Block 4 is now available and it’s bear-y cute - polar bears with snuggly scarves.

Here’s the quilt so far.

Maizie Jenkins and the Tuesday Treadlers have yet another tale to tell. To purchase this months installment, woosh on over to Terry’s website and get both the Tales of the Quilt Shop and block 4 for just $2.25.

Stayed tuned for next month’s unveiling featuring a little something with a bushy tail!

Toodles,
Holly

Terry’s website: Tales of the Quilt Shop
Holly’s: glue-stick turned applique instructions

It’s that time again! YEAH!

Here’s block 3 - or should I say month 3 has 3 blocks! You get to work on a row of holly, a yummy candy cane and a chubby little cardinal sitting on a fence post.

The story continues with Maizie Jenkins and the Tuesday Treadlers!

To purchase this months installment, pop on over to Terry’s website and get both the Tales of the Quilt Shop and block 3 for just $2.25.

Toodles,
Holly

Terry’s website: Tales of the Quilt Shop
Holly’s: glue-stick turned applique instructions

I love stamping but was feeling like I wanted to take it a bit further. I took an online workshop with Christy Tomlinson and have been putting what I learned to heart. I’ve wanted something a bit bigger than what I usually create with cards. I also wanted something a little more permanent. So much of what I stamp gets set aside, put in a drawer or even sent away through mail. I wanted something that combined the wild abandonment of what I had learned - paint, paper, ink, fabric - but contained some of the images I had already created.

This is one of the first pieces. I just love it. It has both the collage looking background where anything goes plus one of my images which is a much more controlled drawing.

I’ve purchased a bunch of 12 x 12 canvas boards (as opposed to the stretched canvases) and I really like them a lot better. I like working on a more solid surface plus when I stamp it doesn’t sink in the middle. :) For The Perfect Frog canvas (above) I used all sorts of stuff in the background plus added some real ribbon (around her dress) and some paper flowers. I also was able to use some buttons from my mom’s button jar - I recolored them with Alcohol inks.

Here’s another one…

This one was fun because I don’t know about you but I get a lot of catalogs in the mail. I get one that I really like from Hancocks of Paducah and it’s all these little pictures of fabric. I cut out all the little flags from the little square pictures. For Cupcake the dog’s hat, it’s a little bit hard to tell, but for the top I crumpled up strips of book paper and decoupaged them down. While it was still wet I sprinkled in some glitter.

I don’t know where this will take me, but when I’m out in the garage waiting for stamps to cook I have fun creating these. They give me the outlet I’ve been looking for and leave me feeling so energized thinking about what I’m going to create next!

Stay tuned for more. Oh, and next Friday I’ll be revealing the next month of Sugarplums. It’ll be a group of 3 blocks - wahoo!

Toodles.
Holly

Our schedule has changed just a little bit in that we are going to be posting new blocks on the 2nd Friday of the month. Like I mentioned last time we are still working things out.

Here’s block 2 - this time it’s a little snowman on a hill of polka dots. He’s sportin’ a lovely green scarf and has his twig arms outstretched ready to catch some snowflakes.

I wanted to mention that when I use light fabrics I usually back them. I don’t like anything to show through so I lined the white. It wasn’t too bad using a creamy background but if you use something darker it’ll be more noticeable. You can either fuse another piece of fabric to the back and then turn your piece or cut out a piece the same size as the pattern and then using a glue stick, wrap the edges around that piece of fabric. I hope that makes sense.

And another great installment of  Maizie Jenkins and the Tuesday Treadlers!

You can pop on over to Terry’s website to purchase both Tales of the Quilt Shop and block 2 for just $2.25.

Toodles,
Holly

Terry’s website:  Tales of the Quilt Shop
Holly’s: glue-stick turned applique instructions

Today I’ve written a guest post over at Sew WE Quilt and I wanted to write a companion post to include a project for those who don’t sew. I used fabric for this, but you could also use scrapbook paper or any kind of paper that you had on hand.

