My daughter used acrylic fabric paints and fabric markers to paint this t-shirt commemorating those who died on 9/11/2001. I find that creating art, even in a small way, is one of the most meaningful ways to come to grips with life’s sorrowful moments. Have you ever created something that helped you deal with a tragic event? 
A creative life is filled with challenges and rewards, puzzles and curiosities. This ongoing series of poems attempts to express the “Aha”s and “What if”s, the deep ponderings and casual observations of an inquiring mind trying to make sense of reality. May it serve, for you, as a bit of “Everyday Inspiration” along your own creative path.
Creativity
Is opportunity…
Knowing
What you want—
And seizing it
As it passes
Under you
Nose.
I was recently introduced to the work of Radka Donnell and it completely changed the way I view quilting. A quilter, author and activist, Donnell wrote the groundbreaking book Quilts as Women’s Art: A Quilt Poetics.
It is a bold and controversial book that basically gives a different meaning and purpose to quilts. She uses the book and her quilts to reach out to other women and enable dialogue about the body, emotions, and human contact.
In a recent article about encouraging children to read, sheknows.com writer Mary Fetzer recommended The Best of Sewing Machine Fun for Kids as a fun crafting book for children to read and try. The book is designed to teach children how to sew on a sewing machine, in a fun and engaging manner.
The goal of the interactive book is to expand “successful skill-building experience and to develop sewing self-confidence” for children. The authors, Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan, claim that this book will cure the “I’m bored, What can I do?” syndrome. The sheknows.com article reiterates this idea about children beating their boredom.
Some children love fairytales, others prefer factual books. ‘Animal fact books are almost always a sure bet,’ advises [educational expert Wendy] Zachrisen, especially those with real-life photography instead of illustrations. Add books with hands-on elements – craft books, cookbooks and how-to books.
The idea of interactive reading appeals to children, teaching them to read and absorb new information. The Best of Sewing Machine Fun for Kids focuses on “a little encouragement [that will help] open the door to a lifetime of creative adventure. Creative kids are happy kids!”
Whether gifting, serving or hunting for treats, these various sized petal pots transform into ghoulish containers. Have fun with this new project!
Materials
• Ready-to-Go® Blank Board Petal Pots– Assorted pack of 3
• 9 qty cardstock ½” x 1” rectangles
• Scissors
• Paper Adhesive
Pumpkin Party Favor
• (The 3.5” petal pot is also available in a pack of 3 Ready-to-Go® Blank Board Mini Petal Pots)
• Paper for side panels-Halloween theme
• Green crepe paper 10” x 20”
• Wire or pipe cleaner
• Die cut leaf or brown paper
Witches Licorice Holder
• 2 contrasting themed papers
• Black chalk ink or marker
Trick or Treat Pot
• Paper for side panels – Halloween theme – 6” x 9”
• Brown grocery bag or brown paper – 6” x 9”
• Window background paper 3” x 6” each, 3qty
• Black ink chalk & marker
• Ribbon approx. 13”
• 6 black plastic spiders
• Gauze
• Felt, black, white, gray
• Buttons – 2 qty (optional)
We have thread collection winners! Congratulations to Jona, Anita, Claire, Paula Antes, Paula Bohan, Carol, Kathy N, Cookie Kenney, Pati Shambaugh, hands of gold, Carole Whitridge and Kimberlee. These 12 lucky winners will each receive a box filled with 50 spools of Coats & Clark’s brand new Dual Duty XP® thread. How awesome is that?
Thanks for all your many comments posted here and on Facebook. Wow, there sure are many unusual uses of thread! We heard about using thread under microscopes, in earpiercings, plucking teeth as well as flossing with, cutting pastry dough and birthday cakes, sewing poultry, dog food (ugly scene to follow), for bird nests, cut up in crafts, knitting, hanging solar systems, even tethering june bugs. What I would like to know is how the heck can you pick up an ice cube with thread? Please tell us your magic trick Rosa Robichaud!
Thanks for participating everyone and thank you to Coats & Clark!
I really loved Cynthia’s post about altering the lid to an empty tin of Quilter’s Chocolates – what a yummy project! So I was inspired to share the one I did this past Christmas, which I gave to my godmother to hold fancy paperclips.
I painted the lid with black alcohol ink, then decoupaged fabric paper on top, and glued ribbon around the side of the lid. I embellished it with a metal pendant finding, a glass heart, and beads. i added a decorative key on top of the heart, and dabbed gold acrylic paint around the top edge.
As fun as it is to alter these tins…emptying them out is still the best part! Look for Quilter’s Chocolates at your local quilt shop, they’re truly dee-lish!
Stampington & Company is the publisher behind the visually stunning magazines Somerset Studio, Somerset Memories, Art Quilting Studio, Green Craft and more. Even though I have a job that allows me to look at gorgeous project images all day, I am still thrilled every time a new magazine from Stampington & Company comes across my desk. It always leaves me feeling inspired. Usually, I have to guard the magazines with my life because eager coworkers start hovering to get a peak at the new issue.
Because Stampington & Company knows our blog readers are fabulous, talented and ready to be inspired, they have generously donated BLOG CANDY!! We have 2 prize packs to give away. They each contain a 2010 Somerset Studio Calendar
A copy of the premier issue of Art Quilting Studio
and a copy of the premier issue of GreenCraft.
To be in the running to win a Stampington & Company prize pack, leave a comment here by Monday, 9/14 telling us what your favorite Stampington & Company magazine is, and how it has inspired you.
*Comments will be closed at 9am PST on Monday 9/14/09
Fabric dyeing at Dharma Trading, that is. I recently taught a dyeing class at Dharma Trading, one of the primary sources of Procion fiber-reactive dyes. The folks at Dharma put together a kit that included dyes, soda ash, a dust mask, gloves, and a copy of my book Fast, Fun & Easy® Fabric Dyeing.
Teaching from a book makes teaching so easy—no handouts to prepare, everyone has all the information they both in class and when the go home to work on their own.
The class was a 3-hour Introduction to Creative Fabric Dyeing the Fast, Fun & Easy Way. Everyone had a chance to try out some things. The only problem with a 3-hour class is that I don’t get to see any finished fabrics–I hope they send me emails so I can see their results.
I saw a wonderfully fun Rag Quilt Letters project on the Happy Together blog and had to give it a try. My 22 month old is learning all of his letters so I thought this was a great example of someone thinking: what if these were made out of fabric?
The surprise was that my eldest son quickly picked out all of the letters of his name and asked me to put them above his bed, so I think I’ll have a few more letters to do. My niece and nephew are also staying with us for a few days so I might send them home with some letters for their names if I can think of a creative way to display them for older kids. Any ideas??
I liked them so much, that I decided to make a second ‘girly’ set for my friend’s daughter’s birthday:
