Monday was one of those days when 15 different people wanted my attention – and not nearly enough time to take care of them all. I finally called a timeout, grabbed a few paintstik colors that I wanted to experiment with, and set a timer for 45 minutes. (That’s how long I could paint and still make it to the next meeting on time.)

I chose the 4 Luscious Light paintstik colors (Medium Pink, Light Green, Peach and Periwinkle), a wonderful piece of woven grass paper that was a gift from my demo day at the Wet Paint store, and a handful of black fabric. I wanted to see how many ways I could come up with a piece of border fabric for a quilt that used these colors. The timer was running, so I had to work fast.

First up, something really easy. I put the black fabric over the grass paper and made a bunch of diagonal lines using the end of the paintstiks. This would be great fun for an accent border or binding. Onward.

Next, I used a series of curved lines. I used the end of the paintstik and just kept adding curves. I’m not sure I would use it just like this, but I liked the curved chevrons that were forming over on the right side of this piece. Fodder for another play day…

My 3rd attempt was using the 4 colors to make a color-block effect. The clock was ticking, so I grabbed another piece of fabric.

Number 4 was a simple series of circles. I have a friend who always finds a way to put dots in her projects, so I thought I should make some. Totally free-hand, but it could be useful in the right place.

I was running out of quick ideas for using the end of my paintstik, so I decided it was time to cut a chunk off each stick and use the side. I was getting close to my deadline, but I thought I could squeeze in one or two more before I had to wash up and jump in the car.

I love basket weave designs, so I made a quick attempt at making my own. It was far from perfect, but I like the effect. The size of the “weave” can be altered by cutting a longer or shorter chunk from the paintstik, and I like the texture from the grass paper.

For my last attempt, I put the grass paper aside, put my fabric directly on my Grip-n-Grip mat, and simply used the side of each paintstik to make random “smudges” on the fabric. I don’t know about you, but I like this effect. I can alter the amount of black in the background very easily and make the smudges as random (or as planned) as I want. Pretty cool.

My timer started beeping at me, so I pulled myself away, shut the computer down, and went off to yet another meeting with my house contractor. I had more than a few items that didn’t get checked off my to-do list, but I left my office a lot happier. And that’s a very good thing!

Luscious Lights and Naturally Neutral Colors – At A Very Good Price!

I chose to experiment with the Light colors for two reasons. First, they are a part of the Matte Color line that we haven’t talked about yet. And second, these 4 colors all have a strong dose of Titanium White in the recipe, which makes them very opaque.

On light fabric, I think of these colors as the “Easter egg” pastels, but they show up equally well on black fabric, thanks to the fact that they are so opaque. They are definitely a nice addition to your paintstik toolbox.

There are two additional “light” colors – Titanium White and Antique White. I debated about whether they were “light” colors or “neutral” colors when I sorted all the colors into groups. The neutrals won because I thought black and white had to go in the same group.

Since I’m not at all sure how I would do any experiments to feature the neutral colors, I’m going to offer both the Luscious Lights and Naturally Neutral colors at a special price for the next week. If you’ve been collecting our Matte Colors, here is your opportunity to complete your set! Ready for the details?

When you place your order by Wednesday (May 16), you’ll save a full 30% off the retail price of purchasing the Light and Neutral colors separately.

Our Luscious Light colors are just $22.75 – You save $9.75.

The Naturally Neutral colors are just $45.65 – a savings of $19.60.

Save postage and buy both sets! When you order both sale sets at the same time, you’ll save a total of $29.35. That’s almost enough to send them all the way to Australia. (Really, we do need some a Star Trek transporter service for those international orders – don’t you agree?)

Remember, this sale is good for one week only. Get your orders in now (before you forget) and take advantage of this opportunity to fill in the holes in your Matte Paintstik Color set. The deadline will be here before you know it, and when it’s gone, it’s gone.

Click here to see all of our Matte Color sets – and to get a very special price on the Light and Neutral Colors.

In last week’s blog post, I shared Linda Clark’s Split Leaf Flowers. Linda also did a lot of experimenting with Design Magic and combining different designs to make a more interesting composite image. Let’s take a peek to see how she did it.

Here are two of Linda’s designs. In the first, Linda cut one shape from each side of the original black square to make an off-center pinwheel design. In the second, she created a design that looks like a series of overlapping ovals once the design is put into a repeating pattern.

