Something About Nothing

Fractured Pi

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:26:00 +0000

I'm entering my "Fractured Pi" quilt into the

"Blogger's Quilt Festival" over at Amy's Creative Side.

I've posted about this quilt recently so I apologize to those who have seen it before.

I really had a great time creating this quilt,

even though I had to pick out the quilting 3 times.

I kept trying to quilt something that just didn't want to go with the piecing.

Sometimes, my idea and the quilt's idea are two very different things.

If I'm smart, I listen to the quilt.

Here is a close up of the center.

If you like my quilt, please head on over to Amy's Creative Side and vote for Fractured Pi.

Thank you!!!

Oh and if you don't like my quilt, there are lots of other beauties you can vote for. ;)

HMQS

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:04:00 +0000

I had a great time at the Home Machine Quilt Show last week.

The quilts and lectures were inspiring

and the booths were a lot of fun to check out!

Here is the Best in Show quilt:

A couple other big prize winners:

No prize but I loved this one.

I mean what geek doesn't love a Doctor Who Tardis Quilt!

There were a lot of great quilts made by my friends:

and 3rd place winner in the "Utah's Own" category, Karlee Porter.

Congratulations Karlee!

And my quilt:

Fractured Pi

I love looking at group projects like this one from the Mt. Harrison Quilt Guild of the Wilson Theater in Rupert, ID. The picture was divided into 40 blocks for 40 people and then put together into one fabulous quilt.

"Along the Trail"

by The Colorado Springs Fiber Artists

was a group challenge to represent how they viewed the trails near their Colorado homes.

The Kaffe Club Exhibit

A group of row quilts, made with Kaffe fabrics, led by my friend Kaye Evans.

Here is Kaye's quilt. . .

. . .and my friend, Bev DeMaria's quilt.

There was an especially touching special exhibit by Judy Elsley.

Judy was diagnosed with breast cancer in January of 2012.

"One of the things that sustained me through the year

was making quilts about the breast cancer experience."

She showed 3 sets of work she made during her experience:

1. What the Body Knew

2. Journal Quilts

3. The Breast Cancer Experience

My favorites were the journal quilts.

Does it make me a creepy person that I loved reading her journal and feeling her experience?

The booths were a lot of fun to visit and there were plenty of items I could have purchased but controlled myself and didn't! I left with only 2 fat quarters!

I volunteered in the Utah Quilt Guild booth

and demonstrated how to do image transfers with Transfer Artist Paper.

I really enjoyed talking with people about the reasons they should join a guild. Without the support and guidance of the women in my guild I would not have been able to become the quilter and artist I am now. They have pushed me to become more than I ever could have become without them.

Thank you ladies!

One of the booths I enjoyed visiting was Textile Time Travels with my friend Sandra Starley.

Sandra is a certified quilt appraiser and she has a beautiful collection of antique quilts. I also attended her lecture to see some of those lovely quilts.

This was my favorite out of all her quilts I saw.

It was an exhausting and fun day.

I'm glad I live so close to the event!

Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Sun, 12 May 2013 02:15:00 +0000

Congratulations of Amy, winner of my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway!

Amy said...

I love the berries... they smell sooo good and are so much better than what you find in the stores.

Amy, I have emailed you for your snail mail address and I hope to hear from you soon.

Congratulations!

Tapping

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:22:00 +0000

Last night I taught at the monthly meeting of the Kalico Kutups. They are a wonderful group of women who have invited me to their meetings a few times now. Last night I shared Lesley Riley's TAP-Transfer Artist Paper with them. We were having such a great time that I forgot to pull out my camera until the end when most of the ladies had left.

Our hostess, Carol, has the most lovely sewing studio big enough to host the meeting.

There were lots of wonderful pieces colored and transferred.

The best thing I heard last night was that they were no longer scared to use their TAP!

It really is an easy product that if a lot of fun to use.

I'll be doing another demo about TAP and photo transfers this afternoon at HMQS, so if you are in Salt Lake come by the Utah Quilt Guild booth #412 and see me!

I'll try to remember to pull out my camera this time too.

P.S. You'd think I was a dealer of TAP but honestly I am NOT, I just love the product!

Give Away Day

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:23:00 +0000

It is Give-Away-Day over at Sew Mama Sew once again and who doesn't LOVE a giveaway! I love winning them as much as I love giving them so I'll be blog hopping through the lists as well. This year I am giving away this lovely book, Modern Sewing Projects:

There are 16 wonderful projects you can make for your home or for fun. One of the projects is a pattern I wrote for re-useable produce bags:

So to sweeten the pot a bit, I will throw in two small produce bags I made.

