Announcement - Free course

Hi there. I don't know how many of you are interested in learning something new but I am. Last year I took Kathy Shaw's FREE Basic Crazy Quilt Course (the piece I created is on the right) and then earlier this year I took one of her intermediate courses - Intermediate Crazy Quilt Course (ICQC)101 Designing and Piecing Crazy Quilt Blocks. Now, Kathy is offering a course on silk ribbon embroidered flowers. There was a bit of silk ribbon work in the Basic course and I really, really liked it. This course being offered now expands on different flowers.

All of Kathy's courses are free but you have to start at the beginning and complete the Basic Crazy Quilt Course before you can continue on with her other courses. She is a wonderful, generous, giving teacher and has a lot of handouts. She even gives you gentle nudges to move on if she finds that you are stuck. The only thing required of you as a student is to make something (with your stash) and to supply your own tools and materials. She instructs and you do the work. Go HERE and check it out. Registration for this course closes soon. If you are at all interested in her Basic course, then follow her blog or drop her an email letting her know that you are interested and she will gladly let you know when the next one will begin.

Crazy Quilting

Just a short post to let you all know that Kathy Shaw has now opened registration for the intermediate class of crazy quilting. You must have taken her beginner's class in order to be in this one. Hurry though, because registration is only open from March 29-31. It's free. All you have to do is get your own supplies (use your stash is what Kathy recommends.)

Here's her web site.
http://www.shawkl.com/

This is my beginner's piece. I'm only including it so that this post has a photo.

Quick - Crazy Quilt Basic Course

Kathy Shaw is offering her Crazy Quilt Basic Course once again. It's free but it fills up fast. Go here to sign up.You only have until the 12th of October.
http://www.shawkl.com/


It's a great course and Kathy is such a giving person. If you want to see what I accomplished in the last class, here it is.

It was a very good learning experience.

I had never worked with silk ribbon and found that it wasn't all that hard.

So, if you have ever wanted to learn crazy quilting, embroidery and silk ribbon, now is the time.

Still sewing

I was asked by my son and his wife to make dresser scarves for their dresser and night tables because the little kitties like to jump up on them and their claws were starting to leave marks.

So, I was given the sizes and the colour was to be dark red - similar to red wine.

I went into the stash and pulled a bunch of upholstery samples and set to work.

This is the long dresser top part all done. I decided to "crazy quilt" it. It wasn't difficult but it took quite a bit of time because it's so long (the dresser is 62 inches.)

 All done. The night table covers look like placemats just sitting there. The long dresser scarf is just folded over.
Now, I have a request to make cushions for a rocking chair - in yellow.

Linking up with The Needle and Thread Network and Esther's blog for WIP.

I Finished

My Beginner Crazy Quilt Class, given by Kathy Shaw at http://www.shawkl.com/, has come to an end. I finished the piece yesterday and was able to cross it off my list.

The block as a whole.

 

The silk ribbon embroidered rose vine and the feather stitch seam with French knots and various beads.

 

 Yellow sequin flowers.

 

Woven roses (everyone's favourite because they were so easy to make.) More flower beads.

 

More silk ribbon roses.

My very favourite parts - the irises and all those French knot flowers.

I urge you all to take a class with Kathy. She sets a manageable pace and is so very giving in her knowledge and praise. Both this class and the intermediate class were free. I will be taking the intermediate class in the future. There is so much to learn and silk ribbon embroidery is not hard at all (just in case you thought it would be.)

I'm linking up with The Needle and Thread Network and with Esther's WIP.

Go take a look at what other people are working on this week.

Beginner Crazy Quilt Class

Now that the enrollment for the course has ended, we have a list of supplies that are going to be used.

 Here's my selection. Neutral background fabrics, embroidery floss or perle cotton, bits of lace, various needles, beads and silk ribbon. Since I have lots of embroidery floss, I decided that I would like to use perle cotton for this. The only ones I had though, were size 3 and 5 and what was recommended was size 8 or 12. It took me a long time to choose these colours because there was a lot of choice (sometimes not a good thing for me.) I did have to go quite a ways to find the store to get them, though. For some reason, even though this is a big metropolitan city that I live in, there are very few needle art stores. One has to travel to the suburbs to find silk ribbon and perle cottons in colours other than beige and white.

New dress, new quilt, new course and another quilt

Here's a new dress that I had to finish before my daughter Maili left for a two week vacation to Scandinavia.

It's the same pattern as the one I showed earlier when it was in the cutting stage. 

The fabric was a bargain, half price at Fabricland. It has a bit of spandex to it so for $7.00, Maili got a new travel dress.

I made it longer than she requested when she tried on the original dress and I think it's perfect. The neck and armholes are finished with self bias binding. This one does not have the seams finished as I found the fabric didn't seem to unravel. I wanted a photo of her wearing the first one I made but Maili said she will send one once she has arrived across the pond and has tried it on.

Here's baby quilt #2. The panel has been on the frame for a week or so and I have started quilting it but I have had to leave it for a bit to do other things. I will get back to it shortly.

 

This is the project that the beginners are to complete in Kathy Shaw's free Beginner Crazy Quilt Class. I have signed up and the class begins July 16th.

*****Note: Photo used with permission.

If you are at all interested, here's her web site so you can sign up. There is an intermediate class too but you cannot join it unless you have completed the beginner class. It's all free, all you have to do is supply your own fabrics and embellishments and finish the block by the end of the class.

http://www.shawkl.com/

 I don't know if anyone who reads my blog remembers this rag quilt that I made for Luc, above on the left. The boys, Luc and Patric have their own 'thrones' where they sit and watch television. The 'thrones' are apple boxes. Sturdy things, those.

It's a reversible quilt that I made before Luc was born and his mom, my daughter Laila, didn't know if she was going to have a boy or a girl.

Well, his mother has now requested a rag quilt for Patric.

Since Fabricland still has a sale on, I am planning to see what kind of flannel they have. Hopefully, something that would catch his attention like the one above.

Busy weekend ahead.
Stay safe and enjoy your weekend.
BTW, there is a supermoon tonight, if you get a chance to view it.

Stockings - part 2

This is the second stocking I made using upholstery samples. The shoe part and cuff are made from a gorgeous piece of non wale purple corduroy. Unfortunately, the colour does not show up in the photo. The stocking is trimmed with gold ribbon in various widths.

This time the recipient was my daughter-in-las Kate. I have wanted to make this stocking for a long time and I am glad I finally got around to it.

Stockings

Just before Christmas I made some new stockings. Santa needed to see something a bit more grown up - something fitting adults.

Here's the first one. Done crazy quilting style with upholstery samples.

And a photo of Casey, the recipient.