#creative blogger

[cosmiccreativebits]

Recent makeup look lol

[thesensiblefay]

Glimmers of Light

instagram.com/thesensiblefay https://ko-fi.com/thesensiblefay thesensiblefay.com/subscribe

[myhappylee]

The beginning of a long journey

This artwork I call it the long journey. This was one of the very firsts artwork I created using the Wacom Intuos Pro and photoshop, that was way back 26th March 2020, when the quarantine started. I just recently bought my WACOM CINTIQ 16, but before then I was using the Intuos pro and Ipad pro.  (I'll be writing a different blog regarding my thoughts with these gadgets, and give you my honest feedback)

The reason why I call this the long journey is I am new in digital illustration. Yes, I got my Ipad pro last year but due to my job, i couldn't do many digital artworks, so when the quarantine started, I pushed myself to learn more, and as I dig deeper, it's overwhelming, there are so many things to learn and it's so easy to get insecure. But the challenge there is turning it into fuel to keep you going.

I am now 28 years old, and sometimes I wish I can turn things back and wish i practised or realised this is what I really want a way back then, but then again there's no point in that, I am here and I must just be thankful that I am working in getting there! or whatever comes along the way, I am excited about this journey. (hmmm..been thinking of creating an illustration of creative and career journey... let me know would you interested to know?)

Learning new things and exploring digital art honestly is the only thing that's keeping me sane in these times, well anime of course and thank you Netflix!

What about you? are you keeping yourself sane? feel free to share with me your thoughts! I'd love to hear about it!

P.S. I am really happy with all your support with my posts and art! all the likes and reblog makes me so happy and pushes me more to practice and learn, so thank you, everyone!

[emmelinedraws]

New art material review on my blog! Colourful fun playing with Uniball’s Posca pens  ❤️💜💛 http://blog.emmelineillustration.com/…/playing-with-colour-…

[bellagbear]

The word quilt or quilting is confusing because of all the different meanings the word has.  To explain to you how tricky quilting terminology is I present to you this perfectly accurate description of a quilter:

Quilter: One who quilts and spend many hours quilting. Some people only make quilt tops and engage a quilter to do the quilting. Other quilters do their own quilting. 

 Yes, understandable right!? Let me explain some words in this sentence:

Quilt: the finished project. It is a blanket consisting of three layers which are sewn together through quilting

Quilting: Technically speaking, the verb quilting means sewing through the three layers of a quilt. Piecing is the term used for sewing fabric pieces together into a quilt block and quilt top. However, quilting is also used as a general term to describe every part of the quilting process. This includes all the steps from picking out fabric to putting on the final border of the quilt.

Quilter: Someone engaged in making quilts, be it as a hobbyist or a professional. Some quilters only make quilt tops, others finish the quilt tops for other people professionally.

Many of the readers of my blog already know about quilting because they are quilters themselves. However, for the people who don’t, I’ll delve into the different elements of a quilt in this post. I aim to inspire people to start making quilts. Basic knowledge is required for that. See these tutorials if you want to give quilting a go:

Quilt tutorial 1: how to make a patchwork star

Quilt tutorial 2: how to finish your awesome patchwork star

However, you don’t have to be disappointed in this post when you are an experienced quilter, I’ll use many fabulous quilts as an example. This will give you plenty of visual pleasure to enjoy this post.

What are the parts of a quilt?

There are four major components of a quilt:

A quilt top > the front of the quilt

The batting and backing > the padding and back.

The quilting > Which keeps the three layers together

The border > The sides which ties the quilt together

I’ve already talked about some of those parts before in this post where I talk about how to make a scrap quilt:

How to make a scrap quilt in 4 steps

There is also a glossary with explanations of quilt and embroidery terminology:

Glossary

1. The quilt top

A quilt top is the complete front piece of your quilt. A quilt top consists of several components, namely the quilt blocks and sashings. A quilt top either consists of one big quilt block or multiple quilt blocks combined and put together. The picture below shows a quilt top of a small bookcase quilt. Each book is a different block and you could call the brown shelving a sashing.

