Never Have I Ever

Never have I ever, until today, stitched a trellis stitch with Razzle (rayon) thread, but it wasn't too hard and I really like the way it looks!  After stitching the trellis, which looked pretty all on its own, we were to stitch a whipped woven circle on top of it!  I wasn't sure I wanted to, but I did it and am glad.  I like it!



My daughter Megan finished her Zentangle shoes.  You might remember that she had a little help from a little friend 😊❤️.  Look at the pictures below and see if you can find the unexpected addition 😂

Have a great day!!

Unexpected Art

My daughter Megan is doing some Zentangle on a pair of white sneakers.  Today she noticed that she got a little bit of unexpected help from my granddaughter.  This just made me smile ear to ear because I think it's SO adorable.  She plans to doodle around this unexpected art and incorporate it into her design, which will make these shoes even more special.  I just love it - I'm still grinning 😄

I hope you had a happy day as well ❤️

Kudos to the Men who Quilt!

This week I went to Thimbles and Threads - a quilt store in Utah that I quite like. A couple of interesting things happened: First, when I walked in I was greeted by a male employee.  Since the number of female quilters is greater than the number of male quilters, we do not see a lot of males who work at quilt shops, but kudos to male quilters!  I believe it's a wonderful hobby and talent for anyone to pursue!  Then, while there, another man came into the store and the man working said, "You're back!"  The customer (who was at least in his 70's if not older) said, "Yes!  I made one and now everyone wants one!"  He had pattern in hand and his wife was helping him pick out fabric.  He looked pretty happy!  Because after all - doesn't quilting make us happy :). Pursuing any talent you enjoy creates happiness and well being.

During a trip to the zoo today I spotted this cool elephant sculpture with some nice Zentangle type designs on it.

What Am I Working On?

What am I working on right now?  Not much!  I haven't had as much time as I would like to work on my projects...

I have been doing a little bit of Zentangle, almost everyday.
On this page I just practiced lines and circles.

On the page above I did some specific Tangles and practiced shading, which is new to me. You can see "Bales" on the lower right side above before it was shaded and in the picture on the left after I added some shading.  Pretty fun!

I'm dreaming of working on a tuffet.....

I still have several pictures to share from the UQG's  Quilt Fest.  Grand Junction's own Busy Bea quilt shop had a booth there and let me tell you, they lived up to the name BUSY.  I went by their booth several times and it was always packed full of shoppers.  See that stack of fabric Teresa is working on cutting.  I never saw that stack get any smaller.  They must've been exhausted at the end of the day :)






Pictured below are the fun baskets that were auctioned off, as well as stockings, blocks and mini quilts in the background (behind the Christmas tree!)  This guild has a LOT going on.  It always makes for a very fun Quilt Fest!

I've also been working on a small birthday gift for someone very special who is having a birthday next week!  I will share pictures later!

The Church of Art

We happened upon this "Church of Art" in Hotchkiss across the street from where the quilters meet.
My husband struck up a conversation with the owner who moved from California and was looking to buy an art studio/gallery and this church was available!

He was intrigued by the "Zentangle" tree painted on the side of the building.  She said she paid a high school student $50 to paint that for her.  I was also intrigued by her car which is covered in art.

This mural is painted on the back of the building. A very interesting and unique art gallery/studio!

Zen Doodling

Pictured here are several samples of the Zen Doodling that took place at the S&B Quilt group in Hotchkiss on Saturday!

I really appreciate those who dug right in and gave it a try.  Fabulous results!

This was a sample brought by one of the members from a class she took at the quilt store in Montrose :)

I like the way this woman added some red in her doodling - it really pops out!

I hope everyone had a good time - I know I did!  I feel inspired to do some doodling myself :)

S&B Quilters

Yesterday we went to Hotchkiss where I did a presentation on Zen Doodling to the S&B Quilt Guild.  I say "we" because my wonderful husband (tech guy, set up and take down guy etc.) went with me and helped me tremendously! It would not have gone nearly as smoothly without him!  Thank you DH!

It was a fun morning with a wonderful group of ladies.  DH was the lone male in the group yesterday.

One of the members, Nancy shared a Zentangle inspired quilt that she made for show and tell.  This quilt is amazing from the Zentangle to the quilting - just beautiful.

It was so fun for me to see Nancy because a long time ago (way back when I first started quilting), I took a machine quilting class from her at the quilt shop in Hotchkiss (which is no longer there...) It was great to see her again.  She also quilted a couple of my quilts for me when I first started!  Seems like yesterday :)







Look at the beautiful machine quilting!!

Another fun show and tell was this Mickey Mouse quilt.  I love the colors, the Mickeys and Minnies and the Mickey in the middle - so fun!

This beautiful quilt is the S&B  Quilt Guild's raffle quilt!  I was wowed! I looked at it close up too and the workmanship is amazing :)




My husband wanted to eat lunch at a restaurant unique to Hotchkiss, so we ate at Zack's BBQ, where I got the best sweet potato fries I've ever had! Delicious end to a fun day!  Thanks to the S&B Quilter's for inviting me :)

Quilt Market Trends

I saw this video recently on what one shop owner says were the top three trends at quilt market.  I've seen these "adult coloring books" everywhere!  Personally I'd rather do the doodling, or Zentangling myself - rather than color what someone else has doodled - just my personal preference though.  They are obviously a big deal!  I did buy some of the gauze fabric and made two swaddle blankets and I really, really want to make a tuffet.... I think they're adorable....

Check out the video here:

http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=37292144

Zentangle

This is a quilt Joan Musick made from a Zentangle she had drawn. So...another fun way of turning your Zentangles into quilts!

I really like the colors she chose and her machine quilting is amazing.

I thought her quilting in the border and (and even on the binding!) is very interesting!

Mary, a very nice quilter in the CWQG, gave me this Zentangle tote bag! I've already used it several times :) So yet another use for your Zentangles! Keep on tangling! 

And I hope all the men in your life have a Happy Father's Day. I'm sure thankful for my wonderful Dad who has always been there for me, and for my wonderful husband who is the best Dad our kids could have hoped for! They're very lucky and so am I!

Organization is Key

Yesterday I attended Sew Savvy at Hi Fashion and "organization" was the word of the day!  Those who work there gave us some great tips on organizing, everything from your sewing room and sewing supplies to the desktop on your computer.  It was great - I enjoyed it!

I snapped a few pictures of new books and fabrics on display and also got a couple of shots of some of the show and tell items.  I was sitting in the back so I only got a few this time.

Heather made this cute Valentine tea towel.

An Edyta Sitar fat quarter bundle!  And more Kansas Troubles fabric.  I need to do something with the stash I already have of that.

Since organization was the word of the day, there were a lot of sewing type storage boxes on sale at a great price.  I almost bought one, but ended up buying a pair of Karen Kay Buckley perfect scissors instead!


Nice new lines of fabric - I was especially drawn to the Molly B's Basics (middle).

Some very nice show and tell pieces.

Michelle showed me a Zentangle that her granddaughter Brynne had started.  She's only 10 years old!  I like that it's something for all ages :)

OK, this was Lorraine's tip for storing her monthly minis.  I took a picture so my daughters and daughter-in-law can see an idea for how to store theirs.  Lorraine is using one of those cheap pant hangers that you sometimes get when purchasing a pair of pants (they will usually let you keep the hanger if you ask), and hanging half on one side and half on the other.  Keeps them straight and out of the way in a closet.  She put a plastic bag over the top of the hanger too, to keep them dust free. Note that they're hanging upside down so the metal hangers are not in the way.


Great tips and a fun Sew Savvy!


I worked on Dear Jane today - can't wait to show my blocks :)

Tangling Fun!

Yesterday was the Zentangle presentation/workshop for both guilds that I've been preparing for.  My goal was to introduce everyone who attended to Zentangle Inspired Art, give them a little taste of how fun it is, and then steer them in the right direction for books, supplies and more instruction if it proved to be something they're interested in.  I feel like, and hope that, I was able to accomplish that!

Someone in the workshop shared this picture with me that I found fascinating.  This is a Zentangle piece using black and white fabric to make the tangles, not pen and ink like I've been doing.  I'm guessing you would draw your basic shape design and then fill it in with black and white fabrics backed with fusible.  Satin stitching the edges would give it the look of the "string" lines in a tangle.  Great idea!!

I was so lucky that my hubby had the day off and was able and willing to help me set up the technical stuff!  He showed me how to do it, but it was nice to have the support, both physical and moral, as it was a long day.  (He didn't stay the whole time, he did get some golfing in!)

The workshop in the afternoon was great fun.  It was for a smaller group of 20-25 people, who had signed up because they were definitely interested.

 I invited Alex Davis to help me teach the workshop.  I had taken a class from her over a year ago and she is fantastic at tangling.  Here are some examples of her beautiful Zentangle Inspired Art pieces. You can find out how to purchase these pieces on her Facebook page: Inkblots and Yarn Knots.

I was pleased and amazed at how the group really got into it and seemed to enjoy it and have the desire to do more!  Here is Tracy from Busy Bea Quilt Shop.  She was drawing and doodling away, without looking at any books for inspiration! Very talented :)








The nice thing about Zentangle though is, that you do not need to know how to draw!  You cannot do it "wrong" because there is no right or wrong way.

In these examples of the class' work you can see just how fun it was and how well everyone did!

I hope everyone keeps on doodling and finds inspiration for their quilts and other arts.

Thanks to the guilds for the opportunity to teach!  It was fun!