kerrykatiecakes

Just a reminder that you still have until Sunday midnight to enter the first giveaway in my little giveaway spree.  So, after you sign up for this one, check out the other here in a previous post . Lots of you who signed up for the first giveaway chose this as your first choice as one of the items at Rainbow Disks .  You can read more about Creative Fabric Techniques on the Rainbow Disks website here .  Briefly, " using innovative new techniques, top quilter Annette Morgan explains how to use existing textiles combined with sheer fabrics and stitching to create sumptuous new surfaces. She shows how to play with wire frames, wrapping, stitching, burning and appliqué to make creative squares. Using fabric as a base for piling on texture she adds paint to give surface decoration."  Doesn't this sound like fun?! So, here is what you need to do! 1.  Visit Rainbow Disks and come back and leave me a comment telling me what technique that is not already there that you wou

Here is a bit of a teaser for you - just some of the quilts up for auction in the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative April auction!  You can view the the rest here - it is always worth the click just for the inspiration! The April auction starts on Sunday so be sure to check it out!

I have decided it is time for some giveaways!  I have a few reasons for this - that I am paring down my stash of goodies, that I have over 200 followers now, and just for the heck of it!  lol  So, I'll keep this up for a few days at least.  The first item I am going to giveaway is this Helen Stevens ebook with video CD from Rainbow Disks .  Here is the information from the back of the disk: In ONE SIMPLE STITCH Helen Stevens begins a crusade to prove that if you can bring your needle up through your fabric, and take it back through to the reverse, you can embroider.... and you can work all the projects in this book. And you don't even need lengthy step-by-step instructions.  All the information you need is encompassed by a template, a colour chart and a unique "directional diagram".  Armed with these three weapons, and one simple stitch, you can slay the dragon that has held you back from working true embroidery.  And with no counted thread techniques, there's

I couldn't bring myself to mail this block off Friday - I tried but I just had to try to add a bit more and improve my performance on this.  I had some good advice from Arlene and tried to implement it. I used metallic thread to outline the edge and veins on the lace fan so it no longer disappears into the background.  I added a top row of bugle beads to the beaded buttonhole stitch seam to make boxes and added some mauve stitching within the boxes and a larger glass bead in the center of each. Last, but certainly not least, I added the beautiful beaded heart I bought from Marie in the Hearts for Betty program.  I think it is the nicest thing on this block!  I'll remind you again that this program is the sale of beautiful beaded hearts made by Marie Alton and will help Betty Pillsbury rebuild her gardens, which were devastated by Hurricanes Irene & Lee.  You can check it out and get more information at the link above. NOW this block is in the mail!

I finished up with the fabric I rusted - I mentioned it in an earlier post while I was impatiently waiting for the fabric to develop enough rust for my liking.  I embellished the rusted areas with gold seed and bugle beads as well as a few glass beads.  I love the way the colour of the rust plays with the glitz of the gold beads.  I am hitting several birds with one stone again with this one.  It is my January Bead Journal Project (okay, I'm a little behind!  lol).  Also, I made it up into a small art quilt which will be my March donation to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI).  This makes my 15th AAQI quilt!  Can I get a whoop? I love the way the back worked out too.  As you can see, I have taken to printing out the labels for these on printable fabric with the AAQI logo.  So, how thrifty was this quilt?  I used a scrap of cotton for the fabric I rusted.  The high tech items needed for the rusting came from an old coffee can of nuts & bolts from dh's work

What is this crawling across my round robin block?!  I have the privilege of being in the Fools Gold Round Robin with Arlene White in Australia.  If you aren't familiar with Arlene's stitching, you should really give her blog a visit and check it out.  Arlene does wonderful crazy quilting and the most beautiful goldwork and stumpwork embroideries.  I don't usually post photos of round robin blocks until I have them home but I couldn't resist sharing the photos of the stumpwork beetle Arlene has stitched on my block, so with her permission here are her photos.  Stumpwork is such an ugly name for such a beautiful technique!  Stumpwork is the name given to a style of raised and padded embroidery, originating in England in the second half of the seventeenth century.  Like the wings on the beetle, parts of stumpwork are worked separately from the embroidery and then attached after.  Check out the body of the beetle - isn't he just magnificent?  Arlene said she couldn

I finished my work on Barbara's Fool's Gold round robin block.  This one didn't speak to me like the last one, probably because I have a terrible cold and my muse has flown the coop til I'm better.  Up in the left hand corner is a flower spray with Rambler Roses done in metallic gold thread, beads, leaves cut from gold ribbon and stitched on and some Japanese gold thread couched down in a filigree.  I used several gold trims and added beads and stitches in gold rayon thread and variegated purple DMC floss.  I added the purple here and there to tie in with the purple tones in the silkie.  There are several beaded seams as well, a heavy gold trim around the silkie, crystals, and a sequin and lace fan.  I hope Barbara will like what I've done.

