Friday, May 7, 2010

Out on a Limb...



I rarely post about non-quilt related days...

Just thought you might like to see why I never made it out to the Thread Shed today...


Click Images to Enlarge:


My favorite guy decided it was the perfect day to trim the trees in our front yard.





Watch out below...




Now....the real work begins....Clean Up!





My favorite guy and my favorite rusty pick up come in handy to get this mess cleaned up.




We stuffed as many limbs as we could on the back of the pick up...




Yes, there is a pick up under there somewhere...




Ahhhh......all cleaned up!

Now when we look out our front windows, we can see the yard!

This is why I didn't play in the Thread Shed today.

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May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Suzy Quilt Pattern & Cattle Drive...



Suzy


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I'm not sure if Suzy approves of the new pattern?




She doesn't seem too interested in my new quilt design...





I think she would be happy if there was a real hot dog in front of her!




This might end up on a quilt...




Time to move the cattle to a different pasture

Moving cattle to the pasture by the Harlan Barn
About 2 miles down a gravel road




This cow was spooky and didn't like my camera...





At the back of the herd is my father-in-law bringing them along.

It was a beautiful evening to be out on the town!





This is as close as we get to a...
Harlan Traffic Jam





The very last cow decided to take a short cut...
through the neighbor's field!





My father-in-law had her outta there in no time!





The 2 mile cattle drive followed along the Big Elk River





Main Street
Harlan, Oregon USA

Nobody minds if you bring your cattle down main street.





How pretty as they pass under the lilac bush





First few cow and calf pairs across the bridge

They are almost to the new pasture...





This cow and calf look beautiful under the lilac bush





The last of the herd across the bridge
My husband and father-in-law at the tail end of things.





The first few cows and calves have made it to the pasture





The last few cows and calves through the gate...





Yes, it was a beautiful evening to drive cattle...


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May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Paintstik Playday...



Spending the day playing with
Oil Painstiks and Watersoluble Crayons


Click Images to Enlarge:


Both of these products are great for doing rubbings over fabric.





Here are a few things I rounded up that would work well on the underside of the fabric to create some texture





Metal 3D Peace Sign
The letters are raised up and look like they would make a good impression under the fabric...




Silicone Trivet Hot Pads
Deep, Wavy grooves look perfect for rubbings




This is my very FIRST attempt with Painstiks

The peace sign could be better, but I wasn't quite sure how hard to push the painstik across the surface of the fabric......I may have applied too much pressure.

The hot pads worked flawlessly for the background texture.
I enjoyed spinning them in different directions under the fabric so I would get a woven design in places.




This was my find of the day at the local thrift store
Metal Leaf
As soon as I spotted it, I knew I wanted to create a rubbing with it!





The leaf made a perfect impression on the fabric.
I have learned not to apply too much pressure.
The painstiks are very soft and glide easily across the fabric.




I chose a commercial rubbing plate for the background behind the leaf.
The yellow painstik really jumps off that black fabric!




This wire basket created in incredible background texture.
It was a bit of a challenge to hold the basket in place under the fabric, but it was well worth the effort to get this great background design.




I also learned that Paintstiks are very messy!

Keep wet wipes and paper towels close by...




I also learned that painters tape will remove unwanted chunks of paintstick right off the surface of the fabric.
For the most part, I was able to get a nice line, but once in awhile a big chunk would get on the fabric.....the tape removed it nicely.




I also learned that it is better to cut off a chunk of your paintstick and use the side of it to glide across the surface of the fabric.
It makes a much better impression, and is much quicker than using the little round point on the top of the paintstick.




How cool are these!
I think they must have been blades to a food processor?
I have to see what kind of texture I get with these...




The round metal blades worked really well.
The painstiks glide over them easily and made the pattern.
The background is a mix of different commercial texture plates




This is some kind of wall art, mounted on a stretcher board.
Looks like it would make a great rubbing plate...




It made a wonderful background design!




Just had to try more of those great leaves!




This piece is created with all commercial rubbing plates.
The background is tiny blue bubbles from the Shade Tex line of rubbing plates.

Over the top of the bubbles I used the larger designs in green, red and orange paintstiks.



Time for one more Paintstik Experiment...


My favorite of the day!

The background is a woven placemat.
On top of that I rubbed over the round placemat.
Lots of yummy texture here!


No time to play with the Water soluble Crayons......today.




Paintstik Fabrics

This was so much fun!
If you don't mind a bit of a mess, it is great fun and instant results.

Next time I play with Paintstiks I will do it out of doors on a beautiful day.
Little chunks of paint seem to get on the table, the floor, your clothes.....eek!
Painstiks are permanent, so protect your surfaces and anything you don't want painted!

Paintstiks dry in 24 hours, cure in 72 hours.
Be sure to heat set them with an iron before you wash the fabric.




I learned lots from reading this little book.
Great tips on using Paintstiks
Gorgeous images to inspire

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May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,
LuAnn