Morden Workshop

I had so much fun teaching the Inksations class in Morden today with the Quilter's Den. Judging from the gorgeous quilts adorning the walls of the Quilter's Den, that town has some talent. I hadn't been in the shop since it came under new ownership a few years ago. The previous owner had excellent customer service with a very lovely traditional aesthetic. The new owner, Alvina has given the shop a serious makeover and embraced the modern trends in the quilting industry. It is clean, fresh and inviting and a great new destination for Manitoba quilters. There's more to Morden than corn and apples!

Here are a few shots of fabulous toppers finished by the students in the class. I'll say it again and again - I love seeing the fabrics that the students choose to bring to class.

Looking forward to a fabulous week of seeing family and friends and then two more days of teaching at the 30th Anniversary Event for the Manitoba Prairie Quilters.

Happy Easter everyone!

Appliquéd Cherries

The cherries are going brilliantly! I was surprised that the hand of the fabric with light body acrylic paint was quite nice. I did not use fabric paint or medium, but I did moisten the cloth before painting for a softened effect. They are slightly wrinkled at the moment due to rolling and travelling with the quilt, but I will iron the entire quilt with steam to flatten it before more quilting.

I decided to attach the hand painted leaves and cherries with invisible thread and a machine quilted stitch rather than hand appliqué. I tested them both out on samples. It's always a balance between the beauty and hidden quality of the hand stitch and the speed of the machine stitch. This time the machine stitch won out because you can hardly see it on the hand painted fabric and I attached everything on a 15" x 40" quilt in less than 3 hours. 

Still to come:

1. Some tiny stipple quilting on the white background. 

2. Machine appliqué veins on the leaves. 

3. Shiva paint stick shadow painting on the leaves.

4. Square and face the quilt to finish the edges. 

5. Label - of course! (You know how adamant I am about labels!)

If you are looking to bring some artsy inspiration into your guild - check out my workshops at Brandy Lynn Designs. There are 6 workshops listed there and 6 new ones to come this spring! If your guild is the first to try out a brand new class, you get a 10% discount for being my guinea pigs! I love to travel and I guarantee smiles and inspired creativity all day long! 

All About Cherries

Today I am painting on fabric and my theme is all about cherries. It's simple and fun - all you need is white cotton, a large quilting hoop, water, brushes and acrylic or textile paint.

Once they are dry, I'll hand appliqué them onto a background and quilt some love in between and around them. Ha ha, I typed leaves but the spell check changed it to love! I think I should quilt some love into this piece!

Winter in Winnipeg!

I am so excited to be teaching in Winnipeg, MB in just 10 days. I was born and raised, lived there 4 decades until just 2 years ago when we moved to BC. I'm so excited to see all of my family and friends again. I'm not even sure if this is a shot of a variety of the Manitoba crocus flower, but it is a photo of a gorgeous flower that I took myself when I lived there!

My itinerary is packed for 10 days - I'll be teaching 3 workshops, visiting friends and family, hitting my favorite restaurants and even catching an old school Bon Jovi concert!

Here's what I'll be teaching:
Inksations Workshop in Morden, MB on Saturday March 30th
Inksations Workshop for Manitoba Prairie Quilters (MPQ) April 6th
Black Sheep Block Party Workshop for MPQ on April 7th

Black Sheep Block Party is a brand new class I designed at the request of the MPQ guild so I haven't even blogged about it or finished the pattern yet, so here's a couple quick snapshots...

It is such a great project because students get to pick 15 different fabrics. You basically need 5 fabric colours in 3 values plus a border fabric, so the shopping for this class is so fun.

The countdown is on for Winnipeg and I am trying to figure out how I'll fit everything into my luggage.  I'm pretty sure I'll have to dig out some warm winter clothes! The best part of the whole trip is that I'll be cuddling a few new babies that were born in the last two years. I can't wait - and of course I have a quilt for each one of them! I have a baby niece, a baby great niece and a close friend's baby boy! I can't show the quilts of course, until after I give them away.

If you think you'd like to book a workshop in your area or purchase the Inksations Table Runner & Silk Screen Kit, check out the Brandy Lynn Designs website or just leave me a comment. Let's see if can make it happen!

AND THE WINNER IS....

DRUMROLL PLEASE...

I just participated in my very first BEAT THE WINTER BLUES - QUILTERS' BLOG HOP PARTY. Which seems a bit comical since my son wore shorts yesterday to school for the first time this season. It will be 16°C (60°F) here in Summerland today so spring is in the air.

The BLOG HOP was so much fun! I simply posted my BEAT THE WINTER BLUES inspirations and put forth a tantalizing prize and then the masses came. It was so fun to meet quilters and bloggers from around the world. I replied to everyone who left beautiful compliments or questions.

It took me two days to visit over 200 blogs myself to check out the quilting talent and the SWAG they were giving away. I found so many inspiring friends to follow.

AND NOW FOR THE WINNER....

ANNE from Louisville, CO

Congratulations Anne! You have won the
INKSATIONS Table Runner and Silk Screen Kit. 

Anne blogs at Spring Leaf Studios. She has a very nice modern quilting blog, so be sure to check it out. 

A BIG THANK YOU to all of the new friends and followers who climbed on board during the blog hop. Stay tuned for some more fun and inspiring posts by Brandy Lynn Designs. I'm working on some projects that are so fun and I'm launching my new website this spring. Here's a sneak peek at a project I just finished. Cheers!

DON'T MISS THE PRIZE DRAW!

Hey blog hoppers!

