Mexican Sunflower in Batik Accepted into National Exhibit

Yesterday I received news that "Mexican Sunflower in Batik" was accepted into a special exhibit at the International Quilt Festival. The exhibit is called In Full Bloom 2010: Floral Quilts in Memory of Helen Pearce O’Bryant! I'm so excited! Gave my husband a scare with my gasp when I read the email, he was driving at the time....
If you go to the International Quilt Festival, whether in Houston, Cincinnati or Long Beach, go by and see the exhibit. The quilts are always beautiful!
With this much excitement I have had to do some work in my studio to settle me down so I can work on one of the three, almost 4 quilts I have started. I have a Dry Erase board above my desk that I have written my "Goals for 2010", so my project this morning was to wipe it down and make two columns: Goals and Accomplishments. I thought if I am able to move the Goals over to the Accomplishments column, that I will stay better focused and driven when working on my quilts. I guess is it a way to stop the distractions that I feel sometimes (everyday!).

Kimono Jacket Finished! And Angel Quilts Started!

I'm so excited about my new jacket! I love the way the fabrics dyed and came together. In my previous post there is a picture of the Indigo fabric. The silk accent fabric was pink Silk Shantung that I discharged and then over dyed with Indigo, Turquoise and Chartreuse. I modified Lois Ericson's "Kimono Encore" pattern to suit my vision. I wanted the back to have some interest (other than the dyed fabric) so I created the lower panel of the silk. The neckline seemed flat so I made a scarf out of the silk too and attached it and then remembered I had a chiffon scarf of the same colors in my closet and added it.
I'm toying with adding some beads to the edges of the scarf, but right now I think I need to get on with creating some quilts and finish painting a quilt I've already started.

I made Hong Kong seam finishes. Hong Kong seam finishes always look so clean to me, especially in a jacket.


Friday I started two Angel quilts. I'm going to start quilting them this afternoon and adding the embellishments. Don't you just love the whimsical nature each of these has?

Dyeing to Show You What I'm Working On!

It is a beautiful day today. Overcast, cool and barely a breeze, so I've been outside dyeing the fabric and shirts that have been soaking in soda ash.
I can't wait to see how the pieces on the PVC turn out, there is even a shirt scrunched on one of them! I loved snow dyeing, so I tried using ice with one of the pieces, the results should be interesting...
I love the way the shirts look. I dyed the tank to go with white jeans and the jacket that I am making.






Here are my little cardinals that wake me up in the morning and keep me company all day. They even decided to get close to the area I was working in today! The feeders being refilled today probably helped too!

Hand Dyed Fabrics from Yesterday

Here are pictures of the washed and ironed fabrics that I dyed yesterday. I'm so excited about how beautiful the colors and designs turned out.
All these are listed on my Art Fire account - StudioJules

Dyeing Fabric and Trying New Techniques

Even though the day is windy, I'm dyeing fabric and setting it outside to dry. I've "cornered" the fabric with long straight pins so that it doesn't blow around the backyard. The first picture of of three yards container dyed in Deep Purple, just love this color! The second picture is three yards dyed Indigo Blue. This is definitely my favorite color! I twisted this fabric and wish I had left it twisted, I love the variation of the dye throughout the fabric.


















Picture three is of how I twisted the next sections of fabric before I added the colors or Turquoise, Chartreuse, Sun Yellow, Fuchsia and Deep Purple. When I untwisted the fabrics there were a few places I wanted the colors deeper, so I squirted more dye and twisted it again to mixed the dye into the fabric evenly.













The next three pictures are of the dyed fabrics. I can't wait for them to be dry so I can run them through the wash and iron them out.











I have another bolt of fabric sitting in the soda ash waiting to be dyed, so I'm off to dye some more. My plan is to dye fabric in the morning and start painting a new quilt this afternoon.
Till tomorrow, enjoy the sunshine and the music of the birds!

Snow Dyed - Hand Dyed Cotton Fabric

Well, I promised finished pictures of my snow dyed fabric and here it is! I'm thrilled with the results and now I wish I had done more!
This first picture is of two 1/2 yard pieces of 100% cotton, previously soaked in Soda Ash water, on an old window screen with snow piled on top.

