Snowflake #1

After posting my tutorial for making paper snowflakes last night, I thought you might like some “patterns” for them. This way, you can see how different cuts turn out when you open them up. I’ll try to post them as I make them over the next few weeks.

The basic tutorial, which shows you how to fold the paper into sixths, is here.

Paper snowflakes, revisited

 

 
Note: This post is a mashup of several posts on making paper snowflakes that I’ve done in the past few winters. I’ve been so busy this year that I haven’t had time to make any yet! Perhaps I will have done this by Christmas; I’ll post photos if/when I do!

I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa., where there never seemed to be a shortage of snow by Christmas time, but here in North Carolina, we haven't had a decent snowfall in years. Gosh, I'm tired of dragging my kids around on their sled in the mud and about 1/4 inch of snow! So my daughters and I decided to make our own blizzard this weekend – with paper snowflakes.

We stuck them up on our front window using double-sided tape and now we feel frosty even when the thermometer is not!

Here are my directions for making them:

Start with a piece of white paper, the thinner the better. Fold up one end so that the edges meet along one side and you have a nice point at the corner. Crease very well with your fingernail. (Sharp creases and precise folds are the keys to making nice snowflakes.)



Trim the excess paper so you have a triangle (a square if you open it up).



Fold the triangle in half again and position your new triangle with the longest side down, so it looks like a little mountain, like this:



Here's the trickiest part. You now have to fold this triangle into thirds. Start on one side and give it your best guess. Fold it gently, without creasing, because you will probably have to adjust it a bit before you get it right. (Don't worry, you'll get the hang of this after you've done a few snowflakes.)



Now fold in from the other side. Inspect it from both sides. You should have it folded into thirds. If not, go back and adjust it. Then crease well. Make sure the point at the top is sharp and precise.



Here's how it looks from the other side (I think it resembles a rocketship):



Trim off the "tails" (or the flames, if you are envisioning a rocketship) so that you have just a triangle again.



If you open it halfway up, you can see how it is folded into thirds (sixths if you open it all the way up):



Now, cut your design. Use the sharpest paper scissors you have. You can also use hole punches to punch circles in the interior. Remember that the shapes you cut into the folded sides will be doubled (a semicircle becomes a whole circle). You can cut smooth curves, or sharp angles. Have fun and experiment. Here's my design:



And here's the most fun part! Unfold your snowflake and enjoy. Don't you feel the chill in the air?



You can do this activity with fairly young children. With little kids, who sometimes have a hard time cutting through all the layers, have them draw the design in pencil, and then an adult can cut it out, and the child can unfold it.

Art of the Title exhibition

I am pleased to announce that “Hope is the Thing” is featured in Studio Art Quilt Associate’s (SAQA’s) online exhibition called “Art of the Title,” curated by Kathie R. Kerler. The exhibition celebrates works with “a well-chosen title that lends a new or additional layer of meaning.” Please check out the exhibition by clicking here.

Here is my statement about the piece, and how it was named:

On the morning of January 26, 2011, I started painting "Hope is the Thing" and was working on it when I got the call from my father that my mother had died in her sleep. She had not been ill, and her death came suddenly, of cardiac arrest, at age 74. My mother and I were very close. She was a traditional quilter and was a bit puzzled by the whole art quilt thing, but she was very proud of what I had accomplished, and was my biggest fan and supporter. I was in shock, and paralyzed with grief. But I had a deadline – I was making it for "The Space Between" exhibition – and as a journalist, I always met my deadlines! And so I had to start painting and stitching again. Through the winter of 2011, I worked on this piece with her constantly in my thoughts, and it became a deeply meaningful and spiritual piece for me, imbued with joy, sadness, grief, and love. I credit it with helping me come out of my funk and get working again.

The name comes from an Emily Dickinson poem that was one of my mother's favorites:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.

I chose the name because it expresses to me how hope can sustain us in the most desperate and challenging of times, how it comes unbidden and without asking for it, to force our chins up and our feet forward.

Art Apron update

I’m almost done with my embroidered Art Apron! Here’s how it looks now. I’ve enjoyed this project so much that I am started with another one, this time, it is a denim jacket.

Quick ink sketches

Here are some of the sketches I’ve done lately. Many are finding their way into some funky embroidery projects I’ve been working on. (I’ll post more on this later!)

Want to see more? Head on over to The Sketchbook Challenge’s blog!

