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Showing posts from February, 2016

Raw edge patchwork - part two

Last week I showed you the first part of my design and construction of 30-Second Hot Flashes . This week, we finish it up! 1. In this style of quilt block, I like to leave the outer edge of the top raw, but you could turn it under slightly if you prefer. 2. Cut the batting larger than the top, large enough to form a nice sized "frame" for the piece.  I used a thick piece of wool felt inside to help keep it stretched. 3. The wrap and tuck method of framing a quilt is explained in greater detail at the link, but basically, the backing fabric needs to be cut large enough to wrap around up over the batting, and tuck underneath the edges of the top. The corners can be mitered or left square.  I decorated over the seams with feather stitch.  Use blanket stitch around the outside to attach the top to the other layers. 30-Second Hot Flashes Cyndi Lavin, 2015 Copyright 2016 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for pr

heART beats from other blogs!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean goes off the grid and onto the griddle as she explores a different form of creativity: she reviews a fun new cookbook! It's The Clever Cookbook,Get-Ahead-Strategies and Tips for Stress-Free Home Cooking ! Book Review: Art & Faith by Cherie Burbach Cherie's Burbach's new book, Art and Faith: Mixed Media Art with a Faith-Filled Message, is a beautifully produced compendium of art narrated by the artist. My Twinn Doll Art The My Twinn line of dolls, at one time, were truly works of art no longer available these days. Everything's Coming Up Rosy The latest free chart at Connie Gee's Designs is Rosy Square and it has blossoms to brighten your day. Crochet for Knitters: Chain and Single Crochet Sarah is trying to improve her crochet skills this year, and she's sharing tips and tutorials for knitters and others who haven't yet mastered this fun craft.

Recent publications: February 2016

Knotted Bead Jewellery: 25 Superfine Macrame Projects to Make by Jenny Townley Fast Peyote Stitch Jewelry by Josie Fabre How to Make 50 Fabulous Kumihimo Braids: A Beginner's Guide to Making Flat Braids for Beautiful Cord Jewelry by Beth Kemp Sensational Soutache Jewelry Making: Braided Jewelry Techniques for 15 Statement Pieces by Csilla Papp

Raw edge patchwork - part one

30-Second Hot Flashes Cyndi Lavin, 2015 This quilt block is a modern take on crazy quilting, even if it doesn't immediately look that way.  I have used raw edge patchwork blocks in the design, and have treated each edge as if it were a crazy quilt seam.  My initial plan was to use more beads than I ended up with.  I just liked the cleaner, less embellished look for this one. The block has square corners...it just doesn't look like it because of my camera angle.  I'm calling this little quilt 30-Second Hot Flashes , and I'll leave it up to you to guess why :-) 1. Draw pattern. 2. Scan and size with photoshop if needed and print out. 3. Trace the pattern. 4. Choose fabrics.  Cut out background fabric. 5. Draw pattern shapes on the back of lightweight fusible interfacing, fuse to chosen fabrics, and cut out. 6. Use the tracing to position and pin the major shapes on the background fabric.  Save the smaller shapes for later. 7. I

heART beats from other blogs!

Art Bead Scene Check out Claire's inspiring art bead selection to match this month's challenge! Diamond 14 The next section of Connie Gee's free SAL is available. It is the third of four florals. Get it on the SAL today! Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean reviews the delightful, fun and informative book, Knitting Ephemera! Necklace Redo Video Don't like a piece of jewelry? Well, redo it. In this video, Terry shows you a piece that she made and was not happy with. Then re-does the piece and shows it off. Patent and Copyright Basics for Art You Intend to Sell If you plan to decoupage paper napkin images onto something to sell, check these patent and copyright basics. Paper napkins contain someone's art. De-Stash for Charity Alert The Crafty Princess is clearing out the old to make way for the new and donate part of the proceeds of craft her de-stash to charity.

Book review: Bead Embroidery Stitch Samples, Motifs

It took awhile for me to realize that a book I reviewed had a companion volume!  You may remember Bead Embroidery Stitch Samples , shown below. I love this original volume for all the ideas that I gathered for stitching crazy quilt seams.  Then I learned there was a second book, Bead Embroidery Stitch Samples, Motifs , and I knew this was the perfect follow-up.  Yasuko Endo has put together well over a hundred designs, all using embroidery floss or perle cotton and beads.  The motifs are arranged by theme, which is seriously the only way that makes sense!  Here are the categories: Sweets (think cupcakes and the like) Ethnic costumes Paisleys Scandinavian designs Surface stitches that create patterns Eastern European designs and a Penguin family! Instructions include each element, as well as how to put some of them together into fabulous pieces like the ones shown above.  Toho bead numbers and DMC floss numbers are included for each sample shown, not that you have t

Another wire and bead bracelet variation

Last week I showed you a very pretty, but easy, way to feature some beaded beads in a wire bracelet .  I got to thinking that the design might also work well to showcase some awesome Murano glass beads that I bought years ago in Italy and have been hoarding  saving for the right project ever since. I'll send you back to last week's project for the detailed directions , just noting a few important points here: I used 12 gauge wire as the base and 22 gauge as the wrapping wire.  I couldn't fit both the wires through the bead hole, so I buried the ends by wrapping back over them as shown.  The 12 g was about 9 inches long, so as you can see, I was starting from the center and working outwards.  I used 2 pieces of 22 g that were each about 2 yards long. Don't worry that the wrappings right next to the middle bead will be a bit wonky.  That will be covered by the next step where you will spiral back with the wire. Bury the tails of the wrapping

heART beats from other blogs!