A mini-book quilt to calm one’s mind

1.1 A quilt block

A quilt starts with a quilt block. To make a quilt block a pattern is used. A pattern can be improvised or tailor-made. Also, the pattern can be big or small, abstract or life-like and everything in between. The choice of the pattern depends on the style of the quilter or the recipient.

A quilt block is pieced together with various techniques depending on the pattern. Techniques such as patchwork, foundation piecing, applique and English Paper Piecing are most commonly used.

The look of a quilt is greatly determined by the pattern choice together with the fabrics used to make the pattern. Below are three examples of a pattern. A pattern can be made with all the available quilting techniques.

4 quilt blocks

How to combine various quilting techniques in one block

The Kenyan Quilt: quilt blocks showcase

1.2: The sashing

A quilt consists of either one big block, multiple quilt blocks placed directly next to each other or multiple blocks divided by a strip of fabric called the sashing. Sashing is used to help the quilt blocks stand out. Also, it gives the quilt a calm look.

How to use old shirts and ties to make a new quilt

1.3 The finished quilt top

Once all the quilt blocks are put together you have the completed quilt top. A quilt top is made from one big block or many different quilt blocks put together.

All those quilt blocks can be made from the same pattern or different ones depending on the design and preference of the quilter. For example, a sampler quilt consist of a lot of different blocks each made with a different pattern. This is to show your skills as a quilter or to teach the quilter many different techniques in one quilt. The Dear Jane Sampler quilt is a good example of that. The Splendid Sampler quilt by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson is another good example of a quilt consisting of different blocks to teach the quilter new techniques.

A happy milestone: Five rows of the Dear Jane Quilt completed!

However, a quilt can also consist of the same pattern repeated many times over. This is usually done for utility quilts because it gives a calming look and increases the speed of piecing. Those patterns can be made with the same colours or with different colour and fabric combinations. This depends on the choice of the quilter. The quilt below is Delilah designed by Jen Kingwell. Members of a quilt group each made this quilt. You can see how different each of them looks. 

Thes quilts below show the difference in using sashing or not:

Finished scrap quilt

And the quilt below shows the different look of using different size of sashing in one design. The design is inspired by the Gypsy Quilt by Jen Kingwell

Kenyan quilt block finished

The Kenyan Quilt top is finished!

Lastly, these quilts by Klazien Hoomans show the effect of using the same blocks over and over again in one quilt.

‘Look behind the lines’ miniature quilt and a quilt exhibition

2. The batting and backing of a quilt

2.1: The batting

Batting is a filling usually made from wool, polyester or a blend which gives thickness and warmth to the quilt. However, some people also use bamboo or any other materials they can find. Cheaper options are to use old blankets or fleece blankets. Although, not every batting is easy to sew through. The best choice for batting depends on the purpose of the quilt and the technique used to make it. The batting comes in between the front (quilt top) and back (backing) of a quilt. Batting is sold in big roles.

2.2 The backing

The backing is the backside of the quilt. This part can be pieced as well, but usually consist of a big piece of fabric. Big pieces of fabric are used because it’s quicker and easier. The back is usually not on display so it doesn’t have to be intricate or super pretty. A lot of people buy big pieces of fabric they like as backing or they use old bedsheets.

For my Kenyan quilt, I am using the fabric below. The piece was almost big enough for the complete back so it saved me a lot of time piecing. I thank my mom for her good insight to advise me to do so.

3. The quilting of the quilt

Quilting is the verb for sewing through the three layers of the quilt. This keeps the layers from shifting and also makes the quilt stronger. This can be done in 3 ways: 1. by hand 2. by a domestic sewing machine 3. by a long-arm quilting machine.