They are perfect to take to the farmers market, grocery store

or use them as a project bag!

And if you would like to buy a larger produce bag,

feel free to visit my etsy shop.

If you would like a chance at winning the book and bags, leave a comment with your email address and your favorite thing to buy at the farmer's market. I love the salt & pepper corn. SO GOOD!

I will ship international so everyone is welcome to enter my giveaway.

The giveaway will remain open until May 10th.

I will notify the winner before the 12th.

Good luck and don't forget to go check out all the other giveaways listed at Sew Mama Sew.

Free Classes?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:22:00 +0000

My sewing machine has been giving me fits again and I really just haven't had the time to run it in to the shop to have it looked at. I couldn't get it to work at all before my trip but it magically started working again for my daughter while I was gone. I think she has a magic touch! In any case, until I can get it into the shop I have downloaded this FREE class from Craftsy.

Sewing Machine 911: Give your sewing machine some TLC with the help of this free course. Learn to clean and maintain your sewing machine with tips and tricks taught in this class.

I think it will help me work things out until I can take it into the shop.

While I was there I found another fun class to download for FREE.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE FREE?

Who doesn't, right?!?

This class is about making Creative Quilt Backs.

Creative Quilt Backs: Make the back of your quilt just as interesting as the front! Oh, Fransson! blog author Elizabeth Hartman walks you through everything you need to know to make beautiful quilt backs.

Elizabeth really makes some wonderful projects and so I'm certain there are lots of great tips in her free class. I'm looking forward to seeing what I learn!

A Great Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:37:00 +0000

We drove to Reno this past weekend.

I watched a LOT of volleyball while my daughter played.

My daughter and her team took first in their division!

We ate a lot of good food, but I still watched what I ate.

My weigh in today will tell how good I was at figuring it all out.

(WOW, I lost 7 lbs this week! That brings me to 40 lbs total!!! I guess I did great at figuring out all the food. And the ton of walking we did was very helpful too, I'm sure!)

We took a side trip up to Lake Tahoe for some fun in the sun.

I haven't been to Lake Tahoe since my Mom died 10 1/2 years ago. Mom lived in South Lake Tahoe, CA, and we loved visiting her there. Being there brought back many bitter sweet memories.

The perfect weather was very helpful, and the water, though cold, was delightful.

The gentleman who was renting these paddle boards allowed all the girls to give it a try. No one fell in the water, thankfully, and they had a great time!

The water was crystal clear, making it hard to tell that my feet are underwater in this photo below.

It was wonderful to stick my feet in the sand and enjoy the refreshing water.

My daughter and I had a great time, with great friends (they got tired of me taking their photo) and we made a lot of wonderful new memories.

Now it's back to business.

Gift Tag Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:21:00 +0000

I just finished up a few gift tags to send off to the Quilting Arts Gifts Readers Challenge. One set was made using fabric I painted with a star stencil I made with my Silhouette Portrait and Gelli Plate.

And the other set are Snowflakes!

I created some snowflakes in my Silhouette program

and cut them using the Portrait from one of my ice dyed fabrics

and fused them onto white felt.

The back is a red batik I love. I really like these two and I think I will use the snowflake pattern again.

Are you going to participate and make some fiber gift tags to send in?

You should!

Follow this link to find out more.

Kitchen Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:59:00 +0000

The Spring Table Sale at One Kings Lane
Set a table that blooms with these light, bright entertaining necessities. Full of floral dishes, playfully printed linens, and vibrant flatware, we’ve got something to freshen up every spring soiree.

Slant

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Every year the Utah Surface Design Group has a wonderful gallery show. This year I finally entered a couple of pieces in the show. I took my husband downtown with me to see the opening tonight. There were so many amazing pieces there. There are so many talented people in USDG! I am truly humbled to be in association with these wonderful people. I'll let the photos do the talking (mostly).

My "Out of the Darkness" piece:

A small piece from my friend Lisa Brothman:

My "Take Away" quilt:

Another piece from my friend Lisa Brothman:

A lovely little piece from my friend Anne Munoz.

This green piece really surprised me.

It is also made by my friend Anne Munoz but is nothing like her "typical" pieces.

I like it too!

I loved the detail in this little "Up" house piece!

This is glass pieced over the top of a collage:

My prayer flags are on the left.

