Quilting Arts, Interweave and subscription hell

I want to say right out front that I am a big fan of the magazine Quilting Arts, and have purchased it whenever I could find it.  For a few years I was able to buy it from the bookstore here in Bangkok, but I had to be quick as at THB595 ($19.39/£12.14) for a $7.99 magazine, I wanted a copy that had not been well thumbed by half of Bangkok first.  Yes it was quite a hefty mark up, but I loved reading the magazine and thought it worth it, to keep up on latest trends etc.

In addition to the magazine, I have also purchased many DVDs from Interweave (the publisher of Quilting Arts), which I had shipped to friends in the US.  They either hand carried them back for me, or I collected them when I went to the US.  I have also bought Quilting Arts books and other magazines produced by Interweave.  I guess you can say I am a big fan of their products.

Embroidery for Beginners

Have you missed me?  No?  Okay then, I'll just crawl back into a corner and lick my wounded ego.  I think I have been suffering from Bloggers Block.  Yes it is a medical condition but it has absolutely nothing to do with bowels.  I just couldn't get around to taking up my virtual pen and writing again.  

Of course life sometimes conspires against me (and my blogging).  I spent a month on a fantastic holiday in the US (I just can't wait to go again!).  As you can see, I did a little bit of shopping whilst there, just to get my creative juices going again.

More Bangkok Photos

This is the door hinge (turned sideways) from the men's toilets in one of the malls.  Thankfully not too graphic.

More Fun Photos

Ask a foreigner in Bangkok about taxis and inevitably it comes to one thing, why do all taxi drivers let rip the most noxious fart imaginable, once the taxi is under way?  Like a stealth bomber, that driver drops a fart, that can leave you reeling and choking in the back seat.

I've long given up pretending that I haven't smelt anything.  I hold my finger to my nose or whip out my fan  In the more horrific cases, I crank the window down and with my eyes streaming, I frantically wave my fan in front of my face.

I have Helene to thank for this picture.  She was travelling in a taxi from the airport, when the group she was with spotted this sticker behind the driver's seat.

I KNOW IT'S SHAMEFUL, BUT I ADMIT IT, I'VE QUILTED AN IPAD COVER!

Now we all know (or you should know) that I am a vehement hater of quilted objects, and definitely see them as the shameful face of quilting.  Lets face it, who needs a handmade pot holder or my personal favourite, a quilted cover for the car seat belt - I kid you not!  I mean who in their right mind has a quilted seat belt cover?  So I know there are going to be quite a few raised eyebrows and knowing smirks when you see what I have just made - a quilted cover for my iPad!

Yeah yeah, keep them guffaws coming, I KNOW I deserve them.

Why did I do it?

Libby Lehman in Bangkok

I had a couple of days of quilting excitement last week when Libby Lehman came to town.  I guess you could call her the Queen of Threads as Libby is most famous for her Threadplay technique, which in a rather small nutshell, is free motion 'painting' a lace-like design on a quilt top.

Libby has written about this technique in her book Threadplay, which is available on Amazon.  I can wholeheartedly recommend this book.  My well-thumbed copy (which now proudly bears her autograph) has been with me on all our postings.

Libby also has a dvd, called A Day of Threadplay, which is available from Amazon.  I haven't seen it but if it gives similar information to that in her classes, should be a good purchase

In addition, Libby was named The Quilt Show Quilting Legend 2009 and her quilt Joy Ride was placed in the top 100 of the 20th Centuries best American quilts.

If all that wasn't enough, Libby teaches internationally and finds time to write a column for The Quilt Life.  I have no idea how she fits her quilting in, but somehow she does.  If you want to see some of her beautiful quilts, take a look on her website.

MEN & SNORING

It is just gone 2am and I am up writing this because YET AGAIN, I have been forced from my bed by HE TO WHOM I AM MARRIED because of his bleeping SNORING!  I am now waiting for the other room to cool down, so that I can go to sleep in there, whilst at the same time knowing that I am so mad, sleep is probably long gone.

I have three questions to ask:

1. Why do men never stop snoring?
2. Why do they always deny they have been snoring?
3. Why is it ALWAYS the woman who has to move rooms?

Yes no doubt Alan will say I snore, but never has it been so bad that it has forced him from bed at 2am in the morning, with murderous thoughts in his head.   How many times has he nudged me to shut up, only to be met with incredulous denial?  I'll tell you.  NONE, NADA, NEVER!

I am so PISSED OFF right now, that all I can think of is ways to stop this happening again.  I have therefore decided that next time he snores I am NOT going to move beds.  Instead I am going to stick a straw up his nose then superglue his nostrils and mouth closed.  That should stop the sound of those rasping snores.  

And let me tell you, if I feel then the way I feel now, I won't be looking too hard for those bloody straws!

I DYED THIS WEEK, BUT LIVED TO TELL THE TALE!

My phone was red hot on Wednesday with messages from Alan asking 'are you dyeing yet?' No, he wasn't wishing me ill, but meanly making fun of my latest interest, fabric dyeing.  

SHIRLEY AND HER SEWING MACHINE

The latest review is from Shirley, an Australian living in the UK (probably for more years than she ever lived in Aus).  Shirley is your 'go to girl' if you want to find a way to do something or even better, if you want to find a way to do something as cheaply as possible.  Shirl has a blog called Shirley G-Stuff

What machine do you use (make and model number)?

Jonome 555 

 How long have you owned it?

Over 10 years.  I shipped over from Australia the old machine my mum bought me, but it was playing up and was too heavy, so I just wanted something cheap and basic for clothing repairs.  I went to John Lewis and bought the cheapest I could find - just over £100.   I've never had one with more than straight or zig zag stitch so that was fine and still is for making most clothes.

British Olympic Team

The Olympics have always been seen as a recognition of well honed athletes at the top of their game, and the 2012 Olympics are no exception.

This year's Olympics feature the First To The Bar and the Most Drunk races, both new categories.  This post is to introduce some of Britain's top athletes entering those races.

A late entry into the Olympics is athlete Craig, who is shown above holding up the official Olympic symbol, which he lovingly made himself from some greasy onion rings.  Good to see that he is hard at work in full training.

Also in the running are two, slightly more experienced athletes (read older).  Athlete Mark slurred that he had been in training all his life for this moment, to which athlete Alan quipped that it had clearly been a very long training session!  

Doesn't it make you proud to be British!

Readers of the Coven blog, may have seen the post about my cousin (Unc's daughter) doing a wing walk.  Unc has never been one to stand in someone's shadow and so after his daughter did it, he insisted on going up too.

This is the after shot.  Sadly he had forgotten to wear his braces, so his trousers blew off.  Still, you have to give him full marks for effort.  I'm just glad it's not me who has to wash those pants!

Screen Printing For Cheapos!

I've been experimenting with some surface design stuff, hoping that I can find something new to integrate into my quilts.  I bought some Thermofax screens whilst in the UK, but I don't want to ruin them, until I have an understanding of the printing process.  I've wanted to do silkscreen printing for ages, so decided to give it a go.  There has only been one problem so far, and quite a fundamental one at that, I can't find any silkscreens on sale her in Bangkok!

After taking to You Tube (and of course losing countless hours in the process, don't you just LOVE it), I came up with a few ideas about how to build a screen, what I could use as mesh and importantly, what I could use as a resist on the mesh.

The first idea was to repurpose an old painting.  Not having any that I could do that with, I had to buy a new canvas and strip it off the frame.  I then took the frame and stapled the mesh to it, very tightly.  Old net curtains appears to be the popular method (though I did see old tights/pantyhose used as mesh), but as I didn't have any (of either), I had to use some expensive organza (sob!).

Then the edges were sealed with some duct tape.  The tape was also laid about an inch over the mesh, to form wells for the paint.

CHRISSY BRININSTOOL AND HER SEWING MACHINE

The Divine Ms B, otherwise known as Chrissy Brininstool, has sent her review.  I suspect this may be the oldest machine in this series.

Incidentally, I always wondered why we never saw Bill and now we know.  Poor Bill is kept in a sweatshop, beavering away and ruining his eyes.  Or maybe, given what she has created and made him wear in the past (see below), he just prefers to keep her off the sewing machine!

