Virtual Retreat July 2015 - Join Anytime

[Pamela N.]

Geneva thank you for the m&m's they are lovely - as you can see I'm still FMQing my 2014 BOM, just taking my time working my way through it.
Best wishes Pam

[Pamela N.]

Luann - one of the fun things about a retreat is that you can learn from other campers' projects. I like having the discussion about dyeing mixed in with all the other topics. All that color on the catchers was surprising after so many washings. I've seen more color come out when fabric is exposed to different detergents, but you said that was the same. Hope you can get some helpful info on what's causing this.

Kathy

[wendy w.]

Luann don't throw the colour catchers away they will be great on a wall hanging or send them to me :cheer:

I'll be interested to hear if you find out why it happened. Do your dyed sheets still look the same?

[wendy w.]

Luann don't throw the colour catchers away they will be great on a wall hanging or send them to me :cheer:

I'll be interested to hear if you find out why it happened. Do your dyed sheets still look the same?

The bottom sheet looks the same, but the top sheet appears lighter. But that could be me looking for the answer.
And yes Wendy I will keep the catchers. In fact I used some from a 'black dye washout' for my trees on the forest fire piece.



And here's a look over my shoulder in the longarm lab,,,






I am loving this!! And my learning of the computer program is moving along nicely!

[wendy w.]

Great effect for the trees.

Nice long arming, I love the design circles feathers and hearts combined. We'll have to remember it when someone asks how to quilt something.

I'm off to a workshop today making a piece using layers and free embroidery but no stabiliser. We use a hoop but when I looked last night I've only got a 6" one. That'll teach me to leave things to the last minute. inch:

Wishing you all a fun day.

[Marianne G.]

Marianne, My iced tea recipe for these teas is embarrassingly simple. If hot tea cools before I can drink it, I refrigerate it. (I don't like luke-warm tea or reheated tea.) Then later, when I want iced tea, I get the refrigerated tea, pour it in a glass and add ice to it. Delicious!

Judith

Hi Judith, I usually use leftover tea to soak prunes for breakfast. DH is prone to leave bags in the tea pot so the tea gets very stewed. Not sure I would like to drink that cold hmy:
Marianne

[Marianne G.]

Marianne, I have two methods for ice tea. Cold brew - add the tea to cold water I use a sports water bottle and let it sit in the fridge overnight. With the strong flavor of the Good Earth and Licorice tea, I can usually let it sit for just half an hour at room temperature then add ice. I also make "sun tea". I fill a large (gallon size, about 4 liters?) glass jug with water and add about 7-8 tea bags, cover the top and place in the sun for half a day. Then it needs to cool in the house for several hours before it can go into the refrigerator. Kathy

Thank you Kathy, I will try a cold brew with a rhubarb and ginger tea I got the other day. May have to sit for little longer on the table before transferring it to the fridge. Sun tea would simply not be possible here right now :dry: IF we have any sun it's for about 10 min and then it rains again. What a July!
Marianne

[Marianne G.]

Annis - your red and white quilts are lovely and the mug rug lovely. Great use of decorative stitches.
Rosemary - what a lovely miniature; sure to win. So sad I can't get to see it for real at FoQ
Qultingrosebud, thanks for the information about Olaf - my kids are all grown up so I don't get to follow Disney any more
Luann; that is one beautiful new toy you have there! and your FMQ are coming along very, very nicely there.
Lois, that is a lovely quilt and I admire you for tackling the quilting on your DSM. Can't wait to see it in all its glory
Wendy, it sounds like you are having great fun at your classes.
Lotti can we all come camping in the sanctuary? Are there any wolves? I love wolves so want to sleep next to them although you might need a hoist to get me back up again after a night in a sleeping bag.
Pam - good thing you went to hospital because you never know. DH had a prolonged migraine and then suddenly his face skewed up and it turned out he had had a stroke. He is all right now although his sight is still impaired. So go get anything unusual checked out sooner rather than later!
I've finished sewing blocks and have made rows so am now rowing the quil-ket together. Hope to have it finished before August rolls into my life. Also stitched out a design I drew in Inkscape and digitized back in May ready for some mug-rugging. Got a couple of birthdays in the family next month so they will get a mug rug instead of a card.

