Rain Starts Play!

I’m on holiday for the next four weeks – Yay!  The joy of being a bit of a nerd is that I don’t really care if it thunders and pours … I have plenty of stuff I can do if it’s raining!
So, I decided to start with my poor neglected blog.

I redesigned the header using my lovely squishy shotton dotton cotton quilt for the ampersand.
 
I haven’t really squealed enough here about using the Oakshotts – so stay tuned for a post about shot cottons and synaesthesia!   

I’ve put in a left sidebar for connecty stuff and added some in-progress pages that have languished in draft for too long.  These pages are now above the header, which I think looks better.

• new Tutorials page
• links to my fave fabric shops (mostly UK and etsy)
• link to my Tumblr “Pingterest” <—geddit? page, where I’m posting my Instagram pics.  I find it handy to be able to access them from my laptop.

• To make a change from stitchery I thought it would be fun to share my nerd love, so I’m starting a Master Your GIMP *snigger* tutorial series from tomorrow. D'ya like the slutty leopard skin frame?  LOL

If you don’t know GIMP (it stands for Gnu Image Manipulation Program) it’s an open source graphics program (free to download and use) like Photoshop.


These tutorials have click-by-click screenshot instructions, so are suitable for absolute beginners as well as more frequent users of graphics programs.  


Like sewing HSTs or poaching eggs, there are myriad ways to do these things, so I’m just sharing the methods that work most consistently for me.


These tutes are meant to help build your basic skills and confidence by getting you used to working with layers and tools.  Hey, sounds like quilting! LOL ... In a week you'll have the skills and know how to create a new blog header!

	Tutorial 1: Text from Background Image
	Tutorial 2: Background to Silhouette - How to cut clip Art and longer text from photos.
	Tutorial 3: More Clipping

I'll also cover a bit on removing backgrounds from images.

Is there anything that you would like to see a nerdy tutorial for?  

Leave a comment below and I’ll see what I can do. What do you think of the new blog look?

Shots & Spots

…  having a little {slow} fun with my Oakshott charm pack and the spots & dots charm pack I cut from stash.  

Anyway … I've been sneaking 10 minutes here and 1/2 an hour here - really no longer - I'm like a speed tasker now!  All are sewn and half are trimmed. Here's a sprinkling …



All wrapped up in a cheapo fingernail-snaggingly nasty £1.50 fleece from IKEA, which has now become my travelling design wall.  Just lay em out and roll em up.  Marvellous.

Even while I was sewing these babies I was still a bit meh about the mix of dots and shots, but now that I've pressed and trimmed I'm all in love again.  What you miss from any photo is the divine shot-ness of the cotton.  What you get from a photo is the saturation the dots bring to what is quite a subdued set of colours in the shot cottons.

No pinwheels or such malarkey.  I'm just going to keep it simple and let them sing together as naked HSTs.  I'm not even going to agonise over colour value.  I'm just going to piece them as they come.  I won't have another chance to work on it until next week, so this is a nice place to leave it simmering …

What do you think?  Should I spend some time working out the layout/being clever?  Or should I go with my lazy instincts?!

Don't forget you can enter my giveaway here for a chance to win some spotton dotton cotton for yourself too … runs till Thurs 5th …

shot cottons and dottons … and a festival of HSTs!

I've finally started to play with my Oakshott shot cotton charm pack … (other than just stroking them)



.... just in time for the festival of half square triangles ... over at canoe ridge creations from April 2nd!! Squeee!


 

 


Last year I embraced the HST with open arms (and a niftily concealed seam ripper).  I find the whole cutting, sewing, cutting, trimming thing rather therapeutic.


This year I've continued the journey with a massive swoon block and now this … whatever 'this' is … it's still at fledgling stage …

but more of that another day …