Flea Market Finds

I spent this morning at a huge flea market at Mount Dora in Florida. The temperature was 75 degrees (that’s 24 degrees C for my Canadian friends). Of course I am always drawn to the textile and photograph booths (more instant ancestors just waiting to be found!). I love using vintage linens and combining photographs with them in my quilts.

I also found some costume jewelry that I’m sure I can use for embellishments. I have been asked to do a Christmas project for a magazine that will be published in the Fall, and as soon as I saw the tray full of Christmas jewelry, I started thinking of how I could use it in my project.

I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures of some of these Flea Market finds. No, I did not buy everything you see in the pictures!

More About "Hang Ups"

My little Hang Ups designs can be finished in many different ways. The metal hangers shown in the pictures in yesterday's post were originally designed to hold small stained glass pieces, but I found them to be ideal for holding these small quilts. I used a stiff, fusible interfacing instead of batting. This makes a quick-to-finish project that does not even require quilting. There are little hooks on the metal hangers and I used a small hook on each corner of the quilt to attach it to the hanger.

You can also finish these projects in the traditional way, using batting and a hanging sleeve. Then you can hang them on the wall just as you would any other small hanging.

These make great gifts for someone special. You might even be able to get one finished in time for Valentine's Day!

Hang Ups Pattern #327
More Hang Ups Pattern #328
Even More Hang Ups Pattern #329

More Instant Ancestors!

Little Picture Quilts

Here are 2 Little Picture Quilts made with some new fabrics by Northcott. Each little quilt has a picture pocket that holds a 4" x 6" photograph. You can change the pictures whenever you wish! These are quick projects that make wonderful gifts.

You can see more patterns using this technique on my web site. Look for the "Pop-Out Picture Quilts" page.

Little Picture Quilt #4 (Pattern #308)

Made with "Bubbles and Blooms" fabric by Northcott

A Touch of Nostalgia (Pattern #312)
Made with "Seems Like Old Times" fabric by Northcott

More About Photographs on Fabric

Scrapbooking With Fabric

The interest in both scrapbooking and quilting is now at an all-time high and many quilters are also scrapbookers and vice versa. We have digital cameras, scanners and computers, and there are many products available for making high-quality photographs on fabric. Be sure to follow the manufacturers’ instructions for all of the following products.

Fabric sheets (8½" x 11") for printing with an inkjet printer (See my post on January 21 for more information)

Fabric treated with Bubble Jet Set™: This is a liquid used to treat fabric so you can print directly from your computer using an inkjet printer. When using this product, use cotton fabric with a high thread count (200 threads per inch). Cut the fabric so it measures 8½" x 11".

Photo transfer papers: These are available at some photocopy shops or office supply stores. Sometimes the store will transfer your scrapbook page layout or pictures to a special transfer paper and then you can iron the transfer on fabric. Check to make sure that these papers can be used with a household iron as some transfer papers must be used only with a heat press. Always ask for a mirror image of your photographs when using any transfer paper.

Be sure to look at these pages on my web site for more patterns and information
Memory Quilts and Pop-Out Picture Quilts

These patterns have instructions for using pictures that have been transferred or printed on fabric as well as using actual photographs in special picture pockets, so you can change the pictures whenever you wish. So dig out those carefully stored photographs and use them in a special memory quilt that everyone can enjoy!

Family Album Pattern #309

New Fabrics for Spring

I am starting to work on my new pattern designs for the International Spring Quilt Market to be held in May in Portland, Oregon (sneak previews coming up soon!). In looking over the new spring fabrics, I noticed how many stripes and dots there are. I have put pictures of some of the new fabrics I will be using on this post. The striped fabrics are especially effective when used for bindings and borders.

Botanical Pop by Windham Fabrics

Strawberry Lemonade by Moda

Seems Like Old Times by Northcott

Bubbles and Blooms by Northcott

The newest Fabric Trends magazine has also featured black and white fabrics in the whole issue of the magazine. I was happy to see that, because I started a black and white quilt last November and haven't got back to it yet. Now I am inspired to finish that one as well. My black and white quilt will combine piecing and embroidery (sneak preview of that one coming soon too!).

So much fabric - so little time!

More pictures from South Africa!

These quilts were being sold by street vendors outside the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. The workmanship was not of the best quality, but they did portray some traditional African lifestyles. We saw many of these quilts on our travels, so they must have all come from a central distributor.