Not Grandmas Quilts

Hi to all of Honey's Blog Friends

2011-02-04T15:09:00.002-06:00

I am 3 weeks old today and took my 1st trip to Honey's house. We had so much fun. She held me, kissed me, changed me, fed me, burped me, kissed me, changed me and cuddled me. I can't wait until tomorrow night when I will be going to Honey and Poppy's house again.

Love,
Rivers

A little bit of stitching

2010-11-30T15:05:00.003-06:00

I have finally started a little bit of stitching. I am making a baby quilt for my nursery for the 1st grandbaby expected in January. I am in love with the colors. They are quite yummy.

The columns have not yet been stitched together. If you have any ideas on how to quilt it I would be quite grateful to hear your suggestions.

Have a great day.

Hi Ya'll

2010-08-24T23:18:00.002-05:00

If ya'll would like to see what I have been up to lately you will need to follow this link to my other blog. http://pinkpapercricut.blogspot.com/

Yaaayyyy, it's football season again. Who Dat, Who Dat (I really hate that phrase). I would rather Bless you Boys.

Brigitte

Finally, something to post about!

2010-06-13T14:53:00.003-05:00

First bit of news is that "I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMOTHER!!!!!!IN JANUARY!!!!!!I CAN'T WAIT!!!!HIP, HIP, HOORAY!!!!!

Second is that I bought a new puppy about a week and a half ago (she is 12 weeks old today). She is a little baby girl named Daisy and she is finally getting comfortable in our home. Digger seems to be finally getting attached to her and loving her. Isn't that the coolest thing?

I still have a long road ahead of me house breaking her but it will be so worth it in the long run. I hope everyone else is able to be more creative than I have been lately.

I know that I posted that my Dad had died a year ago April 24th. Well, my Mom died this past April 12th after being diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung cancer. I hope this is the last death in my family for a while. It can get really depressing.

Thanks to all who have been following and keeping up with my blog!

Sincerely,
Brigitte

Birthday card for Seth

2010-02-24T12:09:00.002-06:00

Here is a little something I created yesterday. It is a Birthday Card and envelope for my oldest son, Seth.

I colored the picture using Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol. I love the look you get using the Gamsol. I embossed using my Cuttlebug and "Nestie" die cuts that I cut on chipboard using my Expression. I also designed the envelope in SCAL and cut on the Expression.

This was a fun, quick project.

A feeling that I just can't describe!!!!!!

2010-02-06T22:32:00.004-06:00

We have been season ticket holders for the Saints ever since it's inception into the NFL. We have always held our heads high even through the ugliest of seasons. We never wore bags over our heads when so many of the fans did and we never gave up on them.

It is just so hard to put into words what it means for us that the Saints are playing in the Superbowl tomorrow. I can't possibly work on anything creative because my mind is filled with visions of Brees, Bush, Henderson, Colston, Sharper, Shockey, Roby, Pierre Thomas, Grant (who I think is on injured reserve), Vilma, Mckenzie, and so many more that I just can't think of right at this moment, holding the Vince Lombardi trophy on Sunday evening. Even if they don't win, this team has meant more to us in South Louisiana than you can ever imagine. It just seems magical and this will be a year that we will always, always, always remember exactly what we were doing on that day.

Today, my husband and I watched a recap of the 2009-10 season of the Saints and just cried during the whole thing. My husband and oldest son were at the NFC Championship game where we clinched the NFC title and a trip to the Superbowl. How exciting is that?

So all I can say right now is "BLESS YOU BOYS". We are soooooo proud of you and will continue to be proud of you no matter what the outcome is tomorrow.

GOOOOoooooooo SAINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2_03_2010

2010-02-04T16:10:00.002-06:00

I have finished my 1st project of the year. I decided to fuse it to Timtex with Misty Fuse and then I fused a backing to it also. I quilted around the images using matching threads and then finished it off with a zigzag stitch around the edges.
It was such a fun project to do that I think I will be looking for more patterns to paint another top.

1_19_2010

2010-01-20T00:55:00.003-06:00

Here is my progress on the painted quilt I am doing. I am really enjoying the process and think I will definitely do another one. I still have the eyes and feet to finish and then I will be able to quilt it. Not quite sure how I will quilt it just yet because I am so nervous about messing it up.

Judy, if you read this, thank you so much for the pattern and the encouragement to move forward and just paint.

1_14_10

2010-01-14T23:33:00.004-06:00

Here is my progress on my new project as of today. I am going to paint in the background in blue and I still have some highlighting and shading to do. I am quite pleased with how it is coming along and actually proud of myself for sticking with it.

I wanted to finish painting tonight but the new season of Project Runway started on Lifetime and I had to sit and watch it.

I don't know if I will get a chance to finish and post over the weekend because we are having a rather large SAINTS party at my home on Saturday. We will be cheering very loud, cooking out doors and of course drinking plenty of beer. If any of you are CARDINAL fans, sorry, but I am hoping we will win.

Have a great weekend,
Brigitte

01_12_10

2010-01-12T23:36:00.004-06:00

Here is an updated post of my progress on the painted quilt I am making as per my previous post. It is getting a bit easier but I am really slooooow. However, I am enjoying the process and look forward to being able to quilt it.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope everyone else is making progress in your art making.

Brigitte

Happy New Year to All

2010-01-10T23:32:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone. I am going to try to make 2010 a productive art year so here is my 1st project for the year. I am really just beginning but thought if I posted a photo I will be more likely to complete it.

It is a 13" x 19" painted whole cloth and I am using a pattern from Judy Coates Perez that she so generously gave to me last week. It is a lot harder than she made it look in her Video "Whole Cloth Painted Quilts" but I will press on and see if I don't get better as I go.

I have signed up for a couple of challenges on the 3CS blog and forum but will not commit to anything else until I get some things completed. I have several quilts ready to be quilted but that is not where I wanted to start so I have put them on the back burner.

I hope everyone else has a healthy, happy and productive 2010.

See ya soon.
Brigitte

Just when I started quilting again!

2009-09-05T12:04:00.004-05:00

Just when I started to quilt again, I threw my back out and was out of commission for 3 days. On day 2 of bed rest my husband came home with a new gift for me which he was very excited about. It is a Cricut Expression.
Now this is a gift that I never mentioned to him that I had wanted or I never even thought about getting. At first I was not very excited because I thought what exactly will I ever do with this machine? After further educating myself on it I discovered that it will now cut fabric along with many other surfaces such as chipboard, stencil plastic, card stock and many others. Then I thought I would be limited to the cartridges that Cricut makes which are not very cheap but I didn't see many that interested me. However, after further research I found a program called "Sure Cuts A Lot" which allows you to take an SVG file (which can be created in many programs such as Corel Draw, Illustrator and even a freeware program called Inkscape). and design just about anything to cut in fabric or cut my own stencils, etc. So, I have decided to keep it. I am thinking this may just be a neat addition to my quilting and art making supplies.

I have started quilting my quilt top but haven't gotten very far just yet. I have been too busy playing with my new toy.

My 1st quilt top in ages

2009-08-23T13:41:00.002-05:00

This is my 1st quilt top that I have put together in ages. Actually, the sashing and borders are not yet stitched on because I don't think I like them at all. I feel like such a beginner at this time and am having a hard time with color choices. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, there will be a lot of additions with thread such as some of the smaller stems.

Vicki....if you see my blog I hope you will recognize the gorgeous fabrics in it that I had purchased from you! I adore them.

Help...I'm looking for this fabric! Can you help?

2009-06-08T12:25:00.002-05:00

I am desperately looking for a yard or two of this batik. I don't know the manufactor or where I bought it from to begin with. If you can help me I would be soooo grateful. Would be willing to trade or pay. Thanks for helping.

Brigitte

Dear Daddy

2009-05-14T15:06:00.003-05:00

Dear Daddy,

I never realized how much I would miss you. My heart has been so broken since we lost you on April 24th, 2009. Oh, how I wish that you wouldn't have left us so soon. I didn't even have a chance to tell you how much I love you and how much I was going to miss you. It was so sudden and you were much too young. I miss your daily phone calls just to say hello and tell me what was coming on tv that night. I am hoping that you have met up with Grandmother and Grandpa and all of the other family members that you had missed so much. Rest in peace my daddy and I will see you again someday.

All of my love,
Brigitte

Richard G. LaBauve
Born June 25th, 1936
Deceased on April 24th, 2009

This picture was taken on my last visit to Texas to see my Daddy in December of 2008.

02_04_09

2009-02-04T18:25:00.004-06:00

I have finally started a quilt related project. It feels so good to work with fabric again. I am going to start quilting this piece, but I do have another project or two in mind. So I don't know which will come first.

This piece measures 27.5 x 20.5 before quilting. I used all cool colors in this piece because I just love them but I also love warm colors too. I am really hoping to stay on this course because it has been so long since I have done anything with fabric.

Thanks to everyone who visits my blog that has inquired about me and also for those that have been very patient with me.

Have a great day!

Happy New Year to All!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-31T16:47:00.002-06:00

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year and blessings for a healthy, happy and prosperous new year.

I am not making any resolutions for the new year because I never keep them anyway, but I do want to start giving my blog a little more attention. I have developed a love for all types of art during this past year and it has put me on a path that has not allowed me much time for posting to my blog. I also do not like posting without pictures and I don't really have much to show for the projects I have been working on. It has all been computer based training and I have been consumed with it. I am hoping to get back to creating something tangible in the very near future.

11_15_08 Saying goodbye to an old friend.

