Praise for the Goddess Sheet

I know I've talked about the Goddess Sheet before ... such an indispensable tool in our quilting and art studios.  Anytime you need to mix fabric, fusibles, and heat, this is the best I've found.

I already had the original Goddess Sheet (10-3/4"  x 16-1/2") and the Big Goddess Sheet (17-3/4" x 24").  But I recently "discovered" the Fat Goddess Sheet (21" x 27") and boy, what a difference it makes!

I actually had it in my supplies, but had not used it ... I kept defaulting to my Big one because it was already on my work table.  (You know how lazy I am!)  When I finally pulled out the Fat one (that just doesn't sound right!) and used it, I couldn't believe what a big difference those extra inches make. And, of course, it was made the perfect size for fusing fat quarters, which I hadn't even thought about.

This picture doesn't have anything to do with Goddess Sheets ...
I just liked the image of the "goddess head" and put it here
to entertain you.  ;^)

Now I realize that I don't ever want to "make do" with just one or two of the Goddess Sheets ... I need all of them! Yes, I've used parchment paper, it works too ... but it gets wrinkled, torn, and very quickly unusable.  I've decided that ultimately I will save money by just using the Goddess Sheets.

I became obsessed with them when I fell in love with Mistyfuse (which I love by the bolt).

So thank you, Iris Karp and Mistyfuse, for both of these essential tools.  Now I'm considering (would "coveting" be a better word?) the little Hobbico Iron for spot-fusing ... hmmmm.

Book Giveaway: People & Portraits

I just LOVE Martha Sielman's series of art quilt books.  I had already pre-ordered her newest one, "People & Portraits", but then received an extra copy from the publisher for review.  (They needn't worry about my review ... the book is absolutely gorgeous.)

Here's a link to Martha's website.

So now I have an extra copy, and will give it away, FREE to a Commenter.  The winner will be chosen by my Random Number Generator (aka "Fifi").  The drawing will be held this coming Monday, April 8, so please leave me a Comment if you would like this book.

And now for the review ... Well, I'm always impressed with Lark books in general, and with anything put out by Martha Sielman.  The combination of the two makes for a beautiful reading and browsing experience.  The paperback cover is sturdy and the pages are very high quality, so that the pictures (after all, that's what we buy these books for!) are large, sharp and clear.  As far as I can tell from the images of art quilts that I've actually seen in person, the color reproduction is spot-on.

There is a clear Table of Contents that is broken down by artist and by gallery type ... Happiness, Contemplation, Community, Icons, Family and Friends, Work, and Play.  I love being able to compare and contrast the individual works in these categories.  In addition, there is an alphabetical Artist Index, plus 21 well-written profiles of major artists.

Of course, I long for profiles on each of the other 100 artists, but you can only cram so much into a beautifully-produced art book, retail priced at $24.95!  Martha has done a masterful job of selecting the artists, the art, and the photography for this book ... not to mention the writing.  I am a happy owner of this new treasure, and it's definitely a "keeper"!

Connie Fahrion is featured this month in Quilting Arts Magazine

Connie Marie Fahrion, of my FiberVoices group, has a new article in the current issue of Quilting Arts Magazine (April/May 2013).  Her article on creating innovative paper quilts using coffee filters, paper towels, paints, inks and dyes, is lots of fun and gives a wonderfully different take on art quilting.  Check it out!

See the Quilting Arts Magazine information here.