Shadow Applique & a Fun Creative Weekend Planned

I love this little block. Kathy gave a trunk show for us at retreat on Shadow Applique. We were all impressed with the versatility of this process and it's really easy! Over the fused heart is sheer organza and embroidery around edges..I know Denise was going to work on a few blocks...wonder if she has?

Kathy also generously shared this pattern of a Fairie. It is a really pretty pattern.

My quilt guild procured Esterita Austin! I have all day workshops for the next 2 days. Vacation days well spent. I will take pictures and tell all about them this weekend. Laura Wasilowski is at a neighboring guild and we hope to make it to a lecture by her tomorrow night. I love when you get the chance to learn from a national teacher/author. So as you can see I have a very CREATIVE weekend planned!! I WILL be happy.

I learned today:

1. My house will never be clean and I really am okay with that
2. Adam Sandler has a new movie...I know but I think he is funny. He's kind of nostalgic
3. Chris Allen won American Idol!

Happy Weekend!

I work for the weekend.

I work. Full time. 30 years.

I continually have high hopes for the weekend.

I am never disappointed.

I learned today:

1. Made my 1st huger car payment today. BUT it's only $65 more than the awfully uncomfortable riding Jeep Liberty. Worth it...Love my Trailblazer.


2. What? Izzy & George?? Good finale.


3. Call 1-888-382-1222 Do Not Call List to remove your soon to be released cell phone number from telemarketing lists.

CQ French Knot Tree

My friend Ely saw this really great little tree on a CQ block and wished out LOUD for one. I offered to do one for her, she gave me a block she was working on. I wish I knew who did this one above...love the silk ribbon trunk.

I made this one for her.Ely is very happy with it. I love making French Knots. I taught myself to do them when I was 11, with a picture! I have made thousands of them in my lifetime! The variegated threads are a key to making this look so interesting.

I am very very tired tonight.

I learned today:

1. Daughter got 4.0 in both grad classes and son on Dean's List! Proud of them both!
2. Gas is over $2.40 here. Why? Memorial Day...Summer vacation. Greed.
3. Danny Gokey is out on American Idol. I liked him from the beginning, cool voice. I don't like Adam Lambert at all. I guess I want Chris to win now.

Great Mother's Day in the Zone

I have had a perfectly slow creative day. Melissa wore her "I love mom" t-shirt, an annual occurrence. Somehow I just can't see Michael in one of these! But that would make a great picture!

The 1st thing I worked on this Mother's Day weekend, was a french knot tree for my friend Ely. It measures 4.5"x3.5". I love doing french knots so this was a pleasure.

I also spent time stitching on Jody's Mermaid block. I started in the lower corner using a chiffon scarf from Sally Ann's-tacking it down in a wrinkly way. Gathered novelty ribbon yarn was sewn down, along with SRE'd fly stitches to imitate seaweed. While looking through some of my dyed lace from Nicki, I found one that could look like a fish if cut up just right! I used some matte multi colored seed beads that I got in Manchester to fill in their bodies.

I'm not done with it yet though. I have more seaweed to add and more beading to do. The center medallion is a great print on fabric. When Carolyn worked on it she put her professional painting skills into that gorgeous tail. If you look closely, Jody's center piece is an oval and the flippy part of the tail was cut off. Carolyn finished it as well as making the mermaid beautiful...a little make-up does wonders!

A lot of us were really inspired by the class we took at retreat from Colleen on polymer clay faces. I made a few more of them today and then hauled out some stamps. In this book they show a charm made from polymer clay using a stamp impression. I have a cool swirly stamp I pushed into the clay and those came out really COOL! I haven't stained them yet but when I do I will post a picture.

And a little knitting...I bound off the main part of the sweater. I need to find size 17 double-pointed needles for the sleeves. It is going to be so big & comfy when it's done!

Today I learned:

1. Luke & Lorelie were back together again by the end of season 5...YAY!
2. I laugh really hard at Funny Video's where people could have suffered potential harm!
3. I love my new sewing basket. Alot. Thanks Mi
4. The new Adriana Trigiani book is not very good. I am over 3/4 finished and am still waiting for the climax. I loved her Big Stone Gap series though.

A Few Things from My Retreat

Isn't this bag cool? I love it. Charlyn showed up at the retreat with this! She hosted an INCHIE swap a while ago and I had no idea what to do with all mine. This is a great presentation. Here are a couple I found that I had made.

