Taking the Plunge

I've been working on getting myself motivated to take decent pictures of my Eggplant #1
piece for about a month now. Taking the pictures means having taken a step toward commitment. I'm concerned I wont do it properly, or perfectly, but I need to just step up and do it. What's the big deal about taking some pictures? I'm planning on sending them to a gallery as an entry for a show in early 2008. This would be a first for me.
I've spent a good deal of today cleaning up - both physically and metaphorically. The clothes I've been carrying around in my car, along with some Alex had outgrown (had he even worn them?? They look new), are now in the Salvation Army depot by our house, the basement is vacuumed (now THAT's an achievement), the pictures are now taken, (55, edited down to 6) with thanks to Donna Funnell of my quilt guild for photography hints, and I've been finishing off some, but not all of the many things that need to get finished off.
Out to dinner tonight with a friend I've known since kindergarten and her significant other, who I've also known since public school.
Happy New Year to one and all!

Burning Troubles

Sounds like a good book title - some sort of murder mystery. Unfortunately, it's an issue I'm having when burning organza. I'm getting a dark goo line where I burn. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do?
You can see it around my tulip here. I'm using the Creative Textile tool, but had the same challenge with a regular soldering tool I'd picked up at Canadian Tire. It makes a kind of cool outline, but I don't always want that cool outline.

I'm excited that one of the ladies of the Fibre Art Traders group has taken me up on my Pay It Forward challenge (I'm thinking I've done it wrong, as I KNEW that I was the 8th, and not the 1st, 2nd or 3rd person to reply to the challenge, but I'm still happy to participate - I guess it's more about the giving, isn't it?).
I made progress last night on my soon-to-be-felted knit backpack while out having some wine at a friend's house. I think they thought I was a bit crazy when I told them I'd brought knitting. They're probably right.

Organizing and Playing

IKEA the week after Christmas is a silly idea...but, I now have more nice white boxes and magazine holders, and a few ideas for other storage.
I've been playing with new postcards so I'll have lots of samples for the class at Quilter's Dream.
I like to start with a 12 x 16 inch piece of Fast2Fuse, then fuse down lots of fabric scraps.

Once I've got a good start, I cut the postcards out, then I can add more embellishments to each card so they look different.
I don't worry about bits of white showing through after stitching. Sometimes bits of fabric might not hold, and will flip as I free motion stitch, or there might be a bit of space between scraps. That's where one of my favourite tools comes in:
Anyone who knows me, knows I can't use enough glitz in my work.

Merry Christmas!

Here's the tree that is WAY too filled with ornaments. They have no idea just how encrusted I'd like it to be...Alex forgets I'm an embellisher. The tree's just the start.
I added some vintage ornaments from the Christie Antique Market adventure I had with Christine in the fall. I didn't take a close look at them until I was replacing the wire hangers on them with gold ribbon this month, and found that most are Polish, one is from Czechoslovakia, and one East Germany. Even saying EAST Germany gives me the chills.
This is my big wrapping day, and I have to cook Christmas dinner tonight. I'm panicked about the number of stocking stuffers I have-or don't have, so I'm sure I'll end up going out, despite my better judgement, but when have I paid attention to THAT when it comes to buying gifts?
I've made some marginal attempts to do some straightening in the studio, and will likely make real progress this week, since I've taken the week off work. I've more pictures to take of postcards, as well, so I'll post them later.

Christmas Collage

I did a project from start to finish tonight - it's a Christmas miracle!
I've got a dear friend at work who leaves for a great new job at the beginning of January, so I made a collage tonight in the hope that she'll remember our fun times together. I feel pretty brave making it, as she went to an art university and has a wonderful eye for art, but it's all part of me pushing myself.

I used a prestretched canvas, covered it in mod podge and pressed down a burgundy serviette onto it. I sprayed it with some butterscotch and espresso color washes, then tore some pictures of wine and grapes, along with some altered pages I'd already done, a stamp, part of a bill from a restaurant we used to go to and an Extra Dark Lindor wrapper (we work 6 minutes from a Lindt distribution centre with a store that has wicked discounts!)

