Christmas Card Ornaments Tutorial

Frohe Weihnachten!  Happy Holidays!  Seasons Greetings!!

2015 has been one busy year!  Sadly, not much quilting but lots of research and fabric work. I am completely in love with the Slow Fabric movement - totally different conversation!

But tonight is all about crafting and making ball ornaments from our old Christmas cards!  This is something that I've been doing for years and have no idea where I learned it from. It is a quick craft and a fun way to keep memories from friends year to year.  I love Christmas cards and hate letting go of them.  But I also don't want to become a hoarder and bury myself in paper.  So these balls have become my happy medium!

This tutorial is a special request from good friends and I happily adopt the name of Human Pinterest! :-)

Supplies:

• Circular Punch - I used 2.5" size.  You can pick any size you'd like, but I wouldn't go much smaller than 1.5".  You can also draw your own circle template, trace and cut out each circle, but I recommend the punch for each and speed.
• Equilateral Triangle Template - For my 2.5" circle, my triangle is roughly 2 1/8" on each side.  You can draw your own - each point must touch the outer circle.  (THIS WILL MAKE SENSE BELOW!!)
• Cards
•  Adhesive - I love using my hot glue gun or Modge Podge.  Staplers, double sided tape and scrap book grips work but hot glue guns work best. Lasts longer and is hidden from view!
• Ball Point Pen

To more easily demonstrate, I have used colorful card stock - light blue for the top, green for the bottom and alternating purple and pink for the middle.

Punch out 24 circles - 6 for the top, 6 for the bottom and 12 for the middle.

You can adjust the size of your ornament bigger or smaller - just make sure that the number of middle pieces is double the number of top pieces.

Trace the triangle onto the back of each circle.

Fold each line of the triangle so that the dish-shape has the pen lines on the bottom and outside and your card's picture will be inside the dish.

TOP AND BOTTOM:
(Do the same thing for both Top and Bottom)
(6 Pieces)

Take 2 dish shapes and glue the neighboring flaps together. For the demo, I used scrapbook tape tabs that show up exactly where you want to attach the flaps.  Align the curved edges and the point of the triangle.  The more accurately you can line it up here, the easier later steps will be!

Add a third dish by gluing it to one side of the couple.  Set aside and repeat  with the other 3 Top pieces.

Attach both 3-sets together along the straight edge to create a circular shape.  Set aside. 

MIDDLE:
(12 pieces)

For this, the purple triangles will always point down and the pink will always point up.

Take one purple and one pink and glue together on the neighboring flap. 

Attach a purple piece to the other side of the pink.

THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS TO DIFFER FROM THE TOP!! 

Attach a pink piece to the newest purple piece, ensuring the pink triangle shape is point the up. 

Continue adding pieces in this fashion to create a long  line of triangles, alternating colors and points. 

When all 12 pieces have been added, connect the last pink to the first purple to create a loop.

ATTACHING TOP TO MIDDLE:
This is where your care for matching curves and points comes in super handy!!

The Top (blue) will attach to the purple of the Middle.  The flaps will line up, curve for curve!  It is okay to "man handle" and manipulate a bit to get a good fit.  Glue each flap together.

At this point, if you flip it upside down you will have a bowl and can see your pen marks on the inside!

Repeat for the bottom, attaching the Middle pink to the Bottom (green.)

And there you have it!!  Your Christmas Card Ball is done!!

For some variations, say you have a few extra circle punch-outs left over but not enough for a big ball?  Great! You don't need to make a middle, just make the top and bottom and attach!  These have a cute UFO-ish look to them :-)

Want to make a hanging ornament?  Before you attach Top to Middle to Bottom, thread a ribbon through the center of each and tie it off under the bottom with a knot and pretty bead.  Then glue the layers together.  I'm lazy and don't do this :-)  In stead I collect mine in hurricane glasses with a few fairy lights!

Reach out with questions!  And post your pics in the comments or on my Facebook page, M. Rose Quilt Studios!!  I always love to see what others come up with!

Until next time, cheers and art on!


Mood: Footbally
Music: "Sound of Silence" cover by Disturbed

Birds, feathers and such!

I'm back!!