You will need:
- 8×10 stretched canvas
- Mod podge
- scraps of fabric
- pen for drawing
- embellishments: buttons, stamps, stamp pad, markers
- pattern (download PDF)

STEP 1

Paint a layer of Mod Podge over your ENTIRE canvas. Lay your fabric over the canvas and with your fingers or a brayer or whatever you have to get any wrinkles or bubbles out. Stretch the fabric over the edges as well.

STEP 2

Cut out all of your pieces ahead of time. You can wing it with your placement or you can use the background from the pattern and lay your pieces in the cutout part.

NOTE: Make sure there is no Mod Podge on the canvas when you use the paper as a template otherwise it will stick.

Once you’ve positioned the heart, lift the placement template away. Lift up part of the heart and apply a liberal amount of Mod Podge with a brush. Lay the heart back down. Do this until the entire heart is stuck down. Continue laying down your pieces and Mod Podging them on.

Don’t worry if you go outside the heart with the Mod Podge because in STEP 3 (below) you’ll coat the ENTIRE canvas with a coat.

STEP 3

This is what your canvas will look like - ick. But when it dries, it’s ever so lovely!

STEP 4

Your canvas will need to be COMPLETELY DRY for this step.

Using a pen or marker you can add detail. I cut out the letters H O M E and Mod Podged those on. I drew all of my lines and squiggles and then added stamping, paint and button embellishments.

Some fun products:
Alcohol Inks (Ranger Inc) - All of my buttons were white, but I sponged on Ranger Alcohol Inks to change their color.
Faber-Castell Pitt Big Brush Artist Pens - I use these all the time! I used them for all of the shading and the grass. I like them best OVER a layer of Mod Podge. You can use your finger to blend them or water and a brush. Once they dry they are permanent.
Pilot Permaball - my FAVORITE drawing pen for these types of projects. The tip is a ball so it won’t loose its shape. And if you clog it with paint or Mod Podge you can just scribble on a piece of paper and its fine. I took a workshop with Christy Tomlinson and these are the ones she recommended and they are great.

Once you finish with all your writing, painting, stamping and what-not apply one last coat of Mod Podge over your entire project.

Hope you have fun creating your project!
Toodles.
Holly

I’m SO excited to announce a new project! I’ve teamed up with author Terri Thayer, actually she’s the one that approached me with the project over a year ago. She’s writing an 8 month series of stories, Tales of the Quilt Shop and I’m creating an applique project to go along with it called Sugarplums.

This is a monthly download in which you will receive a pattern for a quilt block and a story about the Stitches in Time quilt shop. As you work on your quilt, you’ll be able to follow the adventures of Maizie Jenkins, the owner, and the Tuesday Treadlers, five quilts who sew at the shop.

Terri and I have different styles, so you’ll be able to check out each of them. She’s doing fusible applique while I’m doing my favorite glue-stick turned applique. And our color palettes are totally different as well.

Since this is the first time we’ve done something like this we’ll probably be fine tuning things as we go. I’d really appreciate any comments that you have - again this is uncharted territory.

I will try to stay on our current schedule of posting here the first Friday of each month. The cost will be $2.25 per month and you’ll need to go to Terri’s website to make the purchase. This will be in digital format only during the course of the 8 months. At the end of the year I will be releasing the pattern in its entirety (no stories though).

So again, please let me know what you think. Wahoo! So lets get started!

Toodles,
Holly

This weekend was my birthday weekend. I am now officially closer to the next decade versus the other, younger one. I don’t think I obsess about age, I think the old adage of “you are as young as you feel” tends to hold true. Some days I hop out of bed and feel like I’m 20, other days Betty White and I could be BFF’s at the ripe ol’ age of 90 (this tends to happen when all the pets pile in the bed and I find myself sleeping in some contorted position all night).

