DIY Wednesday: Highlights from the AAQG Quilt Show Part 2

More FABULOUS quilts to ooh and ahhh over!

The last set of great quilt pictures to come next week! If you're interested in quilting check out the Austin Area Quilt Guild or sign up for a beginner quilting class at The Stitching Studio!

xo,
Anne Marie

COMING IN APRIL 2009:
The Bearded Ladies Present: Shop Austin

ACL Alternative - Quilts!

Quilts. That's a weird word, eh? To many people that word conjures up an image of a threadbare, ratty old "blanket" their grandma made and that they use to wrap up furniture when they move.

To others, it brings to mind a cherished family heirloom - handmade with love and used for generations to provide warmth on a cold night.







Still other images can come to mind - how about a piece of art that hangs on the wall? A heavily embellished creation made with hand-dyed fabric, beads, embroidery, buttons and goodness knows what else. A striking composition in an art form still under-appreciated.




The image I think of when I see or hear the word Quilt is a combination of all those above. I have a handmade turtle quilt from my great-grandmother that I use every winter, several art quilts that I hang for holidays, one I use on my bed daily, and one I use to wrap up in on the couch. Simply stated - I LOVE QUILTS and I will NEVER use a "comforter" again in my life. Nooooooo way!

This weekend is a BIG weekend in Austin. There's the ACL festival, the UT-Arkansas Game and... The AAQG 2008 Quilt Show! My mom has been a member of the Austin Area Quilt Guild (AAQG) for as long as I can remember.






















So this weekend is the perfect opportunity to discover the new love of your life in Quilts!

There will be fantastic Quilts of all sizes - from miniatures whose small pieces will boggle your mind to King Sized Quilts of striking proportion. There will be fabulous Art Quilts, and a unique Wearable Arts section on display.

In addition my Mom, Mary Beard, has organized three days worth of demonstrations. You can catch *me* giving a demonstration on purse making techniques Sunday.

You can shop the latest in hip, retro and heirloom cotton fabrics from the fabulous vendors, browse the gift boutique, and bid on amazing items in the silent auction.

Grab the family and head out to the AAQG 2008 Quilt Show this weekend!

What: AAQG 2008 Quilt Show
Where: The Crockett Center; 10601 N. Lamar between Braker Lane on the north and 183 on the south.
When: Friday to Sunday, Sept. 26th - 28th
Cost: $6 per person; Children under 12 free


IMAGE CREDITS: From top to bottom: Vintage Quilt in Silent Auction, Crazy Quilt by Mary Murdoch, Art quilt by Beth T. Kennedy, Two art quilts by Naomi S. Adams. Click on the pictures for more information.



**************
Anne Marie Beard

The Bearded Ladies Present: Shop Austin!

The Stitching Studio Grand Opening!

Have you ever wanted to learn how to sew? Make clothes for your kiddos or yourself?

How about make your own purses or jewelry? The Stitching Studio has you covered!

Come join us for a fabulous grand opening this Saturday from 1pm to 5pm. The Stitching Studio offers many levels of sewing and crafting classes, from beginner to advanced.

Anne Marie Beard is one of the featured teachers! Did you know that she is now working on a line of patterns from her handbag designs?

Come on out and meet the teachers, shop for some handmade goodies, and get inspired by all the crafty classes you can take! We even have classes designed for you to handmake your own holiday gifts :)

xo, Anne Marie


PS: ANNE MARIE IS GOING TO BE HAVING AN END OF SUMMER CLEARANCE SALE! DON'T MISS THIS CHANCE TO GET SOME AWESOME BAGS AT UP TO 50% OFF!!!

New Bags: Tiny Trash = Creative Juice

What is it about small bits of fabric and yarn and beads that make a crafty queen's heart go thump?

There is just this insatiable pull towards using someone ELSE'S cast offs that excites me (and many others) to the core!



My mom has a group of ladies that she sews with, and they love to give her little scraps of fabric. They all share little scraps, but my mom is typically the one who actually does something with them.



So a few weeks ago she got a bunch of scraps of vintage fabric from one of her dear friends, Maxine. Like a true crazy crafter, she took them home and immediately made 40 crazy quilt pieced basket blocks. FORTY in just a few hours.



She also made me an adorable wall hanging decked out with vintage buttons sashed in a gorgeous brown linen. So I wanted to see all the other blocks she made, and I started drooling. I asked if I could have a few - and the generous lady that my Mom is, she gave me almost all of them!



Back to the beginning - this circle of small bits of trash = love. I took her blocks and made some bags. I have been playing with Yarn applique on bags lately, and trying to "free craft" - make bags without a plan. Just make and design as you go.



I am pretty pleased with the result! But the best part is the history behind the bags. The lucky lady who gets one will have the result of many generations and families of women hanging from her arm. Maxine's stash included fabrics from HER mother's stash; fabrics saved from dresses, quilts, aprons and all kinds of crafts. Two families, four generations, tiny bits of fabric = love, art, craft - the true beauty behind sewing.

xo, Ambie
Etsy
AnneMarieBeard
TheBeardedLadiesPresent

Photoblog: From Luggage to Art to New Spring Bags!

I am off to San Diego tomorrow! I have been so uber busy sewing and cleaning and making hangtags etc.... that I kept forgetting to blog. So to make things easy on myself tonight, I emptied my camera of images and chose a few to share with you!

First off, I finally finished my display luggage. That's right folks, I made this sweet puppy all on my own - it's really just an envelope style bag with lots of velcro and fancy webbing and buckles to hold everything in... 2 pieces of gridwall, shelving, etc...





Next, a sneak peek at my pattern development. I am working on a line of patterns to publish for other crafty people - and a big part of the process is started. Soon enough I will be teaching classes, so to prepare I took pictures of my pattern pieces on fabric for a cutting layout and to determine the amount of yardage to use.



I also snapped lots of photos of my new Spring Bags!!! I have been working on them for a few weeks, and they are all finally finished. I took a huge batch to Parts & Labour today, and packed the rest for San Diego. I will post some for sale on Etsy next week, but you can see a sneak peek preview below!

The Rosie Bag...


The Paige Bag...


Finally, after a lot of hard work, I relaxed and made some art. I wanted to show you how messy making a tiny piece of art can be - paint, fabric scraps, glue, glitter.... how do I fit all of those crafting supplies in my tiny apartment?



Then - the finished piece of art - just a fun little canvas square to let my creative juices flow.



Wish me luck at Appel & Frank!
Anne Marie