Daphne Greig

SAQA Western Canada - Featured Member

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:46:00 +0000

I am a member of the Studio Art Quilt Associates (http://www.saqa.com), an organization that promotes the art quilt and artists. I was recently the featured member of the Western Canada SAQA group.

Read my info here:
http://www.saqawesterncanada.blogspot.com/p/featured-members.html

Aruba!

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:50:00 +0000

Walking around the shopping area this morning. Interesting architecture but mostly American shops.

Curaçao in the sunshine

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:45:00 +0000

Visiting Willemstad, the main city in Curaçao today. Wonderful Dutch style buildings and interesting shops. Found a couple of fabric shops. Just a couple of pieces for the stash, including some African fabric shared with my friend Jill.

Bonaire.

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:34:00 +0000

Having a wonderful time on my Caribbean quilting cruise Today is Bonaire, one if the Dutch ABC islands. Sun,sun heat!!Great photo ops just off the ship. Tropical tree and flowers will make their way into my work when I get home.

A test - iPod

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:15:00 +0000

I'm testing posting to my blog from my iPod touch. Getting ready for the cruise!

Sunscreen and camera - lots of other stuff too.

More Fibre Pack Embellishment Samples

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:11:00 +0000

Susan McGregor (the creator of the Embellishment Packs) has created some lovely work using the fibres. Here are some examples of her work.

Packs are available at Patchworks Studio.

Embellishment Packs

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:15:00 +0000

As promised, I have added some new products to my Patchworks Studio store.

New and Exciting - for your Embellishing Fun!

Beautifully chosen and packaged by Susan McGregor of Daisy Chain Designs.
Use them for fabric collage, landscapes, And so much more!
Each package contains:

Five - 1.5 meters of assorted yarns.
One - package of assorted beads.

Each pack is $9.95 - there are 21 different colour choices!

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Here are closeups of some of my work where I used these sorts of yarns. I couched many of them on the surface by machine, The most 'fuzzy' ones were attached with hand stitches.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:18:00 +0000

It's the start of a new year and a New Beginning for me as the owner (designer, webmaster, shipper, receiver, chief 'cook and bottle washer'!) of Patchworks Studio.

Some questions I've been asked:

Will you still create patterns?

Yes, definitely! That was the main reason I wanted to continue the business. I enjoy all the steps involved when creating patterns: sketching design ideas, working in Electric Quilt software to fine tune the concept, selecting the perfect fabrics that will make the design come alive, testing with 'play' fabrics and then cutting into that fresh cloth and seeing the project grow on my design wall.

The linear side of my brain also likes the step by step writing that is required to produce patterns that quilters can follow to make the project. I also enjoy creating the images for the pattern covers, and the drawings inside the patterns to help you see how to make the project.

Will you continue teaching?

Another definite YES. Teaching is one of the things that feeds my soul. The interaction with students is one of the joys in my life. I love meeting other people who share my passion for fabric and creativity. My local Spring session workshops have been scheduled, along with several out-of-town events. I also will be visiting guilds and events in other parts of North America this year. Perhaps we'll meet in the classroom.

Did you know I also teach online at Quilt University. You can learn from the comfort of home! The first class I am offering this year is Paper Pieced Paradise. I will show you how to create your foundations, select and prepare your fabrics and how to sew perfect blocks every time. Class starts on January 27th and registration is now open.

Will you write books too?

I have several ideas mulling around and will spend some time developing one of them into a book proposal in the first part of 2012. I'll keep you posted.

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Finally, a special THANK YOU to everyone who has supported Patchworks Studio and me over the past 15 years. I have met the most amazing people - students, teachers and industry leaders. I don't think I could have chosen a better business to be in.

To thank you for your support I'm having a January White Sale - all the bedding stores do it, so why not me too? So what do I have that's white? No, I'm not filling my shelves with white fabric for you. I realized patterns are printed on white paper - so all patterns are 20% off for the month of January! Stained Glass, Give & Take Applique and the Bright Ideas series of designs with Northcott fabrics - they're all on sale. Just enter this coupon code on the final checkout screen when you place your order: White Sale

The 'fine print':

Special offer expires January 31, 2012. Valid while quantities last. Can't be combined with any other offer.

