Comfort Cottage

The End Of The Rainbow

Hello my friends!  I've missed you but I think I have been suffering from blogger's block!  My creativity has been in a bit of a slump, but I finally have something new to share with you.  As you know, I've been working on Amy Smart's Rainbow Connection Quilt.  After slicing and dicing not less than eighty different fabrics, I have a finished quilt top.  It measures 80" x 80".

 

 

My mantel makes a great quilt-hanging rack!

 

 

I would have posted earlier, but I cut two of the borders an inch short, and I had to start again.  It's a good thing I had some extra white fabric!

 

 

I'm really happy with the way it turned out.  I was really struggling with how to utilize my Soul Blossoms fat quarter set until I found Amy's pattern on her wonderful blog, Diary of a Quilter.

I enjoyed working with wild color so much, that I'm going to do my next quilt top with Kaffe Fassett fabrics from Rowan.  I made a trip to Intercourse on Wednesday, and scored a new quilt book :)

 

 

It's funny how our tastes change.  Kaffe has been around for years, and I never had much interest.  Suddenly, I'm in love with his work!  Go figure.  His books are stunningly photographed.  This one was shot at the Skansen Museum in Stockholm.

 

While I was at the Old Country Store, I purchased some of his fabrics for one of the quilts from his book.

 

 

The quilt is called Diagonal Pathways.

 

 

 

I have four quilt tops waiting in the wings to be sandwiched and quilted, so I think I'll get the process started on one of them next week. 

Spring has finally arrived here in Pennsylvania.  We've had several beautiful days in a row.  I hope things are well where you are.  We'll meet again soon.

 

Until next time,

 

 

Making Progress

I've finally arrived at that moment in the making of a quilt that excites me most:  sewing the blocks together.   With a quilt of many colors, I needed to retreat to the floor again to audition blocks for their proper place.

 

 

Aren't the colors delicious?  Sewing a large quilt together feels a bit like wrestling an alligator.

 

 

 

I'm building a sizable mountain of scraps!

 

 

I need to find some little projects!  I got out of the studio for a few hours this morning to canvas the book store for fresh inspiration.  The beginning of the month always brings a pile of new magazines with it.

 

 

 

This one is fantastic!  This is just one of the quilts waiting to be sewn:

 

 

There were also many lovely quilts in this one:

 

 

In addition to all of the tempting projects, there is an interesting interview with fabric designer Stephanie Brandenburg of Frond Design Studios.  It offers some insight into the process of crafting beautiful fabric designs.

 

 

The next time I share quilting news, I should be finished sewing the Rainbow Connection quilt.  I also have a trip to quilters' haven, Lancaster County, PA in the works to celebrate my birthday.  My bank card will be smokin' :)  I'll meet with you again soon!

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

Time For Quilting

Last week I made the trip to Intercourse, PA with my sister.  The first stop, as always, was the Old Country Store where I spent an inordinate amount of time drooling over all of the new spring fabrics and books.  Ultimately, I couldn't make up my mind about the fabric, so I decided to sleep on it.  I did however, return with a quilting book.  It is a new title from That Patchwork Place called Pretty Patchwork Quilts, by Cyndi Walker.   The cover quilt is gorgeous, but there are plenty more beautiful quilts inside.

 

 

A trip to the fabric store is always inspirational, and I came home freshly bitten by the quilting bug.  I decided to look up quilting blogs and I wasn't disappointed.  In my travels about cyberland, I came across a particularly colorful quilt blog:  Diary Of A Quilter.  Amy Smart is the keeper of the quilting castle there, and her approach is fun, informational, and down-to-earth.   While browsing, I came across a wonderful quilt pattern that is perfect for utilizing fat quarters and scraps.  It is called Rainbow Connection, and you can purchase it directly from there.

 

 

After sorting my fabrics by color, I began cutting and sewing right away.  I'm using Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms line in addition to many other fabrics I've collected over the years.

 

 

My quilting projects usually begin here, spread out all over the floor.

 

 

I eventually make it to the table.

 

 

 

 

I'll keep you posted on my progress :)  Now, I'm almost embarrassed to admit this - but I will, because I'm dying to share this with you.  Friday began innocently enough.  I went to a fabric store closer to home to get some white cotton for the background for this quilt.  The shop I was in was about halfway to Intercourse.  (Can you see where this is going?)   It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, and my pretty red car was just begging me to take it for a drive through the country.  Well, I couldn't just go home.  I headed west and before I knew it, I was back at The Old Country Store.  This time, I made up my mind.  I found some gorgeous fat quarters.

 

 

 

 I feel another quilt coming on...

