Featured Quilter: Desley Maisano

I first met Desley Maisano when she took my online Quilt Whisper Class last year.  In this class, students send me quilt top photo to design- and I suggest one or more ways for how I might approach and design the quilt.

Desley, who is an amazing machine quilter from Australia, sent me a photo of this lovely quilt pieced and applique by Anthea Bradley, so I might suggest a quilting design for her.  Here is Anthea’s quilt:

I darkened the photo and then drew my suggested design for Desley, shown below:

Fast forward to last week.  Desley wrote me to share that she had quilted this quilt for Anthea and wanted to share how it turned out.  She also added her own design elements to this quilt, and the results are frankly, stunning!  Love the changes, Desley!  Here is a sneak peek photo, borrowed with permission from her blog, Addicted To Quilts.  To see more photos, please click here.

She did an excellent job on this quilting, don’t you think?  Excellent execution and I predict lots of ribbons for Anthea and Desley for their collaborative quilt.  I hope you will leave a comment for Anthea and Desley to read- or hop on over to Desley’s blog and leave her a comment there.

 

 

ReFashioning a T-shirt

I stumbled across the best idea I have seen in a long time from a blog called, “Stop Staring and Start Sewing,” turning an inexpensive t-shirt that I would never, ever wear into a cute top.  Can you believe  this adorable shirt started life as a unflattering tshirt from dare I say… Walmart?

JonaG also offers a mini tutorial on how to refashion this t-shirt.  The only change I would make would be to create buttonholes or use grommets instead of the slits she cut under the chest to gather and tie the center pleat detail.  Anyway, I thought it would be good to share this since I am planning to make one eventually.

While you are visiting this site, be sure to notice all her other tutorials, too.

Carla’s Etsy Find!

On my facebook account, which is listed by my name, Carla Barrett, I had a recent request to be friends from another artist, Puteri Noor.  I accepted, then went to view her work.

Puteri live in Malaysia and does wonderful, stunning silk and batik fabric paintings!  I will admit I loved them so much, I bought 4 pieces from her Etsy shop.   Here is a sampling:

and another:

The colors are so rich!  Here is another silk art:

I visited Puteri’s  Etsy store this morning and noticed that she is currently sold out.  However, be sure to look at her listing of textile art and you can contact her to make a custom piece to add to your quilting.

If you do this, tell her Carla sent you.     I love to showcase other artists and let my readers see such a rich variety of women creating art in our world.

Cool Finds for Mixed Media Artists!

I have long been a fan of metal artist, Susan Lenart Kazmer.  Her work with metal, resin and found objects are simply unique with a high “cool” factor!  Here is a picture of a classic SLK charm bracelet from the cover of her book, which I own:

Now, you can create her look yourself with many charms, pendants and findings found at your local Michaels Craft Store under the label, Industrial Chic.  Here is a sampling of products:

If you are into this look, now it can be yours for a low price!  I bought about 20 pieces from the collection at 50% off last week, so look for when Michaels runs another sale.  I paid $4 per charm pack or pendant.

Other News:  The countdown has started for my next sailing adventure.  This time, Joe and I are bareboat chartering with talented mixed media artist, Lori Seavey-Christian and her husband, Larry Christian.  Lori and I have been close friends for several decades.  You might recall my past “Carla & Lori’s Creative Adventure Weeks” where Lori and I get together, take over her Living Room, and just create!

Lori & Larry do not sail, so Joe and I are planning to make sailors out of them.  We thought heading back to the BVI would be an excellent place to introduce them to chartering.  Besides, I love the snorkeling there, and visiting all our favorite places again.

I will make a report after we come back.  For obvious reasons, I do not want to advertise the dates we will be gone, even though I have someone to come house sit and babysit the pets when we do this.

Knowing that I needed to find my 1)snorkeling gear, 2)sailing gloves, 3)swimsuits, and other gear;  I decided to clean out my closet.  I don’t know about you, but my house is really clean, EXCEPT for my closets.  You know it becomes bad when your master walk-in closet is no longer a walk-in.  So, fueled with coffee, I decided to tackle it.

Hours later, I had about 6 bags of giveaway or throwaways.  I did find all the items on my list above.  Now my closet is a clean and tidy again, just waiting to slowly revert into its former state.  It is inevitable, so I just learn to appreciate order while it lasts.

I challenge all my readers to think about cleaning out a pantry, drawer or closet.  Nah…. on second hand, I challenge you to just create something.  It’s a lot more fun!  Cheers, Carla

Artist Profile: Nina Lise Moen

Whenever I stumble onto a new blog that I really enjoy, I want to share it with all of you!  Today’s profile is on Nina Lise Moen, from the blog, “Mrs. Moen; The Not-so Secret Life of a Quilter.”

