Daily Blog

  0

fShare

Tweet

Take a minute to flip through these award-winning quilts from the inaugural AQS QuiltWeek Phoenix 2014 show.

  0

fShare

Tweet

Jardin du Wiltz was inspired by Anna's stay as an artist in residence in Wiltz, Luxembourg, where she spent three months through a grant from the UNESCO-Aschberg Foundation and interacted with mentally handicapped students.

The quilt was exhibited as part of the SAQA Masters II exhibit at AQS Phoenix 2013.

  0

fShare

Tweet

Tiny Dancer is a scrappy quilt created by Victoria Findlay Wolfe who has made over 300 quilts, including Quiltcon 2013 Best of Show.  You can see more of Victoria's quilts by visiting her website at www.bumblebeansinc.com.  You can watch Victoria in action in Episode 1404: Jump Start Your Creativity with 15 Minutes of Daily "Play."

Tiny Dancer - 35 pieces non-rotating

Tiny Dancer - 99 pieces non-rotating

Tiny Dancer - 300 pieces non-rotating

Tiny Dancer - 99 pieces rotating

Tiny Dancer - 300 pieces rotating

  0

fShare

Tweet

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend my first Ricky Tims' Super Quilt Seminar. I would highly recommend the experience to any quilter, no matter their level of expertise. The whole seminar is so very organized (Ricky starts and ends each session PROMPTLY on time, down to the minute!) And the idea of not having to bring SO MUCH STUFF for a workshop really appealed to me. 

On one of the evenings, Ricky presents a concert and inspirational talk. It is really a highlight of the weekend.

Since this was a little longer event (I left my house on Wednesday, and returned home on Saturday evening,) I wanted to plan my food at least a little bit, to make sure I had some healthy choices with me. It was pretty simple to pack my cooler bag with my yogurt and granola, and a few other essentials. But this time I tried something new. There was a Costco just a few miles from the hotel, so after making sure I had a mini fridge in my room, I headed over to Costco to get a bag of my favorite salad--the Kale Superfoods salad. It has the greens, dressing, and some dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds all in the bag. Yumm!

If you'd like to read a minute by minute (not really) report of my food choices for the weekend, you can visit my blog, Debby Weighs In. I just want to say again that it really is fairly simple to eat well when you are traveling. It just takes a little bit of planning. And a touch of adaptability!

  0

fShare

Tweet

The Quilt Alliance annual contest, Inspired By, is all about inspiration. Their mission is to document, preserve and share the stories of all quilts and quiltmakers.  They encourage everyone who makes quilts to enter their contest regardless of style or technique.

And there are prizes...!

  0

fShare

Tweet

Do you love the patchwork look of the Olympic games in Sochi? Do you want to make a diamond quilt on your own?  Then you might want to try, Diamond Quilts and Beyond by Jan Krentz.

Jan makes it easy to imagine, plan, and create your own beautiful art! Let Impressionist paintings (or the Olympics) inspire you to try a colorwash look - with diamonds!

Here's the info straight from Jan's Newsletter:

My book, Diamond Quilts & Beyond, was translated into Russian a few years ago. I have the only inventory of these beautiful books (in English) and you can get one at a discounted price!

Learn about the "fabric" imagery in the diamond theme, and the inspiration behind the artwork. 

http://www.gamesbids.com/forums/topic/19568-the-look-of-the-games/

You can watch Jan in Episode 1103: The Skinny on Stripes and Episode  and Episode 506: Picture Perfect.

  0

fShare

Tweet

Victoria is sharing some of her amazing work with TQS. You can learn how she does it by watching Episode 1404: Jump Start Your Creativity with 15 Minutes of Daily "Play." 

Discover how just 15 minutes of creative activity a day, coupled with scraps of fabric, orphan blocks, and other odd bits, can result in an impressive and satisfying collection of finished quilts.  Victoria herself has made over 300 quilts.

  0

fShare

Tweet

In this age of computer-generated and mechanized embellishment, it is well worth honoring those who continue to create extraordinary work by hand. London-based hand embroiderer Michele Carragher has put her amazing talent to work embellishing costumes for productions such as Game of Thrones and Elizabeth I. 

                                                                                         Cercei's dress.  Courtesy of Michele Carreghar
Detail.  Courtesy of Michele Carreghar

As a child, Michele developed a love of nature that continues to be reflected in her richly detailed work. Rather than taking a panoramic view, she draws her inspiration more from the majesty of nature's microscopic detail--that of insects, birds, and flora, from the transluscent colors of a dragonfly wing, to woodland carpets of bluebells, delicate poppies dotting cornfields, and the velvety texture of moss.

By combining this inspiration with an assortment of threads, beads, and fabric and an astounding imagination, Michele brings fantasy and magic to each costume she creates. 

See more of her work here.

  0

fShare

Tweet

Nearly everyone loves figure skating – the jumps, the spins, and the oh-so beautiful dresses. Meet Brad Griffies, a skating dress designer who used his BERNINA sewing machines to create beautiful dresses for four skaters competing at the Olympics in Sochi.

Excerpt from WeAllSew.com:

One of the most loved Olympic events is figure skating – the jumps, the spins, and the oh-so beautiful dresses. This year is especially exciting for Brad Griffies, one of our customers at Atlanta Sewing Center in Duluth, GA. Brad, a former international skater and now sought after skating dress designer, used his BERNINA sewing machines to create the beautiful dresses that will be worn by four skaters competing at the Olympics in Sochi.

  0

fShare

Tweet

Theatre (78" x 98) was created by Izabella Baykova of Saint Petersburg, Russia and was on display at AQS Phoenix 2014 as part of the SAQA Masters II exhibition.

"Izabella approaches each quilt as a director approaches a theatrical performance.  She thinks about scenario, color, light, and scenery.  The construction of every quilt is like a game with the unknown."

Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development, documentation, and publications. SAQA defines an art quilt as "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure."