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!

Time to Take Massive Action!

I am working on a multitude of projects at once. This always seems to be the case for me. Do you ever find that you have 10 projects on the go and they all seem to reach 80% completion? Well, I've decided to focus on one at a time . . . so, it's time to take "massive action" to finish something! I heard Tony Robbins say that in an eBook and I tell myself to take massive action all the time now. It sounds quite hilarious, but puts me in a good frame of mind to get things done. (And my son thought it was quite hilarious when I told him he needed to take massive action on his bedroom before he could watch TV!)

So right now I'm completing my first fibre art book manuscript. That entails choosing a publisher, designing the patterns, writing a sample chapter, creating the table of contents and making the samples so you can include some gorgeous photos. It is also very important to follow the online submission guidelines to a T, so that information needs to be gathered as well. And, as I mentioned earlier....it is about 80% complete so I just have a few more things to do. Here's a sneak peek detail shot of one of the samples. You have no idea what it is of course, but it includes fabric, wool, and foil.

So today's massive action will be accumulating all of the writing, patterns and detail with the submission forms and then having some fun with samples and photos. 

Do you have a quilting book idea in your mind? I've had a few and every once in a while I see one of my ideas appear in a full colour book and I think, "Why didn't I think of that - wait a minute . . . I Did!" I just never sent the idea to a publisher. So if you have an idea you've been meaning to get organized, now's the time. Take massive action and make your submission. What have you got to lose?

The Importance of a Label

Quilt labels can range from just a title to a paragraph of detailed info required for a show, but no matter which way you draw it up a label is a MUST HAVE for any quilt. 

The most important reason to label your quilt is loss or theft. If a quilt is ever found by police among stolen items or destined to be returned if lost it would have to be labelled with at least enough info to show that it was made by you. 

Quilters should claim their success and put it in writing! A quilt is a major accomplishment and the label will help you remember when, why, where, what and and anything else your heart desires. Here's a loving label I wrote for my niece when I made her first quilt many years ago...

Another reason quilt labels are important is that it is simply required to have a proper label with the stated info for any quilt show or competition, so you may as well get into the habit of doing a great job of it. 

And finally, labels are an heirloom symbol of the quilt's creator for one day when you are gone. Your family will cherish the info on that label as much as they cherish the quilt. Here is a quick label I made with fabric pen and shiva paint sticks for a scrappy beach blanket that will just be used by us at the beach.

My friend Eileen, a wonderful longarm quilter, called me yesterday with a request for a label she could screen onto a piece of the backing fabric and stitch onto her quilt. First, we toyed with the idea of simple t-shirt transfers or a printed label on fabric, but when she described the effect she was looking for we realized a simple print in a gorgeous gold ink would fit the bill perfectly. 

Now, we are well aware that you can barely discern the info because it blends wonderfully into the gorgeous batik fabric, but that was her intent. The quilt maker, Eileen's sister, wanted the label to be on there, but not too bold or obvious. She felt it was important to have the information, but wanted it to blend right in. So voila, we created a quick thermofax screen, tested it out and loved it first try! It was fun and easy and the quilt will be in the mail tomorrow. 

Do you have a special way that you always label your quilts or is it different every time? Do you have a story about how your quilt label saved the day? I'd love to hear it in the comments! 

Cheers! 

Canadian Talent

Today and for the next little while I'm going to focus on Canadian Talent in the quilting industry! I know I have so many favourites, but I want your input! THAT MEANS YOU! Do you have a hidden gem in your community with a passion for quilting who inspires like no other? Was there a superstar speaker who just made your quilting weekend? What book has inspired you to go off on a quilting rampage? We want ALL CANADIAN CONTENT here folks. If you follow this blog I want your input. And invite your friends to sign up too.

Who is your favourite Canadian in the following categories?

1. Pattern Designer?

2. Author?

3. Teacher?

4. Speaker?

5. Fabric Supplier?

6. Quilt Shop?

7. Fabric Designer?

8. Blogger?

9. Fibre Artist?

If you think I missed a great category...then let me know! They MUST be Canadian, so take a close look. If you can't think of any off the top of your head, it's a great excuse to dive into your library to find a Canadian author. I challenge you! Let's spread the word about our brilliant Canadian quilters. Let me know what you think in the comments! Tell me who you love and why. Lets put the spotlight on our great Canadian Quilters!