So much stuff going on it's a blast!!!

Yesterday got so busy I couldn't post this then so here it is.......


The second session of Beginning Dollmaking was held. When I went downstairs to peek they were intently sewing the stuffed limbs onto the main body!! We're used to a lot of laughter and talk coming from the basement during classes but these ladies were so focused on their dolls that there was only a little bit of it!


Here's the teacher Karla demonstrating the stitching.

We've had so many batiks come in that we decided a shop model was necessary. So here's the one I'm working on......nice and easy with no set-in seams like the queen size quilt I did. The stack of cut pieces is almost done today so I'll take some more photos as I decide placement for the strips and post them tomorrow.

Lol.....like I've said so much stuff is pouring in it's not even funny. Here are a bunch of solids that came in the other day. They haven't even moved from the table to the shelves. As you can see the pile to the left.....blues and greens have been selling. People must be working on a lot of landscapes!

The batiks are running right on out of the shelves.......and more are arriving today. We need to get a move on and get everything reorganized so that we can fit all this fabric on shelves. Think we are going to have a few more custom built for us in order to get it all in! Those might not happen before shop hop so we'll do our best of getting it all on the shelves we have. :) We still haven't started our shop hop quilt yet but with all this new fabric we should have a lot of fun with it!

I best get to work on all the projects so happy stitching and I'll post tomorrow.

The "Art" in Beginning Quilting & Other New Classes

Hi! Hope everyone has had a good start to the week. We've arrived at Wednesday and it is only full throttle through the weekend yet! Today is the 2nd session of The "Art" in Beginning Quilting. They are using Jane Davila's Art Quilt Workbook to either learn how to quilt or further their quilting with jumping into the art quilt style. There are 8 students in the class and they are down there with their sewing machines a whirring!! The walls are even covered with great examples of the topics their covering today.



We've added many new classes on www.fiberonawhim.com and here are a few of them:


"In-jean-ious Altered Clothing Workshop" with Rebecca Reasons-Edwards. You can see more of her work at www.mybrainonquilts.blogspot.com She has a very creative outlook on altered clothing and is just the right person to help you get over your fear of cutting into a piece. This class is coming up soon, Feb. 9th or 20th, so make sure you check it out if you are interested. Feel free to communicate with Rebecca about the class or a possible item to alter.



Basic Dyeing on Silk with Hellenne Vermillion
This class was just added this week. Hellenne does absolutely stunning work on silk and is now going to teach you how to accomplish the basics. You can see more of Hellenne's work at www.vermillionart.blogspot.com

This class is not on the schedule quite yet but should be before the week is over.

Beaded Spirit Doll with Karla Stuber.

Karla has been beading and dollmaking for years. She is also teaching a Basic Beading on Fabric class on Feb. 12th. There are still a few spots remaining in that class if you are interested.

Keep an eye out on the website as we are getting March, April and May's class schedules set in the next week or so. There just might be a class you can''t pass up!!

What a weekend!!

Well this has certainly been a crazy weekend around here. We saw snow for the second day in a week here in Atlanta. We ended up having to cancel the block of the month and close the shop. Our shop was right on the line of the 1-4" line of snow! Now I know that doesn't sound like a lot but around here most people are not used to driving in it and we didn't want to take a risk. When we came down to get the list of people to call and post signs there was a thick layer of sleet in our parking lot and on our steps! Made getting in through the door we needed to interesting....hence why we just ended up closing! Made for a lovely if not distracting day off though. We both set up machines to work on projects. Mom for her class on Wednesday and I for a quilt university class. Unfortunately we were both sitting facing windows and the outside view became very distracting! Here's a pic to show why.....


The piece in the window is a postcard based on the practice for Susan Brittinhams class of Upside-Down Applique.



Today has been a long day with communicating with vendors and such but how can you not laugh when you open a door and are greated with this!!!! He is definitely ready to play can you tell.

Lol.....what a laugh we got and he just cocked his head to the side like "What ya laughin' at?"

Anyways......back to work now.

Btw......The Cast Offs have changed over from Thursday nights to Tuesday nights. So if you are in the area and want to knit/stitch come on by any Tuesday between 5PM-8PM or earlier if you like!!

What is this.....???

What a morning!! What is this white stuff doing here in GA??!! Lol....well for those northerners that think it might actually be a dusting of snow.....it's not. It did start out snowing yesterday afternoon and it started to accumulate. Well it turned to sleet/rain a little while later in the evening. So all this lovely white stuff is basically chunks of ice. Mom started by sweeping then I just finished scraping off the steps up to our building with a DUST PAN! Seeing as how we are very unaccustomed to this that's all I could find. They still are a little questionable so everyone will have to use the front door for the morning......which for some reason is hard to fathom. Here's a couple of pics of the view outside of our front door.

Also here's the new Marcus Brother's fabric that just arrived. It is titled Surf & Sand! I'm sure I speak for both of us in saying that we'd love to be in the surf and sand rather than what we found outside this morning!

Have a great day everyone.

Yeah Projects!!

After listening to all my friends and customers challenges to keep themselves making art in the new year I felt bad. I had yet to make a thing in the new year. I had such a month full of projects in December as I made everyone's Christmas presents but had not touched the machine or knitting needles since 12/22!! So on Saturday I actually sat down and made some things. Talk about fun. I also have some new projects since new yarn came in today.



After searching for cute aprons around Christmas for a friend, and not finding one I liked, I ended up making her one. It was fun and easy. Her main complaint about store bought aprons was that they don't fit across the bust if you really have anything up there! So I even made this one somewhat larger across the top. The apron along with the tote are listed on etsy at www.KristinsOriginals.etsy.com

Yes, yes....I joined the etsy bandwagon. Have to unload my stash somehow right??!!

I ended up making this tote from the scraps of the apron.

This yarn and pattern just arrived in today. My mom wants that purple sweater you see but doesn't really want to knit it herself!! I'm more than happy to have a project to do :) so now will pick up the knitting needles.

This sock yarn just came in as well. 5 yummy colors worth. Sad part is I have to knit on those toothpicks to the left of the yarn!! Don't know if I'm up for it but need a shop model. Karla, Karla.......where are you? Now ever so sweetly asking.....You like knitting with toothpicks dontcha wanna knit these for me :)? Lol......I know exactly her answer though!

New and Old

We just received in some new batiks yesterday. Here's a few pics of the new stuff along with some of the clearance items we have left. We have so much new stuff coming in that we have to make room for it all by getting rid of some of the old stuff.

These are some of the new Australians and African fabrics received in since Houston. There are also beautiful Australian and African panels in as well.

Here's a small snapshot of some of the clearance items still here. Hopefully these will move soon so that we may have a whole bunch of new stuff for Shop Hop in February.

Outsider Art/Collection

Well in keeping with the discussion on Quilt Art about what we ourselves collect I thought I'd post pics of our "shop" collection. Here are all of the pieces that we've collected over the years from other artists. All are in our shop hanging with plaques next to them as to who created them. There is a lot of other stuff on our walls as well but these are the things we couldn't pass up nor keep to ourselves at home!!




"Bloodroot" by Jan Brashears.
The benefits of being an "adopted" daughter are you get given pieces you love. Our first newspaper article about the shop had a misprint where it said the owners were a mother/daughter duo of Jan Brashears and Kristin Rodriguez instead of the correct Jan Girod and Kristin Rodriguez. So the day it came out I called my "mother" to tell her about the article and a couple days later when I said I loved the piece it was gifted to me. Gotta love it!

"Fall Colors" by Janelle Girod

On the flip side of the "adopted" mother bit is when it is really your own mother. I included this piece as I HAD to buy it. She had made this for a silent auction and when I told her that I loved it and why couldn't she simply make another piece I got that look. You all know the one! She explained that she had already shown this to the group. I ended up having to go to the Quilt Show to bid on the piece. I worked as a quilt angel that year and everything to make sure I was there at closing of the auction. I made sure everyone knew my own mother was making me buy a piece!!

"Untitled" by Liz Berg

Acquired from the One Square Foot Auction of SAQA.

"Untitled" by Janice Kuhns

I fell in love with this piece at the most recent East Cobb Quilt Guild Show in the silent auction. Somehow was able to twist my mother's arm enough to buy it. It now hangs behind our register.

"Mardi Gras" by Jeanne Graff

"Winter Morning #3" by Karen Stiehl Osborn

"Dawn Dance of the Dragonfly #3" by Karen Stiehl Osborn

"Hope #20" by Virginia A. Spiegel

All acquired from the FFAC postcard sales.

Both Postcards by Heidi Miracle-McMahill

I got these as Christmas gifts a year ago and absolutely love them.

Postcard by Rebecca Reasons-Edwards

Can you see our sense of humor around the shop?

"Layers II" by Heidi Miracle-McMahill

This doll by Karla Stuber sits in our fireplace!

There is also a great quilt by Rebecca Reasons-Edwards that graces the wall of our bathroom. I didn't post it here as most really need to see it in person and have a great sense of humor about it. Not to mention it is not necessarily ours to claim but it has been with us for almost a year now!!