She Art Workshop

I am signed up to take this new workshop over at Christy Tomlinson's Blog. I am so excited. Even though I am not a mixed media artist I thought it might help me be more creative in my quilting. I think its good to look outside the box for inspiration. It starts April 11th for anyone wishing to get in on it. She is also having an art journalling workshop which I would like to do as well, however  I want to get through this first. I worked on this little project over the weekend. Their was a tutorial for it in the Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine. If you have'nt read this yet you will want to . They truly have some of the best magazines out their.

Pin Cushion Swap

I am doing a pin cushion swap over at Cara Quilts. My partner that I was matched up to is a more modern quilter and had requested something that wasnt to fru fru. This was really tough for me as I am linen and lace, I like the modern quilts however it is not my strength. I made this one originally and is backed with  Amy Butler fabric .

 When I completed this I thought it might still be a little to fru fru, so I made the little Japanese girl.  I hope she likes it. I know she doesn't follow this blog, so I have no worries of ruining the surprise.

This is incredibly Sad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJCJ1UzxBr8

This is about a dogs loyalty to another dog in the midst of the disaster in Japan. I wish I knew how to help them. I don't understand how people can stand by and film this. They wouldnt just leave them if it were two children.

Bird Embroidery Panel

This panel is available on my etsy site. http://www.madrebello.etsy.com/. I have embellished with embroidery for a quilt I am making. These panels are 18 x 22 inches and great for bags, quilts, and other projects. Leave them plain or embellish with beads, embroidery etc.

Tree Quilt

This is a quilt I made several years ago. I appliqued the tree part onto the squares as it was easier then trying to inset the triangles into the blocks and inset the trunks. It was a fun quilt to make and sits on the back of our sofa always ready for anyone who needs a little warmth. I machine quilted it with an all over squiggle pattern. It was the first time I had machine quilted anything. It was a big job, however worth the effort. The pattern was from a quilting magazine , however I'm sorry to the designer it was several years ago and I dont remember exactly which magazine.

Bird Design Part 2

This is the second bird I have designed for my quilt. I have a total of 12 designs in all. 6 Birds and 6 Hearts. I made this bird into this bag. I will show you the whole quilt when it is done. I have 5 blocks finished only 7 more to go.

International Women's Day

My Mom on the left and my Aunt Marlyne on the right ( two of the greatest women I know)

Today is my first day of volunteering for my local Women and Children's Crisis Centre. I will be teaching the women and children the basics of sewing, crochet and embroidery. I am so excited to get started. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time and I hope to continue to do for a long time. I think if you have the means, have a safe roof over your head and are lucky to have a wonderful supportive husband like I do , you know how fortunate you are. It just takes that one good or bad relationship to change things drastically in your life. I haven't always had life as good as I have it now. I have had those relationships that were not great and didnt make me a better person. I am so thankful for every little thing in my life and I love to volunteer. It is true that you get far more out of it then you would expect. I enjoy seeing people happy even if only for a moment. I do a bit of volunteering with my husband through his Rotary Club and I always meet great people who support and love the community. I hope the women enjoy their day as much as I am going to.

P.S. Happy International Women's Day.

New Designs

Well I did it. I opened up and posted on my new etsy account it is http://www.madrebello.etsy.com/ . I am so excited to hear the feedback and see what is possible. I have designed 12 blocks in all, however I am only showcasing one today.

This is the hand screened block 18 x 22

This is the purse I made with that block. Their is another block on the other side, however I will save it for next week.

These blocks are all designed and handscreened by me. Their is 12 in total so you could quite easily make a quilt from them. I have 6 different bird styles and 6 different heart styles.

Please let me know what you think

PlayDoh

This is when it first comes out of the pot

This is when it is Kneeded

If you have ever bought playdoh you know that a) it can be expensive b) I am not really sure what it is made of  and c) kids have it all rolled into one colour very quickly. I follow a ladies blog over at Cinderberry Stitches  and she posted a recipe for Play doh. (she also does amazing embroidery patterns)  It works like a charm. It took me less than 5 minutes and is soft and pliable just like regular playdoh ( and if they eat it it wont hurt them). I am taking a bunch over to my niece, she just loves the stuff.

Meet Sam

 This is our dog Sam. He will be 8 in June and fast becoming a senior even though he still asks like a teenager. He is a poodle mix. He is the funniest dog. He has so many personalities and just loves, loves people. This is him smiling at Christmas.  ( sorry the picture is a litle blurry) .

This week I will finally have photos of what I have been working on and my etsy shop opening . I hope you enjoy what I am about to share with you.  See you Friday if all goes well.