This looked like a giant ball of yarn and there were 3" pieces of art work pinned all over it.

I loved the cut work on these prayer flags.

There were two pieces like this: driftwood with woven beads all over it.

I really like looking at it.

Loved the labels on the woven fabric:

Lots of people were stopping to look up close.

I ran into a number of my friends from USDG and I didn't think to get a photo of ANY of them with their work. I didn't even think of getting a photo of myself with my work.
Next time. . .

Finished!

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 03:51:00 +0000

The ripping is finished and the quilting done.

After much contemplation I decided give the name a little bit of an unusual name because it was started and almost finished on Pi Day (3/14) at the Super Spring Pie Plates Retreat.

Now, may I present:

Fractured Pi

I still need to put on a binding and label before it can be called finished.

I have entered the quilt in the HMQS show in Salt Lake City. Stop by the show in person if you happen to be in town. There will be a lot of beautiful quilts, classes and places to buy great fabrics and threads.

I will be demonstrating how to do photo transfers with TAP

on Friday, May 10th from 2-4 p.m.

I really like this close up shot.

I like the design so much that after looking at the photo I honestly contemplated cutting the quilt down to just a 12"x12" middle!

Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the
Spring Clean Your Studio
Blog Hop!
Do you know what inspires me to clean?
An episode of the reality TV show Hoarders.
Consider this post your own personal Hoarders episode.
hahahaha
It's not quite that bad,
but because I had a number of deadlines all come due at the same time
and because I had moved the studio upstairs without getting it fully in order,
my studio was a
great big mess!

So, spring or not, Hoarders episodes or not, I was motivated to clean!

And when the mood hits, I go with it!

Stuff was EVERYWHERE.

The space that is suppose to be empty behind my sewing machine

was completely FULL.

The only reason the ironing board wasn't totally covered was because I had shoved everything into a giant pile at one end.

The space in front of the closet was three feet deep full of STUFF.

Stuff which I hadn't taken the time to separate and organize since I moved into the new studio THREE months ago. It was next to impossible to get to anything I needed in the closet and I had no idea what were in the piles. There was probably important stuff in there!

It really was time to CLEAN and ORGANIZE!

And so. . .

. . . I did.

It took the better part of 2 days

and a trip to the store for a few extra storage bins

but I think the results made it all worth the time away from creating.

There really was a table and ironing board under all that stuff!

The junk piled in front of the closet

was rediscovered and has now found good places to live.

I added an over the door shoe organizer

to take advantage of some unused space.

The shoe slots turned out to be a great place

to store some of my hand painted fabrics.

I also found it was a convenient place

to put my Goddess Sheet, and water cups for the iron.

I rearranged the tubs above the cutting/quilting/painting table.

I have to kneel on the table or stand in a chair to reach the top shelf,

but I now know everything that is up there.

I discovered some forgotten fabric and art postcards from friends in the pile by the closet and I thought, "These need to be out where I can admire them!" So up they went on the wall for inspiration. They also work really well at covering up some of the banged up spots on the wall.

OH! LOOK!

I found my favorite paint brushes.

And low and behold there was a sewing machine

and chair under that pile of stuff!

Still a lot of stuff on the cork boards,

but I find each piece there inspirational.

Some of it is waiting for me to decide which project to put it in.

Mister and I are finding the whole place very comfortable now,

so I guess that means it is time. . .

. . . to get to work and mess it all up again!

If you are looking for some more cleaning inspiration, Cheryl Sleboda has organized a blog hop, so

have a look at the other Hoppers who are celebrating

Spring Clean Your Studio

by clicking on these links.

Judi Hurwitt

Barb Forrister

Frieda Anderson

Lynn Krawczyk

Cheryl Sleboda

Jim Parrillo

Amy Wright Weaver

Who doesn't love ~~spying~~ looking at other peoples work areas?!?

I find I learn so much just by looking around.

Make sure to leave them a comment to let them know you stopped by!

Rip-it, Rip-it Good

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:20:00 +0000

Sung to the tune of "Whip It" by Devo

When a problem comes along, you must rip-it!

Before the quilting goes too long, you must rip-it!

When the stitchings goin' wrong, you must rip-it!

Now rip-it

into shape

Stitches out

Get it straight

Go forward

Move ahead

Try to correct it

It's not too late

To rip-it

Rip-it good!

I bet you never knew that was a song about sewing, did you!

