Jacq's Fibers

Silent Saturday

2011-07-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

Grandchildren

2011-06-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

My grandaughters Mirella and Molly are staying with us for a few days while there parents are at a conference. We went for a walk on the Columbia River one evening.

Woven Tablerunner

2011-05-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

This tablerunner was woven on 4 harnesses using 5/2 pearl cotton and 3/4" cotton fabric strips.

11" x 29"

More Socks

2011-05-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

I knit these socks from Stroll Hand Painted Sock Yarn from Knit Pics.

Fun With Easter Egg Dye

2011-05-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

I started with a knitted blank of white sock yarn and put a few straight pins at the half way point. I followed the direction for dissolving the for Easter eggs using vinegar and water. Next came painting the dye on to the yarn. When I got to the halfway point I repeated the colors in the same order as the first half. I then flipped the yarn blank over and repeated painting the dye. After I was satisfied with the colors I wrapped the blank up in plastic wrap and put it in the microwave for two minutes and then let it cool for two minutes. This was repeated two more times. At this point all the dye had been absorbed. I let the blank cool done and then rinsed with cold water. After letting the yarn dry I wound off half the yarn for the first sock and half for the second sock.

Swedish Weaving

2011-03-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

14" x 29"

When I was in high school (a few years ago) a girl in my speech class gave a demonstration speech on Swedish Weaving. Also known as Huck Weaving. I fell in love with this technique and over the years have stitched many pieces. I finished this table runner yesterday. I love white on white designs.
The designs can be done on Huck towel fabric, Monks cloth and I have also used 14 count Aida fabric. The fabric I used on the table runner is called Popcorn fabric that I purchased from Nordic Needle. I have found fabric and books are available on EBay.

Owl from Recycled Sweater

2011-02-28T14:55:00.000-08:00

12" tall

I had a beautiful hand knit sweater that I bought in Ireland for my husband. It fit nicely at the time, but he has dropped quite a bit of weight and so it was way too large. First I thought about giving it away and then decided to felt it and make a few things from the fabric. I purchased this owl pattern from Mimi Kirchner. The pattern is easy to use and Mimi has added several pictures of different owls to give one ideas. Please check out Mimi's site has she has wonderful dolls that she has created.

Old Barn at Willow Grove

2011-01-23T19:49:00.000-08:00

Cowboy Quilt

2011-01-17T12:29:00.001-08:00

Last week Fabric Depot in Portland had a sale on fabric and since we were close I thought I would see if there was something that would catch my eye. I just finished up making this quilt from cowboy fabrics that I purchased. The back is flannel from "The Buggy Barn" in Eastern Washington
The pattern is from the book "New Cuts for New Quilts" by Karla Alexander. Karla has put together some fun quick ways for making quilts.
P.S. The quilt was a gift for my friend Bob, who is having chemo treatments for leukemia in Seattle. I got an email from him that he had received it on 1-21 We pray that he will be healed and soon be able to return to Longview.

Cute Potatoe Is Traveling

2011-01-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

Visiting the Columbia River

Yesterday we said goodbye to Cute Potatoe. She is on her way to the next stop on her journey. After visiting with Madeline in Kentucky she will have 4 more stops until she is back home with Beate in Dusseldorf, Germany. If your would like to follow Cute Potatoes adventures she blogs here and also is on Facebook.

Melting Snow

2010-12-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

Keep on Quilting

2010-12-11T14:48:00.000-08:00

My friend Sharon was diagnosed with breast cancer and is now under going Chemo. Some mutual friends asked me to make a quilt for her. Everyone from our church signed it, I gave Sharon a pen when I gave her the quilt so that others could sign it. The outside border are pictures of "Rosie the Riveter" with the quote "Keep on Quilting". I thought it was perfect for Sharon as she is a quilter.

Christmas Helper

2010-12-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

Cute Potatoe has arrived in the Northwest on her trip around the world. She started in Dusseldorf, Germany a few months ago and has had many stops along the way. She will be helping us get ready for Christmas and enjoying some celebrations. Cute Potatoe has her own blog, the link is on the sidebar, if you would like to follow her adventures.

Backyard Visitors

2010-11-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week we had two new visitors in our backyard.

Cooper Hawk

Dove

Happy Birthday Mom

2010-10-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

My mother's 91st birthday was Sept 26th. We celebrated this past week with a trip to Leavenworth, WA. Leavenworth is located in the Cascade Mountains in north central Washington. It is as close to southern Germany as we could get, unless we were to fly there. The weather was beautiful and we had a wonderful time.