Second picture: with dyes squirted on top - colors: Fuchsia, Purple, Yellow and Chartreuse.

Pictures 3 & 4: one of the 1/2 yard pieces complete, after washing and ironing. I love the way the snow moved the colors, they look like they just explode into each other.


Pictures 5 & 6: second 1/2 yard of fabric with results just as beautiful as the first!

Even though I love the warm Texas weather, now I'm going to look forward to our rare snow days and maybe even attempt this process with my snow cone machine!
These two pieces, plus the hand dyes I previously posted about have been added to my ArtFire Studio - StudioJules, along with the Old Alton Bridge art quilt.
Enjoy! Spring is here, the windows are open and cardinals are singing!

Dyeing Fabric on Saturday

I spent the day Saturday dyeing fabric. I have several books on dyeing, so I just kind of took from all of them and did some experimenting. The turquoise fabric is going to be a new jacket from a pattern I bought last week at the Dallas Quilt Celebration. The Fuchsia fabric is beautiful. I just love that color! The Chartreuse fabric looks so soft and very modeled. I added a salt water mixture to the Chartreuse dye mix, that may have added caused the dye to move differently in the fabric, I really like the movement. I also over-dyed some pink silk that I purchased several years ago. I think the deeper color looks very rich.
The Fuchsia has some modeling in it, but not as much as the Chartreuse.
I over-dyed a piece of commercial fabric in the turquoise, along with the PFD fabric. I want to use it as the back of the jacket I am going to make. I also tied one piece of the turquoise to give the lines across it. Hopefully this is enough for the collar of the jacket.
Well, my next posting will be on the snow dyeing I did yesterday. Since is snowed Saturday night I was able to test this process out too! Need to go set the fabric to dry!
Stay tuned for the next post!

Sunflower with a Passion for Color

I finished!!!! I finally finished beading "Sunflower with a Passion for Color" yesterday morning, just in time to visit the quilt appraiser. I'm really pleased with the way this quilt evolved. All hand painted fabrics, hand dyed fiber for the center and hand beaded...and beaded...and beaded.....
Today I filled out the form to enter this quilt and Mexican Sunflower in Batik in the IQA "In Full Bloom" exhibit. Now it is time to keep our flower petals crossed!
Next on the list is a quilt I am creating for a charity that supports Downs Syndrome kids. I'll tell you more about it when I get further on it, but it is designed and sketched out. This afternoon I'm going to set some fabrics to dye and discharge some fabrics that I bought several years ago and haven't done anything with. We'll see what happens, so stay tuned!

Dallas Area Fiber Artists Exhibit at the Dallas Quilt Celebration

Friday kicks off the 2010 Dallas Quilt Celebration and the Dallas Area Fiber Artists have a wonderful exhibit showcasing the different works of our members. Today I helped with the setup of the exhibit and it is wonderful! I had taken my "Sunflower with a Passion for Color" quilt with me to add some beads to it if I had time while we were waiting for our group to submit their artwork. You know how it is, you always have to take something to work on or a book to read, no matter where you go or what you do! Anyway, we ended up needing a couple of extra pieces, so I added some more beads and then hung it up! I'm so excited! The other pieces I have in the show are my Old Alton Bridge, Mexican Sunflower and Sunflower Shawl. These call all be seen on my website or my gallery that is linked to my blog.
If you are in the Dallas area, it is worth the time to come to the show and see all the wonderful quilts and the DAFA exhibit!

Ideas for the Day

Well, I enjoyed my journey through my Georgia O'Keeffe book yesterday. I concentrated on the simplicity, definition and movement with her work. Some were very simple lines, others had a story to tell. What struck me and is sticking with me is "less can be more". Sometimes I get into a quilt process and think "Oh, I need to add more beads, or more paint, or more thread", when sometimes, I just need to leave it alone and let it stand on its own.
Today I'm going to finish beading my "Sunflower with a Passion for Color" quilt. I have a few quilts in my wall that I need to start on, maybe I use my "less is more" thought process on those. Who knows!

