Fashion Friday and Quilt Show Information

I found this pattern recently when I was sorting through some old sewing supplies.  This pattern dates back to 1975, the year I added embroidery to a favorite pair of blue jeans.  I still miss those jeans.

Here is another that turned up in my collection.  The patterns are making my fingers are itching to stitch!

If you are in the Milwaukee area this weekend please stop in and say hello to me at the 

Crazy Quilters Quilt Show in Mukwonago.  

Show hours are:

9:00 am-5:00 pm Saturday and 

11:00 am to 4:00 pm Sunday.

Lorna will be there with her overdyed wool too!

Please note highway 83 north of Mukwonago is under construction.  You may want to find an alternate route when traveling from the north.  

Giveaway Results

Thanks so much to everyone that entered the April giveaway.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Mine involved running around like a headless chicken as I get ready for the quilt show in Mukwonago.  I'm happy to say I have almost everything packaged with just a few last minute items left to dye before the show.

I'm pleased to announce the winner is Diane Evans!!!    I am such a big fan of Diane's work.  She is an award winning quilter with an amazing sense of color and design.  Stop by her website and see her beautiful quilts or shop her Etsy store for original artwork and cards.

Dye Candy April Giveaway

In a few days I will be packing up my fabrics to sell at the Crazy Quilters Show in Mukwonago, WI next weekend. Lorna of Plumberry House Creations will have a booth there too.  She sells upcycled overdyed wools, original patterns and kits.

This month the giveaway will be a quick one....

Please leave a comment here to for a chance to win fabric or jewelry from my Dye Candy store.  If you are a winner you may choose from an item valued at $18.00 or receive $25.00 off an order of greater value.  

The giveaway will close tomorrow at 4:00 pm CST on April 24th.

If you share this post on your blog, Twitter, Facebook or any other social media platform please leave an additional comment for each tweet or post you write.  Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you if you are a winner.

Check back monthly for additional Dye Candy giveaways in 2011.

Fashion Friday

Circa 1989

This style was popular when I was pregnant with my son. I had a pair of overall shorts that made me look much heavier than I really was.  Maternity clothes have come a long way since then.

This is my last free weekend before I travel to Mukwonago for the Crazy Quilters Quilt Show.  If you are in the area next weekend please stop in and say hello.  This group of quilters is so talented. They should have between 250-300 quilts on display. You are sure to find inspiration at this show.    

Have a wonderful weekend!

Chris

P.S.  Check back tomorrow for the start of my April Giveaway.

What is May for Me?

I've been soooo busy this month getting ready for upcoming shows.  When I saw that my friend Marcia and her blogging friend Tonya were sharing ideas about how to make more time for personal creativity I decided I just had to join in.  I'm making May for Me....


Below is a post written by Marcia, a super creative lady and very talented long arm quilter.  You can find her "Easy to Sew" quilt pattern in my Etsy shop.


May for Me is a promotion to get YOU to take time for yourself.  Tonya and I are asking you to set aside the month of May for you.  We along with other blogger participants will share our ideas about how to do things more efficiently so you have time to sew.  I have also coined the term Minutes for Me as part of the promotion.  This promotion started with some email conversations between Tonya and I and we said let's do it -  let's make May for Me!  For you!

• Finish things you have put aside, but never take the time to finish.  
• Do other tasks faster, so you have time to sew and quilt.  
• Learn how to relax when you are "crazy busy" - Minutes for Me!

Promotions for April and May: 
I will be doing some quilting prize giveaways!

• $20.00 Gift Certificates off machine quilting services
• $10.00 Gift Certificates off Extra Wide Fabrics
• And more prize giveaways... to be announced in April and May
• Free Entry in the Online Quilting Show starting July 8, 2011, featuring quilt projects you completed in May!  The online quilt show will run from July 8th til the end of 2011.  More details to follow..

If you would like to do May for Me, here is how to do it: 
Follow My Blog - Crafty Sewing and Quilting  and  Tonya's Blog - Hillbilly Handiworks.  


If you would like to be listed with your link as a participant... You will need to visit Marcia original blog post here and follow the outlined steps


Let's make May for Me! For you!


P.S.  Be sure to check out Marcia's Tote bag Tutorials Here and Here

Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing

Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing (1999) by Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada, Mary Kellogg Rice and Jane J. Barton.  I'm almost tempted to send you the Amazon.com website to read the reviews written for this book.  I'll just quote one written by someone calling themselves Vizzz "The most complete book in print on Shibori art and technique". That pretty much sums this book up.

If you want to expand your Shibori skills this book is a must have for your dyer's library.

Fashion Friday

In 1984 we may not have dressed in figure flattering clothes but we sure were comfortable.

