Embellishments - Buttons - Day 14 - 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge

Today I am resharing one of older blogs: 

After hearing that it was bad for old buttons to store them in jars, (from Jill Gorski, in Episode 1204: Songs, Stories, and Buttons, on TheQuiltShow.com) I moved most of my button collection (accumulation!) to an antique type setting tray I have.



A sampling of my accumulation of buttons - intended for use as embellishments - I need to get busy embellishing!

 I've started using my buttons more often as embellishments in my projects. It is hard to resist a good old button.

Pearl buttons and buckles from a Muscatine, IA button factory.

One of my aunts gave me several small pearl buttons to use - at the time I planned to make dolls and use the buttons for doll clothing, but now most of the buttons are finding their way onto my wall quilt and textile projects. The pearl buttons come from Muscatine, Iowa, and were from the button factories which had closed down. They once made pearl buttons from clam shells sourced from the Mississippi river there. I have always loved the pearl buttons.

Here is a photo of buttons I bought recently (this week!):
 


New Buttons!

I couldn't resist the small parrott buttons - looking at the large assortment of buttons at my  fabric store, I know I could get into some serious trouble "collecting" buttons! I will have to limit my button excursions there.

I have usually only purchased used or old buttons (some are old and still unused on button cards) from thrift, antique stores and garage sales, though I can see there are many beautiful new buttons available now.

You can also buy great button assortments for embellishing your projects - one of my favorite catalogs is Home Sew, Inc., and Newark Dressmaker Supply. They have a great assortment of other sewing notions and supplies, as well. Their website is: www.homesew.com.

               

If you are looking for inspiration for a project, you could design a quilt to display your favorite buttons - or use your buttons to add special embellishments to your projects.

I have an assortment of Cracker Jack toys I've collected, that I've thought would be nice displayed on a quilt, but that is a topic for another day...

                                                      1970s animal buttons from a good friend - I used them on a sweater, now they are waiting to be repurposed - too cute to throw away!

                            

A few more buttons from my collection - and some Celluloid buttons.

Happy Friday!

Denise A. Buchwalter-Losczyk

#31dayblogwritingchallenge

I've been published in QNM, and news about a Sale (shopping!)

(This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, or on the Craftsy Ad in my blog.)

Happy Thursday everyone!

I have good news to share, My essay "Challenging Yourself" has been published in Quilter's Newsletter Magazine's, Dec. 2014/Jan. 2015 issue. It is in the "300 Words about Quilting" section, and the topic is "Quilting for Competition". I have always wanted to be published in Quilter's Newsletter. I have been an avid QNM reader since the early 1990s, and perhaps even earlier. (I can't remember exactly when!)

I once gave a large box of old QNM issues to my Aunt, to pass on to her quilting friends. I couldn't quite get myself to throw them out. I now subscribe to the magazine digitally, so I no longer have that problem. It is nice to have the issues that way, I can go back and look through them for information and inspiration. 

If you have thought about submitting to the "300 Words about Quilting" column, I would encourage you to do so. This was my second time submitting, it is worth doing, just to get your thoughts down on paper, and a great way to share them with others. The magazine will be on the newstands by November 18.

Happy Creating and Writing,

Denise A. Buchwalter-Losczyk

I have just signed up to be a Craftsy Affiliate, and I will be posting information regarding their sales on my blog. Below is some information about their current sale. (As an Affiliate, I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on the links, or on the Craftsy banner in my blog.)


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Creative Tools

I recently stopped by the Blick Art Supply store to pick up a new Sewing stylus, which I use for guiding fabric through the sewing machine. I had purchased one previously, but it has migrated and I haven’t located it. I believe it is hanging out in one of my project boxes. I hate to buy duplicates, but decided to make an exception this time. Shown is the new stylus I purchased, and some other tools I found in the store: A Susan Bates Weaving Needle, from the Crafts section, and other tools from the Ceramics section of the store. The stylus is a double ball stylus, with a wooden handle.

