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Necessity is the mother of invention...

5/28/2013

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That quote is a fancy way of saying "when you mess up, you have to be creative..." :-) I think I've learned more from making mistakes than I have from things that worked right the first time. When I make custom cards for people, I often make them a little bit bigger than my usual card size. I tend to cut a random sized piece of batting and build it up from there. I can usually get two cards out of one piece of card stock, but when I make bigger ones, I need a whole sheet, folded, and then cut to the exact size of my card. Well, this time, I was on about the last inch of stitching, when it suddenly occurred to me to wonder if I had finally made one that was too big even for a full sheet of folded card stock.... It turns out I was right.
Hmm...after thinking about it for a bit, I finally decided I could extend my card stock with another piece. I decided to turn the original one sideways, and have it open that way instead of from the bottom, so more of my card stock extension would show. I used fusible web to attach a piece of coordinating card stock to the inside front and back of my card. Since each piece had to be a little bigger than half a sheet, I ended up using three sheets of card stock for a card that is about 6 x 7 inches, but it worked, and even looks kind of cool:-) (I could have just added a strip, but that would show on the inside)  I used Transfer Artist Paper on organza for the verse, that part worked just fine!

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Memorial Day

5/24/2013

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It's looking like it will be 70's and sunny for our holiday weekend! I hope you have a great weekend, and remember those who have sacrificed to give us the freedoms we enjoy in America!
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Kindle bag

5/23/2013

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Most of my sewing lately has been re-run card designs, so I haven't had anything new to put on here...I dug into the archives again and found a picture of a Kindle bag I made a couple of years ago. It has Timtex interfacing for stiffener, and thread painted flowers.

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Spring!

5/22/2013

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It's been quite the winter around here, but it is finally coming to an end...We reached 60 degrees for the first time yesterday, and had no frost for the first time at our house last night. Still waiting for leaves, and still 3 foot snowbanks along the edge of our road, 6 feet at the corner of some driveways... Now they are saying 70's over the weekend, it's going to be a little hard to sew....I'll have to do a bit though, tourist season is here!
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Silk screen negative image

5/18/2013

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Today I was playing with silk screening a negative image instead of a positive. Birch trees work well for that since they are supposed to be light colored.. I then continued the stitching above and below the print to complete the trees.
I also tried silk screening on a pieced background. I did have to touch those up in a few places, but it worked pretty well, and will open up lots of possibilities! (another pillow top, see yesterday's post:-))

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Bright flowers for a snowy May 17...

5/17/2013

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Watching it snow on May 17 gave me the urge to make some bright flowers! I had recently been given a bag of fabric scraps by a friend, which included several quilt blocks and pillow tops. I turned one of the pillow tops into 9 cards. I just cut out a rectangle, added a solid square, some quilting, and a thread sketched flower. I always cut my initial rectangle a bit large, so I can trim it to size and re-square it after all the stitching is done.
I wanted to do straight line quilting, but I don't have a walking foot, so I knew I had two other options. Using a regular straight stitch foot wasn't one of them, the fabric creeps too much. One option is to use the straight stitch foot, but put a piece of card stock under the edge of the foot and sew along next to it. This works great, but is a little tedious. The second option is to use a free motion foot, which is what I did. The foot doesn't press down on the fabric, so no creeping. The drawback here is that it's harder to make a straight line:-) Fortunately, if it's a bit wobbly it doesn't bother me:-) For really nice straight line quilting, there's really no substitute for a walking foot!
I also played around with some different methods of filling the petals, some straight lines and some squiggles, I think I like them both:-)

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Pinocchio Moose

5/16/2013

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Screen printing doesn't always go as planned...sometimes you end up with a Pinocchio moose:-) If the ink crawls under the edge of the screen, there's nothing to do but thoroughly wash the screen and start over...

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Beret vs. Swans...

5/14/2013

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The birds are back, which means it's time for me to try to get pictures again. I was definitely not cut out to be a wildlife photographer, to do it well requires too much patience and willingness to sit in cold swamps and things....But there was a pair of swans on a pond near my house, with a parking spot even, so I made another attempt. I had a nice, sunny spot, so no sitting in swamps...The next challenge is to get them when they are not feeding or sleeping, or just in some really weird position...

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They usually look like this...

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or this...

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It was also a little too bright out, but luckily I usually just need the shape of the bird to use in my quilts, so I think I got a few that should work. I'll leave the fancy stuff to Mark "Sparky" Stensaas...http://www.sparkyphotos.com/

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Back online!