How to make knitted dishcloths

Detail of the pretty edge on the Lacy Dishcloth (directions below)

I have had many requests for the directions for the dishcloths I posted about on Nov. 21. Here is information about the two types I make. Knit!… have fun, make something useful, and reduce your stress level! Plus, these are fabulous dishcloths; they are so much better than anything store-bought I’ve ever had.

These yarns work great for dishcloths

Supplies
1 ball of knit worsted weight cotton in solid or varigated color (see source info below)
knitting needles (I prefer circular needles) size 4-1/4mm or American size 6
scissors
yarn needle

Sources
Note: Some of these yarns are widely available in craft stores such as Michaels. 
Lily’s Sugar ’n Cream: www.sugarandcream.com
Peaches & Creme: www.peachesandcreme.com
Lion Brand’s Kitchen Cotton: www.lionbrand.com
Knit Picks’ Dishie: www.knitpicks.com

Super-Easy Dishcloth

Super-Easy Dishcloth directions
This is the easiest dishcloth to knit; it’s a perfect project for a child or a beginner. I make this kind when I don’t want to have to think about what I’m doing at all.
Cast on 40 stitches (or 50 sitches if you are using a lighter-weight yarn such as KnitPicks’ “Dishie”)
Knit each row for a total of 40 rows (or 50 rows if using Dishie). 
Cast off. Use yarn needle to bury yarn tails along the edge of the first and last rows.

Lacy Dishcloth

Lacy Dishcloth directions
This version has a nice lacy edge and creates diagonal rows. 
Cast on 4 stitches.
Row 1: Knit across this row
Row 2: K2, YO, then knit to the end of the row.
Repeat row 2 until there are 40 stitches (or 50 stitches if using Dishie).
Next row: K1, K2tog, YO, K2tog, knit to the end of the row.
Continue decreasing until you have 4 stitches left. 
Cast off.
Use yarn needle to bury yarn tails along the edge of the first and last rows.

Therapeutic dishcloths

Throughout this year, I have been busy knitting what I call “therapeutic dishcloths.” I have found simple knitting and embroidery projects to be a very good way to de-stress. It seems as though if I keep my hands busy, my mind can’t wander down the dangerous alleys of “what if…” that make my heart start to race, my lungs start to hyperventilate, and my levels of adrenaline and cortisol to surge. 

Here are some of the results of my labor. Besides being useful, they are quite pretty, I think! Ah, I feel more relaxed already.

International Quilt Festival – Houston 2012, Part 5

Renaissance Ribbons makes some of the most beautiful ribbons! They now have ribbons designed from quilters like Tula Pink, Kaffe Fassett, Anna Maria Horner and Sue Spargo. This is not your average ribbon; it is very high quality.

Displays in their booth show some innovative ways to use ribbon in quilts and wearables.

Aren’t they delicious? It was so hard to choose, so I came home with quite a few yards. Want some for yourself? You can purchase it here. 

A Kiss Before You Go

I have loved Danny Gregory’s illustrations for a long time, and am very eager to get his new book, A Kiss Before You Go: An Illustrated Memoir of Love and Loss. Here’s a preview:

A Little Embroidery

“Scissors Stitched”
by Susan Brubaker Knapp
4-3/4" x 7-1/4"

I just finished this little embroidery piece tonight. It is going to the person – Jane Prater – who uploaded the 10,000th photo on The Sketchbook Challenge’s Flickr group. Many of the other artists hosting the Challenge are also contributing wonderful goodies to celebrate. Jane just happens to be from Charlotte, down the road a bit from me! It will go in the mail to her on Monday.

For this piece, I started with a piece of fabric I hand-dyed. First, I sketched a pair of scissors on it, using a mechanical quilters' chalk pencil. Then I put a piece of Pellon 910 – my favorite stabilizer! – behind it, and stitched away, using hand-dyed perle cotton. I stitched this piece during my daughter’s soccer game warm-up, half time and (extremely long) coach’s talk after the game last weekend. 

I fused it to a piece of Pellon 72F Double-Sided Fusible Ultra Firm Stabilizer that was in my Mom’s stash that I inherited. It’s the first time I’d used it, and I really like this stuff. It’s perfect for postcards and ATCs (artist's trading cards), and I think it would be great for small art quilts, too. I free-motion quilted only around the scissors on this piece.

