Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Speaking of Michele Muska....




A couple of days ago I wrote about Michele Muska's new book, Quilting the New Classics, which is a beauty and if you are a quilter, a must have!  What I forgot to mention is that Michele, visiting from New York,  will be teaching an upcoming workshop at French General in November.  

Michele, who works for Simplicity, will be bringing out a bunch of Simplicity's 12-Needle Felting Machines and teaching us how to create a beautiful velvet and silk cuff bracelet.  

If you have never seen one of these machines at work, check out this video on You Tube to see the magic happen!  

This will be a fun workshop filled with lots of different techniques that Michele has learned while working in the fibre and craft industry for the past twenty years.  

Sign up here to take part in this special workshop on Saturday, November 8th and try your hand at the needle felting machine...it will open your mind to a whole new way of creating with fabric!



Friday, October 24, 2014

Quilting: The New Classics


It only seems appropriate that as I sit here in Houston, getting ready for Quilt Market to begin, I tell you about a beautiful new book that was just released by my friend Michele Muska.  Quilting - The New Classics is a practical and inspirational book that covers 20 traditional quilt designs as well as 20 contemporary designs based on traditional designs!  I was excited to be asked to design and make a traditional nine patch quilt...and lucky that I have a team of quilters and sewers behind me so I could actually turn it in!  To kick off the release of this cool new book, we are having a blog hop...so you can jump around and meet each of the designers.  I wish I could show you a picture of the quilt we made, using our La Belle Fleur collection....but that will have to be on Instagram later...I can only manage so many technical connections at once!

Follow along the hop below to see all of the beautiful quilts....I am sure they will inspire you to try your own classic or modern design!

Follow us @frenchgeneral to see lots more quilt inspiration from Houston!


*Oct. 20th Michele Muska www.lolarae.com/blog.html

*Oct. 21st Leslie Jenison  www.leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com

*Oct. 22nd Janneken Smucker   www.janneken.org/category/blog

*Oct. 23rd Valerie Bothell  www.pinkbunnykansas.blogspot.com

*Oct. 24th Kaari Meng  www.frenchgeneral.blogspot.com

*Oct. 25th Elisa Sims Albury  www.stitchoutsidetheditch.com

*Oct. 26th Heather Jones  www.oliveandollie.com

Oct. 27th Victoria Findlay Wolfe www.bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com

Oct. 28th Amy Smart  www.diaryofaquilter.com

Oct. 29th Jackie Kunkel www.cvquiltworks.com/blogs/blog

Oct. 30th Pat Sloan www.blog.patsloan.com

Oct. 31st *Shelly Pagliai  www.prairiemoonquilts.com/?page_id=62

Nov. 1st Allie Aller www.alliesinstitches.blogspot.com

Nov. 2nd Kristin Omdahl  www.styledbykristin.com

*Nov. 3rd Jacquie Gering www.tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com

*Nov. 3rd Pat Sloan 4:00pm eastern time   www.toginet.com/shows/americanpatchworkandquiltingradio

“The Voice of Quilting” www.creativetalknetwork.com/
Patchwork and Quilting radio show
www.allpeoplequilt.com/magazines-more/quilting-podcast

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Art of Craft 2015


I can't believe it's that time of year again...Art of Craft is just around the corner...well around the Thanksgiving, Holiday and New Year corner!  We are excited to announce our annual creative event has been scheduled for January 9th, 10th and 11th, 2015.  Filled with some of the most creative teachers around, our Art of Craft event features three days of workshops and lots of old and new friends!


Never taken a flower making class from Arlene Baker?  Now's you chance...Arlene is the best at what she does...making beautiful millinery flowers!  On Friday, Arlene kicks off our event by teaching a beautiful hand-wired burlap flower.  Arlene's techniques and instructions will allow you to continue making flowers and experimenting with all sorts of materials...including leather, denim and wool!


Friday evening we welcome one of my favorite friends, Monica Medeiros, from Port Costa, California. Monica is not only a talented typesetter and printer, but has amazing typography skills and will be teaching a chalkboard typography class.  Each student will receive their own framed chalkboard and choose an inspirational quote that will be scripted on the board.



Saturday morning, we start bright and early with a breakfast of Bread Lounge croissants and coffee, and then jump right in to Robert Mahar's workshop.  Robert, one of our resident crafters, will be teaching a pretty tableau using early bird trading cards printed on linen and demonstrating how to make millinery botanical leaves and stems.


Jenny Hart returns to Art of Craft to teach her craft, creative embroidery!  Saturday afternoon, after lunch, Jenny breaks down the simple task of learning how to put needle to thread and making small works of art.  Inspired by the Proust questionnaire, Jenny has designed this embroidery sampler and will teach you how to transfer your favorite color onto the canvas.


Old friend and artist, Wendy Addison joins us for the very first time this year, Sunday morning, to teach her hand-dipped wax flower crown.  Made to look like an antique French wedding crown, Wendy will bring all sorts of vintage millinery which will be dipped into wax and then formed into a beautiful crown.  Silk ribbon streamers will add the finishing touch to the headpieces which can be worn or hung.


It wouldn't be an Art of Craft without Molly Meng finishing up the workshops on Sunday afternoon!  After lunch, Molly will reintroduce us to her world of miniature shrines and collage techniques.  Filled with lots of old ephemera and millinery, students will design a small world which will be preserved for years to come under the bell jar.

Sign ups are limited to twenty-five students per class.  Friday night we serve proseco and snacks,  and both Saturday and Sunday we serve breakfast and lunch.  Sunday evening, we throw our annual Art of Craft Soiree from 6-9pm and all students are invited back for a creative craft gathering with friends and artists that are visiting town for the CHA show.