Sue Bleiweiss

fusing with the goddess...

You all know that I'm a big fan of Mistyfuse and that it's the only fusible product that I use in my studio and recommend to my students and anyone else who will listen.    Along with using a lot of Mistyfuse I also use a lot (okay a ton, actually so much that my husband suggested I find a source to buy it by the case!) of parchment paper because it's always been my choice as a pressing sheet vs using a non stick teflon sheet.  The non stick sheets I've bought in the past have always taken too long to cool and I wasn't able to see through them to the fabric beneath.   Well, Mistyfuse now has a nonstick thermal sheet for fusing that I really like ...

 

The goddess sheet is a nonstick thermal sheet that has won me over.  Why?  well because I can see through it when I'm ironing, it doesn't seem to hold the heat as long as some of the sheets I've used in the past and it has a curve along one corner so I always know which side of the sheet should be facing up.  This insures that I always put the same side against the Mistyfuse so if I happen to get any fusible bits clinging to the sheet after I fuse one fabric and I don't realize they're there I won't accidentally iron over them when I fuse the next piece of fabric.   

When you fuse using the goddess sheet it leaves a slightly glossy sheen on the fused surface which is helpful if you're like me and you pre-fuse your fabrics and then put them away to use later.   This is especially helpful when I pre-fuse batiks because when I use parchment paper to pre-fuse the Mistyfuse'd side is sometimes hard to determine because the parchment paper fuses with a matte finish.   

This is a terrific product and I definitely recommend it as a must have in the studio.  I found the goddess sheet online at  Mistyfuse  and I Have a Notion.  If you have anyone who works with fusibles on your gift list this holiday this is a perfect gift for them.

If you are new to working with Mistyfuse, check the Two Creative Studios free project page for a tip sheet on working with it.

texture, lots and lots of texture...

Have you seen this new product out by Superior Threads?

 

I was curious so I bought some.  It sort of resembles a polyester lining fabric.   You stitch it to your fabric, blast it with some steam and it shrinks up and creates some fabulous texture.  I played with it today and I love it!  I tested it on cotton, silk, and velvet and it worked great on all three.  My favorite however was the velvet.  I ended up stitching the Texture Magic to a 1yard piece of silk velvet and then turned it into a bag:

I actually was motivated to make the bag because of the trim.  I found a 1 yard piece of that trim in my stash. 

I have no idea where I got it but I love it and it worked perfectly with the color of the velvet. It doesn't really show well in the photo but it's got a little bit of sparkle from the beads and some gold threads. The bag is about 15" wide along the bottom and stands about 11" high.  I used silk for the lining.

Anyway, I think this is a great product!  You can find it here on the Superior Threads website. 

Free projects & the new block of the month

The new Two Creative Studios block of the month is now available!  Here's my version:

You'll find the directions for the new block here.

And Terri has a new free project sheet that you're going to want to print out.  Recently she blogged about some fabulous fabrics she dyed in one bucket:

 

and I wrote up the directions on how to make these fiber collage cards using Mistyfuse :

 

You'll find both of these new projects on the Two Creative Studios website here.

geometric 1

 

Geometric 1 - 19"x33",  Mistyfuse'd raw edge appliqué, machine quilted.  This picture doesn't really do it much justice, it's much more exciting in person.

 

 

I really enjoyed putting this piece together which is why I've labeled it "1".  I think I will do a series of quilted fabric collages in this style.

a little of this, that and something else...

how's that for a blog post title?  I've got a bunch of stuff to post about so that seemed to be the most fitting title.

First: I thought I'd give you a preview of what the winner of the second block of the month for Two Creative Studios will win on the 15th of this month:

 

There's still time to get into the draw for this prize package!  You'll find all the block of the month details here.

Vicki's having a big sale in her etsy shop.  All her Tie Dye Shirts are 15% off through November 23rd. I have a couple of her tie dye shirts and I love them.  Get all the details on the sale here.

There's lots going on over at the Quilting Gallery Blog.  First up is the Holiday Traditions Quilt contest.  Terri and I are one of the sponsors of this contest and we're giving away a copy of Creative Way with Books & Journals as a prize.  Get all the details here.    While you're over there, check out the call for recipes for the Quilters Cookbook.   I've already sent my recipe in for Wild Rice with Apples & Pecans.

and lastly I'll leave you with a peek at a new quilted fabric collage I've been working on in the studio all week:

 

It's at the stage now where I'll start adding some stitching to the surface.   Speaking of quilts. Judy revealed the theme for the first challenge for the Fiberactions challenge group.  Check it out here.

a new bag

It's been ages since I made a bag.  So long in fact I can't remember the last time I made one but when I saw the new Sweetwater fabrics in the last Pink Chalk Fabrics newsletter I knew right away I had to get some to make a bag with.

8"x10"x3 1/2"

and the back :

I used the canvas blocks for the outside of the bag and for the inside I used the cotton:

 

The inside has a zippered pocket on one side and some patch pockets on the other.  It closes with a magnetic snap.

 

I found these cool charms in my stash that I thought were a perfect embellishment.

Flowers & Fiberactions

I put the finishing touches on another quilt this morning:

 

"night blooms" 22"x26"  I am finding that with each quilt I finish I learn something new.  With this one I learned that there really is a difference in quilt battings and I found one that I will not use again! 

Speaking of quilts... I along with 12 other fiber artists have formed a new challenge group called Fiberactions.

 

Every two months we each create a new quilt measuring 16"x20" based on a theme chosen by one of us.  You can follow our progress on our new blog here where you'll also find a list of all of the artists in the group.  

Quilts & Schedules

You know I thought books and journals were hard to photograph but they've got nothing on trying to get a good photo of a wall quilt!

 
  This one is 22"x30", machine quilted and painted with Golden Fluid Acrylics and Lumiere paints. 

Clearly I need to designate an area in the house where I can hang a quilt to photograph it. 

I would be interested in hearing from others who photograph their wall quilts - how do you do it?

I've started booking some workshops and classes for 2010 so I've started a new page on my website just for listing where I'll be teaching.  You'll find it here.

painting, carving, stamping...

this past Thursday we had an absolutely gorgeous sunny 70 degree fall day here ...

 

the view from my back deck was full of shades of yellow with a little orange, red and green mixed in.  It was too nice to be inside so I set up on the deck to do some fabric painting...

 

8 pieces of canvas 20"x30" each hanging on the line drying. I did a ton of fabric dyeing too but I haven't gotten around to ironing it all so it's not photo worthy yet.  So what's next for the canvas in the photo above?  well today I spent a couple of hours carving some new stamps...

These are all pretty large stamps - the one in the lower left measures 5"x6" to give you an idea of how big the other ones are.

I'll be back later this week with photos of some stamped and embellished fabric...

fabric journals

I don't do a lot of custom orders because I'm don't enjoy having to create on demand but I always make exceptions when the request comes from a fellow artist.  So I didn't hesitate to take a request to create this journal:

This was an easy custom order to do because I really like working with blue.  This is a hand dyed cotton that I stenciled over with Lumiere Blue Pearl paint.  It really is quite stunning in person - this photo doesn't really do it justice.

And this next one is in the shop:

more photos of this one here.