" Quilts, Baby!" By Linda Kopp : A Refreshing Take On Quilts!

remember that you can double click on the photos for a better view!

I could use many words as descriptors about this book. Delightful, refreshing, enchanting , appealing -  and, simply, one of the best little quilt books I have come across in a long while.  I was not sure that I would be the best reviewer for this book because I don't make a lot of baby quilts any more. Boy! Am I ever glad I decided to have a look! This is one of those books that screams originality.  The patterns are simple - and simple is a favorite with me - but each quilt also features the addition of something that makes the quilt special, endearing and enchanting.

Just look at some of the names of the quilts in the 'contents' section! Just plain fun! The beginning of the book focuses on a very well thought out 'quilting basics' section. The book is also peppered with great short-cut ideas. A combination of captivating hand drawn images as well as photographs makes reading the directions, for the 'basics' as well as for the quilts totally enjoyable. Quilt directions are beautifully done - exemplars of the quilts are shown  in sketches as well as photographs and you glean information about the special talents of each of the quilt designers featured in the book.

The books contains 12 simple quilt designs - each of which has an added, endearing, element. Folk artsy, colorful, embroidered and unique additions to each design makes these simple quilts stand out. The ideas are, of course, great for a child - but also for the adults in the crowd who look for a touch of whimsy in their lives! The designs are great for beginner's, especially with the wonderful 'basics' chapter to guide them, but also would be winner's for adults as well.

 There are also lots of tips and tricks for applique, embroidery, quilting, bindings and how to add fun elements like small pockets.

 

There are also lots of tips and tricks for applique, embroidery, quilting, bindings and how to add fun elements like small pockets.

This book makes me smile. It makes me want to put more fun back into my quilting. I have always thought that rules are made to be fiddled with (once you know the basics anyway) and this book , I think, proves me right. This is one book that will please quilters of all ages - and I am certain that if you buy it - you will find yourself smiling too!

Email Frustration: No Email Since Late Last Thursday!

Just in case anyone has sent me an email and I have not replied  - our email service provider has  experienced a catastrophic server failure. We have had no email service since late in the evening last Thursday! When I had no email on Xmas I thought that it was odd - but then again I thought that just maybe it made sense. When I still had no email on Saturday I knew that there had to be something wrong. I was just hoping that it was not on MY end! After a long wait I got through to a real person - who was pleasant despite what I am sure must not have been a great day.  All customers are affected and they had no estimate on when it would be back in service!

Today I opted for an email 'chat'. I waited patiently online - I was the 47th person in the queue. I opened a new window and surfed while I waited. 45 minutes late I 'chatted' with another customer service person who told me that they hoped to haves ervice restored Tuesday. "Tuesday??!!",  says me???  "How can that be". "Well", says she, "Monday it may be - we really don't know".

Since we have just started a new Mercury Retrograde  that lasts until January 15th I figure I just need to hope that anyone that really needs to find me will either call, post a comment here or find me on Face Book or Twitter.  Although I know that many people  consider mercury retrograde to be too woo woo, I have found it to be quite accurate in my world.  I don't think that I have ever been without email for this long since I have been using a home computer. I wonder what they will say to their customers when all is said and done. At least the hi-speed internet has not been affected - that, in itself, is a blessing!

I will be uploading some photographs and actually have a couple of posts in mind - I can't believe that I have been so lacking in the posts - I'll just blame it on a cold !

Did you know that this coming New Year's Eve we will have a Blue Moon? It's amazing when you consider that the next time we will have a blue moon on New Year's Eve will not be until 2028!! Additionally this Blue Moon on New Year's Eve will also feature a partial lunar eclipse! In North America we ill not be able to see it but still it could be a rockin' rollin' New Year's Eve - so celebrate but be careful too !

My Very First Customized Pen by John Mottishaw

As a nob to my continuing search for the perfect pen for myself, I recently sold several pens to finance what I had hoped would be my first ever custom nibbed pen. I chose master nib-meister John Mottishaw of Classic Pens.  Finding a pen that I both liked and could afford was the most difficult thing - but since I had wanted to try out a Falcon anyway I decided to try one. My next decision was whether to have it made into a cursive italic or an oblique both of which I like - one of which, the cursive italic, I had never tried. After some gentle hand holding by John's colleague, Jonella, I chose a Falcon  by Namiki with cursive italic. I love it! Now I am having a very difficult time waiting to order  an oblique nibbed pen as well. I'll probably have it on either a Pelikan or another Falcon since I have found it to be such a pleasing pen. Having a customized nib is an experience that is worth the wait - it's such a genuine pleasure to write with! It's rather a holiday gift to myself - but I don't feel too guilty because I did sell some pens in order to be able to get! Thanks to those of you who helped me finance this little gem!

Doesn't this side view really look like a falcon's head?!

Ah! Near perfection in a writing instrument!