Here is a picture of my sewing machine and my pathetic sewing corner where I've produced many a HUGE quilt. And you thought I was a whiner! Anyone who does not whine about this little sewing space is a SAINT!!! So if you ever come to stay with me and I get the urge to sew in the middle of the night, you will be right behind me!!!!!
(Oh no, she sleeps naked and I bet she hasn't waxed her back recently, ugh!).

My machine was purchased in 1966, a brand new Singer, and is not plastic. It has never been out of my sight or hands. Yes, that is right, it has never been serviced or used by anyone else.

JANICE TEA AND HER SEWING MACHINES

A review of three sewing machines by Janice Tea.  I'm afraid to say anything rude about her, as she may make me sleep out in the woods, when I visit her in Utah - as in CAMP!

PFAFF CREATIVE 1467

Janice and her kids

I purchased this after graduate school, around 1989.  I originally had a Singer, very basic, but I sewed mine and the kids clothes on it.

How VERY Sound of Music of you Janice!  

IRA AND HER SEWING MACHINE

From Ira Joseph, the owner of Quilts 'n' Calicoes in Singapore.  She is also the founder/organiser of the annual quilt exhibition held at the Singapore Botanical Gardens.  Though she and her sewing machines remain camera shy, she did find 5 minutes to dash off some answers.


What sewing machines do you use?
Mainly Janomes, with 2 Berninas (non computerized) from long ago.  I don't like computerized models much, as I like to adjust my stitches to my liking exactly.

Kim & Her Sewing Machine

The first (I hope!) sewing machine review.

What machine do you use (make and model number)?

I sew on a Husqvarna Designer 11

How long have you owned it?

I have owned it for about 9 or 10 years I think.  I bought it in England and had it shipped to Japan, as it was cheaper than buying it there.

Is this your only sewing machine and if not, what other machines do you have?

I have two other machines, a Singer in France (I have no idea what model it is, just think cheapest in the lawnmower shop!) and an Elna here, as a backup machine, which I have owned for about 18 years I guess.

Stupendous Stitching

Like most quilters I know, I use only two or three of the stitches from the many that are available on my sewing machine.  The quilter Carol Ann Waugh however, uses every single stitch on her machine.  And I mean every stitch.  Carol has produced some interesting looking quilts, so I signed up for her class Stupendous Stitching on Craftsy and gave it a go.

Am I Related to Hitler?

We've all heard the stories about Elvis resurfacing in Prague or Michael Jackson being seen alive and well in Berlin, but Hitler in Harrow?

Unc sent me this photo of my grandmother, uncles and aunts and standing in the middle is...HITLER!  Well actually its Unc.  Or maybe not.

Could it be possible that Hitler is alive and kicking and spending his retirement as a picker?

I'm a Loser!

Okay, let me just get it out of the way first.  I didn't win a single bloody thing!!!!  Four prizes and I got nowhere!  What a disappointment.  Never mind, next time I'll heed Alan's advice not to get my hopes up.

 I am not sure what upset me more, that I didn't win anything, or where they had put my quilt.

First off, the show was not at all what I was expecting.  I thought it was going to be a proper display.  Instead it was a very crowded large stand, where people were taking classes.  The quilts were on the wall of the stand, and on a frame, which sat a few feet in front of the display wall.  We eventually spotted my Recycle quilt on the frame.

When Indifferent Quilts Go Bad

 Not all quilts work and this is a case in point.  I started it YEARS ago, yes that's right, years.

I had painted the sea and sky fabrics and knew that I wanted a coastal scene.  The composition was based very loosely on a picture, that I have long since lost.  I think I started it with no clear idea of where I was going with it, and quickly became unfocused.  I ploughed on, thinking that I would regain focus.

Things went from bad to worse when I thread painted the palm trees.  They look great, but I should not have done this directly onto the quilt top, as it caused puckering around the trees.  Instead of just stopping there and giving up, I thought I could make it all come right when I quilted it.  Of course it didn't come right.  So I put the quilt into a corner and left it there, for years.

He Did Wot???

Add caption

Unc has been out and about again.  He has in fact been filming at Pinewood Studios, as an understudy to a man in a commercial (can't tell you what apparently).  In case you don't know it, it is a huge film studio, where I believe the Bond films are made.