The quilting design people use varies from quilt to quilt and from maker to maker. Sometimes the quilting becomes the focus of the finished project and sometimes the quilting is used to emphasise the pattern used instead.  Quilting in this style is not visible upon first glance. The pictures below show the different quilting styles.

In this project, quilting is an integral part of the design of the quilt.

Look behind the lines mini quilt

In these quilt blocks, the quilting is hidden and used to enhance the quilt pattern.

A Nearly Insane quilter quilting QAYG?

2. The border or binding of a quilt

Adding the border, also called binding, is the last part in making a quilt. The border closes up the raw edges and gives the quilt a neat finished look. There are different styles to do so. The style in the photo is called ‘mitred corners’. This style is my personal favourite.

Conclusion: Now you know more about quilts!

This article holds all the basic knowledge you need to start to talk about quilting and to start your own quilt! Quilting is not hard, it only looks hard because it is clever. Quilting makes use of a handful of basic tools and techniques and by ingeniously combining them almost any kind of design is possible.

Some quilts don’t follow the ‘rules’ for a quilt set down in this post though, because, exceptions confirm the rule. I’ll end this post with some of those ‘rule breakers’. Can you see where they break the rules? The person who comments with the right answers quickest gets a pat on the back and a boatload of praise from me.

Back of the scrap quilt

Front of the scrap quilt

Chilling rag quilt turtle

How to make a turtle rag quilt

Some questions for you:

Would you call yourself a beginning quilter or an experienced quilter?

What is your favourite part of quilting?

How would you describe your quilting style?

See my DeviantArt or Instagram (username: bella.g.bear.art) for more artwork and WIPs. You can also follow my blog by clicking on the button on the left or by filling in your email address. There will be a monthly update at the end of every month and a new blog post every Sunday or Monday.

Other places you can find me is email ([email protected]), Facebook (@BellaGBearArt Page).

If you want to support my work use the Kofi or PayPal button on the side.

The word quilt or quilting is confusing because of all the different meanings the word has.  To explain to you how tricky quilting terminology is I present to you this perfectly accurate description of a quilter: Quilter: One who quilts and spend many hours quilting. Some people only make quilt tops and engage a quilter to do the quilting. Other quilters do their own quilting.  The word quilt or quilting is confusing because of all the different meanings the word has.  To explain to you how tricky quilting terminology is I present to you this perfectly accurate description of a quilter:

[bellagbear]

I am a quilter. In this article, I will share my story of how I exhibited my first quilt in a national exhibition. The focus will be on how, step by small step, I found the courage to do so. This article is not only for quilters though. My hope is that this article will inspire everyone to find the guts to share their art, with friends, strangers and peers alike. A previous rendition of this article is published on DeviantArt for a group project.

How I convinced myself to exhibit my quilts

In the photo on top, you can see me and my quilting friends at the exhibition. I am the one in the orange pants. The quilt with the triangles and the yellow border is mine. This was in April 2019. By that time I had been quilting for about five years, of which the last two or three years intensely. However, for a long time, I was quilting in secret. Sure, my closest friends knew about it. Also, my mother knew because she is the one who taught me. But beyond those people, I was very much in the quilting closet. I was embarrassed and afraid people would laugh at me for my old-fashioned art.

Am I not too young to quilt?

How do you explain you are a student in the prime of your youth who spends her free time drinking wine and cutting up fabric alone in her room? Besides, my style is also unconventional and I like to use techniques and fabrics that other quilters might call wrong, at least that is what I assumed. Lastly, I feared I was not good enough to be accepted by serious quilting people. All turned out to be my negative assumptions, and exhibiting my art and participating in the quilting world helped me see that.

Once I dared to take steps to get out of the quilting closet I discovered people don’t think me or my art silly. Most of my friends were impressed I had the patience and skills to make my own bags or blankets. Also, familiarizing myself in the quilting world, I discovered that there are many quilters like me who love to break the rules. I was welcomed with open arms together with my enthusiasm, youth and love for the art. I also noticed that I learned much faster once I started to share my work and talk to people about it instead of working on my own in secret. The praise and encouragement I got from people motivated me, and the advice from experienced quilters helped to develop my technique. Through those quilting friends, I also got the opportunity to join my first exhibition.

