I enjoy my students, they are so creative and with a little direction they run with their own ideas. Once they get the technique I provide them with lots of color and material choices. One of my students wanted to needle felt owl ornaments for her new young stepsisters.

Since the girls both love pink and purple she decided to reverse the colors with one being more pink and the other more purple. They turned out so cute and will be sweet cherished gift, their first Christmas together as a blended family.

Creativity is a gift in itself, taking the time to craft a gift is special. Making something special for someone you love, in the act of creating love is woven in and so there is no greater gift than that.

It is the season to create with love! Always!

This weekend I taught a kid's workshop. I have such a great group of creative and very entertaining kids. Each month I introduce them to different techniques through a project and let them loose! This month was a doll pillow using fabric markers and stencil paint technique which gave a watercolor look to the pillows. We used two types of fabric markers, Jacquard's TeeJuice Fabric Markers and ILovetoCreate Fabric Markers. The kids liked both and found for outlining the TeeJuice fine marker was easy.

I had the opportunity last week to tour the Jacquard Company in California, as soon as you enter the front door the lobby chairs are boldly painted in striking designs. Painted fabric artwork hangs everywhere along with artwork accessory pieces by the talented Melony Bradley. Annette who gave me the tour was so welcoming and showed me throughout the factory where product is shipped all over the world.

Back to the kids and their experience with the products. Natalie liked the bright ILovetoCreate pack of markers and used every color on her fish pillow. She drew a fish on one side and a teddy bear on the other. Emily created a bright cat stress pillow, Molly made a Vintage doll as she loves the era of the 1800's.

They first began by drawing their idea on paper. With this as a guide they drew with pencil on the fabric going over the details with the fabric marker. The stencil paint technique for the larger areas allowed the fabric marker to show through.

We used prewashed unbleached cotton. I sewed a simple oval shape which they stuffed once their design was painted and heat set.

Once stuffed the pillow could be embellished further.

While they craft I am entertained with stories of school happenings with two of the girls in a school play much was talk about the drama festival next week. Crafting with kids is such a pleasure!

It is interNational Craft Month! I am celebrating this month with lots of crafty goodiness! Several workshops and classes coming up locally for all ages. Creativity is a gift we all have, it is as necessary to life as breathing when the hands and mind are involved in making art we relax, unwind and find a special joy!

I am offering workshops for all ages from Mom & Me 5+age, Tweens & Teens 10+, to adult classes. With an easy step by step approach, fun tools, techniques and products come experiment and explore your own unique creativity. No experience needed just a desire to play! Coming up next Saturday, March 10th, Make a Sock Monkey or Kitty Workshop for ages 10-Adult. Full schedule on my Class Page. Happy crafting!

It is Fowl Friday with Fran & Freda! Freda is very upset, we just found out Debra is bringing more felines into the worl! She apparently forgot to tell us she was teaching a workshop and showing people how to make their very own feline! Where is her loyalty!

Not only more felines but pink ones! Debra has a thing for pink and she has just gone too far, an intervention is needed! This is what we have to put up with, she told us it was a so called "Sock Monkey" workshop, there was certainly Monkey Business going on as several feline just appeared out of thin air!

They look so innocent pretending to sleep in the sunshine, we aren't fooled even Freda knows to keep an eye on her tail feathers! Now if we could only convince Debra to do a "Sock Alligator" workshop and then we would see those cheshire grins disappear! Follow the Fowl!

I have a delightful group of kids I do a workshop with each month, they are creative, enthusiastic with an abundance of talents. They throw themselves into each project with such energy it is a wonderful to be part of! This month we made sock lions as they are big Lion King fans, the making of the lions was accompanied by their musical rendition of songs from the soundtrack! They are such fun!

Making sock creatures is an easy project for any age. We used chenille socks and leg warmers so they would be super cuddly. The head is one sock with the cuff cut off for ears. Aleene's Fabric Fusion glue works well for adhering felt features.

The striped leg warmer makes the perfect body glued up over sock head and cut off at appropriate body length making all the lions different in size as they were meant to be!
Tail is a narrow strip of long sock with chenille stem glued inside to make it curl. Mane just bunches of yarn tied and glued in center.

Here is the finished pride! Paws are cut from another sock and the end of the leg warmer. I picked up the socks at the local Dollar store so this is an inexpensive fun project especially if you use stray socks from home!

Then the lions went out to play!

I am off for the day decorating for a client, it is a snowflake themed baby shower. I have been creating snowmen, booties, mittens, wreaths and glittery white accents. I am now in the time of year where there is always glitter on my face and everywhere I look the sun catches sparkles on the floor, the carpet and counters!

I taught a sock creature workshop yesterday and the kids were so cute and creative! We made lions, they are big Lion King fans accompanied by them singing many of the songs from the soundtrack! Was a very fun afternoon! Pictures later!

One of my designer friends Elaine Schmidt who attended International Quilt Market designed a ribbon embriodered bag with her QR code as the woven design! Attendees at the show were coming up to her and scanning her purse taking them directly to her website on their phones! As she remarked how cool is that!