Mom with Mt. Rainer in the background

Morning view from our timeshare.

A few of the buildings in Leavenworth.

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

2010-09-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

Last week friends from New Orleans came to the Pacific Northwest for a visit. We spent three nights together at our timeshare on the coast. One of the things we did was to visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretative Center. The picture of the lighthouse was taken there. Our friends lost there home and business during Katrina. They soon will be moving back to New Orleans to start over.

Fun Socks

2010-09-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

I think these will be fun to wear this winter with my Birki's. The yarn is from Knit Picks. I'm working on two other pairs, hoping to have warm feet this winter.

Alaska Photos

2010-08-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

I have been playing with some of the pictures that I took on our recent trip to Alaska. I've been using Photoshop Elements to manipulate the photos.

Lois Christensen

2010-07-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

I have been playing with some family pictures and having fun layering them.

This is a picture of my husband's mother, when she graduated from college. She attended John Fletcher College and graduated from Iowa State Teachers College in 1929. The couple in the lower left background are her parents Charles and Alice Collins.

New Yarn

2010-07-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

This is some yummy yarn that I purchased while in Alaska. Now what to knit or weave with it.

Alaska 2010

2010-07-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

Recently we returned from a mission trip to Eagle Creek Campground, which is located north of Juneau, Alaska. I thought I would share a few photos of the scenery and of the open air pavilion that we worked on.

Look What Fannie Did!

2010-06-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

It has taken me awhile but I finally was able to purchase the newest copy of "Sew" magazine from Somerset. This is a great magazine but what makes this issue even better is that there is an article by my good friend Fannie Narte.

Fannie is a very talented mixed media artist and does wonderful things with Neocolor II water soluble wax pastels from Caran d'Ache. My hope is that one day she will publish a book on all the different techniques she has developed. I want to buy the first copy. Fannie blogs here if you want to see more of her creations.

New Baby Birds

2010-06-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

We are lucky to have baby birds in one of our birdhouses this year. Mama bird has been busy keeping the babies fed. They are very demanding. Today was the first day that we are able to get a glimpse of the babies.

Mama bird with a some goodies for her babies.

"Feed me. I'm starving."

Peeking out at the big world.

Beaded Pin

2010-06-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

2 1/2" X 1 3/4"

Family

2010-05-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

The months of April and May brought several family birthdays. I thought I would share a few pictures. My husband (on his 70th birthday) and two daughters are in the center, they are surrounded by our 8 grandchildren.

30 Years Later

2010-05-18T08:32:00.001-07:00

Mt. St. Helens today

Today is the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. The eruption happened early on a Sunday morning and we watched it from our front yard. It was one of those events in our lives that we will always remember. Some good friends that had to evacuate their home stayed with us for a few weeks as we waited and watched to see what would happen to their home. Fortunately their home was spared. Their son who was 19 at the time is now married to our daughter Shannon, she was 8 years old when the mountain erupted.

The area around Mt. St. Helens has recovered over the years. The vegetation has come back and if you are lucky you will be able to spot a herd of elk wondering around. Our family always enjoys taking visitors to see the area.

If you are interested in more information on the mountain you can go here.

Spring comes to our backyard

2010-04-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

Roddy

2010-04-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

We name all of our animals after flowers, Rosie, Pansy and Daisy. When our new friend started coming for visits, we decided we would name him/her Roddy for the Rhododendrons that grow in our yard.

I love that he has hairy feet.

Dyeing Yarn

2010-04-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

I thought I would try my hand at dyeing some yarn. My first attempt at dyeing was a sock weight yarn that is 75% wool and 25% nylon. I used unsweetened Koolaid in reds and purples. It is a quick and easy process.

The sock below is a pattern designed by Wendy Johnson and is in her book " Socks from the Toe Up".

Thank you Fannie

2010-04-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

My friend Fannie had a giveaway on her blog a few weeks ago. I was the lucky person to win this wonderful new book. There are 31 mini quilts to make in the book and one of them is designed by Fannie. All the quilts are small, no larger then 36" in height or length. There are a lot of different techniques and this is a great way to try them.

The picture below is the quilt that Fannie designed for the book. Fannie does wonderful things with wax pastel paints and stitching and the directions are well written and easy to follow. Be sure to check out Fannie's blog to see more beautiful things that she has created.

