INSPIRATION

Needle-felted ornaments with embroidery, beads, buttons,
acrylic and wool felt, and silk fibers - which I made as gifts
for this past holiday season.

Inspire yourself!

Where do you find inspiration for your projects? Here is one idea:

Last year I was very blessed to have an article accepted in Quilting Arts Gifts 2013/2014 magazine for machine-needlefelted ornaments I had made about 2 years ago. At the time I had made them for my Christmas wreath, so it was a nice surprise to have them accepted for publication.

Shortly after submitting my article I was working on a

Holiday Wallhanging for the
Push the Envelope Contest at
the 2013 American Sewing Expo.
The wallhanging received an
honorable mention.

design for a wall hanging for a challenge I was entering. The ornament designs I had made previously were born again as embellishments for my quilt project. I decided to make a striped black and white cotton and colored dupioni silk background. The simplicity and execution of my design was inspired by the current modern quilt movement.

Today I am imagining a new tote bag for myself, inspired by my striped wall hanging and embellished with needle-felted shapes, or I may create a series of small black and white quilts this year.

So, when you are creating or looking for inspiration don't be afraid to look at the world around you and also at your own wonderful creations which you have made before. When one project ends, it opens doors or windows for many more!

The magazine my work was published in is Quilting Arts Gifts 2013/2014 and in it you will find many inspiring projects for your holiday gifts and decorations, as well as year round gifts. There are even some Spring projects! Information about the magazine can be viewed at:http://www.interweavestore.com/quilting-arts-gifts-2013-2014.

           Holiday wallhanging detail

Welcome to my blog!

I hope to share my creative work, thoughts and inspiration here, and also encourage others to be inspired to create.

A little about myself - I have been creating artwork all of my life (even before I knew what it was!) It is in my nature to create - something I do without realizing I am doing it sometimes! I currently enjoy creating textile art and sharing my work by exhibiting at quilt shows and entering contests. Some of my most rewarding experiences, though, have been when I've created artwork and shared it with family and friends. In 2012, I completed a long promised wall quilt and presented it to my sister at a family gathering. It had just been displayed at the 2012 Wisconsin Quilt Expo - but I was rewarded even more when showing it to family members - many were experienced quilters and they appreciated the work, design and stitching that had gone into the creation of the quilt. It was a joy sharing it with them and my sister loved the wall hanging, too. The quilt is a log cabin design, and had been promised to her several years before, when we picked out fabric together to use in making the quilt - my design skills improved and I was finally able to design and create the right quilt for her. I used additional blue and orange fabrics in the quilt, which I remembered were one of her favorite color combinations.

How do you share your creative work? Here are some photos of the quilt, Patti's Log Cabin Garden:

 

I hope you will endeavour to share your work - you will inspire others with the beauty of your own creations!

More of my artwork can be viewed on my website at: www.dbl-art-design.com.