General Tips for General Crafting

Generally speaking, no matter if you are beading, quilting or painting, if you are a novice or an experienced crafter, it seems like common sense to have "all your stuff" around you before you begin working. It seems like a given ... but please don't overlook this, please don't take it for granted. It seems like, to think about it, that "all I have to do is reach for such and such" or "run to the store to get this or that" ... oh, you will get SOO tired of that! If there are experienced crafters reading this, I'm certain they are thinking "no doubt" or "they'll learn"! I can say from some experience myself that that got old real quick. 

I am the type of person that when I develop an interest in something, I go at it "whole hog" .. so when discovered beading, decorative painting and then quilting, the local craft shops and fabric stores were happy to see me coming ! My den is full of paint jars and wood sufaces that need to be introduced to each other, one corner of my kitchen is reserved for quilting .... containers, my ironing board, and boxes of my scissors and other notions.  We won't even get into the beads .. they are all over the place!

So, I say all that to say this ... again ... please, please gather your tools and materials BEFORE you start working. Make a smart, practical list and take it with you to the store ~ get what you need and nothing more (for the time being :-) 

Get yourself the best possible workspace ~ if it's the kitchen table, be prepared to move your stuff somewhere and somehow you can keep it organized (I have a fishing tacklebox .. it's awesome! works great ... from walmart ... waaaay cheaper).

You have GOT to have GOOD LIGHT and try to avoid TOO MUCH LIGHT as that will cause deceiving SHADOWS! .. experience speaking :( 

I don't have a table top ironing board but my board will fold down kinda short so I can fit it in a small space close to me so I don't have to get up so often ... I learned that was a very nice treat.  My steam iron is an old, old Black & Decker ... I think from 1988 or so .. I wouldn't trade that iron for a Gold one. I can't speak on irons, obviously. I just know you need a good one ... a heavy one is best in my opinion.

Ultimately, you want to have fun at whatever it is you are doing. I have said a lot on sewing / quilting, but really it all applies to whatever you want to do. When I tried my hand at decorative painting, I sat on a couch and used an old coffee table to work on ... the couch was too low and it killed my back! But, it was all I had and I enjoyed the experience. Beading was in my favorite rocking chair for hours on end. There are a few bead samples on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Dominion-Arts-n-Crafts/139290840504?ref=ts 

Do what works for you, get what you can afford, and don't feel bad if you can't get that fancy drafting table to paint on or the big fabric cutting table so you have room for your sewing machine and all of your fabric scraps and magazines and notions or one of those big beautiful bead organizing cabinets right now. Someday you will.

ALWAYS REMEMBER ...  YOU MUST CRAWL BEFORE YOU CAN WALK.  I tell myself that often.

Fabric by the Yard ...

... in case I forgot to mention this ...

Marcus Fabrics (Close to My Heart) Collection

Marcus Fabrics (Bonnie Blues) Collection

Marcus Fabrics (Aunt Grace Authentics) Collection

... There is no charge for fabric cutting  :-)

New Pattern Books by THIMBLEBERRIES

New to Dominion Arts n Crafts.com

Thimbleberries Pattern Books

$8.99 each

There are EIGHT different books

Isn't This NEAT ??!

HOW MUCH FUN WOULD THIS BE TO WORK WITH ???

HOW ENDLESS ARE THE POSSIBLITIES ???

This is part of the
HOFFMAN OF CALIFORNIA
Pre-cut Bali Fabrics
FQB1895 Shaved Ice-477 fat quarters


<><> Dominion Arts n Crafts.com has ONLY 5 Fat Quarters in this color <><>
$3.47 each.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER THIS and SEE MORE FROM HOFFMAN of CALIFORNIA:
http://www.dominionartsncrafts.com/category_browse.em?category_id=397569

THIMBLEBERRIES books are listed :)

I have just a few listed ~ I hope you like them. I will get the American Quilter's Society books listed shortly.

Have a great weekend everybody!! Thanks SO much for your interest and keeping up with Dominion Arts n Crafts.com *u*

THIMBLEBERRIES ... Need I Say More ??

I have just gotten some QUILTING BOOKS in .... some Thimbleberries and some American Quilter's Society.  I will get them on the website as quickly as I can ... they look like a LOT of fun .. right much in APPLIQUE and HAND QUILTING....

My 'rookie' efforts at quilting

I wanted to share my photos in an effort to help those who may just be beginning ... and for those experienced quilters too : ) This BLOG leads to a website that has the notions for quilters, but that doesn't entirely mean the owner of the website is the most ~ ahem ~ experienced quilter. Just like beading, I have only recently become VERY addicted to quilting.

This <><> DOUBLE NINE PATCH <><> pattern is from my Level 2 class I took back in January of this year.

It looks crooked from here, but really it isn't ~~ it's just that the navy blue squares are not all the same size, as you can (unfortunately) see in the first picture. BUT, that's quilting, for you "newbies" ... and as my instructor LIZ says, IT'S OKAY! Don't worry about it. And it's true ... it really does take ALL OF THE FUN right out of quilting if you stress over every little part of it. Sure, you want it to be right ... so take care, and try to make it right ... but don't make yourself SICK over it! Then it NEVER will be right, or DONE!

No, this one is not finished. I do have the binding and backing on though.
It is not finished because of the binding .. and believe you me, that's a WHOOOLE 'nother story! :)