To dull it, I mixed some butterscotch wash with some medium brown paint, diluted it with some cold tea in a cup I'd not finished and painted it on. A couple of stamps, another spritz of the espresso color wash, some paper beads I'd made and copper tape along the bottom (onto which I've dabbed the rest of the glass of wine I had while creating, to see if it has a similar effect to vinegar - I doubt it, but it might dull it a tad while it dries), a small tag thanking her for the memories, and it's done. Well, it's wetter than the ocean right now, but it should be nice and dry in the morning.
If I can remember where I put the camera, I'll post a picture of it.

Aloo Gobi & Paying it Forward

I'm starting my day with some cooking - there's a snowstorm going on that's dotting our windows with snow and ice, so something warm is in order. Aloo Gobi sounds just right. It means potato cauliflower. Pretty simple sounding, incredibly simple to make, yet amazing taste! Many thanks to Nupur of One Hot Stove, whose recipe I'm using. The perfect dish, if you can believe it, for a Canadian snowstorm! Not heavy like a chili or stew, but wondeful, warm spices to combat the snow, and the colour! Beautiful in a bowl over basmati rice, which is steaming now.


Twice today I've read of a Pay it Forward blog challenge, and it sounds like such a lovely idea, I've decided to join in. The thing about my joining, is that it's highly unlikely that I'll have anyone to send to!

Linda Teddlie Minton's great blog, Fiber Reflections, had the following posted: To the first 3 people who leave a Comment of their intent to “pay it forward” in my Comment section and also a promise on their own blogs, I will send a handmade item of my choosing within the next 365 days.

Here are the rules lifted borrowed from Linda, who borrowed from Carla:

Pay it forward rules: I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a Comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange, and who make the same pledge on their own blogs . I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward.

5 Random things about me

I got tagged...sort of. Lisa Call got tagged, and tagged everyone who read her "5 Random Things About Me" post, so here I go:
1. I've not been to Europe yet. One of my favourite movie lines comes from "The Impostors", after Stanley Tucci gives an impassioned description of Paris. Lili Taylor says, "You know Paris very well. Have you been there?" Tucci replies, "Not physically". I feel like that.
2. Speaking of movies, I like some pretty strange ones. (see #1) I now own a movie I remembered watching on Channel 7 out of Buffalo one Sunday afternoon when I was a kid, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forum".
3. I have a fondness for what I call my "Dead British People" shows and books. I love Agatha Christie mysteries, Brother Cadfael mysteries, Midsomer Murders, Rosemary and Thyme (of course! they're gardeners) and other, what I believe are referred to as "cozy" mysteries.
4. I don't think I'll ever have a "decorating style". My friends have definite, and excellent taste, and for all the magazines I have around this place, you'd think I'd have absorbed some sense of style, at least by osmosis, but, no. Do piles and piles of books everywhere count as a decorating style?
5. Few things make me happier than seeing students' confidence in their abilities grow during classes with me. I don't think I really "teach", so much as coach and mentor people through classes, and I find that incredibly rewarding. Watching the talented people I've taught develop their styles is one of the best things about teaching.

There, random, and wordy. Another random fact. If it can be said in 5 words, I'll manage 10. I'm going to do the same thing Lisa did - if you read this post, then please do the same - I'd love to see your post on your blog, or if you don't blog, put your random things either in the comments, or email them to me. If you're reading this, we likely have something in common already, and I'd love to hear from you.
There's to be a major storm this weekend, so I'll have to get things done today.

When it rains...

I haven't headed back into my book. The challenge with posting is that I always start poking through other people's blogs (I have some stunningly creative artists listed on the left hand side - check them out!). It usually leads me into playing. I received the most wonderful gift to play with this week, from a friend who truly knows me! That she "gets me" makes the gift all the more special.
I knew something was coming, and this week, a big envelope appeared in my mailbox. Inside, a lovely card, and shimmery, shiny fabrics! Nothing better for me. It was so much fun looking not only at the fabrics, but their origins. This was no ordinary fabric - some pieces were sleeves, some vest fronts, others were harder to identify, but no less lovely.

