The ULTIMATE Scrap Quilt

It's official! I'll be teaching a class!!! The ULTIMATE Scrap (Modern) Quilt on Thursday, January 6, 2011, from 11am until 2pm! Check out Ruby Street Quiltworks' website for all the details!! http://www.rubystreetquiltworks.com/classes/the-ultimate-modern-scrap-quilt-thursday-january-6-2011.html

Harry Potter Scrapbook

I don't have many things listed on my etsy site, http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeidiCrose, but one of my scrapbooks on there, the Harry Potter Scrapbook, has almost 100 views!! This is so exciting!! Click on over, and help me get over one hundred! I don't think 100+ views means anything to etsy, but it would mean A LOT to me!

This little scrapbook is filled with record spots -- how many times you've read each book, seen each movie, which house you'd be in if you were at Hogwarts. You know, the important stuff. It's such a cute little book. Take a look!!

Treasury

One of my pillows is in an Etsy treasury!! How exciting!! This has never happened before, and I'm supremely excited!! Please check it, and look at all the other great Etsy items included in this treasury by PhoenixVisionary.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cfbed8779246d91b08592e4/confetti?index=1

Apple Cup

Washington State is in a hubbub about Saturday's Apple Cup game!! University of Washington and Washington State University will battle it out on Saturday for Washington's football title.

I have no particular affiliation (I went to Central Washington University, Seattle University, and of course, the greatest school EVER, Green River Community College, which I liked so much I went to work there after college), but my husband's friend, Erik, is a WSU alum. We went to dinner with Erik and Tracy the other night, and their house was decorated head-to-toe in crimson and gray -- a wall clock, WSU glasses and mugs, garland around the banister, even Cougar towels in the bathroom. He said, "About the only thing I don't have is a U-Dub voodoo doll."

Cue Barney Stinson: Challenge accepted!

I suppose I should be nicer to the University of Washington, because my brother went there (I think he wanted to live in Seattle more than a strong feeling about football and/or UW), but let's face it -- with the University of Washington playing OK this season and a bowl game on the line, Wazzu might need all the help in this game they can get...

My apologizes to my Husky friends...I have some maroon-colored polar fleece, so maybe I can whip up an opposite doll for you...send me a message or comment on this post, and I'll see what I can do before the game on Saturday!

(Jeff and Gracie liked the voodoo doll. They were just too cute tonight as I photographed the doll, so I snapped a picture of them, too!)

Go football! I'm sure someone will win on Saturday...

Button, Button.

So, I have this sweater that is a really pretty color blue. But it came with a waist tie, which I do not like -- the sweater still moves all over the place under the waist tie, and it's annoying! So, a few wears ago, I put a button on a safety pin through the shank, like the sweater had a button. See?

And this works, but it's rather understated. "I wonder if I could make something better..." I said to myself. I've been making these great bags that in cooperation with my friend Martie Carroll, and they have three buttons stacked on top of each other. (I'll have to take some pictures of those, too...) These stacked buttons are so

interesting, and I thought there had to be a way to make one of these to wear on clothing. You know, like on the front of this sweater with the stupid tie. So today, this is what I came up with! I found this large brown asymmetrical button at Ruby Street Quiltworks, and

I stacked another brown button on top, and a purple button on top of that!

I'm pretty pleased with the result, and even though I just wore that blue sweater the other day, I just might wear it tomorrow again to try it out! I'll see if anyone notices...don't you love it when you wear something you've made, and people notice? I sure do! It's totally fun and makes it all worth it...

What do you think?

Paper + Fabric = ART!

This weekend, I went to The Scrappy Stamper in Centralia, WA to a scrapbooking crop, and I got so inspired by the awesome store, and the wonderful ladies around me!! I totally worked through a block I was having and made these two samples for a class I’ll be teaching at Ruby Street Quiltworks called Paper + Fabric = Art.

I got the idea to use fabric and paper together a while ago, and it all started with that Boo wallhanging I made for Halloween, using the Alexander Henry Haunted House and Ghastlies collections. (Well, truthfully, I got so excited, I made three!!)

