Creativ Festival – Day 5

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Heather

Whew! Sunday! After four long days, the fifth and final day had arrived. The end was in sight. I was sad, since I love all the creative inspiration and friendship at the Creativ Festival, but I have to admit that I was a little relieved because it was really starting to take a physical toll.

Anyway! Sunday began at 9am again, with another class from Jennifer Aikman-Smith: Treasure Them Now or Eat Them. It features a dragon mommy dealing with her six little baby dragons. Super cute!

Treasure Them Now... by Jennifer Aikman-Smith (WIP)

Jennifer had been having draws all weekend for some of her old models, and I kept joking with her that she needed to pick me. Well, my name was the very last name drawn, and I was lucky enough to get the model that I had been eyeing all weekend. Thank you so much for your generosity, Jennifer. I know that each of us who won are very excited to own something stitched by you.

Castle in the Clouds (needlepoint version) stitched by Jennifer Aikman-Smith

After class, my mom and I poked around on the show floor for a little while. I priced out mid-line sewing machines while she looked at beads. In the end, I picked up a beginner quilting kit and a couple of beads, while she bought a few beads and got a fabulous little free package of beads and whatnots from a booth.

Sunday's Creativ Festival Shopping

My final class of the weekend was Christmas Biscornu by Kim Beamish (who has been published in A Needle Pulling Thread). It is a lovely design that has a little flap of lacy stitches that overhang the biscornu edge. I really like it, but I think I’ve come up with a few extra embellishments for it. What can I say, the Creativ Festival is very inspiring.

Christmas Biscornu by Kim Beamish (WIP)

After class: more shopping! First, some Christmas red Swarovski beads for the Christmas biscornu, and then a little canvaswork kit from Carolyn Mitchell. It is a lovely little holly ornament that is a compliment to a design that will be featured in the Festive 2011 issue of A Needle Pulling Thread.

Holly Berry ornament by Carolyn Mitchell

And my last purchase: a new sewing machine. After shopping around, I settled on the Brother Innov-is 80. It has 80 different stitches (including a block alphabet and 10 different one-step button holes), an LCD screen, and about a million features my basic Kenmore doesn’t have. And the price? Well, it really was fabulous. (Singer had a machine I was looking at. They said the $300 show price was great. Amazon sells it for $180. o_O )

Brother Innov-is 80 relaxing in its new home (the dinning room table)

So, my final haul from the festival was pretty good. Below is the picture of Friday’s purchases, which I haven’t posted yet. I’m not sure about all the projects in my future, but I know that I am very well prepared!

 

Friday's Creativ Festival Shopping

As a bit of an aside, I thought I would let you know what was going on in the hall right next door to the Creativ Festival show floor.

Strange Bedfellows Indeed

It was a very interesting mix of people coming down the escalator, as you can well imagine. And, I wasn’t always right when I guessed who would be going into which show. The juxtaposition even made the front page of our local rag newspaper, and the more, uhh, respectable paper even had a piece about it too (warning: the article is not for the prudish once you get past the paragraph about strange bedfellows).

I’m glad the weekend is over, but I’m also missing it all already. I’ve already got next year’s festival written in on the calendar.

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Creativ Festival – Day 4

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Heather

This Saturday just past was my fourth day in a row at the Creativ Festival, here in downtown Toronto. And, really, by then I was starting to feel pretty exhausted. Even still, I was having a great time. It is wonderful to catch up with people I only see once a year, like Dale from Bermuda or Andrea from Ohio (who actually missed last year because she got married; not a bad excuse).

In terms of classes, Saturday was pretty quiet for me. At 9am I had an intarsia class with Charles Voth (StitchStud on both Ravelry and Twitter). He taught us two different methods of working intarsia in the round. And, while it was a bit confusing at first, I eventually caught on and I think I’ll be using at least one of the techniques in the very near future to knit a wee robot design from Danger Crafts.

