Around the World Blog Hop- My Turn!

I was invited to participate in the Around the World Blog Hop by two amazing fiber, art quilt and digital artists, The Pixeladies, also known individually as Deb Cashatt and Kris Sazaki.   Years ago, I was asked to do the quilting on one of their art quilt projects, and through this collaboration, we became friends.  Recently, I visited their studio and got to see all their stunning works in progress.  If you are unfamiliar with their incredible work, and art quilts created with fabric text, click now to visit their gallery page.

The format for the Around the World Blog Hop is a series of questions that I answer, so here we go:

What are you working on right now?  I tend to work on multiple projects at the same time.  On any given day, you will find me machine quilting in my studio, then working on my Tablet PC laptop drawing and designing, and finally, working on a freeform beading or crochet project.  So, in that spirit, here is what I am working on currently:

Quilting by Carla Barrett

Machine Quilting- I recently borrowed back the above quilt (previously quilted a few months ago, titled Bold Beauty),  to share with students in Australia. The picture above shows you the back of the quilt. This quilt has won many awards in Montana for the owner, Teddie Egeline, including Best of Show and Judges Choice at the Montana State Fair.  Anyway, while in AU, I noticed a couple of places that need fixing, specifically, color repair of some white marking pen oops previously discussed in a post here.

I realized that to be more archival, I should have heat set the repair.  So now I will go back over the lines with several shades of Inktense pigment pencils and once dry, heat set them.  After this repair, I plan to work on 2 quilts- one by applique artist Jill Rixman, and also one by my friend, Doug Hodder.

 

Freeform Beading and Freeform Crochet- Currently, I have two different projects in progress, though both are freeform.

The first one is a freeform beaded purse, so I am working on the freeform peyote embellishment.  I have just started to bead a 18mm Swarovski crystal, which will be a focal point element of this project.  My color palette is magenta, purple and blue.

My current freeform crochet project is a bit different from my usual freeform crochet work.  I like the combination of my random freeform combined with some more traditional freeform scrumbles, so I decided to take a Craftsy Freeform Crochet class with the talented Myra Wood to learn her process.  Below is a picture of my class homework so far.  These are “scrumbles” in progress as I learn her technique.

Scrumbles in Progress

How does your work differ from others of its genre?  With regards to my machine quilting work, I plan out my quilting lines using a Tablet PC laptop in Photoshop Elements.  This allows me ease of editing and planning, communicating effectively with collaborators, as well as provide me with a road map to follow during the quilting process.  I also will design a special motif, border or fill to use on each quilt using a digitizing software called Art & Stitch.  I also will use my tablet to draw a quilting cartoon from time to time, too.  See more what you can do with a Tablet in this post here.

How does your creative process work?    As mentioned earlier, I use my Tablet PC to sketch out machine quilting designs (like the example above).  I also use my Tablet PC to create custom quilting designs that I can then stitch out on a quilt.  My process is as follows:

Copyright 2014 Carla Barrett

First, I draw with my stylist on my Tablet PC monitor in Photoshop Elements.  Once I like the design, I will import my design into Adobe Illustrator and  Art&Stitch digitizing software, converting the artwork from a raster drawing to vector artwork.

On the left is a custom design drawn for Teddie Egeline’s quilt, Bold Beauty.  This is a screenshot taken of the finished vector art.

In Art&Stitch, I finish editing the art, adding stitches and saving it in a computerized quilting format that my system can read- which for my Intelliquilter is “.iqp.”   The design is next imported to my machine and then I further manipulate the design to fit my border.  Here is a screenshot from my Intelliquilter tablet showing you how I used this design to create an interesting custom border:

I love to leave spaces for freemotion quilting because I love the look of freehand work.  The curlycues in the image above will be filled with my freehand feathers.  Once quilted out and the freehand work added, the finished design and border looks like this:

I also used my Scroll-Heart Design in other areas on the quilt, too:

If you have any questions about my process, I would be happy to answer them.  Just leave your question in a comment, below.  If you would like to know more about buying a Tablet, I do have a 4 part series on purchasing a Tablet for artwork here.  If you would like to know more about working and creating with Art & Stitch software, please see this post.

Before I close, I would like to nominate a very talented machine quilting artist for this Around the World Blog Hop:

Judi Madsen, quilting artist, author, teacher and designer.  During my teaching trip to AU earlier this month, I met Judi a couple of times as my class was ending and hers was due to begin.  Her freehand machine quilting work is young, vibrant, and has a modern vibe.  Be sure to visit  Green Fairy Quilts blog to see Judi’s stunning work.

Take care, Carla

10 Ways to Create With a Tablet (for Quilters)

My “Digital Quilts” have created lots of interest lately, so I thought I would share 10 ways to create with a Tablet.  This technique is not just for Quilters, it is also perfect for Zen Doodlers, Embroidery artists, and anyone who likes to create.

For the examples shown in this post, you will need a Tablet capable of running Photoshop Elements (PSE), or similar program.  This means that the tablet you use can be a Wacom plug-in type of tablet, a Tablet PC, or a Tablet Slate.  If you have an iPad or Android tablet that uses “Apps,” then watch for a future post dedicated to creating with this type of tablet.  My tablet also has a stylist pen, which I highly recommend.

10 Ways to Create With a Tablet:

1. Plan out a Whole-cloth Digital Quilt.   This is very rewarding and creative task to do with your tablet and only takes a fraction of time required to make a fabric quilt.  For example, I made the design shown above in about 15 minutes.  It just makes sense to save time planning your design out digitally rather than draw it out on paper or fabric.

Tablets, along with Photoshop Elements, are the perfect tools to draw, copy & paste design in quilt sections in order to make the entire quilt.   Did I mention that creating digital quilts this way is fun, too?

2. Create a Colored Whole-cloth Digital Quilt.

Using a photo editing program like Photoshop Elements, you can quickly color the  whole-cloth quilt.  Best to work out your quilt color combinations digitally rather than start coloring or painting the fabric, only to discover you dislike your color scheme.

Above is an example of what I colored digital quilt looks like.  Here is another colored digital quilt from a recent blog post:

Tablet Quilt by Carla Barrett

 

3.  Experiment with Quilt Color Hues/Saturation.  Experimentation with Hues/Tones is very easy to do with a Tablet and takes hardly no time at all to do using a software program like PSE.  Here are 3 different colorways for the quilt shown under #2:

4. Design Your Quilt- Both Pieced and Applique Quilts.

You can also use your tablet to visually design your quilt top.  This method works for both pieced quilts and applique ones.  For instance, after my trip to the South Pacific, I designed this applique quilt with an island flair (shown on the left).

 

 

Below is a collaborative quilt design created with my friend, Lori.  We call it “Hairy Leg Quilt,” because I quilted hair in each block.  This example shows you how the design concept completed with my tablet, and the photo of the finished quilt block.

 

 

5. Plan Your Machine Quilting Design.  I have been drawing on quilt photos over the last decade with my tablet in order to plan out what I want to quilt before starting the quilt.

The digital quilting plan becomes my visual road map for the overall design.  This is most helpful since stand-up quilters only work on small sections of the quilt during the quilting process.  It is easy to forget what you quilted at the top of the quilt when you get to the bottom border.

6. Make a Pantograph or Edge-to-Edge design. 

In quilting, we call an edge-to-edge design which is similar across the quilt sandwich a “pantograph” design.   Here is a sample pantograph design drawn with my Tablet:

 

7. Trace a Design to use as a Motif.
A Tablet is also useful for tracing a copyright free image from a clip art book, or from the web.  This is especially useful for quilting themed quilts.  You can also take a picture of any object, or fabric and trace that design, too.  In my example, I took a stock retro image for an Astro themed quilt, traced it, then edited to make it more continuous for quilting.

 

8. Practice Drawing Freehand Quilting Designs.  Practice makes perfect, if we take the time to learn and draw new designs.

If you can draw it, you can quilt it, is one of my philosophies.

I use my Tablet to practice new motifs and quilting fills before freehand quilting them out.  Once again, the tablet wins hands down for convenience.

 

9. Create Zen Doodle Designs.  Many fiber artists are combining zen doodling with fabric to create interesting and cool art quilts.  This is another task where the Tablet wins out over paper.  If you slip and make an oops, you simply click the “undo” button and re-draw.  It is also a great way to use all your fabric quilting fill designs, too.  Here are 2 examples- a heart and a birdy head:

10.  Easily Chose Color Palettes For Quilts and Other Projects.

I found this photo of Rarotonga, Cook Island online, and loved the colors.

So I created this custom palette (see below) using my tablet and PSE.  In PSE, you sample color using the eyedropper tool.  This is very easy to do.

 

Next step is to audition it on a quilt or whole cloth quilt design.  You want to experiment ahead of time to ensure you like the colors before putting time and energy into the quilt.

Below is what the quilt might look like using this palette.  If I wanted to change a color, then it is easy to do.

 

These are my favorite 10 ways I use my Tablet PC and PSE together in my work.

I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into a few of the wonderful things you can do with modern tablet technology combined with quilting.   Part of the photos and ideas are from my Tablet Design Class for Quilters.  Please note that if you live in Australia, I will be teaching this class in person at the AU Machine Quilting Festival in October, 2014.

Author of this post is Carla Barrett, a fiber, quilt and digital artist from Northern California.  Carla owns at least 6 or 7 types of tablets, and is considering her next tablet purchase. 🙂

Carla Digital Tablet Quilt

Here is another one of my digital quilts, drawn and colored using my tablet.  Love taking the time to make one of these- only took an hour from start to finish.

Tablet Quilt by Carla Barrett

Here is a slightly different version, with a different center and color way:

design by Carla Barrett

Take care!  Off to remodel Ethan’s bedroom now.  Did I mention that I am converting his nursery into a sailboat/nautical theme bedroom?    The bed arrived yesterday, here is what it looks like:

    I plan to make some DIY nautical decor items for his room.  His temporary quilt arrived yesterday, too.  I plan on making his permanent sailboat quilt, but until that day, I resorted to buying one for now.   More later about pulling together his room.    Cheers, Carla

Digital Quilts

Whenever I have a free moment, I like to get out my tablet PC and draw class samples.  In this case, I was drawing digital quilt examples for a class I am teaching in AU later in the year.

For technology minded blog readers, I drew and colored the following quilts in Photoshop Elements using my Fujitsu tablet convertible:

digital quilt by Carla Barrett

 

What is nice about Photoshop CS or PSE, is that with a 20 second adjustment, you may audition different color options for your quilt:

Digital Quilt by Carla Barrett

Digital Quilt by Carla Barrett

Here is another digital quilt design that I made, too:

digital quilt by Carla Barrett

Off to the quilt studio now….  Have fun creating!  Carla

 

 

 

Freeform Beaded Necklace

I just finished this beadwoven necklace last night:

freeform beaded necklace by Carla Barrett

In case you are a beader, I used several techniques to create this piece- freeform peyote, ladder stitch, right angle weave (RAW) stitch, fringe, tubular peyote and RAW stitches.

I first started creating the freeform pendant section, which first looked like this:

I next created the tubular RAW necklace strap, then decided that the focal point of the pendant was too weak, so then I decided to add some beaded Swarovski rivoli bling as my focal point:

freeform beaded necklace by Carla Barrett

Now I am planning my next one- a class sample beaded piece for my Freeform Beading and Quilting class.

Pixeladies Live Near YOU!

Many of you know  my good friends, The Pixeladies.  Deb Cashatt and Kris Sazaki are amazing artists, authors, and instructors- and they are coming LIVE to a venue near you in 2014.

To refresh your memory about just how cool these two artists are, here is an example of a recent quilt, which was juried into Quilt National this year, appropriately titled, “American Still Life: The Weight of a Nation:”

by The Pixeladies

Check out this wonderful quilt, titled “But What Does It Mean: The Language of Color 3,”  which is on display at Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center until January 5, 2014:

by The Pixeladies

The Pixeladies extensively use Photoshop and technology in their work.   Now you can learn these same skills from them at a workshop.  Can you imagine spending two, three, or four days learning all the great ways you can use Photoshop in your sewing, quilting, and crafting projects –  and with the best two Photoshop instructors available?  Deb and Kris can translate Photoshop speak so you will get the most out of the class.  

The classes are tailored just a bit for each venue, but I’m sure you’ll find a workshop that’s just right for you. Pick from the following classes:

Kona, Hawaii (Feb. 5-7, 2013)  Designing Fabric with Photoshop Elements

New Smyrna Beach, FL (March 12-14, 2014) Photoshop Elements for Fiber Artists and Sewing Enthusiasts

Lake Tahoe, NV   (Nov. 2-7, 2014) Designing Fabric with Photoshop Elements

You can find more details on their website HERE , plus see more of their amazing text quilts, which is a technique unique to The Pixeladies.

Collector of Art/ Craft Supplies

Ok, I will admit it.  I love to collect & craft t items like a kiln or loom, even when I have no idea how to actually use the item.  This provides fodder and amusement for my husband when he talks to his friends, I recently learned.

But wait!  I know that one day I will take a ceramics course,  or join the local fiber guild and learn to weave.  Really.  Well, it could happen…

I just could not pass up the opportunity to own a mint condition, wonderful old Gilmore loom.  My friend, Faith’s sister-in-law needed to find it a good home.  All I needed to do was drive to the Silicon Valley and pick it up with my truck.

In my way of thinking, the loom and other items were picked up for free or for minimal investment, so why not have them in case I should want to weave or create pottery or fused glass?  I have always wanted to take art glass classes, or at the very least make glass beads.

This is how I think.  Of course, being married to a practical engineer who desires an empty garage, he approaches it in a whole new light.  Luckily for me, my dear husband knows that the secret to a happy marriage and happy wife is to turn a blind eye when “items” show up.  🙂

Of course, one day I will indeed learn how to weave, and create with glass.  Until then, my loom sits next to my lovely antique card catalog that I picked up from UCLA when they converted to computers, exercise equipment, fabric stash and too many other art/craft supplies to mention.

Am I the only creative soul who buys things for just in case??  C’mon, confessing is good for the soul.    Cheers, Carla

 

Teaching in AU in October 2014!

Hello, I thought I would share the wonderful news that I will be traveling to Australia in October, 2014, to teach 7 classes at the Australian Machine Quilting Festival in North Terrace, Adelaide.   I have always wanted to visit Australia, so I was honored to be asked to teach at this event.

Here are the classes offered at this show:

Avoiding The Oops! Learn what not to do before an oops- or how to fix the most common issues seen in machine quilting if you do.  After a decade of machine quilting, Carla has either made a mistake, repaired one, or seen issues at quilt shows.  This class is for beginning to intermediate machine quilters who want technical information presented in a fun way.

Freeform beaded purse by Carla Barrett

Freeform Beading for Quilters–  Join Carla Barrett for this innovative, exciting, beading embellishment class that introduces you to freeform beading and how to use this stunning technique for all your quilts!  No prior beading experience is necessary, though a pre-class handout on selecting beads, learning two simple stitches and supply list are provided to a create an optional small purse.  Warning!  This technique is very addictive, fun, and can be used to make jewelry to match, too!

Design for the Foothill Guild’s Opportunity quilt by Carla Barrett

Quilt Whispering: Design Basics– If you have ever struggled to design a quilt top, then this is the class for you!  Learn Carla Barrett’s unique approach to more easily design any quilt, tips and tricks of designing, locating inspiration, and becoming a more confident machine quilting designer along the way.     Discover why thousands of students have taken the online version of this class to rave reviews!  Registered students may send a quilt top photo to Carla by September 1st, 2014 to be designed personally by her.

By the way, here is a photo where I have executed the above design:

Quilting by Carla Barrett

Free motion quilting by Carla Barrett

Freeform Quilting- This class is for all free motion quilters, no matter which machine system you own or your skill level.  Carla teaches her unique method of Freeform Quilting, which can be successfully used as a fast edge-to-edge design, quick border design, or as a unique fill on any quilt.  This technique is also easily adaptable to match other designs used on the quilt, quilt design, or theme.  Come and discover your own freeform quilting style and how to effectively use it in your quilting!

quilting by Carla Barrett

 

Freeform quilting used as a border design for this oak leaf quilt.  Click to see the quilting design in larger format.

fabric crochet by Carla Barrett

Fabric Crochet for Quilters-   Machine quilting and fabric crochet are a perfect combination!  No crochet experience needed for this class in combining quilting and fabric crochet to make a functional and stunning purse.  In addition, Carla will teach you some simple, yet effective embellishment and quilting ideas for finishing your purse.  Many fabrics and fibers can

Fabric crochet purse detail by Carla Barrett

be cut or stripped, then used in this project, including hand-dyed, batik, selvages, and recycled clothing.  Pre-class instruction in how to do two basic crochet stitches- the chain stitch and single crochet stitch will be provided to students, as well as how to choose fabric and what to bring!

 

Free Lace scarf by Carla Barrett

Mokuba Free Lace Scarf-  Create a cool artsy scarf you can wear the same day!  This is an exciting project class using Mokuba Free Lace water soluble to make a scarf on a domestic machine, with information provided for how to use this product on longarm machines, too.  The techniques you learn are also transferable for creating 3-dimensional sculptures, wearable art, and art quilt embellishments, too!  Carla Barrett will share several methods for working with this unique product to acheive different looks or effects- from sheer to opaque.

Tablet Design Class project by Carla Barrett

Tablet Design Class for Quilters-  Have a Wacom style of tablet or Tablet PC, and want to learn how to design with it?  This course teaches you several methods of using your tablet, along with Photoshop Elements (version 7-current) to create a wide variety of quilting designs.  Carla will show you how to plan and design your quilt top image, draw quilting motifs, pantograph designs, wholecloth quilts, and more using your tablet device* and Photoshop Elements.

Tablet Design Plan by Carla Barrett

 *To register for this class, you will need is one of the following types of tablets:  a Wacom (or similar) brand of plug-in tablet for your laptop, or a Tablet PC (which is a tablet laptop or slate tablet capable of running Photoshop Elements).   Your tablet set-up must have Photoshop 8,9,10, or 11 installed. Please note that this class is not for iPad or Android tablets.  For more info about tablet types, please visit https://featheredfibers.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/buying-a-new-pc-tablet/

If you live in AU, I hope you will attend this show, take one of more of my classes, and come meet me!

Btw, in 2014, I will also be teaching in the midwest MQX, too.  That is info for a later post.  Have fun creating!  Carla

Peyote Necklace to Match Jacket

Here is the second project in my series.  I am creating jewelry pieces out of seed beads, fibers, metal or other beads, to match some of the jackets in my closet.

Here is what this jacket looks like- a colorful blend of fuschia, purple,coral, and orange.

Hard to see the true colors in this jacket picture, but it looks better in person than in the image.  I picked it up at a Chico’s sometime in my past.

The goal was to make a matching jewelry piece that I can wear with this jacket.  So what pattern did I use?

I used my peyote pattern, titled Undulations, from the free tutorial page, to create the necklace, which looks like this:

Here is a close up image of the necklace’s button closure:

I do love that the colors chosen for the necklace mimics the flow of colors in the jackets.  I plan to make a matching bracelet, too.

Here is one last image of my finished creation, next to the jacket:

Recycled T-shirt Scarf Tutorial

I had an hour of free time last night, so I decided to recycle one of Joe’s old t-shirts and make myself a scarf out of it.  This project was fast, easy, and only took me less than an hour start to finish (not counting the paint drying time).

Supply List: 

 

 

 

Tip: Cut off the t-shirt hem and under the arms as directed in the photo above.  Notice how the t-shirt material curls and rolls as you tear?  You will want to paint on the top side, which may mean you turn the shirt inside out before painting

Once the above items were gathered, I laid down the plastic trash bag to protect my kitchen counter and just started painting.  In the photo below, I used some purple, blue and silver metallic fabric paints.  I work very fast, so it took me only 10 minutes to paint the t-shirt.  Note that I used an inexpensive foam paint brush and some fabric paint I had on hand.

The painted t-shirt was then taken outside to my garden faucet.  I scrunched up the shirt and lightly soaked it to blend the paint.  I used my fingers to blend any white areas or would simply rub the damp fabric to saturate the t-shirt fabric.  Here is what my painted fabric looks like after wet blending the paint:

Next, I hung up the fabric outside until dry.  Notice that I left the hem on, knowing I would tear it off later.

Tip: Once your fabric is dry, I recommend you heat set it, depending on your brand of fabric paint.  If you are not sure, go ahead and heat set the fabric to prevent color bleed.

The next step is to cut and tear the fabric into strips.  Here is a helpful illustration to show you visually what I plan to do next:

I found that by snipping through the side seam first, then tearing until reaching the other side (about an inch away), you could then use the scissors to cut your t-shirt strips to create a long loop.  Here is another visual for you:

 

Here is what your loop will look like:

To make the t-shirt fabric roll nicely, you just need to stretch it gently.  Here is what my finished strips looked like once I bundled them together and used other rolled t-shirt strips to tie them into a lovely scarf:

At this point, you could embellish your scarf, add beads or tie charms to it.  Braiding some of the strips is another option to try. Really, how you finish it off is up to you.  I used the leftover strips to make dangling bits and for added texture.

If you make one, I would love to see it!  My contact info is above.  Hope you enjoyed this free tutorial.  If so, go ahead and leave me a comment.  Regards, Carla