The book is published by Lark Books.

Backyard Friends

2010-04-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

My New Red Room

2010-04-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

For a long time I have wanted to have a red room in my house. About six weeks ago I decided it was time to paint my studio red. It was was quite the job as I have so many things attached to the wall. Section by section it is finally done and I couldn't be happier. The one wall that is not showing has an eight foot closet with mirrored doors, it has six shelves in it. Also the door is on that wall and some other storage.

Spring is here

2010-03-20T21:08:00.001-07:00

Spring has arrived in the Northwest. Today the temperature reached 70. We spent most of the day working in the backyard. I snap a few pictures of some of the flowers that are blooming.

"Kaleidoscope Kreator 3"

2010-03-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

A while back I purchased a program for my computer called "Kaleidoscope Kreator 3". The program allows you to take any photo or scan and create a kaleidoscope. There are an unlimited number of designs one can create. Three of the designs below are created from pictures of flowers from my garden. The third one down is created from a piece of fabric. The program can be purchased here on a CD or it can be download for instant use

Fun Hats

2010-02-03T19:49:00.001-08:00

This past month I have been in a knitting mode and found a couple of hat patterns that I thought would be fun to knit. I found both of the patterns on Ravelry for free.

This first one is knit from Mini Mochi Yarn by Crystal Palace. The hat took two skeins of the same self-striping yarn color. I started the Fairisle pattern at different colors on the skeins.

This hat is knit from 1 skein of Noro Kureyon yarn. It was a quick knit. I love the way the pattern spirals around to the top.

This past few weeks I have been painting by studio. I have always wanted a red room and now I have it . I love the shade of red and it makes me so happy. I wonder why I waited so long. I will post some pictures when I have finished.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-12-31T16:42:00.000-08:00

More Socks

2009-12-29T15:18:00.000-08:00

In September when I went to the "Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival". I purchased some yarn from Lisa Souza. The socks above are from one of the skeins. The colors always turn out differently then I expect.

Finished Table Runner

2009-12-29T07:49:00.000-08:00

In October I posted about a table runner I was weaving and showed a picture of it on my loom. The picture above is the finished project. I washed it and dried it in the drier, which made the texture really show up. It has been fun using it during the Christmas season.

The bears are here!

2009-12-22T21:27:00.000-08:00

My friend Fannie created a bear pattern a while back and shared it with me.

I made each of my grandchildren a bear for Christmas. The bears are made with flannel and the print on each one is something that is special for each child.

The pattern may be purchased in three different sizes. It is a wonderful pattern and is quick and easy to sew together. If you are interested in the pattern you may contact Fannie through her blog.

Great Weekend

2009-11-28T21:08:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving weekend, the vineyards in the Willamette Valley of Oregon invite everyone to taste the harvest. The alpaca farms were also having open houses. We went with our daughter Shannon and family and also my mom. It was a wonderful day.

Molly and Mirella

The last grapes of the season.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T08:47:00.000-08:00

New Grand Children

2009-11-20T19:01:00.000-08:00

Today is National Adoption Day and our family grew by three. My daughter Rhea and her partner Tonya adopted three children that have been in their foster care for awhile. They join the three children that were adopted on National Adoption Day two years ago. Kennedy is the biological sister of their son Malachi. Josiah and Jonah are siblings. Jonah told me today that he had been waiting to be adopted for nine years. Kennedy, 18 months

Josiah, 7 years

Jonah, 9 years

This last picture is of Rhea and Tonya and family posing with the Judge that signed the adoption papers. Tonya is holding Kennedy. The other children are Jonah, Malachi, Gabriella, Sharayah and Josiah.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

Weaving Some Table Runners

2009-10-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a little weaving lately. We were in Seattle last week and I stopped by the "The Weaving Works" and purchased a few cones of thread. I thought I would do a few table runners for the Christmas season.

The pattern for this runner is from the latest issue of Handwoven magazine. It is a huck design. I used 3/2 pearl cotton. The length will be about 36" and the width is 13".

More Socks

2009-10-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

Another pair of socks. The yarn for the socks is from Tess' Designer Yarns. She had a wonderful booth at "Sock Summit" in Portland last August.

I was going to use this yarn in a vest, but then decided to go with the socks.

New Yarn

2009-09-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we headed down to the "Oregon Flock and Fiber Show" in Canby Oregon. It was a great day and we had fun celebrating my mother's 90th birthday. I "only" purchased a couple of skeins of yarn from Lisa Souza. Besides all kinds of wonderful furry animals there was about 150 merchants. It was hard to know where to start. I'm looking forward to next year.