Intarsia In the Round - Method 1 (Large Areas of Colour)

There are some pretty obvious mistakes in the above picture (like a couple of stitches in completely the wrong colour and terrible tension), but the join itself is actually very sound, and looked much better after some practice.

Intarsia In the Round - Method 2 (Small Motif)

 

My second class of the day was a lecture by Jennifer Aikman-Smith on how to involve kids in crafting. I found it very interesting because Baby Man is now at the age where we can start to work on simple craft projects together. He is also part of a generation that is totally digital. He doesn’t watch TV, he watches YouTube. We read books on the iPad, and use it to learn how to write letters and do math through various apps. The way he relates to the world is very different, but, thankfully, he has already shown some interest in the crafts I do. Jennifer gave me a lot of ideas, but I also learned that the most important things are art supplies and time.

And speaking of supplies, after the lecture, it was time for me to do some shopping. I bought a copy of Nicky Epstein’s [amazon_link id=”1933027673″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Knitting on Top of the World[/amazon_link] for a very good price at the clearance book stall (I’m following Mary’s blog, where she is knitting every pattern in the book). I also picked up a couple of more bag kits from Quilt a Bag, some fabric from Len’s Mill, got a free back issue of A Needle Pulling Thread and bought another issue, and bought an inexpensive pair of dressmaker’s sheers.

Saturday's Creativ Festival Shopping

After shopping, it was time for the gala dinner. As usually, it was stuffed chicken (this time with wild rice) and a little custard dessert. Nice, but not fabulous. The speeches were mercifully short this year, which was wonderful. Next stop was a fashion show featuring designs from final year students at the Toronto International Academy of Design. Unlike previous years, the show was fairly short and featured a lot of really lovely (and reasonable) designs. I can honestly say I really enjoyed it.

At the end of the show we received a small gift from Create Your Style with Swarovski Elements. The collection of beads was much more useful and pretty than the items from the last few years, unfortunately though, many of my pieces were  broken.

Gift from Create Your Style with Swarovski Elements

Saturday was a long day, but it turned out to be much more enjoyable than I was expecting. Onwards, to Sunday!

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Ornament of the Month – October 2011

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Heather

Last week, just before the start of the CreativFestival, I finished up this month’s ornament of the month: Gingerbread Scissor Case from Victoria Sampler.

Gingerbread Scissor Fob from, Victoria Sampler

It is from the 2009 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue. I stitched it on 28ct Antique Almond Cashel , using the tiny pack from Victoria Sampler. I also have the pattern, floss pack and enough fabric to stitch the Gingerbread Stitching House Collection. And, since this is now complete, I’m counting the house itself a WIP for WIPocalypse (like I need an excuse, or another project!).

So, two more designs to go and I’m at the end of my project. I’m pretty proud of myself for sticking with it, even though there were a few hiccoughs. (Too bad I didn’t do as well with my sock knitting idea. But there is always next year.) And, of course, I’m now thinking about what to do next year. I think I’m pretty good for Christmas ornaments now. Maybe I’ll try Halloween ornaments or maybe small Teresa Wentzler designs. What do you think? Check out the poll over in my right sidebar, and let me know.

 

You’re probably wondering what happen to my posts on the last two days of the Creativ Festival. Well, unfortunately, I am just exhausted, and I haven’t got it in me right now to write up a big post (this particular post, with the exception of this last paragraph, was actually written last week). I should have the final post ready in a day or so. But for now I will say fabric, books and a new sewing machine were purchased, dragons were stitched (okay, started), and there was much inspiration to be found.

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CreativFestival – Day 3

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Heather

Yesterday was a very, very full day at the CreativFestival. My first class, at 9am, was with Larry Shackleton of Approved Sewing Machine Services. He taught us some basic sewing machine maintenance, and was extremely knowledgeable. I really enjoyed that class, and I feel like I can take good care of my simple Kenmore machine now (…or maybe I’ll look for a fancier machine on the show floor today). He also talked a little bit about the pros and cons of different types of bobbin setups, about why using a 1/4″ foot is important when you want 1/4″ seam, keeping your oil fresh, and a bunch of other little tips like that. I really wish I had been able to take his second class on basic troubleshooting, since it would have been an excellent complement to the first class. But, instead I took a class with Jennifer Aikman-Smith.