I've been looking at them over and over, and I have a couple of ideas I think will do them justice. What a wonderful, Christmasy thing to do!

I'm Free!

This is Noel; a cherished gift.
Both classes are done now, so yesterday I started a book purely for pleasure! "This is My Country, What's Yours?" by Noah Richler (yes, Mordechai's son). No textbooks for another month, and only one course at that. It's been a tough slog since my last post, but I'm ready to tackle the future.

I'll be teaching a couple of classes in the New Year at Quilter's Dream - I didn't take on much as I still have that one course to get through - and I've got lots of ideas, especially for the postcards class. I had so much fun making them on retreat that I can't wait to play with a classful of creative people!

The house is now festive; I've sprinkled Christmas all over the place. I know I've been successful, since Alex is complaining that, "you can't move anywhere in the house without getting Christmased." Ah, success! I remember when he used to love it all. I decorated our stairs the way our quilt guild president does - rather than putting garland and lights around the top (and therefore potentially killing people going down the stairs at night, I hear), I strung the garland, lights, and balls from the base of the posts. It looks lovely, I think.
I made some sourdough baguettes and lentil soup for lunch - perfect for such a miserable day. Back to my tea and my book.

Thanksgiving

I've been knitting the soon-to-be-felted backpack all day (when not preparing a full turkey dinner). I looked online to see if I could find any tips on making a needlefelted pumpkin and came across a blog that had a great recipe for an apple crisp. Silly me, though; instead of apples, I used pears. Pears are much moister than apples. It ended like most of my adventures in baking.
It's not exactly a crisp, as much as a soft. My own fault though. I used to do the same thing that aniexma used to do - sprinkle the topping rather than pressing it, so the juices cook the topping. Her blog name is Madly Off in All Directions...I thought she must be a Canadian by the blog's name.
I still haven't found any tips on making a needlefelted pumpkin. I just don't know if you're supposed to work around a base or not. Back to searching....

I bought MORE books!

You just wouldn't think it's possible for me to want to buy more books. My catalogue on Librarything right now stands at 318 books, and I'm nowhere near done cataloguing. So... what did I do yesterday? Found a $30 gift certificate from Chapters, and headed out to buy yet more books. To be fair, I spent most of it in the cheaper section, but I did get a cool book on felting called, not surprisingly, Felt It! by Maggie Pace of Pick Up Sticks. There's a cool little backpack I want to make, because sometimes I just don't want to carry around a purse. Plus - since I now have the embellishing machine, I want to use it on something I've made myself. I'm going to make an effort to talk more about new books/sites/blogs/techniques I come across, because there's a HUGE amount of great information on fibrearts out there!
I don't think I posted this picture of a coffee cozy I made for one of the co-op students at work. She's such a sweet girl, and is a Barrista at Starbuck's. She's shared with me some of the coffee she gets, and Starbuck's gets their money's worth from it - believe me!

Saturday at last

I lost a very long post, and now am ticked.
Hitting save didn't seem to work, and the claims that Blogger save drafts automatically just doesn't seem to be entirely accurate...I waxed poetic about this morning's thunderstorm, which seems to be more or less over. It was rain that was sorely needed here.

I've updated my classes, as I've firmed up a lecture and class with the Niagara Heritage Quilters' Guild for March. I didn't propose any classes to shops this season, as I knew I'd be too busy with the 2 night classes I'm taking. I'm very glad I backed off teaching a bit, but I really do miss it. I just love the interaction with participants, and I especially love what I learn from them! Perhaps in the spring I can get back to it in earnest.

I've added slideshows from Karen Harrison's and Susan Kraftcheck's webshots albums of the Rankin Quilt Show, organized by Val Champ to raise funds for their community Centre. I had Pomegranates and Lemons, along with Jane Asea in the show. I get to see Val on Friday as she drives to Shipshewana for a retreat with other Janiacs next weekend. Since my office is a stone's throw from the 401, I've enticed her with a Starbuck's visit and she'll return my quilts then. I was sad I wasn't able to get up to the show, but see the paragraph above for the reason...

