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Showing posts from March, 2014

Rising Mist - part two

Last week, I showed you the beginning stages of my new sliced and woven quilt, but all that amounted to was getting the quilt top fabric prepped! 3. Using both a rotary cutter and scissors, slice up the fabric, leaving a 1/2 inch attachment at the edges.  The cuts can be straight or wavy.  An even number of cuts is preferred. 4. Cut strips of netting to use in weaving. 5. Cut a piece of batting, large enough to form a frame for the wrap and tuck method .  In this case, the batting is just 1 inch larger than the top on each side.  Pin the top and bottom of the slit quilt to to this piece. 6. Weave the netting through the slits, alternating the ups and downs.  Leave them loose on the ends and pin in place. 7. Add more embellishment to the weaving if desired, using fibers and a large crochet hook. 8. Nudge all the slits together tight, and pin along the sides through all layers. Next week, quilting and finishing! Part one Part two Part three

Artsy blogging round-up!

Beading Arts Cyndi hasn't played much with chain maille, but after making this easy pair of earrings, she might have to change her ways! Here's the tutorial :-) Carmi's Art/Life World I wanted to share this special blog hop I coordinated with 12 different designers. All their projects are so unique and different! They received Neo Chain from Dazzle-it come to play with. Crochet Kit Giveaway Enter to win an super, uber ad-or-able Wizard of Oz crochet kit! Eggs in Nest Beaded Charm Bracelet   Three blue-speckled eggs nestled in a wire-wrapped charm make a great focal charm. This bracelet features three nests. Click for directions. There are matching earrings as well. Resin Crafts Blog This is part one of a three part post which focuses on containing resin in a flat wire wall. Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Review by jean and GIVEAWAY as well of the stunning book, 1000 BEADS, Kristina Logan, Juror ! see Jean's blog! The Writing

Recent publications: March 2014

BiblioCraft: The Modern Crafter’s Guide to Using Library Resources to Jumpstart Creative Projects by Jessica Pigza The Art of Whimsical Lettering by Joanne Sharpe Seaside Tinkered Treasures by Elyse Major Just Us Girls: 48 Creative Art Projects for Mothers and Daughters to Do Together by Cindy Ann Ganaden Creative Stenciling for Mixed Media and Polymer Clay Art The Ultimate Guide by Ilysa Ginsburg and Kira Slye Wise Craft: Turning Thrift Store Finds, Fabric Scraps, and Natural Objects Into Stuff You Love by Blair Stocker The Fine Artist's Guide to Tools & Materials: An essential reference for understanding and using the tools of the trade by Elizabeth T. Gilbert The Art Abandonment Project: Create and Share Random Acts of Art by Michael deMeng and Andrea Matus deMeng Creative Block: Get Unstuck, Discover New Ideas. Advice & Projects from 50 Successful Artists by Danielle Krysa Zentangle 2, Expanded Workbook Edition: Featuring Ideas for Scrap

Quote of the week!

Rising Mist - part one

Having learned a little bit through the process of making my last sliced and woven quilt ( Glacier Bay ), I wanted to try doing another with some modifications.  I want to fix some of the mistakes I feel I made the last time...and will probably end up making some new ones! 1. Choose a piece of fabric for the top.  I used one of my pieces of tree texture fabric   that I had left over from another project.  Cut it to size. 2. Paint it with thinned acrylics as desired and heat set with an iron once the fabric is dry. Part one Part two Part three Copyright 2014 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact. Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Artsy blogging round-up!

A Creative Dream June is celebrating the arrival of spring by giving away a bouquet of flowers! Beading Arts Cyndi has had the chance to play with some new products from Fire Mountain Gems, and she came up with a crazy little pair of brightly colored mixed media earrings for the spring! Carmi's Art/Life Blog With my collection of vintage linens finally sorted and displayed I made some time to make a new necklace featuring the embroidery from one tablecloth. Felt Peep Bunnies Cherie shares some Peep bunnies she made out of felt. Get Hopping! The Crafty Princess participated in a fun Dazzle-It blog hop. See what she cooked up with the jewelry supplies they sent her. Preserving Memories: Creating "This is Cartegena" Digital Scrapbook Paper The instant Eileen saw this graffitied wall in the old city of Cartagena, she said to her husband, "I could make a scrapbook paper of that!" Then she snapped away. Resin Crafts Blog With a week of posts fe

Yay for Michelle!

Michelle, who writes the blog Brain Angles , is the winner of a copy of  Pretty Quilled Cards .  Congratulations, Michelle!

Book review: Kitchen Stitches

Martingale 's charming new book, Kitchen Stitches , is divided into 3 sections: "get cooking", "set the table", and "add a little spice", which altogether include 17 projects by 13 different designers.  Stir them all together, and the result is this collection of easy and fast little projects that you can make for your home or for hostess gifts, mostly from your fabric scraps! If you're not an experienced sewer, don't worry...the instructions are very detailed and the patterns are super easy.  For the kitchen, lots of pot holders, towels, and cozies are included, which will not thrill everyone, but if you're loking for great gifts, it's hard to beat one of these when they're handmade! For the table, more cozies, placemats, and napkins.  And a pretty cool tablecloth, shown above!  There are also some table runner and place mats that I really like, shown below. For the rest of the house, organizers and message bo

Quote of the week!