Here is a sample of some of my earliest pieces:

How to make a penguin backpack from old curtains

How to make a scrap quilt with many pieces in 4 steps

A mini-book quilt to calm one’s mind with Oscar Wilde

Finished scrap quilt

Finished front

  How I started sharing my quilts

It is key to find a small group of peers who support each other and push you to test the limits of your skill, creativity and courage. In the quilting world, we call those groups quilting bees. A quilting bee is a group of quilters who gather to quilt together, socialize and to inspire each other.

I took a long time before I dared to join my first quilting bee, though, because I used to fear to put my art out in the world. I started on DA because sharing art with strangers was easier. It felt safer. Of course, I told none of my real-life friends I had an account. However, soon I discovered a passion to share my art and to inspire other people with it. For that, I needed to extend my reach and this website was born, Bella G. Bear Art. The same as with DA, for the first few months, I didn’t tell anyone except strangers about the website for fear of judgement. However, when I eventually told some friends and family members they were encouraging. I started to share links to articles I wrote on my personal Facebook account.

Has my fear disappeared now?

It is my dream is to encourage people with my work to either take up quilting themselves or to be more conscious about the items they buy and discard easily. Because my quilted items are made with attention, skill and time, they are more valuable and counter the fast fashion industry. My aim is to encourage people to think about their consumption habits. One way to fight climate change is to buy fewer items which last us a long time. In the future, I’ll also be selling that kind of items myself. For that, check this website or my facebook page. I discovered that telling many people what you want to achieve is one way to build contacts, get support and ultimately to your opportunity for success.

Although I still fear judgement from time to time,  I keep pushing myself to share my art. However, I also know that it is an insecurity I can overcome. It is not a reflection of my personality or my skills in quilting. Every person has their insecurities and fears and we cannot let those stop us from achieving our dreams or to do some good in the world. We all have the power to contribute to a better world if we dare.  Currently, I am setting up a Facebook page, called Bella G. Bear Art. Please check it out and give the page a like!

The proud quilter

Sharing creates a sense of belonging

Besides, even if my quilts were bad I would still share them to show the world that anything made with love and attention is worth sharing. Exhibiting my art showed me my art is worthwhile and also taught me a lot on how to improve it. Exhibiting my quilt in the national exhibition was a key moment for me because I realized my quilt belonged there with all the other quilts. This made me realize that I belong with the other quilters. My quilt was not better or worse than the pieces of my peers, but of equal value. It made me believe that if I keep working and exploring my creativity I have it in me to succeed as an artist. This is the piece I sent in:

Look behind the lines mini quilt

And some pieces from other quilters:

‘Look behind the lines’ miniature quilt and a quilt exhibition

Four tips to kick-start sharing your art

My wish is that the tips below will encourage you to start you on the journey to share your art:

Find local groups to join to make friends and learn from each other.

Find local exhibitions for beginners without any major entry requirements.

Plan to go to the exhibit with friends or plan to meet them there. You can discuss all the quilts you see and you can be sure that there are at least some people who love your quilt!

Start small if you are nervous. You don’t have to tell everyone and you don’t have to start with a competition-based exhibition. You can start online on Deviantart or any other social media platforms and slowly work towards bigger, scarier places to share. Any step you can take towards a bigger goal is brilliant. A mountain is climbed by taking the first few steps downhill after all.

Conclusion: Now find bravado yourself!

At my quilt groups, I see a lot of people who fear to showcase their work. They fear their quilts are not interesting or good enough. However, the moment they dare to share their work they only get praise! Most people who love their own artform wouldn’t dream about criticizing people who love the same thing. There are exceptions of course, but they are overshadowed by the positive majority. I know for myself that the moment I started to participate and show my work to other people I started to enjoy my art a thousand times more.