I ordered some lovely fabrics from Hancock's of Paducah, and they arrived yesterday! They included a catalogue, which is much harder to ignore than web pages. With the Canadian dollar even higher than the USD right now, it's definitely a good deal. I did check around the LQSs I love before ordering the fabric I was looking for. I support my LQSs like I do any good candy store, but I admit I am very pleased with the quality, speed and prices at Hancock's.

Off to Chapters now, to see if the latest Quilter's Home is in. It's a great READ, which is why I buy it. I love Mark, and his magazine is a reflection of his humour.

What's new

I haven't written in a bit or uploaded any new pictures. I'm just not a superblogger with talent like Jayne Bingler. She writes See Jayne Blog and I was idly googling her last name when looking at old family photos, as her grandparents were great friends of my grandparents. I was looking for someone it turned out was her aunt's cousin, who I thought was in a photo with my mom as little girls. I found out the little girl in the picture was her aunt. If I have this right, her great aunt was my mom's godmother. When I first ran across her blog, she lived in Amsterdam, but is now back in Toronto. I'd also met neighbours of hers in the last year...strange coincidences.
So...what have I been up to? I couldn't resist the temptation to buy a needlefelting machine and I'm having a blast with it! I got a Huskystar ER10 and sat down right away and started playing.
I had a scrap of batting and material cut off from Retreat Leaves (see below) and since I'd also gone to the cool knitting store, Spun, next to Sewing Machines Etc., where I bought my needlefelter. I got some great rovings in there. I'm so envious of wonderful knitters. I can knit, but it's not an art form with me.

I've also been playing with postcards again for a swap. I've been using them as a way to practice my machine quilting, which has never made me happy. I practiced on some really old navy blue silk I'd made a lovely jacket from in high school, then layered it with some scraps, some gold organza, then took a heat gun to it. Some of the organza melted away. I got lots of good comments on it at guild last week.
For another, I simply practiced stitches. I'll be darned if I can get the gorgeous, tight circles other quilters seem to manage.
I used expandable paint to do the cross and what I think of as Baroque wallpaper image.

I'm looking forward to the retreat at the end of October, as I'll be able to do 4 straight days of fabric art. Of course, seeing as I have two midterm exams the week after, I'll also have to do some heavy duty studying as well. Taking two courses in one term is silly, but I'll get through them and have done with it.
I'm putting together another one of those wacky nine patches Heather Black showed me - pictures to follow if I get the borders on. I've ordered a whack of material from Hancock's of Paducah to make throws for friends' little girls. I wonder if their brothers will get ticked....

A few garden pics

I've been taking pictures in the garden every month, so I know what to plant next year - and where not to plant things next year!
I'm pleased about how things are going in the garden.

I'm pleased with this basket, so will likely do something similar next year. The ones with the regular geraniums, ivy and lobelia just aren't anywhere nearly as nice as this ONE basket.
The watering system from Lee Valley Tools is great, and makes it so easy to take care of them. I gave them a shot of compost tea for the first time today, since I was emptying out the compost bin again today. I'll try to monitor them to see if it seems to make a difference.
I've been able to empty the compost bin 4-5 times already this summer - the rolling bin makes it quickly. I've been bringing home coffee grounds from work and adding them to my bin. I'm pretty sure they think I'm nuts at work, but I'm the one with free compost!

I got something done

I finally finished Retreat Leaves, which I'd started a few years ago during an annual retreat just south of Guelph.

We found the leaves behind the Greenwood Quiltery and I started a quilt using Vals' terrific hand dyed fabrics. It took forever to get up the courage to machine quilt it since it's not a great skill of mine. I'm pleased enough with it, and am glad it's finally done.



I've continued adding in books to LibraryThing. What a great site!

My Inchies are in Quilting Arts Magazine

I've been waiting for the August/September issue of Quilting Arts, and it's finally arrived. Normajean Brevik said she's seen some of my PSIs in the article she wrote on FAT Inchies. I'm pretty pleased. I used some of Val’s spectacular hand dyed fabric, did a resist technique, then put some hand stitching on them.