And for those who don't know what I'm talking about watch this:

I first heard of Devo while sitting in a high school class after they made an appearance on Saturday Night Live in 1978.

They were so different, out there and weird.

Funny how they seem so tame now!

Anyway, I'm off to do more ripping.

Rip-it Good!

And now, you need to run off and see what everyone else has been up to at Off the Wall Friday!

Printing and Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 05:19:00 +0000

I decided to make a few pieces for the Amazing Alphabet Readers Challenge in Cloth Paper Scissors magazine. The rules are to create an original 4"x 6" mixed media piece of lettering.

I broke out my 6"x6" Gelli Plate. I have used my larger plate a LOT, but haven't had a reason to use my smaller one yet and this seemed like the perfect project for it. I added some acrylic paints to the plate, some homemade and store bought stencils and printed onto Strathmore Mixed Media 100 lb paper.

I really should have cut more paper!

The pieces print up so quickly and I really enjoy adding extra layers.

I find mono-printing so relaxing.

I don't have any photos of the process because I was having too much fun and forgot to pull out the camera.

Some of the lettering was written directly onto the mono-printed pages and some were written on to white tissue paper and then applied to the mono-printed paper with Golden Matte Medium. I was having a good time coming up with short L words because I like the letter "L". Many years of writing a letter over and over can do that to you.

I then played with some other words which I thought might be appropriate for some friends who are going through hard times.

And finally I threw in one word for the fun of it. . .

. . . and it turned out to be my favorite piece.

Working with these pieces on paper has given me some fun ideas for a project I would like to do with fabric. A fun mini-quilt made with monoprinted fabric and words cut from fabric using my electronic cutter. I'll keep you posted!

Dumb Mistakes

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:19:00 +0000

*Shakes Head*

I did it AGAIN.

Forgot to wear gloves when dyeing.

Can you guess what color dye I was using?

This is my hand AFTER scrubbing.

The bad thing about getting dye on your hands, other than spending hours scrubbing your hands, is that it shows just how dye and cracked your hands are.

*sigh*

Prayer Flags

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 01:56:00 +0000

The Utah Surface Design Group has a show every year at the Michael Barry Gallery. I will have 3 pieces in the show, which I will post about once they are hung later in the month. The group always puts together something as a group for the show. Last year we all made artist trading cards, the year before it was aprons (or maybe it was the other way around) and this year we are doing prayer flags.

I used setacolor paints on silk hankies and then stenciled over the words faith, love and live. The flags I saw turned in were just outstanding! I can't wait to see them all hung across the gallery together. I think they will be breathtaking!

Happy Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:06:00 +0000

One of my family's traditions is to make a lamb shaped pound cake for Easter.

There was a time when we bought these cakes from the local bakery but then one year Grandma bought a mold and a new tradition was born!

When my first child was born I inherited the mold and began a quest for the perfect Lamb Cake. The pound cake recipe I had never quite worked - either too dry or didn't rise enough or fell apart. Always something! I have tried umpteen different recipes but every year I have had a different problem.

NOT THIS YEAR!

This year the only thing we have had to deal with is UGLY.

I can deal with ugly!

This years cake is moist, it stayed upright and tastes absolutely delicious!

I also found a fabulous frosting recipe - not too heavy, not too sweet. Just YUM.

I've posted the recipes for the cake and frosting over on The Lewis Family Recipe Club blog.

People & Portraits Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:14:00 +0000

Look what came in my mailbox yesterday!

I've been busy with a visual feast ever since.

Martha Sielman's Art Quilt Portfolio: People & Portraits: Profiles of Major Artists, Galleries of Inspiring Works is a collection of beautiful art quilts depicting, what else, people and portraits!

The collection of quilts in this book is just amazing. You will be able to spend hundreds of hours studying the details in each and every quilt. The only thing better would be to have each quilt in your hot little hands.

Each designer creates their pieces in a unique way. Some by using "traditional" piecing, appliqué as well as whole cloth paintings and some very unusual methods such as the portraits created by Mary Pal with cheesecloth! Yes, you read that right - CHEESECLOTH. Visit the link, you WILL be amazed!

Once you get through the eye candy there is a lot of information to read and explore as well. Martha provides an in depth spotlight on each featured artist which tells about the artist as well as their art process.

Apparently Amazon is having a price war with Barnes & Noble and thus many books are deeply discounted, this book included! The retail price of People & Portraits is $24.95 and is worth every penny of the retail price however it's a steal at the current price of $8.29.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have!

