Book Review: "Image Transfer Workshop" by McElroy & Wilson

Whenever I see a new book come out on my favorite technique, image transfers, I simply cannot restrain my fingers from hitting the "buy me now" button.  Once in awhile I am disappointed but sometimes I am also totally, unabashedly, thrilled with a book. This book, "Image Transfer Workshop", looked like it was right up my alley and it is ! I LOVE this book. It explores so many different techniques and presents them so well that I would venture to say that this is a "must have" book for anyone who has an interest in image transfers, mixed media, or art quilting. I think it is one of the best books on this subject to come down the proverbial pike in a long time. "Transfers & Altered Images" by Chris Cozen is still a favorite book but is a bit more technique focused because Ms. Cozen is an artist for Golden Paints. Golden Paints are my favorite products to use but it is good to have a book that covers ALL manner of image transfer techniques. This book does that and does it very admirably.

  Just have a look at this fabulous "Table Of Contents" !

 

The variety of techniques covered in the book is phenomenal .  It's a fabulous resource and I think, should be in the library of any mixed media artist! 5 stars on this one !

Dabbling On Sunday: Paper and Wool

First of all, please excuse the crud name and address masking job that I did. I have much to learn about PSE and no time to sit down and make it work! I am doing an envelope exchange with some very experienced calligraphers. Only 5 to exchange and this is the first. I wanted to add a lace effect on the front and back of my handmade envelope. I carefully cut out the forms from a lovely piece of Nepalese paper to effect the lace and I made the envelope itself from Bazzill earth tones paper. This is, perhaps obviously, the front.

The back with my return address also crudely erased - or is blotted, quite literally!, out.

I also got around to finishing a small felted bag. It has a cotton lining & a cotton batting. This was just a scrap from another project but it wanted to be a small bag. I still have to a 'handle' although I expect it will be a simple looped holder and then I will add beaded zipper pull.

The inside. I find it easiest to apply the zippers primarily by hand after I tack them in with the machine. I like a bolder splash of color that I can add to a brightly colored zipper!

Book Review; "Defining Twilight" By Brain Leaf

"Defining Twilight" by Brian Leaf is one book that I never thought I would be reviewing. This is a study guide for the SAT's, SSAT's, GED & ACT. When Brian Leaf asked if I would consider reviewing his book I thought at first that I would say "no thanks"  because the last time I took the SAT was in the dark ages and I have no children so it would make no sense for me to review a book that was a vocabulary study guide. Ah Ha! As we emailed back and forth a bit I realized that his little study guide was not simply a study guide but that it is about words and vocabulary - something that I thoroughly adore. I said that I would enjoy having a look at "Defining Twilight" and a few days later this little gem arrived in the mail.

In short, I think that this study guide is genius -  especially for this time and place when we are all (well, at least many of us are) still enthralled with Stephanie Meyer's 'Twilight" book series.  What Brian Leaf has done, and done very well, is to craft a vocabulary study guide framed by the pages of these very popular books. I make a 760 something on this part of SAT (we will NOT discuss the deplorable 500 something that I made on the math part!!), but if I had had the benefit of this sort of study guide I know that I would have aced the exam. No kidding - this book would make studying - and studying with a group - more like a fun scavenger hunt than like study/work!

Remember that you should double click on the images to get a closer view of these fun exercises!

Even for those of us who are long past the SAT taking age I find the exercises in this book really fun to do. I remembered how difficult some of these exams really are for young folks  (or for those of us who are 'older' folks too!) and I also remembered how much I enjoy word play.

Have a look at some of these questions and see how well you might do! Perhaps it will bring up some of the more decent memories of high school for you too! All in all I have to say that Brian Leaf has accomplished what I believe many parents have long wished for: a study guide that makes learning fun and ties in with a book series that so many young people know and love. If I had had a similar guide for math I might have aced these dang SAT's .. but alas, it's still only words that enchant me - not math! I highly recommend this little book for anyone who has teens about to take any exam that requires vocabulary knowledge or for adults who are still enchanted by the wonderful world of word play. Well done Brian Leaf!

Peggy Gelbrich's "Wheel Of Mystery" Class

 Setting up.

A roomful of 20 wonderful quilters in a perfect space to have fun!

Sunday was a great day - in every way. The weather was quintessential Fall. Bright blue skies & warm enough for short sleeve- or for some even, sleeveless! It was a fun day of visiting with friends that I had not seen in far too long - my fault for being such a hermit! It was also a day for a great class from fabulous teacher peggy Gelbrich of Yellow House Quilts.

Peggy in front of her Wheel of Mystery quilt

I had taken a class from Peggy some years ago (there are quite a few classes that I would like to take from her). Peggy is an excellent teacher! Her patterns are, for the most part, traditional based, but Peggy's real gift is thinking through patterns and discovering ways to make them more easy to construct. She has mathematical sort of mind that just comes up with brilliant ways to sew patterns. Her other gift as a teacher is her high spirit and her devotion to her students. Peggy never sits down! She is always on the move - walking from table to table, person to person, helping or just chatting - she's a gem!I want to take Peggy's "Pine Burr" class as well as her "Crossed Canoes" class ... oh! and there are more than that on my list! Have a look at her web-site and you may see why I say that!

We used a template set from John Flynn - he calls them "Wheels of Mystery". Marti Michell also makes a template set for this quilt that she calls "Winding Ways". Peggy told us that the difference in templates is that the Flynn templates have sut off edges - making matching easier - she added that of course both would work quite well. I have to chime in that I agree with Peggy - that having the cut off teplate edges does, indeed, make matching easier.

Winding Ways, Wheels of Mystery, has always been a favorite pattern of mine. It makes one heck of a wonderful bed quilt (or wall hanging or sofa quilt). It is, simply a matter of placing light on dark and paring it with a dark on light block. The blocks we made used the templates for a 9 inches  block. I had started a quilt of blue batiks using pattern some time ago and now I think it's time to pull it out and maybe (gasp) finish it - or put it in line behind my Darlene Zimmermann quilt! I like this pattern too because it qualifies, I think, for "slow cloth". It's not a strip, zip and done kind of quilt....yes, I like this slowness in some things!

Here of some of the early blocks that folks made on the design wall. 

Proves the point that, as long as darks and lights are alternated - anything will work!

The quilt above is actually just a piece of paper with a pattern on it from the book "Winding Ways Quilts:A Practically Pinless Approach" by Nancy Elliott McDonald.  I became enthralled with the  bloack placement in this rendition and, of course, had to look up the book which, oddly enough, had been on my wish list for a couple of years!

We were also treated to see a couple of completely hand-made quilts by a member's 90+ year old mother. This is hand appliqued and hand quilted. The other quilt, was a Wheel of Mystery quilt that he mother had made - also all by hand. Unfortunately, I was dawdling and missed the opportunity to photograph this glorious example of the Wheel of Mystery quilt done at it absolute best!

I had a great day. I was reminded of my need for the friendship of these women that a have know for so long now- and I was also really pleased to make some new friends. Having one member tell me that they wished I would come to meetings more often often really touched me - as she said is in a very heart felt manner.  Thank you Mary (our new Guild President!) I sometimes need to be pushed out of comfy hermit shell - and I need to acknowledge that I should always make time for friendships in my life - something that I forget to do at times. I get really involved in my own work and think that I must use all of my free time to devote to them - which I do feel like I need to do because some of my time is lost now thanks to the wonders of dreaded "fibro fogs". Yes, it really was a good day!

Plaxo

Just a quick note. If you get an invite from me from Plaxo. please disregard it. I got into it via a friend request - and, while Plaxo is a legitimate, non-threatening site, I think it somehow sends notes to people in our address book. I deleted my account with them

A Shaker Style Lap Desk To Beat All!

If it had not been so wet outside today on the deck my photographs would have been better - but I couldn't wait to share my new lap desk with you! I have always thought that it would be nice to have a Shaker Style Lap Desk - maybe because I have always admired all things Shaker.  As many of you have read in older posts, my sister/friend's husband Carlo has an affinity for all things woodworking. I found some plans on the web for a Shaker style lap desk and we agreed to trade a case of my blueberry jam for a lapdesk. Thus began the journey for poor Carlo who had not really known, I think , just what I had gotten him into! My case of jam was easy compared to his making this lapdesk!.

This desk had to be light - of course it had to be - it sits on your lap for heaven's sake - and that meant working with thin cuts of wood and dovetails that were super tiny....I had no idea of what I asked Carlo to do!  It's akin to me painting or sewing in super miniature - and getting the details right too!

Of course every self respecting lap desk has to have a "hidden" draw with a fancy turned knob! This is one heck of an engineering feat!

Look at all of this wonderful storage space that all fits into these thin, lovely walls of the desk. Impressive!

I love wood.  If I did not have so many other things that I love to do I think I would have loved to have been a cabinet maker. I love the smell of wood & the grains of wood. and there is nothing better than the silky feel of a well sanded and linseed oil soaked piece of wood in your hand!!!

This last picture is of my favorite part of the desk. It's also the part that I bet Carlo liked the least. I say that because he hid it on the back of the desk. Yes, I also adore knot-holes of all kinds too! I am glad that he left this one ,special, little knot-hole for me to enjoy!  Carlo has made me an heirloom that I will treasure and use for the rest of my life. I know that, for him, this was a learning curve sort of project & I wish I had picked something more simple - ot perhaps that I had taken the time to really think about what in the heck I was asking him to do in the first place!  All I can say to you Carlo is "Thank You" and thanks for the love that went into this project too !

