Third Infinity

I think I finally found my niche in the quilting/sewing world-- Free Motion Embroidery. If you've never seen it, or tried it, and you love needlework, you might like this. http://usaapp.husqvarnaviking.com/education/pdf/2912.pdf   I feel like I've come home. I can't embroider or cross stitch anymore. My hands won't take it. However, with my sewing machine doing most of the work, I'm churning out stuff like crazy, and playing like a kid again. My present work is a modern take on Broiderie Perse ( http://www.womenfolk.com/quilting_history/broderieperse.htm ) I've taken a lovely rose chintz pattern and cut the rose bouquet carefully away from its original background. Now I'm stitching it to an emerald green tee shirt. To open up the tee shirt so you can get at the front easily, you remove the side seams and underarm seams on the sleeves. I've basted the rose bouquet down, and now I'm using free motion to enhance the design and highlight what I ...

Knitting and crocheting are the most obvious forms of yarn work, and in the depths of winter they’re a handy craft to know! (No pun intended.) I’ve spent many a winter day snuggled under a crocheted or knitted project, and was almost sorry to give it away! While both will always have their proponents, even those who are intimidated by the needles and hooks can do the plastic knitting looms currently available in many craft stores. Do I expect you to knit a sweater or sock your first time? Heck no! The joy is in the learning, and sometimes even a simple knitted square is a triumph with a use. My dear friend makes the most wonderful hand-knitted and crocheted face cloths that beat plain old terry cloth face cloths hands down! Even I can manage face cloths, and I freely admit yarn crafting isn’t my favorite fiber art. However, my lack of enthusiasm hasn’t stopped me from making the occasional stocking hat, beret, washcloth, or even a bag or two. So, be a kid again. Pick up a simp...

The Witches’ Belt Spun craft can take a very useful and fashionable turn if you make yourself a cingulum. Depending on your tradition, the cord worn by a witch can have many different uses and meanings. 1. Cingulums are 4-1/2 feet in length so they may be used as a compass to draw the nine-foot circle of some traditions. Some other traditions demand that the cord itself be nine feet in length and wrapped around the body a minimum of three times when worn as a belt. 2. Postulants are bound with a cord for their initiation. In some traditions, this cord becomes their first cingulum. In some traditions, this cord is white to signify the novice. This is not true in all traditions. 3. Practitioners of ceremonial magick may have several knots in their cingulum to measure inner and outer Circles. 4. Some traditions may weave and join cingulums as a witch achieves rank, so her novice’s belt may be twisted and woven with her new level’s belt as a reminder to never forget what she has...

These are so gorgeous, I had to share. I wish you could see the pictures here, but you'll have to go to the site. It's worth the clicks. Hello Corlleen: We're knee-deep in January, and here in Minnesota, we've got the blues. The midwinter blues. Crafty that we are, we've cooked up crisp, cool new designs known as Delft Blue. Delft Blue pottery is nearly 500 years old, and those gorgeous shades of blue remain a timeless and classic design trend. Scenes depicted on plates, vases, platters, cups, and saucers, reflect peaceful and serene Dutch scenes of years gone by. New designs this week celebrate the beautiful art form known as Delft Blue. Fruit and flower arrangements are framed with graceful vines and lush blossoms. The result is designs that are sure to be a cozy addition to towels, table linens, quilts, cozies, and wall hangings. As a special introductory offer, these new Delft Blue designs are on sale now - only $1 each! Click here to find them, an...

Quilting 101-- Cutting Commentary: There's a certain amount of repetition in all of this as far as preparing to cut. There's a reason. Get into the habit now of taking your new fabric out of your shopping bag and throwing it directly into the apprpriate laundry hamper. Yeah, take a moment to gloat over your loot, but wash the fabric now. When it's dry again, iron it. Fold selvage to selvage. Put it and all the other stuff (pattern, thread, notions, etc) into one project bag. (Remember I mentioned those 2 gallon Ziploc bags?) The first few patterns in the Super Quilter and Reader's Digest books await us, and cutting is very simple. We're talking straight lines, okay? What few special stuff is cut with scissors, like a paper heart pattern. So just read the next few lessons and just learn. Easy! However, I would like some feedback. This stuff is work, and I'd rather know someone is actually interested and learning.

Never ask an advanced quilter how to do applique. You'll get a non-answer of, "Oh, there's hundreds of ways. I really can't begin to tell you all the various techniques." Then you get a discourse of on the various kinds of appliques most favored by that quilter that may or may not be for the beginning quilter, except you don't even understand the terms. After beating my head against a wall, I gave up. Today I just watched the second in a three-part series about applique from the tv show, Sewing With Nancy ( http://www.nancysnotions.com/product/sewing+with+nancy/books/applique+know+how+workbook.do?search=basic&keyword=BK2314&sortby=newArrivals&page=1 ) and I was really impressed. Finally, I got to see a demonstration I not only understood, but was equipped to do. Amazing! Between that show (I want the book and DVD set) and some very patient instruction from Ruth Brittain and Sandy Hamilton of my guild, I get it at long last. I more than get it. I wa...

