Cay Denise

In Bonnie McCaffery's latest vidcast, she interviews Maggie Grey. Maggie has developed a website with short workshops, authored by herself and others, downloadable via Adobe PDF files. Maggie doesn't consider herself a quilter because of her interest in using a broad range of unusual materials. One of the teaser workshops is Maggie writing about using alcohol inks. In one of the current quarter's workshops, she writes about the uses of grungeboard. All workshop materials include photos. For information, there are new workshops available every quarter. There is a reasonable fee (in British sterling) for accessing the workshops. You subscribe for the current year and have the option to request access to a previous quarter's workshops for a per quarter fee. After paying the fee, the subscriber is sent a password in order to access the password-protected and downloadable workshop documentation. I'm tickled to have found the site! Click on the title of this post to be ta...

After 30+ hours of stippling (micro-level), my 29.5" x 41.25" piece is finished! You can't see the stippling from the front (because its black on black), but you can from the back and here is what a part of the back looks like: I used two types of batting in the sandwich one which is high loft and the other cotton. I'm glad I did because the overall piece feels strong, like canvas, rather than wimpy.

My 'Metamorphosis' challenge piece is backed with a bright colored fabric in which the stitching from the front can show through. Of course, now that means that the problems with stippling are showing through as well. They are even more obvious because I'm using a black top thread and orange bobbin thread. I've had a very difficult time breathing while trying to do the stippling tonight...not good! Its time to stop, then try again tomorrow. Postscript: The problem was that the top thread was heavier than the bobbin thread. I've since changed the top black thread to a different weight black thread which is the same weight as the thread in the bobbin. The resulting quilting has not shown the kind of thread blobs as seen in the above photo.