Quilting for boys? A Sweet Accolade

Anyone who knows me, knows I love to write. I blog, I write poetry, youth lit and I have several children's picture books on the go. As I polish my stories and search out a publisher, I find it invaluable to test them out on children - in particular, my son, but also family, friends, and at local literacy events in my community.

Getting to the point of having this on my fibre art blog - I recently tested out my children's picture book about quilting on a wide-eyed group of cub scout boys. They were blurting out questions and heckling but as I taught them the ins and outs of quilting through my story they became rather interested - especially with my antics of tossing a quilt over top of them all. At the end I asked the boys what was their favourite part of the story. I got a few helpful answers and then one boy said, "I liked the vikings best!"

I said, "There were no vikings in my story! That was the reader before me!"

He said, " I know, but the vikings would have been happy people and nice to each other if they had quilts!"

It was so fun I laughed all the way home. And more recently, I received the warmest letter from the two female cub scout leaders. This is what they wrote...

Dear Brandy,

Thank you for participating in the library's 2012 Literacy day event, "Read Around the Clock." If someone had told me they planned to entertain 15 - 10 year old cub scouts with a girls quilting story... I would've said, "You're crazy!" I have re-learned 2 things - Never make assumptions & don't pay attention to stereotyped ideas! You did such a great job - the cubs loved it! Thank you for expanding our literary journey.

Adele & Sue

As I wrote this blog I realized this was the first testimonial in my yet to be published writing career. It feel's great to have my first accolade!

En Plein Air - Okanagan Art Event

Don't miss this fabulous Okanagan event! 5 local artist will be painting en plain air on the beautiful grounds of the Hillside Winery and Bistro. Come out and meet the artists at this FREE event. May 6, 2012 from 11am to 4pm. 1350 Naramata Road.

Always in support of the local art community! Brandy Lynn

ARE YOU AN EGGHEAD? -The Importance of a Social Media Profile Picture

A professional profile picture in your social media presence, whether it's Twitter, Facebook, or on your website or blog, might be more important than you think.

I have to admit that when I first started learning about social media, I was an egghead. I literally had the default photo of a white egg with a pale blue background for my Twitter profile picture. Once I saw that my posts were associated with this default image and many newbie users were doing the same, I realized I had to make a change to set myself apart.

At first I added in a snappy little piece of art for my Twitter picture.

Then I put a great shot of me camping with a bandana devouring a piece of corn on the cob on my Facebook profile.

I thought I was being trendy and interesting. But as I listened to more seminars and podcasts about social media I kept hearing the same message. Your profile picture is the first visual impression a customer, client, reader or fan will see of you. First impressions are everything. They are the difference between clicking on something you have to offer, or clicking away. You need a photo that gives the viewer an instant connection with you.

Here are a few must dos when it comes to a social media profile picture:

If you do not have a profile picture - get one now. If you use the default, your image will be nothing but a Facebook silhouette or even worse, a Twitter egg. Viewers will simply move on.

Avoid using fun, silly or party pictures. Be professional. Choose a photo that exudes confidence and shows the viewer how you want to be seen in your profession.

Take a high quality shot. Have a simple background, use a good camera on a tripod with good lighting from both sides. Wear something professional but neutral that you feel good in and emerge out of your shell leaning slightly forward with a natural smile.

My profile shot might not be exactly perfect, in fact I'm due for a new one since it is 2 years old, but it is simple and professional. Ultimately, your choice of profile picture comes down to you. Is it a casual Facebook page, or for your business page? Are you promoting a book, an event, or a piece of art? Or are you planning a family reunion? Effective profile pictures can range from you working in your garden, to a family pet, to a business logo. The Facebook timeline is set up perfectly so you can portray a photo of your latest book as the cover shot while still having a professional profile picture of you on the side. Check out my Facebook page here. You'll see that I have a more casual picture associated with my profession in the quilting industry. Whatever you decide...don’t be an egghead.

Quilted Garment Class

I taught a new garment class recently at the Penticton guild and we had so much fun. They were the first group to try out the brand new class. I call them my crash test quilters! We timed things well and the ladies gave great feedback. I was able to make small changes to my lesson plan for future classes thanks to them.

Today they've all decided to wear their shirts to the guild meeting so we can do a photo shoot. I can't wait to see! The hilarious thing is, I'll be the only one without my shirt! I am going to get so much flack for that! All of my sample shirts are out at guilds considering the class. But that's good news for me for bookings. Here's a snapshot of me on a crazy hair day in the class sample shirt. Check out my website if you want to book this class at Brandy Lynn Designs. It is not even listed as a class yet, but fill out the form and mention "garment class." I would love to come and teach at your local guild.

