Saturday, April 21, 2018

Embroidery with Metallic Threads

When the folks at Superior Threads sent us a rainbow of metallic and asked if we'd like to collaborate on an educational article about it, we said, "YES!" faster than an embroidery machine can lay 1,000 down stitches. <3


Recently, we have been invited to give demonstrations at a couple of local quilt guilds. When Q&A time comes, the inevitable problem of stitching with metallics ALWAYS comes up.


We've often heard:
"My machine just doesn't like it!"


This spring, bling is making a comeback, 
and who doesn't want to throw in a little gold every now and then. Read the article here, then try, try again!: 
Read the Article: Embroidering with Metallic Thread Here



To help you along, we've posted a free spring basket to stitch... 
we used ALL metallics, but you can try just adding a little golden basket to the design.

(you will be taken to our website-- 
just click on the Flower Basket photo to download)


 Superior Threads makes the titanium Topstitch #90/14 needles you need (we also use them for regular embroidery and they last for a very long time!)... plus, you can choose from a rainbow of metallic colors that will make your designs glisten! Embroidering with metallics is so easy to do, and it's so fun to look for ways to use them. We swapped out the polyester blue below for the metallic blue in our blue jay, and his feathers really shine!








Happy Spring!

Carol
xox

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

AQS Lancaster Part 2

Here's another round of semi-finalists pictures at Lancaster-- I am celebrating the ones the didn't ribbon, because you may not get to see the pictures of them on line. And as trite as it sounds, they all deserve a ribbon! If you make it to the end, I'm also revealing my own personal favorite, "BEST IN SHOW," just because we are all entitled to our own opinion.

Don't ever come with me to a quilt show-- I tend to wander from place to place as I see things across the room that interest me. It's an approach that lends itself to getting lost and separated from friends. So here they are in no particular order! 


"Toyamo Bay"
Masako Sakagami

Beautiful 3-D flowers, and I always love when the artist disrespects the "frame" of a piece and branches out, pardon the pun.



"Prismatic II"
Toby Lischko

I'm usually not a fussy cutting fan, just because it sounds so "fussy,"but this was just so precisely and beautifully made-- worth all the fuss.


"Agua Clara (Clear Water)
Lucia Souza

A jewel like quilt-- these could be waterlilies, but I viewed them as micro-organisms in fresh, healthy water!


"De Colores"
Dolores Fegan

Love this rainbow still life-- 
and she didn't forget the white, black, and brown.


"Centered Love"
Jo Garvin
Red Rose Quilter's Guild

A beautiful, graphic image-- appealing to my graphic design training. The Red Rose Quilter's Guild, I believe, was the local guild and they did A LOT of volunteering at this show. Helped me find my way back to my friends and the parking garage numerous times! xox


"Graffiti Doodle Diamonds"
Teresa Pino and Pat Lang

I'm not a huge modern fan, which I recognize as a problem with me and not with the movement. LOVE the quilting in this one-- it's so rococo it strikes me as a bit of a paradox-- and who doesn't love ambiguity?


"Navalito"
Carmen Maria Cambronero

A Spanish hexagon beauty-- I believe they are 1", and absolutely PERFECTLY made. If you haven't already figured it out, the field of entries is totally international.


"Enchanted Daisies"
Kristi LeDuc

This was a special exhibit--I always fall for flowers. Just look at that vase! 


"Passion In Paradise"
Kristi LeDuc

While I was just posting this, I realized this is the same person as the one above-- I think I have found a soul mate!


"Wild Goose Chase in Paris"
Charlene Hearst

This was from the "New Quilts from an Old Favorite" challenge and the block this time was Flying Geese. A photo does not do this justice, but the background fabric was a map of the streets of Paris. The quilting really captured the spirit of that fabric! A really wonderful, lighthearted theme. I do love a laugh.

And now my own personal "Best in Show..." 

If you are competitive and would enjoy a challenge with a completely hopeless chance of winning, enter the Cherrywood Challenge! I have seen this exhibit in one place or another for the past few years, and it is hundreds of similarly colored and sized pieces, crammed next to each other. OK, maybe it's a focus problem on my part, but to enjoy each individual piece is impossible. How do they pick a winner???

This year's them was Van Gogh, and I found this beauty...


 This is"Montage de van Gogh"by Shelli Ricci
and it is truly a gem. First, look how she combined more than one painting into the image... sunflower, chairs, starry night...

and that lady!



I was crushing on her for a long time-- her hair was a mix of fibers that were so gorgeously blended into tiny curls and a bun. just look at the perfect placement of her barrette...



The quilting, so free and imaginative.
And so I will definitely be googling this person to see what other eye-candy she has stitched up!

So that's about it for my quilt pictures... I honestly wish I could show them all, but as I said before, to really appreciate them, you need to see them in person. Later in the week, I will show you my vendor "loot" and tell you about a couple of classes I took. And I better keep my promise, because next week, I'll have another show to visit...

MQX East!

xox
Carol