I know that several of you have taken classes with Jennifer, so you know is how fabulous she is. For those who haven’t, all I can say is imagine a 6’4″ woman, perky, who is funny, incredibly creative, and unendingly kind. She is truly a lovely lady, and classes with her are one of the highlights of my year.

Yesterday I took three classes with her, all of which ended up being on perforated paper. Unfortunately, because I was feeling a bit run down and off kilter yesterday (things are taking a greater toll on me than I expected, unfortunately), I wasn’t able to get too much stitching done. But, here is a picture with some bits with a little bit of stitching on them. 😉

Dragons WIPs from Dragon Dreams

The first class (upper left) was Santa’s Little Helper, a cute Christmas dragon pin with a jingle bell around his neck. You can see a picture of him here, on Jennifer’s latest newsletter. Of course, he is much cuter in person. I also understand that he will be available from PatternsOnline before Christmas. If you want to make sure you have the supplies on hand, you will need some white Fuzzy Stuff from Rainbow Gallery, a small jingle bell, and some beads for his necklace. (The kit has black bugle beads, gold star sequences, and gold beads.)

The second class was Christmas Cookie Thief (upper right), which is a cute little ornament with a dragon, some cookies and a gingerbread man. Adorable!

The final class of the day was Perforated Paper Castle and Dragon (bottom), which, as you can imagine, is a perforated paper castle. However, the dragon isn’t stitched. He is a little Fimo dragon made by Jennifer! Everyone got a little guy who was different from everyone else’s, and they are all cute beyond words. You can see mine in the picture above. But, again, as I am taking pictures early in the morning, with very poor light, everything looks terrible. I will take better pictures of the dragon minion (and Jennifer’s autograph on his butt) early next week. And, of course, I will share pictures of the finished pieces as they are finished.

I did manage to get in some shopping yesterday as well. Yarn was purchased, which you may have seen if you follow me on Twitter. I also bought a couple of books, some magazines, two purse sewing kits from Quilt a Bag (love!!), and some sewing notions. I’ll share pictures of all of this next week, when I can spread out and take some good pictures.

Today is another long day. My first class is at 9 again, this time with Charles Voth to learn about intarsia in the round (a knitting technique). Afterwards, I will be going to a creativity lecture by Jennifer. After that: more shopping and maybe some make-and-takes. And, finally, I will be attending the “gala” dinner and fashion show. My only hope is that the fashion show isn’t as long as in the past.

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CreativFestival – Day 2

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Heather

Yesterday was a pretty eclectic day for me at the CreativFestival…

(I appologzie for the poor quality of the photos. I took them early in the morning, without using good lighting.)

First, I took Fractured Fair Isles, a knitting course taught by the lovely and funny Fiona Ellis. We talked about how you can play with Fair Isle patterns (those patterns around the tops of Norwegian or ski sweaters),  maybe making them asymmetrical, or using non-traditional motifs, or making unexpected colour changes. We all then made up our own little pattern and knitted it up. Here’s what I came up with:

Little Cars Fair Isles

The bottom is a row of cars and trucks (which Fiona said she loved), and the top is a row of airplanes and a helicopter (which I’m not as proud of, but, hey, they are still cute).

My second class was I am a Creative Soul with Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams. The piece is sort of like a sampler, with lots of specialty stitches scattered around. But the wonderful thing about this design is that it is meant for the stitcher to customize. We brought our own fabric, two or three colours of over-dyed threads, and some beads. Jennifer than let us pick a neutral over-dyed, more special beads, a metallic, and a lovely little charm she and her daughters made. I am totally in love with this design and I can’t wait to finish it. I will definitely show more of it as I get a chance to work on it.

I Am a Creative Soul WIP with threads, etc.