So now that I am over the half-way mark do I sit and contemplate life or do I start looking for wrinkle creams, a good “nightly repair” lotion and up the Metamucil intake. I’m starting to see a few more gray hairs - I think I shall call this a “highlighting opportunity”. I am an artist and we take creative licenses all the time, why not with myself?

It was a very nice birthday weekend. I received a box of homemade persimmon cookies from my parents (yum). My husband and I hung out and went to the movies - twice (we haven’t done that in ages) and then we went out to a simple dinner. We topped it off at my favorite store - Barnes and Noble, the magazine section to be specific. The newest issue of Mollie Makes was in so I was happy to peruse the pages with a cup of hot chocolate.

Life is good.

Toodles.
Holly
=^..^=

I don’t know about you but I subscribe to quite a few newsletters - in fact so many that I’m actually starting to unsubscribe to those that aren’t my favorite because my inbox just gets too full. But I love seeing what’s new, what’s happening and just feeling like I’m in the loop since I don’t seem to get out much. :)

Anyway, I subscribe to the Shabby Fabrics newsletter - a shop that I love (well online shop anyway, I’ve never actually visited them). So today when I got their newsletter they said they were having a sale on all their patterns and as I scrolled down I saw my most recent quilt. It was so exciting to see it! Sometimes it’s the little things that make one smile and today this was the little thing for me.

I hope you all had a great weekend and maybe it was a long one if you got Martin Luther King day off. If not, then I hope you have a happy Tuesday and rest of the week.

Toodles.
Holly

Well, it’s been a very busy year and we’re only into the second week! I have been filling lots of stamp orders but still have quite a few to go. While out in the garage I did a little cleaning and organizing of some supplies - gosh that feels good (note to self - remember this feeling).

Also while at the quilt shop we got in some cute doggie fabric - Squeaky is showing it off here. I haven’t had time to make a quilt of just dog fabric yet, but I was able to make this little jacket. I hope you don’t get sick of hearing about my pets, but they bring so much happiness I just can’t help it.

Otherwise, I was thrilled to be able to pick a new design team for my stamp business. I can’t wait to see what they create! It’s always a thrill because in the past they’ve come up with wonderful things! I think one of the goals this year is to figure out how to let people post projects that are sparked from the ideas of the design team or just ideas they have themselves. I’d like to have a much more interactive site, but am not totally sure how to do that yet. Any thoughts from you out there?

On another note, I can’t remember if I mentioned it before, but I teamed up with author Terri Thayer again. This time we’re doing a block-of-the-month quilt! It’s adorable to say the least (but then I might be a wee bit biased). The details will follow in a couple weeks. So stay tuned!!

Toodles for now.
Holly

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, nothing wrong, just busy is all. I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year and good luck with any resolutions that you may have made. In all honesty I didn’t really make any because I can never seem to keep them!

This little picture is of our dog Squeaky. He got a santa hat in his stocking (thanks to his grandma and grandpa). He sat still for just a moment and I snapped this photo. I think he looks quite dapper, but then I am a little biased. :)

Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and a safe new year. Here’s to 2012!!

Toodles.
Holly

I wrote in a previous post that I had found Christy Tomlinson through Scraptime, a blog with videos about what’s new and exciting in the crafting market. Anyway I loved her workshop and got so much out of it that I signed up for this mini one. It’s all about ornaments and Christmas!

With her last workshop I found myself feeling much free-er with my artwork, kind of anything goes. I went to Michaels and bought a package of 8×10 canvases and have been painting backgrounds like crazy. I pull them out and when inspiration hits I start creating. I’m still enjoying myself so much!

Anyway, I had so much fun I thought I would just share this tidbit. I’m sure it’ll be a hoot.

Hope your December isn’t too crazy. :)
Toodles.
Holly

A couple weeks ago I went to Houston’s Quilt Market. It’s a huge place for quilt shops and anyone related to the quilt industry to go and see what’s new, what companies have to offer and what’s coming as far as fabric lines go.

I went because I wanted to show some of my fabric designs to different companies and because I’m now working part time in a quilt shop.