Finally,  I checked out the book section one more time.  I was very excited to find Four Seasons At Minglewood by Debbie Roberts.  The book, from Kansas City Star Quilters contains patterns for fifteen twelve inch quilt blocks, and instructions for making a number of wonderful quilts.  All of these blocks can be used to design countless other quilts.  It is a fantastic resource.

 

Today, I have the cottage to myself.  The men are out and about, and it is the perfect opportunity for me to sew.  I hope and pray that you are all well.  I truly enjoy sharing life's creative adventures with you.  Come again soon.

 

Until next time,

 

April Calendar Challenge

It is a gorgeous, warm, sunny day here in Pennsylvania, and I have the perfect thing to share with you today.  I have been seeing all sorts of lovely handmade calendars popping up all over blogland, and I have found the source.  There is a very talented lady at The Kathryn Wheel who hosts a monthly challenge: Calendar 366.  You may have heard of her: Kate Crane.   Her captivating art journal work has been featured in Stampington and Company's fabulous publication, Art Journaling, by Somerset Studio.  This is my calendar for the month of April.

 

 

I used a square punch and Kay & Co. papers.  I can't remember the manufacturer of the the stamp line for the swirls, but the butterfly is from Inkadinkadoo.  All of the images are vintage free stuff I found on the web.  The background was done with Delta Ceramcoat paints and a natural sponge.  If you would like to learn more about the calendar challenge, you can find it here.  Kate's wonderful work has been featured in the Winter 2012 issue of Art Journaling by Somerset Studio, as well as many other publications.  You can find links to all of the participants for this month's challenge here.

 

 

The last item to share with you, I promised about two weeks ago, but unfortunately, the subject, my niece's 12 week old Bernese mountain dog, would not sit still long enough for me to get a photograph!  On Sunday, we had a family gathering at my sister's house and Moses, the newest addition to the family, finally cooperated.

 

 

Is he not the most adorable puppy on the planet? (Have you ever seen a puppy that wasn't adorable?)  This guy is already twenty-seven pounds, and he's gaining an average of about six pounds per week.  Hugging him is like hugging a bear cub!  I LOVE big dogs!

It's time for me to get back to work.  I should have another drawing to share with you in a day or so.  Enjoy the lovely spring weather we are having!

 

Until next time,

 

Art Journal Fun And A Gift For You

When reading a book I purchased recently, I came face to face with the art of Teesha Moore, who is well known for her beautiful art journal pages, amongst many other things.  The book is Creative Wildfire by L. K. Ludwig.  Teesha is one of the featured artists. 

 

 

Creative Wildfire is packed with ideas on approaches to art journaling, beginning to advanced techniques and interviews with many artists.  It will truly set a fire under the aspiring journal artist, and if you haven't started that journal yet, you will want to after reading this!

Being a fan of Teesha's art, I, of course, had to check out her website.  Wow!  It is an amazing and inspiring place.  She has wonderful videos to watch, including a fabulous series on art journaling.  If you have been curious about what an art journal is, or how to go about creating one, this is the video to see.  I've watched the first part of the series (It's free!)  and I've begun creating my pages.

 

 

The first step is simple and it gets you past "blank page syndrome".  You know the symptoms: vacant stare, eyes glazed over, mind empty.  It's easy to treat.  Just add color!  Simple craft paints will do.  Watercolors are great too.

 

 

Next, I added some borders.  Journal fodder can be found anywhere: old magazines, junk mail, scrapbooking papers, gardening catalogues, the phone bill (You might want to pay it first.)  Just don't think too hard about it - work from your heart.  No one has to see it but you.  It's your personal art laboratory where you can cause the kind of explosion that won't bring the bomb squad to your door:  a color explosion.

 

 

There is another source of collage material that's probably the most satisfying.  Grab some old collages or paintings you've done, or even some of your childrens' art.  Try scanning or photographing them and zooming in on small areas on your computer.  You might be surprised at what you discover.  There are probably dozens of interesting things within a single composition.  Enlarge isolated areas and print them out on regular paper.  You can cut them up and use them in your journal pages.  Your journal will begin to reflect your own heart.

 

 

 

I used parts of some of the work I did for Strathmore's Online Workshop, and some parts of existing journal pages.  I also used some of the free offerings I found on Flicker.com.  I would like to reach the point where I am using even more of my own art: which brings me to the gift part of this post.  I used watercolors, water-soluble crayons, markers, and gel pens to make something I can cut up and use in my pages.  I would like to offer you the use of this page for your personal use in your own journals.  Just click on the image to get the largest size and then right-click on it and choose the "save image as" option.  Be patient, it's a full-size page.

 

 

I'll show you more as I develop my pages further.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.  Have fun journaling!