Happy 90th Birthday Mom

2009-09-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today is my mother's 90th birthday. We had a great day. We spent most of the day at the "Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival". Mom thought it was a great way to spend her birthaday. She very much would like to take up spinning and weaving.

This evening we went out for a special dinner with four generations of family members and then back to our home for Tirmasu. Tomorrow there will be more celebrating and cake after church. (But don't tell mom, it's a surprise)

The two of us in Heidelberg, Germany

1949

Mom today with her new friend

Finished Socks

2009-09-19T00:22:00.001-07:00

I finished my first pair of socks last week. I had a lot of fun knitting them and have already started another pair. They are somewhat addictive to knit. The yarn is Ty-Dy Socks and is from Knit One, Crochet Too. The color is "Vineyard". I think they will look great with my Birki's this winter.

Digital Art

2009-09-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

I am having a great time with the digital art class that I am taking online at Creative Workshops. The picture above has seven layers.

Sunset 3

2009-09-07T07:54:00.001-07:00

This is the last of the three cards that I received in an exchange on the Yahoo Group Fabricard. The post card is from Ildika, who lives in Kentucky. She said this is the sunsetting on her farm. Ildika did a wonderful job of paper piecing the postcard.

Sunset 2

2009-09-05T18:24:00.001-07:00

This is another postcard that I received in the exchange with the Yahoo group Fabricard. Ann from the UK made this. I love the silhouette of the boat.

Sunset Postcard

2009-09-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

I have been involved in postcard exchange with the Yahoo group Fabricards. This has been a nice size trade as the groups is just four people. Miriam from Ireland made the postcard above. She appliqued the sun on to black fabric. The water is muted stripped fabric. Miriam placed netting over the top and then stitched the reflection with red thread.

Andrea in Digital Art

2009-08-31T18:14:00.000-07:00

I am taking an online class from Creative Workshop, "The Magic of Digital Art" taught be Gail Schmidt. This is a really great class and I have learned so much about layering digital images. There are many videos to watch and Gail carefully explains all the steps and shares so many ideas.

The picture above is six layers and the picture is my husband's grandmother, Andrea. I will probably added a few more things to the picture.

Sock Summit 09

2009-08-23T14:40:00.001-07:00

These are a couple of pictures from the Sock Summit in Portland Oregon. The pictures that I took were a little blurry, my sister Judie sent me these. There were over 150 merchants so needless to say we were in overdrive.

Look What Judie Got Me Doing!

2009-08-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

Sock using two circular needles.

Stained glass vest.

My sister Judie and husband Tom, who are from Florida, have been out visiting us and my mom. One of the reasons that they came now besides being Judie's birthday was the Sock Summit in Portland, Oregon.

Judie has been my quilting guru for many years. Before quilting she was an avid knitter. She is back to back to knitting and is especially enjoying knitting socks.

The Sock Summit was at Portland's Convention Center. Besides offering many different classes there were about 150 yarn merchants. The yarn business has really changed over the years. There were many large companies and there were also many small dyers.

Under the influence of the last couple of weeks I have started not one but two new knitting projects(Judie also started a Stained Glass Vest). Thanks to my influence, Judie went home with some very nice red yarn. Think of what the two of us could get into if we just lived a little closer.

MandalaMaker

2009-07-31T12:33:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I purchased a program called the MandalaMaker. I was able to download it, which took care of my need for instant gratification. Marie over at Zquilts had told about it on her blog. This a really fun program with an infinite amount of possibilities. The above mandalas are few simple ones that I have made. You may also make very involved ones. There is also a spiral feature in the program that I played with a little.

New Books

2009-07-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of new books that arrived from Amazon yesterday.

Having Some Fun

2009-07-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

I have been playing with some fabric and doing some over dyeing. I had some Dylon dye that has been in the drawer and was needing to be used. I thought it would be fun to change the colors of of several fabrics from my stash. I love the effects of the dye on the fabrics, especially the white on white designs. I usually dye using Procion MX dyes.

Time for Blueberries

2009-07-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

This morning my granddaughter Mirella and I picked blueberries at the church while grandpa was watering the garden. When we came home Mirella wanted to make a pie but we didn't have enough blueberries. She made muffins instead and for dinner we had blueberry waffles. We froze the rest and maybe by the middle of next week she will have enough to bake a pie.

