Friday, October 17, 2008

The Butterfly Project

I received this link from a friend and after reading it I knew I had to participate. The Butterfly Project is sponsored by the Holocaust Museum in Houston, Texas. In an effort to remember the 1,500,000 innocent children who died due to the Holocaust, the museum is collecting handmade butterflies.

When the museum opens in the Spring of 2012 it would like to have a handmade butterfly to represent every child who lost their life in this horrific event.

I plan to make a butterfly similar to the one I created for the 2007 ArtBra Ladies wall hanging. All the specifics regarding size and materials are listed on the website. I would invite you to join me in helping the museum reach its goal.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Another Handbag Creation


I always enjoy creating a new handbag and wanted to share one that I just completed. This pattern appealed to me because it was unique. It is from one of Komiko Sudo's books entitled: Folded Flowers: Fabric Origami With a Twist of Silk Ribbon. In her book it is not crazy quilted but a friend decided to crazy quilt one she made. It was gorgeous and I had to have one as well.


I've taken the pattern and enlarged it somewhat. Instead of carrying it as a wrist purse I wanted a shoulder bag. I've added extra length to the strap to achieve that purpose.



I searched the internet today for someone else who might have made this beautiful purse and found the following site. She has a picture of the original purse pattern and the purse she has completed. She has done a fantastic job.



I've used dupioni silk for the lining and added a pocket on each side. Only the bottom section is machine stitched. The upper portion including the straps are stitched by hand.



My son gave me a copy of Kumiko Sudo's book: Omiyage as a gift several years ago. She is a renowned fiber artist and has written numerous books. Her books offer many wonderful projects perfect for gift-giving. In fact, omiyage is the Japanese word for "gift."

Friday, October 3, 2008

Life on the Gulf Coast of Texas

Although I've lived in this area of Texas all my life I never look forward to hurricane season. Hurricane Carla hit 47 years ago doing major damage in our area. Since that time we've had the occasional tropical storm but nothing catastrophic.

It seems only yesterday that we were preparing for Hurricane Ike. It's been over three weeks and we are still dealing with some of the issues resulting from the storm and unpacking boxes we evacuated along with us.

Compared with many people in this area we were truly blessed. Our boat road out the storm amazingly well with absolutely no damage. We thank God for His blessings and pray for those less fortunate.

Here is a picture of one of the boats in the marina about 500 feet from ours. Tornadoes are responsible for much of the damage at the marina.


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On a better note..
the staff of CQMagOnline is preparing articles for the October issue. I have a final article on the Ideas and Inspiration Challenge including many photos. This article is based on the fabulous work done by my local crazy quilt bee.

With the Christmas season fast approaching I've written an article on how to make a mother of pearl brooch. Start collecting your small buttons now.

The BOI (Block of the Issue) will be a block that I designed for the 2007 ArtBra Ladies wall hanging.

And last, but certainly not least, an article on Ginny Eckley and her silk screening process. Ginny is an extremely gifted artist and I thoroughly enjoyed her two-day class.

Some of the best and most talented are contributing articles for this upcoming issue. Mark your calendars for the end of October and be ready to be inspired.