Free-Motion Machine Sketching DVD Blog Tour and Giveaway!

My friend and fellow artist Candy Glendening has just released her newest instructional Quilting Arts DVD, where she shares with us her process for using free-motion sketching to create her wonderful sketchbooks, (and inspires us to do the same) filled with stitched samples of that which inspires her, such as birds, vessels and fauna. Oh... and COLOR! Lot's and lot's of glorious color, which Candy knows better then almost anyone!

For anyone who is intimidated by free-motion sketching, (done the same way as free-motion quilting,  but using the technique to draw/sketch a picture) this DVD will be a great first step in breaking down that wall of fear. 

Candy gently walks you through the process, showing how simple and fun it actually can be, even if you have never had success with sketching on paper. 

She teaches you how to create fabric sketchbook pages that you can then record your free-motion sketch ideas onto, which you can then build into complete sketchbooks.

As Candy demonstrates it's a great way to practice ideas for new motifs and color combinations. 

Candy likes to create her sketchbooks by themes, and refers back to them when planning bigger projects, which I think is a fabulous idea!

And now here's the best part! Not only is Candy offering one of my lucky blog readers a chance to win their own copy of her newest DVD, she is also going to include a botanical sketch of a Pansy, (which I requested as it's my favorite flower) made especially for this giveaway! 

To enter, just leave a comment at the bottom of this post, (please make sure that the comment links back to you so I have a way of contacting you should you win)! The drawing ends on Wednesday the 26th, and I will announce a winner on Thursday. You can also follow along on the blog tour for more chances to win!

• Wednesday, 3/12 –  Vicki Welsh of  Field Trips in Fiber
• Friday, 3/14  – Diane Doran of Ooh! Pretty Colors
• Monday, 3/17 –  Victoria Gertenbach (hey, that's me!) of The Silly BooDilly­
• Wednesday, 3/19 – Susan Brubaker Knapp of Blue Moon River
•  Friday, 3/21 – Beth & Kristen of Sew Mama Sew
• Monday 3/24 – Melody Johnson of Fibermania
• Wednesday, 3/26 – Candy Glendening of Candied Fabrics

3/26/14: Comments are now closed. Thanks so much for everyone who participated!
I have contacted the winner and will share who it was in my next blog post. Contest is still going on over at some of the other participating blogs, including Candy's, so you still have more chances to win!

Rough Patches - First Batch of 9 - Done!

Finally! It was two months ago that I first talked about starting a new series called "Rough Patches", in a blog post titled "Series within a Series". The premiss was to create 4 batches of small fabric collage quilts, (called "Rough Patches"). 

Each batch would containing 9 individual Rough Patches. At the time I thought I'd have the first batch easily done within a few weeks, but between writing and illustrating some new patterns, as well as contributing some art and articles to some upcoming magazines, it wound up taking me a wee bit longer!

Rough Patch 1/1

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Each Patch pays homage to the worn and weathered farms and fields that surround where I live, and which, as many of you already know, I am so drawn to, time and time again.

( I am posting photos, almost daily, on Instagram. 

Many of the photos I post feature those farms and fields!) 

Rough Patch 2/1

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Various fabrics were used in the patches, including cotton tickings and cheese cloth...

Rough Patch 3/1

Shot cottons, linens and rusted fabrics...

Rough Patch 4/1

Homespuns, chambrays and flowered indian prints...

Rough Patch 5/1
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Plaids and vintage crochet.

Rough Patch 6/1
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The patches of fabric were machine stitched with little bits of hand stitching here and there.

Rough patch 7/1
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Although ultimately very simple, each patch, each placement of fabric, 

each tiny stitch, took a lot of thought and consideration.

Rough Patch 8/1

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My favorite part of the patches are the outer edges, 

where I stitched small bits of fabric in-between the quilt layers... 

and hand frayed all the edges.

Rough patch 9/1

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To see more detailed photos and info on purchasing, 

just click on the links below each Rough Patch.

Am thinking about the next round of patches now, planing on how they will be similar, and how they will be different... stay tuned!

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Also, be sure to pop back in this Monday, March 17th, where I will be part of Candy Glendening's current blog tour. There will be a Giveaway! where one lucky blog reader will receive a copy of Candy's newest Quilting Arts instructional video, and a piece of her artwork made specially for readers of my blog.

See you then!

Final Touches

I've been adding the final touches to my first batch of Rough Patches. 

This one cried out for french knots!

This first batch of 9 patches took way longer then I'd thought. Granted I had some other projects in the works, (all top secret!) But what really surprised me, (although after all these years of creating and stitching, it shouldn't) was how much consideration and thought to composition and placement can go into even the smallest and seemingly simplest of projects. 

I am definitely a tortoise, not a hare. 

Hope to have them all done and photographed by next week!

Till then... xox