I had an email from Unc saying that he was walking to the car park at Pinewood, when Brad Pitt drove past (I've paused for your screaming to die down!).  They met up in the car park and exchanged words with Brad and one of his kids.  On reading that, I dashed off an email asking him to get a photo of Brad and his autograph.

Now I must take time to tell you that I have always told Alan that he is my temporary husband, and that when the real one comes along, Alan is out the door.  It is understood between us, that my real husband is in fact, Brad Pitt (well, he will be once he leaves Angelina).  We will skip over the parts where Alan asks for Brad's phone number to ask him to come get me sooner rather than later.

RECYCLE

This is my 'glutton for punishment' quilt, i.e. my second competition entry!

If Only We Had Planted More Trees, Part II

So here finally, is the finished quilt.

Competition Quilt in Progress - Part 1

I have been working on a quilt to enter a quilt show here in Bangkok in June.   I was quite excited until I read the theme of the competition:
Eco quilt for the environment.  
Get the green back.
Turn over a new leaf for the environment.
Show the power of nature through threads of cloth and needlework, for a better tomorrow.

If you don't already know it, that is a theme that is sure to send me to sleep.  I know it isn't fashionable to say it but, environment?  Yawn!

After a lot of brain storming, and a huge amount of fantastical ideas on Alan's part that far outstripped my talent, I came up with my idea, 'plant a tree'.  Yeah yeah, hackneyed beyond belief, but falling asleep whilst watching an Inconvenient Truth, had not set me up for anything more challenging!

Drying the painted fabric.

Getting Ready to Quilt

This is another one of those, 'if you don't sew, look away now' posts.

Machine with its integral flatbed, which I rarely use as is too small.

One of my dreams (well, one of the very many, along with Brad Pitt knocking on my bedroom door and Godiva asking me to be their official chocolate taster), has been to own a flat bed sewing table.  If you don't know what that is, it is a table that your sewing machine drops down into (usually by some sort of lifting device (see, I'm really technical today).

You might ask why I would need one.  Come on, someone ask, I feel like I'm alone here!  Well the simple answer is, the type of quilting I prefer (free motion), needs the quilt to be moved in all directions, at a regular pace.  That isn't easy at the best of times with a large quilt, but when trying to sew on the very small bed of a sewing machine, it can be very difficult to achieve, as you have more of the quilt to support as you sew.  Now a quilt may not feel heavy to you, but believe me, when you have to hold that weight, with your arms at a certain angle, and then move it around in a fluid movement, it becomes very heavy, very quickly.  An extended flatbed supports more of the quilt.  Simply put, it becomes less tiring on your neck and shoulders, and the quilt is easier to move.

Unc goes Caribbean

Taken when Unc was sporting a beard for his film extras work.

Many friends have heard me talk about my Uncle and the things he gets up to.  I think most people would describe him as 'a character', though I'm not sure what my poor, long suffering aunt would describe him as!

I have finally decided to add a new section to my blog, Unc's Antics.  From time to time, I'll publish the things that he has got up to.  Well, the publishable things anyway.

Roy and I write to each other every day, and quite frequently I'll get two or three emails from him.  This is pretty remarkable for a man who got his first computing device, an iPad, when he was in his 70s. Oh yes, he recently upgraded to the new iPad!  This past week's ramblings from him, had me rolling in the aisle.

THERE ARE THREE OF US IN THIS MARRIAGE AND IT IS GETTING RATHER CROWDED

A wife's rant about being married to a journalist.

If your journalist husband is anything like mine, he probably started out with piles of newspaper clippings (sorry, very important references) cluttering up the place, that you were eventually able to surreptitiously remove from the home unnoticed.  

Hard at work journalist, looking for more papers to save

These life or death clippings were kept in special folders, for that special moment when they would be required again.  Mine never even noticed that I had binned them.

I Know Wot I Likes And I Likes Wot I Know.

This is adding up to be the worst week of the year so far.  Why I hear you ask?  (Okay, nobody asked, but it sounds good).  This week has seen the demise of an old friend, who was very close to me and to whom I have at times, been very closely attached.  Yes, I am talking about my belt.