2008-11-15T21:34:00.005-06:00

I am feeling a bit melancholy today. I have decided to purchase a new vehicle after having driven my Yukon for 9 years. I still love this truck and it has been a very good vehicle. I don't put a lot of miles on my vehicle because I am not one to run the roads. I like to do my shopping on line and my husband does the grocery shopping so the only places I go in my vehicle is to my Dr.'s office every 6 weeks and to get my hair done. I do go on an occasional road trip but not too often. Anyway, we decided to trade in my son's Jeep Grand Cherokee and give him the Yukon. He was so excited today driving away in my truck back to school in Baton Rouge. I was a bit sad to see the truck go but I am so glad it is staying in the family.

Here is Adam leaving the house in his new ride. Can you see the smile on his face?

I will pick up my new truck on Monday which is a 2009 GMC Adacia in the most beautiful Pearl White with Titatium grey leather interior. I will post a picture of it Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Brigitte

11_10_08 It's Been 2 Months

2008-11-10T21:15:00.004-06:00

I can't believe that it has been two (2) months since I last posted. In the last couple of weeks we finally finished repairing all that had been damaged during the hurricanes (Gustav and Ike). This was nearly the exact same scenario we had when Katrina hit in N.O. and then Rita hit the Texas coast right after. The first storm caused damage to our home and the second storm caused damage to our camp which is only about 10 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and sits on a waterway which extends to the Gulf. But all is well now and I am ready to get back to some art work.

First of all, let me introduce you to my new grand puppy. He is Seth & Jenna's YorkiPoo and his name is Jax. They have this thing about naming their dogs using cities names where they have lived. In this case it was Jackson, MS. Their Lab was named Tusk after they had attended college in Tuscaloosa, AL. I hope they don't continue this tradition when they decide to have a baby. He is just the cutest little thing but man oh man he is one active little fellow. He makes Digger look like a little angel.

This past Saturday was the BIG game for our family. Alabama met LSU at Death Valley and boy what a game it was. Alabama ended the game in overtime with a 27-21 win, retaining their #1 spot in the SEC and as of now their record is 10-0. Below is a picture of Digger wearing his LSU jersey during the 1st half of the game and then his BAMA jersey during the 2nd half.

I had become so consumed with PS Elements that I decided to upgrade my software to Photoshop CS3. I also upgraded my computer to a newer, faster computer and larger 22" monitor. I also bought a larger Wacom Intuos 3 which is a 6x8. I had the 4x6 but it was just not large enough for the monitor.

I recently had a birthday on the 5th and my wonderful honey bought me an Amazon Kindle for a surprise gift. I was quite surprised because he never usually surprises me with anything. I normally pick out my own gift because some of his choices in the past had left a lot to be desired so this was a very much appreciated surprise. Hooray, Mark!

The only sewing I have done lately was to make a jacket with flannel lining for Digger for the cooler weather. Yorkies are very cold little dogs and he loves wearing his jacket. I do have plans to get back to working on my large project with the flowers in the vase.

I hope to get back into the habit of posting to my blog or everyone will quit visiting and then there will be no reason to post. Toot a loo!

09_08_08 I'm Home for now!

2008-09-08T16:18:00.002-05:00

We arrived home late Saturday night as we were one of the fortunate few who have had utilities returned. We didn't have much damage, just a few shingles missing and the fence has fallen. I feel very fortunate. The lawn was a total mess with tree branches everywhere and Mark spent the whole day yesterday cleaning it up. We left our camper in Jackson, MS because we were not sure what "Ike" is going to do and we may have to leave again. How ironic that I received this book while I was away. It must have been delivered on the Friday before the storm hit because I found it (still in the box) in my neighboors front yard hedges. How funny is that!I haven't had a chance to sit and read it yet but I did look through it and it looks very interesting.

I wish that if Ike is coming this way that it would just come on. Let's get it done! I am ready to be in a normal mode of operation. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed and left comments on my last post. I appreciate all the thoughts and prayers.

09_04_08

2008-09-04T12:59:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to let everyone know who has contacted me by e-mail that I am okay. For some reason I cannot send an e-mail but I can receive. I'm not even sure if this will post. I am operating off of my satellite card.

Houma was directly hit by Gustav and there is much damage to the infrastructure. The last that I heard it will be approx. 45 days before electricity will be restored and the water supply has been contaminated. Our house and business made out pretty well. We are now right outside of Jackson, MS in an RV Park (thank God for the camper) and everything around here is functioning well. We are hoping to at least travel home by the end of the weekend (if there will be diesel available there) to clean out the fridge and freezer and dispose of the fish in the aquarium which are probably dead by now. We will then return here until things begin to function at home again.

Thanks to everyone for their concern.

Brigitte

08_28_08

2008-08-28T21:43:00.003-05:00

I have finally gotten back to working with some fabric. My fingers where just itching to actually touch some fabric and hold a needle so I pulled out this old project and finished the top left block. I also cut out the next one and pieced the background so I am ready to start on block #5. I haven't yet decided what I am going to put in the center of the blocks but I know that I don't like what is in the bottom right block so it will be coming off. I think I will wait until they are all done and then decide on what will give them unity.
The borders are not stitched onto the blocks. I added them with PSE 6 just to give them a finished look.

Well, tomorrow we will be packing up the camper and hitting the road on Saturday morning to head north if the path of the storm does not sway from where it is now. This will be the 1st time we will actually evacuate. Katrina and Rita opened our eyes and many others down here as to what can really happen during a strong storm. What is the purpose of being here if we don't have electricity and all the other comforts of home.

08_26_08 Tuesday

2008-08-26T13:19:00.002-05:00

I received this from Fannie of Imagine, Create, Inspire last week and nearly forgot to post it. I am truly honored to have Fannie visit my blog and like it enough to award me this. Fannie....thank you so much. You are a wonderful friend.
There are so many blogs that I enjoy reading. I will award this to Vicki, Sharon, Deb, Mary, and of course back to you Fannie.

Below is an art collage I created in PS Elements 6. I can't tell you how much fun I am having with this program. I wish I would have learned this program before I spent way too much $$$ buying paint and collage supplies. This program really does a good job without all the mess. I think I am hooked.
Lastly, if you are the praying type, please start praying for us down here in Louisiana. It isn't looking too good down in the Caribbean with Gustav and most all of the tracking maps has this storm heading straight for Louisiana. Of course, there is plenty of time for the track to change but I am really nervous about this one. I asked my husband at lunch if he thought there was any way to load all of the items from my sewing room into our camper. He just laughed at me and said something to the tune of "You must be frickin nuts!" Please, please, please Gustav, just go away!

08_20_08 Update

2008-08-20T17:16:00.003-05:00

I haven't accomplished much lately in the way of sewing and/or painting so that is why I haven't posted in a while. I have been consumed with learning to use Adobe Photoshop Elements 6. I have had different versions of PSE for years now and never took the time to find out what the program could actually do. I am amazed! I bought some tutorials from ScrappersGuide.com and have learned things that I never knew was possible. I can see a lot of uses for this program and ways to incorporate it into my art work.

I have had a new camera on my wish list for a little while now. I have missed using my 35mm camera for years since I have been using a digital camera since 1999 but did not want to go back to a film camera. I was planning on getting it for a birthday/christmas gift but Friday night I had a very good night at the casino. I woke up Saturday morning and went straight to Best Buy to purchase the camera of my dreams. It is a Canon EOS Rebel XSi with an 18-55mm Image Stabilizing lens and built in flash. I am in love. It takes beautiful pictures on automatic but I will have to relearn to use all of the manual settings.
I even won enough to buy the telephoto lens with the image stabilizer to go with it. I am having so much fun with it.
This is a little project I created in PSE 6 and printed on canvas. I am going to do some machine stitching on it and finish the edges with a satin stitch.
And last but not least is a picture of Digger after his very 1st grooming. Isn't he precious? He is such a good little boy.
Okay, I just wanted to let you all know that I am still kicking but I'm off to play with PSE 6 some more.

New Project Completed

2008-07-26T20:50:00.004-05:00

This is my newest project that I completed today. It is actually a scrapbook page that I created in Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 and printed on fabric with my wide format printer. I then fused it to Peltex and added some beads and some hand stitching. I wanted to stitch the sides with a satin stitch but I put some of the beads too close to the edge so I ended up fusing the binding on. Not exactly what I wanted but I have learned a good lesson for next time. This was a really fun project to do. I am just learning Photoshop Elements so this was my very first project.
It is 12"x12" and printed on Hoffman Lawn cloth. I tried printing it on a heavier cotton but I had problems getting it to go through my printer without destroying it. Below is the label that I fused to the back.
Below is a picture of Digger begging Pumpkin to come down and play with him.
And this is where Pumpkin went shortly after.

What a great mail day!

2008-07-23T15:23:00.003-05:00

I have a blog listed in my Google Reader that I look forward to reading every day. It is Imagine, Create, Inspire and belongs to Fannie Narte. She makes some wonderful art pieces and today I received three (3) pieces that I purchased from her Etsy Shop along with a beautiful piece of fabric. These pieces are just beautiful. I am so grateful to be the owner of them. Thank you, Fannie.
If you haven't seen her blog, please visit it by clicking on the link above. You will love everything you see and read.

Look what I got today!

2008-07-21T16:40:00.003-05:00

Have you ever seen the art work of Suzi Blu? It is wonderful and whimsical and cheerful. She started making kits for Artist Cellar and the picture below is the 1st one she has put together. I had ordered it a couple of weeks ago and received it in the mail today. I think this is going to be so fun to put together. If you haven't seen her work please go to her blog. I think you will love it.