Taking Classes

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:23:00 +0000

I LOVE learning new skills and techniques.

When I read on Facebook or a blog about a retreat or conference I will wish I lived in that area so I could attend without the added expense of flying and a hotel and meals out, not to mention the time away from the kids and hubby. So until I have endless funds and time I have been learning via the internet.

There are so many wonderful classes available without the need to leave my home.

I have really come to like the classes that Craftsy has to offer!

I don't always complete the project along with the class but I love to watch and learn!

I've taken Annette Kennedy's Painted Pictorial Quilts Class.

Very interesting and she is so good about answering your questions!

I've also taken Ann Peterson's Beyond Basic Machine Quilting.

Great tips and ideas to apply to my free motion quilting.

Right now I'm in the middle of watching Jane Dunnewold's The Art of Cloth Dyeing.

I've dyed fabric for years and even taught some basic dyeing classes and I still have learned some new things from this class! Jane is a true expert in this field and I wish I had taken her class sooner!

Recently I noticed a few other classes I would love to take on Craftsy:

Carol Ann Waugh's Fun Fiber Art with Stupendous Stitching. Doesn't that sample look fabulous!

Shoot It! A product photography primer by Caro Sheridan. I could really use some great ideas on getting better photos of my quilts for my blog and submissions to shows.

And lastly I'd love to take Angela Walter's Free Motion with Feathers class because I've been a little obsessed with learning to make the perfect free motion feather! You really should follow the link and watch the video teaser for this one. I really really want to learn to make feathers like that!

What kind of classes do you want to take?

Marie Antoinette

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 05:51:00 +0000

They are finished at last!

As soon as I heard about Kick Off Your Heels, a fundraiser for The Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California, I knew I wanted to participate. Not only because this center treats and educates women, and does major research for heart disease with women exclusively, but because I personally have a bum ticker.

You could say this is a fundraiser that is near and dear to my heart!

While in my 40's my doctors discovered that I was having mini-strokes because of a hole in my heart. Thanks to modern advancements I didn't have to have my chest cracked open. The doctor was able to insert a titanium umbrella into a one inch incision in an artery in my leg and I was up and walking within a couple hours.

Easiest surgery I've ever had! (and I've had plenty!)

Thank you for modern research!

I had an idea for the shoes but wasn't sure how to pull it off. I decided to go wherever the shoes led me. I started with a pair I found at a thrift store. I worried about ripping the shoes by taking off the buckles so they stayed put.

I started with a a few layers of white acrylic fabric paint . . .

. . . and then painted over it with some Mod Podge and LOTS of fine GLITTER.

Glitter ended up EVERYWHERE even though I attempted to do the glittering in a plastic wash tub. I'm sure I will be finding glitter in my studio for years to come.

Even Mister, the cat, got glittered!

This is his hind end covered in glitter.

His fur is suppose to be pure black.

It's his own fault - he thought my little tub looked inviting so he crawled in with the shoes when I wasn't looking! *rolls eyes*

I decided I needed the glitter under control so I sealed it all in with two layers of Mod Podge. Great stuff that Mod Podge!

Next I made flowers of glittered ribbon and stitched them to the outsides of the shoes and then glued some lovely round mirrors to the buckles.

The mirrors needed a little something so I glued a clear plastic flower to each and then added a bit of color to the shoes by "filling" them in with some satiny burgundy fabric.

I decided I was done and proceeded with my first photo shoot and when I looked at the photos I decided. . .

. . .I HATED THEM!

I ABSOLUTELY HATED THEM!

I was so disgusted, I was ready to throw them in the trash!!!

Instead, I put them in the glitter tub and put them out of sight.

A week later I pulled them out and proceeded to see what I could do to save them.

First I removed the disco balls, and then I toned down the burgundy with some silver mesh. I added more sequins around the bottom edge and voilà -

I like them now!

I hope someone else will like them too and bid top dollar for them.

I decided they should be called:

"Marie Antoinette"

because of a comment from my daughter. She walked into my studio and said the shoes reminded her of the French aristocracy. I decided that yes, these are shoes fit for a Queen - especially, a Queen like Marie Antoinette who had no idea what was going on around her, just as so many of us have no idea of the effects of heart disease racing through our society!

Take some time and find out more about women and heart disease by clicking here.

Then go to the studio and create some great shoes to donate to Kick Off Your Heels. You still have a couple of days before the deadline, so don't delay!!!