Have a great weekend!  Chris

Velvet Applique by Machine

I am fascinated by texture on cloth.  When I create a piece I hope all who see my quilts will want to reach out and touch them (and I don't mind if you do).  My favorite embellishment to use is hand dyed silk velvets.  They are rich, add a shimmer and change in value when viewed from different angles.  Here's a quick tutorial on the technique I developed for raw edge velvet appliqué..

Start by tracing your design backwards on a lightweight fusible interfacing, freezer paper or paper backed fusible product like Pellon # 805 Wonder Under or Steam A Seam 2. In this case I am using a lightweight fusible so the fabric continues to behave like fabric.  Sometimes having multiple layers of fabric fused together can add a look of stiffness to a finished quilt.  Iron the fusible to the wrong side of the bottom layer of fabric.  You can trim your backing fabric at this time (like the photo above) or leave the excess fabric around the edges to hold onto while you machine appliqué.

Pin the wrong side of the velvet on the bias to the right side of the bottom fabric. I like to use fine silk pins.  Placing the velvet on the bias will reduce fraying when your quilt top is handled.

Stitch the velvet in place from the back side following the stitching lines you drew earlier.  Be sure to lock your stitches in place when you start and stop.

Remove the pins once the stitching has been completed. Using sharp scissors carefully trim the excess velvet away leaving at least a 16th of an inch of velvet outside the stitching line.  You may remove the freezer paper or fusible paper backing at this time or leave it on the back of your piece to keep the raw edges of your base fabric stable until you are ready to stitch or fuse this piece in place.

Because the velvet is sewn on the bias you can leave the raw edges of the velvet exposed in some circumstances.  The first photo in this tutorial is of my Mandala art quilt.  I have it framed and hanging on a wall in my studio.  

The quilt I am currently working on will travel with me when I am vending at quilt shows.  For this project I am using a satin stitch to overcast the edges of the velvet.  Using a thread that is similar to the velvet color to overcast the edges will help to mask stray fibers of velvet.

I hope I have encouraged you to expand your fiber horizons.  I'd love to hear any comments you have on this tutorial. 

For those of you waiting for fresh hand dyed velvets I should have them ready for sale tomorrow.  I am in the last stages of rinsing and just need to test the velvets to make sure the residual dyes have been removed.  I will send you a message when they are listed in my Dye Candy shop.  

Have a great weekend!  Chris

Fashion Friday

I love the night life, I like to boogie....

1979

Different Challenge Quilt

 Tropical - Seeing Red

This quilt was created for the Art Quilts Around the World "Different" Challenge.  The one stipulation for this challenge was to use a color or colors that you would not typically choose for your work.

 I just don't see red when I think of my personal color wheel.  Instead I use red's near neighbors, fuchsia or a magenta color.  I love to use complementary colors to add visual interest.  I often add chartreuse and acid green to give my quilts an extra pop.  

 So for this challenge I shifted my focus just one step counter-clockwise on the CMYK color wheel (the dyers color wheel) to red and aquamarine.  I have to say I really like the results and I see more red in my future.   However I did frame the quilt with a nod to my favorite colors.

 To add texture to the piece I used a trupunto technique by adding a second layer of batting under the petals of the flower.  The green embroidery stitches that surround the center of the flower were worked off the piece in a hoop using a painted dryer sheet between 2 pieces of water soluble stabilizer. Once complete the free motion embroidery was stitched in place and trimmed in a ragged manner. I am making this sound so simple but it wasn't quite that easy...

What I learned: This was the first time I used a water soluble stabilizer. I used Superior's 4x product. It was really easy to stitch through. I soaked my piece in water for about a half hour to dissolve the stabilizer.  I had been warned not to drain the residual water into my plumbing because these types of stabilizers have been known to clog pipes. 

The original embroidery was oval shaped.  I completely attached the embroidery to the piece before removing the stabilizer.  After soaking for a half hour and drying I decided I did not like the shape of the stitching. I planned to rip out some of my stitches so I could trim the embroidery into a more free form shape.  WELL... Apparently I needed to soak the stabilizer for quite a bit longer because my stitches were now firmly glued in place and rock hard.  I let the quilt top soak overnight in warm water and that did the trick.  I ripped out the stitches, trimmed and the loosely re-applied the embroidery.

 I hope you like it! Chris

Shibori Design and Techniques - Mandy Southan

Shibori Designs and Techniques(2009) by Mandy Southan. Are you new to Shibori Dyeing?  This book has easy to follow directions.  The color photographs in this book are truly inspirational.  I drooled over this book for a couple months after I purchased it.  If you have some prior dyeing experience then I recommend this book to you.

Fashion Friday

Circa 1985?  

I used the pattern for packaging just this week and forgot to look at the date before I shipped it.

I'm off to a retreat this weekend and will post about my challenge quilt when I return. If you can't wait I have a post about it here.