Painting No. 2

2008-07-17T23:34:00.003-05:00

Here is painting number 2 that I have been working on. It is painted on 12x12 canvas board with Golden Fluid and Heavy Body Acrylic paints and also a couple of craft acrylic colors. Most of the shading is done with Cretacolor Aquastic watersoluble oil pastels. I tried my Neocolor II crayons but they just weren't leaving enough color on the canvas.
As you can tell, I am not finished but am having a good time working on it. I think I like painting a lot but I am itching to get back to doing something with fabric.

Have a great weekend!

I won a prize on Fannie Narte's blog!

2008-07-16T21:31:00.003-05:00

I participated in Fannie's Blogiversary 10 day give away and won the prize for July 4th. Fan-C-Bear was made by Fannie and she is adorable. Here is a picture in her new home on the corner of my Wacom tablet. I do not want Digger to be able to get to her because she is going to be my new muse.
I love getting to know people from blogging. It is the very best part about it.

Just a thought

2008-07-15T22:27:00.003-05:00

I hope that I have not disappointed, too much, my original blog readers who always stopped by to see and hear about my quilting adventures. I just wanted to go on a new adventure and try something totally foreign to me and I am having a blast. I think all the knowledge that I have been gaining lately will travel into my quilting once I get back to it.

Thanks for being patient and I will return to quilting soon. I promise.

Brigitte

I'm just too impatient!

2008-07-15T21:52:00.004-05:00

As you all know, I am taking a class from Paulette Insall called "All About Faces". This week was class number 3 and the assignment for the week was to do the eyes and lips. However, once I was done I just could not stop and this is what I have done so far.

I am not completely finished, but I think I am happy with it so far. Now, I am going to start working on the blue one that I had posted about on my last post.

My projects for the week - 07/11/08

2008-07-11T22:11:00.002-05:00

First let me share with you the beautiful ATC "Dreams" I received today that I purchased from Nancy Lefko's Etsy Shop. Her work is beautiful. I really wish the picture would do it justice. You can see the original on her blog.

I am in the 2nd week of classes with Paulette Insall called "All About Faces" and here are my 1st two projects following her lead. The first one has some problems where graphite was smeared on it accidentally and I tried to remove it with alcohol which removed some of the paint, but I have an idea to fix this area when the rest of the painting is done.
This is the 2nd one I have started and will try not to smear graphite on this one.
I have become super interested in collage work and painting lately and have been consumed with reading technique books, magazines, blogs, and ordering supplies, etc. So, I haven't accomplished much art making lately. I can see adding so many of these techniques to fabric once I have a better idea where to go with it.

Have a great weekend everyone and create lots of art! We are driving to Baton Rouge tomorrow to spend the day with our 2 sons and new daughter-in-law but Sunday I will be back in my studio ready to get going again.

Bye, bye for now!

Finally....my paper quilt is done

2008-07-02T13:41:00.003-05:00

I have completed my paper quilt from Terri Stegmillers "Paper Quilting" class. I loved this class and learned so, so much. There are many more techniques which she taught that I will be using in future projects. I have been so overloaded with classes and new techniques that I am having a hard time deciding what to do first.
Paper Flowers
10.5" x 11"
scrapbook papers, painted tissue paper fabric, paints, stencils, inks and thread

I had to throw in this picture of Digger Doo from last weekend. He looks to be saying "Why mom, did you have to put this clip in my hair? Don't you know that i am a little boy?" Needless to say the clip did not stay in but for only a minute.

Have a Happy Fourth of July everyone. We are planning to spend the weekend at the camp on the water but the weather channel is predicting rain for the whole weekend. I hope they are wrong.

Another new hobby!

2008-06-24T22:20:00.003-05:00

I have another new hobby (like I needed another one). It is hand carving rubber stamps. I have had the materials to do this for 6 or more years but never before gave it a try. It is soooo easy. The carving tools cut through this material like a hot knife through butter. Now I know I will be making many more of these for use in my collages, painting and fabric painting.
I did have a completed project that I wanted to share with ya'll but today when my housekeepers were here, one of the younger ladies asked me if I would make her a set of the collages and charge her for it. Without hesitation I gave them to her just because she loved them so much. It felt good to know that someone appreciated my work. Of course I hadn't taken a picture yet because I wasn't expecting them to be leaving my house any time soon, but I have already started another set of them.

Below are a few new pictures of my littlest man. He is already 6.5 months old but I do believe he is going to be a floppy eared Yorkie. He rarely holds his ears up and when he does it is usually only one of them. Still, I can't believe that I have fallen in love with a dog. I have never been a dog person but this little fellow has captured my heart and I love having him as part of our family.
However, he has not captured the heart of my two cats. Here, he and Sammie are discussing who will get the first feeding of the cat's food. Who do you think won? Here's a clue. It was the one closest to the food bowl. Sammie graciously waited her turn.
Hope everyone is enjoying the summer. It is so hot that it is good to stay inside and create.

A work in progress

2008-06-15T08:55:00.002-05:00

Good morning to all. The 10th online class that I recently started is called Windows and is available on the Doll Street Dreamers web site. It is a class that teaches faces for dolls in watercolor pencils. It is a self paced class (which I love) and is available at any time. I am not a doll maker but I figured I could use this technique in painting and quilting. Here are my first 2 pieces. It is quite time consuming and you need a lot of patience because the trick is to put the color down in many light layers. Anyway, I am very pleased with this class.Happy Fathers Day to all the Dad's out there and my Dad too. I love you Dad.

What was I thinking?????

2008-06-11T22:53:00.006-05:00

I signed up for a total of 9 online classes that are running between the 1st of May and the end of June. I know better than to take more than one or two classes at a time but I did not want to wait several months for the repeat. I want to learn everything now!
Above is the 2 paintings I did for the Mixed Media Landscapes class by Altered Diva. I did these two pieces on canvas that I had stabilized on foam core board. I did not want to ruin 2 good stretched canvases because I have never painted anything like this before. It was a really fun class and I enjoyed it very much. I took the summer session which gives you all summer to complete the class but I completed it in a week. I really did like the format of the class because it keeps you moving. In classes that are posted weekly it is sometimes difficult to leave everything out until the next class is posted and it becomes a pain in the butt to pull everything out again so many times I put off doing the projects until long after the class has ended or never at all. I am going to try to do better.

Below are 2 pictures of my art journal for Lesson 2 in Journal Making class by Sue Bleiweiss. It may look familiar because I made another journal cover a while back using this same fabric. I plan on using this as my technique journal where I will put samples of work, sketches, etc...

Gotta run. I've got plenty more projects to get busy with.

And the winner is....

2008-06-09T21:27:00.002-05:00

Using a random number generator, the winner of the book is #1 which is Judy Whitehead. Judy, please e-mail me your snail mail address and I will drop it in the mail right away.

Thanks to everyone who participated. Have a great week!

I have a give away!

2008-06-04T09:46:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I received a rather large book order from Amazon. I normally shop for books all year and add the books that I want to my shopping cart and then every 3 or 4 months I place the order. Well, on this shipment I accidentally ordered 2 of the same title, The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery.

I have decided that instead of returning it I would like to give it to one of my lucky blog readers. If you would like this book, please leave a comment to this post and I will have a drawing on Monday, June 9th to select the winner. Be sure that there is a way to contact you by e-mail if you are selected.

Have an artfully good day.

Too many online classes!

2008-05-28T12:57:00.003-05:00

Since the wedding I have been bogged down with four (4) online classes and I'm signed up for another three (3) that will start in June. I do this to myself much too often. I come across these classes that I just have to take and they all seem to start at the same time. Not wanting to wait until the next scheduled class for some I end up taking them all and become overwhelmed and don't get very much accomplished. The 1st one was Instant Art Quilts with Ellen Lindner.
Above is my unfinished piece from this class. I will complete it one of these days. Basically, it just needs to be quilted. It really was an excellent class and I did learn a lot.

The 2nd one is Paper Quilting with Terri Stegmiller from Stegart. I love her work and have always wanted to learn her techniques. Terri, if you are reading this look at the picture below. I have been making lots of colored paper fabric and colored cardstock, I just haven't completed any projects with it yet but I will. To anyone else, this is an awesome class. Just click on the link above or go to http://www.terristegmiller.com/ and you can schedule this class or one of the others that Terri offers.
The 3rd class I'm in is Mixed Media Surfaces with Sue Bleiweiss. And the 4th is a class with Debbie Babin and is called Textile Art with Pizazz. It is a very intense class and I wish I would've taken it without having other classes scheduled.

The classes that are to start in June are.
1. Mixed Media for Journaling with Sue Bleiweiss (see link above)
2. Journal Making with Sue Bleiweiss (see link above)
3. All About Faces with Paulette Insall

I am looking forward to the last three (3) classes. I am really enjoying working with acrylic paints which I have never done before.

My blog has been neglected!

2008-05-27T13:43:00.005-05:00

Well, the wedding has come and gone. It was 3 weeks ago and everything was perfect. Here are a few pictures from the event.
The four of us before the rehearsal dinner. Mark, Seth, Me and Adam
Here comes the bride escorted by her father. Richard and Jenna. She was absolutely beautiful. I can't wait for the pictures from the photographer. I am sure they are much better than the ones that I have.
Seth and I dancing the night away.
Here is where the wedding was held. It was a beautiful afternoon after it had rained nearly all day and the wind was blowing 30 mph. The rain and wind stopped 15 minutes before the wedding was to start. While they were saying their vows the sun came out.

