New Newsletter and Roy Reminder

Just a quick post before I head out for a few days to Austin, Texas.

I just published Issue #30 of Julie B Booth Surface Design News. I talk a bit about my experience taping TV segments for Quilting Arts TV and then there is a fun project about using a resist with leaves to make leaf prints. Click here is you'd like to read it. The newsletter is free so feel free to sign up for it!

This is also your monthly reminder that the next installment of Roy G Biv...searching for the colors of the rainbow and beyond...continues this Thursday with GRAY. If you'd like to play along, post up to five GRAY photos and leave a comment here or on Jennifer Coyne Qudeen's blog and we'll link to your post for our usual colorful blog hop.

I'll be traveling home on Thursday but do promise to post my Roy photos no later than Friday morning.

All Caught Up! The Printed Fabric Bee Architecture Theme Challenge

I'm finally all caught up with my Printed Fabric Bee fabrics! It's been a great two years of learning, stretching and making new virtual friends. I've now also had the pleasure of meeting some of my PFB buds in person! What a treat! This has been an awesome group and an awesome experience! Some of us have agreed to continue and, as I mentioned in the last post, we are coming up with a new format. All of this will start in January...so stay tuned!

I just finished the Architecture theme fabric for Deborah Boschert. The winner of the fabric collection was chosen on September 15...congrats to Nancy Roberts...I'll be sending the 6" square off to you this week.

Here's how I made the fabric...

Deborah requested blues for her fabric color. I mixed up a couple of blue transparent fabric paints and free-hand painted the background.

To give the piece a bit of texture, I slipped one of my hot glue on cardboard texture blocks under the fabric and did some brayer rubbings using a couple of blue opaque fabric paint colors.

For the architectural motifs, I researched on Pinterest and found some column and arch designs which I enlarged and traced. I then transferred the designs and carved a number of Speedy Carve print blocks. I also created some adhesive fun foam blocks in the shapes of some of the motifs. I had such a great time playing with layering that I ended up creating two pieces for Deborah.

Here's the second piece I designed for Deborah.

And here is the 6" square that will be heading Nancy's way.

This theme stymied me for a while...but I'm finally happy with my solution.

The Printed Fabric Bee Caribbean (Ocean) Giveaway

It's time, once again, for a Printed Fabric Bee Giveaway. This is the last giveaway of the year. The group is "re-grouping" and will have an exciting new series of online "how-tos" and giveaways starting in January 2016. We'll be spending more time posting on the official The Printed Fabric Bee blog. I'm really looking forward to it!

In the meantime...this month's Queen Bee is Judy Gula. Judy requested a 12" x 12" fabric with the theme Caribbean Ocean...colors were up to us. Well...you can probably see that the "ocean" part of the theme seemed to slip my mind...only the "Caribbean" part seemed to register. Fortunately, Judy is a good sport and seemed just fine with my tropical addition to her collection.

Here's how I made the fabric...

I tore strips of freezer paper and ironed them to my fabric. Then I painted between the strips, alternating colors and let the fabric dry before removing the freezer paper.

I cut a slice from a large turnip and used a cookie cutter to cut a shaped piece. I carved a design in the turnip slice with my linoleum cutters. I also cut a large carrot and carved that for the smaller motifs. You can see the final fabric at the top of this post. If you want to see some more inspiring ideas about how to print with fruit and veggies...I have an entire chapter about it in my book, Fabric Printing at Home!

Here is my 6" giveaway fabric.

And here are the giveaway fabrics for this collection so far.

To be eligible to win, leave a comment on The Printed Fabric Bee blog or on Judy Gula's blog. Judy will be announcing a winner on October 15. Good luck!!

See how the rest of the Bee members created their pieces...

Jane Davila

Jackie Lams

Carol Eaton

Leslie Jenison

Susan Purney Mark

Lisa Chin

Gerrie Congdon

Lynn Krawczyk

Deborah Boschert

Lynda Heines

September Stitch-In

Some of Ann's nature dyed fabrics including cotton scrim.

A very "intimate" Stitch- In this month...just Ann Z. and me! But, it doesn't seem to matter how small the group...I still get so much out of the sharing and idea bouncing.

Even Ann's purse from Guatemala was wonderful to look at!

Ann Z. just came back from visiting her artist sister in Beverly, Massachusetts. Apparently, Ann's sister is very into gardening and the two of them had a great time doing some natural dyeing (including onion skins and beets). I love the colors of Ann's swatches...so subtle yet beautiful. Ironically, one of the books I'd brought in to show Ann was all about that! It's called Natural Processes in Textile Art: From Rust Dyeing to Found Objects by Alice Fox. It's a really gorgeous book by Batsford and I can't wait to have a bit of time to dive in and try a few things! (BTW my good friend, Jennifer Coyne Qudeen aka Rust Junkie...is featured in this book! Congrats, Jennifer!)

