Getting Things Done

This week has been busy, busy, busy. I finished preparing my hand dyed fabrics for the Trinity Valley Quilt Show and just have cards and patterns left to prepare. I also need to prepare kits for the Painted Cheesecloth and Sunflower Art Quilt workshop I am teaching to the DAFA members on September 17th. But I think this will wait until closer to the workshop so I know exactly how many to prepare.

I have taken time for myself this week with a wonderful massage and mani/pedi on Tuesday. Then I did a little shopping. Since my birthday is tomorrow, I decided that it was time to take some time off and pamper myself a bit.

This morning I received a wonderful email about one of my pieces of fabric being included in a Treasury on Etsy. Here is the link to Style Study #26 Mediterranean. It is a beautiful, relaxing collection. I'm honored to have one of my pieces included!

Reorganizing my "To Do List"

I am truly thankful for all God has put before me - the challenges and the rewards. I am thankful that He has given me my faith, my family, and the talent and drive to create beautiful (and sometimes not so beautiful) artwork. Today was a wonderful morning at church and I have been able to make time this afternoon to catch up on group discussions, Etsy discussions, business development emails and watch a few movies in the process. For those of you who know me and are getting to know me, you know that if I could multi-task in my sleep, I would. I just have a hard time “not” multi-tasking. Even with the perpetual habit of multi-tasking, I have been feeling a little overwhelmed lately. Trying to accomplish so much in what seems so little time. I started to give you my “To Do List”, but I decided you could already relate and didn’t need (or want) to be burdened by my overwhelming need to do so much.

I will share with you that I have read and been involved in some wonderful discussions lately. I am a member of TAFA, the Textile and Fiber Art List. There are a number of us linked on LinkedIn and Rachel led us into a discussion this week on how we price our products. Great discussion on how we set our pricing and being careful not to under-price our products, and/or ourselves, and how hard this is sometimes. The timing was apropos because I had just received the weekly email from Etsy Success about using Product Worksheets to help with the pricing of product. I have already priced my products and do a lot research when I’m in the process and calculating my wholesale and retail prices. However, this discussion and online support from Etsy has me reevaluating my process and double checking my pricing. Reading and networking with the other artists involved with TAFA and Etsy is wonderful support and I appreciate both groups tremendously.

Honestly, networking with the groups I am involved with online seems to fall to the bottom of the list sometimes because I put more time and effort into producing product. However, as of today, I have decided to spend more time networking and I realize that as I do, it will help me with my production process. When we get so busy with our lives and the “To Do List”, it is easy to let our priorities become misaligned. So my friends, I encourage you to evaluate your “To Do List” and see where you are out of balance and how making sure your faith, family, community and work on in the proper order. Oh, and don’t forget, we have to get some exercise too.

Are you interested in TAFA? Here are the great links to the different venues TAFA has available!

TAFA - the Textile and Fiber Art List
TAFA Market
TAFA on Facebook
TAFA Blog

Happy creating everyone!

Hail Damage Repairs = A Creative Process

Today starts the first of the major hail damage repairs being made. After this morning we will no longer look out onto our English Garden through broken glass. Saturday and Sunday, the old roof will be ripped off and the new one put on. Then we will schedule the gutters to be replaced. This entire process reminds me of quilting. We rip fabric, dye it, cut it up and create something new and beautiful. We rip out stitches to replace them with better ones. I think I could go on and on, but I think you get my drift.



Hmmmmm, today I’m ripping fabric so I can dye it! I ordered new dyes this week and still have plenty on hand, so the dyeing process will happen this weekend when my buddy, Kathy Mayhew, comes over to enjoy my air conditioned Dye Studio. With this Texas heat, you have to have an air conditioned garage to dye in, otherwise you would have to dye during the night time hours. We have been reaching temps of 110°, today is suppose to be 108° and we are suppose to get down to a cool 102° this weekend. I definitely think we will break the record of the continuous days running of 100°+ temps of 1980.

