Chatterbox Quilts Chitchat: June 2013

Friday, June 28, 2013

Hello Bloglovin' and Good-bye Google Reader

Hi everyone:

I'm sure you've heard that Google Reader will be riding into the sunset as of July 1. This may leave some of you wondering how you're going to follow your favourite blogs without having to view each of them individually. Not to worry, I have a solution.

I'm not the most techie person in the world - I think that would be either of my kids - but I was able to load up my favourite blogs onto Bloglovin', a free app that you can use on your computer or iPad (you can download their app from the App store). If I can do it, so can you, so let me show you how.

First, you need to set up an account on Bloglovin', a fairly easy procedure.

Just click the "Join Bloglovin" button and follow the instructions.

Note that you can either create your account by using your Facebook account, if you have one, or

you can sign up with your email address by entering your name, setting up a username and password (that's how I did it). You'll get an email with a link from Bloglovin'. Just click on the link to set up your account.

You'll notice that when you click on the link, it takes you to Bloglovin's website and there you will see the most important message of all. "Import your favorite blogs from Google Reader" with a blue button that you'll definitely want to click. Once you've clicked "Import from Google Reader", the blogs that you used to read through Google Reader will now be imported to Bloglovin' for your viewing pleasure. Sweet!

Now let's start importing other blogs that you want to read. There is a search area on the top right side of the Bloglovin' main page. Enter the name of the blog that you are looking for here, press enter and the blog should pop up here.

More than one blog with a similar name may be found, so make sure you have the correct one before you choose it.

For example, I searched for Kay Mackenzie's All About Applique blog and came up with several results. These are all Kay's blog, just various previously published posts. I can click "Follow" and this blog will be added to my blog list on Bloglovin'. Easy, right?

There's one feature of Bloglovin' that I especially like: it sends me an email with new blogs posts directly to my inbox. I don't have to chase Bloglovin' down to see the latest blogposts. It also has a simple and streamlined look which I appreciate.

Now after telling you all about how to set up an account and import your blogs, there is a simple way to add my blog to your list of blogs that you're following on Bloglovin' (you are going to set up an account, aren't you?) You may notice that there is a Bloglovin' button on the right sidebar of my blog (follow this blog with Bloglovin'). Just click on it and you can sign up to follow Chatterbox Quilts Chitchat right now.

If you're looking for a replacement for Google Reader, I hope you'll take a look at Bloglovin'.

If you have any questions about this process, just ask me about it in the comments and I'll try to help you - or I'll ask one of my kids about it :)

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Free Patterns - and Recipes too!

Hi everyone:

Who doesn't like free patterns? You know that I love the Craftsy classes, but did you also know that you can find many wonderful FREE patterns from independent designers on their site as well? Well, you can! Let me tell you how you can access these patterns and recipes yourself.

When you register on Craftsy you'll be able to access FREE patterns for sewing, quilting, knitting and embroidery. You'll also have access to FREE cake decorating classes. All of these patterns and recipes are FREE with registration. I'm just so excited about the FREE part!

Take a look at the FREE designs and recipes available to you upon registration:

Free Embroidery Patterns at Craftsy!

Free Knitting Patterns at Craftsy!

Free Sewing Pattern at Craftsy

Free Quilting Patterns at Craftsy

Free Cake Decorating Recipes at Craftsy!

I've already downloaded many FREE quilt patterns and purchased several as well. I haven't yet investigated the cake decorating recipes, but will definitely have to do this as they sound yummy.

The best part about the FREE patterns and recipes (aside from the fact that they're free) is that new ones are continually being added to the Craftsy website, so you'll have to keep checking to see what additional ones you can add to your collection.

Happy FREE shopping!

Monday, June 24, 2013

6 Ways to Get Your Art On

Note: This is a re-post as the links in the initial post weren't active.

Hi everyone:

Rob Zeller - Drawn to Painting (Fine Art)

Scott Gellatly - Master Pallates: Exploring Color Mixing (Fine Art)

Now I'm definitely not an expert in the area of painting or drawing, but I'm sure that these instructors are tops in each of their fields - that's a given with any Craftsy course. I have dabbled briefly in watercolours, so may have to check out one of these classes to see how I can improve my technique (I actually don't have much of a technique, so maybe I could develop one!).

If you haven't tried a Craftsy class yet, you may want to start with one of the new fine art classes. If you're still not sure whether you'd like their learning platform, why not sign up for one of their mini-courses? They're FREE!

A great way to "try it before you buy it". I'm sure you'll enjoy the Craftsy platform and will soon be enrolled in just a few courses - or 5 or 10, like me.

Now off to dig out those acrylic paints and brushes that I have somewhere...