I learned to make Dorset Buttons for another online swap I participated in and decided to make an inchie with one. The blue on it are little blue beads.

I also made this one. I really liked them...I love anything with words on it. Sewed novelty yarn to the edges to make it a bit more FUNKY!

My answer to the novelty cow FQ we got as a challenge were these BOOTIES. I lined them with red felted wool and fussy cut them so they would match. I gave them to Nicki since as of last night she is NANA to twins....a boy and a girl!

Remember the MERMAID CQ RR I mentioned I am doing with a few creative souls? All of us were lucky enough to meet up in Manchester and we revealed our 1st round. This is Nicki's gorgeous beading on my block...the entire tale and bandeau are covered in beads.
I really love what Jody did on this block. She used invisible thread to sew down a silky fiber. It could only have been made better by the pink flowers she added. Great work.
Thearica's block is awesome and Kathy's work is spectacular. She had a vision and executed perfectly. Note the detail on the next pic!

I have decided this is MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND and am taking alot of time to do what I want! If your a mother, you should too! So I am stitching, shopping, buying, blogging, facebooking (yes, I said facebooking...I succumbed to the allure thanks to my retreat friends much to the chagrin of my son...never say never!) and stitching some more.

I am working on:

1. French knot tree for Ely on a CQ block
2. Jody's mermaid piece
3. Art quilt lesson 3
4. lemongrass green sweater..knit
5. Polymer clay faces

Today I learned:

1. I am a facebooker, there I said it!
2. Lorelie and Luke just broke up....season 5 Gilmore Girls in the DVD player.
3. Dinner at Center Street Grill.....yummy...thanks Melissa and Cory! Mom's Day gift..I requested today since tomorrow I want to be in the creativity zone all day as my present! I know, kind of anti-mom, but they GET me, so it's ok.

Art Quilt Progress

I am taking this online class from Ellen Lindner. I love her process. At this point it is just tacked using Wonder Under. The picture is after Lesson 1.

This is Lesson 2. You choose an accent color and highlight the obvious. After posting my piece, Ellen advised to have fewer ACCENTS and make the remaining ones skinny & postage stamp size. I am definitely going to do that. I even find using the digital camera to look at your piece gives you a better overview of the quilt. Will get back to it this weekend. Lesson 3 is machine quilting it. Ellen gives pointers on that. I would recommend checking out her online classes. She is very attentive to her students and offers advice & praise. I like to see what everyone else comes up with too.

Today I learned:

1. Plural of Cul-de-sac is Culs-de-sac.
2. How to plan and execute an applique pattern. Now to learn to applique.
3. I am proud owner of a one of a kind Fiber Art Collage. I will post it when I recieve it.
4. My son has a SUMMER job!

Where DID it go?

I spent over an hour composing an amusing post and don't know what I did but.......POOF! Lost to me & you. Checked the "Edit Posts" section and not there either. I will try again now...

I know the pics are a little dark..SORRY. I made this cute little thing for the COF (Circle of Friends) retreat last year in Houston as my handmade swap gift. It is a THIMBLE HOLDER I found in INSPIRATIONS magazine. (published in England and hard to find here unfortunately) Made from wool felt and stitched with little flowers and bees and a little disc bead as a closure. I LOVED making it. At my retreat, Shawn made sure to show me she uses it all the time and that makes me happy!

Today I am working on an online ART QUILT CLASS from Ellen Lindner using hand-dyed fabric I bought from Ronnie. The fabric is GORGEOUS! I finished lesson 1 and like the layout so far. Will post pic later.

Finishing up the WAVE I have been stitching on Carolyn's Mermaid CQ RR block and will move on to my friend, Jody's awesome block. I love learning new things and these POLYMER clay faces were taught to us at my retreat in NH by Colleen. This class was so much fun and it is so easy! Colleen was great! She is a textile artist from Alexandria, Nebraska. These are a few of her truly CREATIVE pieces.

This is her signature necklace "MOONGUY". It is a special piece since her son helped her make the face.

Here is another really cool necklace. I LOVE this one.

AND this is so unique. Can you tell I LOVE her work...her design style is exciting! If you are interested in seeing more from her email at alexandriaemmarose@hotmail.com. I hope to do some exchanging & sharing with her in the near future.

Back to my art-quilt-in-progress!