One Block Challenge

I put a fun twist on a simple challenge today. The idea was to make one block using the fabric provided with the theme of fruit and flowers. I was imagining everyone depicting local Okanagan themed fruits and flowers like cherries and apple blossoms. So I decided to add an element of art by using a piece of fruit as a stamp to create flowers. First, I cut an orange in half wondering if I'd get the texture of the orange segments for flower petals. It was juicy of course, so I placed it on a paper towel to dry out a bit. This is also a great project if you are feeling like a light snack. As you can see I ate half the orange before I even started, but DO NOT clean and eat the rest of the orange after you've used it to paint. Just pick your oldest, crummiest orange and make the sacrifice for art's sake.

You can see the pink/green/blue floral batik we had to use. I was planning to paint the orange and stamp some flowers on a neutral background. I painted yellow and pink acrylics on the orange with a brush. I didn't get the detailed segments I was hoping for but the colours came out nicely.

Without the success of the texture of the orange segments to create petals, I decided to add the challenge fabric as petals. The first layer looked very nice but seemed a bit flat. So I added a third dimension by fusing a smaller flower in middle with just a dot of fusible web in the centre. I stitched it on and then ironed the petals towards the centre so they stood out. All that was left was to stitch on the foliage.

I chose to do a simple couching technique with some yarn. I drew a simple design first with pencil and couched over top. Then I filled in the leaves with a mixture of yellow, green and black acrylic paint. Mixing colours this way adds some dimension and lessens the flat matte paint effect. This little project was very fun and took just 2 hours. (I sped up the drying time with a blow dryer!) The one thing I would do differently with the foliage is to use a stabilizer to prevent small wrinkles and puckering. If you are stuck with this dilemma with no time for a redo, I suggest spritzing the finished piece with water, carefully stretching the fabric slightly with your hands and ironing it flat.

Try out some simple stamping techniques yourself - take a look in your fridge! You may find yourself stamping it up with some old broccoli you should have eaten a week ago.

Studios Magazine 2012

I am so excited to announce that I have been accepted for the second time to be in Studios magazine. Since I've moved across Canada and have a completely different space, they were happy to accept the submission of a new article. The Studios Summer 2012 issue will be coming out in mid-May and my brand new studio will be featured. The article I've written focusses on creating a functional space with the things you love so your studio draws you back again and again for inspiration. Here is a sneak peek of 2 photos that didn't quite make the cut because Oliver licked my face! YUCK! And the photos show such a small part of my studio that they don't give it all away!

Be sure to watch for the summer 2012 issue of Studios Magazine!

Whimsical Name Tag

Here's a quick look at the latest few name tags I've made for the local guilds and fibre art groups that I belong to. The first one was so fun that I've posted a tutorial below in case you are inspired to try one yourself.

The quilting guilds and fibre art groups in my local area require members to wear a name tag. (thank my lucky stars!) One guild has members make a name tag from a small kit of the materials they provide and you must wear it for fear of being caught and owing 50 cents. (I haven't been caught yet, but have been known to protect others by sitting between them and the name tag police) A clever idea was that the colour of the blue/green binding denotes the year I joined the guild.

The fibre art guild challenge was anything fibrous of my own design. For this one I played with hand dyed gauze, some fluffy embellishments and buttons. Now that I have captured it forever in iPhoto I see that it looks much like one of my bad hair days and I must have stitched my name after a full glass of wine. (Yep, for me it only takes one.) It makes a good story every time someone turns their head sideways to try and read it.

The larger quilting guild I belong to suggested I either make my own, or buy the official name tag of the guild, so I decided to do both. I was very pleased to discover that the name tag attaches to my shirt with an industrial strength magnet. This gave me the option to add a fabric element between the magnets for a unique design.

WHIMSICAL NAME TAG TUTORIAL:

The guild has a standing order so I picked up my name tag for $11.00 at the local trophy shop. (You could also use any pin type name tag, or design a fabric centre of your own with a stitched or printed name). I simply traced the rectangle for its size and drew a scribbly design around it and cut it out.

The next step is to find fabric and I wanted a punch of colour so I thought of a piece that my son had painted thickly with acrylic (he took it outside and threw pennies on it for a sun print). I numbered the shapes in the sketch and traced them on fabric with pencil. You can just eyeball it and cut them out to fit behind the rectangle.

Then I arranged the pieces on (any type of) fusible interface and pressed it in place. I used an ironing sheet (wax paper will do) to just press the whole design at once so the sheet just peels off protecting the iron from gunk.

Once I set my design in place I chose some wool to compliment the fabric (or you can use any embellishments) I cut snips of wool and stitched them on with a simple zig zag. I used a light colour of thread so you could see the detail, but you can match your thread to the wool.

Then you simply cut away the remaining fusible and snip the ends of the wool for a finished design. There you have it! A beautiful name tag. And if you want it to look less whimsical as my friend noted "it's like a jester's hat - perfect for you!" then simply use some deep rich batiks or any fabric scraps that inspire you in that moment.

'Tis the season to get your quilting groove on. Be happy!