Rich Mom Videos If you have been thinking of dusting off your Etsy shop or starting one, then you may want to watch what Rich Mom has to say. Bead Vlog Tammy's creating sparkly jewelry with her bead bargain box goodies. Stitch an Encouraging Saying Connie's added a new free pattern with a meaningful saying that will be perfect for a card or a framed design. Be sure to save it now! Have Fun with Found Object Drawings Try to look at common things in a different way by making drawings starting with found objects. Valentine Heart Shaker Card Eileen made a Valentine heart shaker card filled with red confetti hearts using her Silhouette. See how and download your choice of PDF template or SVG file.

Book review: Fast Peyote Stitch Jewelry

Do you know how to do fast peyote stitch?  That's where you string two rows of beads and then zig and zag your needle between the rows to zip it up.  It's an especially neat trick when you are trying to follow a charted pattern.  So Josie Fabre has taken full advantage of this in her fun new book, Fast Peyote Stitch Jewelry , published by Kalmbach .  All of Josie's pieces are flat multi-drop peyote, which is a great thing for beginners. Stackable Zoo Bracelets, included in the book Most of the 25+ projects are bracelets, although there is a smattering of earrings and pendants as well.  Josie recommends Delica seed beads, and gives you the exact item number for each color she uses.  The projects are divided by theme: nature, wings, animals, classic colors, moderns, and a couple of more challenging charts. All the designs are Josie's originals, and there is nice variety in the charts, even though the construction is all basically the same.  So be aware...if y

A wire bracelet featuring beaded beads

Last week I showed you how to make beaded beads using the Cellini spiral peyote stitch .  I made a total of three, using the same palette of beads, since I knew I wanted to use them in a wire bracelet project.  I want to share that with you today, but you can alter almost everything about this piece to suit yourself: the colors, the wire gauges, the bead sizes, the exact placement of components.  Make it your own!  Just make sure that the gauge of the bracelet armature is heavy enough to hold its shape, and that the wrapping wire is a thinner gauge (which means a higher gauge number). Here's what I used: 3 Beaded beads , shown last week 9" 12 gauge wire for the bracelet, 5 1/2" for the clasp Spool of 22 or 24 gauge wire for wrapping (I used 24) Size 11/0 seed beads Tools: Wire cutters Flat nose pliers Round nose pliers Small file Measuring tape 1. Cut about 2 yards of your smaller wire and start wrapping the middle of the core wire from the mi

heART beats from other blogs!

Art Bead Scene Take a walk in the woods with Julie, in her last post for the Art Bead Scene. Lucky Thirteen The next Diamond in the free SAL is up! Still plenty of time to join in if you are interested. Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Jean reviews Wonderful Wire Jewelry: Make 30+ Bracelets, Earrings, Necklaces, and More, by Erica Swanson. You will find tons to love in this book! Valentine's Day Kids Party Throw a memorable Valentine's Day kids party and keep costs down with these crafty ideas for planning decor, games, food & keeping all the kids happy. Crocheted Flower Hair Clips These simple crocheted flowers make adorable hair clips for girls (or women) and just use a tiny bit of yarn.

Book review: Wonderful Wire Jewelry

More than 30 beautiful projects by 21 designers are included in Wonderful Wire Jewelry , a new book published by Kalmbach .  They have all previously been published in Wirework magazine, but if you don't subscribe to it regularly, this looks to be the best of the best! Wirework always intrigues me, and lots of these projects are very appealing to my eye.  Most are made with sterling silver wire, but some use copper, steel, or artistic wire.  I don't think there's any reason why you couldn't make substitutes for most of them if you wanted.  You will recognize the work of many of the designers if you do any wirework at all: Melody MacDuffee, Eva Sherman, and Barb Switzer are some of my favorites. I would say that most of the projects fall into the easy to intermediate categories.  Specialized jigs are recommended for a few, but most of the projects can be tackled with the tools you probably already have on hand for beadwork.  Some of the projects look to be very c

Cellini spiral beaded beads

I've decided to make a small batch of beaded beads to include in a bracelet I've got planned.  I've always loved the way the Cellini spiral looks, with its undulating surface, and I also love how quickly it stitches up once you get your beads set up.  I use a paint palette to keep them organized... 1. Choose your beads and set them up in pairs in a circle.  I used 4 pairs of size 11/0 seed beads , 2 pairs of size 8/0s and 1 pair of size 6/0s .  This is the perfect number to go around a 1/4 inch (outer diameter) piece of vinyl tubing (find it at your local hardware store).  You will also need size 15/0 seed beads to finish each end.  You can use other sizes and counts if you wish. 2. The "rules" for Cellini spiral are simple.  Pass your working thread through the first two beads (for me it will be the small purple ones at the top), and pick up one of the same bead just exited.  Pass through the second bead in each following pair, and pick up