I have taken a small break to rework how I use this blog!  Last Fall I was a bit too eager to post works in progress and ended up losing out on business and design.  It was a bitter pill but I've learned my lesson.  Moving forward posts will be of completed quilts that have been watermarked, copyrighted, and/or verifiable that it is my original design.   I love and appreciate my readers and friends and I encourage comments and communications.  But I also need to be more responsible to my talent. 

Alright.  'Nuff said!

Some very exciting things have been happening in the studio this year!

In March I was asked to participate in a celebration of the novel The Giver by speaking about the Psychology of Color and how its used in our media, politics and art.  It was a fantastic experience and I love every minute!  The main event was a book signing and lecture with Lois Lowry herself!  Such an amazing evening getting to meet her and talk quilts with her.  But my personal favorite was having two of my quilts selected as a back drop for her signing!!  (SQUEEE!!)

Me with the GREAT Lois Lowry ~April 30, 2015

As part of my preparation for this event and after reading The Giver about three times over, this little wall hanging came to fruition!   I call it "Fly Away Geese!"  I hope you can see the humor in it! 

What I am most excited to share with you is a piece I just finished yesterday!  I've never worked harder on a piece - or thought more outside the box - than with this piece! 

Meet "Mandala Bird" - a quilt collage with so many different techniques!  I can't help my love of birds and peacocks, and also my love for mhendi and henna. This work includes hand piecing, machine piecing, English paper piecing, silk acrylic painting, thread painting, hand quilting, machine quilting, machine applique, hand applique.

Answers to questions I've already received:
Yes, this project is finished!
Yes, the blocks are attached to each other.  There are 2 sleeves on the back - one at the top and one 10" below - to hang it and give it additional support.

This feather is appliqued with thread art.

This block is all thread art.

The hexagons are first curve pieced then English paper pieced together and then hand appliqued to a background.  Finished, the measure 1" wide.
The 2 round blocks are bound, not stitch'n'flip.

The mandala is appliqued with henna style quilting

The wings are pieced with appliqued hexagons on the belly and wings.

The inspiration for the form came from reading Neil Gaimen's Sandman graphic novels.  It's a standard format to have one large panel in the middle broken up by several smaller frames that picture the topics of conversation between characters.  This is exactly what I did.  My peacock is my panel, the smaller frames focus on features of the bird.

My proudest moment - curve pieced hexi's!!  Love them!  I made them to look like the tiny layered feathers of a bird's belly

My favorite block of all - silk painted with thread art over!

I really loved making this piece and hope you enjoy it, too!  I understand it is very non-traditional.  So beyond non-traditional it's kind'a in it's own corner!   So I am open to any questions!

Until then,  Cheers! 

Mood:  Sunny
Music: "Wake Me Up" by Avicii

SAAM 2015 Quilt - Warrior Heart

Winter is over, warmer temps are here, and there is sunlight later and later into the evening.  Which means my favorite season is blooming all around!  Yay!!

Tonight's post is not my usual post.  It is a bit more intimate and, frankly, uncomfortable than others I've published before.  That being said my intent for posting is not for personal sympathy but for awareness at how commonly this happens and you never know who might be dealing with this.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), not that we should need a month to be aware of this topic as it should be common sense that "No means No!"  Sadly, it is an active and vicious abuse world wide.  This is a human to human issue, that puts all gender identities aside and attacks a person at their most precious and vulnerable core.  The scars left behind are brutal, noticeable and life altering.

Labor Day Weekend 2010 I was attacked and assaulted by 3 strangers on the street on my way home from the gym.   Broken bones, scrapes and bruises were the least of the casualties.  For an instant I thought about hiding it from everyone.  I lived in a different city from my parents, my then-boyfriend/now-husband and I were on a break, and I figured I could live it out in my tiny apartment and no one would notice.  I was embarrassed, ashamed, hurting, so-deeply-beyond-sad, angry and so, so confused all at the same time.  I remember I couldn't get comfortable hugging my pillow because my face and ribs hurt so badly.

Thankfully, my mother is a deeply in tune person.  She knew something was up because she couldn't sleep the night before and called me first thing in the morning.   She refused to let me try this ordeal on my own and loved me fiercely.  I spent a month at home surrounded by support, daily/hourly hugs and they got me to the point where I could stand on my own two feet again - enough that I could return to my life in Boston. 