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Rental

It's that time of year when one's thoughts turn to spring, and the longing to be in some distant paradise grows strong.  It's all my hubby's fault :)  A few weeks ago, I came downstairs, groggily wiping the sleep out of my eyes.  Hubby had gone shopping, presumably for food. He called up the stairs to me that he had gotten me a treat.  I arrived in the kitchen expecting chocolate muffins, and didn't notice the very large box on the island.  As I searched the bags for those elusive muffins, he finally pointed at the box rather gleefully and said, "Didn't you see what I got for you?"  I nearly fell over as a bright and shiny new Epson Artisan printer stared back at me.  I wanted to tell you about it, but after my son was injured, everything else was pushed to the back burner.  But the plot thickens...

Last weekend, again, first thing in the morning, he went "food" shopping.   Now, let me explain that my printer wasn't the only piece of equipment that was standing on it's last leg.  My computer had begun to sound like a jet taking off, it didn't like to boot, and after my last experience with another of these infernal machines burning up, I had the feeling that I should have a fire extinguisher handy before I turned it on!  Unbeknownst to me, the tax return had shown up the day before.  My darling hubby presented me with a new computer, courtesy of our little windfall.  I need to start getting up earlier on the weekends to keep an eye on him :)

 

So what, you ask, does this have to do with longing to be in a distant paradise?  I began printing out photos from my trip to Maine yesterday!  Also, I finished a new piece of art - a mixed media collage based on one of my photos.

 

Summer Rental

16" x 20"

Mixed media on canvas board

 

I never thought that wall joint compound and plaster bandaging could be so exciting.  I used them to create a textured surface before painting.  After I did the inital laying in of color, I used some of the fire-trap-of-a-magazine-collection in my studio to add more color and texture.  Tearing paper is very satisfying :)  I adhered the paper with Liquitex Matte Medium.  I did the final acrylic glazes and enhanced some of the edges with a General's Carbon pencil.  It's not as soft and crumbly as a charcoal pencil, but it gives a good dark line over the paint and plaster.

I start Workshop 2 at Strathmore Online Workshops on Wednesday.  Watercolorist Cathy Johnson will be leading the workshop.  I had purchased her first book, Creating Textures In Watercolor in 1992.   She has a wonderful blog, Artist's Journal Workshop where you can find all sorts of ideas, inspiration, and other artists.

Her new book, Artist's Journal Workshop:  Creating Your Life in Words and Pictures, was released this year.

That's all for now.  Tomorrow, it's off to New Jersey to see my sister.

Until next time,

 

We Shopped 'Til We Dropped For Pink Saturday

I received a note from Beverly at How Sweet the Sound asking me to repost this for Pink Saturday.  It wasn't until I read her note that it occurred to me that yes, there's plenty of pink here!  I think I'm slipping :)

It's been months since my sister and I took our last trip to The Old Country Store.  Yesterday, the weather was cold and clear, and we were ready to rumble :)  We got an early start, and I think we were the first customers in the store!  As usual, there was no shortage of gorgeous fabrics to chose from.  They had many of the new lines and a fresh selection of quilting books as well.  I immediately headed for the mountain of fat quarters which were beautifully arranged according to style and color.  I was not disappointed.  Would you like to see what I came home with?

 

 

These are from French General.  Can you just picture them paired with vintage laces, buttons and vintage jewelry?

 

 

Can you say Oo la la?

 

The next set is at exactly the opposite end of the spectrum...bright, modern and vibrant.  They are from Moda's Terrain collection.

 

Wouldn't they make cute cupcake pincushions?  This pattern by Sandi Henderson of Portabello Pixie is perfect!

I fell in love with this cheerful set.  It's from Riley Blake's Quite Contrary collection by My Mind's Eye.

 

I immediately thought of Heather Bailey's adorable pincushions.

 

 

 

I've had these for awhile now.  I asolutely love them.  They remind me of cotton candy and a summer day.  They're from the Bliss collection by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.

 

Camille Roskelley was featured in the Fall 2010 issue of Where Women Create.

 

 

Isn't her studio cute?

 

Finally, there is a new Moda collection called Prairie Paisley II by Minick and Simpson.

 

 

I've always wanted to do a quilt using the spools block.  I think these fabrics would work really well with a traditional pattern like that.  What do you think?

 

Of course, I really hate to start a new project until I finish the one on the table right now.  I'm making some good progress with it.

 

 

It's all cut out.  It's actually piecing together pretty quickly.  I won't get to work on it again until later tomorrow.  I have to take my son in to have his stitches removed.  His eye is healing well and his cheek has a normal contour to it again.  He's able to see, so we're counting our blessings!  Again, I want to thank all of you for your encouragement and support. It has meant everything to me.