New Hand Painted Cat Cards For Some Special Friends

Here a few newly hand painted cards. I used with a combination of inks: J.Herbin inks , J.Herbin Calligraphy inks, J. Herbin Pearlescent inks, Dr.Martin's India inks - and just a touch of Golden Interference Red/Gold. These will be off to new owners this morning. One a "huury back" rather than a "good bye" for a favorite doctor who is leaving and one for his nurse who will, once again, have to 'train' another new doc. The third card goes to the great, friendly people at the front desk of our Medical Center who somehoe seem to manage to always answer those blasted phones with a smile! Did I mention they get home made sugar cookies too?!

"Thread Magic" Update & The Last Of The Topsy Turvey Tomato Harvest

 

Last evening, not being content to do the things that I aught to be doing, I decided to see how my experiment would look if I whipped it into a small bag. The size of the square made for a cosmetic sized bag - but hey ! it was just for fun anyway right!  All in all I am happy with the look and am now anxious to try some more experimentation .. better order some more though since I am almost out now!

I harvested almost all of the remaining tomatoes from the "Topsy Turvy" planters, although I think I have a little more than this amount left on the vines. Despite the leaf curl & yellowing I think that I got quite a decent yield, although perhaps not as much as plants in the ground in a warmer climate might have offered. All of the fruits have bee healthy and yummy - so I guess I can;t complaint. Next year I will see how frequent food does - perhaps that is what these plats needed to counter no being in the ground and having a larger root system?

Texture Magic From Superior Threads : A First Experiment

 

Many of you know that I love to try out new things. Recently, I have noticed this new item called "Texture Magic" that comes from one of my favorite thread suppliers - Superior Thread. 

New product? Have to try! I really was not sure how, or indeed if I would make use of this stuff, but today I though I would try it with some wool prefelt (from my fav OutBack Fibers. Since I was not sure what this would or would not do I wasn't ready to devote too much of my pre felt to a test, but used several square samples that I have had for awhile.

First up was a square of prefelt with some randomly sewed lines - loose and free motion. Then the steam iron as described - not touching the backing. Lovely, yummy, texture easily made. If I used some of my fun threads I can definitely see this as a textural tool that I will enjoy using with both wool and cotton.

PS: it really helps to view the texture in the photos if you double click on them

  

Next, I tried using some of the same prefelt squares, but I used a double thickness this time and sewed a  triangular grid. I was not at all as happy with this sort of texture, although I suppose that I should have expected that since I was controlling more of the space with the triangles it was to be expected that there might be less texture. If it had been a 50% shrinkage factor rather than the 30% as advertised it might have been more pleasurable. I will stick with the much easier random, free form lines I think! 

I am looking forward to some more experimenting now and will from now on use larger, more usable pieces so that I can make some nice small bags. One thing that I will consider with my next experiments is that the lining like material  (the "Texture Magic") gets a bit 'noisy' or crinkly when the piece is finished (it reminds me a lot of a lining material) so I plan to line anything that I use this with. I am going to try sandwiching the "Texture Magic" between two pieces of prefelt to see if it will: 

1) still work well and 2) cut down on the crinkle noise. Of course I really do have to also try this with some silk and some cotton and linen. Ah! More to learn and more things to play with! Just as I like it!

I think Superior Threads has added another great product to their 'superior' line-up of sewing realated items and fabulous thread!

ADDENDUM - added after original post: 

As usual I just could not leave well enough alone and made another sample using a silk sandwich - with the Texture Magic inside - worked like a charm and I   r-e-a-l-l-y like the possibilities here! Next up will be a silk sandwich with batting (ie: silk, batting, texture magic, silk) and a wool sandwich with batting. All done with wonky lines which I am convinced wirk the best - for the effects that I want anyway!

Book Review: " TransparencIy In Textiles"

I was very excited when I saw this title, "Transparency In Textiles" by Dawn Thorne, because that is what has recently fascinated me as I continue my experiments with the new Golden Digital Grounds. When I received the book it was not what I had thought it would be - although I must confess that I was not totally sure what I thought would be included in the book - probably more about transfers and photo imagery. Of course sometimes youo get something that, although not what you expected, is fabulous none-the-less.

 

Some of the techniques that Ms. Thorne demonstrates are things that we have all probably though about before, but there are also some really creative new angles that she introduces that make the book worth the price. Many techniques revolve around tools that most of use already have on hand if we are involved in "art textiles". Hopefully, having some photos from the book will peak your curiosity enough to give this refreshing look at creating transparency in textiles a try. For me, purchasing this book was another one of those moments when I realize I should not let my 'expectations' get in the way of appreciating new, creative ways to look at things!

I ordered my copy of this book from  from Joggles - one my favorite, most friendly,  purveyor all things creative and fun!

 

I am really enjoying some of the new changes to Blogger - makes navigation, uploading of photos, editing and writing a post much easier. Thanks Blogger!