Step Right Up!

Thanks to everyone who entered my 200-th post giveaway. The winner is…

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:17Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Dorrie!

Dorrie said she is going to use the new Rouenerries fabric line from Moda by French General to include some dish towels and probably some of the potholders or some napkins she’s been making. . . keeping with the food/kitchen theme. Great ideas for Christmas gifts!

prize for 200th post giveaway

Congratulations to Dorrie! (no need to send me your address cuz I already have it)

We are off to the farmers market for breakfast. Hope you all enjoy your Saturday!

The Art of Drawing Class

Remember that one-day drawing class I took back in May?  I liked the instructor so much that I signed up for a two-day drawing class with her, which is this weekend.

Hello Betty patchwork

The course description says we are going to expand our abilities and develop our individual drawing style. The instructor is going to teach us ways to loosen up (I need that when it comes to drawing!), learn to see and measure, learn principles of perspective,  all using graphite, charcoal, pen, and ink.

It will be two days full of instruction at this really cool artist retreat a few miles from my house.  I have always wanted to learn how to draw, so I am excited for this new adventure!  See you on Sunday.

Support for Your Shop

During my recent efforts to get inventory ready for my new Etsy shop,  I have been spending more time on Etsy. Not doing research, but mostly shopping in support of others selling their handmade wares.

Hello Betty patchwork

I thought this would be a good time to update my sidebar list of Creative Shops to Love, which can also include Artfire and other online shops that are not on Etsy.

patchwork for shop

If you are a regular reader of my blog, do you have an Etsy shop, Artfire or an online shop? Is it listed in my blogroll on the right? If not, please send me your shop name and link.

Good Folks patchwork

I also thought this would be a good time to update my list of favorite creative tutorials.  Have you posted a recent tutorial you would like to share? Is it listed in my blogroll on the right? If not, please send me your link.

Just wanted to recognize some of my fellow creative entrepreneurs!

Artwork Packaging

Sometimes I buy things just because I love the artwork on them.

I bought these zippered pouches at Barnes & Noble recently… just because the artwork is so unique with a touch on the wild side.

artwork pencil pouchesThe top one is called dragon tattoo art and the bottom one is called chalky heart. Makes me want to practice my drawing more. Thank goodness my next drawing class starts in a couple weeks.

I also bought these adorable mint tins for a $1.00 each because the artwork was so fabulous. These chicks are a bit fantasy mixed in with female attitude.

cool artwork mint tins

Does you guys ever do this – buy something just because the container or the packaging is so hard to resist?

Weekend Projects

Our weather is supposed to be cloudy and stormy most of the weekend, so you know what that means? Sewing!

I am diligently working on finishing the quilting on my zig-zag quilt.

quilting the zigzagSo far, that is going very well. I am pleasantly surprised at how well my machine can handle quilting a larger quilt.

I also have to sew my strips into blocks for the quilt-along. I think I will have enough for about 46 blocks, which should make a good size quilt.

Mod Girls strips ready for piecingHaven’t started that yet, but I will get to it.

I also cut the pieces for a mini quilt I am making for the Spring Blooms Mini Quilt Swap. Check out the photo pool of other minis being exchanged. There’s a lot of gorgeous creativity going on out there! 

pieces for mini quiltI have been thinking about this project for about two weeks now, not sure what I wanted to make. For some reason, I hadn’t been struck with my usual light-bulb idea for this project.  Sure enough, late Friday night while playing with different combinations of fabrics in my stash, I came upon a pile of Pop Garden fabrics that I knew would be perfect for the look I’m going for.

I have a lot of work to do today, so I’m off to get busy. Hope you enjoy a fabulous weekend!

Final Logo Design Project

I finished my final color project for design class this weekend, and I’m so excited to share it with you!

Remember I had been working diligently on it for the past week? I finished painting and assembling the designs into an accordion book. 

final logo accordion book

We had to create a design in just black and white, and a design using analogous colors.

black-white and analogous designsThen we had to create a design with complimentary colors (opposites on the color wheel). And finally, we had to display the original design with the three new designs.