Thursday, June 20, 2013

6 Ways to Get Your Art On

Hi everyone:

Have you always wanted to try painting, but never seemed to get around to it. Love the look of landscapes, but don't know how to paint one yourself? Well, no more excuses! Here's your chance to try your hand at landscape painting or portraiture. You can even learn how to mix colours like a master.

You may wonder what I'm talking about. Craftsy is launching their first series of fine art on-line classes starting on June 22 and there are six different classes to choose from. Here are the new fine art classes that you'll see when you check Craftsy on June 22:

Patrick Connors - Perspective in Landscape Drawing (Fine Art)

Bennett Vadnais - Acrylic Landscape Painting (Fine Art)

Matt Rota - Portraits in Watercolor (Fine Art)

Micah Ganske - Exploring Acrylic Through Narrative Portraiture (Fine Art)

Rob Zeller - Drawn to Painting (Fine Art)

Scott Gellatly - Master Pallates: Exploring Color Mixing (Fine Art)

Now I'm definitely not an expert in the area of painting or drawing, but I'm sure that these instructors are tops in each of their fields - that's a given with any Craftsy course. I have dabbled briefly in watercolours, so may have to check out one of these classes to see how I can improve my technique (I actually don't have much of a technique, so maybe I could develop one!).

If you haven't tried a Craftsy class yet, you may want to start with one of the new fine art classes. If you're still not sure whether you'd like their learning platform, why not sign up for one of their mini-courses? They're FREE!

A great way to "try it before you buy it". I'm sure you'll enjoy the Craftsy platform and will soon be enrolled in just a few courses - or 5 or 10, like me.

Now off to dig out those acrylic paints and brushes that I have somewhere...

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Quilting and Baking - How Sweet!

Hi everyone:

I've been busy working on a retirement gift for one of my co-workers at the school, as well as completing samples for some upcoming pattern releases and have been feeling very productive. It really helps when you turn off Facebook and email for a few hours :) I'll post pictures of the gift once it's finished (still have to do the binding) and will, of course, be announcing the new patterns once they're available.

I couldn't accomplish all this intense quilting without some sustenance. I always have my tea with me in the studio (usually I have to re-heat it several times) and I like to have some muffins or cookies with me when it's time for a break. One of my favourite muffin recipes and one that I've been whipping up lately is for Pumpkin Cranberry muffins.

Pumpkin Cranberry muffins

I'd like to say that this is my own recipe, but that wouldn't be the truth. This recipe was given to me by one of my close friends, Cheryl, and it's wonderful - moist and flavourful and healthy as well. I usually make a double batch of these and freeze them so I can enjoy them for several weeks. They're perfect because my kids aren't keen on the cranberry thing - raisins, dates, anything dried up and shrivelly - so I have them all to myself. Occasionally I will throw in some butterscotch chips for some extra sweetness.

I find that the best recipes are typically those that I get from my friends or family. You can't beat an old family favourite when it comes to cooking or baking. If you're like me you have recipes written down on recipe cards or pieces of paper and they're stuffed into a file folder or binder. I can spend quite a bit of time sorting through these when I want to make a recipe and think that it would be a good idea to create a cookbook with my family's favourite recipes in it.

Currently Blurb is offering a 15% discount on creating your own cookbook. Using their free software and many templates, you can upload your own recipes and photos and create your own family cookbook with all your special recipes.

In addition to creating your own book, you can also browse through Blurb's bookstore where you can find many cookbooks created by wonderful cooks just like you.

Favorite Cookies by Susan M. Schroederfrom the Blurb bookstore

We've already made two books using Blurb and were very happy with the results. One book was a collection of my daughter's stories and poems and the other was a collection of family photos for the grandparents as a Christmas gift. I was impressed by the quality of the books and liked the fact that there were many options to choose from, allowing us to personalize our books.

If you want to make a cookbook for yourself or for a gift, why not take a look at Blurb? At 15% off, it really is a sweet deal.

Speaking of sweet, don't forget to throw in some butterscotch chips when you make your batch of Pumpkin Cranberry muffins.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar (I usually use half white sugar and half brown sugar)
1/4 cup oat bran
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of cloves and nutmeg
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, but real pumpkin)
2/3 cup plain yogurt (I usually use vanilla yogurt as this is what I have on hand)
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 - 1/2 cup butterscotch chips (optional, but yummy)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix first 7 ingredients together in a large bowl. In another bowl combine eggs, pumpkin, yogurt and oil. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold in cranberries and butterscotch chips, if adding. Bake in 400 F oven for 15 - 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Try not to eat all at once!

Friday, June 7, 2013

Book Review - Fresh from the Prairies

Hi everyone:

I'm really excited about Fresh from the Prairies 12 Quilts That Capture the Spirit of the West as I've been waiting for its release since I met the authors, Devon Lavigne and Sharon Smith at a quilt show a year ago. I finally managed to get a copy of their first book from Sharon and Devon at the Heritage Park Festival of Quilts. It was definitely worth the wait!

