New Blog!

Hey!  Bella and I just wanted to let you know that we have a new blog and would really like for you to come visit us!  Check us out at YellowCatQuilts

My goal for 2016 is to design and write more quilt patterns....slowly but surely it will happen.  

I hope you will come on over and follow along! Once I figure out how to give a free quilt pattern download, I will have some for you.  

Peace and grace.....Sharon

Published!

Are you ready for Halloween? 

 I think other than Thanksgiving it is one of my favorite times of the year!

Exciting news! The fall 2015 issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited has published my "And So It Goes"

quilt.  I used the wonderful fabric line from Andover Makower called Walk About.  Beth Studley used such beautiful dramatic colors in her prints.

 I would love to see your interpretation of my pattern!  

Have a great weekend!  I am going to spend the day with my grand-daughter tomorrow, we will see a movie and have a lunch date, then spend some time making artsy things!

grace and peace...Sharon

Busy Summer...how did that go by so fast?

     Miss Bella always likes to give her seal of approval on all the quilts!  This little quilt is an I Spy Four Patch for Project Linus.  I found the pattern on Bonnie Hunters blog...it works up fast and easy!

My newest addiction...English Paper Pieceing!  This is my first rosette in the quilt along with Katja. Once you are signed up, she sends a new rosette pattern every month.  You do need to have her book The New Hexagon to join the fun!  

When Linda Brannock died this summer, I decided to get out the blocks from her Flowers quilt and finish it in her memory.  It is ready to bind and hang in our guilds quilt show this month.  Thank you Linda for all the unique, beautiful quilts you added the world!  I have 2 more to finish, but I have many patterns to begin that are on my wish list.  How about all of you?

And this is what is happening this week!  Trying to finish quilting this quilt so it can get in the mail to McCalls quilting magazine! Fortunately we are taking a trip next week and I will have plenty of time to stitch the binding down.  We are headed to the War Eagle Craft show in Rogers, Arkansas and then to Farmers Branch, Texas to a Bluegrass Festival.  I love to travel in the fall!  

Just in case another season has passed this little blog by...enjoy fall no matter where you are!  If you can't travel...grab a handwork project, go sit on your deck or porch, and enjoy the beautiful weather and colors! 

grace and peace....Sharon

Look at this wonderful doll quilt I received from Patricia Riley!  It is perfect for my summer decorating...red, white, and blue!  I love it!  And thank you to Lori at Humble Quilts for sponsoring this doll quilt swap!

 Lots of sweet little quilts are showing up on the Small Quilts group on Facebook.

This month we were challenged by Kathleen Tracy to make a log cabin quilt, so I made two.  I really do love making these little blocks, so I made one for the swap and one for me!

 Last week, the quilting world lost a wonderful quilter and designer, Linda Brannock. Her designs have always inspired me.  So I dug out this BOM from 1997 and decided it needed to be finished in memory of Linda....a friend, teacher and quiltmaker who will be missed.
 

Flowers by Linda Brannock

We have had 4 days of sunshine for the month of May in Kansas City...the flowers are loving this tropical weather!  So I am inside my sewing room finishing this flower garden!

peace and grace....

Doll Quilt swap

Log cabin happens to be one of my favorite quilt blocks, so that is what I made for the Doll Quilt Swap hosted by Lori at Humble Quilts.  

And now it is ready to quilt!

Have a wonderful weekend!            Sharon

Lap size diagrams for My Sisters Choice free pattern

76" x 76"   Make 16 blocks total  

Another setting for a lap quilt 76x76  Make 16 blocks total

Just in case you would like to make the quilt into a lap size quilt, you could make a total of 16 big blocks using the instructions provided in the free pattern in the previous post.  Why not use up scraps?  And buy yardage for the background.  

Hope this helps....and as you can see...you can really play with this block and come up with a variety of settings! 

My Sisters Choice free pattern for you!

So excited today!  This is my first project for Moda Bake Shop!!!  It uses 2 Charm packs of the sweet, colorful Bandana fabric by Me and My Sisters.  This is what I call a "big block" pattern.  This little quilt uses four big blocks, but you could make it into a full size quilt by making more blocks.  I hope you will check it out at the Moda Bake Shop and if you do make one, I would love to see it! 

Hope you are having a great weekend....it is a rainy day here but that is fine!  Good day to sew and we need the rain!

Peace and grace....Sharon

Kindergarten Service Project

They were allowed to make their silly faces in one picture...aren't they too cute?  

My grandson's class made cuddle pillows to take to a nursing home for their service project.  Jack's gramma was asked to bring her sewing machine to help out with the project.  We had great fun stuffing pillows and getting them ready to take to the residents at the nursing home.  Many questions were asked about the sewing machine and how it worked, and they told me stories about what they did when they went to visit their grandparents.  Did I say how much fun I had???

Grandmothers Choice

It all started with this block pattern torn from an old Kansas City Star pattern.
I love traditional blocks and like to play around with them to create something new from something old. My fabrics came from a few charm packs of Jo Morton fabrics.  It was fun to make and I'm loving my new wall hanging! 

Thanks for stopping by!  

Yes!!! I still quilt!!! 

This is a quilt I started 7 years ago....hand pieced all the star baskets.  Linda Brannock designed this pattern and I have always loved anything my friend Linda creates.  So I decided it needed to be finished...the border and applique were my way of changing it a bit. 

And if you could send up some prayers for Linda, she is having some health issues...no fun at all. 

This weekend I am going to a quilt retreat with my friends at the Lake of the Ozarks....yay!!!!

Playing in my journal

Love cutting out pictures from magazines and pasting in my journal.  Then I get my pens out and doodle!

Isn't this fun?  First I made the background with an acrylic wash of paints, glued the little face on, then doodled away with my acrylic painter pens. 

The lettering is on scraps from an old book that I had painted the pages in a variety of colors...also her little dresss is made the from scraps.

Exciting news here!!! I have been published in Colleen Schaan's new book Card to Canvas.

I am so thrilled to share space in this beautiful book with a very talented, inspiring team of artists.

If you want to dabble with some mixed media fun, and learn some stamping and cardmaking techniques, then you will want to add this book to your library.  With these technique not only will you make beautiful cards, but you will be able to create canvas wall art.

The 80 page book includes a wide range of product information,step by step illustrated instructions for each technique and 26 beautiful full-color projects (with instructions) that showcase a wide variety of products and techniques.  Some of the topics inclue: mark-making, stamping, and doodling, collage, embossing and adding texture, adding color, faux finishes, and creating backgrounds. 

Here is a sneak peak of MY project....big smile on my face!  I promise you will love the rest of the book which is available in either print or digital formats.  It will be available for purchase from your crafting stores or online bookstores.  You can also order it directly from Annie's at :  Annie's

The team of talented designers include:

  Elizabeth Allen

  Mindy Baxter

  Karen Crossen

 Jill Foster
 Michelle Houghton

 Vivian Keh
 Kate Palmer

 Rhea Weigand

I hope you will find this book as inspirational and fun as I do.  I plan to try my hand at some of the other projects soon and will share with you when I do!

She's back....

Oh dear...I hope I do better at blogging in the future.  Now that I have quit my job, I find that there still are not enough hours in the day!  There are so many projects in my head!  I am NEVER bored!

Looks like a pile of index cards doesn't it?  Well it is!  61 of them!  This was my first year to participate in the ICAD project over at http://daisyyellowart.com/icad/.  It has been a lot of fun and a good challenge to do something artsy everyday.  Prompts are provided...to use or not to use.  A very good way to get the creative juices flowing! I plan to do it again next year!

And this is what is on the worktable today...art journal covers.  These are pieces of canvas duck that I have painted with acrylic paint then I will doodle on with a permanent marker when the paint is dry.  

If you have not visited my Etsy shop, this is one of the little artworks that you will find!

Some new prints have been added as well....

Off to see if that paint is dry!

Please don't give up on me....I know I have been a bad blogger!!!!

peace and grace....Sharon

with brave wings she flies

With brave wings she flies

Honestly....where does time go??? For me, now that I am retired, I can play in my studio, read, bake bread and hang out with the grandkids. 

The above picture is from my Documented Life journal that I started at the first of the year. It is a moleskine that is being altered weekly. I love it! This week was to put a bird on it...the cute little bird was part of some collage pieces from Teri Kahrs..she makes the cutest art journaling pages!  

Also, the words remind me to stay the course and I can do it! By that, I mean CASA...training to be a volunteer.  I know I cannot save the world, but maybe I can help break the cycle that so many families are caught up in. The innocent are caught in the mess if drugs, domestic abuse, mental illness.Thank God that I do not have to worry about my children and grandkids! So many grandparents are caught up in all of this, trying to help with limited resources.

A few more pics for this week....

I really am baking bread from scratch!!!

CASA...a page in my journal

Spoiled rotten..our new baby..Bella

Hanging with Caleb..she loves to cuddle!

Peace and grace...do what you love...at least once this week!

Winter is here.....

Blessed is the season

 which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.  

This week for the Zendala Dare, Erin from Brightowl.blogger.com provided a wonderful template to play with...and the theme was winter.  With today being the Winter solistice, I decided to play along.  Snow flakes and ice are supposed to arrive later today...so this is what I came up with.  I made a watercolor background and photo-shopped the lettering...wanted to get finished and posted today!  

Happy Art Swap

I am fortunate to participate in a wonderful art swap with some very talented ladies.  We swap out art on a monthly basis and Mama Sandie handles all the swapping.  This month I won some extras...here they are!

I would  be hard pressed to say which one is my favorite...they are all so awesome!!!

Off to the couch to doodle and catch up on some recorded television...sick today...yuck!  One of those nasty sinus crud things!  Gotta feel better for later on...my friend Dorothy and I are going to brave the cold weather and bit of snow to go on a Cookie Walk in downtown Lees Summit.

grace and peace....Sharon

class begins!

As usual, Joanne Sharpe has come up with another fab class! We are creating an art journal using watercolors...not my favorite medium to work with at times.  But it is always good to stretch...

 So far, this is what I have finished..another new lesson today!

And this is a new canvas created this week..12x12 mixed-media collage using my gelli plate prints. It will be for sale in my Etsy shop.
Have a great week-end..do something creative just for YOU!
PEACE AND GRACE...

Joanne has another new class starting tomorrow!!! Yippee!

Monday will be a good day...why would Monday be a great day you may ask?  Another great, online class is getting ready to start!  Joanne Sharpe from Whimspirations is starting another new class.  She is an amazing, inspiring teacher...and her classes are so reasonable.  I have learned so much from her and from the other talented members in our classes.

This weekend, I have been playing in my art journal and watching videos by Teesha Moore...love her style.  My FB friend, Ginny Markley had a wonderful blog post describing how she has journaled using Teesha's style.  If you like to cut and paste, paint and journal, doodle...you will love this!  Check out both of these fabulous ladies! Teeha's YouTube videos are just great.

Here is what I have so far......

Now to add some lettering!

Oh my..it has certainly been awhile! Just needed to take a break from blogging...not to mention TIME!  I feel fortunate to be able to play in my studio whenever I can.  Last week I made costumes for the boys to wear to the Renaissance Festival. As you might be able to see...Max is right in the middle of it all!

I have decided that I would much rather work in an art journal than on canvas.  But this one turned out pretty well, it is a 12 x 12 canvas.

I am so far behind on my online classes, 21 Secrets And Lifebook 2013.  Got to get busy on 21 Secrets before it expires! 

And I will leave you with a doodle and a bit of advice...

Old Man Winter is BAAACK!

Doesn't he know it is officially spring?????

Last Tuesday, we went to PreSchool with our 4 year old grandson, Jack.  He was presented with the honor of being the Star of the Week.  It was so cute, his teach interviewed him about various things.  I was so thrilled to have the day off so that I could go!

Jack age 4

I have been busy playing around with a couple of online classes.  One is Lifebook 2013, it has a variety of teachers all year long, so we are exposed to many different styles and interpretations of art and journaling.  March was all about connections.  I don't know how mine wound up looking like little China dolls, but it did!!   I try to copy the teacher, but sometimes it just does not work for me and I have to do my own thing before I get to frustrated.  I do try to learn whatever technique they are showing and use it if I can. 

Connections taught by Mindy Lacefield in Lifebook 2013

And a very fun class is Cotton Candy Girls by Natasha May...love her girls!

And on April 4th, I get to go to a Art and Soul retreat!  Yippee!  I chose to take Joanne Sharpes art journaling class.  I have so enjoyed all of her online classes, so I knew I wanted to meet her in person!

Wishing all of you a Happy Easter and Spring!