If you have the August/September issue, turn to pages 80-81 and you’ll see some wonderful mustard yellow fabric in 3 of them. One with seed beads is right at the bottom of page 80, one caught in the crease and another on 81 in the middle. The yellow I used is one of my favourite yellows of Val’s.

I've also been busy cataloguing my books on a cool site called LibraryThing. I've put a link to my library on here, too, so random books from my library appear. It's a great site, and I've had fun looking at others' libraries, too.

My Studio

I've had a productive weekend for a change - I made the mistake of having coffee with a friend after work Friday night, which left me wide awake until about 1:30. I worked on some altered books, fibre postcards and made paper beads while watching an episode of Poirot on YouTube.

Mark Lipinksi inspired me to take pictures of my studio (sounds awfully fancy, doesn't it?). Until I saw it through a lens, I had no idea it was in such awful shape...ok, maybe I did. Since confession is good for the soul (though I'm an Anglican), here goes:

Wow, I really have alot of stuff!

You can see my Dear Jane quilt sitting out just waiting for more hand quilting to be added in. I've got to get cracking on that!
The one thing I need more of is light. A couple of good lights in the ceiling would be terrific.

I bought basic IKEA shelving (the kind for the garage) and painted each piece a different colour - blue, green, pink, yellow. I'd like to get even more of it and cover the wall with the armoire - which I got from a friend years ago. Also good storage, but the deeper shelves would make things look neater. Yup, that's why the room's a mess. Not enough IKEA shelving. That's it!

I love this storage closet.
I made a couple more coffee cozys recently - one for a wonderful co op student at work who is also a part time Barista at a Starbuck's. She kindly brought me in some coffee to try for the second time! A whole pound, I mean! That deserves a wardrobe of coffee cozys, I think.


I made some Inchies recently and had fun with the background. I used a bleach pen and a harlequin stamp to create the pattern on this already cool looking fabric. I did a bunch of stitching in swirls using variegated thread, then cut them apart and kept embellishing. Lots of fun. I should go assemble a CQ background, as there's a two hour Miss Marple coming on - great stitching opportunity.

Summer holidays for teens

I've had a wonderful day puttering in the garden, some stitching, which I haven't done since I don't know when, and reading a couple of new books in the garden.
My weekend's over, though, and it's back to work tomorrow. On the other hand, Alex will likely be up until a stupid time tonight, as summer holidays have officially started. Ah, to be 15 with little to do but enjoy! He does have a meeting tomorrow at the library about some volunteer time, and I know he really would like one of the page jobs when they come up, but they'll likely not be available until the fall, and who knows if he'll be one of the lucky ones?
My biggest worry is keeping him off electronica and having him outside every once in awhile. At 15 I just hung around, though I did work on weekends for a catering company. I'm sure I was outside all the time.
It was so easy when he was little - he could have spent the entire day at the park on the swings. I wonder what other parents of teens do? Is mine the only basement dweller??

Linking to Webshots

I found you can link your Webshots pictures to a blog...I've used the embed function to pop in a slideshow of some Crazy Quilting, and have added myalbums down the side. I haven't added any pictures for awhile, but have Dear Jane blocks and other quilts I've made (some are posted here). It was fun to play with. I've also added a pciture to my header, though I'm not too pleased with the manipulating I did in Corel to get it there. More play on Corel is needed!




Crazy Quilting

Reading

No pics to post today - I've been reading like a fiend lately. I'm trying to get through my massive stacks of New Yorker magazines, mostly. I love the mag, but I need to get a job that requires me to take the GO Train if I want to get through them all. Not a terrific idea to read and drive on the 407 at the same time.
I've got Jennifer Chiaverini's latest book, but it can wait a bit since it's not from the library. I found a neat book on the Norman conquest and the making and meaning of the Bayeux Tapestry I'm going through now. It's called A Needle in the Right Hand of God. More as I get into it.
I also got out a Mitford Bedside Companion, which is exactly what I'm using it for. Nice stories before going to sleep, which I really should get to.
I'm trying desperately to interest Alex in French grammar so he can make it through final exams, but I'm not having much luck. Not surprising; I have a degree in the language and grammar wasn't exactly my passion, either. He's stuck with it if he wants to graduate high school with the French Immersion certificate, however, so I'll keep at him.