On the back of the Stylus package it lists uses for the tool: “embossing paper, card stock, stencils, metals & foils, painting dots & designs on any surface, and making dot impressions & fine line work in any type of clay or modeling material.” The other 2 plastic tools are ceramic modeling tools, but I plan to use them for finger pressing fabric, as an additional stylus, and possibly use the one with the pointed end for making marks on scratchboard, or foils. The prices were very affordable, the double-ended stylus cost $2.49, the weaving needle was $1.39, and the other ceramics modeling tools were $.79 each (before my 10% member discount). You can definitely save money on sewing tools by checking out the art supply store (or any other type of store) for alternative tools to ones found in the sewing stores or catalog.

I have been working on a new wall quilt project. I’ve included a glimpse of it. I don’t want to show too much of the design, because I plan to enter it into shows. Some shows exclude you from entering, if you have previously displayed the work on a blog or website. My project has piecing in the background, and machine applique on top. I hope to add lots of embellishment.

 

I had to tear out some of the applique recently after a false start (my sewing tension was off), and I used a new seam ripper I had purchased. It is from Havel’s and it is wonderful! It is very sharp, so you must be mindful when using it. I was amazed at how quickly and easily I was able to remove the applique stitches. I’m now less apprehensive about making a mistake, since it makes the ripping out much easier. Glad I discovered this tool!

So…keep your eyes open for new tool discoveries, and be open to new ways of using the tools you may already have. Have a fun Tool Hunting Safari!
Happy Creating,
Denise A. Buchwalter-Losczyk

Links for Resources:

Havel's Sewing, www.havelssewing.com
Blick Art Materials, www.DickBlick.com
From back of Stylus package: www.kempertools.com
From back of Susan Bates Weaving needle: www.coatsandclark.com

A Fun Creative Resource - Bella Crafts Quarterly

Today I'm sharing a fun crafts resource I recently discovered: Bella Crafts Quarterly. They are a free online Crafts magazine. I found out about the magazine from the Creative Living with Sheryl Borden television show (another fun source of inspiration for daily living).

I am being featured today as a guest blogger on the Bella Crafts Quarterly Blog. You can read the blog at: http://bellacraftsquarterly.com/bella-blog.

The Bella Crafts Quarterly Blog and the free downloadable online magazine are a great source of inspiration for creating crafts. It is fun to see the projects that other designers are creating. You may find some inspiration there for your next project, or for holiday gifts and home decor.

You can subscribe to the free online magazine at: http://bellacraftsquarterly.com/subscribe, and check out their website and past issues of the magazine at http://bellacraftsquarterly.com.

I hope you will enjoy the guest blog I've written for them, as well as the other resources and inspiration you will find there.

You can visit the Creative Living with Sheryl Borden website at: http://kenw.org/programs/creative-living-sheryl-borden.

Be inspired and have fun creating!

Denise A. Buchwalter-Losczyk

Following the Quilted Path



A detail from a quilt made by my mother - one of my
early quilt inspirations.

My first quilt inspiration was my mother’s yellow quilt. Yellow was her favorite color and I believe this quilt was made out of 1930s and 40s fabrics. I remember sleeping under it when I was younger and being fascinated by the many small cotton prints on the quilt. I think they may be feedsack or dress prints. My mother usually followed patterns for creating, and I would love to know where the pattern for the quilt came from. 

I wish I had asked her questions about the quilt, but I didn’t think about it at the time, I just knew that it was a part of our life and environment. Mom would wash it in the washing machine, then hang it out to dry on the line, and later when the quilt became worn, it was put into storage in her cedar chest. I now own the quilt, and keep it folded and displayed on a quilt stand in my bedroom, where a look at it inspires me on a daily basis.