Since I originally posted this last week, I finished the quilt top!

 To visit all of our Pink Saturday participants, just click on the Pink Saturday icon in my right sidebar.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.  I'll be visiting!  Hugs and blessings to you.

Until next time,

 

 

A New Drawing and Lots of Quilting Inspiration

Hello my friends!  I hope all of you are having a good weekend so far.  It's pretty dreary here in the Northeast.  It's been snowing all day, but so far, it's not accumulating.  I have a few things to share with you today.  The first is my new drawing - a bright yellow finch.

 

 

Instead of watercolor, I used Caran D'Ache Neocolor II water-soluble crayons for the finch.  The rest is the usual pen and ink and graphite pencil on Strathmore Bristol Vellum.  It was nice working without the distractions of the last week.  I was able to finish him much more quickly than the last drawing.

I also wanted to share some fabric and quilting inspiration.  Last month I had purchased the new editions of Sew Somerset and Art Quilting Studio.  They always get me to thinking about ways to use my fabric stash and my sewing machine.

 

 

There were several beautiful examples of fiber art that really caught my eye.

 

 

I love the way the artist combined embroidery and vintage bird graphics into this fabric book.

 

 

The combination of lace, sumptuous red fabrics and tassel fringe paired with the vintage photo is so lovely.

I'm sure you know that I'm a pushover for bright colors and bold patterns by now.

 

 

In the latest issue of Art Quilting Studio, I found an art quilt that really excites me.

 

 

I recently found some fat quarters that I've been wanting to use for art quilts.

 

 

The colors and patterns are so bright and energetic.

 

 

I found some ideas in the previous issue of Art Quilting Studio that I think these fabrics would be perfect for.

 

 

This conversation quilt can be based on any theme.

 

 

The colors used together in these quilts are so striking together.

 

 

Finally, I loved the way the artist used variegated embroidery thread in her work.

 

 

I think I'll take a break from drawing tomorrow and put my studio back in order.  It shouldn't take too long this time because I just worked on it two weeks ago.  I'm trying to keep up on it because I've found that the more cluttered it is, the less creative I am.  I think it just becomes too much of an effort to work in a disorganized environment.  After I tidy up, I want to try the darning foot I bought for my machine.  It will allow me to do free-motion sewing, which will give me more options for art quilting.

On the horizon, there's a fabric shopping trip to the Old Country Store in Intercourse in the works for Monday.  My sister and quilting buddy, Lorrie and I will be having a day of bliss at the fabric sale.

I hope you have a happy and restful Sunday.

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Gratitude.  There is so much power in the word.  The moment it is uttered, even the staunchest complainer is silenced.   It changes the attitude in a heartbeat and washes over the spirit like a waterfall.  Is there any other word as sweet?  The list of things I thank God for gets longer each day, and my contentment grows proportionally.  I wish for all of you a refreshing shower of gratitude on this Thanksgiving Day.

 

A couple of months ago, I shared with you that I had finished my Christmas quilt.  I promised that I would unveil it at the beginning of the Christmas season.  I saw Santa arrive at the close of the Macy's parade, so I guess this is it - the official start of the Christmas season.  I found this quilt design in At Home With Thimbleberries Quilts by Lynette Jensen.  I've wanted to make it for years, but somehow the time was never right.  This year, I have a wonderful throw to display on the dining room table.

 

 

Each house has it's own theme.

 

 

 

 

 

I love the quilted design in the center.

 

 

My favorite part is the picket fence.

 

 

My heart is full as I wish for each of you the joy of gratitude and contentment.  God bless you.

 

Until next time,

 

Elements of Fun

As you now know, I've been bitten by the Zentangle bug.  Who knew that the elements of design could be so much fun?  I've always been fascinated by line and pattern and now I have an excuse to play with them.  I just can't help myself!

 

 

There are so many ways to apply this wonderful artform.  I found a stained glass pattern in a Dover book, altered it to my liking, and began applying pattern.  Zentangles don't have to have color or shading, but it can really enhance them.  I used my Prismacolor colored pencils to make certain areas pop.

It's important to remember that this wonderful artform does not require that you be a master artist.  There are some wonderful books that can start you on the road to making unique art of your own.  My favorites are Totally Tangled and Yoga For Your Brain, both by Sandy Steen Bartholomew, and Time to Tangle With Colors, by Maria Browning.  All three are from Design Originals.  There are many more out there if you do a search on Amazon.  If you want to get started right away, there are some fabulous websites that feature tutorials on lots of Zentangle patterns.  My favorites are Zentangle.com and Tangle Patterns.com.

That's all for now.  The studio is calling to me and it's time to get to work.  Have a wonderful day.

 

Until next time,