FAT Inchies

I've made up some Inchies for a FibreArtTraders swap, but they're inchies with a difference - they're Plus Sized Inchies. 1 1/2 inches each, rather than an inch. There was such incredible interest in this swap, some people were signing up over and over to be in different groups. I just signed up once, showing great restraint. Mine are winging their way to the States right now, but not to my trading partners - yet. First, they're headed to Quilting Arts magazine, as they're looking at doing an article on this trade. What fun!

I used some of Val Champ's terrific hand dyed material, then played around with a bleach pen to get the background. I hand embellished them, then sent them on their way. It was lots of fun to do, so I've signed up for another trade, that'll incorporate words onto the Inchies.

May long weekend

Wow, it's been awhile!

I didn't realize I hadn't posted in a bit, but it's been a busy month. I had a wonderful time talking to the Hamilton Quilters Guild about Dear Jane, though my laptop and projector gave me a bit of grief. The guild members were terrific, and are an incredibly talented group. If you want to see some of their work, check out the link where my classes are listed.

I'm working on a Plus Sized Inchies swap with FAT right now, and did a "New Stuff" and an April Fool's swap as well. My Foolish Lady card is pictured here. A very foolish hat!

None of my new stuff was fabric, however. I used some metal tape and new stamps, along with alcohol inks. I had fun making them up. Not the best picture, but any closer and the glare from the metal ruins the picture completely.

CQ postcards

Here are the CQ postcards that took a little side trip after the cruise. They had a lovely time in Chicago, and are ready to go. I need to work on my satin stitch, but I'm pleased with the overall result. I hope that the recipients at the Canadian Crazyquilters list like them.

How's this for funny? I found this link through Cheryl Prater's blog, and it just cracked me up. Being greedy, I've created two titles - I have one for moods on each end of the spectrum now.

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Marchioness Veronica the Intransigent of Snotting on Wold Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Grand Duchess Veronica the Amicable of Waldenshire under Throcket Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Cool index card

Thanks to Sharon Boggon who has the fantastic inaminuteago site, who mentioned the site, I now have a way of making cool index cards. I've added the link to my cool sites - try it. I'm posting one I created tonight when I should have been studying, and I'll take pictures of the long lost-and now found CQ postcards before sending them. Doesn't this look great??

Back from the cruise

We made it back late last Sunday from the Quilter's Dream Cruise, which was a blast. I had lots of great comments about the Crazy Quilt project I taught, and I just LOVE it when I see completely, utterly different works emerge from a class. The ladies have so much talent, but give themselves so very little credit for it all, it's a real pleasure when they're encouraged to just go for it and create.

Kari looks terrific with her new hairstyle...I'm sure her children will be surprised when she sees them!

I've warned them that pics would be posted to my blog! It was worth it to see Sylvia smiling in this picture. She'd never done any CQ before, but did some lovely stitching. Speaking of lovely stitching, Pat (beside Sylvia, who's smiling) does the most beautiful, delicate stitching I've seen. She's the Queen of the Bullion Knot, no question about it. Debbie and Marsha (beside Pat) also did lovely work, and each project looked different and individual.

How could I not include this picture of a sloth baby we met at a wonderful sloth sanctuary run by a marvelous couple in Costa Rica. The work they're doing is terrific. Here is their site, and a YouTube video of babies taken at their place. http://www.ogphoto.com/aviarios/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kTkOgHO4pA

My luggage finally arrived this week, along with all my CQ stuff - I would have NOT been happy had American managed to lose that stuff. As it was, I ended up with my luggage tags torn off my suitcase and thrown inside mine, along with 2 of our other bags', and the luggage tags of 2 other separate travellers whom I've never heard of. I hope that nothing interesting got added into their luggage. I had 3 different TSA pamphlets put in my case, too, so lots of people got to see the lovely Panamanian molas I purchased.

