To All the Crafts I’ve loved!

Crafts, Guest Bloggers, Needlearts, Quilting 2 Comments

Welcome Guest Blogger and Designer, Phyllis Dobbs.

Phyllis Dobbs began her creative career 20 years ago designing in the needlework and crafts industry. Phyllis’ designs reflect a sense of whimsy and she is driven by her passion for color. Phyllis has created over 1500 designs that have been published in books for cross-stitch and quilt designs.

Phyllis' new fabric collection - It's a Dog's Life

I have crafted all my life and can’t imagine what life would be like without crafts.  I’m one of those people who have to keep my hands busy and if they aren’t, I feel like I’m wasting time, even if I’m being productive otherwise.  And being oriented toward creativeness, crafting fits right in.

For the past two or three years, a big trend has been “retro” with various decades being a hot trend influence.  When I see remembrances of these decades in fashion or home décor, I also recall the crafts that I was doing when I was wearing the original versions of these fashions. (Yes, even bell-bottoms!)

I started crafting at an early age and learned cross stitch, sewing and quilting from my mother and aunt.  Although needlework has remained my “craft specialty” and the medium that I have devoted most of my designing career to, I have tried and loved them all. 

Because of my great love of crafts, I started designing.  My career started in the 80’s during the height of another craft dynasty - counted cross stitch.  At that time, there was a cross stitch shop on nearly every corner.  I jumped in with both feet and self published cross stitch books and leaflets.  I was successful and enjoyed my new career. 

When cross stitch began losing its popularity, I also began designing quilt patterns and started a freelance design career. Giving up self-publishing, I designed for other publishers for magazines and books.  I continued trying new craft mediums and created designs using these mediums.  I designed with beads, creating jewelry, tassels and adding them to cross stitch and quilting. I loved ribbon embroidery and authored several ribbon embroidery books.  In hard crafts, I loved to design mosaics. 

For the past 8 years, I have been painting.  I have translated my painting into product design through art licensing.  With my love of quilting and fabrics, I have been thrilled to have my art licensed for fabrics with Quilting Treasures.  My newest fabric collection, It’s a Dog’s Life is debuting next week at the International Quilt Market.  Throughout all my years of crafting, my style has evolved into whimsy combined with brilliant color.  My career as a designer started with seeds - all those seeds of being taught by my mother and aunt, and then from all those various crafts I loved over the years.  If you love something, it can take you on a path you never anticipated. 

It's a Dog's Life Fabric Collection

Happy crafting,

Phyllis Dobbs

Click here to read more of Phyllis’ posts.


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December Kit Club: The Softies Kit

Crafts, Quilting, Sewing 2 Comments

 

This kit is just too too cute! You can’t help but smile when you open the box up and find all the precious surprises inside! The projects are on beautifully done cards with a photo on front, open to the instructions, and some project’s instructions conclude on the back of the card.  You are given most of the supplies needed to create each of the 15 little projects!  You will need to gather some basic crafting tools from your own stash: embroidery needle, hand sewing needle, fabric scissors, fabric marking pen, tape measure, ruler, pencil, straight pins, and fiberfill.  Patterns are included full size.  Once the kit’s supplies are done, you can just add your own scraps of fabric and felt and continue to make the cool projects!

Small plush creatures and minatures are so hot right now in all crafting categories!  And who doesn’t fall in love with tiny little treasures?  This kit is just plain fun!  It can also travel well and makes a great gift. My favorite project was the Party Cake.  I made several to give to my sewing friends as a pin cushion!  

The Party Cake front card cover is inspiring.

The Party Cake front card cover is inspiring.

I give The Softies Kit the CreateForLess 5 Star Glue Gun Award! 

Would you like to win this kit?

Be the first person to e-mail me at Maria@thinkcrafts.com and this kit will be yours.  Please put the name of the kit you want to win in the subject line of your e-mail to me. I will reply back to the first e-mailer requesting a mailing address.  Please don’t post any personal information on Think Crafts!

This contest is closed, a winner has been shipped the kit.


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Fabric and Fiber Jargon

Glossaries, Quilting, Sewing No Comments
Color: a phenomenon of light or visual perception that enables one to differentiate identical items
Color Value: Lightness or darkness of a color
Consistency: the thinness or thickness of a fabric or fibre
Contrast: the sharp difference between two colors
Count: The number given a yarn or fiber to indicate its yardage per weight
Crinkling: To make or become wrinkled, rippled, roughened, or creased; usually done to fabrics like linen, challis, silk, or cotton
Dye: a color used for staining, tinting, or toning a medium. There is no separation of ingredients once dye is made
Finishing: Any treatment given to a fabric after weaving or to garments after cleaning to improve appearance like sizing or ironing
Hand: The feel, body, drape, or touch of the surface of fabric
Hue: the name of a pure color
Intensity: color’s purity or strength
Nib, Nep, Nubb: Small bits of fiber that stick above surface of otherwise smooth fabric
Piece: Length of fabric
Primary colors: red, blue, yellow
Secondary colors: mixing of primary colors; green, orange, purple
Skein: a coil of yarn also called hank

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