A Little Something New

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I've been gone for so long...  Life has seriously been cutting into my creative time lately!  That, and when I do find the time to work on projects, I can't seem to focus on one thing long enough to get it done!  So what do you do when you have so many projects started and can't seem to find the time to finish any of them?  Why you start another one, of course :)

In my defense, this is a small, very manageable project, that should be done in no time, right?!?  We'll see about that...

It's the mini Dwell pattern from Thimble Blossoms.  Because houses + fabric = the perfect combination :) Thought I'd share a peak at how it's coming along...

I vow to keep this one from getting lost in the UFO pile, pinky promise :)

Be back again soon, and hopefully on a much more regular basis...


Thanks for stopping by!

Art Retreat Weekend - Part 2

Hi there, hope everyone is having a good weekend.  I'm back to tell you about the second day of classes at the art retreat!

On the second day, Christy Tomlinson was our teacher.  Christy's "She Art" class was my first online mixed media class, and it opened my eyes to a whole new way of creating!  As you know, I'm also a quilter, so mixed media was something completely different for me.  Quilting is so exact and precise, which I love, but mixed media is completely the opposite, it's messy and loose, and completely fun :)  And Christy's style is so inspiring!

When we walked into the art studio that morning, lovely gifts were waiting for us... seriously, how cute is this presentation?!?

Christy taught us how to draw girls.  Normally I'm kind of intimidated by drawing faces, but she made the process so easy.

First we tried charcoal...

Then a Stabilo pencil, which I LOVED.  You draw with it, then run a wet paintbrush along the lines and they smear some, resembling paint.  I'll definitely be creating with this tool again!

Then, once we were a little more comfortable with drawing faces, we created a full color girl on a canvas board. Christy showed us her process for adding shading with paint and markers - she is seriously so talented, we had so much fun!

Everyone did such a great job with their girls!  I love this group shot showing all the different personalities and personal interpretations.

Christy really is an amazing teacher, and I have to say, she's just as sweet in person as she is online :)  Have you heard about her upcoming Boot Series class this spring?  I just signed up and am definitely looking forward to learning more from her.

Our project on the final day was creating a simple mixed media background on heavy-weight paper.  It was great to have one more creative project to pour ourselves into before departing.

I'm so grateful for my time spent with these lovely ladies and hope we can keep in touch.  We started the weekend out as strangers, but our common love of art and creating brought us together and we became fast friends.  It truly was a special experience that I will always remember.  If you're a creative person who has never been to a retreat, I encourage you to give it a try, you're sure to find some kindred spirits along the way...

Thanks for stopping by!

Art Retreat Weekend - Part 1

Hi Everyone!  I recently had the absolute pleasure of spending a wonderful weekend with a fantastic group of creative gals at the Nurture Your Creative Seed art retreat on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle.  We were submerged in art and all things mixed media for an entire weekend - it was amazing!

The retreat was hosted by the lovely Serena, who seriously has a gift for organizing creative events and making everyone feel so relaxed and comfortable.  This is my second year attending one of Serena's retreats, and hopefully not the last!

On the way to the retreat, I met up with my friend Cindy, who I had the pleasure of getting to know at last year's retreat.  We took the ferry from Seattle over to Bainbridge Island, about a 30 minute ride.  The day was overcast (so Seattle!), but we got to see an amazing view of the city shoreline from the ferry.

The first night, we all got to know each other over a delicious meal in town.  It was so much fun to be around such a creative group of ladies, who had put their fears aside and traveled in from all around the country to spend time making art.

Classes on the first day were taught by Junelle Jacobsen, who is such an inspiring mixed media artist.  We started the day doing sketching exercises, which we then translated into watercolor paintings.

The weather was absolutely beautiful on the first day, so after a break for lunch, we spent time soaking up some much needed sunshine at a local harbor area.  The views were spectacular and it was great to be outside and see some signs of spring.

After our harbor visit, we went back to the studio and Junelle taught us how to make mixed media wood blocks using lots of yummy paints and papers.

Here's a group shot of all the blocks everyone created in class.  I just love seeing them all together -  seriously, what a talented group of ladies!!!

Have you signed up for Junelle's new Saturday Morning Wood Block class?  It just started and there's still time to join in - these little blocks are so much fun to make and Junelle is such an inspiring teacher!