Here’s the neat part. If you combine 4 squares from Design 1 in the center and then add squares from Design 2 around the outside, the outer designs make a very interesting frame for the inside.

Here’s another fantastic combination. Design 3 is a very cool flower motif, and Design 4 looks like Iris leaves or tall grass.

Linda put the flower in the middle with leaves/grass around it as a border to create a fabulous Design Magic composite design.

Ready for one more cool combination?

Design 5 and Design 6 are interesting curvy designs. I’m not sure I would use either design as a stand-alone repeating pattern, but I was totally blown away by the next composite design…

In this composite, Linda used the flower in the center, elements from Design 5 on the edges, and squares from Design 6 in the corners. All I can say is Wow!

As an author and a designer, I am just thrilled when I see one of my readers take the concept that I put in a book and make it her own. I know I’ve succeeded in passing my love of a concept on to my reader — who then adds her own experiences when she passes it on to the next person.

Photos like this really make my day. When I come to work, my mission is to inspire you to explore the magic of fabric art. I simply love color, pattern, texture and fabric, and I’m so gratified that you share my creative adventures.

A special thank you and a big, warm hug to Linda for sharing her inspiring adventures with stencil brush rubbings and Design Magic. Linda is an accomplished long-arm quilter and teacher. You can visit her at www.borntoquilt.ca.

Make Some Magic — and Save Some Green!

In honor of Linda’s amazing Design Magic combo designs, I’m leaving our Design Magic Sampler and Super Pack specials up on the website for another week. When you order by midnight on May 9th, you’ll save a full 25% off the cost of purchasing the items separately.

The Sampler (on the left above) is perfect for getting started with Design Magic. You get one set of stencils in the back of the book, the latest Split Leaf stencils, a Design Pack for making your own designs, some paintstiks and a set of brushes.

If you want to play with the Mix & Match concept like Linda has, take a look at the Super Pack (on the right) The Super Pack contains ALL of our pre-cut mylar designs and you can mix and match to your heart’s content.

Have a great time playing with Design Magic — and please send me pictures! I love to see what you’re up to.

In mid-March, I had a fascinating conversation with Linda Clark (Ontario, Canada). Yes, this is the same Linda who went on the amazing Texture Safari around her home. This week and next, I’ll share some of Linda’s Design Magic adventures. It’s rare that I have the opportunity to share so many good ideas from one of our community members.

Our conversations by phone and e-mail were a real treat — I truly felt like I was talking to my secret sister. We think so much alike it was almost scary — but in a very cool way! Here’s a peek at our conversation.

Shelly: I love the way you have experimented with the Design Magic concepts. What inspires you to create, dabble, experiment and take off in other directions?

Linda: I am the student who never does just what the teacher does or says. My quilt can not be just like anyone else’s quilt. For all my years, one of my goals in life has been to be different. I am not content to be one of the crowd. And so, my mind is always entertaining ideas on how to personalize everything… recipes, clothes, decorating, and, of course, quilts. And because I have had so many different kinds of sewing experience, I often see how something I learned in another arena can be adapted to my quilts.

I am a perpetual student…I have a large library of quilting/sewing books, plus art/craft books; I take a lot of classes…live and online; I subscribe to several quilting magazines and Cook’s Illustrated, plus The Quilt Show and Sharon Schamber Network online. When we think we know everything, we stop learning. I learned a long time ago that there is something to be learned even when we think we’ve “been there, done that”. I guess I get bored doing the same things, so I like to change things up a bit.

Shelly: What is it about Design Magic that appeals to you?

Linda: I have always been intrigued with positive/negative designs, black/white graphics, and stylized images of everyday things. Design Magic marries all three. I also see it as a simple way to incorporate Paintstiks into a pieced quilt.

Shelly: What got you thinking about venturing down the “not quite Design Magic” path? I’m referring to your Split Leaf “Flower” blocks.

Linda: I wanted a flower that looked more like a flower than the positive/negative 4-block image did. I was playing with the coloring of my flower design for a block center and the positive/negative alternating blocks weren’t doing it for me.

I feel that the Design Magic blocks look best when there are more than 2 across and down so you see the secondary designs too. I needed a design that would work with just 4 blocks in a 2×2 setting. I was designing a project to teach the Design Magic, as well as another technique for making curvy logs for a log cabin block. After the inspiration for the split leaf flower, I liked it so well, I decided to make a simple diagonal set runner as a sample of an easy project utilizing only 12 painted squares…a good introductory project.