Embroidered Aprons and more

2009-07-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

I've been having a little fun the last few day doing some machine embroidery. In November the women of the church have a bazaar to raise money for different mission programs. I embroidered six aprons for the workers to wear. The designs are store fronts from "Christmas Villages". I pruchased the designs from Designs by Juju. I buy aprons and shirts for Embroidery Blanks. They require a minimium $100 order but the prices are great.

For the last few week I have been looking for the "right" container to melt soy wax in. At our church rummage sale this week I found what I was looking for. A little electric frying pan that is 7" sq. and holds about 1 lb. of wax. All for $1. Now on to Batiking.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T09:02:00.001-07:00

Watermelon Table Runner

2009-06-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

This is a fun table runner that I made and all the fabric is from my stash. Hard to believe.

"Ordinary Times"

2009-06-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Ordinary time is not a liturgical season, at least not in the way that Easter or Advent are. The days between Pentecost and the first Sunday in Advent span about half a year. This takes us from spring to almost the beginning of winter. Lent, Easter, Advent and Christmas all have there own images and colors. The color green is the color the church uses for ordinary time, there are no particular images for this time of the year.

I have been making eight new banners for our church that are in several shades of green. I love the bright colors of green that we see in the spring. As summer moves along the greens change and eventually become a darker green. I wanted to incorporate several of the different colors in the scarves.

I used silk scarves that were purchased from Dharma. I did some "Shibori" dyeing on the scarves. Damp silk scarves were wrapped around a long pieces of PVC pipe. String was then wrapped around the silk and the silk was scrunched to one end of the pipe. I applied different shades of green Dye-na-Flow paint to the scarves and let the colors blend together. After the paint had dried the scarves were removed from the PVC and then iron to set the colors.

A close up of one of the banners.

A banner hanging in the church.

"WRECK THIS JOURNAL"

2009-06-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

Today starts a new adventure . "The Next Chapter" is a Internet book club that Jamie Ridler host. The book we will be sharing is "Wreck This Journal" by Keri Smith. It looks like this will be a fun journey and your well to come along.

A Good Day For Fishing

2009-06-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago on our way home from Vancouver we notice a red van parked by Lake Sacajawea here in Longview. The van belongs to our DD and SIL. We knew that our SIL and grandaughter Mirella, were going to go fishing after school, so we decided to drive around the lake and look for them. We did find them in their canoe and took a few pictures. They caught ten trout.

I Really Am Trying To Use My Stash!

2009-05-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have been having fun the last few days with some quick and easy projects. These are first of several table runners I have been making. The one on the top does not have binding on it yet.

One of the things I wanted to do when I retired was to start using up my "stash". The truth is, I am using some of my stash but there are so many wonderful fabrics in the stores that I find myself having to add several new fabrics, to a few of the old ones I have been hoarding. I have been thinking of over dyeing some of my older fabrics to give them a new look.

A Few Flowers

2009-05-21T21:56:00.001-07:00

I thought I would share a few pictures that are blooming in our yard. The colors are so intense and both are front and backyard are full of flowers.

Silk Banners

2009-05-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

I would like to share something that I do which I have not shown before. I create the paraments and banners for our church. This coming Sunday is the 6th anniversary of our church becoming a reconciling church. We are a church that honors diversity and welcomes and embraces ALL people.

This past few weeks I have made eight rainbow colored banners to hang in the church. I used 15" x 60" silk scarves that I purchased from Dharma. I like to use silk, as it is lightweight and has some movement to it. I stretched the silk on a frame that I made from PVC pipe. I used Dye-na-Flow paints to paint them. While they were still wet I sprinkled some salt on them and also used alcohol while the scarves were wet and again when they had dried.

This morning with the help of my SIL we got them hung and ready for Sunday. The pictures below show six of the eight.

Woven Tote Bag

2009-04-20T16:24:00.001-07:00

The January/February issue of "Handwoven" magazine has a few great projects for weaving on a Pin Loom. I shared some pictures of Pin looms made by Weave-It in a previous post.

The bag above was woven on a 4" square Pin loom. I used Cascade 220 yarn to do the weaving. Cascade 220 is a wool yarn that comes in about 230 different colors. After weaving 36 squares, I stitched them together. The handle is "I cord" knit on 10 1/2 needles. The finished bag was about 35" wide and 20" tall.