Scrap magnets

Here's another fun little project that you can do to use up left over pieces of paper.  I chose two from my pile: paper towels that were used for mopping up other projects, and embossed cardstock from a challenge by Michelle Mach . Here's what you'll need: Materials and Tools Left over papers Business card magnets with one adhesive side Pens and markers Krylon matte acrylic spray Iron Cutting mat X-acto knife 1. Chose your papers.  I ended up not using the foils, but they would have been a nice addition if my papers had been plainer. 2. Iron any papers that need it.  Paper towels always need it! 3. Place the adhesive side of the magnets down on the papers. 4. Trim with an x-acto knife. 5. Write or draw as desired.  I used a metallic felt tip surrounded by a very fine-pointed black marker pen. 6. Spray the tops lightly to protect. Copyright 2014 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or r

Artsy blogging round-up!

A Bead A Day Lisa's sharing memories of her last day at Beadland Headquarters in Florida a.k.a. Cousin Corporation. Art Bead Scene Check out Heather's fun tutorial using Aria Design Studio's beautiful hand-dyed Shibori ribbon! Beading Arts Soutache braid trim mixed with bead embroidery...what a nice combo! Card Making Tutorial: "Just a Note" This "Just a Note" card is made using a base of 12 x 12 cardstock. Since one sheet yields two cards, you might as well make two at once and always have a spare on hand. Patch It Up Fabric hoarders and scrappers will find this new book from Lark interesting: Pretty Little Patchwork. Resin Crafts Blog A special post about using original ephemera in high end bezels. Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean reviewed Melinda Barta's book, Mastering Herringbone Stitch, The Complete Guide, and is hosting a Giveaway of this really great book this week on her blog! Yay! Technora

Book review and giveaway: Pretty Quilled Cards

Quilling is something that never pops into my mind when I'm casting about for my next project, but I might have to rethink that!   Cecelia Louie's new book is called Pretty Quilled Cards , and that is the honest truth.  The effect of quilling is dainty and feminine, but not cutsie in the least. The quilling basics will give you an overview and introduction to everything you need to know to get started.  There are only a few tools and materials you'll need, so this is a very accessible art form to add to your repertoire.  And here's the amazing thing about this Lark Book design: Cecelia has provided not only step-by-step instructions for each quilling project, but also step-by-step actual-sized templates!  All you have to do is lay your quilling strips on to the of the provided illustrations and do the curves and folds as shown. But wait, there's more!  There are also printed backgrounds  of Cecelia's illustrations that you can photocopy and use for you

Here's your sign!

Glacier Bay - part four

Yay!  I have finished my woven dryer sheet quilt, and I am sooo happy with it!  Let me show you how I did the binding to finish it up. The top was quilted 1/2 inch in from each edge so that there would be a little free-edge all the way around.  The batting was cut larger all around than the top.  In this case, it is just 1 inch larger on each side.  The backing fabric is cut even larger than that, in this case 1 1/2 inch larger on each side than the batting.  This will allow you to flip the backing fabric to the front, wrapping over the batting and tucking under the edge of the top. Here in this shot above, you see one of the corners wrapped up and over at a 45 degree angle, so that the corner will be mitered when finished. I whip stitched the mitered corner into place and used a blanket stitch to finish off the edges of the binding.  As much as possible, I stitched this edging through all the layers, including the backing fabric. Part one Part two Part thre

Artsy blogging round-up!

A Bead A Day Did you ever have a dream you were staying in a gorgeous hotel on the beach while surrounded by beads? Lisa shares part 2 of her trip to Beadland, USA. ACreativeDream June shows off some of the mail art exchanged last month, and posts the next mail art call!!! Come join the fun! Art Bead Scene Check out our new monthly challenge piece - Birds on Riser, by Swiss artist Adolf Dietrich. Beading Arts Cyndi shows the next steps of how she integrated soutache braid into one of her bead embroidered necklaces. Carmi's Art/Life World What I look for when I see junk, vintage and antique jewelry! Resin Crafts Blog A broken mirror floor becomes the inspiration for this new resin filled bezel! Say It With a Flower A very cool wooden flower pendant was the inspiration for this easy necklace and earring project you will love to make and wear. Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean won a pair of earrings from the wonderful designer Linda La

Book review: Candy Store and More

Candy Store and More , by Kay Connors and Karen Earlywine ,  is subtitled "1930's Quilts Made New".  Using traditional patterns in candy-pastel colors, the authors have written the perfect book for someone who is new to quilt top piecing and would like to try their hand at quilting for the first time.  Exact yardage and patterns are provided to insure success, including full-sized applique patterns.  All of the colors could easily be varied though, if you are confident in color choices.  My recommendation would be to follow the pattern as far as light, medium, and dark hues go. The techniques covered and used in the quilts vary: from piecing, to applique, and machine techniques.  While you could decide to make your quilt entirely by hand, modern methods are not frowned upon here.  There are 10 complete projects, including variations on the well known Dresden plate (shown above), barn dance, and pinwheel.  My favorite is the title quilt, "Candy Store&quo

Here's your sign!

Glacier Bay - part three

I mentioned last week that I will do my next quilt slightly differently from this one.  The issue came about because I decided to add my batting before slicing up my quilt top, and the result was that the weaving step, shown above, was more bulky than I would have liked.  Not a huge big deal, but I'll do it in a different order next time: weave first and then add the weaving to a solid piece of batting and backing fabric for quilting. Using both a rotary cutter and scissors, I sliced up the quilt from top to bottom, leaving a 1/2 inch attachment at the edges. The cuts are wavy, and to keep them from slipping around, I pinned the layers together (dryer sheets, muslin base, batting). I cut strips of netting and wove them through the slits, alternating the ups and downs.  I left them loose on the ends and repinned as I worked. When the netting was all in place, I re-pinned the piece to some thin, soft flannel as a backin fabric.  I placed a row of pins a