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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Accuquilt GO!

Sunday, January 12th, 2020

Part of every new year should be learning new things…and I’m starting with the Accuquilt GO!

As part of the Michael Miller 2020 Brand Ambassador program, we received the Ready. Set. GO! Ultimate Fabric Cutting System from Accuquilt. It includes an AccuquiltGO! plus the 8″ Qube (a set of dies to cut shapes often used in piecing 8″ blocks) and a ginormous die to cut my own 2 1/2″ strips. I’ve never seen one of these used in person, let alone done it myself. They are supposed to be lots faster than traditional rotary cutting and more accurate to boot. That makes two things where I need improvement–grin!

Lookit those amazing colors…don’t you want to dive in face first?

A while back, I was deliriously delighted to learn I had WON all 214 colors (above and below) of Michel Miller’s Cotton Couture (this was before I even applied for the Brand Ambassador program). I’ve been wanting to make a quilt I shall call “214.” As I’ve been waiting to upload this post, I realized that I can use the AccuquiltGO! to do the majority of the cutting, even the sashing! If I use the die for 2 1/2″ strips, I can then manually cut those in half vertically to get the 3/4″ finished strips I want to use for sashing. And then (!!!) I can use the die to cut 4 1/2″ squares (4″ finished) — if I am careful — to subcut the strips into 4 1/2″ lengths to match the size of squares I’m going to use in the quilt! Stay tuned…guess what I’m going to do today!

So, with that I am going to sign off and go play with my new fabric and toys!

Christmas arrived early thanks to Michael Miller Fabrics!

Monday, December 30th, 2019

I mentioned earlier that I am DELIGHTED to have been selected as a Michael Miller Brand Ambassador for 2020. As part of that we received, just before Christmas (Squee!), a box of goodies to use. I cannot WAIT to get into the studio to play. As a reward for getting all the gift wrapping and prep actually done before the 24th, I treated myself to opening the box on December 23rd, but waited until today to post and share the joy.

There are so many goodies in this package I hardly know where to start, but since I am prepping for a new 3-day workshop, Exploring Paint on Cloth (details here) August 5-7 at ProChemical and Dye in Massachusetts, I think I’ll start with the Krystal and some of my thermofax screens and paint!

These are the “color cards” for this year, and OH MY what joy awaits inside. It’s going to be a FUN year!
Here’s those color cards opened up. Top to bottom: Fairy Frost, Marbles, Krystal and Cotton Couture–all 214 colors!!!!!!! SWOON!

Thanks to Michael Miller Fabrics @michaelmillerfabrics for selecting me. Can’t wait to get started on my projects!

The good news continues! I’m a Michael Miller Brand Ambassador for 2020

Tuesday, November 26th, 2019

That’s it in a nutshell! I really need to go buy a lottery ticket! During International Quilt Market, which I recently blogged about, I stopped in the Michael Miller booth while swooning over many things, including the indigo design minky (!!!) and the Cotton Couture solids. One of the staff members mentioned the Brand Ambassador program….when I got home I followed up, submitted an application and this morning this happened ……

Ta DAAAAAAAAA!

Today started off with a great big WHOOOP when I saw an email titled “2020 Michael Miller Fabrics Brand Ambassador Selection” and that began with “Congratulations! You have been chosen…..”

I wasn’t sure as an art quilter I’d be up their alley, but clearly they are willing to give it a go and so am I. Early next year I’ll let you know more about what it that means and what I’ll be doing as a Brand Ambassador, and in the meantime I have already ordered 3 yards of a print minky of theirs coming to help me make a lap quilt of a top I finished at least a decade ago from a charm square pack purchased in Hawaii circa 2002! And I ordered 7 yards of an aqua in Cotton Couture (Luna) to play with those amazing fat quarters in the giveaway I won….remember this? Can’t wait for it to arrive!

That’s how happy one looks when you’ve just won 214 glorious fat quarters in the softest cotton fabric around!

Now, alas, reality intrudes and I’m going back to cleaning the kitchen (so it can get really mucked up over the next couple of days…makes total sense, right?)! But I’ll go back to work happy as a clam!

Int’l Quilt Market, Part 3

Monday, November 18th, 2019

And yes, there was even more fun stuff at Market…see why I never got to the quilts? (Previous two posts have more good stuff.)

