Karla's Color Corner

The Next Generation of Quilters

This is Tennor. He is 8. I was designing the Color Wheel quilt on the left, and he was fascinated with my colorful scraps. He really wanted to make something.
Since there was already fusible web on the back of all the scraps, I just chopped up strips for him and let him go. He also gave me advice for my design of the Color Wheel. Kids have such open, free views of color and design.

Look how happy he is to be playing with color...

Here is the proud artist with his artwork. Mom, Christina was also very proud. I quilted it for him:

 

And here is my 7-year-old son, Abram. I taught him how to use my old sewing machine and he is completely hooked. He proclaimed this was "the best day in his whole entire life" and that he felt "like a professional."

 

Just look at him pivot. <proud>

Past and Present

Color wheel assignments . . . A generation apart! 

My son (sophomore) just brought this home from art class. He got an A.

This is MY old Color Wheel assignment from Jr. High. I just stumbled across it when cleaning at my parents house. Bizarre! Notice how the Primary Colors have TWO scoops - clever, huh??

Karla Voorhees, circa 1982. Cut paper.

 

A belated Christmas at cherrywood

We had our Christmas party last week after everything had settled down and we could just enjoy a nice lunch together. We gave our employees a very special gift I wanted to share with you. We had our friend, Darlene, make fabric covered sewing boxes. Of course she used Cherrywood, but this was no ordinary fabric.

We have a whole rack of discontinued garments from over the past 20 years. The most beautiful samples were made by our founder, Dawn Hall. She not only was the creative force, but had perfect technique. Since we lost her to cancer 10 years ago, these garments are even more treasured. But what a shame for them to be hanging in a closet! So Darlene chose a few, cut them up (!!) and gave them a second life as unique sewing boxes.

Aren't they gorgeous? She surprised Linda and I by presenting us with one, too. There was not a dry eye in the bunch.

Linda and Dorothy

Karla and Arlo

Cindy and Darla

Darlene, the artist

Want to give me your opinion on a design?

I am working on a new pattern with several pieces in it. This will be a table runner. Or a long skinny wall hanging. The circles are fused onto the background.

I have been playing with layouts all night. I won't tell you which one is gonna make the cover... You gotta wait and see!!!

Which layout is your favorite? I will included the top three in the pattern.

      
          

A day of inspiration

I have an amazing resource for inspiration, creativity, critique and encouragement. They are called the Fab Five. And I just got to spend a whole day with them.

Five friends who get together to talk, share, exchange, play and explore every aspect of Fiber Arts. We challenge ourselves. We critique ourselves. We support each other both in our artistic and personal lives.

I couldn't WAIT to run up to my studio and get some ideas out of my head and on to fabric! Here is the result of about 2 hours of quiet time tonight: You know all those extra chunks of fabric with fusible already on the back? The leftovers from other projects? I had a pile that was asking me to do something...

So I cut rough cut them into strips with a scissors:

Then I laid them onto black fabric. I made one with all greens and blue/green. And one with all reds and oranges.

I fused down all the strips and let them hang over the edge. Then I stacked the two pieces on top of eachother and sliced right through them with a rotary cutter. 

This was pretty cool in itself... but then it spoke to me: "switch the strips." 

Yup, I LOVE that. The play of warm and cool colors is great contrast, and the misalignment of the strips is interesting.

Then I realized I had two matching canvases leftover from another project, and the two pieces said "I wanna live there so we can be a set."

Then they whispered "don't make us the same. Too predictible. Turn one of us a half turn. And this is too crowded: make us square so we fit in the frame better."
And then they were happy.

ChéFab Hand Dyes — Seafoam Colorway

LIMITED QUANTITY

This is an experimental colorway from light, minty green to soft, butter yellow.

Hand Dyed 100% Cotton (unbleached muslin)

via chefab.cherrywoodfabrics.com

Virtual Shop Hop Coming in January

chéFAB is joining THE FABRIC SHOP NETWORK to bring you FABSHOP HOP™...an Internet fabric shopping adventure from January 1st - 31st, 2012.

By visiting the sites January 1st - 31st, 2012, you'll have an opportunity to explore your "soon to be favorite" fabric/quilt shops and design studios as you qualify for random prize drawings.

The concept behind our virtual shop hop is exactly the same as taking a fabric shopping trip by car. On our "virtual" shop hop, however, you'll leave the car in the garage and can even shop in your jammies! REGISTER NOW! You will have 30 days to get around to over 100 of the sites.

• REGISTER at fabshophop.com

• HUNT for the hidden Bunny

• CLICK on the bunny (they keep track of how many you have found)

• SHOP at your favorite sites

The more bunnies you find, the bigger the prizes you could win. 

Don't forget to BOOKMARK chéFAB.

New toy for Karla

So I took the leap from a fairly simple phone with a fairly small phone bill to... A SUPER COOL iPhone 4s with all the bells and whistles (and the bill$ to go with it).
Right now I am talking into the phone and it's typing what I say. cool!!
It's called Siri and it's seriously cool!!!
Now I should be able to update my blog more often...

Make a Mod Top for Christimas

This is the Mod Top by Indygo Junction. It takes 3 yards of fabric. The 100% hand-dyed cotton comes in 40 different colors so you could make one for everyone in the family. :)

Click here to order on Cherrywood Fabrics.

Or click HERE to see our NEW website, chéFAB.cherrywoodfabrics.com

Happy shopping on Cyber Monday and don't forget the FREE SHIPPING.

Here are just a few examples of different colors...

FREE SHIPPING

Get out your ColorCard and make your shopping list for CYBER MONDAY.

Ends midnight Central Standard Time

The turkey is cleaned up, the relatives have gone home, you have your house back... Cyber Monday is for YOU.

Cherrywood Fabrics and chéFAB (our new, exciting site) will give you FREE SHIPPING - no matter how big the box.

Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping.

cherrywoodfabrics.com

chefab.cherrywoodfabrics.com

888-298-0967