Here are the two mother-in-laws. We almost dressed exactly alike. Isn't that funny? We both had white skirts with gold embroidery and gold jackets.
My youngest son, Adam, (all the way to the right) and some of his high school and college friends.
Daughter-in-law, Jenna and me.
Adam and I dancing the night away. It was so much fun. The B&B where it was held (Henderson Park Inn Bed & Breakfast was wonderful. There were 30 suites and we had the whole thing rented out. It was so nice because the wedding and the reception was held right there so there was no driving, hence, more drinking. ;)

Seth and Jenna spent their honeymoon in Turcs and Cacos(?) I had never heard of the place before. They are now living in Baton Rouge in the new house they purchased a few weeks before the wedding, which is about an hour and a half drive from here. I am looking forward to all the new memories our family will create as it grows.

I have lots more to blog about quilt/art related so I will post again soon.

A Quick Update

2008-04-18T11:02:00.005-05:00

Hey All......I have been super busy lately but not doing a whole lot of quilting. I have been embroidering sashes and robes and serging ribbons for the upcoming wedding. It is only 2 weeks away and everyone is looking forward to it.

On the quilting/art front I don't know what the heck has gotten in to me but my fabric taste is normally batiks or hand dyes. Look what I have started purchasing! I also have a ton of Kaffe Fassett fabrics on order that should be arriving today. I don't have a plan for them yet but I just love the look of them.
Well, I did make a new wallet yesterday using some of the new fabrics. Pretty, huh? It is from a tutorial by Darn Kat. I am definitely going to make some additions and changes to the next one I make.

Here is an updated picture of my little man, Digger. He is growing so quick and is really a good puppy, but boy oh boy is he ever spoiled to me.
I did add a little bit to my "big project" that I am working on but had to pick it up for a while.
And finally, I starting quilting on the quilt below. I finally decided on a green to do the quilting. I tried many different colors and black was definitely out of the question. You will have to click on the picture to get a close up view.
We are off to the camp for the weekend. Sunday is the "Blessing of the Fleet" which is a parade of sorts on the water with a mass to bless the shrimp boats for the beginning of shrimping season. I will take some pictures and post them next week.

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T22:01:00.003-05:00

My brother came to visit for the weekend a couple of weeks ago. It is always so good to see him. He lives in South Carolina with his wife and son so we don't see each other very often. Rich, if you read this I love you and miss you already!
Digger is now 16 weeks old and has been with us for 6 weeks now. He is progressing very well with his potty training and his personality is precious. I am so happy that he came to live with us. How lucky am I.
This is about the only project I've been able to complete since the puppy moved in. It is a journal for my SQS from MQResource. She was wonderful to me so I just wanted to say thank you.
I was able to start on my project that I posted about a couple of posts ago. This is about a weeks worth of work that I was able to squeeze in while the puppy was sleeping. It will be a long, slow project. The final size for this piece will be about 40"x 50". It is so hard to tell the size just from the picture. I don't usually work on projects that take so much time but I keep reminding myself just to be patient. I am hoping to have more time this week to work on it.

Have a wonderful, art filled week!

Happy Birthday Emmie!

2008-03-10T13:33:00.004-05:00

Today would have been my sister Emmie's 54th birthday. She died from breast cancer in 2001 at the age of 47. She left behind a wonderful husband and a 9 year old son who adored her. She wanted so much to be able to raise her son. My heart is still broken.

2008-02-25T15:40:00.003-06:00

Today I received this beautiful piece of art that I purchased from Terri Stegmiller. The colors are much more intense in person. I am a really big fan of her work and hope that you will visit her blog and etsy shop.
While viewing photos from a quilt show several years ago I saw a quilt made by Melinda Bula and was in love with it immediately. However, there was something familiar about this quilt that I could not put my finger on. It turns out that I had an art print of an original painting by Camille de Chantereine that was painted in 1836 and named "Rich Still Life of Summer Flowers". You can see the art print below and the quilt "A Gardens Delight" made by Melinda. This is the best photo of the print that I could get.
I am planning to re-create the art print in fabric and below is the line drawing I developed from the print. This will be a rather large piece and I will take my time putting it together so you may not see it for quite a while.
My days have been very full lately caring for my new yorkie puppy "Digger". He is so sweet and has the best personality, however, my two (2) cats don't think he's very cute at all. He just wants them to play with him and they are not cooperating. He is 12 weeks old and I'm beginning to think he will never hold his ears up.
I am looking forward to having him potty trained but I do know that it may take a while. I have never trained a dog so I am reading everything I can get my hands on.

Hoping to get more quilting done this week. I am really missing it.

What a long day I have had!

2008-02-11T18:06:00.001-06:00

I have been thinking about getting a puppy for a long, long time and finally decided to get him on Sunday. He is a little bitty thing right now but he is just precious. He is a Yorkie and I think he was the runt of the litter. We haven't given him a name yet but are considering "Chester". My two (both female) cats are not quite sure what to think of him yet but I can already see which one he is going to become allies with. My cats used to sleep together and cuddle but something happened one day (I think a male cat came around) and since that day they hate each other. They cannot walk close to each other without one of them swatting at the other.
Here is my journal page for day 3 of my journaling class

Journal Class

2008-02-10T12:10:00.000-06:00

Good morning all. I thought I would post a picture of my first two (2) journal pages. They were fun to do and didn't take any time at all. I just might be able to keep up with this.
What a beautiful day it is today in South Louisiana. I may have to find something to do outside. Have a great day!

I'm posting for the 2nd time in a week! Now that's a 1st

2008-02-09T17:05:00.000-06:00

On Friday I started a journaling class at Cre8it.com and these are all of my pretty new supplies. I have never been one to journal but I am hoping to create some new habits this year. At the end of the month I will be taking another class titled "Drawing 101" at the same website. I am looking forward to that one too.

Remember this quilt that I posted a while back? It is a top that I had put together several years ago. I have finally decided to quilt it. I am stitching around the appliques with Monopoly just to give them some lift. Have I said that I looooove my machine and my sewing table. It makes this job so much easier. Do you see the little hoop sitting on top of the quilt? Well, I found it hiding in a drawer about a week ago and now have a renewed love for it. I had put it away because I never did get the hang of it, but I have had it for about 5 years and at the time that I purchased it I could barely machine quilt at all.

Now I have a question for whoever will give me some advice. The black background is not solid. It has very teeny tiny white flowers on it. What color thread would you use? I hate to use solid black. That would not be very exciting. What do you think?
This is a piece of fabric I am working on. It is solid black Kona. I cut the circles out of freezer paper and ironed it to the fabric. I then stenciled with Iridescent Shiva Paintstiks.
Once dry, I put the freezer paper circles over the painted areas to mask them and then flipped the larger sheet around and painted again.
This is what it looks like at this point. I don't know where I am going with it next but it has been fun to do.
Talk to ya'll later.

It's Fat Tuesday! Happy Mardi Gras

2008-02-05T10:05:00.000-06:00

I was so wishing that it would rain today. I really do not want to go to a Mardi Gras parade. We now have at least 7 parades in Houma within a 10 day period. That does not count the ones that are in the outer lying areas. I promised my husband that I would go to the parade today. He loves Mardi Gras. He was a member in the Krewe of Terreanians for 18 years and I have just grown tired of all the hoopla. Thankfully, today is the grand finale.

I finished quilting and binding my pansy quilt yesterday. It was a fun quilt to make but I did learn something while making this one. The top was finished, basted and sitting at my sewing machine for a month before I started quilting it. I have discovered that I would do practically anything so as not to sit down and quilt. I don't know why I am like that. I really love the way the quilting adds so much texture and I have really improved my quilting skills but it is so hard to sit and start.
Here is a close up. It should be clickable. Mary clued me in on how to post a picture and make it clickable. Thanks Mary!
Well, I guess I better run. Husband is pacing and waiting for me to go to the parade. Maybe I'll take some pictures to share with you tomorrow. Have a great and productive day.

Thank you to my SQS

2008-02-04T13:22:00.000-06:00

Thank you to my SQS for the gift certificate to Joggles.com. I love Joggles and I have already spent it on some felting needles and wool. What a nice gift. However, I still do not know who you are and am patiently waiting for you to reveal yourself to me. I really enjoyed participating in this swap but did find it a just a little bit stressful to pick out gifts for someone you hardly know. Anyway, thanks again and have a great day!

Where did January Go?????

2008-02-03T14:07:00.000-06:00

I have been sidetracked for a while but it is time to get back to all the things that I love doing. In January we attended an Engagement party for Seth and Jenna which was hosted by 10 couples. It was a wonderful night. Below is a picture of my youngest son, Adam, and me. He is such a sweetheart.
Below is my husband, Mark, and me.

And here is the happy couple. My son Seth and his bride to be, Jenna.
The wedding is planned for May 3rd in Destin, Florida. I am so ready to get the wedding part over so that they can work on providing me with my 1st grandchild. I've always wished that I would have had more than 2 kids and my boys would have loved to have more siblings. I think they will both have big families. Don't ask me how I know, but Seth and Jenna will have 4 children which will be 3 girls and 1 boy. My youngest son Adam will have 4 children also but he will have 3 boys and 1 girl. Only time will tell if I am right about this.

On the quilting front, I am still quilting on the large pansy quilt that I posted in my last blog entry. I am just about finished and will post another picture as soon as I am done. I haven't really done much of anything lately except to knit a couple of pairs of slippers. I had knit a pair for myself and now everyone else wants a pair.

To all that have missed me thank you for the e-mails to inquire about me. It is very touching to know that you are missed in the very large world of the internet. I will post again soon.