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Watch for some new products and patterns in the next couple of months. To be the first to know, sign up for my FREE email newsletter. You can easily sign up in the sidebar to the right. The newsletter also includes creative ideas, tips and special offers.

And now, back to the studio for some creative time!

2012 Workshop Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

My calendar for 2012 is already filling up. This is an area of my life that must be planned ahead and this suits me well. I am a planner so I like to know what I will be doing, where and when. I must be well-prepared for workshops and other engagements.

I am sure many of you have new calendars for 2012. I like the Monthly type - I need to see the entire month at a time.

I have used the same type of calendar for several years and it has a very plain black cover so I made a cover and I replace the year's calendar with a new one every December.

The main entries so far are the workshops I am scheduled to teach at Calico Cupboard quilt shop here in the Victoria area, my online QuiltUniversity sessions and a couple of out-of-town trips to other shops and guilds. The updated schedule is on my website.

I am offering several new classes in the area for the Winter/Spring session:

Quilting with Fat & Fuzzy Threads: I demonstrated these techniques in Houston in the Fall and have developed a short hands-on workshop to learn how to use fun fibres in your work.

Give & Take Applique - Design Discoveries: I have presented this workshop for several guilds and it's time local quilters had a chance for fun and creativity! I will be at Serge & Sew in Nanaimo in February and will also present this workshop at Calico Cupboard. (PS - don't let that word 'design' scare you. Everyone who has joined me in this workshop has created some exceptional designs.)

Ink Me a Flower: This a fun way to create visions of summer gardens. I will provide patterns for stitching and the ink. You'll bring your free-motion stitching skills and imagination. I can't wait to see the flower garden we create in class.

Last but not least is Splashed II - yes, I've designed another pattern using Northcott's wonderful Stonehenge fabrics. This class isn't until March and the new pattern will be available in February.

Hope to see you in the classroom after the holidays!

A New Setting for Appliqué

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:04:00 +0000

I am an appliqué fan. I'm sure you know that already since my latest book is all about fused appliqué. When I was in Houston in the fall I found some patterns by an Australian designer that I fell in love with.

Don't Look Now designs are fresh and light; all the appliqué is on a white background. I bought two of the pillow patterns and made them up a couple of weeks ago. They add a bright spark to my living room.

On the left is Wish You Were Here and on the right is First Day of Christmas.

The appliqué is fused, raw edge and I stitched around each shape with matching thread. It was lots of fun going through my scrap bin to find the perfect small pieces of fabric for the shapes.

The Holidays are Upon Us!

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:18:00 +0000

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a BRIGHT New Year. I have enjoyed meeting many of you in workshops and hope you have had a creative year.

2012 will be a year of New Beginnings for me. On December 31, 2011, I will become the sole owner of Patchworks Studio.

I have been busy setting up my new office and inventory space, and organizing the new phone and fax equipment. And, of course, a few holiday sewing projects (but you won't see those until after Christmas Day).The company's website remains the same: www.patchworkstudio.com

I will continue designing and marketing patterns under the Patchworks Studio name. I will also lecture and teach for shops, guilds and at major events, both locally and internationally.

My travels begin with my Caribbean Quilting cruise in January! I'll have pictures and stories to share in early February.

I am looking forward to the challenge of this new adventure. Look for some great new things in the future!

Blog Hop Party - Winners

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:32:00 +0000

Thank you to everyone for telling me about your favourite quilting tools. Looks like rotary cutters are the most loved items in many studios. And seam rippers! I definitely agree with both these suggestions.
The random draw was made on Sunday and Sherry S. from Washington State is the winner of my DVD and Stencil set. She told me that she loves applique work in her note and I think she'll definitely enjoy the Give & Take Applique technique.

Since I had so many comments I decided to draw for some Give & Take Applique patterns as well. Bea in Pittsboro, NC, Michele in Ontario and Janet in the Yukon will be receiving these in the mail soon.

To thank EVERYONE who stopped by I have a special discount offer for my book Give & Take Fabric Applique, the DVD and the Stencil Set. The first 20 people who place an order for any or all of these products will receive 15% off . You need to type in this coupon code: Blog Hop Party on the 'Checkout' screen. This offer is valid for 1 week only (expires on December 27th).

PS - a special welcome to the 'hoppers' who signed up for my online newsletter. I'll be sending a new edition soon.