I felted the bag in the washing machine with hot water and a small amount of laundry soap. After I removed the bag from the washing machine I stuffed plastic bags in it and let it dry thoroughly. The finished measurements are 20' wide and 14" high.

Art Quilt 1

2009-04-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

Awhile back my friend Fannie had a great journal on her blog that she had made. Fannie had purchased a video from Donna Downey and had made the journal using the video.

Donna has several videos worshops that may be bend purchased for $5.00 and then download. I purchased a couple of the videos and have found then to be very helpful and fun.

Above in a small art quilt that I made with a little help from Donna. The quilt is 9 inches square, the small squares are 2 1/4 inches and the base is canvas.

Felted Stripe Bag

2009-03-31T15:55:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I've have posted. I seem to be working on projects that are taking a bit of time to finish.

Last month I posted a tote bag that I had knitted and felted. The directions for that bag were from "Felt" magazine by Interweave press. This striped bag above in another knitted bag from the same magazine. I knitted it from Cascade 220 wool yarn on size 10 1/2 needles. Before felting, the bag measured 22" wide at the base and 24" tall to the point of one of the triangles. I felted the bag in the washing machine, using hot water a small amount of soap. After felting, the bag measures 17" wide and 12" tall. I love the thickness of the fabric after it was felted.

On to the next bag!

Beaded Brooches

2009-03-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a great book called "Wild Women" by Sara Lawrence. She has some wonderful ideas for making beaded pins. These pins are my first attempt and have been fun to make. The pins are about 3" tall.

One More Princess Party

2009-03-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Last week we celebrated my granddaughter Mirella's, 9th birthday. She wanted one more princess party. Mom tried to get her to do another theme, but the princesses won. I am sure they are all very strong, well educated, assertive women and are very good role models for young girls.

This picture is Mirella's sister Molly and cousin Sharayah doing some funny faces at the birthday party. They both preferred crowns over tiaras.

"Mitered Diamond Bag"

2009-02-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

I purchased this magazine last fall, it is published by "Interweave." It has many wonderful felting ideas in it and I finally decided it was time to make something from it.

I knitted this tote bag that is designed by Kristi Schuler, from Cascade 220 yarn. It is 100% Peruvian Highland Wool and is a worsted weight yarn. I started by knitting two separate squares. I then picked up stitches along the sides and continued knitting more squares. The bag continued to grow until 22 squares were completed. The handles were then added.

This is a picture of the bag after it had been felted in the washing machine. It measured 22" wide before felting and 15" wide after. The individual square were 6" square before and 4" after.

There are many other great projects in the magazine and also a wonderful article "Felting in Marrakesh."

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

2009-02-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

4" X 6"
May everyone have all the chocolate you ever wanted.

Finally Done!

2009-02-01T16:54:00.000-08:00

72" x 92"

I made this quilt top a few years ago. A couple of weeks ago I decided it was time to quilt it and finish it up. The pattern for the blocks are a BOM from Thimbleberries. I decided to make the quilt up in repro fabrics as I thought they were a bit cheerier colors. I am not sure what I'll do with it now, maybe on the bed in our guest room.

"12 Secrets....."

2009-01-30T14:08:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I joined an online group that is studying the book "12 Secrets of Highly Creative women" by Gail McMeekin. This is a wonderful book with so much inspiration is it. We are now studying chapter 4 and all are welcomed to join in on the study. You can find the site here.

TEA BOX

2009-01-17T14:35:00.000-08:00

For the past several months I have been saving the little packages that tea bags come in. I have also had some friends saving some for me, they have been wondering what I am going to do with them.

Using a technique that I learned from SueB. I started with black felt and Misty-fuse and layered and fused dyed cheese cloth, tea envelopes, skeleton leaves and some interesting threads. Over the top I fused a layer of netting and then added some more stitching.

I then cut the sides, top and bottom for the box out of Timtex and bonded the fabric I had created to the Timtex. With some stitching around the edges I put the pieces together in to a box.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-24T15:02:00.001-08:00

I have been involved in a small ornament exchange through the Yahoo Group Surface Design. I thought I would share the three ornaments that I have received.

This ornament is from Tracy Borders in Bothell, Washington.

The slippers are from Aynsley McKay in Napoloen, Ohio.

This ornament is from Adele Thomas in Devon, U.K.

HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS

WINTER SOLSTICE

2008-12-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

My daughter's backyard.