My 2 Week Update

2007-12-17T21:24:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the Season and done with all the shopping. I don't know if I have ever mentioned that I hate shopping. My husband does all the grocery shopping as long as I write the list. It's a deal. If I were to win the lottery I would definitely hire a personal shopper. Then life would be perfect! I wasn't always this way. Just started the last 5 years or so.

I finished working on the Red Geranium piece and here is a photo. I used the piping method on the binding and it finishes at 18" square.
This is the new piece I am working on. It is from Melinda Bula's new book "Cutting Garden Quilts". It is 32"x36". I will put the leaf stems in with free motion machine embroidery.
I am really loving the colors and I look forward to doing the thread work. I am going to fuse baste to the batting and backing tonight so that I can get started tomorrow. I can already tell that I will probably make another one in a different color range.

Oh, it has now been six weeks smoke free! I am beginning to feel that I have nipped it in the bud.

Happy Holidays to all!!!!!!!!!

Geaux Tigers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-12-03T22:13:00.001-06:00

Yaaaaaay.....LSU is going to play in the National Championship!!! My baby boy is quite excited. This is a picture of him at the Sugar Bowl in January 07.
Today I received a package from my SQS on the MQResource forum. A dozen beautiful red batiks, some awesome beads, a little christmas bag and a really neat pendant. I love each and every one of them. Thank you so much SQS!
Some of you may remember the 12x12x12 piece I did at the beginning of the year which was a pink and purple flower. This weekend I decided to make another one. This one is 20" square and I made it in reds. (Could've used the red batiks for this) I need to do the thread work and will start on that tomorrow.
Oh and today makes 3 weeks smoke free! I had decided that I would quit smoking on my birthday and so far, so good. We have never smoked in the house so that is really helpful but the only problem is that my husband still smokes so he sits out back in the sun room all night to watch tv and smoke. I can not go out there because the smoke has started giving me really bad sinus headaches (which is why I had to quit). So I have to spend most of the evening alone in my sewing/art room. Shucks!

2007-11-26T14:07:00.000-06:00

Well, it looks like my posting habit is every two (2) weeks even though I intend to post more often. I have been working on many different art projects lately. My first love is art quilting but lately I have been trying all sorts of new arts. First, I made a tote bag and journal cover for another of my girlfriends. I recently came across an article by Terri Stegmiller in Haute Handbags on creating a tote. I decided to recreate her bag using a face that I have drawn. I really like the way this bag turned out.

Then I decided I wanted to learn how to knit, so, I went to Michaels and purchased a booklet "Learn Knitting" along with two pair of knitting needles. I learned the knit stitch and the purl stitch so I have been practicing. Here is my knitting thus far.

I am not making anything in particular but just practicing the stitches. I think I may need to take a class but I am not sure there is one available here. If you know of any good resources online, please let me know.

I finished quilting my latest piece and attached the binding, however, the hand stitching still needs to be done. I tried to sew the binding by machine and it was looking awful on the back so I had to remove all the stitches. I do not plan on exhibiting this quilt anywhere but I couldn't stand the back to look so bad.

I quilted using a technique that I learned from a Patsy Thompson DVD. I like the way it gives motion to the quilt. I hope the closeup is clickable(?) but sometimes not all of my pictures are. I can't figure out why blogger does this.

I created this 3D Flower on my embroidery machine. Isn't it neat?

I don't know what I would use it for but I just like making things like this, just to see if I can do it!

And last night I created this piece of Silk Fusion from an instruction sheet at Fibre & Stitch.I will probably use it to make a journal cover or a 3D box. I have been having such a good time trying all of these different crafts. I hope everyone else is too.

P.S. I have learned to relax and not stress out over the upcoming holidays. I wish for everyone else the same.

Another two weeks has passed!

2007-11-12T22:33:00.000-06:00

It amazes me that the older I get the faster time flies. I am hating that part of getting older. I thought I was doing good to post today and then realized I hadn't posted since Oct. 29th. I am trying to think of what I have accomplished in the last two weeks and I honestly can't think of a single thing. I guess that is why I haven't posted.

I have been itching to work on my skills at machine quilting. I have recently purchased tons of quilting threads in all ranges of sizes and colors and wanted a project to work on. I am tired of making scrap sandwiches to practice on. (The cats have plenty of cat beds to lay on already). Saturday I decided to paint a 1 yard piece of dyers cloth and was actually quite surprised (pleasantly, I might add) how it turned out.

I decided that this would be the perfect piece to do some machine quilting on but it needed something else. I hung it on my design wall and every now and then I would just stare at it. It really spoke to me and said "I need some leaves". Okay, leaves are good but I could not imagine just putting leaves all over. It really needed something to calm the top in order for the leaves to show. Well, I remembered some handspray fabrics that I have (and love) and thought the colors would be perfect. Here is what I came up with today.

It is now ready for the thread work. I can't wait to start stitching on it but I really must do the thread work on my pieces for the Fractured Quilt Challenge on Quilt Art list first so that I can get it in the mail. It is due by Dec. 1.

I had both of my boys home this past weekend so I wanted to post a picture of the handsome guys.

From the left is Adam, Seth (which are my two boys) and on the right is my nephew Hunter. They are all redheads. My two have blue eyes and Hunter has brown eyes. Where did all the years go. It was such a joy raising these boys and it has been so hard for me to let go. Hunter broke his arm during a football game last week. My son Adam has had a separated shoulder and broke both bones in his right arm playing football. He has two plates and 12 screws in his arm. Seth has had both knees totally reconstructed from playing football. The first knee injury was so severe that it cut a nerve to his foot and now lives with drop foot. He has also broken his jaw on both sides after falling down the stairs at our camp because of the drop foot. Football is a rough game but we love it at our house.

I will try to keep you posted on my machine quilting. Have a great week!

Bag is done!

2007-10-29T14:41:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was very productive. Alabama and LSU both had a bye this weekend so Saturday was spent sewing instead of watching football. I finished the bag for my SIL's birthday and also made a journal cover to boot.

After making her journal cover I decided that I needed to have one also. So here is mine.

The journals are 8.25"x5.88" and spiral bound with a hard cover. My husband and I own an office supply company so I come across all kinds of goodies in the catalog that make great art supplies. The journal covers were so quick and easy to make I think I'll have to make some more.

I hope everyone has a great week filled with lots of art making.

Felting Fibers

2007-10-26T21:26:00.000-05:00

I received a package from Joggles today which included all the goodies that I ordered. There are some really bright colors (picture doesn't show the colors very well) of wool roving.

There is also some beautiful bold colors of soy silk, some bleached roving and soy silk for hand dyeing and some wonderful fibers. Now....does anyone know what I can do with all of these things? Oh, I know. I can create something with this! This is a birthday gift from the Husband. My b.d. isn't until the 5th but why wait! Now seriously, I really don't know anything about felting or machine embellishing. Maybe some of you can lead me in the right direction where I can get info on this. I would really appreciate it.

The last couple of days I have been making lace snowflakes on the embroidery machine. They are really coming out quite nice. I may even have to put up my Christmas tree this year. It has been 3 years since I put the big one up. We'll see. It takes over an hour just to stitch one but there is only one color change so it doesn't require a lot of my time. I am still working on the red bag but I should be done this weekend. It will be a BD gift for my sister in law so I have to get it mailed by Monday. Better get busy.

Football and Fiber

2007-10-21T17:53:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a good weekend for football. My oldest son graduated from Univ. of Alabama two (2) years ago and my youngest son attends LSU. This weekend they were both winners. I am always happy (and so are the boys) when both teams win. In two (2) weeks LSU travels to play BAMA in Tuscaloosa. This is the game I always dread because someone has to lose and the other has bragging rights for the whole year. And of course the husband is a big SAINTS fan and somehow or another they also won today. It was a good weekend.

I started off the weekend by painting some fabric for another bag. The front piece is the exterior fabric and the back piece will be for the lining. I just love painting fabric. It is always a surprise as to how it will turn out. I was quite pleased with outcome of these.

I decided to paint some cheesecloth too while I had out all the supplies. I used Dye-na-flow by Jacquard but I had wet the cheesecloth first. Here is a photo taken while they were drying.

And here is a photo of the finished product. I was a little disappointed because they finished up very light. Next time I will definitely use less water.Shhhh! Don't tell my husband I know but I think I am getting the Janome Xpression embellishing machine for my birthday in a couple of weeks. That is why I painted all the cheesecloth. I need to have plenty of supplies ready for embellishing when my birthday gets here.

Here is a photo of the last bag that I made and following that is a photo of one of my fiber studio helpers.

I don't know how she manages to get in some of the places that she does.

Just in case......

2007-10-03T13:38:00.001-05:00

Just in case anyone thought I was joking when I told you about my obsession with scissors, I decided to post a picture of my collection. These are only the scissors from my sewing room. I did not include a few pairs that I have tucked away in portable project cases. And just last night I ordered two new pair of gingher designer scissors from Joanns. Is this a sickness or what? Now you know why I was so excited to see the pair of scissors from my Secret Quilter Sister.

2007-10-01T14:33:00.000-05:00

Oh my Gawd! Look what the postman brought me today from my Secret Quilter. However did she know that I love, love, love scissors. I don't remember putting anything on my form about my addiction for scissors. She must have a crystal ball. There was also a scissor case, two (2) batiks and a dozen postcards. And guess what! It was all wrapped in tissue paper which I will use to make tissue paper fabric. What a wonderful day! Thank you so very, very much.

2007-09-30T23:33:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I made this new purse for myself. I made this one without a pattern (boy am I good or what?) ;) It is the perfect size and has pockets on the inside for my cell phone, etc. So anyway, I have decided to make a few for Christmas gifts.