But then, I got stuck, and I wasn’t sure where to go with the idea next. Until this weekend, when I got two ideas actually executed, and two or three other ideas dreamed up…take a look!

This one is of a bathing beauty. To start, I stamped the background paper with a little iridescent ink, then attached the paper to a 5”x7” canvas. The beauty (well, her head and shoulders and legs) are made of paper, and the bathtub is quilted from a design by Jennifer Garant’s fabrics for Timeless Treasures I am so happy with how it is going so far! I think this one needs a frame… Now I just need to find the perfect one!

This one turned out really well, too, I think. I quilted the Martini Glass, which is also from Timeless Treasures
, and touched it up with some Stickles Glitter. Then, I painted a 5”x7” canvas, and muddied up the edges. I also found this great woven ribbon in red that gives some great texture. I added the words with Staz-on Ink, and my Dymo old-school label-maker.

Sigh! It was a great weekend! Thanks, Cheri Piles , for putting the crop together! Totally what I needed!

AND, I have classes scheduled at Ruby Street Quiltworks!! Last post, I was talking about my ULTIMATE Scrap Quilt, and this class will be on Thursday, January 6^th. Start the new year off right by cleaning out some of your previous fabric purchases (and make room for new fabric!! J ) Then, Paper + Fabric = Art! will be on Tuesday, March 29^th. (I know that March sounds like a long time away, but it will be here before we know it, I’m sure!)

I’m also working on a great sample which will become a Modern Quilting class, too!! That will be held on Thursday, April 7^th, and stay tuned for pictures! I’m quite pleased with how it’s coming along!

(PS -- I figured out how to do hyper-links within a post! Click on some, and tell me how they work!! Pretty soon I'll have this blogger thing figured out, and then I'll REALLY be dangerous!! J)

Quilt Classes!!

I am going to be a quilt class teacher. I'm very excited!! I've done it before, but it's always nerve-wracking.

There's so much to do before a class can even be advertised! I've started to work on the samples for the classes, and it's been quite involved. First I made a mess to see what scraps of fabric I had (and what I was willing to use up :) ),

and then I cut strips and organized them into color piles: lights, mediums, yellows & reds, and darks.

Then, I sewed the strips together, and cut them AGAIN.

After that, I sewed the cut pieces together, which started to create my blocks.

I really don’t know why I thought 1” squares was a good idea, but it’s going to be awesome when I get it done. I’m still working, as you can see. It takes a good bit of time to pin all those cross-cuts together.

It did create quite a bit of tiny pieces that I was able to part with, so I think that this is good. After all this work, instead of having two bins of scraps crammed full, I have two slightly more organized bins of scraps that have room in them. You know, for more fabric…

Hopefully people will want to sign up for this class. It will be called the Ultimate Scrap Quilt (because don’t you think it is?) and it will be at Ruby Street Quiltworks, in Tumwater, Washington. It will be super fun! I can’t wait!!

Two days in...

After only two days of working to clear my Pile of Unfinished Projects, I am very pleased with how much I've completed. I started by finishing the things closest to being done, so this may be why so much was finished the first day. Yesterday I worked on small things (wall-hangings and table runners), and today I will do the same. I fully expect today's production to be much less, because there is more to do on the projects to finish them. And I'm saving all the large quilts for later. But it feels very good to get things done, and add to the pile of things to sell. (Maybe what I really need to work on is my tendency to pile stuff...hmmm...)

As I finish projects, and an empty spot appears in my project shelf, my mind is wandering to the new projects I will start when more 'old' things are finished. I would love these new projects to include fabric that I already have, but this may be a challenge. Who was the girl who bought all of these of bright kid fabrics and Japanese prints? I am not sure that same girl is still here...my "design aesthetic" (as they would say on Project Runway) must have changed. I spent a little time last night looking at quilting magazines and books that I've bought most recently, and trying to decide if what-I-have can become the new what-I-want-to-make. I may have to still think about this, as I finish the project pile...Of course, I don't seem to be willing to get rid of any of the brights and Japanese fabrics -- how could I part with them? I loved them at one time, and I still appreciate them. So, if I don't want to give them away, I have to use them...such a dilemma...Can I make something old look up-to-date and new?

