Rags to Riches

I have had so much fun playing with my Embellisher machine.
I am going to share some small pieces I made with it on this post.

When I went to a fiber art retreat I took my Embellisher machine with me.
At the retreat there was a large collection of fabric we could play with. Much of this was fabric I would never touch or look twice at. Sleazy shiny polyesters and nylons, ugly cottons and linens, sheers, reject hand dyed or painted fabrics, etc..
These were the perfect fabrics to experiment with. I truly was going from rags to riches.

By the time the retreat was over almost every one there wanted one. It is so much fun to work with.


This piece used some cut offs of silk fabrics I painted along with other fabrics. It also includes some wool roving.



This one uses commercial fabrics of varying weights and textures.



I used a lot of sheers and semi sheers on this piece. I also used the selvedge part of the pink fabric to provide another texture.
Nothing goes to waste, even the smallest scraps when you have this machine!



After layering a collage of different weights and types of fabric, including some metallics I added the silk textured yarn for an additional texture.



Metallics, sheers and wool roving are the basis for this piece.

An Embellisher is a machine with several barbed needles that "fasten" the various fibers together.
There are several different brands. They use NO thread.
I would suggest a google search to find out more, and then a trip to your local sewing machine dealer.

Baubles, Bangles and Beads

Today was another clay day for me. I tried to use up some of the canes we started yesterday, along with using some of the finished canes Terry sent me.


My supply of amulets I share with my guests is getting low. I completed these to help replenish the tray of amulets. As soon as I get the proper pen to sign them, these will be added to the tray.

To see a larger version of either of these photos click on them.


I had lunch with a friend and told her how I made bowls for my family for Christmas last year. That got me thinking and I realized the finished canes I have would be the perfect way to make some bowls.

I made this small bowl today. It is about the size of a sauce dish. That is what I used to make it. It was made entirely from Terry's finished canes.

The round puzzle cut is perfect for this bowl. It is also one of the easiest to do.

Precious Polymer Clay

My friend Pat said she would like to learn how to work with polymer clay.
Last week I acquired a supply of clay, tools, finished canes and pasta machines from Terry who no longer had an interest in working with clay. It was perfect timing as I now had enough equipment so the two of us could "play clay".


This is the counter we worked on as I showed Pat various different basic clay techniques.


One of the things I showed Pat how to do was to make a Skinner blend. Judith Skinner has to be the ultimate polymer clay genius to have come up with this technique. Any one who has worked with polymer clay learns this method of doing a gradation in clay.
It opens up so many possibilities for designing.



This shows some of the pieces we made today ready to be baked in my toaster oven that I purchased to use exclusively for clay.

It was really an enjoyable day sharing how to work with the clay with Pat. It was also a great chance for girl talk and catching up on what has been going on in our busy lives with someone I have known since our sophomore year in high school! We broke for lunch and enjoyed my homemade chicken soup, hot rolls and I introduced Pat to Vernor's Ginger Ale.

After lunch we continued to work with clay and I baked the things we had made. We each have a group of finished products and canes that we can use to make other things.

You too can put the pieces together now to create this polymer clay display!

Dear Hearts and Gentle People

My life has been blessed with great friends, wonderful get togethers and delicious food.


I've missed sharing some of these occasions with you so I'm trying to play catch up tonight. Pat, Ron, John and Lynn were a big reason why we decided to spend winters in Florida. We had a very relaxing dinner a little over a week ago. The food was delicious and the weather was perfect. We ended up spending the remainder of the evening at the table on the lanai having a good conversation and enjoying the perfect weather.



One evening a month Ocala has Ladies Night Out. The shops are open, and they go all out for the ladies. Our Red Hat group enjoyed a fun evening of appetizers and beverages at Harry's.
Then we proceeded to The Wine Experience of Ocala where we had our own private dining room. We even were treated to music by a young man and his guitar. He knew how to play background music that didn't drown out our conversation. We all agreed it was a very enjoyable evening.



Last night Judy, I and Marleen enjoyed a great dinner at the Bonefish Grill. It is one of my very favorite places to eat in our area.

If you think all we do is eat, I think you'd be right these past two weeks.

This morning we also enjoyed a brunch at our communities restaurant. Would you believe I forgot to bring my camera? Marleen had hers so she will be sending me the photos.

If you are wondering where the quilts are they'll be returning soon.

If you are familiar with the Escher posts on my blog you may remember seeing the Escher tessellation where fish turn into birds. We are having dinner at Bonefish Grill and the photo from our fish dinner turns into a bird puzzle!

Ladies Who Lunch - Excellent food and superb company

My friends Judy and Marlene are visiting for a few days.
We were invited to Mary's for lunch.


Jackie, Mary, Marlene and Judy are finishing up a fantastic lunch.
We shared our favorite places to eat in the area. I learned of some new places I had not visited and shared the name of my favorite. By the time we were done, I had a new favorite - Mary's house!


Today was an absolutely gorgeous day in the neighborhood. The only thing better than that is having great girlfriends to enjoy spending time with.


Hoping all your days are a great as ours was.

Now you see it, now you don't!

We are expecting overnight guests tonight.
You have already seen the guest room.


You have also seen the studio/office/second guest room.

You may have wondered where anyone would sleep in there.

They can sleep right here!

Tessellation Tutorial - I'm working on it - Stay tuned

I have posted tessellation quilts by my students and the response from those of you who read my blog has been overwhelming.

This work is by Suzie McCormack and she has already chosen a background/border fabric.