I had to be brave, something I don’t always do well. It’s much easier to be brave for someone else, but when I have to do it for myself I become unsure, somewhat shy and my confidence always come into question.

I took along a small portfolio of projects and showed them around to a few companies. I could tell right away when I was more or less just another person in line showing designs - I’ll chalk those up to getting some experience. But there were a couple where they were really excited about what I had to show. They were huge confidence boosters and all-in-all I walked away feeling great just because I did it. I’m not sure what will happen, but I did it, I put myself out there.

On that same note, I was talking to a very good friend. She was feeling blue because she seems to have misplaced her motivation and more importantly I think, her inspiration. At times I’ve done that too, so I knew exactly how she was feeling. She’d like to design fabric and wants it to be brilliant. We’d all like to have this wonderful design (or whatever it is) that everybody loves and even better, that everybody wants. But I’ve found that when I try to plan for something spectacular, I tend to paralyze my creativity. My inner critic kicks in and I question, “is this good enough” and then I slide down the slippery slope to “am I good enough”.

One of the things I continually have to remind myself is something I started learning while going to school. We don’t have to be exceptional…we just need to be. With every step you will learn, you will be become better, you will find your way, your place. But only you and you alone can make yourself take the first step.

Here’s to taking your first step. :)

Every year there’s a large quilt show in Santa Clara - Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF). I was able to go yesterday and in between looking at all the amazing quilts (took only a couple hundred photos), I did a little looking at some of the vendors that were there - after all, what is a quilt show without a wee bit of shopping.

I found this book “A Field Guide to Fabric Design: Design, Print & Sell Your Own Fabric; Traditional & Digital Techniques” by Kimberly Kight (published by StashBooks, ISBN 978-1607053552) and LOVE IT!

If you’ve ever thought about what it would take to create your own fabric - whether it’s block printing, screen printing, digital printing or licensing to a fabric company - this book is a really great start.

Kim goes into detail about terms, motifs, layouts and most of all repeats, both by hand and on the computer. It’s a real gem with tons of photos so you can actually see what’s being said. I know that I went to school for all of this but oh how I wish I’d had this book a couple of years ago. :)

Anyway, if you’ve ever wondered and wanted a really great read I highly recommend checking out this book.

Ok, gotta get to work!
Toodles.
Holly

When I came home this evening I found this lovely scene.

Apparently I left the new Connecting Threads quilt catalog within reach of a certain small dog. Although you see Tucker laying in the catalog carnage (he’s never chewed up anything, only rearranged things as seen in previous posts), you will notice little Sneaky Squeaky in the background chewing. He is quite the paper piranha when left alone. Usually I do a quick once-over to see that all things paper are off the end tables and the office chair (as seen here) is pushed away from the computer desk. Apparently I need to do a “twice-over”. Hmmm…could this be a new business venture? Shredding-while-you-wait? Naughty Squeakers.

Back in February I’d written a post about our dog Tucker and the fact that he had had a small seizure. When we took him to the vet back then we talked it over and because they were so infrequent decided not to put him on medication because it’s very hard on the liver. We were just supposed to keep an eye on him and keep track if anymore happened.

Well early this morning, 7 months to the day, he had another one. Tucker sleeps at the foot of our bed, so we were awakened by him shaking. It’s kind of like when dogs have dog dreams and chase things only you can’t wake them up from it. This one was longer than any of the others he’s had during his life (4 that I know of). We stroked his fur and made sure he didn’t get off the bed. He was dazed for a few minutes but within 15 minutes he was fine, wanted outside to pee and got a big drink of water.

I’m still don’t think we’ll put him on medication because the last one was 7 months ago, but we will continue to watch him as always and keep our vet informed. It’s just very scary - knowing there’s nothing we could do while it’s happening other than being there with him, makes one feel pretty helpless.

Otherwise he’s is doing fine, it’s later in the day and he’s back to his old self.

As always, thanks for listening.
Holly