Kathy and I will have a booth at the Trinity Valley Quilt Guild Quilt Show (September 30, 2011 – October 2, 2011), so we are working hard to have a beautiful variety of Kathy’s surface design fabric and my hand dyed fabric. We will also have some completed art work and hand dyed notions. Saturday Kathy is going to continue creating her one of a kind surface design fabrics and I am going to work on creating fabrics for fat quarter bundles. I wasn’t sure about dyeing fabric for this type of product, but after I did these three bundles, I decided it was a good idea, they are darling and I think quilters will really go for them.



What do you think?

Don’t forget about the Hot Sale in my Etsy and ArtFire shops! 25% off! Beat the heat and stay inside and create!

Beat the Summer Heat, Be Creative!

Will this heat ever stop? Not anytime soon, according to the weather people. Texas is headed to break the record from 1980 of the most consecutive days with temps at or above 100°. I remember the summer of 1980 very well. I was attending college in the Texas Hill Country, taking summer school, walking to classes and the cafeteria in the heat; it was not the best summer of my life (for several reasons). This summer, I’m lucky; I get to stay in the air conditioned house and I don’t have to leave, unless I want to and when I do, it is early in the day. Yesterday, my car thermostat read 103° and it was only 11am and today it is suppose to be back up to 110°. What’s a person to do? Well, I’ll tell you! BE CREATIVE!

To encourage all of you to stay inside and do something creative, I am running a HOT Sale on my ArtFire and Etsy shops. 25% off everything! Just use the code HOT2011 at check out, on either (or both) shops! Now, since it is hot outside, please remember to drink plenty of water before you shop, hydration is the key to successful shopping!

Stay cool and be creative!

On Their Way to Houston

It has been an interesting week. Shipped "Sunflower with a Passion for Color" to Lowell, got busy finishing up some pricing on items that I have dyed to sell, started a baby quilt, reorganized my desk and "To Do List", was feeling accomplished with what I was getting done. Then I got an email that there is a possibility that one of my quilts may be published in a magazine. I'm not telling you which one, or what publication. I don't want to jinx it or speak too soon, but it's fun and exciting to have one of my quilts recognized and considered. So you will just have to stay tuned for the news!
So, with my feet barely touching the floor and walking around saying "Holy Cow", I packaged up "Outside In" and the "Truck Quilt" to ship to Houston for judging. I have so much on my plate right now, I had to get some things off the "To Do List", so that there is room at add other things, you know what I mean!



Have a great weekend everyone! I'm off to finish cleaning the house.

Ready to Ship

Yesterday I prepared "Sunflower with a Passion for Color" to ship to the Lowell Quilt Festival in Lowell, MA. I am so excited to be included in this show. I'm looking forward to reading the judges comments on this quilt (and hoping that someone loves it enough to buy it).
I had other big news this week from the International Quilt Association, "The Truck Quilt" and "Outside In" have been chosen to be exhibited in International Quilt Festival in the November show in Houston.
Just like a finely tuned sewing machine, there was balance in my week. The great news from IQA more than balanced out the hiccup with my Bernina! BTW, the Bernina is quilting beautifully, it just doesn't want to straight stitch very well.

A Better and Productive Day

Yesterday was a better day. I decided to test out my Bernina again to see if the spring was to the feed dogs, evidently it is. I was able to free motion quilt, so the day was good. Since I was able to use my machine I created a new sample for the Painted Cheesecloth workshop that I teach.


I used strips of hand dyed fabrics from where I evened up fat quarters and half yards. Recycling in a very productive and pretty way. I love this little sample, using the purple hand dyes for the background, the complementary colors are intense and striking. I didn't want to over quilt it, so I placed a few hand stitches in the corner.

We all go by the rule of having a pair of fabric scissors and a pair of paper scissors. I also use that rule for my 18mm rotary cutters. This way visitors to my studio know that I have a specific use for each of them. I have also labeled them accordingly - "F" for Fabric, "P" for Paper. Having these separate rotary cutters also allows me to have one on the cutting table and one at my ironing table. Why the ironing table? Well, I have a small cutting mat stored next to the ironing table, this way when I "audition" fabric I am able to "audition", cut and fuse, without having to walk around the table constantly.



I hope this tip helps you with your studio organization! Have a creative day!