Loved the Robert Kaufmann display, especially the Library Pockets, which of course made me think of my friend Kate C. who is the Bowdoinham town librarian and wonderfully crafty and artful!
Can’t you just see this for a teacher’s room, or library, or your studio, or a busy family?
What a lovely display of little “this and thats”
The artwork in these fabrics made me stop in my tracks! I snagged a brochure… and yeah, I’d like THOSE chairs too…. The quilt on the right is a panel. I’m not sure I would use that, but the coordinating fabrics, and even just cut up those BIG flowers, and then cut the text up into smaller bits to piece into something amazing……

One trend I noticed across various fabric booths is that they are getting super smart about cross-marketing. The artwork isn’t just in quilting cotton, but heavier and/or lighter weights (in this case a canvas weight for a jacket, chair upholstery or tote), wall paper, gift paper, note cards, little stationery items. Smart.

I adore the look of watercolors…. look at the coordinating green and aqua prints on the right! Wonder if Fiddlehead Artisan Supply in Belfast, Maine, will carry these? Or Alewives Fabrics in Damariscotta Mills?
And the Tilda booth….would love to just SIT for a moment
The Ruby Star Society booths and displays were another WOW moment. Almost makes me wish I didn’t have a Big Board and just a regular ironing board–I’d so buy this cover!
And Ruby Star also is marketing designs in different weights, like the drapey fabric in the dress. For the first time, they had a guest designer! LOVE her bold prints. And that quilt in the basket on the left…OMG it is a PANEL….
No one was around this late on Monday (within a half hour of closing) so I opened it up a bit to get this photo. It is the Tiger Fly panel by Sarah Watts. WOW!
And for my friend Tori, the Alison Glass display!
No trip to Houston is a success unless it involves dinner at Ninfa’s. I got to go twice! On Monday my friend Susan Fletcher King picked me up when Market closed, and we spent a lovely rest of the afternoon at her house. Then Lauretta Crites joined us for supper after teaching that day.
I’m a creature of habit: El Henry! Taco, enchilada and ….YUM OH YUM… tamale!

A perfect end to a fun Quilt Market. More on the house renovations, Festival, family and more in the coming weeks.

Int’l Quilt Market Part 2

Saturday, November 16th, 2019

So I actually did see things besides the productive visit in the Michael Miller booth (previous post). The Martha Negley quilt and fabrics were across the avenue in the Free Spirit booth:

I had so much fun tootling about and was delighted to see that Martha Negley fabrics are again available…she is one of my favorite designers.
In the Free Spirit booth. I also saw this amazing quilt across from the Martha Negley display:
Calico Horses by Lorraine Turner has all sorts of cool stuff including wool roving and yarn as well as regular cottons. Free Spirit booth.
The feel of the scissors in this booth were amazing quality for price. Based in Toronto, Canada, I think this young couple is just adorable! Here’s to their success! And yes, I bought a pair of scissors for me. https://shopldh.com I put them in contact with SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) which is looking for vendors for the conference in Toronto in March.
They even have a few kitchen items (not all on their website yet). I bought the wood-handled poultry shears for Joshua’s birthday. Even if he just hangs them on the wall they are beautiful, but they work. AND the two on the right separate easily for cleaning kitchen yuck!
Denise Burkitt’s fabric for Free Spirit made my heart soar! I just fell in love with everything about it. She is a fabric dyer, so I totally swooned over the original pieces and the phenomenal printing that captures the hand of the artist in the cloth. WANT! And want to channel her muse when I’m next in the dye studio.
Alas, my photo of Denise is blurry. She made a shirt out of some of her fabric — it is her own design but I’d love to find a pattern like it, the collar is so flattering and versatile (wear long sleeve underneath in winter). And I’m really loving what Free Spirit is selling!
Tula Pink is always amazing, with a beautiful booth. (this is a visitor in the booth, not Tula)
In Tula Pink’s booth: I WANT THIS. I have been thinking of re-doing our cushions for the porch rockers and settee. I’m now thinking pieced!
I wore my Vogue 9112 dress made from a fabric by Brandon Mabley that I have hoarded for years…I love it! Well, as I’m walking market who do I see taking a bit of a short rest in the Kaffe Fassett booth but Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mabley and Liza Prior Lucy. So as I walk by I say loudly “Hey Brandon” and point to my dress. He came out immediately and we got this selfie even though he said he is usually reluctant to do them…thank you!

So that is part 2… I think I’ll save the rest for a third and final post about Market. And no, I didn’t really get to see many of the quilts at all–I was having way too much fun doing Market!