[Shelly here...] The photo on the left shows the standard orientation for the Split Leaf block. The photo on the right shows Linda’s variation on the block to create a flower image that would be useful in her table runners.

Linda took this idea one step further and combined her Split Leaf Flower with a stencil brush rubbing. Can you see the difference in the two flowers?

Linda added more texture to the final image with a very simple technique — she put a textured surface under her fabric as she stenciled the Split Leaf images. Cool! I liked this idea so much that I pulled out my paintstiks and did a quick experiment yesterday. I used some of Linda’s tips for working with Design Magic stencils to see if I liked them. They work!

Ready for a quick lesson? Read on — and pay close attention to my “you must do this” tip for creating a Split Leaf Flower.

And, before I forget, we’ll finish up our conversation with Linda next week!

Ready, Set, Create! — How To Make A Split Leaf Flower

Here’s a quick tutorial on making Linda’s Split Leaf Flower. I’m sharing a few tips from Linda along with my own.

Linda likes to make a frame with a 4-1/2″ hole in it. After spraying the back of her Design Magic Stencil, she sticks the stencil to the frame so that everything but the 4-1/2″ opening is covered with paper. (It picks up less dirt that way…)

To make the flower, we need to use BOTH sides of Stencil B. I’ve marked one side of my stencil with a permanent marker so I know which side is up.

In the photo above, you can see that I placed the framed stencil over a square of fabric, added Teal Blue paintstik color (with a brush) and then darkened the edges of the design by mixing Ivory Black with the Teal. The shading gives a more dramatic look.

To recreate Linda’s textured flower, I sprayed one of my Doodles rubbing plates with sticky spray, put my stencil and fabric on top of the plate, and added paintstik color with a brush. The images from the rubbing plate are quite pronounced in the finished images.

See how different the two images are? Pretty amazing!

Here’s the most important point for making a Split Leaf Flower. (Yes, this is the YOU MUST DO THIS bit of information!)

To make a Split Leaf Flower, you must make half of the images using the FRONT side of Stencil B, and the other half of the images using the BACK side of Stencil B. If you don’t, the design elements won’t match up when you sew the squares together.

I was only making 4 squares for this sample, so I opted not to clean the sticky spray off of my stencils when I turned them over to use the back side. If I were making a bunch of painted squares, I would definitely take a few minutes to clean the stencil, then flip it over and make the second batch of painted squares. (I was in a hurry to get this done — as usual!)

Here are 4 painted images. Two are darker, two are a bit lighter. Do a few experiments to see what you like the best, and you’ll be making beautiful flowers to brighten your projects before you know it. Happy painting!

Make Some Magic — and Save Some Green!

If you are ready to make some Split Leaf Flowers, I’ve got two fantastic ways for you to get started — and to save some money in the process.

First, check out our Design Magic Sampler. This package contains everything you need to get started on your own Design Magic adventure. You get a copy of the book, a Design Pack, two sets of Mini Paintstik colors, a set of brushes, AND a copy of the Split Leaf stencils. Perfect!

Better yet, you can purchase this pack for the low price of just $66. That’s $12 less than our everyday price of $78, and 25% off the price of purchasing the items separately.

If you just can’t decide which of the Design Magic stencils you like best, why not get them all? With the Design Magic Super Pack, you get the book, a Design Pack, a set of brushes, and ALL SEVEN SETS of pre-cut Design Magic Stencils. All you need to do is add some paint — and I’m willing to bet that most of you have a few paintstiks in your cupboard!

Act now to get your hands on this Super Pack for just $99. (That’s over $20 off our everyday price, and a full 25% less than the retail value of the package.) Why all the stencils? You’ll want the whole range to play with after you see the next newsletter — I promise it will be a good one!

As, always, our special prices are only good for a short time. Get your order in today! I don’t want you to miss out on these fabulous deals.

When I started Cedar Canyon Textiles back in 1997, I was a fabric dyer. I was in love with color — and fabric dying was the perfect outlet for my creative work.

Over the next 7 years, I dyed thousands of yards of fabric, in an amazing range of colors. I dyed all my fabric one yard at a time, starting with 40-inch pieces of fabric to allow for shrinkage. I tore the pieces from the fabric rolls to keep raveling under control, and by the time I was finished, each piece had two soft, raw edges.