“A Year of Art” to benefit American Cancer Society

I am proud to to announce that in memory of my mother and cousin (both breast cancer survivors), I will be a sponsor of “Inspiration Month” for the “A Year of Art” fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Virginia Spiegel’s Fiberart For A Cause has already raised more than $220,000 for the American Cancer Society, and it is still going strong!  

On Feb. 12 and 13, 2013, everyone who donates to the ACS through Fiberart For A Cause will be entered in the Inspiration Month drawing now valued at more than $1000. 

Artwork from these 11 amazing and generous artists will arranged on a calendar grid and be up for bid:

Pamela Allen
Pokey Bolton
Linda Colsh
Jane Davila
Vivika DeNegre
Jane Dunnewold
Jamie Fingal
Karen Stiehl Osborn
Yvonne Porcella
Laura Wasilowski
Virginia A. Spiegel


December in the Year of Art will be Inspiration Month, with a collection of beautiful books, tools, and materials which will all go to ONE lucky person. You are entered in the drawing for this prize package automatically by placing a bid (winning or not) or by making a donation to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause during A Year of Art. Can you imagine receiving more than 20 boxes in the mail full of fiber and mixed media books, specialty fabrics, beads, stencils, DVDs, Inspiration Packs, and more?

100 percent of donations will be made directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiber Art for a Cause.

I'm teaching at the Hudson River Valley Fiber Art Workshops in December

Want to give yourself a special holiday gift? How about five days of creativity and inspiration in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of upstate New York?

There are still openings in my five day class, Paint, Fuse, Stitch!, the Hudson River Valley Art Workshops December 9-15. This five-day format will allow students to create pieces based on their own photos, something there is simply not time for in my one-day classes. So it is a great opportunity to learn my techniques while you make meaningful, original pieces. 

I’ll cover fusible applique, wholecloth painting, thread sketching and free-motion quilting.

Beyond the six hours of class time each day, I am sure we will be spending time in the studio in our pajamas, with lots of laughter and fun. 

You'll learn how to:

• Distill a photographic image into shapes for fused applique. 
• Create a pattern for fused applique
• Transfer a design to fabric for painting. 
• Paint on fabric, including mixing and blending colors
• Layer and fuse fabric pieces to build your piece
• Add detail with thread sketchingFree-motion quilt your piece.

Here are some examples. Here’s a photo of my cat, Max:

And here’s the wholecloth painted, thread sketched and quilted Max:

Here’s a photo of a beautiful butterfly I took at the Chattanooga Aquarium:

And here’s the fusible appliqued, thread sketched and quilted butterfly:

The Hudson River Valley Art Workshop is a unique art center in New York’s inspiring Hudson River Valley in the Catskill Mountains. Since 1982, fiber artist Kim LaPolla and her husband Mark (Chef de Cuisine and Chocolatier) have been holding art workshops in the gorgeous 1889 inn, The Greenville Arms. USA Today named their program “one of the ten best learning vacations.”

If you want to see what is going on recently in the art workshops, check out the blog. Here are some photos of the inn:

 

A recent workshop with Hollis Chattelain (far right)

Oooooh, I can’t wait! Please join me! We are going to have such fun!

Texas Junk Co.

On my last full day of International Quilt Festival, I hitched a ride to Texas Junk Co. with some of the friendly folks who work behind the scenes at The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. We were in search of cheap cowboy boots, and a little bit of Texas atmosphere. 

Texas Junk Co. looks like junk on the outside, but a charming, funky kind of junk. You can find it at 215 Welch Street in Houston. Look for this sign:

The outside of the store boasts:

And there’s lots of interesting and amusing stuff on the outside of the building: 

When you walk in the door (and there were people lined up for the store to open, to get first dibs on the boots!) this is what you see:

That, and a TON of boots. Yee-haw!

 

This is the owner (for more than 30 years), Robert:

I found a pair I liked!

 Randi tried on a fancy pair:

There’s lots of other cool stuff, including hundreds of vintage frames:

Cowboy hats:

Vintage albums:

You know you need this! (Well, not really, but isn’t it fun?)

Tennis anyone?

Robert stretches out a boot for a customer:

Mary Kay wore her cowboy hat back to International Quilt Festival, looking quite a bit more Texan than she was before shopping:

 Maybe she wanted to look more like Ricky!

Check out the slideshow featuring me and this trip on The Quilt Show’s blog!