Fresh from the Prairies by Devon Lavigne and Sharon Smith
Photo courtesy of www.pickledish.com

Inspired by the Alberta prairies (yup, these are Alberta gals), Devon and Sharon have created 12 quilts using traditional blocks with fresh colours. While the samples might use reproduction prints and florals - fairly traditional fabrics - Devon and Sharon throw in unexpected bursts of colour to give their designs a fresh, modern look.

Wagons West from Fresh from the Prairies
Photo courtesy of www.pickledish.com

The patterns in the book are mostly pieced, with a few foundation pieced designs and range from beginner to intermediate in difficulty. They are scrappy in nature, but a controlled scrappy so that the block designs are evident. What makes these designs "work" is the use of variety, value and rest that Devon and Sharon use in each project and that they explain at the beginning of the book. Each project also has helpful tips and information pertinent to constructing that particular quilt.

Detail from Fresh from the Prairies
Photo courtesy of www.pickledish.com

I appreciated the diagrams and detailed instructions included in the book and enjoyed the quilt names, such as "Cowboy Up" and "Showdown". I also liked that the table of contents included the quilt photos with the names, along with the difficulty level, so I could see all the projects at a glance. Detailed photos of each of the quilts are included in the pattern instructions, which allowed me to see the fabrics as well as the quilting details. Of course the wonderful prairie photographs added the final touch to the book.

If you enjoy scrappy quilts with a modern twist, you'll enjoy Fresh from the Prairies. For more of Devon and Sharon's work, "like" their Facebook page.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Add Some Heat with Sweet Dreams

Hi everyone:

My last post was about the Heritage Park Festival of Quilts. I was helping out at the Quilter's Connection magazine booth and did a demo of my latest pattern, Sweet Dreams. I'm pleased to let you know that this design is available as a FREE pattern on my website for the next 2 months.

Sweet Dreams by Chatterbox Quilts

It's my first pattern using my HEAT process: Hand Embroidery Appliqué Technique. This fusion of two techniques (hand embroidery and fusible web appliqué) has been a natural evolution of the work that I've been doing over the past year or so.

My first love is appliqué, specifically fusible web appliqué, since it's fast and easy - my two favourite words when I'm referring to quilting, but I've been drawn more and more to hand embroidery recently. I also find this fast and easy, although I don't think it would be as quick if I were doing an entire embroidery project. So, how am I using hand embroidery in an appliqué project, you ask? Well, let me tell you...

Detail of Sweet Dreams

I use hand embroidery as an enhancement to my appliqué project. Some appliqué details are too small to be made from fabric, so I add hand embroidery stitches for these finer details.

Detail of Sweet Dreams

I typically use perle cotton in various weights, but embroidery floss works as well. I guess I'm just a perle cotton snob! I also find that I can add so much more texture and interest to a project with just a few simple embroidery stitches and they really don't take much time to complete.

Moon and star details of Sweet Dreams

I hope you'll download Sweet Dreams and try my HEAT process. If you've never tried hand embroidery before, this is a great project to introduce you to this technique. Don't forget to download it before the end of July 2013, since it will no longer be available as a free pattern after that date.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Quilts - Rain or Shine

Hi everyone:

Not even the deluge of rain that Calgary recently experienced could dampen the enthusiasm of quilters for a quilt show. The Heritage Park Festival of Quilts was a little wetter than usual, but the sun did eventually come out for a beautiful Sunday so that quilts could be hung outside for all to enjoy.

Some of the quilts on the Wainwright Hotel balcony

Heritage Park is a 1910 prairie railway town in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When you enter Heritage Park, you take a step back in time and can imagine what life would've been like in the early 1900's. I can't imagine a more appropriate venue for the Festival of Quilts, which is held annually on the last week-end in May. This year there were over 800 quilts on display.

I was helping out at the Quilter's Connection magazine booth for the week-end, but did manage to sneak in some quilt viewing and shopping (just a bit).

Heather McArthur of Quilter's Connection magazine

On Saturday I was able to chat with the Prairie Quilt Mercantile gals, Devon and Sharon. They've just released their first book, Fresh from the Prairies, and I was fortunate enough to snag a copy. I love the quilts in this book - so traditional, yet fresh. I'll have a review of their book in a future blogpost.

Sharon Smith and Devon Lavigne from Prairie Quilt Mercantile

As the weather wasn't very cooperative on Saturday and very few quilts were hung outside, I saved most of my quilt viewing until Sunday. My buddy, Lee of Lala's Lovelys accompanied me as we enjoyed the quilts and the sun. Here are a few of my favourite quilts.