These raw edges usually ended up in a pile on the table when I cut the fabric into fat quarters and half-yard pieces, and that’s where the story gets interesting.

I freely confess that I really liked the look of all these raw-edge strips. The colors were fabulous, and I loved the texture. Of course, I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but I just couldn’t throw them away. (Please tell me I’m not the only one with this obsession for hanging onto pretty bits of fabric!) So, I started tossing all the strips in a bin. And then another bin — and another.

I even got to the point that I sorted the strips into color groups. I have a bin of reds & oranges, one for all versions of yellows, lots and lots of greens, one for blues, and one for purples. There’s a separate bin for my color-wheel dark & black over-dye families. And… I’d better stop here or you’ll think I’m totally nuts.

To make a long story short, I’ve made a series of quilts over the years that I call my “Rough Around the Edges” quilts. Each quilt is created one strip at a time, in a quilt-as-you-go manner.

Instead of doing the “sew-and-flip” thing, I create the quilt so all of the wonderful raw edges are on the top of the quilt instead of hiding in between the layers. The finished quilts have a soft, chenille-like texture that just begs to be touched.

To make my quilt for the DIVAS “vine” challenge, I took a checkerboard-style quilt that I made years ago and used it as my background. (I liked the piece, but it never felt “finished.”) The colors were perfect for my Grape Vine theme, and re-using a piece saved me a ton of time — which is in short supply right now anyway.

I pondered for a long time on how to make the grapes. My answer came when I found a lovely stash of buttons from Hillcreek Designs that I acquired at Quilt Market several years ago. (Hillcreek Designs has a wonderful range of folk-art buttons with a matte finish. All of the buttons in my stash are from their Shades of Color collection.)

To make my grape clusters, I grabbed a piece of heavy wool felt and randomly stitched buttons to the felt in tight overlapping pattern. The buttons ranged in size from about 3/8″ to almost an inch in diameter, so they were perfect for making grapes.

I couched yarn to my quilt for a vine, and picked up a sprig of grape-vine silk leaves at the local gift shop. I have to admit I was pretty proud of myself — everything but the leaves came from my stash, so I only spent $5 to make this lovely quilt.

Most of all, I love the textures. The raw-edge strips give the background a warm, fuzzy feeling, and the buttons are smooth, but not shiny. The leaves are attached at the stems and I love the way they stand off the surface of the quilt.

Once I finished the quilt, it was time to pack up my make-shift sewing studio. We’ll be moving in a couple of weeks, and my husband is determined that I will NOT wait until 2 days before the move to start packing. But that’s a story for another day…

A few weeks ago, I showed you some Stencil Brush Rubbings by Linda Clark. (You can see that article by clicking here.) I was so intrigued by Linda’s experiments that I sent her a list of questions — and I’m thrilled that she is willing to share with everyone. Here’s the scoop on Linda’s texture hunt.

Here are two of Linda’s old curtains, filled with images. On the first curtain, Linda was having great fun in her kitchen, making rubbings from the bottom of jars, the side of baskets, the bottom of depression glass plates and various kitchen utensils.

On this curtain, Linda has images from the bottom of shoes, hair accessories, jewelry, jeans pockets and lace (among lots of other interesting things).

On yet another curtain (not shown) Linda made brush rubbings from various pieces of fabric in her closet, some of her towels, knit sweaters, and more. From her photos, it seems to me that she grabbed anything and everything in sight, made a rubbing, and checked to see how it turned out!

Here’s the key — as Linda made the images, she took notes. She was working with old curtains, and she simply wrote on the curtains with a pen to identify each of the objects she made rubbings from.

Now, she has an excellent set of references — AND an easy way to retrieve the object if she wants to use a particular rubbing for one of her fiber art projects.

Another great tip from a reader…

And speaking of cool textures, this note came in from DeBorah in Beaverton, Oregon. She said, “One of my favorite things to do texture work from is cheap dollar store flipflops. If you check the soles, there are many options. I used them for rubber stamps till I figured out I can use some of them for rubbings, too!”

Do you collect off-beat items because of the texture? If so, I’d love to hear about it! Send me a quick e-mail — or post your comments over on our Facebook page.

Your Assignment: Take Time For A Texture Safari!

In my new role of Chief Creative Mentor, I’m giving myself permission to give you an occasional assignment. It’s partly for fun, but also to get in the habit of simply making the time to do something creative.

Now that you’ve read about Linda’s Texture Treasure Hunt, I’m challenging you to do the same! Grab a yard of muslin, one paintstik color, and one stencil brush and wander through your house, looking for anything remotely textured.

From where I’m sitting at my desk, I can see a cool pattern on the fly swatter hanging under my work table, my checkbook cover, a wire mesh pencil holder, the hook side of a piece of Velcro, a grid on the bottom of my stapler, the keypad on my calculator (and my telephone) and the sides of my wire storage baskets. And I haven’t even moved!

If you’re up for this challenge — and I just know you are! — I’d love to see a quick picture of your results. Just hang your fabric in a well lighted area, take a quick picture, and send it by e-mail — or post it on Facebook.

Oh — before I forget — don’t forget to take notes! Take a cue from Linda and write directly on your fabric. This will be hugely helpful if you ever want to track down one of the textures for a project. Enjoy!

Got Textures? Make Treasures!

And now that you’ve hunted down a bazillion textures, don’t forget that there are lots of things besides paintstik rubbings that you can do with them.

If you’re short of ideas, pick up a copy of Rubbing Plate Roundup from your favorite local retailer, or place your order in our Online Store. (I’m not putting a link in right here as it may change before you get the newsletter… to get to the store, click over to our Home Page and use the link in the top-right corner.

In my latest ad in Quilting Arts Magazine, I  featured the Metal Embossing technique from the Rubbing Plate Roundup book.

I received messages from several Quilting Arts readers looking for the supplies for this technique. Here’s where you can find what you need:

Rubbing Plate Roundup book — Cedar Canyon Textiles

Rubbing Plates  — Cedar Canyon Textiles (I used plates from Doodles, Triangles, Op Art & Curves for the sample.)

Embossing Tools — Walnut Hollow or Interweave Store

Creative Metal — Walnut Hollow or Interweave Store (I prefer the copper and aluminum/colored aluminum)

If you visit the Interweave Store, search on “Walnut Hollow.” At the Walnut Hollow site, search on “Creative Metal.”

Have fun with your rubbing plates!

A Sneak Peek At Shelly’s New Space

I am truly the luckiest woman I know. The entire lower level of our beautiful new home — ready for moving in next month — will be one big creative play space. How amazing is that?

I was feeling a bit guilty about dedicating so much space to myself and my creative pursuits, but my husband told me to “get over it!” He gently reminded me that I’ve been working in my business like a crazy woman for almost 7 years, and I’ve never really done anything special for myself with the proceeds from the business. And you know what? He’s right!

Now that I’ve dropped the guilt, I’m really looking forward to creating a home office and studio space to fuel my creative passions. I love my current space, but I have to admit that working in a warehouse is not the most creatively stimulating environment…

Let’s take a quick tour. First, a peek at the new office. Nothing is complete just yet, but I love the light purple I chose for the walls with the white millwork. I’m going to make a pair of bulletin boards like I have in my current office and cover them with a fabulous South African sunprint.

A huge closet will give me plenty of space for shelving and storage. I’m going to work hard at keeping my new space less cluttered. (But, as we all know, that means changing my habits more than changing my space…)

The studio space has a wonderful, huge window on the North side of the room. Here’s what it looked like a few weeks ago.

And here’s what it looked like yesterday afternoon.

I’m absolutely in love with the bright, “springy” green that I chose for the walls. I’m beyond tired of working in beige rooms. I think I’ll christen my new space as Anything But Beige! (And in case you are wondering, that name was inspired by a fabulous new friend I met at the CABS conference — Janice Pope, owner of Anything But Boring patterns.)

In the opposite corner, I’ll be setting up my new video corner.

It doesn’t look like much at the moment, but you’ll be seeing a lot of this corner of my world in the months to come. Stay tuned!

Spring Cleaning Pattern Blowout!

Spring has come early this year, and Leanne and I are doing some major-league Spring Cleaning in the warehouse. I am closing out my line of paintstik patterns to make room for new and different products — and you are the Spring Cleaning Lottery Winner!

To make space for great new things, I’ve got two special offers that are perfect for a lovely spring treat. And, they have zero calories — which is a lot better for you than that basket full of Easter candy. Ready? Let’s have some fun!

Deal #1: All Remaining Patterns are $3.99!

We still have copies of 3 patterns that all need a good home. You save 60% when you adopt these patterns at the very low price of just $3.99 — and I’ll know in my heart that they have found a wonderful sewing room to hang out in with stacks of lovely fabric. What could be better?

Deal #2: Buy Rubbing Plates, Get Paintstik Patches FREE!

The only thing better than a pattern at $3.99 is… a free pattern! When you order one or more sets of our Rubbing Plates or the Rubbing Plate Sampler, we make sure you get a copy of the Paintstik Patches pattern at absolutely no charge. There is a limit of one free pattern per order.

While the cover of Paintstik Patches is graced by a Holiday theme quilt, the pattern can be made up with ANY of our rubbing plates as you create a delightful quilt or table runner. Here is a photo of the runner featured on the back of the pattern.

I haven’t had time to make up a runner with the Doodles Rubbing Plates, but that’s on my list of fun things to make when I get set up in my new studio. It should be fun!

The pattern closeout prices are good while supplies last — but don’t delay — quantities are limited. We are running a special promotion for our wholesale customers as well. They’ve already cleaned out our supply of three other patterns, and these could be scooped up at any time.

Two weeks ago, I posted the instructions for making Gratitude Folders. (Click here if you missed the article.) I was hoping to see some photos pop up over on our Facebook Page, but so far it has been pretty quiet. You are either being very shy about posting your pics — or you’ve been totally swamped with your other creative projects. Either way, I hope you are enjoying your “fun” time and finding the joy in simply being creative.

I did get one set of photos in the e-mail. Dian Himes asked if she could make folder with her friends and customers. (Yes! Absolutely yes!) She jumped right in, made two folders, and sent me a couple of quick photos.

For the first folder, Diane took an orphan embroidery sample and used it to decorate her “Garden” folder.

For the second folder, Diane used up bits and pieces from a quilt project. This is the front of the folder…

… and this is the back. In her note, Dian said the rest of the scraps went into the lining panels, so they can bee seen inside the folder.

I ran across a bunch of left-over bits and pieces from several quilts when I was searching for something yesterday. With Dian’s idea in mind, maybe I’ll be able to whittle that pile down just a bit. (That’s AFTER I finish up a challenge quilt project for my small quilt group.)

Did you make a folder? I’d love to see it. Post your pictures over on Facebook, or send them to me in the e-mail. It will give me all the more reason to love my in-box!

On Friday, a message arrived from Linda Clark (Ontario, Canada) to let me know she had been playing with Stencil Brush Rubbings. But here’s the catch… Linda did her experiments in January — long before I posted the article at the end of February. (If I were more technically savvy, I’d play the theme from Twilight Zone here in honor of this nifty coincidence.)

Here’s the photo from Linda Clark that really got my attention. Linda teaches a wide variety of quilting classes, and this is a sample she made for a paintstik class. Linda used a stencil she had cut from plastic, then placed a different textured surface under the fabric as she stenciled each of the repeating images. Very simple, yet very effective.

I asked Linda where she found all the textures. She literally went around her house one day and made stencil brush rubbings from everything she could lay her hands on, including the bottom of various shoes, some of her dishes, and all manner of interesting objects. Now that’s a good idea for a rainy (or snowy) day! Call it a “texture hunt” instead of a treasure hunt.

Here’s a closer look at 4 of the squares from the sample.

Now, let’s expand on this idea a bit…

Stencil Brush Rubbings Redux — Beautiful Borders

After viewing the photo of Linda’s quilt, my brain started cranking around. I love it when one good idea leads to another. Here are a few photos from the play time in my office Wednesday morning:

First, I chose some colors. I almost always choose bright colors to play with, but I know that many of you like softer colors. So I poked through the small fabric stash in my office and rounded up a few of the Dusty Matte Colors to make a few samples. (I can’t wait for my new home to be finished so I can get my studio back in working order!!!)

I also picked out a couple of my Design Magic stencils that I thought might be useful for making borders. Rather than using both the A and B stencils, I used just one of the stencils, stenciling one image after another.

Using Stencil-A from the Scroll stencils and one of the Triangles rubbing plates, I created an interesting repeating pattern that would make a great border.

I chose Celadon Green and Slate Blue paintstiks colors to compliment the muted batik. It’s not the colors I would normally choose, but it will be beautiful with the right set of fabrics. With that, I was on to the next sample…

Next up, I decided to take an idea from Linda’s little quilt and use more than one texture. I grabbed one of the Safari Design Magic stencil, a handful of rubbing plates, and the Barn Red and Yellow Ochre paintstiks colors.

I stenciled repeating images on a pale yellow batik with different rubbing plates. Done in these colors, I think this would make a beautiful border for an African-theme quilt. By using different colors and rubbing plates, you could make perfect borders for just about any project.

I’ll be talking more about Design Magic over the next few weeks. In the meantime, click over to the website to learn more. Be sure to click on the pull-down menus under the main header. (There’s a lot of information hidden on the page.)

That’s your lesson for today. Go forth, paint a bunch of borders — and, as always, have fun with your paint!

Tone It Down with Dusty Colors — At An Amazing Discount

For the past few months, I’ve been featuring different parts of our Matte Color Paintstik line. This week, it’s all about the soft, dusty colors. You won’t find any bold, bright colors in this group. Nope! This is strictly for those projects that need a softer, toned-down look.

Designer Terri Degankolb, of Whimisicals Quilts, almost always chooses colors from this group for her paintstik projects.

This is an example of Terri’s work. (See more at www.WhimsicalQuilts.com.)

11 Soft, Dusty Colors

If Terri’s color choices are right up your alley — or if you simply want to add to your matte color collection at a REALLY amazing price — I have a very special offer just for you. With just one click of your mouse, you can plop all 11 soft, dusty colors in your shopping cart at once. How easy is that!

Purchased separately, the Dusty Colors sell for $79.75. For a few short days. you can add all 11 colors to your paintstik collection for just $55.85. That’s a huge savings of 30% off the retail price. Now that’s a serious discount!

ORDER YOUR DUSTY COLORS NOW!

Yes, there are stores and sites that offer huge every day discounts… But I can guarantee that they won’t teach you how to use the paints, they won’t answer your questions, they won’t write to you each and every week — and they certainly won’t treat you like family. If you like the service you get from Cedar Canyon, I hope you will reward us (or your favorite local quilt shop) with your business. We actually care about you and want you to be successful with all your creative adventures. And, we truly appreciate your business.

And yes, before you ask, there is a deadline. Of course there is a deadline! This offer will disappear from our Online Store at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28. Place your order now so you don’t forget.

ORDER YOUR DUSTY COLORS NOW!

Wow! I couldn’t believe the response to the Gratitude Folder I wrote about last week. I lost count of how many of you chimed in requesting the instructions, but it was great to read your messages. This message was pretty typical.

I have been wanting to make such a folder for quite sometime, but I was not sure how to do the sides.  So another type of perfectionism by not even starting or experimenting.  Your folder is beautiful with all of the bright colors.  I would be more than pleased if you would share the instructions. [Thanks, Pat!]

Are you ready? Let’s get started!

Materials

The brand names listed are the things I happened to have on hand.

• Peltex 72F Ultra Firm Stabilizer (fusible on both sides)
• Cover Fabric
• Lining Fabric
• Gusset Fabric
• Fusible Web – Wonder Under
• Rotary Cutter with pinking blade or pinking shears (helps prevent raveling)

Choose Your Size

Decide how large or small you want your folder to be. The sample folder in the photo sequence is square — I wanted a smaller folder for a different purpose — I hope I don’t confuse anyone…

If you use the measurements shown in BOLD print in the instructions, you’ll have a folder that measures 9.5″ x 12″. It will be large enough to hold standard sheets of paper.

Create Appliqués or Embellishments

The time to make any embellishments you plan to add to the outside of the folder is BEFORE you assemble the folder. I created my colorful “Thank You!!” motif by cutting letters from colored felt. I arranged the letters on a darker felt background and then used my Huskystar needle punch machine to attach the letters to the background. (I don’t use it often, but I absolutely love that machine!)

This is a perfect time to stretch your creative muscles. I’ll bet you have a ton of stuff in your stash that would be just perfect on the side of a folder. You can paint images on your fabric, make appliqués, use up a piece of fabric you created in a class that has yet to find the perfect home… you name it. Got an orphan quilt block laying around? Use it here!

I can’t wait to see what you come up with — please promise me that you’ll post pictures of your folder over on our Facebook page — I really want to see what you do with this project. Now, let’s dive right into making a folder.