I am a member of the quilting bee you see us in the picture below. We are basting a part of my Kenyan quilt together. We meet every month to talk about our work and to encourage each other to try new things. I feel blessed because my friends are way more experienced than I am, so I can enjoy their absolute wealth of experience. They like my youth and enthusiasm, so everyone wins! Through my quilt group, I participated in the exhibition. I thank them for accepting me in the group and to encourage me. I thank myself to take the step to find a group to join. First, I thought any true artist does everything on their own. Now, I realize that learning from the great and experienced is the smartest and best way to learn.

Some questions for you:

I’d like to hear about your experience with sharing your art. By sharing experiences we can get inspired by each other and make this blog a small virtual quilting bee.

Do you put your art in exhibitions? If yes, how did you manage that and what do you like about exhibiting your art?

What are other ways or platforms you use to share your art?

Do you have tips for people searching for the courage to exhibit?

Did you, or do you fear to share your art? Would you mind sharing some of your story in the comments?

Would you like to know more?

How to get good materials for quilting and embroidery creatively and cheap

I’m not ashamed: humble Dear Jane quilt blocks

Storytime with a smart cross-stitch dragon, a clever upcycle and a theft

See my DeviantArt or Instagram (username: bella.g.bear.art) for more artwork and WIPs. You can also follow my blog by clicking on the button on the left or by filling in your email address. There will be a monthly update at the end of every month and a new blog post every Sunday or Monday.

I am a quilter. In this article, I will share my story of how I exhibited my first quilt in a national exhibition. The focus will be on how, step by small step, I found the courage to do so. This article is not only for quilters though. My hope is that this article will inspire everyone to find the guts to share their art, with friends, strangers and peers alike. I am a quilter. In this article, I will share my story of how I exhibited my first quilt in a national exhibition.

[bellagbear]

The last month of the year is often associated with finishing and endings. However, this month we had a broody chicken and she hatched ten chicks. This is the first clutch of chicks for our chickens, so for me, December 2019 will always be associated with a new start.

In this post, I’ll update you what about all the creative projects I’ve worked on in November and December. I won’t reflect on the new year because I do that on my birthday in November.

My birthday or wow what a year was 2019

It’s my birthday and wow what a year was 2018

I will mention one goal in the conclusion though because sometimes it is good to make a headstart with good intentions to avoid the rush in January.

New quilt or embroidery projects

Quilted kitenge fabric pillows

This month I worked on quilted pillows made with a combination of Kitenge fabric and solids. Kitenge is a fabric popular among places in East-Africa and thus also Kenya where I live now. In the picture, you see three of them. More information about how to make them and the patterns I used will follow in a post later this month.

All the fabrics used are sourced from tailors. Tailors are a great place to get cheap materials and also to turn waste into something valuable. I’ve talked before about more environmentally friendly ways to find materials in the post below:

How to get good materials for quilting and embroidery creatively and cheap

Quilted Kitenge fabric pillows

Kitenge quilted baby blanket

The wife of one of my friends is pregnant. My mother has as traditional to quilt a baby blanket for people and I want to honour that tradition. My blanket is going to be bigger than hers because it is more practical to give people something to carry their baby around in.

Quilted Kitenge baby blanket

Progress ongoing quilt and embroidery projects

Dear Jane Sampler quilt

Behold … ,

… this month I finished the top five rows of my Dear Jane Quilt! It is amazing to see all the quilt blocks come together like this. And this is not everything: this month I’ve also finished 129 of the 169 square middle blocks of this quilt. This means the middle blocks are more than three quarters done. A post will follow to celebrate that occasion. For now, I’ll present the post where I detail about the five rows milestone.

A happy milestone: Five rows of the Dear Jane Quilt completed!

Quilting of the Kenyan quilt

The Kentan quilt is another one of my long-term projects. The quilt top is done and now I am hand quilting it. If you do a little bit every month it’ll be done before you know it.