There is no one right way to recover - every single person has different needs in their individual circumstances.  Counseling didn't work for me.  Having to talk about the events out loud somehow made it too real and I couldn't handle that.  I admit that I battled (and to a certain extent now still do...) denial.  And the even bigger D - depression.  My body was forever changed, my personality was forever changed - and all of it was done against my will.  And how that ANGERED me!! 

I by no means mean to give the impression that it was one month and then suddenly I was fine.  Far, far from it.  There are many other long, drawn out details that are mine.  Five years later I can say that it is primarily behind me and does not have a massive influence on my day-to-day.  But I struggle with it.  I'm blessed with persons in my life who support me whole-heartedly as I do.

I know I have mentioned an "accident" or an "incident" in previous posts, where I used quilting as my therapy.  This is that incident.  While I was home, I spent a beautiful day with my Aunt in a quilt shop and going to a local quilt show.  I remember the show was hosted in a church and was one of the most beautiful exhibits I've seen.  So much peace through creativity, being surrounded by it... Wow!

In my mind that is the beginning of my true love affair with quilting!  Even though I've been quilting and sewing since I was 6, I relate to this period as the beginning of my era. 

Which is why this post is so special to me. 

In honor of SAAM 2015 and inspired by the so many other powerful people who have experiences with this evil act, I have made this quilt:

"Warrior Heart," April 2015, 35" by 45", applique with hand stitched details

Details of the heart

I do not pretend to speak for anyone else or how they classify themselves.  Victim, victor, casualty, survivor, warrior - it is entirely a personal experience and only you can say.  This is me.  This is my declaration to the world that I am not ashamed any longer of something so far out of my control happened to me.  My (emotional) (psychological) scars still zing in sharp and unexpected ways.  I think they always will.  But I can hold my head high and say to those 3 cowards (still on the loose - and if you happen to be reading this, Shame on you!) "You Did Not Win!"

For anyone reading this that is hurt and needing help, please reach out!  There are trained people ready and so willing to listen and help you!  Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (https://www.rainn.org/) is a great place to start. 

If you are looking for a cause to support, Red My Lips (http://redmylips.org/) is one that I subscribe to.  And for them I will be wearing bright red lipstick for the month of April!

Love to you all; and thank you for reading this!  Please spread the word - there might be that one person suffering all alone and we can make the difference!

Mood: Determined
Music:  "Freedom" from the Django Unchained Soundtrack

Watercolor Poppies

(I know I always start out with some comment about the weather and I'm gonna do it again!) 

Today was Autumn perfection!  Sunny, crisp and cool - you couldn't have asked for anything better.   It's days like this that really make me love nature and appreciate all the beauty around us.

This photo was sent to me this morning from a friend, just north of Boston.  Absolutely gorgeous!!

So much so that I had to bring it in to the Studio tonight. 

Carrying on after yesterday's experiments... Remember those random red and orange blobs done with the silk acrylics?

Well they are now poppies!  My inspiration for these comes from the new style of watercolor/impressionist tattoos that feature geometric, avant garde subject matter.  There are bold splashes of color that don't necessarily "stay in the lines" when colored, if colored at all.  I absolutely love this style - be prepared to see more like it!

Roughly 15" tall

Tonight, the first step was to heat set with a dry iron at a very high heat.  I used a tefflon ironing sheet to prevent any extra paint from catching on my iron, but it didn't appear to have any bleeding. 

Next an outline in black.

Then added detail in complimentary colors. 

I had a lot of fun with this and am happy with the out come.  This was only an experiment so I don't think I'll finish quilting the back ground - but then again, I may change my mind in a few days :-) 

Coming up is a marathon week for my office but I will try my best to get the next experiment done and up!  I'm too excited to let it sit for too long...!

Enjoy the Fall and we'll chat soon! Cheers

Mood: Pleased!
Music: "Rasputin" by the Town Pants

Painting the Rain Away...

The Hubs and I have been insanely busy with home updates.  Boston is not exactly known for gentle winters and our poor little chalet needed some TLC to make it through a bit tighter and warmer than last year!  And the more we do, the prouder I get of our abode.

We had to say "Good-bye" to our 6 trees in the back yard.  Sadly they were starting to grow into our house and back porch foundation, while damaging our roof.  On the plus side, it has opened up so much day light into the house!! 

Brand new door and front steps!! 

And a window that looks like a quilt block??  Oh yes, this will be done!