[Marianne G.]

Marianne,
My new toy has a computer. The design was done by the machine, after I altered it to fit the space I wanted it in. So it is much like an embroidery machine's ability. My FMQ hasn't been practiced on a longarm for over two years so that'll take time to get back in the grove.
I have a program called Art & Stitch that I can make my own designs and save it in the proper format for my longarm or my embroidery machine. The possibilities are wide open. I will need to live well beyond my original 124 years, to get all this learned! LOL

[Lois B.]

I am loving all this creativity, Annis, Marianne, Luanne, Wendy. I certainly appreciate the posts and pictures, Your work keeps me inspired to keep busy with my own stuff. Not to mention, Lotti's photos. They are great. Love this thread.

[Renata L.]

Luann, your learning curve is fast! Love what you did with the computerized quilting... it will be fun to see all the wonderful things you do with your long arm machine.

Marianne, I love how delicate your digitized design is and how it stitched out. Although I enjoy seeing what the industry puts out for embroidery designs, I get the greatest joy out of making my own designs and digitizing them. Just out of curiosity, what kind of digitizing software do you use? I use Bernina version 7 embroidery software. And what a great idea to make mug rug in lieu of birthday cards! I KNOW that would go over really well with my friends and family--thanks for the great idea!

[Marianne G.]

Marianne,
My new toy has a computer. The design was done by the machine, after I altered it to fit the space I wanted it in. So it is much like an embroidery machine's ability. My FMQ hasn't been practiced on a longarm for over two years so that'll take time to get back in the grove.
I have a program called Art & Stitch that I can make my own designs and save it in the proper format for my longarm or my embroidery machine. The possibilities are wide open. I will need to live well beyond my original 124 years, to get all this learned! LOL

How do you find the Art&Stitch? It looks like a very, very powerful piece of software - I wouldn't surface for weeks on end if I got my hands on it. Do you have the full program with the embroidery or "just" the quilt side? Looking forward to follow your progress.
Marianne

[Marianne G.]

Marianne, I love how delicate your digitized design is and how it stitched out. Although I enjoy seeing what the industry puts out for embroidery designs, I get the greatest joy out of making my own designs and digitizing them. Just out of curiosity, what kind of digitizing software do you use? I use Bernina version 7 embroidery software. And what a great idea to make mug rug in lieu of birthday cards! I KNOW that would go over really well with my friends and family--thanks for the great idea!

Thank you, Renata. I don't buy designs. Whenever I have used a design that has been included with my machines I've always been editing to remove something or make changes so generally I've messed it up to a degree where I've been better off starting from scratch and I never got into ME to stitch out somebody else's design :lol:
I love the digitising process in its own right and stitching a design out is so very satisfying. I'm a bit of a software magpie though so have Bernina V5, Embird Studio and Husqvarna 6D Premier. Right now I'm doing a challenge and I'm digitizing the same design (again one I've drawn myself in Inkscape) in each of the three programmes. I've never done that before but it is very good for me - I'm learning a lot and have discovered how different they really are despite the fact you can produce almost the same design in each of them. I know it's a bit unfair on Bernina's software to compare an 8 year old piece of software with the latest version of Husqvarna's and Embird but all the same great fun and very interesting :cheer:
A couple of years ago I did mug rugs as Christmas cards and I got very positive feedback on those so give it a go
Marianne

[Renata L.]

Thanks, Marianne, for explaining your toys! I hope that you will keep posting your digitized designs--I know a few people (I'm sure there are more) on this Forum who are passionate about digitizing and would love to see more of what you do. As I get back to doing more digitizing, I'll be happy to share too. I have two friends I get together with on a quasi-monthly basis--we all digitize embroidery--to learn new things together and to share what we have been working on. Lots of learning happens during these meetings!

[Rose-Marie C.]

The case of the disappearing message. Once again, my pics were upside down. I wanted to post a photo of the Judy Neimeyer 4th of July quilt I worked on this month. I will try again in September. Have a wonderful August everyone.