A Sheep for Ewe

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dyedinthewool

Dyed in the Wool by Laura Wasilowski

Recently I met up with someone who has taken on and finished one of my free Stitch Tutorials called Dyed in the Wool. It makes me happy to know that she found the tutorial useful and was willing to give it a try. Where is this intrepid stitcher from? Why the Racine Lighthouse Quilters Guild in Wisconsin, of course.

sandyandsheepMeet my new best friend, Sandy. She brought her finished Dyed in the Wool project to the guild meeting and really brightened up my day. Her color choices, beautiful free-form stitching, and sunny personality instantly charmed me. Thank you, Sandy, for sharing your work with us!

A Slick Binding for Your Quilt

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prettyplanetbirdhouses1

Pretty Planet Birdhouses #1 by Laura Wasilowski

I’m back from visiting the Racine Lighthouse Quilters Guild in Wisconsin where I was introduced to an amazing treat- kringle. (Not sure what kringle is? Just google kringle near me. It will be worth it!) Now that I’m back in the studio my time is dedicated to finishing up a few little wall quilts. That’s code for “binding”.

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Pretty Planet #17 by Laura Wasilowski

There are 4 binding methods with tutorials that you can check out on my website. My favorite is the Pillowcase binding like those used in the above quilts. It’s a neat way to finish up your quilt top and is easy to do. And my reward for completing the little quilt tops? Why kringle, of course! Join me?

Where’s Your Nut House?

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nuthouseb

Nut House #1 by Laura Wasilowski

I love teaching locally. No flights to catch, no planes to board, no stress. Just a calm ride through the countryside to visit with a local guild like the Racine Lighthouse Quilters Guild in Wisconsin.

You’ll find me there next week where I’m teaching Another Nut House (designs based upon actual experience.)

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Nut House #3 (detail) by Laura Wasilowski

In this fun workshop students begin with a basic acorn pattern and end up improvising their own house designs. You never know where their imaginations will lead!

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Nut House #4 by Laura Wasilowski

Would you like to see what this class is all about? Here’s a link to a video so you can preview the class offering: click Another Nut House.

We Interrupt….

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springblooms10

Spring Blooms #10 by Laura Wasilowski

OK, a quick interruption of the improv on wool project I’ve been showing you. Why? Because my progress is being interrupted by that four letter word- WORK.

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Spring Blooms #11 by Laura Wasilowski

Yes, I’m off to teach my Woven Flower Basket Quilts class in several locations and I’ve discovered that I don’t have any examples to show my students. Well, I have the step-outs, examples of the process for making the quilts. But I don’t have any finished pieces to show. (Happily all the finished work has been sold!)

So we interrupt our previous wool stitch project to create more flower basket quilts. These two are hot off the press and I must admit I enjoyed making each one.

Improvisational Stitching #4

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 redwoolembroidery4Here’s what to love about hand embroidery- you can take it with you. You only need these basic items: fabric, needle, thread, thimble, and a pair of scissors. Hand embroidery is a great vacation pass time!

Which is what I’ve been doing the last few weeks. Relaxing with family, getting sun burned, and stitching. Well, maybe not stitching a lot. As you can see my garden didn’t grow very much while I was on vacation. Vacationing is great but it is also very exhausting so it’s good to be back in my shady studio again.

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Flower Vase Stitch Along by Laura Wasilowski

Do you need a vacation project? Then please check out my free project on wool on the C&T Blog the Flower Vase Stitch Along. Or if you need a few months to think about your next stitch project, check out my IQF classes this fall in Houston. I’ll be teaching several classes including Felt Like Gardening in the morning on October 30. See you there!

Improvisational Stitching #3

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redwoolembroidery3The blue flowers are very sweet on this improvisational stitchery. But something big and bold is needed for the focal point. Enter the Chain Stitch. Stitched in a size 8 pearl cotton, it curves down the center of the piece. Add a few straight stitches spiking from the chain and we’re in business. Could this be a future big and bold flower stem?

While thinking this through, I’ve added lots of Ermine Stitches in size 8 thread across the base of the garden. Don’t you love how the yellow pops on that rich red background?

Sometimes its a challenge to choose thread colors for an unexpected background color like this. But if you think in terms of contrast in value or hue, it opens up your thread color choices a great deal. Can’t wait to see what the fabric tells me to do next!