I Sprung a Spring

Today my road to good intentions was going to be paved with creating a new 12x12 art quilt for the Painted Cheesecloth workshop I am teaching. The journey down the road came to a grinding halt when I was doing my routine clean and oil of my trusted Bernina 200. I am meticulous about keeping my machine clean and oiled. Today when I was cleaning, this little spring popped out. Well, what does this go to? I tested the machine to see if there is something dire wrong and the only issue I have is regulating the tension. I was having this problem last week and just kept tweaking the bobbin case until I was satisfied. That didn't work today. So, I made a phone call to the Bernina store and can't get it in for service for a month...and I have two quilts I need to finish and one is due while the machine is in the shop. What's a girl to do...
I may have to break down and go to Kathy Mayhew's and borrow her Handi Quilter.
In the meantime, I'll go ahead and cut out the applique pieces for my 12x12 and fuse them on, put some fabric on to dye and take pictures of fabric to add to Etsy and Art Fire.
There is ALWAYS something to do...I just won't be kept in stitches today.

Shattered Curves and Dyed Fabric

Shattered Curves is complete, binding and sleeve are on and it’s ready to enter into quilt shows.


This past Saturday I spent the day in the dye studio with Kathy Mayhew. It is so great to spend a day with my friend and complement each other’s dye styles. I’m a parfait dyer and Kathy has a passion for surface design treatments.


We had some great outcomes and some that surprised us. I tried out some new colors and was surprised how the colors come out with the Lemon/Lime. The first strike was a wonderful Lemon/Lime, but the second and third was definitely Lemon Yellow. The green hit the first piece of fabric and didn’t want to share.

I’ve spent the past several days ironing fabric and taking care of business tasks. I love ironing fabric. Weird, I know, but it is something that my mom taught me to do when I was little and I find taking the creases and wrinkles out of fabric and listening to a good book (Lisa Wingate’s “Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner” right now) relaxing.
Okay, time to get back to work! Have a great day and stay cool! This summer heat is terrible!!!

Today's Process

Today I finished quilting the blocks of Shattered Curves. Tomorrow I will work on the sashing and start the borders. I just read a great blog post by Linda Matthews on slowing down and taking time with our creative process. Less “unstitching”, more meditative work, more time to enjoy the process. Ahhhhh, with the last name “Rushing”, hard for me to grasp the slow process sometimes. Hence, reminders are put in front of me, to remind me to slow down, take my time. Quilting isn’t something that is done quickly, unless you want to do some “unquilting”. Which I did today. Stitches started skipping, time to clean the machine and change the needle, make sure the bobbin case tension is right for the thread…time to pick out where the stitches were skipped and stitch again.

I did start quilting the sashing today, and then I “unquilted” it. Just didn’t like the way it looked and decided to take it out and start again in the morning. This will give me time to think through the design to use on these narrow strips of bright green. It will be good to sleep (dream) on it and start slow and fresh in the morning. Great creative things come to me in my sleep…and that is why I’m always in a rush. Too many creative ideas come to me in my sleep and I just want to get them all done, well a lot of them at least. Maybe if I slow down, breath through the process, I will get more done and be less frustrated artistically. Time will tell!

One of my fiber art friends, Fannie Narte, posted this week about “Abstract Freedom” and her yearning to create her way and not be influenced by what others think she should or shouldn’t create. Absolutely true! Creating is personal, it has to be. If we don’t create what is on our creative hearts, then we are only mimicking what someone else has created. If someone doesn’t understand our art, that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be for everyone. When I was growing up and wanting dress like everyone else, my mom would say “Why do you want to be like everyone else…be yourself.” So, my artful friends, I encourage you to be yourself. Be true to your artful heart, create with a heart full of contentment.

Artfully and creatively yours,

Jules

Almost Done and Distractions

I'm almost done! Well...I probably have a couple of more days left of quilting. Quilting as densely as I am on this quilt and the thread color changes takes so much time, but it's work it. I love the way this quilt is coming together, but I keep getting distracted. Email, computer games, email, blogs, Facebook, email, show chair responsibilities, playing with the dog...get my drift?
So, for the rest of the day, no more email, Facebook, computer games, email... Luckily, the husband had to go into work this morning, so he isn't going to be a distraction for a couple of hours.
Now, let's see how much I can get done!
I'll be back when I'm finished!