Every new door deserves a new decoration, right?  A quickie project with wood letters, ribbon and paint!

During the week I work a few days at a bio-imaging lab and watch all the lab techs, in their cool white coats run all sorts of experiments.  In my over imaginative brain, I picture them doing something involving beakers and funky chemicals that create a lava-bubbling in bright purples and pinks.  Or at the very least a beautiful smell.  Reality is far from that, I'm sure.

But today I got to play "scientist" at home!  I'm very excited by a new found product put out by Luminarte.  These little guys are silk acrylic paints and are a lot of fun.  You can use them on wood, pottery, fabric, pretty much whatever you care to try.  In this case - muslin.

The link in Luminate will take you to Amazon, where you can find so many different colors available!

Today was experimenting how to get different effects on fabric.  I tried water, hydrogen peroxide and alcohol; tested the effects of pigment first then eye drop liquid on top vs. wetting the muslin and adding pigment.  I loved watching the dyes spread and change color the further out they went, really neat effects!

In total, each large "splotch" took about 5 minutes to full spread out, and that was with a very wet canvas.  My favorite effect so far is the alcohol on the brown pigment as it turns a blue green then yellow the further out it spreads.

Blending was also fun and very easy!  It essentially turned into water-coloring on fabric.  These are just the beginnings.  Once these dry and are heat set (in about 24 hours) we'll see what they turn into under the needle!!  (Sounds so sinister, doesn't it?!) 

More will definitely be coming!!

Be sure to have a drop cloth or some sort of backing that you're not afraid of damaging as these do bleed through.

I hope you all have some fantastic Autumn projects under way!  Come share them over on the M. Rose Quilt Studios Facebook page (link above!)  Let's see what everyone is up to!

Cheers!

Mood: Curious
Music: "Learn to Fly" by the Foo Fighters

Around the World!! Or at least the NorthEast ;-)

Tonight it is my privlage to share several very talented people with y'all!  I've been looking forward to this post for a while!

As I'm sure many of you know already, there is a game of Tag happening across the blog-o-sphere and we are all getting connected with great talent across the World.  Last week I was tagged by Judy Tucker, a phenomenal quilter I get to meet with twice a month in my guild.   She shares regularly on her blog, Sleeping Dog Quilts, and is pure inspiration to watch! 

In turn I am tagging others that I look up to and love to follow!  As mentioned in previous posts, I participated in a MugRug Swap with Marie who blogs at Marie's Creative Space.  From the get go it was like meeting a kindred spirit as we had so much in common and not just in the quilting world. 

My second tag is Marija, a friend and mentor I've known and loved for many years, she might as well be family!  She is my go to person whenever I have a fabric question and is a brilliant quilter, seamstress and designer.  You can follow her at Fabric of My Life blog.

Part of the being tagged is to answer some questions, so here we go!

1.  What are you working on?

Today was an easy day working on some Halloween place mats.  I had a kit given to me a few years ago and just didn't like the pattern.  These mats are those fabrics done totally different!  I've been testing out curved piecing and this was my experiment for a simple project!

This is just the first - the others will have other Halloween-y figures quilted in!  More to come!

In addition to this, I am gearing up to do some abstract work that will mix modern piecing, water colors painting and free-motion embroidery.  I'm collaborating with a good painter friend and am so excited to get this up and running.  This has been a long time coming and the closer I get to starting, the more passionate I get for it!!  Get ready for some new, new ideas!!

Combine The Adventures of Tintin cartoons....

...with abstract watercolors and quilting...  Who knows what will happen!

2.  How does my work differ from others?

This is something I try very hard to be - different from anything else seen before.  I am a traditionally/classically trained seamstress and quilter.  My family taught me all about quilting from a very young age and I added to that with 3 years of fashion design.  Taking all the technique and theories, I like to take an idea, flip it inside out and push it out of its comfort zone but still call it a quilt! 

I am also very applique heavy.  Essentially, if I can sketch it, then it can be cut and appliqued.  I love anything filigree or swirly, like my Pumpkin Patch quilt

or Blooming Peacocks, (which I forgot to mention were semi-finalists in Grand Rapids AQS Quilt Week this past August!  I'm thrilled with their progress!)

 AQS' list of semifinalists!

