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Random Musings on Art and LIfe

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Water Lily Quilt: A Touch of Hawaii Without All The Work

September 29, 2016
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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] As I was looking through the original samples from the Paintstiks on Fabric book, I was reminded how far we have come on this Paintstik adventure. I say “we” because it really has been a shared journey. I have had the opportunity to teach thousands of students and readers to use Paintstiks on fabric,…

Paintstiks on Fabric: How It Started

September 22, 2016

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] When I was filling out the entry form for the 2017 AQS Show in Paducah, I realized how far the Paintstiks on Fabric adventure has come in the past 17 years. Here’s what grabbed my attention.   The folks at AQS expanded the section on the entry form to include the most common techniques…

Lake Superior Lessons

September 15, 2016

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Lake Superior offers a lot of lessons if you can slow down enough to listen. I was fortunate to spend a few days on the North Shore last week with my sisters and our husbands. We were all in need of a Time Out from the general busy-ness of life, and a lovely log…

Permission to Stop

August 11, 2016
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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The last time I sat down to stitch on my Paint-Stitch-Bead project, I knew in my heart it wasn’t worth finishing. Parts of it are fantastic. But as a whole, there are too many things I would do differently if I started over today. Can I be really honest? It’s really hard for me…

Custom Color Velcro to the Rescue!

July 21, 2016
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In last week’s post, I told you about my adventure with an Urban Computer Satchel. One of the my “standard” detours on a project like this is to paint up some Custom Color Velcro. Before you shake your head at me and think “Seriously,” answer me this. Don’t you hate being limited to White, Beige…

My Urban Computer Satchel is Finally Done!

July 14, 2016

At long last, my Urban Computer Satchel is complete! This is one project that turned into a marathon, and I’m thrilled to cross the finish line. [Tweet “An off-road adventure with an Urban Computer Satchel is finally over.”]   I used Brenda Miller’s Urban Computer Satchel pattern and her hardware kit. (I love, love, love…

Are Artists Cheating With Technology?

June 30, 2016
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I had interesting conversations with two friends during the past week. In the first conversation, one friend said some of the art quilters she knew were dead set against using “techie” helpers (even things like Thermofax screens) for making art. Essentially, the argument was we (those of us embracing a new tool) were somehow cheating…

Millennium Embroidery Frame Review

June 23, 2016
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I have posted a few photos showing my current embroidery project in a frame, and many of you have asked about it. Now that I’ve had a chance to take a series of pictures, I’ll tell you about my Millennium Embroidery Frame. [Tweet “Beautiful AND functional makes for a great embroidery frame.”] The frame is…

Beaded Chain Stitch

June 16, 2016
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When it was time to dress up the orange chain stitch of my current project, I decided that a Beaded Chain Stitch would be just the ticket. [Tweet “Dress up a simple chain stitch with beautiful beads.”] But… which color of orange? Why is it so hard to choose when there are so many yummy…

Silhouette Glossy Vinyl for Fabric Art

June 9, 2016
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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] I’ve been getting a lot of questions about vinyl as the Silhouette for Fabric Art course gets underway. What works? What doesn’t? To answer these questions, let’s take a look at the new Silhouette Glossy Vinyl and answer the all important question, “Will it work for fabric art?” [Tweet “Do the Silhouette brand vinyls…

Knotty Stop Beads

June 2, 2016

This Paint + Stitch + Bead thing is just too much fun! Even though I’m knee-deep in lessons for the next class, I try to sneak in a bit of stitching time every day. So… back at the embroidery frame… I debated several options for stitching the linear shapes in this section of the design,…

Add Texture And Sparkle With Beaded Backstitch

May 19, 2016
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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Paint plus stitch is an amazing combination. To add yet more texture, I decided to play with beads. Let’s take a look at what I call Beaded Backstitch. [Tweet “Got small beads and heavy thread? See how you can make it work.”]   I don’t try to add beads while I’m stitching. The needles…