Full week ahead with open house at studio on Sunday at Three Elements, Christmas in the Village in Gagetown and the December DCC hop next week! We are all about monkeys, sock monkeys that is and with Rit Dye involved the results will be colorfuiiy creative! Here is to stitching up a creative week!

Just a reminder of the DCC Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop for October featuring Westcott Brand Cutting Tools. Many of the designer projects are up for auction with proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, please check them out, there are so many cool designs! The give away of a large assortment of their awesome tools is ongoing. You have the rest of the month to enter just by leaving a comment on their blog post http://westcottbrand.blogspot.com/2011/10/designer-crafts-connection-charitable.html

This month I started teaching some craft and sewing classes and workshops. Next weekend is spooky fuin with the kids, making costumes, using fabric paints, glitter and lots of glue! In the Thursday eveniing class two of my students, best friends were very pleased with their Holiday centerpieces. I provide the guidance and illustrate some techniques along the way. Once the students were immersed in the project their unique creativity began to shine. They were so pleased with their finished design, that makes teaching so rewarding when someone who does not believe they are creative leaves at the end of class knowing "I can do that!"

This week's class is card making, we will be embossing, stamping, glittering, using die cuts and embellishing to create four to six cards. There is still room in the class if you live locally and want to make some cards for the holidays coming up! Keep creating! Debra

Happy Monday! A very full creative week ahead! This Tuesday and Thursday the Fresh Vintage Blog Hop is on with another group of talented designers. I am taking part in Thursday's Hop with a new flower die designed by Eileen Hull for Sizzix. These hops are so inspiring and have really stretched my creative design skills.

This Thursday the 13th I begin my Holiday Crafting Classes locally, the details are here. The classes run four weeks with each week filled with different techniques and finished project. The first class is a vintage trunk centerpiece with antiquing, embossing, inking, flower making and paper sewing techniques. There are still spaces available, email debra@debraquartermain.com.

Creativity is beneficial to our health and well being, it is both relaxing and rewarding plus in my classes get a jump on Christmas decorating and gift giving! It is an experience shared with others all involved in the creative process. There is something remarkable that happens as you take raw materials and transform them, it is about the whole process, the journey ending with a piece that is both beautiful and meaningful. Each person finds their voice, their style and in the applied techniques, fun exploration find their own unique creativiity! Anything is possible. Remember to always follow the Joy of Creativity, Debra!

Today is the last day of Craft Camp. It has been a full week and so much fun crafting with kids and grandparents. Yesterday was Silly Sock Creature Day! So with four ankle socks, a leg warmer, buttons and trims the kids were let loose!

While buying some socks at the Dollar Store the cashier overheard my remark, I have eight so I need this many socks. When I got up to her, she exclaimed "you have eight kids!!!" I replied just this week and smiled.

What I love about teaching kids is you show them some techniques and then they are full of ideas as to how they want to create their own character. We ended up with a fun menagerie of a giraffe, dawgs, Cheshire Cat, bunny and some just critters!

The kids have been a great group, the grandmothers who came, very sweet and everyone has enjoyed their week of art and crafting. In the fall I wil offer some crafty Saturdays! Keep creating & following the JOY! Debra, CEO!

I came back from CHA Trade Show and diving right into a week of Creativity Camp. In the mornings the kids do art with Carole Forbes and in the afternoon crafting with me! We did clay creations Monday where I discovered I had some serious Harry Potter fans so yesterday was needle felting Harry Potter style. Justin Biemer got in on the act too!

Today we are making paper bead and buttone necklaces. Tomorrow sewing and Friday a paper journal to finish off this fun week. In between I am trying to follow up from the show and get totally unpacked! Creative chaos but oh so fun! Keep creating! Debra

Been a full week! Yesterday I had the opportunity to take a drawing and watercolor class taught by a good friend artist Carole Forbes.

I learned a lot, met some wonderful people and immersed myself into drawing and using watercolor pencils, which I had never used before. I loved it!

What I noticed from people who had never taken a class before was their delight as the day went on in what emerged on the page. There is an artist in everyone.

Lives were changed, talents and interests realized, connections made. It was a rewarding creative experience for which I am very grateful!

Live your creative life! Debra, CEO!

I am so excited after all these years to have a new separate studio space with a couple of artist friends. It has a show room in the front, large teaching space and separate offices for each of us plus small kitchen and second gallery area. More info and pictures to follow once renovations are complete.

I plan to start teaching there in March. I have missed the teaching, I really enjoy at the trade shows demoing and teaching so want to do more on a regular basis. With so much happening lately I have found myself looking for a relaxing outlet. Last year Marie Browning introduced me to Zentangle, a form of meditative doodling.

Thinking too this would be fun to teach, there are so many variations of tangles. I also want to introduce people who do not ordinarily work in fabric or sew to using it in their artwork. I used fabric transfer sheets to create a Zentangle wall hanging for my first class. It is my whimsical approach as I drew my hand and then added a ring and bracelet. I love Fairfield's Fusi-boo quilt batt, perfect for wall hangings!