I have my own way of doing these and I offered to do a tutorial.
I am working on the tutorial but sometimes life gets in the way.
Life is good and it is moving to fast for me this year.

I will be posting one so hopefully if you are one of those people who asked how to do it please be patient and stay tuned.

I know I have shown these twice but for all of you who just started reading my blog, I am going to share them again. I think there have been well over 5000 new viewers this week.


I came up with a way of doing interesting tessellations. The students didn't sew them together, they fused them to a background. This allowed them the freedom to create shapes that would be next to impossible to piece.
I am showing you several without names. When I am teaching it is difficult to get time to take photos, much less get the names recorded. If anyone sees your work please let me know and I'll add your name to it.



These are all works in progress. The students get enough information to finish their work and also to be able to repeat the technique again with different shapes, colors and sizes.



This particular tessellation looks like birds. Generally I suggest just cutting and playing and eventually you will come up with something you like.


The artist who used tessellations most was Escher. One famous tessellation by him consists of birds that change to fish as the design progresses across the surface.
The shape doesn't change - just the details he has drawn/painted on them.



I hope you can see how interesting this piece is in spite of my poor photography. When rushing to get things photographed I don't have the skills nor time to get the best photos but I still like to record students work when possible.


Tessellations are a very interesting process, fun and so much easier than they look. I have also seen some instructions to do them that make them super difficult and something I think that most people would avoid at all costs!

There are several pieces in my The Colors Of My Life series that are tessellations designed simply with squares.

The choice of a puzzle tonight was easy - birds and with a bird cut!

In the Spring a Quilter's Fancy Turns to Quilt Cars! Part 2

So many of you enjoyed the blog post about Quilt Cars I would like to share a few more with you


I am sure it would be easier to cover a small car than a big one.



This one is a little bigger but not as big as some I have shown you.


This looks more like a car cover and not something one would actually drive.



I love this one with the people in the windows. I don't think this one could be driven.




This car is covered I believe in glass - a mosaic quilt. It is really very attractive and I would love to have one like this.

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I went to a quilt show last month in Ocala, Florida and this Quilt Trolley was outside the building the show was being held in.
Inside the Quilt Trolley was a full quilt shop with wonderful fabrics and other quilting supplies.


You could actually make a quilt with the shape of these puzzle pieces!

Lunch Out Day

I often post "Ladies Who Lunch" on this blog.
Since today's lunch included men I decided it needed a different title.



Recently I have reconnected with friends I hadn't seen for 47 years.
What a wonderful feeling to find this group of friends that we started out with in our first adventures out of college.

We have been trying to get all of us together for over 3 months.
Today we were all finally free and we enjoyed a great lunch.
There was a lot to catch up on when you haven't seen someone in that long.
I'm looking forward to getting together again so we can continue filling in the missing years.

Although I don't have any photos of us from way back then I do have this photo of our children who were around 3 years old then.


To put things in perspective, our children are now about twice as old as we were when we were friends a long, long time ago!

And to make this quilt related, if you look at what you can see of the floor in this photo, that is the same floor where I tied my two very first quilts!

I am using a classic jig saw puzzle cut as it reminds me of the puzzles our kids used to do when they were learning to do puzzles.

You Light Up My Life

I loved the light fixture I had hanging over the kitchen table. I had purchased it on eBay and it was probably about 45 years old. The color changed from a burgundy when it was off to a deep red when it was on. I loved it.
I was cleaning the floor and put a crack in it with a broom handle. It didn't break until it was being cleaned about 4 years later.

I didn't want to invest a lot of money in a new fixture so I went up in the attic and found this fixture which was shiny gold.
With a can of flat red spray paint I have a new kitchen fixture. I'm recycling and I now have a fun and funky fixture.

Moments to Remember

Today was one of those days I will long remember.


The Masters Course is one of the most, if the not the most beautiful golf courses anywhere.



I don't think anyone who watched the 2010 Masters Golf Tournament will ever forget Phil Mickleson's win.
He played his heart out and deserved to win.



Seeing him with his wife Amy and family was one of the most touching moments I have every experienced watching a golf tournament. He is just such a great guy and it was evident how much his family means to him.
To me, that's what it is all about.

The greatest most touching article about Phil Mickelson can be found at:
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/golf/phil-mickelsons-victory-at-masters-about-more-than-a-golf-tournament/1086795

You betcha!

I have a friend who uses this expression a lot.
I was trying to come up with a subject for this blog post when a friend gave me this idea. This blog post is dedicated to the friend who gave me the idea for it!

How many of you are familiar with Vernors, the very best ginger ale? Do you know the proper way to drink it? You must drink it over ice in a glass so the bubbles come up and tickle your nose. If you know all this is probably means you're from Michigan, have lived there or visited there. Fortunately it has now made it's way to Florida so we can enjoy it here. You betcha!



Doesn't this plate of sushi look beautiful and delicious? Perfect with an ice cold Vernors. You betcha!



From the comments that have been made I am sure my friend secretly covets this lamp I bought in Wisconsin. You betcha!



Will you be watching the conclusion of the Masters Golf Tournament 2010 today?
I will and I'm sure my friend will and we'll probably both be enjoying a nice cold Vernors as we watch it! You betcha!

Since this blog is about Quilts and COLOR did you notice the recurring color theme I used - my favorite color - Green in all it's glories! You Betcha!

I've used the classic puzzle cut for the Masters puzzle as it is a true classic.