Igniting My Creativity Today

I had sinus surgery a couple of days ago. My sinus issues have really dampened my creativity, so today is going to be a new day! Even though I am still under the weather a bit I'm going to spend the day enjoying my book Georgia O'Keeffe Museum - Celebrating Ten Years 1997-2007 and glean for inspirations. Hopefully it will inspire me to do some sketching today.
My latest quilt "Sunflower with a Passion for Color" is almost complete. I am adding beads to the center and when it is complete I will post a picture of it. Maybe Georgia will inspire me to bead today too. Who knows!
I hope each one of you has a creative and beautiful day! If the sun is shining, open the blinds and let it in! I am!

Last Week of Dallas Area Fiber Artist Exhibit at The Pointe

This week is the last week of the Dallas Area Fiber Artists exhibit at The Pointe (CC Young Campus in Dallas). If you haven't been able to get to Dallas to see the exhibit, I hope you will be able to this week. We are so fortuate to have such talented artists in our group, viewing their work is a treat.
If you miss this month's exhibit you will have another opportunity to see the works of the Dallas Area Fiber Artists, March 12-14, 2010. DAFA will be hosting a Special Exhibit at the Dallas Quilt Celebration 2010.
Hope you can make it out for one of these exhbits!

New Website!

I'm very blessed to have talented kids. This past week my son set up a website for "Studio Jules Art". I love the look and the way it flows. "Studio Jules Art" is a site to show my quilt art and let you know where you can see my art "in person". There are still a few minor tweaks we need to make, but link on over and see the site! Let me know what you think, comments are always welcome!

I'm still working on my latest Sunflower quilt. Hand work goes slow sometimes, but the center of the sunflower is really looking great. I've almost finished the thread painting on the petals and the background quilting is going to very simple.

Meet the Artist Night at "The Pointe"

Well, due to the snow we are to have tomorrow and tomorrow night, The Pointe and the Dallas Area Fiber Artist group have decided to cancel the "Meet the Artist" night. It's a bummer that the weather is cancelling an evening we were all looking forward to, but we rather be safe, than sorry. The exhibit is running through February 25th. If you can get a chance to see it you will be impressed with the talent of the artists that are displayed.
This week I'm working on the thread painting of my latest Sunflower quilt. I'm very pleased with the way it is turning out. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it tomorrow and get pictures up of it.
Well, all of you that are experiencing the cold, snowy weather, stay warm and stay safe!

Dallas Area Fiber Artists Show

I had the best time yesterday! I'm a member of the Dallas Area Fiber Artists (DAFA) and was asked to coordinate our groups' show at The Pointe at C.C. Young in Dallas. Yesterday was the day to hang the art work and what fun! DAFA is blessed with numerous artists with a wide variety of visions and talents. I'm so blessed to be a member of this group. With such a variety of art work, different styles, colors and sizes, hanging the show was fun. Everything flows very well.
If you are in the Dallas area the exhibit is showing through February 25, 2010. The Pointe - Center for Arts and Education is located in the C.C. Young campus at 4847 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, TX. On February 11, 2010 we will be having a "Meet the Artist" reception from 6pm to 7:30pm. Hope to see you there!

Looking Forward to Dying Fabric and Fibers

Today I'm going to spend the day catching up on shows on the DVR and researching dying fabric. I paint fabric, but I have never dyed fabric by myself. I've dyed in workshops/classes and everyone has their own way of dying, so today I am reading through my notes, books and online information...for tomorrow I plan on dying fabric and fibers!
North Texas weather is so fickle, a few weeks ago it was snowing, tomorrow it is going to be in the 70's, perfect weather for being outside and dying fabric! So, if you are local and want to dye fabric, give me a call, come over and let's have some fun together tomorrow!