My last class of the day was another serger sewing class, with the same teacher as I had on Wednesday. This class was about what you can do with different serger feet, and it was so much better than the class on Wednesday. I now have a book full or directions and little swatches showing the finished piece. (The piping one didn’t turn out quite right because of a problem with the machine, but I’ve got the idea.) And now I know what kind of feet I’d like for my serger.

Sample of Wired Edge and Zipper from Serger

Today’s classes  include one on basic sewing machine maintenance, and three more stitching classes with Jennifer. And, since the show floor opens today, I may even find some time to shop. 🙂

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CreativFestival – Day 1

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Heather

I had my first class at the CreativFestival on Wednesday: Serger Nightie and Gown. The instructor was a Baby Loc (brand of serger) representative from B.C.  The first hour or so of class was spent trying to figure out how to cut out a pattern she said would be easy. All we needed was our bust measurement, and some (terrible) instructions, and away we went. Unfortunately, all we had was a poorly drawn diagram at the front of the room and an instruction sheet that didn’t make much sense. She also corrected herself twice after people started cutting.

Once we got sergering (not in the order of the instruction sheet, nor following all the steps), things got a little better. I will admit, my nightie and gown (housecoat) are a bit sloppy. I was, frankly, a bit annoyed with the whole process. However, in the end, I did learn how to use my serger better. I’ve now got some skills to carry over to other projects.

I’ll share a pictures of nightie and gown later (they are unfinished, and I’m not sure I will bother finishing them). I need some decent light, and it is pouring rain right now.  The fabric used is supposed to be a lovely batiste, but I think it feels like a cheap muslin. And it is not really worth the large kit fee, in my opinion.

Platinum Gift Package

I also picked up my gift package, which I got for signing up for a platinum  course package. All the items were donated by H.A. Kidd. And, while it is very nice, it is really heavy on scrapbooking supplies. Sadly, this year it came in a cheap plastic bag, which was looking tatty by the time I got home. In past years, the bag itself had been much nicer.

Today is day two of my classes. I’ll be taking a Fair Isles knitting class with Finoa Ellis, a needlework class with Jennifer Aikman-Smith (Dragon Dreams), and another serger class with the same instructor as last night.

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PJs for Baby Man

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Heather

The CreativFestival is this weekend, and I have my first class today. It is called Serger Nightie and Gown, and I’m quite excited to be leaning how to use my serger to do more than finish seams or sew a square.

Of course, I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t a little nervous. I do meet the prerequisite, which is knowing how to use a sewing machine to sew. But, I can’t remember the last time I sewed a garment. Maybe a doll’s dress when I was a little girl? And then I had the help of my grandma. I have seen my mom sew lots of clothes, and I’ve made lots of bags and ornaments, etc. However, I thought it was important for me to try to make something someone can actually wear before I take that class.

So, here it is, still in progress: a pair of pjs for the little man:

Car Pjs for the little man (Simpilicity pattern #2046)

I used Simpilicity pattern 2046, some very cute light cotton flannel and a whole lot of courage. (I suspect some Americans may be a bit worried about the fabric choice. We have very different rules up here with regards to materials suitable for children’s sleepwear. Rest assured, the little man will be safe. It’s not often we put him to bed with an open flame. 😉 )

Look! I made a button hole!

So far, I’ve only run into a few minor issues. I picked up a bit of fabric from the arm of the sleeves while sewing in the shoulders. I figure this is partly due to me going too fast, and partly because the armscye is so darn small. It was easily fixed with a seam ripper and some patience. I’ve also left off the pocket because I couldn’t figure out the directions. I’ll add it later, hopefully. And, lastly, I forgot to buy elastic for the pants. Oops!

The perfect button!

The good news is that the pjs fit the little man with some room to spare. And, I also learned how to sew a garment and even used my serger for some of the finishing. I may go back and serger/overlock all the edges if I feel brave. And, if I can find another deal of cotton flannel, I just might make a couple more sets of pjs for the little man.

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