3. Why do I do what I do?

So much goes into a creation - heart, time, money, effort and then some.  Being on the creating side has given me a whole new appreciation and respect for others works.  And because I know how much goes into it, I am not about to steal their work.  Plus I love the waves of inspiration that hit me and the sketching time to see what could happen.  Some of my favorite pieces have started as post-it notes from a meeting in the office just because someone said something that struck a funny synapse in my head :-)

4. How does my creative process work?

A sketch book lives in my purse.  It goes with me everywhere, even to church. 
Sometimes its the above mentioned post-it note process.  Sometimes its boredom or pent up energy that just gets vented on my sewing machine!  I definitely start with an idea and then get my supplies; it very rarely happens fabric first then creation after.  Which is probably why my stash is relatively small (only half a bedroom ;-)  )

 I am very excited to chat with you soon!  But until then, please check out Judy, Marie and Marija!!

Cheers!

Mood: Fall-y
Music: "Oo-La-La" by The Fugees

Faulty Stars

It has been an absolutely marathon few days since our last chat.  So all the time I had set aside for quilting was mostly used for anything BUT quilting! And probably the busiest of all the days was yesterday (Wednesday) - the day quilts were due for the Modern Summer Challenge in our Guild!

The most unexpected part of my day was the tiniest visitor we've ever had - Lilly!  Django, our 80 lb Catahoula Leopard,  has always been a cuddle bug and a sweet puppy, but yesterday proved he is a kind soul through and through.  When I went to bring him back in the house yesterday morning, I found him cuddling a little, black kitten on the front walk!!  And I mean little!!  I've never seen a kitten so young!  With no sign of Mom or any other kittens, we brought her in and for 6 hours we were foster parents to the cutest week old baby.  She chilled with me most of the day, though Django did spend a lot of time watching, too!  We named her Lilly and, had the Hubs not been hyper allergic to cats, we would have kept her.  But the wonderful and capable staff at the Boston Animal Rescue League took Lilly in and, from the sounds of it, there is a potential adopter already lined up!

Don't let her size fool you - this little girl has a good pair of lungs!  She was quite vocal when she was awake!

**UPDATE - She is spoken for officially!!** >>insert happy dance here!!<<


Last night was the Proper Bostonian Quilters Guild's first meeting of the season and it was an exciting start to our year!  There were so many beautiful and creative entries for the Modern Summer Challenge that it really ended up being a small show...

... which I almost missed!!  Guild started at 7:30p and I was sewing right up until 7:28p!  Luckily I live just up the street from where we meet.  I am very pleased with the final product.  My goal was to do something that would normally be found in a traditional work, push it off center and twist it.  

"The Fault in My Star," 48" by 70" at longest length, pieced, machine quilted

This is called "The Fault in My Star," based off the book by John Green, "The Fault in Our Stars."  In it, young characters are faced with terminal cancer and yet still chose to make the most out of life.  I found it a bright comfort while I read it during chemo procedures.  We shine at our brightest during the worst trials in life and that light touches so many more, we may not even know.  And when we lose someone, we still have their love and example but our lives are never as brilliant for their passing.

I dedicate this quilt to the memory of a friend, mentor and one greatly compassionate lady, Jennifer A. Strassburg, who passed this Summer after a very long a difficult battle with cancer.  She was a gifted teacher and powerful friend who remembered the little things and knew exactly what needed to be said to brighten your day.  Everyone who ever met her left a better person, but the World is not as bright without her in it. 

The link in her name above gives you just a glimpse of who she was to so many people. 

This quilt was a work of love from the start and also a lot of challenges!!  Because I so typically rely on applique, I did not want to do any applique in this piece.  The Lone Star parts were easy and went together easily.  Getting all the falling pieces, which were all improve-pieced, to fit together at all odd angles - not as easy as I thought!

Close up of the back material!

I also knew that I didn't want this to be a strictly squared off quilt.  The bottom part was the first part quilted by layering the batting, top face up, back face down; stitched in my shape; then flipped right side out.  Working from the bottom up with my basting and quilting went a lot easier than expected, too!  Having one spot solidly anchored made a HUGE difference!

Now that these pieces are done, I'm excited to focus back on things I started in June!  My overall goal is to keep my UFO stash at a minimum (she says while laughing!)

Keep stitching and we'll be in touch soon!!
Cheers

Mood: Exhausted-but-happy
Music: "Rebel Yell" by Black Veil Brides