Petal Apron is up for Auction

Help support creating an end to domestic violence by bidding on my apron!
clipped from craftsanity.com

Let the Bidding On Aprons Begin!

Okay, folks, it’s time to shop! Click on the photos below to view the eBay auction.

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I like the photo of the apron on the clothesline, but think it looks better on Lil Sissy.

One Sketch A Day from Chronicle Books

I always forget to check out Chronicle Books new offerings. I happened to stumble on this one and it made me think it might work for the CPP. I have to admit I am not sure if I understand how the book is laid out, but I may go down to the Chronicle shop later this week and check it out in person.
I was thinking that a more organized person than me could do each CPP response in order in this book. It might also be good for those of us who stare at a blank page blankly. I tried to win one from ReadyMade, but I rarely win anything so we will see.
Check it out!
clipped from www.chroniclebooks.com

Art & Design: One Sketch a Day

Chronicle’s new One Sketch a Day visual journal is the perfect companion for anyone who wants to keep a lasting record of their visual work and imagination.

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ATCs and CQFA

The CQFA meeting was Saturday. We had two new people and that was GREAT. The whole meeting, actually, was great. There was LOTS of laughter. People who came late said that they could hear the laughter out in the parking lot. I need to attend more meetings where everyone is laughing.

As usual, show and tell was excellent. Everyone is really churning out the work and being inspired by each other. It was great. I showed Passionate Purple, the Chocolate Box and FOTY 2009. I also showed some books, talked about the Dale Fleming class and traded ATCs.

My ATCs
My ATCs

ATCs

People did really nice work for this round of ATCs. I was really pleased with the ATCs I chose. My score were the pears! I love them all though.

Nancy
Nancy
Bron
Bron

Bron used FabMo fabrics for her ATCs. She is on the board and finds all the good stuff there!

Maureen
Maureen

Maureen has a new blog, Flies in a Cathedral. She only promises to post once a week. I look forward to hearing about the flies.

Debbie
Debbie
Amy
Amy

I wasn’t fortunate enough to get one of Amy’s cards, but I loved the texture.

Julie
Julie
Diane
Diane

Diane is a very accomplished silk painter. When I saw those pears I knew I had to have them. I wasn’t the first person to choose either, so I feel very lucky to get that card.

My ATCs were really fun to make. I haven’t had much fun making them in the past. I am working on a series of ATCs and I may have to rethink that as it seems like a chore — until this go ’round.

QA Article by Cindi Huss, Apr/May 2010
QA Article by Cindi Huss, Apr/May 2010

I was reading Quilting Arts magazine last Thursday night and saw a picture of a leaf in an article about wool felting or something I wasn’t interested in. The article was by Cindi Huss I was interested in the image and the technique.

April ATCs in Progress
April ATCs in Progress

From what I could see in the picture, the author stitched zigzag lines three times with different threads. I did that in the picture above. One of the great things about my machine is that it has a very precise stitch. I can stitch over the same line and the needle will land in the same hole. That wasn’t what I wanted to for this. I wanted the zigzag to be a bit messy. I wanted the colors to blend. I had to readjust the needle to get it out of sync with the previous line of stitching.

Because of the Dale Fleming class, I was no longer hampered by changing the foot. I know it sounds silly, but sometimes taking off the foot holder is just too much of a hassle. I think I am over it now. I put on the darning/free motion foot and created the circles. I drew them lightly with a white pencil first so I had something to follow. I also slowed down the machine and that helped make the stitches show. After doing all of the circles. I went over some of them with two different colors of thread. Using Aurifil means that the stitched area does not get too bulky.

My idea was to make one piece and then cut it up. I had planned to try this technique in paper, but was inspired by the QA picture that I decided to go for it. I did make the background larger, but if I do this again, I would make it even larger and the ATCs were a bit small this time.

April ATCs cut
April ATCs cut

I have never made one piece and cut it up. I didn’t think people would like the right and left bottoms, but those were the first to go, actually. After cutting, I took apart a necklace Lil Sissy brought me from the Carribean and used the hearts for embellishment.

April ATCs finished
April ATCs finished

Here is the piece (minus the middle) embellished and finished and ready to be distributed. I was really pleased that they were so popular this time.