Thursday, October 12, 2017

Prism Refraction is Finished!

I finally completed Prism Refraction. Piecing was fun because I love this wave piecing process. I'm addicted to it and can't wait to do more of it and maybe even teach a few classes.

The quilting of this quilt, well, that is another story. I wanted to hurry and get it done so I could enter it in a show. So I went to the long arm studio and quilted it. I hated what I did. I'm not a seasoned long armer and my lines just didn't turn out the way I wanted them.

So home I went and had a lot and I mean a lot of quality time with my seam ripper. I took out the entire quilt and started over on my Bernina. It took a couple of days of quality time with my walking foot, but I got it done and I am very please with the precision I was able to quilt.

Needless to say, I didn't make the show entry deadline. But there are others coming up!

I think I will be doing a lot more quilting with my walking foot. I even ordered the book "Walk: Master Machine Quilting with Your Walking Foot" by Jacquie Gering, to help me with inspiration and new designs. Can't wait for it to get here the end of the week.

Creatively,

Jules




Wednesday, October 11, 2017

New Items in Studio Jules Art Etsy Shop

Sometimes you just have to shake things up a bit.

I decided to start carrying a few sewing notions and patterns in my Etsy shop. Needles, patterns and a few other notions.

I love these Self Threading needles by Clover. Most quilters do too.

Self Threading Needles by Clover

In previous years I added beading to my quilts and used these beading needles. I love them. They are long and slender and I can use them with the tiniest of beads.

Beading Needles by Clover
 Today I'm adding Sew Straight by Quilt in a Day - Eleanor Burns. This tool is wonderful for when we are having problems keeping your 1/4" seam and I use it when sewing bias strips together and angled blocks. I have been able to sew half square triangles without marking the fabric using this tool. All my quilting students have bought this product and have commented on how much it has helped them.


I'm also adding some patterns by Zen Chic, by Moda and a few others. These modern quilt patterns are so attractive and are fun to make. I have made the Dancing Triangles and the Throwing quilt, both using Moda fabrics. 

I made the Dancing Triangles quilt with Moda Spectrum Charm packs and Moda Paper White Grunge.

I'm teaching the Throwing quilt pattern this month and can't wait for my students to get started on it. I used the Merrily charm packs, by Moda, along with a selection of Grunge fabrics, by Moda.


My Dancing Triangles



My Throwing Quilt



Enjoy the Fall weather my quilting friends. The weather in North Texas keeps teasing us, some day it may get cool and stay cool. Perfect quilting weather and perfect weather to cuddle up with a quilt.

Creatively,
Jules

Friday, October 6, 2017

Student Show and Tell

A few of my students from my class last Saturday sent me pictures of their completed pieces. How fun! They all did a great job and it is such a treat to receive texts and emails with pictures of their pieces.

Here is the eye candy!

 Pam Gantz did a great job on her gradient dye of Bright Green. She just did two stages of the gradient.

Pam also ice dyed this piece with Chinese Red. Ice dyeing doesn't always bring out the strongest of the color because it gets more watered down, but I think this is beautiful!
Pam used the product Color Magnet by Jacquard to get the tone on tone effect on these pieces. I haven't used this product. Pam watched an episode of The Quilt Show with Sue Bleiweiss and learned how the use the product. Great results! The dye color Pam used was Indigo. 











Pam also dyed cotton cording and made these cute mug rugs and bowl. She works fast because she emailed these pictures to me the day after the class. Pam said she begged dye from the other ladies when they were container dyeing and dropped it in a ziplock bag. She didn't let it mix too much so colors will absorb the way she dropped them in.

I'm going to try this now and use the cording for my Etsy orders when I wrap them up.


Patty Hofer created this iced dyed piece. The colors are excellent. It looks like something from the galaxy. It looks like she used Golden Yellow, Clear Yellow and Lilac.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this show and tell as much as I did. Don't forget to check out my Class and Workshop schedule for Dye classes and/or if you want to reserve time in the Open Dye Studio.


Creatively,
Jules

Sunday, October 1, 2017

What a Fun Dye Class!

Yesterday was a fun day in the Dye Studio. The Etc. Art Quilt Group came and had a creative day.



Sorry to say, we were having so much fun that I forgot to get a class picture! These 8 ladies were a blast and I look forward to them coming back to play.




We ice dyed, parfait dyed and container/zip lock bag dyed. To not waste any dye, I grabbed a piece of Lemon Lime fabric that was not on the exciting side of things and we used it to wipe our dye spoons and the blades to the mixing bullets. Here are the Before, During and After pictures.

Boring Lemon Lime
While Being "Enhanced"
Sitting before being washed
Final Product - One Yard of Monet Fabric



I also grabbed an old undershirt from Jeff's drawer and used it to wipe the bullet cups from when we mixed dye for container dyeing. This is now my favorite shirt.

I have a few pieces that I set to ice dye during the class, but haven't had time to wash them out yet. That will be another blog post.

Several of my dye students have asked if I rent out the dye studio so they can come dye and not have instruction. What a grand idea! So, I have made a cost schedule and it is posted under the Class and Workshop tab on my website. Just click over and check it out! Contact me with the days/times you would like to book. You can book during the week or on the weekend. I have two sinks and plenty of room and ice!

Until next time, don't forget that the unplanned dyeing can sometimes be your favorite!

Creatively,

Jules