Complimentary design and all four designs

To accompany these designs, we had to create an inspiration board of images and colors.

surf wear inspiration boardI love how it all looks together. Makes you want to go to the beach or surfing, doesn’t it?

inspiration board and logo designs

I have always wanted to create an inspiration board for something. Now I will definitely do more of this. The search for colors, the search for images. It really gets your creative juices going.

I can’t believe how far I’ve come this semester with this design class. I learned so much about designing with lines, shapes, typography, texture, and color. Next up, more drawing!

Gardening and Drawing Class

We exhausted ourselves last weekend planting trees and shrubs. Our goal this spring is to fill in our big backyard so it feels more like a park.

We started with a magnolia tree. Isn’t she pretty?

magnolia tree ready to plant

We bought some holly shrubs to have foliage and berries in winter, when everything is dormant and bare.

Holly shrubs

We added a row of willow shrubs to the side of the house, where there is a hodge-p0dge of columbines, lilies of the valley and wood poppies.

willow shrubs

We still have to plant the birch clump, which will replace a dyeing birch in our front yard.

new birch tree

I spent the entire day on Sunday in a drawing class for beginners at the botanical gardens.   We started with the basics, from intuitive drawing to gestural drawing to blind drawing.  Then we progressed to still life, where we focused on measuring and shading.

tomato-onion still life

I’ve never really drawn still life free-hand, so this was exciting to learn how to really look at something and translate it onto paper. 

still life of bottles

I am hoping to combine our growing garden with a budding knack for drawing this summer.  It’s exciting to turn another creative corner in my life!

Designing With Color Art Project

I have been spending a lot of time this week on my almost final project for design class. 

We had to pick one of our shape drawings to use for a logo design project.  

daisy drawings

Remember the Gerber daisy I drew that looks like a sun? I decided to use that design.

gerber daisy drawing

Next we had to think of a business name that would go with our logo. I have always wanted to learn to surf, and I love Roxy, Quicksilver and Billabong clothing, so that was the inspiration for my hypothetical business – Sun Devil Surf Wear.  We also had to find a font that goes with the image of our business.

logo painting in progress

The first of four illustrator boards had to be painted in just black.

logo designs in progress

The second illustrator board has to be painted in two analagous colors. I am going to use red and orange.

The Color Wheel

The third illustrator board has to be painted in two complimentary colors or two to three split complimentary colors. I am going to use orange and blue.

reverse side of color wheel

The last board has to have small versions of the first three designs arranged in a creative way.

Finally, all the boards should be assembled into an accordion book, similar to my value project. I promise I will show you pictures of the final book.

After this logo design project is done, I have one project left for the semester – to create a color inspiration board for a book cover, band tour poster, or the above business we made up. I have always wanted to create an inspiration board for something, and now I have a mission. Just need to decide what be inspired by – this book or this book.

Sunday Stash – Color Wheel Bundle

Time to share from my stash.

sunday-stash-button

I ordered this color wheel bundle when Joelle Hoverson’s patchwork book came out, thinking I would make her Color Wheel quilt.

colorwheel bundleI love staring at the color wheel, studying all the wonderful things you can do with it, and dreaming up project ideas.  I’m excited to take a color theory class to learn more about designing with color.

color wheel bundle on it's sideYou can see the fabulous selection of fabrics the ladies at Purl offer in this bundle, some you might recognize, some great choices to fill in the color slot.

color wheel fabricsI have always loved Katie’s colorway quilt, a coin quilt version of the color wheel.  Now I’m debating which version to make with my color wheel bundle, but I’m leaning toward the coin quilt version instead of the wheel. Isn’t it fun to dream?!

Share some of the fabrics from your stash by joining the Sunday Stash group.

sunday-stash-button

Check out everyone else’s stash at the flickr group.  It’s fun to see the variety of fabrics out there, many of which I have not seen anywhere else.