Pieced Brain

All about quilting, knitting, crochet, embroidery, free tutorials, quilting and crafting book reviews.

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Showcasing inspiration fabrics

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If you have a fabric you really love but do not want to use it in a complicated pattern where its beauty may be overshadowed by other fabrics, or its motif cut into small pieces, try the pattern I used on the quilt pictured here. Simple rectangles surrounded by alternating borders, with the inspiration fabric used as border also. I wasted a bit of fabric when I was fussy cutting the borders as I wanted to show the beautiful teal leaves. I did not heavily quilt it, resulting in a much softer lap … [Read more...] about Showcasing inspiration fabrics

Permanent Wall Hanging

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 Italian mosaics are the source of inspiration for intricate, beautiful quilts. The book Bella Bella quilts: Stunning Designs from Italian Mosaics by Norah McMeeking (I found it here) is a great example of such quilts. I have at least two of them on my list of UFOs (Utterly Fun Objects!) In my case, it was the other way around. Quilts inspired this mosaic I pieced together on the back porch of my previous house. First, I designed the block. When I was satisfied, I applied grout to a … [Read more...] about Permanent Wall Hanging

Sugar – a child’s best friend?

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This afternoon, my son Chris was in time out in the dining room, when all of a sudden I hear him call his younger brother, Ryan, and whisper something to him. Shortly after, I see Ryan come to the kitchen with a wet paper towel with blue spots on it. When I asked him what was going on, he told me that Chris had 'accidentally' broken a ballpoint pen on the table, on top of my white and red quilt. I immediately reached for the Oreo cookies, ate about 10 of them, then slowly walked to the … [Read more...] about Sugar – a child’s best friend?

Cat on quilt

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As I watch Jamie, my oldest cat, sleeping and totally oblivious to the sound of my fingers on the keyboard, I imagine if someday I can portray her in one of my art quilts. She is no ordinary cat to me, although she has no particularly distinctive features. In the meantime, here is one of the cats I made a little while ago, which must be adorning a special home right now... The quilt on which he is sitting is from the book "The Best of Black Mountain Quilts" by Teri Christopherson (I found … [Read more...] about Cat on quilt

Energy Food

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Just in case you run out of your favorite drink in the morning, I just found out a perfect substitute, which I made up this weekend when I did not have the recipe I wanted. Oh... I feel it working already! Denise's Dos Leches (!), Extra Moist Chocolate Cake 1 Box German Chocolate Cake Mix 1 can Condensed Milk 1/2 can cream of coconut milk 1 container of Vanilla frosting - Bake cake according to package instructions. Remove from oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Using the handle of a … [Read more...] about Energy Food