Buffalo Boy

Ann also brought in Buffalo Boy from the Healing Cloth workshop. She is making some progress and has decided to use a heavy but flexible interfacing for the body instead of the original layers of acrylic felt. She's considering adding buttons to the shoulders so that the arms can move (hope that you do that Ann!). For those of you who don't know the back story about Buffalo Boy, Ann is making him for her foster great grandson who is having a lot of emotional difficulties. Ann says that he is starting to do better and I'm sure he'll be really excited to get his "super hero". Go here to read more about this.

Some more lines stitched...just ran out of my thread!

I brought my Dad's letter in to stitch, but never quite got to it (did some stitching when I got back home) since Ann was such a great sounding board for my ideas about my upcoming new class: Hand Stitching (Personal Mark Making). I'm SO excited about this class that I keep jotting down more and more ideas. But...now is the time to get going on the actual projects and determining what is really doable in the five sessions. I'm also hoping to turn this into an online class (working on that!).

One more sweet little story before I go...
I was just about to run out of the specialty thread that I was using to stitch my Dad's letter. It's a hand dyed thread from Sampler Threads...Buckeye Scarlet. I just love the subtle variations in it and love that color red. I purchased it over Memorial Day weekend when my husband and I were having a quick little vacation in Frederick, Maryland. The name of the shop is Primitive Homespuns (really wonderful shop!!!) and so I contacted the owner, Kathy to see if she'd send me another skein. I sent along a photo of the stitched letter. Well...she was so sweet and is gifting me a skein so I can finish stitching. How wonderful it that! If you happen to be visiting Frederick, I hope that you stop in there. On the top floor she has a nice selection of threads and wool fabric (for rug hooking). The furniture is created by her dad and Kathy makes many of the textiles, painted signs and "primitive" cloth dolls and animals.

Line by Line

I stitched two more lines of Dad's letter.

Yesterday, I stitched a couple of more lines of my Dad's letter.

It felt good to get back to it after all the preparation for the Quilting Arts TV segments.

Just reconnecting with the cloth and the words. I'm really loving the feel of the stitched fabric.

I'm also spending time this weekend thinking about goals. I'll be meeting with my Master Mind group on Tuesday and we'll be reviewing our last 6 month goals and making new goals for the next 6 months. I'm starting to think more clearly about the path forward. Spending time with other artists this past week and seeing what they do has helped in that respect.

Cleveland Rocks! QATV Taping in the Can!

Here I am with host of QATV, Susan Brubaker Knapp. Betty Ford was so sweet to whip up a beautiful quilt using my fabrics! You can see it to the left.

I just returned from a few days in Solon, Ohio (just outside of Cleveland) where I was taping my two t.v. segments for Quilting Arts TV. What a great experience! I do admit that I was nervous right up to a couple of minutes before the cameras started rolling but once they did I was in "teaching mode"! Though I don't remember everything I said now...I do remember that I managed to get all that I'd planned to say, said and all that I planned to show, demo-ed. In fact, Quilting Arts editor, Vivika DeNegre seemed so surprised with the change in my demeanor that she came out and said after the first segment... "You were so relaxed!" But really...the whole Quilting Arts and KS Productions teams really support you and make you feel like you are truly a star! Thanks to all of them.



The other wonderful part of doing this was the people I met...some of my online friends are now no longer virtual, but real friends (Lisa Chin and Susan Purney Mark). And I have a number of other new friends (especially my "roomie", Susan Edmonson) and contacts because of this adventure.

I also think I've gained a new perspective on "being professional". I plan to make some changes and to start moving along my path with new conviction.

I'm excited to see what happens!

Thanks to all of you who sent your well wishes...I really appreciate your support!

Off to Cleveland and Roy Reminder

Here's a project I'll be featuring in one of my T.V. segments.

"My bags are packed, I'm ready to go...." Well, not quite all packed...but getting there!

I'm off to Cleveland, Ohio tomorrow (actually Solon). I'll be taping my Quilting Arts T.V. segments on Wednesday. I'm excited to get the chance to meet some of the other artists and also the folks from Quilting Arts and KS Productions who are putting the series together. It usually takes about 3 months or so before the shows start to air on public television. I'll keep you posted!

In the meantime, this Thursday is the next installment of Roy G Biv (the colors of the rainbow and beyond). This month it's Metallic Gold. Since I'll be out of town...and busy...Jennifer Coyne Qudeen will be in charge of this month's challenge. Have fun posting up to 5 photos featuring Metallic Gold and then hop on over to Jennifer's blog to leave a comment. She'll link to your post for our monthly blog hop. We still have a few months to go. See below for the colors we'll be featuring for the rest of the year.

October 15: Gray
November 19: Pink
December17: Blogger's Choice