Helping the People of Haiti

This past week a devastating earthquake hit Haiti. I can’t imagine the living and survival conditions for these people. The way we live our lives is a luxury that most of these people can’t even fathom. My heart goes out to them, but I feel helpless in giving them help, with the exception of daily prayer. During my prayer time and through the day I am reminded of Jesus teaching us that how we serve others is also the way we serve Him. If we don’t feed and clothe a stranger, we aren’t feeding or clothing Him. So with that on my heart, and in my prayers of asking Him what I can do to serve Him, I have decided to donate funds to the Red Cross so that they can afford the resources they need to assist these people in medical aid, food, search teams, make shift shelters and rebuilding. So, for the remainder of the month of January, all of the sales from Studio Jules will be donated to the Red Cross. In addition, I am pledging to personally match the sales I am pledging to the Red Cross.
Please join with me this month in helping the victims of this horrendous devastation. Fabric by the Yard, Less Than a Yard Fabric, Trim and Notions are still on sale. If you would like to directly make a donation to the Red Cross, just click and the link will take you to their site for donations for Haiti.
Thank you for helping me in assisting the people of Haiti.
Jules of Studio Jules on ArtFire

Half Way Through January Already!

I can't believe we are half way through January already. The days are flying as I juggle appointments, grandchildren, designing quilts, working on quilts and being very excited about my new work table and ironing table in my studio.
I listen/watched the SAQA Webinar on Saturday. Listening to it really helped me know that I am working towards my goals and desires in a good way and gave me some great goals to work towards too. I really appreciate the work that goes into the SAQA programs and the information they share to encourage artists and quilters. I have set 10 goals on my dry erase board. I'm happy to say that two are "Complete", and three are "In Process". What a great feeling!
Today I am working on designing a quilt for a charity raffle. I'm really excited about it and should have the pattern complete today, and hopefully I can start testing some paint techniques for it too.
My Indian Sunflower Quilt is fused and sitting on my board. I'm waiting for my shipment of paints to start the painting stage. It is so light, bright and cheerful...working on the detail of this quilt is going to be very energizing.
With that, I hope you have a bright and cheerful day, no matter if it is a gloomy day outside, make it a bright day inside!

Last Day of 2009

Well, I started this post on the last day of 2009, but I got sidetracked in the process... Anyway, I'm trying to set my goals for 2010 and schedule my time in the Studio. Right now the Studio is a little bit of a mess because my husband and son are building a new worktable and ironing table for me. The worktable is 100% complete on the construction, and is in the process of painted. Hopefully the ironing table will be constructed during the New Year weekend. I'm really excited about these new tables. I asked Jeff and Ben make them 36" high, so I'm not awkwardly leaning over to cut and construct my art quilts. Jeff and Ben have cut out the space for my Bernina and also a space for a light box. The lift has been installed for my Bernina and I have sewn a few things sitting at the new table, all I can say is AWESOME!!!!! I bought a new cutting mat at the IQA show in Houston earlier this year. We have four flat files that came from Jeff's office that will fit underneath both tables. This will give me great storage for my patterns and mixed media supplies. The table is 60" wide and 80" long. The ironing table will be 60" wide and 36" deep. I've also reduced my stash (check out StudioJules on ArtFire!) and have moved my thread stash over to one of the fabric cases. This way it won't get as dusty and I have freed up the wall where we are going to put a window in. As soon as we get the tables finished and painted I'll post the Before and After pictures.
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to sharing my goals and accomplishments with you in a few days!

Merry Christmas!