I am using my embroidery machine to make some appliques for the next bag. This will be more of a tote bag. I am just nuts over color. In case you didn't already know, I love bright, bold color with black & white polka dots. Today I spent all day digitized a font from A-Z in black with white polka dots. I love how they came out. This digitizing thing isn't so hard after all. I use Corel Draw to create the fonts and save them as an EMF and then import them in to Embird Digitizer. This is easier for me because I am very familiar with CD. Here's a sample of how they came out.

If anyone is interested in the Alphabets (they are individually digitized - they are not fonts) I will provide them to you in jef. files for a limited time. Send an e-mail to me to bhaydel@bellsouth.net . I will have to try to figure out how to zip them in order to email them. I Hope everyone has a good week.

2007-09-25T15:26:00.000-05:00

Nope, I haven't been sick.....I'm not upset.....in fact there is nothing wrong at all. I have just been rather occupied lately and just haven't taken the time to stop and post to my blog.

My oldest son has proposed to his girlfriend of 7 years. He arrainged a surprise party for after the proposal in the French Quarter of New Orleans. His family (us) and her family along with many of their closest friends where there. We had a wonderful time and I am looking forward to the wedding. It will be in Florida.

Last week I purchased a new toy. Well.....I thought it was a toy! This thing is rather complicated and I have just been overwhelmed as to where to start. I have learned out to stitch out designs that you purchase but I want to be able to digitize my own designs and it is the software that is giving me a run for my money.

I should have done more research on the software before purchasing. I bought Customizer 11000 from my Janome dealer when I purchased the machine only to find out that it is not the best software for what I am planning on using it for, so that was $200.00 down the drain. I turned around and purchased Embird 2006 along with the digitizer and font software. The manual that Embird offers leaves a lot to be desired so after printing out the whole thing I purchased tutorials for Embird 2006 and Embird Designer for $129.00. I am printing them out as I am typing this. They are both over 400 pages. Good thing my husband and I are in the Office Supply business because I have gone through quite a bit of ink in the last few days.

Anyway, I haven't anything quilty or crafty to post about because I just haven't done anything lately but am itching to start something new.

2007-09-11T23:48:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a while because I have been really scattered. I have so many new supplies for new techniques that I want to try and I don't know which one to try first. The only project that I have done recently is from an article in the new "Fiber & Stitch" e-zine for making paper quilts. Below are some of the fabric/papers that I have made.

I really enjoyed this process. I don't quite know what I will do with these but even if I decide to do nothing with them they are lovely to look at.

Yesterday and today I spent the day loading fabric onto my Grace machine quilting frame and running the machine to make sure it was in tip top shape because I have decided to sell it. My quilting taste has changed over time and I rarely ever make a large or lap size quilt. I mostly concentrate on pieces under 48". I don't know if there is a market for it locally or not but I wanted to give it a try. If anyone is interested in purchasing a Grace Pro Machine Quilter, Juki TL98E and PC Quilter with lots of extras and under 5 hours usage for a very reasonable price, you can contact me at bhaydel@bellsouth.net .

Hope everyone is having an art filled week. Bye until next time.

Update

2007-09-04T22:38:00.000-05:00

Well, I just realized that I hadn't posted in over a week. I need to set up a reminder to post to my blog more often. I have said before that I don't really like to post without pictures so here are a couple of projects that I am working on now.

These two (2) photos are 38"x38" Amish style quilts that I stitched together for the sole purpose of practicing my machine quilting. I have started quilting the yellow one with free form feathers. (see below) Right now I am so excited about trying so many new techniques that I'm about to burst. I just don't know where to start. Here is a list of some of the projects I want to find the time to do in the near future.

Dye lots of fabric and thread

Hand painting for some journal quilts

Free motion embroidery

Machine quilt some of the quilt tops that I have completed

Make a couple of hand bags

More projects with the Shiva Painsticks

More projects with my water soluble pastels

I could go on and on with all the things that are floating around in my head at the moment, but I won't. Maybe if I cut down on my computer time reading blogs, etc. I would have more time to work.

I hate when blogger will not let me put the correct spacing between the lines.

Fractured Quilt Challenge 2

2007-08-25T23:47:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I decided to get busy on my challenge piece for the Fractured Quilt Challenge #2 on the Quilt Art list. It was a little more difficult than I thought it would be to have to include a half inch seam allowance. I used fusible applique and fabric that I hand dyed myself a couple of months ago. It was perfect for the flower petals. All I have left to do is to stitch the edges. I feel such a sense of relief that it is nearly ready to put in the mail. It isn't actually due until Dec. 1st.

The photo is on the left (as if you couldn't tell (g) and my piece is on the right.

Maybe now I will be able to start quilting the water lilly quilt I posted several days ago.

2007-08-18T10:41:00.000-05:00

I finally finished ripping out the quiting stitches in this piece after 7 hours. I found this seam ripper in a drawer and decided to give it a try. It worked really well but I did destroy the backing in the process. Oh well, I didn't really like the backing anyway.(g)

I decided to pull out the old serger to serge the sides of the postcards I am doing for the postcard swap on MQResource message boards. This serger is about 18 years old and I haven't used it in about 17 years. I don't know why I even bought one. I have never sewn clothes. It took me half of the day to re-learn how to thread the darned thing but once I got it threaded it serged like a real trooper. I was able to finish the postcards in no time flat.

Here are the postcards ready to be mailed. I have ordered some clear envelopes that will arrive on Monday and these will be mailed on Tuesday. So if you are in my group you should receive them by the end of next week. I am normally such a procrastinator that I decided to hurry and get these done so that I would not have to constantly think about all that I need to do.

I received these fabrics in the mail yesterday. I just love the colors. I am thinking about making a traditional log cabin quilt with the fabrics. It will brighten up my day in the cold winter months.

I am trying so hard to keep busy so that I can ignore the fact that there is a major hurricane heading towards the Gulf. Maybe if I ignore it, it will not come this way. Katrina (and Rita) is still too fresh in our minds to deal with another one. I will say a prayer for anyone that is in the path of this storm. It is a devastating place to be.

I'm a true artist

2007-08-17T12:05:00.000-05:00

I took the creative quiz this morning and here are my results. Give it a try by clicking on the link below.

You Are 73% Creative

You are beyond creative. You are a true artist - even if it's not in the conventional sense of the word.
You love creating for its own sake, and you find yourself quite inspired at times.

How Creative Are You?

I'm Somewhat of a Night Owl

2007-08-16T10:03:00.000-05:00

I seem to come alive when the sun goes down. When I have paper work to do for my husbands company I alway wait to start after the sun goes down. That is when I think better and become energized. I don't know if this is a good thing but it works for me. I usually don't go to bed until 1:00 or 2:00 am.

Last night I decided to go through my UFO's that have been tucked away in a closet. Most of them I know I will never finish because I no longer like the style or fabric choices. Anyway, I am posting a photo of one that I started about 3 years ago. It is 32" x 44" and I designed it from a photo. I remember that I liked the quilt top a lot but when I started quilting it, I became very frustrated with my quilting ability. This is when I decided to sit at the sewing machine and free motion quilt until I felt comfortable with it. I also began to purchase every free motion quilting book and DVD that I could find. This was a turning point for me. After many hours of just practice I now look forward to machine quilting. Anyway, I think this quilt top may be worth saving. All the little colorful marks in the picture are actually safety pins. This quilt was done back when I was still pin basting. (Now I baste using little 3/4" squares of Wunder Under to hold the top and back to the batting). I had quilted most of the bottom flower with tiny little stitches that I don't like at all, so last night I spent nearly 3 hours ripping out those stitches and have only managed to pull out half of them. I am now questioning myself if it is worth all this work. But, I will press on. I will complete this project.

WIP Wednesday

2007-08-15T16:07:00.000-05:00

I have finished my piece for the Flower Power Challenge on the Quilt Art list. I had trouble putting this quit together all the way through. Do you ever have a project like that? Normally, when this happens I can just pick it up and put it away into the UFO pile, forgetting that I had ever started it. But because it was for a challenge I had to force my way through it. I am thinking of putting it up for sale just because I do not feel a connection with it. I have never sold any pieces before because I cannot bear the thought of parting with a piece of art I put so much effort in.

Right now I am working on a postcard swap that I signed up for on the MQResouce board. This is my first ever swap of any kind. I am really looking forward to receiving postcards from other quilt artists. I hope the others will be pleased with mine. The theme is "A New Beginning" which was quite easy to come up with an idea for. This is a new beginning for me because I used Shiva paint sticks for the first time on this. Oh, what fun that was. The leaves also represent a new season. I am stitching it in one big piece and when I am done with the quilting I will cut it in 8 equal pieces and bind. I wish that I would have remembered to take more pictures while in progress. I will have to make a mental note to do that in the future because I love being able to share these photos with you. Well, I suppose I should get back to work. Thanks for visiting my blog.

Update on Good Morning, Glory!

2007-08-07T12:11:00.000-05:00

I have been working on the quilting on the morning glory piece. For the background I decided to use Bottom Line in the top and in the bobbin because I didn't want a thick thread that overwhelmed the background. I had quilted about half of the background when I started having problems with the thread in the top shredding. I tried many different needles and tensions, etc. but could not get going again so I put it aside until today. Hopefully, the needle has cooled enough to let me get the rest of the background quilted so that I can move on. If anyone has a tip for me to make this process easier, I would be very grateful.