5/14/2013

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The good news is, I have a new computer, and we seem to have recovered all of our files, which is huge for me. I always say my entire brain is on the computer:-) The bad news is the new computer has Windows 8, which is pretty much like learning a new language. I'm very glad to have a 13 year old boy who can figure that stuff out quickly and teach me:-)
The picture is a birthday card I made recently, trying shadows....

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New computer

5/11/2013

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Well, the new computer is here, but there's nothing on it yet, hopefully I'll be back in business soon!
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    Beret Nelson's On The Trail Creations Blog Page

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    Beret Nelson

    I am a homeschooling mom of three fun kids, who are now old enough that I have a little time to pursue my passion for sewing! After several years of making quilted cards and art quilts, I'm now designing kits and patterns.  Some of my designs have been in Keepsake Quilting and Art Quilting Studios magazine! I  teach classes online, and am starting to do more traveling and teaching. I also have many tutorials, including some on YouTube. I am blessed to live in Alaska where I am surrounded by the inspiration provided by the beauty of God's creation!
    To see all of my patterns, click here.
    To follow my blog, sign up below to receive e-mails, and/or "like" my facebook page, button below!

    Free card pattern and also an e-book, and a quilt planning checklist!
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    "Like" my facebook page!

    I am also an independent distributor for Plexus supplements, since I credit them with enabling me to be healthy enough to do all these fun things! They target blood sugar and gut health, which are at the root of so many modern health issues. E-mail me for more info, or check out my website! I am as passionate about getting people healthy as I am about getting people creating :-)

    beret@onthetrailcreations.com
    or

    https://plexusworldwide.com/beretnelson
      

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  • Home
  • Shop Online
    • Art For Sale
    • Collage Art Quilt Kits
    • Store - Wall Hangings/Table Runners Kit & Patterns >
      • Sandhill Sunset Wall Hanging
      • Moonshadows Wall Hanging
      • Moonlight Moose Table Runner
      • Serenity Wall Hanging
      • Summer Dragonfly Wall Hanging
      • Summer Dragonfly Table Runner
      • Moonlight Moose Wall Hanging
      • Autumn Leaves Wall Hanging
      • Autumn Leaves Table Runner
      • Night Owl Wall Hanging Quilt
    • Store - Quilted Greeting Card Kits/Patterns >
      • Acrylic Card Template
      • Trish Stuart Collection
      • Out On a Limb Card Kit
      • Wonder Lake Card Kit
      • Moonshadows Card
      • Raven Moon Card
      • Chickadee With Berries Card
      • Whale Tale Card
      • Moose and Willows Card Kit
      • Raven Card Kit
      • Wild Iris Card
      • Northwoods Nisse Card
      • Boreal Botanicals Card
      • Winter Trees Card
      • For the Birds Card Pattern
      • Wild Flower I Card Pattern
      • Wild Flower II Card Pattern
      • Wild Flower III Card Pattern
      • Wonky Heart Card Pattern
      • Whimsical Heart Card Pattern
      • Black-Capped Chickadee Card
      • Three Leaves Card Pattern
      • Let it Snow Card Pattern
      • Happy Birthday Card Pattern
      • Tundra Swan Card Pattern
      • Milepost Card Pattern
    • Store - Coffee Kuspuks/Quilt Panels >
      • Season of Hope Velvet Panel
      • Screen Prints
      • Coffee Kuspuk
      • Moonlight Moose Potholder Kit
      • Chickadee Menu Planner
      • Spring Flowers Coaster Pattern
      • Teresa Ascone Panels
      • Scrappy Baby Bib
    • Molly Molecule Book
  • Online Classes
    • Simple Secrets for Art Quilting
    • Framed Collage Quilt Class
  • Beret's Blog
  • 40 Ways
  • About Us
  • Tutorials
    • Grace quilt tutorial
    • Sewing Machine Needle Organizer Pincushion
    • Organza silk screen tutorial
    • Polymer Clay button tutorial
    • Birch Tree card tutorial
    • Coffee Shop greeting card
    • Free Motion Stitching Tutorials >
      • Free Motion Tutorial
      • 10 minute project tutorial
      • Valentine Coasters
      • Grape hyacinth postcard
      • Advanced free motion projects >
        • Sparkly 3D dragonfly wings
        • Inktense Frog quilt
        • Dream Big flower panel
    • Journal Cover - Book Tutorials >
      • Quilted Book Cover Tutorial
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    • Tutorials for Our Kits >
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    • Video Tutorials - Screenprinting, Inktense, Quilted Card Binding
    • Pocket Prayer Quilt
  • Art Quilt Gallery
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