This is my favorite time of year. I love the Christmas season, I love that Christ was born for us and we are free to celebrate his birth and share His love with our family and friends. My heart just jumps for joy (usually in the form of dancing with two little girls), no matter how tired my body is. I'm a person that loves to give and sometimes I have to tell myself to "stop" more than once so that I don't exhaust myself completely.
Last night my son wanted to help me make the family famous chocolate pies. The recipe was created by my husbands' grandmother and they are thick and rich and wonderful! I made the first batch, Ben and his two daughters watched while I stirred the chocolate goodness, well, Betty kept wanting to touch, until she touched the hot skillet, then she decided playing was more fun. Ben made the next three batches of pies and I'm so proud of him! For being his first pie event he did a great job. Last year I had made an apron for Nickola since she loves to help in the kitchen. She's 4 now and loves to "count" when we are measuring out ingredients. Betty is 2 and this year I decided that she needed an apron too. As soon as I get pictures taken this morning, I'll post pictures of the girls in their aprons. They are darling!
Like most of you I had last minute Christmas presents to make, Betty's apron was the last item to be made in my studio this year. I made another present, but I will have to tell you about it later. I don't want to spoil the surprise for the intended receiver.
I'm looking forward to having all of the kids home for Christmas this year. Amanda, Sam and the twins fly in today from CA. Texas weather is going to greet them with snow! Can you believe?! We were blessed yesterday with the arrival of my daughter-in-law's family making it down safely from Kansas. They were able to hit the "window" on the weather for their drive and we are so thankful for that! And we are so excited that they will be sharing the holiday with us too!
Well, everyone, have a safe and joyous Christmas, be thankful for your friends, family and the Christ child that we are celebrating.
Blessings,
Jules

Where has the Month Gone?

Where has the month gone? I can't believe it it only 9 days until Christmas. I've been busy shopping, wrapping and planning for this week and next. This little quilt is one I did for the Dallas Area Fiber Artist group I am in. We have a silent auction each year to raise money for our group and this was my contribution to the auction. I had such fun with it. It is hand painted fabrics, appliqued to hand painted fabric. The vintage stamps (1946 Christmas stamps were to support the VFW National Home in Eaton Rapids, Michigan) were scanned in and then printed on ExtravOrganza by Jacquard. The brown grass is hand painted cheesecloth and the snow is raw silk fibers. Everything was fused down with MistyFuse. I had such a great time making this little quilt that I am going to make a few more and for different seasons.
Well, I'm off to get ready for a party and ready for all of our family to be here next week, so I hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday season and are able to pass along joy to each person you greet!

Thankful for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the one big holiday that I get to cook and serve my family. I love to cook and I love to have all of my family in the house. With our kids being married and having kids of their own, that means we have 4 generations in the house at once! Usually we have a huge gathering, this year there was only 9 of us, there has been as many as 25 in past years, and I'm sure that number will increase in years to come. The turkey is the main item and I have been able to get it down to perfection. The secret you ask to keep it moist through the hours of cooking? Soak it in a brine overnight. I use the one the Wolfgang Puck has on Food Network. There are a lot of ingredients, but it is the best one that I have tried. Now, after the turkey soaks in the brine, we smoke it in an electric smoker that my dad bought back in the 70's, it's old, but it works like a dream.
After the Thanksgiving feast is done and we have had our fill of turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, dressing, gravy, homemade rolls and chocolate pie, it is time to bring out the Christmas decorations! After the family has gone home and I have rested a bit, the decorating starts and by Sunday we are done. This year the guys put the lights on the house, in the shrubs and even lit a tree in the backyard and lined the fence. As of this morning, the house is complete with the exception of the family treeskirt. Today I will embroider the names of our three grandchildren that were born this year and look forward to Christmas, because they will all be here!
Happy Holidays everyone and may your season be bright, heartfelt and full of joy. And through all the mayhem, remember the true reason for celebrating is the gift that was given to us in Jesus Christ and that we are to pass on a piece of ourselves to others.

Genesis 1 Quilt

I have started working on my Genesis 1 quilt again. After taking a class with Paint Sticks at the Houston Quilt Festival I have decided to use the paint sticks in the "space" part of the quilt. The last few days I have been testing out designs to see what I like and what I don't like for the quilt. I have also taken away some of the hand dyed silk pieces, because they just weren't working very well in the overall design, so here is what I have so far.You can see in the first picture that I have just lightly used gold and silver paint sticks to soften the black background. I want the "space" to keep it's infinite feel and not fight with the major color pieces of the quilt.
The second picture gives a little more detail of the background image. I used leftover floor tiles to give the textured background
The last picture shows some of the testing I have been doing with color images, stars and galaxies. I printed out several pictures from the Internet of actual galaxies and star formations to work on these. If I'm going to create my vision of how God created, then I should use pictures of the actual galaxies and stars that He did create, right?
Hope you enjoy my journey with this quilt!