Blurb

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 04:42:00 +0000

Recently Blurb gave me an opportunity to make one of their books with some new design templates before they were available to the general public. I jumped at the chance because I love Blurb books! I decided it was time to get started on Christmas gifts and make one of the books I've been thinking about for a long time. Now that this gorgeous book has arrived and is in my hot little hands, I can't share it with you because it's a Christmas gift! Sorry about the tease, but my friend Sylvia also made a book and let me share the cover from her book. Isn't it adorable!
I had to blog about the book because I didn't want you to miss this great 20% off coupon Blurb is now offering on these new Designer Book Templates.
Now you can make a gift for that difficult to buy for person, including yourself!

Click on any of the links and enter the code to get your discount.

Oh maybe it's time to make a book of my trip to Moab last weekend!

Here's the Offer Code: DESIGNMYBOOK

What it's good for: 20% Off Designer Book Templates only*

Expires: 3/31/13

*Fine print: Get 20% USD, AUD, CAD or EUR off your Blurb Designer Bookify product total up to $150. Offer expires March 31, 2013 11.59pm local time. May only be used once per customer and on books created by you. May not be combined with any other coupons, volume discount or applied retroactively to previous orders.

Sunday Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 15:59:00 +0000

I have two exchange students from Germany staying with my family for two weeks so we took advantage and headed down to Moab for the weekend. I have really enjoyed seeing the park again through their eyes. Here are just a few photos of the beauty to inspire you this lovely Sunday:

The hike to Delicate Arch is very difficult, especially when you are overweight and out of shape, but I'm glad to say I'm lighter than I was 6 months ago and in better shape, making this trek possible!

It was a great accomplishment!

Snowbird

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:28:00 +0000

Snowbird is a beautiful place!

My friend Ruth has a time share at Snowbird and invites the guild members up every year for a sew day. I almost didn't make it this year but managed to go up for an hour of fun with friends.

Ruth brought out this beautiful piece she has been working on.

I LOVE this piece!

These are the great ladies I have learned so much from.

I am always in awe of the talent that surrounds me.

Modern Sewing Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:44:00 +0000

I received a fun book in the mail yesterday:

There are lots of great projects in this book:

Fabric Bottle Bud Vase by Lucie Summers
Marbles Table Runner by Brigitte Heitland
Black & White Place Mats by Alissa Haight Carlton
Patchwork Cube Slipcover by Kevin Kosbab
Cable Clutter Cleanup Bags by Kathy York
Color Swatch Wall Hanging by Sheryl Schleicher
Fabric Birds by Terry Grant
Rubik's Crush by Ashley Newcomb
Reusable Produce Bags by Lisa Chin
Travel Lingerie Bag by Blair Stocker
Alphabet Baby Quilt by Erin Gilday
Yoga Mat Carrier by Vivika Hansen DeNegre
Plastic Bag Dispenser by Ayumi Takahashi
Cell Phone Case by Mary Claire Goodwin
Sweet & Simple Key Fob by Corinnea Martindale
Patchwork Fabric Cuffs by Lucie Summers

OH, wait, did you see that?

Reusable Produce Bags by Lisa Chin!

My first published pattern has been reprinted!

When a project is published on the front of a magazine/book we call the author a "Cover Girl" so what do we call her when her project is published on the back of the book???

Bootylicious?

Hahahahahaha

I crack myself up.

No pun intended.

Well someone has to laugh at my jokes!

But seriously, I'm very excited to have my project published again and to receive a copy of it in the mail. There are a lot of really cute projects in this book!

Super Spring Retreat

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Chin) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:22:00 +0000

Finally getting the few photos I took at the Pie Plates Super Spring Retreat up. As usual, I had a wonderful time!

We met together in the newly renovated Fountain Green Dance Hall.

A large space with plenty of room to stretch out and sew. The quilt in this photo is from Bonnie's Choo Choo Train pattern.

And this Log Cabin variation is from my friend Sylvia, who will soon have this pattern up in her Craftsy Shop.

This is Alice and her little guy, who kept us entertained throughout the retreat.

Krisanne, another one of the wonderful teachers, was putting together a beautiful new scrappy pattern.

I spent most of my free time figuring out this little puzzle:

I'm pleased with how it turned out!

This year the teachers all stayed with Karla, a very talented quilter who lives in Fountain Green. Her new studio is fabulous!!!

Lots of great lighting and space to stretch out and sew.

She also has a collection of antique sewing machines and cabinets.

My favorite is this antique leather sewing machine.