Hopefully this dilemma will solve itself in my mind while I clean out and quilt up the 'old'. I read somewhere once that you'll find that when you're free of stuff, your true creativity comes out. (I just Googled it -- Tina Turner said this. Not exactly word-for-word, but close...)

Maybe it's not a dilemma, but a happy challenge...

The Curse of the Pile of Projects

I was cleaning up my creative space, and found a bunch of unfinished projects. Then, I worked in the garage, and found another box of unfinished projects. THEN, I went to lunch with my mom and SHE had found some of my unfinished projects in a box at her house. I think 12 or 13 years of working in a quilt shop has caught up with me, and I am extremely embarrassed by my unfocused tendencies. :)

To try to get my unfinished-ness in order, I made a list of all of them. The piece of paper started to not be big enough, so I began to write the projects down in smaller writing. I really don't think writing them smaller made it any better, though. 31 unfinished quilts and bags and other things on one page! And that was just getting started...I have a slew of fabrics in ziploc bags with other coordinated fabrics, and some even have patterns selected, some are cut out, some are just ideas -- I did not count these! AND THEN, I found more pieces of fabric, and added them to the bookshelf which houses all the fabric I have collected over the years...I tried to think of a word to describe the scene I was witnessing. I was torn between "chaos" (even though the room is now supremely organized), and "decadent". Clearly having this much invested in a hobby is pure decadency.

Today my goal is to put bindings (or at least the machine-sewn half of the bindings) on two small projects, and quilt two other small projects. I'm not sure I can get this all done today, but it is a start on this embarrassingly pile of projects.

a good week...

it's been a really good week: I've been making new bags with some great new fabric (more news to come), i've been trying to retake my etsy.com pictures, and i've been making some new collages...they have a slight halloween feel, and are meant to be hung together. i am so excited about the fabric that i used -- the little girl in the pink tutu with the hammer is too funny to me. (I got the fabric at ruby street quiltworks http://www.rubystreetquiltworks.com/ ). it's a mix of quilted fabric, painted paper, and some stamps and sparkly fabric. it still needs something, so i'm walking away for a little while so i can decide what. or i'll ask jeff, because he always knows whats missing...

more pictures soon, because i just keep working on fun stuff. got to keep busy, you know?

etsy site!!

I AM OFFICIAL!! I now have an etsy.com site: www.etsy.com/shop/heidicrose I am very excited about it, but if you don't like the site so far PLEASE don't tell me. It took me all day to do all that you see on etsy... I'm very excited, so hopefully I'll sell something soon = first time as a paid artist ONLINE.

I've found the next new thing to keep me busy -- MORE BAGS! Since the art show/party at Martie's house, I've had so many new ideas of bags to make. I had to write them all down today, because they wouldn't all stay in my head. Here's a sneak peek of one I'm super excited about.

I also had a brainstorm about other things to make for Martie's fall art show = home dec! Who wouldn't need a nice new throw pillow made by a local artist (me) every now and again!!

And, have you tried Texture Magic? It may be my new favorite thing -- can't wait to make a bag out of my test fabric...

I'm so excited about my new ideas -- I'll keep working like crazy to get them done.

Bags and Owls and Fun...OH MY!!

The party at Martie's house was a great success!! I guess I'm officially a paid artist. Look at the cute stuff I came up with! I think I'll start an etsy.com page, with the bags that didn't sell. Now, I'm off to find the next thing to keep me busy...

Party at Martie's!!

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In the past few days, I've finished 10 bags, 12 cozies, and 14 owls in preparation for the Party at Martie's! Info coming soon!

Finishing more bags tomorrow! Why is it so much fun to finish things???