The Fabric has been Flying!!!

Yesterday I finished posting my commercial stash of fabric into StudioJules on ArtFire. I've had several sales and at times I didn't think I could post fast enough because the fabric was selling as soon as I posted it! What fun!!! I have several yards of fabric from Moda, P&B Textiles, Northcott, and other high quality manufacturers. You may find the fabric you need just a little bit more of to complete a quilt or project. If you don't see it at StudioJules, drop me a line and I'll look through my stash to see if I have it in my "less than a yard" inventory. So, don't forget to shop StudioJules for fabric and supplies, and you can certainly purchase one of my handmade items too!
When you get to the check out cart and your shipping charges seem to be overstated, email me BEFORE you check out and I will issue you a coupon code so you pay the correct shipping charges.
Have a great week everyone!

Just Added New Fabrics!

Just added new fabrics to Studio Jules, and YES! they are only $2.50/yard! I still have more to add, but this was what I was able to get photographed and loaded yesterday and today. So take a peek and load up your shopping cart!
Studio Jules on ArtFire

Fall Markdowns at Studio Jules on ArtFire!

Yes, the trees have started turning into beautiful colors in our area, the Trick or Treat event has come and gone, and the turkey has been bought for Thanksgiving, so it must be time for Fall Markdowns at Studio Jules! Here’s the list of Fall Markdowns!

Fabric by the Yard: Now $2.50 a yard!
Fat Quarter Bundles: Now 50 cents a Fat Quarter!
Measuring Tapes, Appliqué Motifs, Binding Tape: Now $1each!

Great time to shop for your Christmas supplies!

The Quilts are hung....

The Quilts are all hung in the gallery with care, in hopes of more quilts and wall space to share. We shuffled and straightened with the most care and hoped that Jeff didn't fall of the ladder and into the air!
Our entry and stairwell are actually looking like an Art Quilt Gallery and showing my labor of love and my passion. It feels so good to have these quilts up! Today I have a few things to get done around the house and then I'm going to finish pinning the Batik Quilt and maybe get started on the quilting. I've picked out my threads and have my stitches planned out, now I just have to balance the time element. Oh, I even bought a new Foreigner CD so I have new music to listen to! Have to have the beat going to quilt, it's a must.
Wednesday my studio will turn into a guest room for my twin granddaughters, so I don't think there will be any quilting after tomorrow for the rest of the week.
So until next week, have a great week everyone!

Store Sample Quilts

Monday afternoon on the way to my Dallas Area Fiber Arts meeting I stopped by the Bernina of Dallas store to pick up some supplies. To my pleasant surprise I was able to bring home several of the samples I had made for the store. Most of them have sleeves on the back, but a few do not. So this afternoon I am going to put sleeves on the back of three of the quilts and get them ready to hang in our stairwell gallery. I’m so excited to have these back and to be able to hang them in my house! If you want a close look of these quilts, they are in my gallery.
I still haven’t quilted the Pumpkin BOM I made earlier in the year, but I think I’m going to hang it “As Is” for now, just for the season. I’ll run the edges on the serger so I don’t have any fraying issues. Hmmmm……I may do that with the Batik Sampler BOM I did too. I love these quilts and just hate that I haven’t had time to quilt them.
I am also tacking up fairy costumes for two of my granddaughters to wear on Halloween. All I have left to do is put Velcro on the wings and the back of the costumes. They are so excited to be fairies and then to be able to play dress up in these costumes later. My other two granddaughters are going to be fairies too, and our little grandson is going to be Peter Pan. What a fun night it is going to be!

Busy end of October!