Now I know there are a few of you out there scratching your heads wondering why I am so upset about my belt.  Well, to elucidate.

Printing on Fabric

WARNING
IF YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN SURFACE DESIGN, LOOK AWAY NOW.

HEY, I DIDN'T MEAN EVERYONE!

In an exchange of emails, my arty friend Shirl and I discussed printing on fabric and the possibility of using greaseproof paper to support your fabric before putting it through the printer.

Cheap Welsh Fudge

Tom and Jerry have been shopping again at Tesco, and just look what they have found!  There was some suggestion that Catherine Zeta Jones was responsible!  And look, you get Clubcard points too!

The Seated Buddha

I was invited by a friend to contribute a small quilt to Art Quilt Elements 2012, which is now in its 10th year.   Quilters were asked to contribute a postcard sized quilt for sale which will be sold for $50.  The funds raised go towards the costs of the catalogue of the main exhibit.

A WALK IN THE SUN

So, did you guess the quilt?  Valiant guesswork Shirl.  Maybe I should send you some of this fabric to see if you can make one yourself!  As I said, the clue was in my trip to Chiang Mai, which is famous for all its temples.

So...

Take one head, and some dodgy looking legs.

Stop With The Mean Emails, Please!

Thank you everyone, for all your well wishes for Alan's good health.  He is feeling great after a few days in Penang, taking it easy.  

I do not however, thank you for all the comments made about how he supposedly got the cut above his head.  I did not hit him with a rolling pin, ipad, fist or as my sister so nicely suggested, a Dutchie pot!  He did it himself, and I now call an end to all the hurtful emails that have been sent my way!

One Eyed Jack

Alan woke up this morning to find that his eyelid has almost covered his eye.  I am now taking bets as to whether it closes completely in time for his birthday tomorrow.  Honestly, would you go on holiday with someone looking like this?

I'm still getting very hurtful comments about how Alan did this, and I want to state here and now, I DID NOT DO THIS TO HIM!  Oh and before you ask, yes he will be having a shave before we go.  He is not going to use this as an excuse to grow a holiday beard!

I Am Just A Poor Boy Though My Story's Seldom Told

Alan gave us both an enormous fright yesterday, when he passed out, hitting his head on the hardwood floor.

As you can see, he had a huge gash above his eyebrow.  I took this photo to prove to Alan that this cut DID need stitching, and would NOT heal on its own.  Thankfully he realised that it did need more than my nursing skills, gained from ER, Chicago Hope and St Elsewhere!

Guess The New Quilt

I have owned a meter of this piece of fabric since I lived in Japan.  In fact, the shop had it in a variety of colours, so I bought quite a lot of yards.  Over the years I have used bits and pieces of it in other projects, but mostly, I just like to look at it, in all its hand dyed glory.  When I was looking for a piece of fabric for this project, I pulled this out and it begged me to use it.  Don't you just love it?

 Can you guess the subject of my new quilt?

The Drunken Zen Garden

Part VI
Well with the less than perfect sand lines, I could only embrace the obvious and pass them off as the work of a drunk zen gardner!

It didn't take any time to finish this off last night.

Almost There

PART V
Today I started sewing down the top layer.

I sewed down the upper part of the quilt, excluding the gravel and smaller rock.  I kept losing confetti out the side of the quilt, so worked with a set of tweezers next to me.  Actually I have found the pair of very long, angled tweezers (I have no idea what their real use is) that I have, to have been very useful in fussy placing confetti around some elements of the quilt.

The Confetti Goes On, Comes Off And Goes On Again!

PART IV

Thanks Shirley for your helpful suggestions in the last post's comments section.  One of the big differences between quilting and painting is that painters, with their ability to mix paint, have an endless palette at their disposal.  With quilting, unless you are lucky enough to live near a great quilting shop that carries a good stock, you quilt with what you can get your hands on, or what you can dye, paint or disperse yourself.  When you mix that with my hope that once on the quilt, the colour will look better, you end up with that horrid green I used previously!

Anyway, I didn't do any work on the quilt yesterday, so this afternoon I was determined to at least get as far as putting the netting on.

A Frustrating Afternoon

PART III

The afternoon started out well enough.  I played around with the centre rocks until I found a combination that I liked.