Only one day left to enter the blog hop giveaway hosted by the Quilting Gallery! Enter the Explore Fibre draw for an INKSATIONS Table Runner and Silk Screen Kit by tomorrow - March 14th at midnight PST and you could be making yourself one of these beautiful table runners...

It took me two days to get through visiting over 200 great quilting blogs, but I've found some amazing women to follow and made a few new friends along the way! I can't wait to meet you in the comments. Now's the time to get surfing. 

ENTER THE EXPLORE FIBRE DRAW TODAY! 

BLOG HOP PARTY EVERYBODY!

WELCOME TO THE EXPLORE FIBRE BLOG

 for the BEAT THE WINTER BLUES blog hop 

hosted by the Quilting Gallery! 

Take a look on the right to learn a bit about me. I teach and speak all over Canada and I'd love to make an appearance at a quilting event near you. I'll be silly, creative and fun with an aim to inspire. 

The best way I find to beat the winter blues is quilting of course! But if I am looking for some family time or a breath of fresh air I get all dressed up in my warm outer gear and go for a walk as if it's the spring. You'd be surprised how beautiful nature is when you walk in a season that you normally wouldn't venture out. From the beautiful frosted trees to the lovely ice formations, you might even find a little treasure that inspires your next art quilt.

I can't say I have the winter blues. Although it gets cloudy and dull here in the winter, we drive up through the clouds to ski in the mountains quite often, so I see plenty of sunshine. Our winters are very mild here in the Okanagan Valley of Western Canada, but I feel for those of you who are caught under a huge snowdrift at this time of year! So here's what you need to do to be eligible for the blog hop prize from Brandy Lynn Designs...

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS FOLLOW ALONG! 

1. Either submit your email to receive notifications when I post a new blog OR
2. Sign up as a follower. 

IT'S AS EASY AS THAT! 

Be sure to leave a comment telling me which one you did and you'll be eligible for the draw. I'll be pulling names from a Dr. Seuss hat on March 14th. 

And of course, if you've signed up for email notifications, you'll be the first to know. 

NOW HERE'S THE PRIZE...

INKSATIONS Table Runner & Silk Screen Kit. My latest pattern kit is so fun you'll want to organize a class with your local shop or guild.  Add a splash of fabric ink to a contemporary table runner taking the mystery out of screen-printing. It's so CONTAGIOUS you'll want to be silk screening everything!

So thanks for joining us on the BEAT THE WINTER BLUES Quilting Gallery BLOG HOP! There are some amazing prizes to be had and some super fun quilting blogs to explore. Tell all of your friends to hop on board too. It's so fun to talk about your favorite giveaways on the blog hop the next time you meet for coffee or attend a guild meeting!

For more info on classes and lectures check out the Brandy Lynn Designs website and be sure to follow along on your favourite social media such as Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. You don't want to miss this: I'm launching my brand new Brandy Lynn Designs website this spring so there will be some fabulous prize give-aways to go along with that as well. 

Fibre Art Workshops in Kamloops

I had so much fun teaching in Kamloops recently. It was packed house for 2 fun with fibre workshops. It's hard to go wrong teaching a room full of Home Ec Teachers and Art Teachers. My workshop samples look like I mixed a seamstress with an artist, so it is very cool to see the perfect stitchers and the creative minds together. I think there was one Physed teacher in there too for longevity.

The 2 classes were Embellised Fibre and Fibre Art Landscapes:

Embellished Fibre

Fibre Art Landscapes

The workshops were so much fun. Here's an idea of what you'll get when you take a Brandy Lynn Designs Fibre Art workshop:

• fibre art techniques - stamping, bleach, decolourant, fusible and foil
• basic stitches - hidden appliqué, cross-stitch and rice stitching
• embellishment effects - beading, found objects and couched fibres
• matte, frame and wrap on canvas techniques
• tips on colour, depth, layout and design

The key to my workshops is to let go, have fun and be inspired. Here's a detail shot of a piece by the workshop organizer - Holly (also a student). She did a great job, despite running around being my helper, and improvised by adding a few appliqué effects from the black practice sample. Why waste a practice piece when it turned out so well?

Speaking of Holly, she treated me like a queen. The room was fantastic, she provided everything I needed and gave me a delicious lunch. They did a great job advertising because the classes were full with a waiting list. The event organizers sent a lovely messenger into the class to thank me and give me chocolates! (Some little birdie must have told them it was my favourite.) Holly also hand made this adorable little bag and cell phone holder. (She knew I'd appreciate a hand sewn gift!) The big one protects my sunglasses and the little one fits my iPhone perfectly. And when I looked inside there was a cute little envelope with a lucky coin. So thoughtful! 

The best part of all was the feedback from the class. So many students came up after class and mentioned their favourite part of the workshop. I received a few great testimonials and the organizers even booked my calendar for next year's event!  

"An inspiring session with Brandy, creating a simple yet beautiful fabric landscape with a unique sun feature.  Can't wait to schedule a session for next year!"  

- Holly Adkins

Home Economics Teacher, South Kamloops Secondary School, Kamloops, B.C.

"It has been awhile since I have done a totally creative day.  It was good for my brain! It makes me realize, how important creativity is for me. Your sessions were relaxing, inspiring and motivating. I want to do more!  I appreciated the variety of supplies you brought for us to use.  I think we all found something we hadn't tried before.  Thank you for sharing!"
- Wilma Steinke,
Home Economics Teacher, Sa-Hali Secondary School, Kamloops, B.C.

If you are interested in booking a Brandy Lynn Designs workshop checkout the classes available on my website. They range from traditional tumbling blocks to silk screening and fibre art techniques. Book now to secure your date for 2013!