I know, I know, Halloween hasn't even past and I've started on Christmas already, but I have too! I've been working on 6 Christmas Stockings for my 3 new grand babies. I love decorating for Christmas and one item that is all over the house is stockings! The Red, White and Blue stockings run down the banister. They each have white hankies in the denim pockets with our individual names on them. The panel stockings (from Art to Heart a few years ago) are on our "Family Trees" in the foyer. I start decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. It takes a couple of days, so when we are done I'll show you the whole shebang. Some people in my family think I go overboard with my Christmas decorations, but I don't do near as much as some people I know. Plus I just love to decorate for Christmas and light up the house with joy, friendship and love ~ showing our love for the season and the Christ baby that made it all possible. Isn't that what it's about anyway? So, I'm back in the studio today to finish up the stockings and then continue testing ideas for a quilt I started before I left for Houston. This is not an original design, I took it out of a sketch book that I found when we cleaned out the house of Jeff's aunt earlier this year. So above is the sketch and below is my interpretation of the sketch. Quilt name? "Genesis 1" I have fused hand painted silk (thank you Frieda Anderson!) and the background will have celestial images made with fabric paints and paint sticks.

Home from IQF (Houston)...with a cold

Well, I'm home from a wonderful week in Houston at the International Quilt Festival. I participated in classes all week and brought home great ideas from each class. I am in the midst of working on two quilts and the classes I participated in gave me great ideas for them. I had a great time meeting up with my quilting friends, instructors from past workshops and meeting new quilting friends and instructors. The quilts were awesome!
I bought new dyes and new books for research and entertainment. Oh, what books you ask? Well, "Art + Quilt" by Lyric Kinard. Great book and the class I had with her was great too. We basically went through the book and did the exercises. It really took me back to the basics of what I learned about design in high school. She gave us 10 minutes to do an exercise. The lessons of learning, texture, line, color, shape and value, well gosh, I just create, I forgot to think specifically about those things in my quilts! So, on my drive home Saturday, I was looking at buildings differently, clouds with a new perspective and fields of animals and vegetation with different texture ideas.
The other research/instruction books I bought are "Bold and Beautiful" by Judi Dains and "The Painted Quilt ~ Paint and Print Techniques for Colour on Quilts" by Linda and Laura Kemshall. I can't wait to dive into these books and get started on more dying and embellishing on fabrics. When I was in the Quilting Arts booth looking for these books I had the opportunity to meet Pokey Bolton! She is a wonderful lady! Wish I had had my camera with me so I could post a picture!
Fiction books about quilters are a entertainment passion of mine. I have a list of authors and books I like and want to read. One of the authors I have had on my list for a while is Sandra Dallas. To my surprise she was at IQF signing her books. I was so honored to meet her and talk to her about her books. Her newest book is "Prayers for Sale", so I bought it and will probably start reading it later today.
Well, I think that is it for today. I'm going to go tend to my whining dog and my cold.
Have a great day and because I plan on making my better than it started off!

Sketch Book

Well, I just can't leave well enough alone. I always push myself before I go out of town. The compulsive artistic voice in my head keeps saying, "Just one more project....", "Oh, just finish this project before you go...", "It won't take long, and you can take it with you..." So, what did I do? I got out my hand painted fabric scraps, my fabric markers, paint stiks, Sharpie Markers, alcohol, Misty Fuse, stamps, and various mixed media items...

There are several classes next week where I am to bring my sketchbook. Now I'm a Fiber Artist, how can I go and be with all the creative people with a plain vanilla sketchbook? The front is the only part that is completely done. The back of the front and the two sides of the back are covered with hand painted fabric, but I have left the unadorned so I can embellish them with things I learn next week.

Now I'm off to dust the house...Two Year old Birthday Party for our granddaughter, Betty, tomorrow!

I'm off to Houston to be Active in the Quilting Scene!

Well, the weather in North Texas is getting me ready for Houston and the International Quilt Festival! It is in the 70's with 100% humidity! My class supplies are packed, my schedule is set to meet my network of friends for classes and lunch, my shopping list is growing (don't tell my husband) and I also have my list of vendor booths to go by and say "Hi! What's new?"(not all of us say "Howdy" in Texas)!

Oh, who are my network of Vendor Friends? Well, if you keep up with my blog you have read about Quilting Adventures. I love these ladies, they put on the best workshops! Barbara and Alice will be in booth #916. The QA ladies have a guest book to sign, and I think there is a drawing from the people who sign their guest book!
Then I have to venture off and see my new friend Frieda Anderson in booth #438, I wonder what beautiful hand dyed silk and cottons Frieda will have when I get there?
Now, Quilting Arts Magazine, booth #1244, I have to get my 2010 calendar and I think some of the books on my list will be in their booth and I'm sure there are some other tempting items!!!!