Quilting 101- General Marking and Cutting Instructions (Chapter One of Super Quilter referenced) Boy-oh-boy! I'm changing a lot of this chapter. Some of the basic info is good, but much has changed since the early 1980's. Squares are the fundamental basis of piecework. This is like learning your ABC's for all the stuff you learn later, so don't think you can skip this. If you like, you can do a tooth fairy pillow to practice. It's easy, and a nice gift for your kids. (Yeah, Susan. Make it now and put it away for later.) An alternate might be a hot pad for placing your hot pans on the counter. You won't need special heat resistant fabric for this. It's just a trivet-like barrier, but by the same token don't use it to take hot stuff out of the oven. You don't want to burn your hand. General Instructions Wash all fabric immediately upon purchase. Get into this habit now. It's highly important to get all the harsh chemicals and sizing out as well...

Supplies and Demands Part Two Okay, back to the supplies. I remind you that I’m drawing info from the Super Quilter book. However, I hope to have the "Patchwork, quilting, & appliqué (Reader's Digest)" by Jenni Dobson. Believe it or not, I just bought it from Amazon.com for a mere fifty cents. No, that’s not a typo; a hard cover book that gives excellent lessons and projects for a mere fifty cents. The shipping costs more. I may pull projects and lessons from both books. I’m really impressed with both, and I think both have value. A. THREAD 1. For piecing and appliqué, common sewing thread is fine. She does recommend acquiring the basic colors: black, white, natural, red, yellow, blue, and green. 2. Quilting thread had also become readily available. Threads are designated by weight, so 12 weight is what you want. There are almost as many colors in quilting thread as the more common all-purposed threads. 3. You may wish to acquire 40-weight rayon for “...

Supplies and Demands for Quilting As I read this chapter of Super Quilter by Carla J Hassel, I’m struck by how much has changed in the past 20+ years since she sat down to write it. My amusement has faded to awe. I’m now wondering how my grandmothers managed with a cigar box as a sewing box, a set of hand-sewing needles, pins, scissors, thread, beeswax, chalk, a ruler, tape measure, pin cushion, thimble, seam ripper, and fabric. They made do or did without. Now I admire my lovely computerized sewing machine, my collection of rulers and templates, stabilizers, Heat-n-Bond, glues, and myriad of gadgets available. Am I the one deprived because I’m not sitting around a frame with other women, learning from those who came before me? Maybe I am. They fearlessly attacked their ignorance and knew they had a lifetime to perfect their skills. So I use a plastic tote and a photo box instead of a cigar box. It’s not a crime. I made my own pincushions from my early experiments with different...

If you haven't read Magical Needlework by Dorothy Morrison, you might wish to borrow it or buy. This book covers all the reasons to do magic through the juxtaposition of needle, thread and cloth to create magical items. I see no reason to reinvent the wheel when Dorothy did it so well. For the purposes of this series, I'll deal with the pioneering art of quilting since it is versatile and practical. I'm teaching my daughters with this blog, so you'll see me refer to them as Merri, Susan, Tuesday (TJ), Jenny Elf, and Desi. Two are the daughters of my body, and the rest are adoptees, but who cares? I love them all. I'll refer to several books, but most commonly I'll refer to You Can Be a Super Quilter! by Carla J. Hassel. This book, written when the girls were infants or before they were born, focuses on the simplest aspect of quilting--hand piecing and hand-quilting. I'll refer to more modern books or give my own comments as we go, as needed. However, the...

I'll start by inserting the scanned page from the book. You'll need to save it to your computer and print it out or look at it with the Zoom feature. After that, we'll discuss it via Comments. Okay, now for the discussion. I'll post the list of supplies ASAP. I'll post the page with a template or pattern when it's needed. Once again, I remind you to save the plastic lids to margarine tubs, coffee cans, sour cream containers, and similar plastic lids. You'll need many. Also, save as many of the plastic inserts in bacon packages as you can. These will come in especially handy for some of the larger templates. I've looked at them, and they are some of the most common templates available. You'll want permanent copies.  I suggest you think very seriously about color schemes. You may have already noticed a theme or color scheme you particularly favor. For instance, I'm well known for loving hot tropical colors like Caribbean blue, hot pink, and ...

I've already spoken with TJ about this by phone, since her internet will be out for another few days. She's in, so I'm including her in these emails. (Susan, you may include Elf in this if she wishes.) I'll also be posting this on my Third Infinity blog. I found among some of the books Karen DeAngelo gave me a book called, "You can be a Super Quilter!" by Carla J. Hassel. (ISBN 0-87069-294-1) I've hyperlinked it to the Amazon.com listing, where it's on sale for cheap if you want your own copy. What a great book! It's like a workbook, taking you step by step through the process. The plan is for me to scan the pages and discuss them with you, page by page and lesson by lesson. Eventually, we'll all be learning together and doing the "homework" together via the internet. Upon occasion, we can learn about alternative methods using more modern conveniences or options, since the book was written thirty years ago. However, this book w...

From: Quilting Daily <quiltingdaily@interweave.com> To: voiceomt2002@yahoo.com Having problems viewing this email? View it in a browser window. Share this on:   Quilting Arts Gifts is a special issue of Quilting Arts Magazine devoted to the art of gift-giving! September 9, 2010 My Recipe for No-sew Snowflakes It's no secret I'm a surface design junkie. Over the years, I have amassed an overflowing stash of fabrics that have been dyed, printed, screened, stamped, and stenciled. Not only do I despair of ever using these fabrics up in art quilts, I have to admit that some of them aren't quite art quilt-worthy. I also have to admit that, being a surface design junkie, I also collect a ton of objects that could be used in surface design. A category of those objects is cookie cutters—implements that I can assure you will never be used in the presence of butter and sugar. Soy wax, maybe. So you can imagine my delight wh...