Add Cover Fabric to Stabilizer

Cut 2 pieces of stabilizer (Peltex) the size of the finished folder. (9.5″ x 12″)

Cut 2 pieces of cover fabric 2″ wider and 2″ longer than the stabilizer. (11.5″ x 14″) Use a pinking blade if you have one.

Center the stabilizer on the wrong side of the cover fabric.

Flip the stabilizer & fabric over so the fabric is on top (right side up). Press with a hot, dry iron to baste the fabric to the stabilizer. Don’t press too long — you don’t want to fuse the Peltex to your ironing board cover…

Turn the piece over (stabilizer side up). Fold each side of the cover fabric over the edge and press. The stabilizer has “sticky stuff” on both sides, so don’t touch the stabilizer with the iron.

Repeat the process for the second cover.

Add Embellishments and/or Quilting

If you are adding appliqués, lettering, or quilting to your covers, do it now. You’ll be able to cover any loose threads with the lining fabric in the next step.

Add Lining to Covers

Cut a piece of fusible web (Wonder Under) large enough to cover both pieces of Peltex stabilizer. (19″ x 12″)

Fuse the Wonder Under to the wrong side of your lining fabric.

Cut 2 rectangles 1/2″ smaller than the covers in both directions. (9″ x 11.5″) Use a pinking blade if you have one.

Remove the paper backing from each square of lining fabric.

Fuse the lining fabric to the inside of each cover.

Top stitch around each cover twice,  at 3/8″ from the edge and 1/8″ from the edge.

Create Gusset Strips

Cut one piece of fusible web 7″ x the length of the cover. (7″ x 12″)

Fuse the web to a piece of gusset fabric. Remove the paper backing and fuse a second piece of gusset fabric to the first to create a strong, 2-layer piece of fabric for the gussets.

Using the pinking blade cutter, Cut 1 bottom gusset strip 2″ x (longest side – 1/2″) (2″ x 11.5″) and

Cut 2 side gusset strip 2 ” x (side measurement – 1/2″) (2″ x 9″)

Fold the gusset strips in half the long way and press to form a crease.

Optional: For easier stitching, cut 45 degree angles in both ends of the bottom strip and one end of each side strip.

If you cut the angles, you’ll have a definite gap at the corners when the folder is open. It’s definitely easier to assemble. If you don’t like the idea of the gaps, leave the strips straight on the ends and the gap will be minimized.

If you cut the angles, your gusset strips will look like this.

Sew it  Together!

Place one cover on your work surface, lining side up. Arrange the 3 gusset strips so they meet properly in the bottom corners. Pin strips in place.

Stitch strips to cover. Stitch from the FRONT side of the cover, using the 3/8″ topstitching line as a stitching guide. Take care not to catch the loose corners of the gusset strips in the stitching. (Yes… I did this… that’s how I know to warn you of what NOT to do…)

With the 2 covers lining sides together, pin the bottom gusset to the second cover.

Stitch the bottom gusset strip to the second cover. Stitch from top side of the cover, using the 3/8″ topstitching as your seam guide.

Pin the first side gusset to the second cover.

Stitch the side gusset to the second cover. Hold the covers carefully to ensure you are only stitching through one cover, not both.

Repeat for the second side gusset and you’re done!

Here’s the view from the top of my sample folder…

And here’s the view from the side. Isn’t she beautiful!

One More Creative Opportunity

I made my folders open at the top, but you can change that if you want. This is another great “creative opportunity!” Here are a couple of ideas to get you started…

• Add a button and button loop
• Add a long ribbon as a tie closure
• Add a flap that goes over the top
• Maybe a snap or magnet closure?

As you can see, the creative possibilities are as endless as your imagination is incredible. Yes, I’m talking to YOU! I have great faith in your creative talents — and you should too. If you take some time to create your own Gratitude Folder, I’m quite certain that you’ll come up with even better ideas than I have. Have faith, take time to play, and enjoy the process as much as the result. You deserve it.

Just one more quick note… If you plan to add a closure, think about WHEN you should add the necessary elements to the folder. It’s probably a heck of a lot easier to add some things before the folder is assembled.

Have fun, enjoy your Gratitude Folder — and don’t forget to post your photos on our Facebook page. Really — I can’t wait to see what you come up with!