My Continuing Fondness For Small

For the last few days I have been making cards. These are a few of them. I am not sure why I get such satisfaction out of making them - but they are gratifying to both make & to send. This group of cards are ear-marked for a lovely person who asked me to make some cards for her. It's been, as always a pleasure to do. Making cards affords me a real opportunity to try out new techniques and hone my skills in others.

'Clarity' was made using a base of cotton that I had painted with color washes with an over lay of an image printed on silk organza. 'Dream' was made in much the same way but the base is kimono silk.

The landscape below was is a small painting using acrylics, watercolor & inks on muslin. The cats were made much the same way and with the same sort of materials.

The little piece below, made on a whim, is acrylic on lutradur. Lutradue has become a surface that I am having a great time experimenting with to a greater extent than I have in the past. It's lots of fun! I would really like to ask for your opinion. Could you take a moment and tell me which card strikes you the best?  Which would you like to receive? Thanks !

"One Yard Wonders" By Rebecca Yaker & Patricia Hoskins

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Please remember that you can double click on photographs to get a better view

I was not quite sure just what I would think of this book when I first saw. I think I was leery of the title - only because I tend to dislike titles like ' fast, fun easy' or fun & quick'. Don;' get me wrong we all need a quick fix at times and more or less instant result can be a very good thing sometimes too...I am just one of those people who stills likes real letters and finds more comfort in slow cloth than quick and easy.

Although it is difficult to see in this photo - 

the pattern pieces for some of the projects are happily 

ensconced in a nice pocket on the inside front cover.

This is a cross post from my book blog - but I thought that it would have relevance here -Enjoy!

The first thing I noticed about this book is it's quality. It's a nice size, the paper is high quality and the cover spiral binding is very well made - these are things that I so look for in books - and yes, I am a page 'sniffer'. I love the smell of ink on paper - and I can be critical of paper color and paper quality - the latter especially in hard-covered books or those books that are made to get a lot of use. Of course the next thing that I looked at were - what else?! - the patterns. The patterns are divided into sections with titles such as "On The Go" (bags, lunch bags, lap top covers etc), "Household Affairs" (tea cozies,aprons, hot& cold packs), "Outfit Your Small Wonder" (obviously geared to clothing for your own little one). There are patterns for dog couture items, toys for children, great shopping bags and a wealth of small projects that really can be made with just a yard of fabric. Also included are things like sewing fundamentals - good for beginners or as a refresher for those of us with older cloth fixations. A couple of the 'patterns' are more like instructions for doing things like covering a cork board or scale with fabric. No necessarily sewing projects but they can be done with a yard or less of fabric.

Some of these projects are for things that we could all probably figure out how to make. I don't know about you , but there are times when I am thrilled not to have to re-invent the wheel - and enjoy the fruits of what others have made pattern for so that I can save my brain cells  for the more involved projects that I barely have to complete as it is. Simple and right in front of me with a "how-to" can be a real time save.

Have a look at this! 

You can enter to win free yardage for a year.... now that's a cool thing!

 

I really liked this project for an obi inspired hot and cold pack

This little 'catch all' holder called an 'Origami Organizer'

is a very interesting project that I am going to have to try.

 

 

have been on a kick to find good looking alternatives to to the now ubiquitous grocery store provided 'green' bag. This book includes two patterns that are good. The one above is a bag that will fold in on itself for easy storage - making it easy to always have a shopping bag with you. The photo on the bottom is just a regular shaped bag and it is one of those patterns that I am glad is included so that I don't have to go and do the measuring to make the pattern myself. Easy!

 

Dog couture - how cute!

I thought this little apron or smock for a wee one was just adorable.

All in all I really like this book a lot and will highly recommend it. It seems to have something that will please everyone and is one of those books that will be a good resource and reference book - and yes, it does hold a lot of things that could be termed "fast, fun and fabulous" ! Give it a try - I don't think that you will be disappointed.

Note: This book was provided to me by the publisher for reviewing purposed. No other remuneration.

Revisiting Block Prints- Learning Curve

For some odd reason I got the bug to revisit block printing. I had only tried it once before and I thought of some patterning I wanted to try - so block printing came to mind. I carved the blocks & then printed. I was using some watercolor paper and using only a ink pad so the prints came out rather light. It was one of those "Duh!" moments - using heavy papers and not knowing what in the heck I was doing to begin with!

I had a fun afternoon and made a few ATC's to play with. Since this time I questioned what inks I should use and what sort of applicator. Thanks to the suggestions from some friends on the  QuiltArt list I have been able to get much better results today and I will post those results - hopefully side-by-side. Today, rather than water-color paper I used Bristol & muslin, and rather than applying acrylic paint with a brush I used a sponge brayer. I am here to tell you that the sponge brayer made a huge difference - though a foam brsuh would, I think, work too.

Here are the first day's results - too light bit fun none-the-less. I so enjoy just seeing where the day's interests take me sometimes. I have a quilt to art tomorrow - an art quilt - it's time to return to fabric and thread.