Quilt Show

With the coming of the New Year all I want to do is sew! Scratch that ... all I ever want to do is sew! I'm working on a new embellished piece and the beading is going to take forever! In the evenings when the eyes and brain are tired I piece. I've made many quilts this way.

Here are two totally different looking quilts made with my favorite block.


Queen bed quilt

Wall quilt

Christmas at the Crust's

Christmas this year was a bit abnormal. Wednesday, I got a call, my sister was unexpectedly called out of town. So I cooked dinner for 12 ... I was not inspired to decorate the table for dinner! We are getting together again next Sunday, stay tuned.

PS There was no fire!

Merry Christmas

May your holidays be filled with joy and happiness!
Melody

Christmas tables

My job at holidays is to decorate the table. Are there any ideas here? Usually by now I have settled on one idea. This year I have visions of sugar plums and too many thoughts. Must settle on one thing soon!

Thinking of Christmas

Thinking of Christmas brings images of lights, trees and other Christmas symbols to mind.

Stenciling on Fabric - The Quilts

Paint Sticks are oil paint in a crayon like form, my favorite for stenciling on fabric.
This example is painted using a purchased stencil on the back of one piece of fabric.

This is a friendship block, I thought that it would be a fun change to paint the block. I drew the block design on freezer paper, ironed it to the back of the fabric. Masked the areas not to be painted with more freezer paper on the right side of the fabric and painted with textile paints. Great way to personalize a block!

Stencil Like a Pro!

1. Understand the paint:
Textile Paints can be applied with brushes, sponges, stamps and squirt bottles.
Luminere are metallic paints that brush on like butter. The paint remains flexible. They are opaque, even on dark fabrics.
Paint Sticks are oil paint in a crayon like form, very suitable for stenciling on fabric.
Dye-Na-Flow & Seta color are free flowing textile paints, not suitable for stenciling

2. Easy Clean up: Tape plastic to your table.

3. Discourage leaks: Use some hairspray on the underneath side of your stencil to make it stick on the surface, and to help prevent the paint seeping in at the edge.

4. Securing basics: keep a stencil in place by taping it at the top and bottom with a piece of tape and iron the fabric to freezer paper.

5. Less is more: Load the brush lightly, so that the ends of the bristles are covered evenly; wipe off any excess on a piece of paper or cloth. You'll get better results by applying two thin coats rather than one thick one. Wait for the first to dry before applying the second.

6. Work from the outside: Start painting on the edges of the stencil, working into the center. This helps prevent paint getting under the edges.

7. Appling the paint: Stencil brushes are round with short, stiff bristles. Use quick up-and-down movement to dab paint onto your fabric. This helps prevent paint getting under the edges.

8. Go multi-colored: To use more than one color in a stencil, use tape to mask off areas of the stencil you don't want in a particular color.

9. Wash regularly: If you're doing a repeat design, wash your stencil regularly in warm water to keep the edges free of paint. If there's some paint on an edge, you won't get a crisp edge to your painted stencil.

10. Store stencils flat: A stencil needs to be flat to be usable. Store it in a large flat box.

Painted Quilts

Painted Desert

Pink and blue border fabric painted with textile paint, and freezer paper stencils.Rhapsody - painted with Dye-Na-Flow paint

Before quilting