Just wanted to say that Pam has a stitch diagram for this on her blog so check it out.

For the next Build a Seam (BAS) Challenge, I have chosen the Rambler Rose.  From the references I have been able to find, this appears to be an old stitch - I cannot find any current tutorials for it so I am including one here.  I apologize for the gold metallic on white - it makes it difficult to see but it is my current project so there you have it - killing two birds with one stone again. Begin by making three or four loose straight stitches for the center of the rose.  Work your way around and around the center, using outline stitch.  Make the stitches closer to the center loose so the work will stand up, then draw stitches tighter as you work you way toward the outside edge of the rose. These are the roses you end up with.  Mine are far from perfect since this is a first attempt at them but I think I will be using them again.  It's always nice to add another way of doing roses!

I barely scraped in under the deadline for taking part in the Embroidery Association of Canada's annual ATC swap but I got some done and have sent them away.  I love this annual swap and have taken part for several years now.  If you would like more info on EAC (Embroidery Association of Canada), or would like to browse through the photos of ATCs from previous year's swaps, head on over to the EAC website . I made eight ATCs for the swap this year.  They are all done in bridal fabrics - I am really into using up that stash at the moment.  Three blue tubs of wedding dresses seems a little excessive, not that these ATCs made much of a dent!   This year's cards are just basic crazy quilting with seam stitching only, other than a few pearls, a bit of tatting and some lace.  I only used two different threads on the cards - a green silk and a variegated perle.  I was going with a monochromatic thing on most of them.  So, these  are winging their way to Halifax to be swapped o

What a great mail week I had - so many goodies found their way into my post office box! I will start with an extreme closeup here so you can see Marie's gorgeous beadwork.  This is one of the Hearts for Betty that Marie Alton is making and selling to raise money for Betty Pillbury to use in rebuilding her herb garden business.  I am sure no one needs an explanation of who Betty is, one of the great crazy quilters, but you may not have known that she has a herb business which provides her livelihood.  This business was devastated this last year by extreme flooding.  You can read about Marie's Hearts for Betty project here and learn more about Betty by visiting her blog here .   As you can see, the hearts are put together as floating pendants - so pretty!  I also think they will make a wonder addition to a crazy quilt block and $5 is a reasonable price for something so lovely!  The second package to find its way into my mailbox was a copy of Cindy Brick's book, Hanky-Panky

 After almost a week, I was finally ready today to take the washers and nuts off my fabric and wash it off to see the rusting patterns.  I love the colour of the rust and can't wait to get out my gold beads to embellish it.  Even the reverse of the rusted fabric is enough different that it gives you two valid choices as to which pattern you prefer.   The first two photos are of the bottom piece of fabric that was under the nuts, etc. and the second two photos are both sides of the piece of fabric that was laying on top.  This one is a bit more subtle. I can definitely see possibilities here and think it will be a lot of fun to work with this fabric.  I predict that, much to my family's dismay, there will be many more of "Mom's science experiments" taking up residence on the kitchen counter for weeks at a time. Thank you to everyone who gave me advice and hints on this project.  I have learned that adding a tablespoon of bleach to the water/vinegar mix will sp

 I think I have mentioned before that I have been busy making up samples for a Fabric Manipulation class I am scheduled to teach.  This is my sample in progress for rusting fabric.  The first step is to line something with plastic wrap to hold it all while it is rusting.  I "borrowed" a big coffee can of nuts, bolts, screws, etc from my husband's workshop to to create some rusted designs. After saturating the fabric with a mix of half water and half vinegar, I arranged some washers and screws in a vaguely floral design (at least to my eye, lol).  Cover up the nuts and bolts with another layer of fabric, or the other end of the same piece if you want a larger piece of fabric to work with in the end.  These will find their way into AAQI quilts eventually so the smaller size works well for me.  Make sure it is all WELL SATURATED with the water/vinegar and cover the top with more plastic wrap.  Now wait.... ... and wait...and wait..... The instructions I followed instructe

It is time to run over to SewCalGal's site and vote for this year's Golden Quilter Awards!  I am very excited to see crazy quilting represented under the categories of Best Designer and Best Teacher/Instructor!  So, let's get out and vote and see our favourites get a little extra recognition! 

 Look at these delicious vintage kimono fabrics!  I was so fortunate to win the package as one of the door prizes in the online crazy quilt show on T hearica's blog last month and they arrived in my mailbox recently - I just had to share!  There are 9 pieces of fabric in the package, each one measuring 7 X 14 inches, which is a pretty generous size cut of fabric.  Since I will be using them for crazy quilting, a little fabric goes a long way - and this much fabric will go a very long way!  This is my favourite of the nine fabrics included in the package - so pretty and such a great selection of colours to build a block around. In fact, I am using this fabric as the focus fabric in the kits I am making for the Fibre Options class and I am making 20 kits! Are you wondering where you can get this and other great things if you weren't lucky enough to win them??  Check out One World Fabrics  online to see packages of vintage kimono fabrics like mine, African Mud Cloth, Australia

I was recently (very recently as in last week) asked to teach a class at Fibre Options, an all day stitching event being held in May in High River to benefit Victoria Quilts, an organization which provides quilts for cancer patients. I was very excited to be asked and, of course, I said yes right away.  They needed a class proposal and photos of a class sample immediately so that is what I've been doing while away from my blog, groups, and basically everything else in my life the last few days. I decided on a small purse as a project.  I will put together kits for this, including a pre-pieced block so we can get right down to the fun of embellishment. This is the block that will make up the flap on the purse.  The blocks are pieced from vintage kimono fabric, quilting cotton, silk, lame, rayon, brocade and a silkie I printed.  There are a few simple seam treatments so I can teach them some basic embroidery, a bit of beading and, of course, a sprig of cherry blossoms made from seq

Every post needs a photo, so here is a cute one of "my boys" asleep on the sofa!  Aren't they the cutest?! Well, here we are in March already so I think I need to look at those very lofty goals I set for myself on January 1st (I refuse to call them resolutions! lol) and shake myself up a bit and refocus.  I do this several times a year.  Posting it here helps me keep myself honest but I know it is a long boring post do feel free to hit the delete button!  lol 1. First and foremost, I renew my commitment to stitching for at least 15 minutes a day. All the other stuff aside, the stitching itself is the core and the reason for all the other goals. If I stitch for 15 minutes, I am likely to keep going and stitch longer. If I don't stitch at all today, I likely won't stitch tomorrow either and inertia sets in. Next thing you know, your muse has flown the coop again... So, 15 minutes a day minimum! (Try it - this works!) SO TRUE!!  IT WORKS!!  And I have to

The Linky Party on Thearica's blog has me inspired to finish a UFO with swap blocks!  These are the blocks I will be using and I have to say the Tea Time theme was one of my favourites so I really should use them in some way.  This round robin took place in the Crazy Quilting International Yahoo group. Here are the five blocks I received back in this DYB round robin, each of which is 6" square. I finished up the leftover block - the one that comes back from the DYB for me to work on - and here it is. Now I think I will be putting them together into a small wall hanging, hopefully during the month of March so that I can complete it in time for the Linky Party prize draw! If you would like to get some of those blocks out of the pile and used, why not join the linky party too?

I imagine everyone is getting tired of looking at this block of Wendy's I have been working on but I finished it today so I thought I would show you what else I added to it. I decided the third (and last) motif on the block would be a paisley which I thought tied in well with the peacock theme.  I started by couching down a double row of Japan gold-ish thread around the paisley shape.  I added a fan shape of bugle and seed beads at the fat end of the paisley and some more seed beads leading from there back to the small end.  I filled in the small paisley shape inside the big one with satin stitch in metallic thread and then added three feather charms and a sequin flower (remember these from last week's BAS?)  The finishing touch was the sequins around the outside.  I decided I wanted a scalloped edge around the outside so I used sequin trim and cut one third off each sequin on the trim before I stitched them down so they would snug up nicely to the Japan gold (yes, I was gettin