Today is my most favorite day of the year. It is the longest night and the shortest day. It is also the start of winter. Starting tomorrow daylight will be increasing. The winter weather started in the Northwest this past week and we have had 10" of snow. This much snow is very unusual as there are many winters we only have a few flurries. We have had to fill our bird feeders twice a day to keep up with our hungry feather friends.

The small mounds on the bottom of the picture are miniature box woods . I can't decide if the birdbath looks more like a mushroom or a cake on a pedestal cake plate.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2008-12-19T21:24:00.001-08:00

Over the years I have enjoyed doing a lot of different stitching. I thought I would share some different pieces I have done recently.

5" x 7"

The top part of the piece above is crossed stitched and the bottom part is a small band sampler that has pulled threads and various stitches.

4" x 14"

Every year Prairie Schooler publishes a new Santa. I have been able to collect all of them and enjoy stitching them and putting different ones together.

7" x 7"

Wine Cork Wreath

2008-12-11T14:44:00.000-08:00

I have been collecting wine corks for several years, saving them for some worthy project. This is the year to put some of them to a good use. I started with a Styrofoam wreath and glue on a layer of corks. After adding the ribbon I went back and added more corks to cover any spots that needed covering. A few greens and some berries and it is now hanging by the front door.

Hardanger Doily 2008

2008-11-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

Hardanger Embroidery originated in Norway and was very popular starting around 1650. There are many people that still enjoy doing it today. My favorite way of stitching is using white thread with white fabric, which is also the most common way it is done. Last year I did a green doily for Christmas.

Icicle Ornament

2008-11-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

I am involved with an ornament exchange with the Surface Design group that I belong to. There are only five of us in this exchange so I don't have to go into mass production. As I had never made icicle dolls I thought this would be a a great time to give it a go. This icicle is about 8" tall including the hair. I will make 3 more, all a little different.

"50 Heirloom Buttons to Make"

2008-11-17T15:01:00.000-08:00

I have been looking for this book for quite awhile. I tried to buy a new copy of it for the last nine months but have had no luck. I finally was able to get a used copy that is in very good condition. It is a wonderful book with very good directions on making all kinds of buttons.

The above are "Shirtwaist buttons" and are made on a brass ring.

These buttons are "Dorset buttons" and are also made using a ring.

These buttons above are "Cluster buttons". They are crocheted over a half round button mold that has been covered with fabric.

The book has many different types of buttons including Needle-Lace buttons, Braid buttons, Crocheted buttons, Fabric and Ribbon buttons and Frog closures.

"Weave It" Loom Tote Bag

2008-11-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

Many years ago when I was in high school my grandmother gave in a small pin loom that was called a "Weave It" loom. The loom weaves 4" squares that can be put together to make many wonderful items. Several years ago I found a 2" loom and purchased it. Lately I have seen many items that have been woven on other size looms. After looking on the Internet I found directions here on making other size pin looms. I made both a 2" x 6" and a 4" x 6" loom. I think eventually I'll make a few other sizes.

I found direction in the new "Handwoven" magazine for this tote bag that is made with 4" squares. I wove the squares from 100% wool yarn. I then sewed the squares together. The handles are made on the 2" x 6" loom.

After sewing the tote bag together I felted the tote in the washing machine. It started out being 15" high and 21" wide. It is now 10" high by 15" wide and the fabric is very thick and sturdy.

It's Your Birthday!

2008-11-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDMA!

What great fun it is for our family to live so close to you now. Each day we are increasingly aware of the special times that we are living, sharing so many blessings with you and dad. These are our days to remember.

Thank you for sharing the beauty of your soul with us.

With love,

Shannon, Jerry, Mirella, & Molly

P.S. Did you find your birthday present, yet?

Fall comes to the Northwest

2008-10-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a few photos of a wonderful lake that we have in Longview. Lake Sacajawea is a man made lake that curves around the city of Longview. It is about 3 miles to walk around the lake, but there are several bridges so that one can just walk a section of it. This is a beautiful time to walk the lake with all the fall colors.

Bad Hair Day

2008-10-17T16:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I purchased a pin kit from "Artgirlz" while I was shopping at Fabric Depot in Portland. I made it up the other day and thought I would share it. It comes with a felted wool, cone shape body. Besides the hands, feet and face there is an abundance of beads and fibers in the kit. The pin is about 3 1/2" tall.

Thank You Fannie!

