North Coast Needlers in Ohio having a good time with Transfer paints

Thanks to North Coast Needlers Quilting Guild in Cleveland Ohio, I made the 500 miles drive to spend a few days with a great group of ladies. Winter still the season there,  but I could see that spring and summer will be beautiful there, it just comes a little later than here in Tennessee!

First day, as usual, lots of painted papers all over the floor. The workspace was huge, with lots of floor space for the papers to dry.

Shirley' bright colors stands out for sure.
This is a great color combination, and I know the green leaves were a fun surprise.

Janelle created some very delicate scenery, planning a 4 seasons piece. She is very knowledgeable about trees, and helped me with a few tree names. It is really fun when someone can give me such information, as I tend to just look at shapes and colors, and not what is botanically correct. 

          

I met Karen several years ago at Ripley, WV. She has been in several of my workshops at Quilt Camp there, and brings her own style and creativity to every class. In this workshop she concentrated on small pieces, something that could be used as labels. I hope she will not put everything on the back of her quilts, as they really deserve to be center stage. She used stencils and paint sticks for added depth.

How great it is to see finished project from workshops! Karen made these blocks in an earlier workshop, and added lots of detail with embroidery and paint sticks. Great setting!                 

Millie brought in some very nice leaves that she had  had for a long time. They were still good to use. She had a few nice surprises on the way, as well as bright colors. The pink and green glow. 

                 Janet spent some time with stencils, which can be tricky with paint. Her patience was rewarded as her Bible verse was very sharp when transferred. One of my favorite pieces is below, with a beautiful blue  background and orange leaves. Just the perfect combination!                                        

Helen was quite experimental, and use the solid crayons for strong definition. She used the crayons on the leaves, on the paper and on the fabric (I think). She got it to work! The crayons we use are made for coloring paper and then transfer that design to fabric with heat. There are different crayons you can use directly on fabric.

The owl is just too cute. Helen tried a stencil and transferred it to "Minky", the super soft fleece fabric we use for baby blankets. The paint will not leave any build up on the fabric, so this could be great for a baby blanket.  

 Carol was the most wonderful hostess while I was in Cleveland. Loved her studio and house, and got to sleep under a very special quilt. She is a very giving and engaged woman, and shared many of her ideas and projects she has done. She is also a lover of bright and strong colors!

Is'n this spectacular? Carol saved a few leaves from a house plant and used them for the resists. The blue and green from one gave reverse deposits on the other. This is what I call happy accidents or surprises.                                                                                                                         

Anita left before I got pics of all she did, which was quite impressive. She created distinct leaf shapes on the fabric, but many of her pieces were of an over-all character with just awesome color  combinations.                                                                                                                

For our dinner, the restaurant in Cleveland (Joe's) had the biggest Napoleons I have seen! So naturally I had to have one, and it was delicious!   Thanks for a wonderful time in Cleveland, long drive but so worth it!                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                      

Felted Bags at Appalachian Center

Spring has come and gone here in East Tennessee. We has a few beautiful weeks where everything was blooming, even the violets in the cracks of my porch bricks. However it turned cold again, and that was a good time for a felting class at the Appalachian Arts and Craft Center in Norris, TN

Seven ladies were ready to get going on various bag projects. A little demo was in order, especially since there were a few beginners in this class. All had a very successful day making at least two bags and tackling using resist to create a bag without seams , and strong enough to carry with you.                                                                                                        

Lynn, Nancy and Marian are all more experienced so they are tackling larger bags, and they turned out great. See below for the results.

Jane is a beginner, but she for sure got the hang of laying out the wool rowing.

Adonia, choosing my favorite color, and trying the C1 wool batt, which is different from the Merino tops, it is coarser but will make a very strong bag.

Erin laying out yellows for a circular bag. She might turn this into a backpack.

Our first samples, can be mug rugs or needle cases.

Nancy, Marian and Lynn's production! It's amazing what can get done in one day.

Jane, Amalie, Kim, Tone and Adonia, with some very creative samples and bags. When the bags are dry, and a strap is attached they are ready to be used.

Adonia's crop!

Erin's circle and triangular bags.

Jane, Amalie, and Kim wonderful pictoral pieces. Beautiful!

Thanks to all for coming! Looking forward to seeing all of you again.