First off, I love blogs that share free tutorials, as I do. (I admit, this is a shameless plug for my free tutorial page)  Here is an example of a free tutorial; how to make a letter:

Here is a heart pattern from her site:

I also love quilty sites that have chicken/bird products to buy, as well.  Combine the two, and you have Mrs. Moen’s delightful Funky Fowl quilt pattern:

With this pattern, you receive 8 birds and 5 quilt designs.  Here are a few more birds:

Here is another birdy:

Be sure to check out her other pattern designs, too.  Here are 2 other bird theme patterns:

This pattern is called, “Sitting There.”  This next pattern is called “Lots of Yellow Ones:”

Q& A with Mrs Moen, aka Nina Lise Moen:

Carla : Tell us a bit about yourself?

Nina: My name is Nina Lise Moen, I’m 48 years old, and live in Stavanger, Norway where I share my life with my husband, our grown up daughter and our soon to be 3 year old grandson. I come from a long line of creative and highly skilled needle workers and seamstresses as both my mother and grandmothers have been avid crafters. I have been knitting, crocheting and embroidering for as long as I can remember, and have made my own designs and knitting patterns since I was a teenager.

Carla:  How long have you been quilting and designing patterns?

Nina: I am first and foremost a quilter and have designed my own quilts since I started quilting a few hundreds of quilts ago. Designing patterns is something I do on the side; I make a quilt and then write a pattern if it’s a design that I think others would like to make. Quilting is my creative outlet, so I try to keep the balance between my art work, quilts I make just for fun, blogging, tutorials, patterns and classes. With a background in finance and the corporate world, my journey into the textile arts has taken my life into a quite different direction.

Carla: What was the first quilt you designed?

Nina: The first quilt I designed for someone else was for a fellow guild member who asked if I could design a quilt for her son’s wedding. Later our guild was hosting a big quilting retreat and I was head of the event. As part of raising funds for the guild, I designed a needle cushion for souvenirs, a small flower bouquet quilt for our teachers and helpers, and a bag block for our raffle quilts. I enjoyed the process, so I designed a few more quilts and wrote patterns that were sold at the retreat.

Carla: How would you describe your style?

Nina: My style is simple, whimsical and fun. Although I use a lot of colour in my work, the designs translate very well into other styles. My patterns are suitable for quilters of all levels, also beginner quilters.

Carla: How long have you been quilting and what attracted you to it?

Nina: I started quilting in December 1998. I found a book about antique quilts while looking for inspiration for my needle point work; my daughter saw the book, wished for “one of those”, and I made one for her that Christmas. I had never seen a quilt before I made that first one. It was love at first try, and with the exception of a couple of breaks, I have been quilting ever since.

What attracted me at first was playing with simple shapes of colours and the soft and comforting result. After I discovered appliqué, I was sold. I love that you can make anything with appliqué, and I do. I took part in an art therapy group in 2002 and learned that I had the ability to express myself through art. Since then I have entered my work into both national and international exhibitions and competitions.

Carla: Besides quilting, what other interests do you have?

Nina: I read books and comics, I exercise several times a week, I still knit, embroider and crochet a little, and I spend a lot of time with my grandson.

Carla: Any other info or tidbits you would like to share?

Nina: After 11 years of quilting, I still find it challenging and fun. There is always something new to figure out and learn. It can be done by anyone anywhere, and you really don’t need much to get started.

I also love the social aspect of quilting, being part of a guild and a small, friendly sewing group, and that we all are connected across ages, styles and level of experience. Teaching classes is also fun; it’s so amazing to see how the different personalities transfer into their work.

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I would like to thank Nina for sharing her patterns and designs with the Feathered Fibers blog readers.  I plan to do a funky fowl quilt in the future, which fits in with my love for whimsical birds and chickens.  LOL!

Regards, Carla

Barbara Chainey Stencils

I wanted to share a few of my favorite stencils by Barbara Chainey with you all.  I am a longtime fan of Barbara’s books (including Quilt It!, The Essential Quilter, and  Fast Quilts From Fat Quarters) and also her stencils, too.

Barbara lives in England, and is a noted teacher, author, and designer.  She lives with a batty border collie named Himself, and 3 cats in her home in deepest middle England.

I first “met” Barbara online when I linked to her site from my blog, and then she commented back.  Since that time, I have had the pleasure to get to know her a bit better through emails.  Since I love her stencil designs, sold through Stensource, I thought I would share them with you, too.  It also happens that some of my favorite stencils also happen to be on sale, too, including this favorite stencil:

To my regular blog readers, this design may look very familiar.  Here is a quilt photos where I used this design:

And this variation on Barbara Kiehn’s baby quilt for her cute granddaughter:

What I love about this design is that it is easy to quilt.  On sale at $2.84 US is a bargain!

Next is Barbara’s Scallop Feather border and block design:

You can see the border used on this quilt, with a slight variation:

If you like the design in the middle of this following quilt, Barbara has a stencil for that, too, also on sale for $2.64 US:

You just mark the quilt and then flip it aoroung for the other side to get the 4 feather design.