2008-10-15T15:36:00.001-07:00

A big "Thank You" to my friend Fannie for these wonderful awards. Fannie and I became friends a little over a year ago when we were both in the same postcard exchange group. Fannie is an amazing mixed media artist that always has something new and fresh on her blog. She is extremely supportive of others and always willing to share her knowledge.

Fannie's Bear

2008-10-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year my friend Fannie asked me to do some test sewing on a pattern she was developing. The pattern was a very cute Teddy Bear which is shown above. I found her pattern to be very easy to put together as it only had 4 pieces that fit together very well. The pattern comes in different sizes and is available here at Fannie's Etsy shop. Fannie is a very creative person and has a wonderful blog that is well worth visiting.

One More Tablerunner

2008-09-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year. Just this last week the weather in Longview started to change and it is starting to feel like fall. It is time to get out the sweaters and turtleneck shirts. (hooray) Our Maple trees are changing colors and the leaves are beginning to fall. I know before too long it will be time to get out the leaf rakes and start cleaning up the yard.

I made another little table runner for the sideboard when one comes in our front door. It is always fun to have some different things out for the change of seasons.

Getting Ready For Fall

2008-09-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

Although it still feels like summer around the Northwest, I know that fall is just around the corner. It is time to start getting ready. I made this table runner above with scraps of fall fabrics. The pattern is from Terry Atkinson and is called "Cabin in the Cotton". It is fun to make and goes together fairly quickly.

My husband is recovering very well from having his right knee replaced. He has started driving which makes us both happy. He is suffering from a bad case of Bronchitis, brought on by the anesthetic during the knee surgery. It will probably take him longer to recover from the Bronchitis then having his knee replaced.

"Padfolios"

2008-09-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

I made the five "Padfolios" yesterday and today. The pattern comes from Sue Bleiweiss and is free on her web site. She has many other patterns and ideas that she has created and has them there for people to use. The idea for the cords that hold the "Pafolios " together are also from her site.

This is the inside of the "Padfolios" It holds a 5" x 8" pad of paper and has a place on the left to tuck things into. These are a fun and quick project and it is nice to have a few on hand for gifts. Thank you Sue for this great idea.

"On Their Way"

2008-08-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

This is a "work in progress" from an online class that I am taking from Karyn Gartel. The name of the class is "A Colorful Past Summer School". The picture that I am using is of my mother and her brother a few years ago (mom is driving). Mom will be 89 years old on Sept. 26. I have quite a few old family photos and thought it would be fun to use prints of them in some of my art work. I'll finish the collage in the next few days and post it up.

Trying To Get A Few Things Done!

2008-08-23T18:16:00.001-07:00

I haven't been creating much lately as the rest of my life seems to have gotten in the way. I did put together this quilt top this past week, using several purple fat quarters from my stash. I am not a purple person so working on it was not one of my favorite things to do. I shall give it to our church for the bazaar this fall. I know there are people that love purple.

This past Monday my husband Don had his right knee replaced. He could hardly walk and finally decided it was time. He came home from the hospital on Thursday and is doing great. He will be walking with a walker for a week and then should be able to get by with a cane for a while. He is looking forward to getting back on the golf course

Carving Stamps

2008-08-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

I purchased a new book recently "Art Stamping Workshop" by Gloria Page. She has written about many different techniques on making stamps. I carved the stamps above from erasers and carving blocks (which are large erasers). I am excited about making my own stamps as there is no limit on what can be carved. I am working on getting more detail carved on the stamps.

Dotees

2008-07-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

Thought I would make a couple of Dotee dolls. They are fun to make and do not take a long time. Oh the possibilities. I think I will make some a little smaller and make pins.

Fabric Dyeing

2008-07-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Today, I decided it was time to get some fabric dyed. The above photo there are some "parfaits" that I did this morning. I used Dharma's Fiber Reacitive Procion dyes. I layered fabrics in the bottles and added different color dyes with each layer. Ann Johnston does a great job of explaing this technique in her book "Color by Accident".

These are the results of my dyeing. While the weather is nice I will do more as to stock up for the rest of the year.

Fiber "Millefiori"

2008-07-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

I purchased this pin in Alaska at a fabric store. It is made by Meg Hannan, from the Seattle area. The pin is created from fabrics and fibers that have been rolled with liquid glue, some beads added and then harden. It is sliced cross-section, creating fiber "millefiori". This pin is about 2" tall and 1 1/2" wide. The colors are a lot brighter then they appear here. There many wonderful sizes and colors of pins. I couldn't resist buying one as I had not seen anything like it before.