WIP Wednesday

2007-07-25T23:24:00.000-05:00

I promised to post a picture of the finished fabric that I dyed this weekend so here it is. I am not terribly pleased with the green but the other three were okay. I have ordered some fresh dyes and plan on dyeing again next week sometime. I love the process of dyeing fabric. It is always a surprise to see the final result.

Today I finished the top for the Flower Power Challenge on the Quilt Art list. I changed my mind once again on the background. I decided not to use the pieced background in my previous post. It just wasn't working. I regret that I didn't draw the quilt top out before starting because I felt I was struggling with the layout the whole time I was putting it together. I used clipart images from one of the Dover Copyright free collections for the flowers. I have wanted to make something using these morning glories for quite some time. The piece measures 26.5" x 39". I spent tonight fuse basting the batting and backing so that tomorrow I can start the quilting process. I am hoping the quilting process is more relaxing that it was to put this top together.

Sunday Morning Update

2007-07-22T11:21:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy weekend. I have been working on my piece for the Flower Power Challenge on the Quilt Art list. This is what I have put together so far. This is the 3rd background that I stitched. I think I finally have the right blue. I made one in navy blue and one in a light blue that just didn't look right with the flowers so I have settled on this one. (for now anyway). I am using images from one of the Dover copyright free clipart books. I am not the best artist (even though I try really hard) so the Dover books really come in handy for me.

Last week I ordered some hand dyed fabric from Artfabrik and when I received it I just fell in love with it. It is absolutely beautiful and yummy. So, I decided to dye some fabrics myself last night. I haven't done that in a quite a while. Here is a picture of them basking in the morning sun. I thought they would be dry by this morning but they are still soaking wet so I moved them from the garage to the lawn to dry in the sun. I plan on dyeing more in lighter colors. I will post pictures after they have been laundered and ironed so stay tuned.

June 12x12x12 project finished!

2007-07-10T16:42:00.000-05:00

This is my June project for the 12x12x12 project (The Rose). It is not a complicated piece and really went together quickly. It was just hard to find the time to add the binding. I used fusible applique and basically just outline stitched for the quilting. I did add a few tendrils just to dress it up some. Hope you enjoy the photo.

Back to reality!

2007-07-09T11:57:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted lately but I hate to post without pictures. We spent the week down at our camp on the bayou and I forgot the USB cord to connect my digital camera to my computer. It was a very peaceful week and I was able to do a bit of hand applique on a project that I have been having in mind. Here are a few pictures. There is nothing like being surrounded by water. It is so relaxing. We did some fishing and quite a bit of cooking. Boiled crabs, fried shrimp and fish and barbeque. Food always seems to taste better on the water. Mosty, we sat on the dock and just visited. (Of course, I stitched while visiting.) We were there with another couple who have a camper parked next to us. It was really good company.

Now to the quilty part. Here is a photo of what I worked on while camping. It is from the piece o cake pattern "Stars in the Garden". I am using mostly batiks and I'm quite pleased with how they are coming out. I just love the colors. This will be a long term project because I will stitch on it while we are at the camp on the weekends. Too many other projects to work on at home. The picture is actually four (4) separate blocks but I folded them to fit in one picture.I hope everyone is busy working on their projects and enjoying the summer. Also, I will eventually catch up on my 12x12x12 projects. I just hate that I have gotten behind. Have a great day!

WIP Wednesday

2007-06-27T14:50:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post a picture of my wip (12x12x12 for June) just to let you all know that I am working on that project and will try to finish as soon as possible. Shame on me for getting behind. I was doing so well!

I am also including a picture of a quilt top that I started three (3) years ago. It has been packed away so long that I had forgotten about it. Today I pulled it out so that I can motivate myself to start working on it again.

I have been tagged!

2007-06-26T23:22:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by Sarah so here goes.

1) My favorite color right now is Fuchsia.
2) My husband and I own an office supply and office furniture business.
3) I once had an employee who called in sick. Later the same day I read in the newspaper that she and her husband had been arrested for bank robbery.
4) I lost a sister to breast cancer.
5) I have had four (4) disks removed from my neck in three (3) separate surgeries.
6) I have very strong political views but you will never read anything political on my blog nor will I tell you my party affiliation
7) I can work in my sewing studio for 12-14 hours a day and never get bored.

I am going to tag the following gals. I hope they don't mind:

Suzanne http://blog.saltcreekquiltco.com/
Deborah http://deborahsjournal.blogspot.com/
Suze http://caricol.blogspot.com/
Kim http://www.peachquilting.com/
Deb http://debgeyer.wordpress.com/
Micki http://www.sewcre8ive.blogspot.com/
Amy http://thecalicocat.blogspot.com/

Saturday update from the bayou

2007-06-23T22:00:00.000-05:00

I have decided to participate in the Flower Power Challenge on the Quilt Art list. I am a daffodil! I will try to create my piece with the likes of this flower though it is not one of my favorites. Yellow is not one of the colors I normally use much of so this will really fit the challenge. If you would like to find out what kind of flower you are, click on the link below the daffodil.

I am a
Daffodil

What Flower
Are You?

I am a happy camper this weekend because yesterday my husband came home with a satellite card for my laptop so that I can connect to the internet from anywhere. We spend nearly every weekend (during the summer) at our camp and I had thought about having the cable service install the connections for dsl but decided that the card would be more cost effective because it is not limited to the camp. It is not as fast as my home dsl but it definitely serves the purpose. I love that I am able to stay in touch with the world and keep up with all the blogs I love to read.

What a week it has been!

2007-06-08T18:20:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, the front A/C at home went out (which includes my sewing room). The verdict was a complete replacement of the outside unit and the unit in the attic. It has taken all week to get the units replaced so it hasn't been very cool in here at all. Thank goodness we have two (2) units and I was able to run the back unit and put a fan in the hall to push the cooler air to my sewing room.

So today for a treat to myself (for not being a diva and whining about the heat) I bought a new sewing machine. It is a Janome MC6500 and I absolutely love it. My Elna 6005 started acting up last week and the tension was not working very well at all so I switched it out with my Juki TL98E to finish quilting a project. This was the first time I used the Juki on a table and not on the frame. I was loving all the space the Juki gives to the right side of the needle and wished I could use it all the time for quilting without having to switch my two machines out. Well, as luck would have it, yesterday I was looking through a magazine and there she was, the Janome MC6500! It is like having my two machines merged into one. What a perfect solution! Anyway, here she is. Isn't she a beauty?

It fit perfectly in my cabinet using the acrylic cover for my Juki. What luck.

I must now get to work on finishing my 12x12x12 project for June.

Another project completed

2007-05-26T23:59:00.000-05:00

Today was a quiet day at home. The guys (husband Mark and two (2) sons Seth & Adam went to the camp for a weekend of fishing. I am looking forward to them coming home tomorrow.

I finished quilting and binding my stained glass flowers quilt which is 30"x30". I used a pattern from a stained glass book by Dover Publications and enlarged it. I used a solid black foundation and then fused each piece to the foundation leaving space in between each piece for the leading. I then quilted it with clear polyester thread just by outlining each piece. Most of the fabric in this piece was either hand dyed or hand painted by me. This project went together pretty quick and easy. I know I will probably make more quilts using this same technique.

I need to get my thoughts together to come up with a project for the June 12x12x12. I haven't a clue what this one will be.

A couple of completed projects.

2007-05-22T22:47:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that it is already May 22nd, 10 days since my last post. Where are the days going this year? Anyway, here are a couple of projects that I put together at the end of last year and finally got around to quilting them. They were fun to make and I really enjoyed the quilting. Outlining each item in the pictures with quilting stitches has really improved my skills. Boy, do I remember the first time I tried to outline quilt. It wasn't very pretty at all. I had thought, how hard could it be? I realized very quick that it would take lots and lots of practice. Well, now when I hear someone say, "Oh, I could do that!" I want to be right there when they try it for the first time.

May 12x12x12 (Stained Flower)

2007-05-12T17:12:00.000-05:00

I almost forgot about posting pictures of my new piece today. I have been making quilt sandwiches all day that will be used for practice stitching. I used all my fabric pieces that I no longer like. I have been cleaning and organizing my sewing supplies since I moved my sewing room. It is amazing to me at how much my taste in fabric has changed in the past several years.

Well, here it is. My piece for May. I am quite surprised with myself that I have managed to stick to the time schedule for the assignments to be posted. This one was done using a stained glass pattern. I traced the shapes onto wunder under, fused them to hand dyed fabric and then fused them to a solid piece of black fabric. I just eyed the gap between each piece that acts as the leading. The quilting is just an outline stitch with invisible thread around each piece that was fused. This was a quick and easy piece to do and I know that I will make more in this style.

New Sewing Rooms Done!

2007-05-08T22:17:00.000-05:00

My new sewing rooms are finally complete after nearly two (2) weeks of disorganization. Below are a few pictures I took tonight while everything is still in its place.

Above is my cutting table and my computer desk. Also my Grace frame with my Juki.

Above is my new sewing cabinet (I love it) and the view to my ironing / fabric room.

This is my ironing/fabric room with a large ironing station.

I am so happy that I finally decided to make the move. This was our formal living room with adjoining office. No one ever used these two (2) rooms but they looked so nice that I didn't want to remove the furnishings. Anyway, once the decision was made there was no turning back. Out went the furniture and in came the fabric and sewing supplies. Now I can put the guest bedroom I was using back together.

I hope that I can now get back to some creativity. I am almost done with my May 12x12x12. I think this one is my favorite yet. All I have left is the binding. I am looking forward to seeing all the new pieces from everyone.

