Sunday, March 22, 2009

Regan's Book
















My grandaughter Regan had her second birthday on March 19th. She loves books, and since I had signed up for a Small Book class offered by Janet on Learningfa, I thought I would make her one for her birthday. It took longer than I thought! I had never worked with Peltex before, but I like the way it made the pages so sturdy, but not too stiff. I did the picture on the front from a photo of her. My rendition makes her look older than she is. It is free motion stitched on my trusty Bernina. I outlined with black thread and used coloured pencils, then free motion stitched on top with threads to coordinate. I think it makes it look like a coloring book picture. I put a plastic pocket on the back cover so she could slip in a real photo. Isn't she a cutie?

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Getting Caught Up




I took a needle felting workshop on Tuesday. It was great fun. We made needle sculpted teddy bears. There's something about making something from scratch that gives me joy, and I guess that's reason enough to indulge in life's little pleasures.


Today I finished piecing the Mystery Quilt from the class offered by Noell at Shirley's Learningfa Yahoo Group. I made it from fabrics that I had in my stash. I know if I had seen the pattern before I started I would have chosen different fabrics, but then it wouldn't be a mystery, would it.
I still haven't started the Simple Landscape Class. I wonder what it would look like with Prairie Points...then I could kill two birds with one stone! And I have to make Regan's book before next week. Anyone know how to add hours to the day?
Cheers for now,
Judy

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Rock Challenge



Last evening, while chatting on Chatroll, I was telling the girls about a "Rock Challenge" I participated in at my Quilt Guild a few years ago. We chose a rock from a brown paper bag, and were to make something, using the colours that we saw in our rock. I decided to do a landscape, inspired by methods taught by Valerie Hearder from her book, "Beyond the Horizon, Small Landscape Applique". It was a fun project. My grandaughters love the rock, and it disappears from it's usual spot with the picture quite often when they are visiting. I'm not sure what it is about rocks and sea shells that compels us to pick them up and put them in our pocket, but I confess to a fascination with them. I wonder what their story would be if they could talk.