Why would you hand quilt: The HQAL and my Kenyan quilt

Foundation piecing Kenyan inspired quilt

Yes, I am making another Kenyan quilt. This is going to be made with foundation paper piecing (FPP). Also, I will design most of the patterns myself inspired by elements that fit with my Kenya experience. The block below is made with a pattern by Amarar Creacions. She has a lot of interesting FFP patterns with animals.

Stained glass cross stitch dragon

Before I started this cross stitch project I had been eyeing it for months. Therefore, you can imagine my excitement when I finish the dragon’s head this month! The pattern is made by the always lovely and amazing Pinkythepink.

Hot air balloons cross stitch

There was some progress on this piece as well this month. Not a lot of progress though, so we can play a game: do you spot the difference between the two pictures below?

The pursuit to finish very old projects

The project on the picture below I started a long time ago. The plan was to create a night scenery with a figure who is stargazing.  That plan is still alive, however, I stumbled on execution. Most of my quilt designs are abstract. This means that more realistic scenery is a challenge. I am sure I will think of a way to finish this one eventually though. Sometimes it simply takes longer for a quilt to be born.  This quilt hangs on my wall for me to find inspiration to finish it in the next year.

What do you do when you are stuck on a project?

Conclusion: beginning early to fulfil the scariest goals

Although I said I would not reflect on the next year, I am going to do it anyway. Often when I have an idea or plan to further my goals and dreams I struggle to execute it because of fear. It is some kind of self-sabotage that freezes my body and mind and makes me unable to do anything. However, I’ve also noticed that fear gets less when I talk about my plans and find a way to execute them step by step.

My big dream is to become a fabric artist and to inspire people to pick up embroidery or quilting through my work. One day I would like to pursue teaching as well and selling some of my work. For that, I need to be more active in social media. If nobody sees your work it is impossible to inspire people. Also, I think it is good to add my positive voice of making beautiful items out of discarded materials to all the voices telling us to consume more and more. Therefore a facebook page where I share my art is a good next move.

I haven’t started one yet though because of the fear I mentioned. It is partly a fear of failure and partly a fear of ridicule. Both are unlikely to be true because I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback so far. Also, failure is unlikely when you set achievable goals and work towards them diligently. Fear of showing myself to the world has always been a part of me though. It took me more than a year to be comfortable sharing my blog with people and to be open about my passion for quilting and embroidery. Something I already talked about in this article:

How I convinced myself to exhibit my quilting art

So, to avoid spending even more time talking about it instead of doing it, here is the link to my facebook page:

Bella G. Bear Art Facebook page

I’d love it if you’d check it out and follow me. Also, any tips or feedback on how to run a facebook page is so much appreciated.

Some questions for you:

Do you have a creative facebook page for me to follow?

Which was your bravest creative achievement? How did you find the courage to go for your plans?

What is something you want to do creative wise, but you haven’t found the courage for yet?

Which social networks for creative people do you prefer? I have a website, Facebook, Instagram and DeviantArt and it would be good to know where people go so I know where to put my focus.

What have you missed?

Storytime with a smart cross-stitch dragon, a clever upcycle and a theft

Monthly Sewing Update Oktober 2019

Next week’s post:

Five lively Kitenge pillows to perk up your home

See my DeviantArt or Instagram (username: bella.g.bear.art) for more artwork and WIPs. You can also follow my blog by clicking on the button on the left or by filling in your email address. There will be a monthly update at the end of every month and a new blog post every Sunday or Monday.

This month I worked on quilted pillows made with a combination of Kitenge fabric and solids. Kitenge is a fabric popular among places in East-Africa and thus also Kenya where I live now. In the picture, you see three of them. More information about how to make them and the patterns I used will follow in a post later this month.  The last month of the year is often associated with finishing and endings. However, this month we had a broody chicken and she hatched ten chicks.