part of the Editorial team.
A couple of weeks ago I had mentioned that CQA members would be hearing more from me very soon.........well the latest issue of the Canadian Quilter is out and contains my first article.
here is a sneak peek......( sorry, that is all I can show)........ members will see the pattern, instructions and tips found on the next pages.I know that not every project will appeal to all quilters, but I am hoping to provide a wide variety of designs and techniques over the coming year that members will enjoy and find interesting. The deadline is fast approaching for my next submission.

Want to know more about The Canadian Quilter's association? click here

Sewing in "Reverse"

The one thing I would guess we all dislike having to do, is to sew in reverse (rip out stitching) but I decided I had to go backward in order to move on. A few posts ago I showed the center portion of a bed quilt I am currently working on. Well, I really, REALLY, did not like the look of those blue strips separating the blocks, I just knew they HAD to be removed. I suppose that is a downside of not following a pattern and "making it up" as you go along.
Not sure why I was bothered by those strips..........just seemed a bit cluttered, I am much happier with this cleaner look. Here is the pieced top, which measures 102 x 108 inches. Now I just have to find a space large enough to lay it out for the backing, batting and basting process.

The job of stitching on those long borders was made super easy by using the 1/4 inch walking foot system available for my Janome 6600P

From a little idea...............

This past May, the CQA (Canadian Quilter's Association) mini conference was held here in London ON. I designed and created a pattern especially for the event. This leaf shaped fabric bowl (we are the "forest"city after all)Originally, I thought that a few would be made as decor, but the local organizing committee had other ideas and the project took on a life of it's own. The pattern was sent to guilds across the country and was printed in this issue of CQA's The Canadian Quilter.
It wasn't long before the "leaves", made by quilters from coast to coast began arriving. In this article, you can see that Christine is nearly buried under just a small sampling of what arrived at her door. 100s of the bowls were given away to quilters during the 4 day conference, and those who attended the Gala banquet received their leaf bowl filled with all sorts of fabulous quilty treasures.
This was the first time I had created a project for others and I was completely amazed by the response.
Are you a CQA member?...........if so, you will be seeing more from me very soon....ah, but that is another post.

Temporary Art

I visited the Imadon street painting festival that was going on this weekend. Can you imagine doing all that work only to have it disappear within a few days (sooner if rains are heavy)? The artist's spend several days in awkward positions, on hard asphalt, under the hot sun as they produce incredible works with simple chalk pastels.......I just HAD to buy some for myself :-)
I only took photos of this artist's work, with her permission, of course. Axl T. Ernst was the feature artist this year.........can you see why? You can visit her web site here and to see more photos of this work in progress, go to her blog here
It really is quite amazing to see what can be achieved on such an unforgiving surface, the work is so fabulous you may not even notice the patched cracks in the asphalt or the parking spot lines.
I could not resist a photo of the state her shoes were in as she neared the completion of the festival.