Quilting Tip of the Week 12.31.15

Ever keep track of how many hours you lose searching for your needle and thread when hand sewing? Count no more!

Grab one of the flat refrigerator magnets and place your threaded needles on it. Done!

Happy 2016!

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Merry Christmas!

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A Holiday Wish For You...

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Photos of Donations To Mic Mac Indian Reservation

As promised, here are several photos of the recipients of the beautiful quilts, blankets, afghans and fleece throws donated to the Mic Macs at the reservation in Presque Isle in October.

If you would like to add to the warm and satisfying feeling to help someone in need, please contact Laura Freeman. Her contact information is at the end of the link below:

http://kc1930.blogspot.com/2015/11/we-drove-up-to-presque-isle-on-saturday.html

Valentine Mug Rug Tutorial by Lifekidsandthepursuitofsanity.com

Okay, Christmas projects are complete and now you can rest. But....don't get too comfortable! Time to plan ahead for Valentine's Day! Here is a quick and easy mug rug pattern that you can use strips or even scraps. Add a matching mug from you local dollar store and a bag of candy hearts for an adorable gift for friends and family.


http://www.lifekidsandthepursuitofsanity.com/2014/01/17/patchwork-squares-heart-shaped-valentines-day-mug-rug-tutorial/

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Scottie Mug Rug Pattern From Connecting Threads

http://www.connectingthreads.com/patterns/Christmas_Scottie_Mug_Rug_Pattern_Download__D11767D.html

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Fabric Covered Notebook Tutorial by The Ribbon Retreat

It's never too soon to start making your holiday gifts for 2016!

http://www.theribbonretreat.com/blog/fabric-covered-notebook.html

Quilting Tip of the Week 12.17.15

Wrapping a gift for a fellow quilter? Wrap it with fabric!

 Find out their favorite fabric brands, color or themes and wrap, fasten with safety pins and make a bow of fabric strips/ribbon.

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MCA Haystack Workshop Weekend

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION closing soon  MCA Haystack Workshop Weekend 2016 Metals Studio at Haystack, photo by Amanda Kowalski The MCA invites members and non members for three and a half days of studio workshops at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, ME, May 12-15, 2016. Instruction, room and all meals are included in the fee.  Built on a cliff overlooking Jericho Bay in the Atlantic Ocean, Haystack has served as a muse to many who have come to create.Located on Stinson Neck in Deer Isle, Maine, the award-winning campus, designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in February 2006.  View 2016 MCA Haystack Weekend details and register HERE.   Register by December 31 for an early bird discount of $50. Note that workshops are filling quickly. 2016 Workshops and Instructors Ceramics: Raku with Sharon Townshend, 2014 MCA Master Craft Artist  The Raku is like alchemy. Pots are transformed by fire and smoke from earthy to glitz in this dramatic firing process. We'll primarily investigate the graphic possibilities of black and white. Exploration of surface designs will start with a firing of tea bowls (provided) early in the weekend. Claywork will include handbuilding simple forms and making roller stamps to add textures to the soft clay. The culmination will be a Sunday morning Raku firing of the work you bring with you. Read more Printmaking: Collagraph and Carborundum with Mike Marks FOUR SPACES REMAINING Carborundum printing is an exciting form of printmaking where highly textured printing plates are made using carborundum grit (an abrasive sand-like compound). The grit can be applied to a variety of surfaces, from mat board to cardstock to metal, using brushes, drawing tools, and glue. When inked and printed, the plate produces lively and saturated colors while also embossing the paper. In this workshop students will explore materials for making gestural painterly marks on plates, the physical buildup of printing colors, and embrace a side of printmaking that breaks from the traditional rigor of editioning that opens up the potential for the medium to create a varied suite of images. Read more Fiber Arts: Textile Design with Claudia Brahms In this Textile Design workshop we will explore ways to use off-loom weaving techniques. Bring a fiber project or an idea you are working on, or weave new designs in the workshop. We will explore ways of incorporating both on and off-loom technique. We will use free-style weaving in our work to add texture, color, dimension, and a personal signature. Learn how drawn thread-work, the addition of supplimental warp yarns after weaving, tapestry techniques, pleating, and texturizing can be incorporated into your fiber art. Read more Woodworking: Marquetry and Inlay with James MacDonald This workshop will provide students with the basic process of marquetry known as bevel cutting. Instructor learned this technique from Silas Koff 25 years ago at this very same MCA Weekend Workshop- a nice turn of events! The technique offers a good results for beginners and can create really dramatic detailing. Students will all create a simple piece which includes all the different types of cuts. Read more Mixed Media: Cold Connecting Sculpture with Sam Shaw, 2015 MCA Master Craft Artist We will be fabricating figures, objects and sculptures by an additive process involving epoxies and a specialized two part blending media. The emphasis will be on building figurative forms but not restricted to that; the technique will have applications to other objects such as vessels or other forms. The process may enhance how you work in other parts of your creative life, and can incorporate other found objects including glass, metal and wood. Read more Blacksmithing: Fun with Metal: Forging and Welding with Eric Ziner ONE SPACE REMAINING Learn the basics of manipulating the material to your desired wants. A range of possibilities can be explored, from simple to complex. Forging hot metal, welding components, and composing elements, create your vision with a lasting impression. All levels of experience will benefit! Read more Jewelry: Anticlastic Raising with Michael Good CLOSED/WAITLIST CLOSED STAY CONNECTED:

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10-Minute Reversible Table Runner Tutorial

http://www.quiltsbyjudieatcreekside.com/10-minute-reversible-table-runner-instructions.html

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Quilting Tip of the Week 12.10.15

Instead of basting my quilt sandwich, I use curved safety pins. Here are two ways to store your pins:

 Use a plastic soap storage box or...

Try a long stitch holder used for knitting. You can leave your pins open and slide over the pin. It would make it easy work of pinning!