To Pin or Not to Pin

What do you do? I usually pin my quilts. I have friends that use spray adhesive and ones that pin. And I have friends that work small art quilts, so they don't have to do either. I've tried spray basting before, but the quilt still shifted and I didn't like the layer of adhesive going through my machine and gooping up my needle. I just grab my bowl of quilting pins and Kwip Klip and pin.

Oh, like my little bowl? It is very special to me. My step-son made one year in elementary school and gave it to me for Mother's Day. Sweet memories every time I see it and use it. I've been using it for over 20 years now!

My worktable was designed so the height is easy for me to pin on, really saves my back. I use binder clips on the edges to hold the layers in place and depending on the size, I may use blue painters tape too.

So, my quilting friends, what do you do? Let me hear from you!

Borders On

Today started very early this morning, say around 2:30am. We had a tremendous hail storm that lasted around half an hour. We have neighbors with damage worse than ours, but my morning started off by walking our yard and taking pictures of the damage. There is so much damage in our area it is going to take the insurance adjuster a couple of weeks to get to us. Fortunately, only the outside panes of our double pane windows were broken. As I looked at the broken windows I thought, "Well, it goes with the quilt I'm working on!"


After things settled down I was able to get in the studio and sew the panels together and put the borders on. I fell in love with this quilt more and more with every border I stitched on. Tomorrow I am going to start practicing some of the stitches from The Free Motion Quilting Project for the quilt and start the quilting.



I decided to go ahead and put the borders on instead of quilting the panels and then putting it together. I'm glad I did, the visual of the entire quilt has energized me, and after the morning that I have had, I needed the energy.

Better run, Jeff is on his way home so we can clean the yard.

New Favorite Website

When I finish a quilt top and am ready to start quilting, I get nervous. Trying to decide what to quilt where, making sure the quilt design will enhance and not ruin or take over the quilt. I look at quilts quilted by my favorite quilters, my friends, etc. I stay nervous and seem to fall back into the same motifs I always use. With this new quilt (here's a peek), I'm really nervous.



I expressed my frustration with my fiber arts buddy, Kathy Mayhew, she reminded me of the website of Leah Day, The Free Motion Quilting Project. Oh my goodness, I have gone to quilting heaven. I would have never thought of all theses quilting designs. With these at my disposal, I should never, ever, be scared again. Now I'll just have to make decisions, decisions, decisions.....
Thanks Leah for your time, talent and willingness to share!

Cheesecloth Workshop

Well, I decided to start teaching. It’s part of my heritage, but I don’t want to teach school, I want to teach fiber arts techniques (play time) and projects. One of my fiber arts passions is painting cheesecloth and using it as a texture medium in my art quilts. So, I invited some of my fiber arts buddies over for a first run on my first workshop and we had a grand time! Here are some of the pictures I took during our day together.

Katina Hronas, Carol Reagan, and Barbara Kirksey talk about auditioning applique' fabrics and painting cheesecloth

Denise Spillane and Sherrie Tootle work on creating paint mixed media

Carolyn Skei works on her 12 x 12 art quilt

These are an awesome group of ladies and they gave me great feedback of what to add to my supply list and what to change in my pattern and procedures. They even gave me some great ideas for some other classes to develop and teach. I can’t say thank you enough to these artful women for spending the day with me getting messy and having fun. Here is a picture of my class sample.



If this workshop interests you, pass my name along to your workshop coordinator with your guild or art group. For my workshop I supply a project kit of a pattern, instructions for the project, cheesecloth to paint and a bonus of some of my hand dyed cheesecloth.


In my last post I mentioned that I would post pictures of my dyed fabric. Last week I was so busy getting ready for the Saturday workshop, I didn’t have time to take pictures. But their coming, I promise!

Dye Day!

Today was great fun, I used my dye sink for the first time and oh how sweet it is! To be able to have a double sink and be able to mix several colors at once. I had an assembly line going! There are fabrics in the wash and these just came out of the dryer, I know it is hard tell by the picture, but the color combinations are awesome. I tried some new color combos and mixed some colors together (bright yellow and chartreuse) to see what would happen and boy, did the colors pop! In the fabric mix today I dyed my regular cotton, three different weights of linen, doilies, Aida cloth, trim, rick rack, lace, and my favorite mixed media technique item - cheesecloth.
Tomorrow is ironing day, so when the ironing is done - I'll post more pictures.
Just had to tease you a little bit today!

