admin March 30th, 2009
Since my last post, I have had 7 art quilts accepted at The Copper Shade Tree Gallery in Round Top, Texas. Currently the Marburger Antique Show is in town, so there is lots to see. This is a great time in Texas to enjoy a drive in the country and some shopping in a fun, quaint setting.
admin February 19th, 2009
Yesterday I was traveling and stopped at the Copper Shade Tree gallery to view their art quilt show. It was fabulous! They have over 100 very fine art quilts of all different styles. They are in Round Top, Texas and the show runs through the end of February. The owners, Debbie and Gerald, are very knowledgable and show-case Texas artists of other mediums as well. I highly recommend a visit if you are anywhere near the area.
admin November 25th, 2008
Can you believe the holidays are here already? Hope yours is blessed with family and friends. Maybe you can work in some time for quilting between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I find it difficult to go very long without working on something. It helps me get centered and relax from the hectic pace. If you have good ideas on how to fit it all in, please write and I will add your post.
admin November 3rd, 2008
Last week I added three new notecard designs to the shop. The color quality turned out very nicely. The images are all from one of my original quilts and the name of the quilt is on the back of the card. The backs are also pretty as they are a faded version of the front of the card, which makes them rather unique. Think about these for Christmas gifts!
admin October 28th, 2008
Yesterday I gave tips on selecting watercolor fabrics. For those of you who would still rather not pick out your own fabrics, I have added 3 sizes of “jelly rolls” to the pattern section of my website. These are bundles of 2″ strips ranging from light to dark with everything in between. Having the right fabrics makes a difference in the success of your design.
admin October 27th, 2008
Saturday I taught the Holiday Tree class in Salado, Texas at A Sewing Basket. It is a wonderful shop with lots of different fabrics and friendly staff. Anyway, we reviewed do’s and don’ts on buying watercolor fabrics.
Some of the do’s:
Size: Medium to large scale
Shapes: Curvy designs like flowers, fruit, paisleys
Color: Fabrics with 3 or more colors
Some of the don’ts:
Size: avoid prints that are too small, calicos
Shape: avoid straight lines, geometric lines, strips, plaids, dots
Color: avoid tone-on-tone
The reasoning is that the eye needs to move from one 2″ square to the next. Your 2″ square should never be small enough to show the entire design because that will stop the eye. The goal is to have an image that looks like a painting.
admin September 22nd, 2008
It’s helpful for beginners to read the basic instructions for watercolor quilts in one of the excellent “how-to” books available. I particularly like the books by Pat Magaret and Donna Slusser. Their color photos of the fabric swatches are helpful in understanding basic watercolor quilt concepts.
admin September 22nd, 2008
Watercolor design invites you to put on your “artist” mindset. Let your creativity flow, color outside the lines; in fact, try to make the lines disappear!
Focus on strokes of color and wavy lines that move the eye to create a mood, feeling or image. Even when working with straight-lined patterns, like Eternity Cross, create flow and movement within the cross. Watercolor design is very liberating and tends to capture your attention for hours on end!
Just keep moving those squares around, take a break, look again, and you will see something different each time. Give yourself a few days of looking at the design occasionally and when it feels right, go ahead and sew it together.
Remember, there are lots of different “right” ways to use this technique; enjoy yours!