Canadian Christmas Blog Hop - Cheryl Wall

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Meet Cheryl Wall, author of Welcome Home, published by Martingale.

I hope you have had fun meeting these Canadian designers. Be sure to check all our blogs often for new updates and great designs!

Blog Hop Party - with Give-Aways!!

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:53:00 +0000

Welcome to everyone 'hopping' around Quilting Gallery's Blog Hop Party!

You may not have met me before. I am a designer, author and teacher from Canada's West Coast. Perhaps you've seen some of my patterns in your local shops. I own Patchworks Studio, one of the longest-running quilt design companies in Canada.

You may have seen my patterns for Too Easy Stained Glass,

designs using Northcott's latest fabrics

and my technique Give and Take Applique.

I am also the co-author of 5 books, including my most recent, Give and Take Fabric Applique, published by the American Quilter's Society.

I also 'star' in a DVD that shows you exactly how the Give and Take Applique technique differs from more common ways of doing fused applique. This positive/negative approach has NO WASTE and design opportunities are extensive.

I publish an online e-zine, Creative Expressions about every 2 weeks. It includes tips for quilters and fibre artists, On My Bookshelf reviews and other articles about my work and teaching.

Sign up to receive my e-zine on my website.

My latest venture: I will be writing a Product Review column for the Canadian Quilter magazine. There are so many tools and products for us to use. I'll tell you how some of them may be helpful for your work.

My Giveaway!

I'm giving away a copy of my Give and Take Applique DVD and Stencil Set.

To enter: Leave me a comment and tell me about one product or tool that you can't live without and why. The winner will be randomly selected on December 17th. I will send the DVD and Stencil Set anywhere in the world!

Looking forward to hearing about your best suggestions!

Winter/Spring 2012 Classes

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:30:00 +0000

The new Class Brochure for Calico Cupboard Quilt Shop is now available online. Join Peggy F., Diane B., Susan T. and me for some fun projects starting in late January. Why not sign up with a friend - makes a GREAT Christmas gift for a quilter friend.

The link to the brochure is here.

More from Quilt Festival in Houston

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:35:00 +0000

I taught for a fullweek at Festival in November. It was wonderful to meet so many studentsand share my knowledge with them.

Here are a few pictures fromthose workshops.

First are examples of Sheer Collage Cardsmade by Mary, Sara, Leaane, Darlene, Jean, Bonnie, Carolyn, Jan, Karin, Gingerand Cathleen.

Each student started with thesame basic set of fabrics from the kit I provided and added their own selections from a pile of other fabrics and sheers that I brought for them to use. Aren't they all so different and interesting. I am teaching asimilar workshop in April 2012 for the Nanaimo Quilters' Guild. I'm sure therewill be equally interesting results there.

Ripless Paper Piecing showedstudents how to have the accuracy of paper piecing without some of the fuss -no sewing through the paper so you don't have to remove it later. It also meansyour 'foundation' is re-usable so I call it the 'green' approach. Students started work on a Christmas table runner in this class.

In Broken Cookies,students learned about fabric 'value', played with fused ovals and stringpieced blocks. I enjoyed seeing the variety of fabrics as each student put herblocks on the wall. I would love to see these quilts when they are finished.

That's just a sample of studentwork. Some of my other activities included presentations aboutMachine Quilting with Fat and Fuzzy Threads, Stamping on Fabric and TooEasy Stained Glass.

If you get the opportunity togo to Houston, be sure to check out the education catalog. Many classes havekits to make it easy and you will always learn something new!

Canadian Christmas Blog Hop - Sue Jensen

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Meet Sue Jensen from Maple Ridge, BC.

Come back next Sunday to meet another Canadian designer!

Video Clip - Give & Take Applique

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:08:00 +0000

Here's a video clip of our Give & Take Applique DVD. This is just a 'snip' showing what you will see on the full DVD. We had such fun filming! The quilts behind us are all available as PDF files on the DVD and we show you exactly how we made each one.

Do you want to learn the secret of Give & Take Applique? You can buy the DVD directly from me at the Patchworks Studio Shop.

Canadian Christmas Blog Hop - Jean Boyd

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Meet Jean Boyd, Canadian Quilters Association 2003 Teacher of the Year.