Dye Sink and our Little Helper

I'm thrilled! My dye sink is installed in the garage, aka "Jeff's workshop". Yes, I have invaded his workshop. He has a sink, but I need a bigger sink and one that is easier for me to work in. His is built up 6 inches higher than it should be, due to the flooring he is going to install, someday. Anyway, our son and precious grandson came over to help. Isn't this the cutest face ever!




"Hudson the Helper" making sure that the pipes are not clogged before installation. And yes, he put these PVC pieces together all my himself! Smart boy!

I love my sink and the faucet I picked out is perfect. One handle to turn it on and off and I'm able to control the temp easier. The spray can either be a stream or spray, great for cleaning up!



Since I have my own "Dye Station", I had to purchase more PFD at United Notions/Moda last week. While I was walking the isles to see what was new I came across this great little stand by Simply Renee Clip It Up. I think their main market is for scrapbooking, but I thought this was perfect for Fat Quarters.

Ahhhh, Back in the Studio...

It’s hard getting ready for vacation and it’s hard getting back in the Studio when you get back… I’m finally getting back into the Studio and getting caught up. It feels good to be back in my Studio, surrounded by my fabric and paint….
First, let me tell you what I did BEFORE we left for the coast. I’m a one of those obsessive, compulsive people that likes to have a new purse before I leave on vacation and I usually make it. Rushing around, stressing out and making it worse by adding in a “personal deadline”. One day I was in the mood to paint duck cloth and be very abstract about it. This is what I came up with.






I used a pattern that I had borrowed from my friend, Lu Peters, and this is what it turned into!



I lined it with fabric I had bought from Frieda Anderson and used my own fabric for the binding and handles. Great Spring and Summer purse and all my junk fits in it perfectly!
Last night the Dallas Area Fiber Artists held their Annual Pot Luck and Artwork Exchange. Darn if artists are good cooks too! I was fortunate enough to receive this wonderful piece by Connie Akers.




I love Connie and she and I are “carpool buddies” to the meetings, so it was funny that the artwork I road to the meeting with, also road home with me. This happened to 3 other people last night too! Guess it shows that DAFA members are good artwork and carpool buddies!
Today I am back to work on my current quilt and planning out workshops to teach and catching up on computer work. And it’s time to get off the computer and pay attention to the design board!
Happy Creating Everyone!

Thursday Eye Candy!

New Fat Quarters are posted in Studio Jules on ArtFire. These are just a few of them, I didn't want to overpopulate the post today with pictures of fabric. It's a little cloudy today, so hopefully these colors will brighten your day!

Hand dyed Fat Quarter Show and Tell

The weather cooperated this morning and I was able to take pictures outside of the fat quarters I hand dyed the past couple of days. Blues and greens are usually very difficult to photograph, but the clouds were working with me today and I didn't have to do any color adjustments!

The first one I want to show you is the one that was the one I had rolled with a hand painted fat quarter and then threw into the dye bath. I love it! I have posted it in my Etsy shop, click here to see it in the shop.



I've only been able to post the ones I've selected to sell on Etsy today. I'll post the ones I have selected for ArtFire tomorrow. Here are the ones on Etsy!

A Wonderful Way to Wake Up!

This morning when I checked my email I had one letting me know that my "Sunflower with a Passion for Color" quilt has been accepted into the Lowell Quilt Festival! Yup, I'm a little pumped about it. Other than having a quilt travel with the International Quilt Festival, this will be my first out of state quilt show.
I have spent yesterday and today playing in the studio with newly dyed fabrics. I have a special order for hand dyed hankies and I just took the last ones out of the dye bath and they are so yum! I can't wait to send them to my customer, I know she will be pleased with them. Since I was dyeing hankies, I had to throw some fat quarters in to take up space in the dye....it's easier to add fabric than decrease the amount of dye you make up, right? They are all beautiful. The last piece of my "Show and Tell" yesterday that I said I would throw in a dye bath today, well it turned out very interesting! I can't wait to ponder what to do with it. Pictures to come later, I know you all love "eye candy"!
Have a creative day everyone!