Making a move and WIP Wednesday

2007-05-02T16:07:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted much lately because I am in the process of moving my sewing/computer room. I ordered a new sewing cabinet made for quilters. I can hardly wait for it to arrive. I have moved all of my stash bins and ironing station at this point and I am waiting for the sewing cabinet to be put in place before I move my desk and cutting table in. At this point I am stuck between rooms. I will post pictures of the finished room as soon as it is done.

Look what arrived by the big brown truck yesterday! Aren't they yummy. They are hand dyed fabrics from Starr Fabrics. I don't know if I will ever be able to cut into them.

And here is my new WIP. It is a quick and fun process using stained glass patterns. I don't want it to be round though so I don't know what to do with the outside just yet.

It is 28" x 28" and will go on my new sewing room wall. I am so looking forward to finishing this move so that I can get back to my work.

April 12x12x12 (No Title Yet!)

2007-04-11T22:57:00.000-05:00

I challenged myself for the April block to use as much fabric from my scrap bin as possible. The light blue background is the only piece that was not. The flowers are fusible applique but the leaves and background squares are raw edge applique w/o fusible web. The lt. blue backgroung was hand painted by me using Dye-na-flow paint on white cotton. The flowers were shaded using Prismacolor pencil colors. I didn't have a pattern or an idea what this piece was going to be before I began. It came about as I was playing with the scraps.

I can't remember when the design was born. I must have been in a zone where I was using the right side of my brain. I wish I knew how I got there so that I could go there more often.

Anyway, thanks for looking. I am again looking forward to seeing every ones pieces for the month.

Trying to motivate myself!

2007-04-01T21:09:00.000-05:00

The only quilting I have managed to do lately is to finish quilting this top and attach the binding. I completed it just today. I need to get busy working on my April 12x12x12 but I still have not decided exactly what to do. I have been having a hard time getting motivated lately.

Today I pulled out of the back of the closet several older quilt tops and took pictures of them. I decided to post them here thinking if I see them occasionally I may motivate myself to finish them.

The top below was loosely based on a quilt by Nancy Pearson. This one was drawn in Corel Draw first. The circle was paper pieced, then machine appliqued and the flowers were done using fusible web. I intend to do a scalloped border but we'll have to wait and see how it goes. The machine binding with piping may just do the trick.

This was my second hand appliqued quilt top. It was made from patterns by Jeanna Kimball. I have been putting off the quilting because I thought I needed to quilt it by hand. I have since changed my mind and this one will be machine quilted also.

Below is a paper pieced top that is about 28"x60"
that I stitched a couple of years ago. I don't have a clue what kind of quilting to put on it. I guess maybe just an outline stitch for the houses and clouds for the sky.

Hawaiian Surprise (March 12x12x12)

2007-03-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

Here is my finished block for March. This is from a pattern Thread Sketches by Linda Visnaw. I used Prang crayons to color on white cotton. This was a very easy project. I am not particularly crazy about this block and doubt that I do another in crayon. I love doing the 12x12x12 blocks because I get to try new techniques on a small project so there is not too much time invested if I don't like the result. I did not pipe the binding this time because I just didn't think it would add much to this piece.

I don't have a plan for next months project yet. I drafted a new pattern in Corel Draw for a large wall quilt but maybe I will do a small (12x12) version of it just to test it. We'll see.

Landscape Quilt Borders

2007-03-12T22:03:00.000-05:00

I was away for the weekend so I was not able to post my update. I have put the borders together for my recent landscape quilt. However, I have not actually attached the borders yet. I paper pieced the borders after printing them out on newsprint paper in my HP printer that prints paper sizes up to 13" x 19". This made the process rather simple and accurate. I am still trying to decide what else this top needs. I am not very good at accurate piecing without paper. (My seams never match and the points seem to always get cut off). I promise one day to sit down and really concentrate on precise piecing.

Tomorrow I am going the finish my piece for the March 12x12x12. I Promise! I'm looking forward to seeing every one's new work.

WIP Wednesday 03/07/07

2007-03-07T23:31:00.000-06:00

I am posting my WIP piece which I just started today. The size before borders is 36" x 24". It is made using the pattern ideas from "Accidental Landscapes." It is missing something (besides the borders) and I can't figure out what it is. I will hang it on my design wall and think about it for a while. I am thinking of doing the borders with the perspective technique. In case you are not sure what that is I will post a picture below of a drawing of the border that I drew in Corel Draw. If anyone has any ideas please feel free to let me know. I would love your input.

I really need to do the thread work on my 12x12x12 piece for March. The top has been done since the middle of February but I am such a procrastinator. I feel that I work better under pressure. I am looking forward to seeing everyones projects. Ta ta!

My Fur Babies

2007-03-01T22:09:00.000-06:00

These are my two (2) babies. I adopted them both not long after my oldest son left for college six (6) years ago. The orange tabbie is "Pumpkin" (how original, huh?) and the black and white one is "Sammie" (which is a very sassy cat). They keep me company all day while the hubby is working. As you can see, Pumpkin really loves checking out all my quilts. I keep a sticky lint roller near by all the time because the cat hair drives me nuts.

Dainty Daisies

2007-02-28T13:48:00.000-06:00

This was my January 12x12x12 challenge piece. I am just moving it to my new blog so if you have seen it please ignore.

Older Quilts Reposted

2007-02-28T13:29:00.000-06:00

Today I wanted to add some photos of my older quilts to my blog. I had loaded them on another blog but decided I did not want to use that one any more so for those that have already seen them I hope you don't mind seeing them again.

Ghost Layer Leaves

Colorful MirageTulip SymphonyThis is my "Geisha Girl" that I made for my SIL for Christmas.

Free Form Feathers

2007-02-16T22:20:00.000-06:00

I wanted to post a couple of pictures of my quilt top that I am machine quilting today. I purchased "Free Motion Fun With Feathers" DVD by Patsy Thompson and this is the technique which I am using for this quilt.

Below are a couple of close up shots. I still need to come up with a motif for the very center of this quilt but I am sure it will come.

I hope everyone enjoys seeing my progress.

Machine Quilting and Hand Dyed Threads

2007-02-15T12:26:00.000-06:00

This is a really quick top that I threw together so that I could practice machine quilting free form feathers. It has been sitting in a drawer for a couple of months because I could not figure out how I wanted to quilt it. Yesterday I decided to dye some #16 pearl cotton to quilt this top with. Here is how the thread came out.

Isn't it just yummy? I wound the thread on an empty spool and so now I am ready to quilt. Still not quite sure how I will quilt the top but I think I will just start and see where it goes. First I think I will dye some more thread today. It was quite fun and easy to do.

February 12x12x12

2007-02-11T12:37:00.000-06:00

Here is my completed project for February. I am rather pleased with the way it turned out. This piece was made using a pattern by Melinda Bula(http://www.melindabula.com) which was designed for an 18" block but I shrunk the pattern to fit the 12x12 format. Her pattern has instructions to use a fusible web but I did not use a fusible. I cut raw edge fabric pieces and tacked with a small dab of white glue to hold in place. I then placed one layer of pink tulle over the flower only in order to make the thread work and quilting easier.

Once again I used the binding technique taught by Ricky Tims which is done completely by machine.

This was a fun project that actually went together pretty quick once all the prep work was done.

I haven't made a decision on my project for March but I do have a couple ideas in mind.

I look forward to seeing everyone else's projects for February.

WIP Wednesday (Thursday)

2007-02-08T12:27:00.000-06:00

I know today is not Wednesday but I wanted to post an update on my 12x12x12. I spent yesterday thread painting my piece and quilting it. Today I am putting on the binding. I really enjoy participating in this challenge because it does motivate me to actually finish the piece. I have a really bad habit of making quilt tops and then never getting around to quilting them. Does anyone else have this problem?

I have been spending way too much time (and money) preparing my crazy quilt project for the spring and summer but I think I am now ready! I have dyed lots of silk ribbons bought lots of beads and trims and assorted threads. I even have everything packed up in one of the 12x12 cases so that I can just grab it when we leave. I think this is going to be a great portable project. I am anxious to get started.

I just received a new technique on CD called Thread Sketches by Linda Visnaw. It uses the Tsukineko inks and threads to paint a picture. This will probably be my project for the March 12x12x12.

I hope everyone else is making lots of progress on their projects and I look forward to seeing them.

WIP Wednesday

2007-01-31T12:08:00.000-06:00

I wanted to post an update for WIP Wednesday. Here is my February piece with a few changes. Now it is ready for the thread work. I have really enjoyed putting this piece together. I think I will have to make it is several other colors also.

I have been kind of side tracked lately. With football season nearly done and hunting season over my husband and I will begin to spend our weekends at our camp. I have started putting together projects for me to work on which would be easy to transport back and forth. I have decided to make a crazy quilt which I have never done before so I have been in research mode. I am learning so many new things right now and have discovered that I am very short in supplies for this type of quilt. I will need lots of beads, lace, silk ribbons, asst. threads, shiny fabrics and charms. Now the hard part. Shopping!

12x12x12 for February

2007-01-26T16:13:00.000-06:00

Today I have been working on my quilted page for the 12x12x12 challenge. Should I give you a sneak peek? Okay, here it is. I am not sure about the light highlights just yet. This is a pattern I bought from Melinda Bula which was designed for an 18" block. I shrunk the patterns to make it a 12" block. I am using a collage technique with raw edge and no fusible. This is the first project I have made like this. I will see if I like it when I get to the machine work.

Here I go again!

2007-01-25T23:26:00.000-06:00

I'm so sorry for any inconvenience moving my blog has created. I just wanted to make some changes. Stay tuned. I will try to catch up my postings here.

Brigitte