This will be my third year to attend the International Quilt Festival and my second to take classes. Last year I met so many wonderful women through my classes and was so surprised to meet so many that travelled from other countries for the festival and classes! Because of the friendships I make through the classes, and the knowledge passed on by the awesome instructors I look forward to this event every year and this year I decided to volunteer! On Thursday afternoon I will be with my friend, Gail Dentler, (Oprah isn't the only one with a friend named Gail!) at the Studio Artist Quilt Association (SAQA) booth answering questions and signing up new members! What a great way to network and expand our visions!

Well, I guess that is about it. I'm going to take my laptop and try to blog each day to tell you about my classes! So have a great rest of your week and a great week next week everyone, I'm off to stay with my brother and sister-in-law in Houston (Best Bed and Dinner in town! My SIL is the best cook ever!) and IQF!
Jules

Phantom Tree

Phantom Tree is one of the quilts I started at my workshop with Quilting Adventures in Boerne last month. The background fabrics are batiks from my stash. The tree is hand dyed silk that I bought from Frieda Anderson.

I really had to think about how I wanted to quilt it and how I wanted to bring out the three. Really I didn't want to bring the tree out too much, I just wanted it to fall into the background and I didn't want the background to dominate the tree. I was searching for a harmony between the two. I love the contrast of colors of the background and the movement of the batiks, so I decided to use the movement of the colors to drive the quilting. I echo quilted the tree and used my Fabrico fabric pens to give texture to the tree and emphasis the turquoise color in the tree.

Now, I'm sure you are wondering why the quilt looks askew...I planned that. I didn't want it to be an even sided quilt. Since there are bolder limbs on one side of the quilt, that side is a bit larger than the other side. The right side is an inch larger than the left. Just had to do it!

Free Shipping on Fabric @ Studio Jules on Art Fire!

That's right, for one week only! When you make a purchase from Studio Jules on Art Fire you will receive Free Shipping on Fabric by the Yard and Fat Quarter Bundles! This offer is from today, October 3, 2009 until October 9, 2009. When you check out, use the coupon code FREE SHIP FABRIC and the shipping is one me!
So hurry and get the fabric you are dreaming about now!

Summer in the City Charm Quilt

I found the charm pack fabrics for this little quilt a couple of years ago and it has been hanging out in my cabinet, waiting its turn to be put together. Yesterday it got its turn and it was worth the wait! It measures 12.5" x 12.5" and is a great size for the following: Doll Quilt, Tabletop Quilt, Placemat (great for if you are single!), Vintage Decor item, and just to have fun quilt! If you are interested in purchasing this quilt, you can find it in my ArtFire studio, Studio Jules.

Small Projects

This past Saturday I participated in a workshop put on by the Dallas Area Fiber Artists group. Lisa Renner was the guest instructor and boy did we have fun! It was a great way to let loose and experiment with inks, dyes, spray paints, rubber cement, gesso, stencils and rubber stamps. We learned a lot about layering color and had a great time encouraging each other. This is a great group, I'm so glad I finally decided to make the drive to Dallas once a month to join this group. It is well worth the drive!
Here are some pictures of my "Painterly Book" that I made. After I got home and embellished it some more, it just looked too flat. I added the fibers to the front, back and topped off my pen. I also added fabric to the pockets and the front and back. I just have to add fabric!

I couldn't resist making a little Art Quilt out of the scraps from my workshop with Frieda Anderson and Quilting Adventures. I just wanted a small quilt to explode with color with a few hidden items. A few of the men my husband works with proudly graduated from Texas A&M, and my brother and his kids proudly attended and attend The Univ. of Texas. Being the great sister that I am, I hid a longhorn in the quilt, and loving my garden the way I do, I also planted a flower in one of the corners. This little quilt will be in my ArtFire Studio if you are interested in it!