As if that wasn't enough, we had another whole day of creating to look forward to with this amazing gal.  I'll be back soon to tell you about all the fun we had on the second day of classes - stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by!

Valentine Mini

Introducing... just in the nick of time (whew!), a Valentine Mini quilt! :)  

I had so much fun making this little quilt and I hope you will too!  

Ok, hold on tight, here we go...

Finished Size = Approx. 22" x 22"

Materials Needed:

Scraps of 9 print fabrics, at least 6" x 6" each (hearts)

1/2 yd white fabric (background)

1/4 yd stripe fabric (binding)

25" x 25" fabric (backing)

25" x 25" batting

* All seams are 1/4" unless otherwise noted.

Step 1 - Cutting

From each of the 9 print fabrics, cut:

(1) 2-7/8" square

(2) 2-1/2" squares

From 1/2 yd white fabric cut:

(36) 1-1/2" squares

(9) 2-7/8" squares

(6) 2" x 4-1/2" rectangles (sashing)

(2) 2" x 15-1/2" rectangles (sashing)

(2) 3-1/2" x 15-1/2" rectangles (border)

(2) 3-1/2" x 21-1/2" rectangles (border)

From 1/4 yd binding fabric, cut:

3 strips 2-1/4" x WOF

*WOF = width of fabric; can cut binding strips 2-1/2" wide if preferred.

Step 2 - Sewing

For each heart block, you will need:

Using a pencil, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on all white squares.  (Note to self, white fabric does not photograph well on a white background... :)

Place a print 2-7/8" square and a white 2-7/8" square right sides together (RST).  Sew 1/4" on each side of drawn line.

Cut on the line.  Press one seam toward the white fabric and one seam toward the print fabric.

Match up the half square triangle units as shown and sew together.  

This is completes the bottom half of the heart block!  

To make the top half, begin by lining up a 1-1/2" white square with the top left corner of a 2-1/2" print square. Sew on the diagonal line.  Repeat with second 2-1/2" square in same print fabric.

Press white fabric towards corner as shown and trim seam allowance to 1/4".

Sew another 1-1/2" square to the top right corner in the same manner.  

Press right corner seam allowance toward print fabric. (Pressing this way allows the seams to lock together when joining the two units together.)

Sew both units together as shown.  This completes the top half of the heart block!

Sew top and bottom together to finish the heart block.

Repeat to make 8 more heart blocks with the rest of the print and white squares.

Join the blocks together with sashing pieces as shown.

Add borders as shown.

Step 3 - Quilting and Finishing

Layer top / batting / backing and quilt as desired.  I quilted straight lines 3/8" away from the outside of each heart block and sashing/border strip.  (Sewing 3/8" away from the seams helps prevent catching the 1/4" seam allowance and sewing over extra "bulk".)

Add binding, and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this little tutorial (my first ever!!).  Happy quilting :)


Thanks for stopping by!

Making Progress...

Hi everyone, happy weekend!

I'm having such fun working on my little Valentine's project. :)  Definitely making some good progress, so thought I'd drop by to share a sneak peek...

Hope to be back very soon with a finished project. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Starting Something New...

One of my very favorite activities within the quilting process is selecting fabric for a new project.  I had the opportunity to do just that over the weekend when inspiration hit me with an idea for a fun quilting project, which may or may not have something to do with a certain holiday coming up in the middle of February... (ok, it totally does, I seriously can't keep a secret! :)

After much deliberation (enjoyable deliberation mind you, since fabric play was involved :), I landed on the selection below.  

I hope to be back later this week to share my progress on this fun little project.  (Assuming it ends up somewhat resembling the idea I have in my head that is! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Mixed Media Monday

Hi Everyone - happy Monday!  Hope you all had a great weekend.  Mine was good, kinda low key, just how I like 'em. :)

I spent most of the weekend getting ready for an upcoming quilt retreat.  Seriously looking forward to that!!  I usually try to cut out and prep a lot of projects before I go, so I can feel extra productive while I'm there. :)  I still have one more project that I'd like to cut out before I leave, but we'll see how this week goes...

I did manage to take a break from cutting long enough to try out this new Christmas gift...  I even found some actual watercolor paper in the back of my closet to play with.  

Watercolor is not usually my thing, but seriously, these paints are really fun to work with.  And super addicting!!

I'm definitely going to have to spend some more time with these new friends. :)  

Thanks for stopping by!