Autumn Leaves quilt

Did I post a picture of this quilt already? I made this as a gift. The pattern was in Quilt Sampler a number of years ago, and I thought it was quite nice. I'm REALLY excited now to be leaving Saturday in the wee hours, but need to start packing tomorrow, which is much earlier than I would normally start. I pick things out, put them in the case and go. No pulling out and putting back, fussing over outfit sets or, for that matter, overpacking. Not a problem for me. I tend to bring a couple more things than I end up wearing, which sounds just right to me.

Pre-cruise activity

I've finally got a few more things to post. I've been mired in accounting homework, as I'm taking a course toward my HR designation (how much sense does that make, hmmm?) and I needed to get a major assignment completed before Friday. It's done now, and I can play a bit until Friday. We leave for the Quilter's Dream Cruise III EARLY Saturday morning. I've got my class notes all done up, and just need to pack some goodies to play with. Carol's got the kits in hand.

Here is my first beeswax ATC, done using a picture of my mom (on the left) with her friend, Jennie Bingler, in the early 30s. She looks to be about 5, so that would be 1935. I remember the wonderful noodles I saw Jennie's mom make using a paring knife. They were the size of Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup noodles and she cut them up so incredibly quickly! It's really my only memory of Mrs. Bingler, though I'm sure we were at her house often, as she was such a close friend of my grandmother's.

I also worked on some CQ postcards to swap

(also by the end of the week!) for a group swap. I've got some befores (ok, so as of now they're still "befores", a during, and one solitary "after". Good thing it's a small swap!

The ATCs below are for an April Fool swap with the Fibre Art Traders group. This will be my first swap with them, and I'm not sure I've got it right. You can't really see the faces of the ladies I've stamped onto the cards, but they're elegant ladies wearing very foolish hats that I felted onto the cards, and added beads, to make them even more foolish. We'll see if they kick me out of the online group for bad cards!

New toys

It's been a bit since I posted. I've been playing with new toys in the last couple of weeks.

Here is my "soldering suitcase", as suggested by Sally Jean Alexander. Not much of a suitcase, but it's a start! I took a teeny Altoids tin, covered it with copper adhesive backed tape, and gave it a shot. Not pretty by any means, but I know I can get solder onto a surface. I need to find something larger and smooth so I can get a smooth surface on the top of the tin.

I'm afraid that my photographic skills are as bad as my soldering skills. I tried to make the nice little dots that were shown in Pretty Little Things, but I have lots of opportunity for improvement.

I just finished making my first ATC with beeswax. I have no idea if I did it correctly or not - I printed out a scan of a picture of mom and a friend when they were little, used some Distress Ink in Antique Linen on it around the edges, and glued it down. I brushed beeswax on it. I think if I put the hairdryer on it, the brushmarks will disappear. I'll try and see if it works.

I thought I'd throw in this picture I took about 7:30 this morning. I haven't seen a cardinal all winter, and this guy was just wonderful looking!

More Pretty Little Things

I've ordered copper tape from a supplier I found in Milton called Insurge- really nice guy on the phone, and he's cutting 3 widths for me - 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch and 1 inch. I have my soldering iron and have silver solder now, along with flux. The electronic techs at work think I'm a madwoman, but were very helpful sending me to suppliers. I found the tape on my own, though.

I've also joined my first ATC swap with the Fibre Art Traders group. It's an April Fool swap, so should be fun to do. It's a very talented group -Normajean Brevik, who leads the group, was featured in the last issue of Quilting Arts. Good company to keep - such terrific ideas every time I read the posts from the group. I'm learning lots and am so impressed by the creativity.

Above are a couple of fairly awful pictures of some ATCs I did. I had lots of fun with a soldering iron, dyes, and lots of glitzy materials at a retreat putting these together. The other quilters really wondered about me when I stepped away from my machine, grabbed an extension cord and took a soldering iron outside onto the concrete. All the ATCs on the left page and some on the right were from the one experiment, all cut up. I sent one a couple of weeks ago in a trade with a very nice lady from France. Her card has beautiful flowers on it and I'm thinking of spring now. Anyone interested in a trade, please let me know!

The Hamilton Quilters Guild rescheduled my Dear Jane talk for May (9th, I think), so there's little chance the meeting will be cancelled again on account of a snowstorm. I'm looking forward to it, because it's such a great group of quilters.