Here is a stencil that I own, and plan to use the border in the near future.  I love it, even if it is not on sale right now:

There are many more wonderful stencil designs by Barbara, but I thought I would show you just a few.  By the way, I am receiving no compensation to share these designs with you, I just like them and think they are worth sharing about.  Happy Quilting!  Carla

Beading artists

You all know I love to bead.  Here are some of my favorite bead artists to share with you:

Larkin Jean Van Horn- A friend of my friend, Linda T Minton, I have long admired Larkin’s work.   I love her book, which was given to me as a birthday present:

David  K. Chatt- he takes beading into the fine art range.  Be sure to check out his gallery of beaded sculptures, vessels, jewelry and cast glass.

Robin Atkins- She does bead embroidery improvisationally.  One of my all time favorite bead works is her “Rosie, the Uncaged Hen.“

Jeanette Cook-  aka Beady Eyed Woman.  I have a copy of her first book from way back when.  I love her work and how she combines beads and color.

Myra Wood- I enjoy all that Myra does- freeform beading, embroidery, crochet.

Linda T Minton- Linda expresses herself using a variety of mediums, beads being just one.  One day, I hope to hang out with her in Texas and just create.

I hope you had a chance to see some exceptional artists that may be new to you.  They are all inspiring in their own way.

Regards, Carla

Still Life with Oscar

Oscar, who happens to be my favorite kitty, is perched above on his chair in my his house.  He also loves to lay across my chest while I am trying to write on my computer, too.

The world globe was a Christmas present to my husband to place in his office/library.  However, I  stole borrowed it because it looks perfect in the great room.

The “Cabbage Rose” pattern quilt is hanging behind Oscar.  This was actually the very first quilt I quilted when I purchased my longarm many years ago.  It allows me to see how far I have become in both my quilting style and technique.

Do any of you hang a first quilted quilt in your home, too?

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Mini Artist Profile: By the way, I forgot to mention that the quilt that Doug pieced  recently that I quilted was a pattern by my friend, Jerry Fujimoto.  You all might remember this quilt by Jerry that I quilted a few months ago:

I received a phone call from Jerry, saying how much he loved the quilting on Doug’s quilt, plus saying he was planning to send the quilt above to several shows this year.  I believe he said it will be first shown at the Denver Quilt Fest in April.

I have been encouraging Jerry to get his website up so you can see his patterns.  I have one of them I can’t wait to piece, too.   I have a feeling Jerry and I will collaborate on some more stuff in the future!

Jerry has also purchased an A1 longarm, so I expect great quilting from him in the future!

ArtFiberFest Coffee Revisited

I just received an email from a very talented fiber artist named yarnpunk, who I met at ArtFiberFest 2007.  She sent me a link to her blog where she finished my AFF trade, the Carla Coffee wrap project.  Here is a refresher picture from 2007:

Inside each coffee cup was a fiber project to make their own coffee wrap.  Can you picture me walking around handing coffee cups to everyone?   LOL, I had fun doing it too.  Here are 2 more photos, before I show you yarnpunk’s way cool coffee wrap:

I made alot of kits, too:

Some readers might be wondering why I did this?  It is a tradition to bring items to give away to other artists when you go to AFF.

So now back to yarnpunk.  She made her coffee wrap and shows it on her blog and her flickr page.  With her permission, here are her photos:

and here it is being functional and keeping her coffee from burning her fingers:

To see more of yarnpunk’s art, including her spinning and fiber work, visit her Flickr gallery, and her Etsy shop, Go Knit Yourself. Her blog, aptly titled, “Spinning from the Edge,” is linked above.

ArtFiberFest is in June this year.  I need to start thinking about participating in swaps, exchanges and guilt free sharings- which is the new word instead of trades.  Trades indicate you want something in return,  sharing means just that, you are giving from your heart with no expectation you will get anything back.  I like that concept much more!

So go on, have fun, and create something today!!  Hugs, Carla

Beading Class

I’m taking a cabochon beading class tomorrow at my local bead store. I first signed up about a month ago after seeing the class sample made by beading instructor Emi, shown here:

The picture above is a bit blurry, but it gives you a general idea.    It is very similar to a book I own by talented beader Laura McCabe:

Check out this beautiful beaded piece by Laura from her book:

Anyhow, while I would LOVE to take a class from Laura herself, I am instead taking a class from the local store.  If my pendant turns out nicely, I will show it to you.  If it looks horrible, hmmm…. I’ll show it to you anyway.  LOL!

As you can tell, I love to learn new things and try out new projects.  I’m really getting into my metal class… I do have some works to share with you.   Keep watching… I engaged in some shopping therapy while I was down with strep, mainly metal art supplies.  Cough cough….   from a few online stores.  OK, maybe 3 stores and an ebay bid.  Let’s just say that the retail therapy, along with the antibiotics, are helping me to feel better!  Here is what I purchased off of ebay- a vintage drop in a pretty aqua color:

What are you working on???  If you feel like it, share what you are doing creativity wise.    Carla