 


Another section of my mother's quilt - the quilt includes fabrics
from the 30s and 40s, I believe

My first quilt-making experience was as a teenager, at age 16. While visiting my Country Grandmother, she taught my cousin and I how to make a quilt. We chose fabrics from her scrap box - left over fabrics from sewing clothes. I chose pastel gingham fabrics for my quilt, I remember pink, lavender and green pastel checks - there may have been some yellow as well, and a floral fabric to tie the gingham fabrics together. (I had wanted to include a photo of my first quilt top in this blog - but I haven't located it yet! It is in my storage. I did enjoy a trip down memory lane whilst searching, looking at my wedding photos...now back to the quilted path....) Grandma suggested a good beginner’s block, a 9 patch, for my quilt. She prepared cardboard templates for tracing and cutting the block pieces out of fabric. This was in 1973, prior to the invention of rotary cutters and rulers for cutting fabrics. We traced the templates with pencil on the fabric, and cut out the pieces with sewing scissors. I remember asking whether the blocks could be sewn together by hand or machine. She said either way would work fine, so I sewed some of my blocks by hand and some by machine. When I had completed all of my blocks, I purchased a green fabric (green was my favorite color at the time) for tying the quilt together. After it was all sewn together, I didn’t feel the quilt top “worked”, so I haven’t finished that first quilt. I still hope to finish it one day. I may take it apart and reassemble the blocks with different fabrics, and with a different layout. (Once I locate my quilt top, I will update this blog with its photo!)
Grandma always tied her quilts. Several years later I made this hearts and hands wall quilt, and tied the layers together using threads and beads:



One of my early wall quilts - I tied the quilt
with thread and beads rather than quilting it,
the way my Grandmother finished her quilts.

My Grandmother always created her own designs by laying out the blocks, rather than following a set pattern. This was also an inspiration for designing my own quilts. Since I learned to create in this way, I didn’t think of designing the quilt as a difficult thing to do. She liked to use the snowball, bears paw and maple leaf block patterns.

Quilting and needlework have always inspired me and have been one of my passions. The quilts I make today often include needle felted appliques, embroidery (machine and hand) and beaded details. I have started including tatting in my work, inspired by the early memories of my other City Grandmother’s tatting and my uncle’s tatting (a subject for another blog!).

The traditional blocks are sometimes an aspect in my work, but I also love creating my own appliqued designs. I have explored many facets of art: drawing, painting, ceramics, metalworking, silkscreen, photography, video and audio, but have found my home in creating wall quilts out of fiber, inspired by those first quilt experiences.

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

Note: My Following the Quilted Path blog entry was created in response to a Blog contest with www.quiltingdaily.com. As part of the contest, you get to pick 5 items from www.Interweavestore.com. Here are the 5 items I found that I would love to win - who doesn't love virtual window shopping!:

Inkle Loom Kit - this kit includes a Schacht Inkle loom, Schacht Belt shuttle, Inkle Weaving A-Z workshop DVD, and an Inkle Weavers Pattern Directory. Before I looked on the website, I didn't even know what Inkle weaving was! I found this very inspiring page on PinInterest, by googling Inkle weaving: https://www.pinterest.com/aspinnerweaver/inkle-weaving/. It looks like a fun, new adventure!

New Tatting, by Tomoko Morimoto - I would love to check out this new tatting book.

Burda Style Spring 2014 - currently on sale for $7.50 (through April 17, 2014, I believe) - Did I mention, I've ventured into sewing some of my own clothes in the past year? I've always liked the Burda magazines, which include patterns for sewing.

How to Sew Like A Pro: Create, Construct & Embellish with Tricia Waddell - download - (I need all the sewing help I can get!)

Sew Wild Download, by Alisa Burke - this just sounded like fun.

If you haven't checked out the www.quiltingdaily.com website, or www.interweavestore.com, I would highly recommend their sites, as great sources of inspiration for your creative endeavours.

Happy Creating!  - Denise A. Buchwalter-Losczyk

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