Come back next Sunday to meet another Canadian designer!

On My Bookshelf

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:30:00 +0000

AQS 2012 Wall Calendar

Every year my publisher, the American Quilter's Society, sends me their annual wall calendar. And I LOVE it. There is plenty of space to write appointments and my teaching schedule (so my family knows where I am!) and every month there is an inspiring quilt photograph. It would make a great gift for quilt makers and quilt lovers.

All the quilts are past prizewinners at the prestigious American Quilter's Society Quilt Show and Contest in Paducah, Kentucky.

You can order the calendar online through the American Quilter's Society.

International Quilt Festival - The Founders Award

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0000

One of the top winners in the quilt competition show this year was Kathy K. Wylie of Whitby, Ontario. I 'met' Kathy in an on-line class earlier this year and it was so nice to meet her in person. And then to see her spectacular quilt, Flourish On the Vine, and that it won the Founder's Award! Well, it was such an exciting time! Be sure to click on the link to Kathy's website so you can see more details of this exceptional quilt.

If you would like to see all the winning entries, they are available online here.

International Quilt Market & Festival - Houston

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:06:00 +0000

It was a whirlwind trip to Houston for both these events. First up was 'Market', the wholesale show where shop owners can buy EVERYTHING to fill their store shelves: fabrics, patterns, books, notions. Along with the buying part is a strong educational component called Schoolhouse. Shop owners can learn about business topics and unique ways to display and promote products. I attended a few of these presentations and learned a few things for my business too.

My friend Jane Sassaman was showcasing her new fabric line, Early Birds. Here are Jane and her 2 assistants during their Schoolhouse presentation. I especially love the Hepburn Apron they are wearing. It's a reversible apron, covers your 'backside', and has great pockets. The pattern is available from Jane's website.

And here is Lonni Rossie, deisgner for Andover Fabrics showing her 3-D floral quilt made with her new fabric line, Bubble and Swirl. She said she made large circles with the fabrics, gathered them in the centers and then attached them to the main quilt . There are lots of fluttery circles in each flower.

Market (and International Quilt Festival which follows Market) is one of the largest conventions at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. The vendor booths, quilt shows and classes FILL this 1.2 million square foot space!

The quilt shows are a wonderful showcase of quilts and other exhibits. I was fortunate to have 2 pieces accepted for this year's judged show, Quilts: A World of Beauty.

First is Looking West, based on a photograph taken from Vancouver Island (and looking West!).

The second piece is Three Wee Figs, using scrape-painted fabrics. This was one of the techniques I taught the students in my Fibre Art Thursdays group at Calico Cupboard Quilt Shop. All the students are working on their pieces (and MORE) and we hope to have an exhibit of our work in 2012.

I stayed at the Hilton Americas hotel which is connected to the convention centre by a skybridge - very convenient for running back to the room to change shoes or grab a snack! In the evening the trees across the street are beautifully lit.

This is the edge of a new greenspace that has been added to the area. Discovery Green was full of activity while we were in Houston, including the largest Zumba group I've ever seen!

I'll be posting more from Houston in the next couple of weeks so check back for more pictures of the quilts and many of my students at the Festival Classes.

Canadian Christmas Blog Hop - Maria Hrabovsky

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Meet Maria Hrabovsky from Mississauga, Ontario.

Make some Christmas Hot Pads and see two wonderful cookie recipes!

Come back next Sunday to meet another Canadian designer!

Elegant Strip Runner - WINNER!

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:42:00 +0000

Gail B. from Carlyle, Saskatchewan is the winner of the Elegant Strip Table Runner fabric kit. Congratulations Gail. Your kit is on it's way to you.

There is 1 more fabric kit available for purchase at Patchworks Studio.

Thanks to everyone who left a comment and signed up for my e-zine. The next newsletter will be sent over the weekend. Included will be a report from my time in Houston for Quilt Market and Festival. If you are not receiving the newsletters but think you signed up, please check your 'junk' mail folder. They may have been deposited there!

Canadian Christmas Blog Hop - Kathy K Wylie

noreply@blogger.com (Daphne Greig) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Meet Kathy K Wylie, an award-winning quilter from Whitby, Ontario.

Come back next Sunday to meet another Canadian designer!