June 30, 2009
The deadline has been extended to Monday, July 6:
Quilters, Fiber Artists, Surface Designers, and Folk Artists: As part of the Newark Museum’s Centennial Celebration, The Newark Museum Arts Workshop in conjunction with the Nubian Heritage Quilters Guild will be creating a quilt to celebrate its Centennial! You are invited to participate in this glorious Centennial Quilt Project.
Simply create a quilt block that is reflective of any of the Newark Museum’s many resourcs. The content of your Newark Museum Centennial Quilt block is open to your imagination and creativity but must measure 16″x16″ design with a half inch unfinished border surrounding the entire block totaling 17″x17″. Spread the word!! For details, please email cdquiltblocks@aol.com or kiawia32@gmail.com.
June 25, 2009
June 24, 2009
I’m here vending as QSDS, the Quilt/Surface Design Symposium, in Columbus OH, and I brought my sewing machine and some projects to work on, including this juicy red-brown jacquard batik. (The machine I brought was my trusty Viking 500, since my Elna 7200 is too heavy-duty to travel with…) anyway, I hadn’t used the Viking in a while – when I started to stitch, it sounded kinda choppy & grindy. Rather than panic, I decided to change to a fresh needle and the weird noise completely went away - Canustandit!! The stitch quality appeared ok, but I knew it wasn’t running correctly. Just for fun, I put the crappy needle back in and the sounds returned; put the new needle back in again and she purred like the stray cats that visit us in the backyard occasionally. Having sewn for a zillion years, I know “they” always say it, but it continues to amaze me how much difference a fresh needle can make! Have you changed yours lately?
(The preceeding post is a public service of Cultured Expressions)
June 15, 2009
It’s another version of Lisa’s Bangle Bag, from my book, ON THE GO! Designing Accessories with Cultural Style. This time I used prints from Marcus Fabrics’ Natural Effects collection, and bangles in the perfect shade of metallic gold-pewter. i LOVE that color! Just slip the bangles over your wrist for a cute look at summer soirees - makes great fashionista cocktail party conversation…Anyway, try this free project in cotton prints, or in African fabrics like Cultured Expressions’ own jacquard batik, bogolan (mudcloth), in kuba, in kente…
Check out Stitch magazine, and watch for my next Stitch project in the Fall issue!
June 14, 2009
OK, the entries have been in for over a week, but we’ve had some techie problems on the blog, then there was the NJ Quilt Convention this past weekend, so I’m just letting you know that winners will be announced SOON!! Thanks to all of you who entered a piece in Cultured Expressions’ first Challenge - Stay tuned! ——– lisa
May 17, 2009
a) Half finished already…
b) National Mental Health Month…
c) Older Americans Month…
d) all of the above
Interesting how all of these themes tie together: (a) The older I get, the faster time goes, which would make me freak out if (b) I weren’t so intent on maintaining my overall sanity, and (c) I recently discovered a website called AABoomers.com, a lifestyle website for savvy black baby boomers (apparently, I qualify ; ) Its editor invited me to submit an article on Afrocentric decorating, and I also found interesting article on quilting, health & travel features and more. Enjoy the website…here’s to aging gracefully! —- lisa
May 9, 2009
.jpg "Gifty& Lisa")
I just booked our flights for Ghana in September! Yay!! Already I’m making my shopping list, including a visit this roadside fabric shop, owned by Gifty (right). We met her in 2007 and this time I’ll be prepared to buy just about everything she makes ; )
April 19, 2009
As mentioned before, the Newark Museum is celebrating its 100-year celebration by asking local fiber artists to contribute a block for a centennial quilt. Mine is done and submitted! I was inspired by the textiles in the Museum’s African gallery, with kuba, bogolan, sadza, kente, batik, beads and brass. And notice the hint of Cultured Expressions Challenge Fabric at the center… It was nice to create a block without worrying about actually completing the project ; ) but I look forward to seeing the end result later this year.
The quilt committee has extended the deadline for quilt block submissions to sometime in June, due to popular request. Maybe I’ll make another…If you want to contribute a block, too, contact Glendora Simonson (Quiltdivah@yahoo.com) for complete details.
Aside from the basic satisfaction of having completed something in record time, I feel like I should get some kinda points for this…maybe redeemable toward a bottle of Schmitt Sohne Relax Reisling and a big ol’ bag of Cheetos? Anyway, I successfully completed (and delivered) the wall hanging for my dad’s birthday, it’s even quilted (though lightly) and labeled ; ) He loved it!
My only worry is why the image is so fuzzy. I refuse to admit that my Sony DSC-P3 is fading fast. It’s seen better days in its 7+year history! But I can’t let it go…So I’m blaming it on the lighting for now. Ah, sweet denial…
So much for sentiment… this quilt was put together using leftover squares from Cultured Expressions’ Jacquard Batik 7″ squares Sampler Pack. These were actually odds & ends, measuring 7″ more-or-less…blocks were joined by color into strips, which were then staggered vertically and joined. I added two borders and finished it with a combination backing/faux binding. Makes a very cool & quick gift, as I can personally testify…This piece uses 36 of the 60 squares in the pack, so you can just about make two wall hangings…or four mini’s…or several pillows…or a few tote bags…or a table runner… Grab a pack and enjoy!
April 7, 2009
We’ve partnered with L’Tanya Durante of Craftnicity to give away one of my books today. Just comment on her blog post / mini-interview anytime TODAY for your chance to win! And while you’re there, be sure to subscribe to the Craftnicity newsletter, you’ll love it!
If you’ve missed the giveaway, be sure to take advantage of one of Cultured Expression’s latest & greatest offers, the CE Library. Order the full Library (one signed copy of each of my three books) at a special price of just $55.00! And even if you already have one or two of the titles, you can still take advantage of great savings, and share the duplicates with friends ; )
