Lynnie--can't wait for a real picture of that Matryoshka doll! I adore them and can't believe you made a mug rug of one. I may try one myself, if you don't mind?

Mamaskeeto, I'm so glad that you like them! They were fun to make!

Thanks for thinking of this Swap, ABDC!

WQQWOOOOhhOOOo...I got mine done tonight! I can not believe it....sewing does kill the foot, but I just had to get them done! The first one had the binding put on wrong, but in the end, it looks fine! I sure hope abdconsultant likes them!

I sure enjoyed this swap and can not wait to find out what is next!

Oh I can't wait to see them in real life. Love the colours. Fear an phoist déan deifir (hurry up postman).

stand down, dixie! lol! i do believe that little mama is winging her way to me! can't wait, lyn ! thanks in advance!! yours should go out today.
abd-- i think i know how i'm going to put your mugrug together. there is no box for this one! i'm excited about getting it done. i will give you a hint-- great minds think alike.

I am mailing Tilted Ears box this morning to PA. Jenn- please be forgiving when you see my "round" tended to get a little un-rounded in spots! This was a fun swap and hopefully we will see another mug rug swap with another theme!!!

well, here is a pix of the ones I made. However, I won't be using these after all! Just need to read the rules more closely next time!...sigh...
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Off to design 3 different ones!

Jacquie, I think these are super! Your applique is beautiful. :)

Mug rugs on there way to Leslie Frost. Mailed this am - love APS machines.

thank you, but it is not applique! They are discharge dyed batiks! Then quilted to enhance them!

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That's even better ... love your creations! I'll have to look into this technique. Is it difficult?

I just use soft scrub with bleach. A nice plastic stencil, a sponge brush, and some "anti-chlor" from the pool store. I generally will do 30+ in a day. I like the 4" -6" ones so that I can use them all sorts of things later on. Some I ink, some I might paint if they get too white, some get colored pencils, whatever I feel like doing to them!

dixie-fried, I just copied the pattern from a picture of one and fused each part onto the body section. It was so much fun to make and I am going to make another couple for gifts.

Did you like the sunflower Marymo? That one took me a bit to make. Found the petal maker at the quilt shop and it came to me what to make you since your avatr is a sunflower and in a pm, you hinted towards such.

All these mug rugs are awesome and so diverse. Yes the creativity is amazing.

Candi your package arrived today! They are wonderful! I'll be playing Vivaldi's 4 seasons as I enjoy my beverage with them. Hint for all to speculate.
I still have guests here from the wedding (my son's) and didn't get the last bit of the 4th one done before the guests came, so I'll have to finish on Wed. after they leave. One trip to the airport Wed am for a flight that leaves at 6 am and the other flight leaves at 1:30 pm (2nd trip) only 15-20 minutes each way so not too bad, but it is an early wake up to get my daughter to the airport approx. 5 am. I'll try to do a preliminary post of one I made on Wed. and try to post the ones Candi sent me, but if I don't get it to work Candi said she'd post a pic.

hey, dixie, i'm petty sure we can work a deal so you can copy the matrushka doll. 8-) i think it's pretty great! can't wait to see it in person. thought i'd get some dying done this week-end coming, but my sister is coming into town to play. i'm not sure i can get her interested. 8-). i'm ready to make a mess!!

i hope some of us will be trading quilt blocks in the alice in wonderland swap!! the more the merrier, and you know it's lots of fun! don't have eo mail the blocks in until june 15th so lots of time to get creative( again!) personally, i have a thing for flamingos and hedgehogs!! lol

o, btw, have lyn's and shirley's mug rugs ready to be mailed tomorrow!

Alice in wonderland swap???? do tell!

oooo, jaciq--your prints/ disharge dyed blocks would be wonderful! and any other of the beautiful things you do! please, say you will!!

If you are referring to the "through the looking glass" swap, then yes, I am considering this!

aren't they just! so much talent and FUN.....thanks for hosting this swap abdconsultant! Hope you have something FUN in the line up for the next swap!

Forgot to add yesterday that DonnaH-M's rugs are on the way to her.
As much fun as this was, I'm enjoying the winding down after I got it all done and mailed. I got tense the last few days, feeling like I was forgetting to do something. Once I dropped that package in the mail, I was really relieved!

Looking forward to another swap, after a little break to do some dyeing and make a couple of family projects. Have to quilt a twin size for my daughter to take to college this fall (CRY!!!!!). She and I are going to try batik soon, too! And I'm trying to persuade her to do a few pieces for the AAQI while on break as well. Shaping up to be a busy summer!

ahhh.....Dixie....I want to come dye with you...nobody here GETS my passion for playing with dyes, inks, paints, sunprinting, discharging, etc.....I need a DYE buddy!

One of the reasons I started quilting was to use some dyed fabrics! I love experimenting with color. Have you seen the new "Quilting Arts" magazine? It has a big article on adding color to fabric. It covers shibori very basically, and I had been meaning to try it for a while. Worth a look if you haven't already!

We'd have to make it a group because Nancia is a budding dye artist, too!

I will have to check it out, though I already have tons of books on all that..even Shibori which I do love!
I just got the Cindy Walter book on fabric painting,,it is really good. I have taken a few classes with Cindy and her stuff is a great compliment to hand dyed fabric!

Jacquie, I want to experiment with dyeing and painting fabric ... so can I seek you out for advice? I tried some fabric painting with regular paint, it was somewhat successful but have not used it yet in a project. I have a lot to learn!

Jacquie - I love your mug rugs, they are very attractive. What is sunprinting?

using Pebeo or Setacolor translucent paints, you quickly spread wide swaths of paint on your prepared fabric, then you place cut outs, objects, etc on the fabric and let it sit out in the sun. When no sun or too much wind is an issue, I found an ott light works just as good!

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this was done with sunprinting and some silk salt thrown on to give it more of a water color batik look!

Thanks for that! She looks interesting.

ETA: Nice work, Jacqui! I especially like the addition of salt. I have to give that a try!

jacqui-- wish i still lived in texas! getting to oklahoma is a cinch from dallas! who knows, maybe one day i'll make the trip to visit my grandbaby and i'll give you a shout. i'm 'dye'ing to do both!
and yes, i was referring to the alice in wonderland block sswap! i'd love to see some hand-dyed blocks! yummy!!

I'd ABSOLUTELY be in if it were!

I guess you know I will be in for sure! I have dying and painting kits available!

You 3 gals are going to make me try something new aren't you !!!!!!!!!!!! :)

These are the beautiful creations I received from QuilterMomma last week:
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Each one is fantastic in its own way. The rag technique was used on the concentric circles making it perfect for use each morning as I eat breakfast at my patio table on my deck. Crochet doilies and bead work make the blue one perfect for my coffee table. The embroidered iris and the sunflower share duties at my computer desk - I can't decide which one I like better. The sunflower leaves are intriguing (Learning to do those is on my desire list.) and the quilting is fantastic making it feel like the seeds on a sunflower. I love them all! You did good, QuilterMomma! :thumbup:
BTW - yours will be mailed tomorrow (Thursday) morning .... for sure!
This was really a fun activity, so much so that I look forward to the next swap. Thanks to abdconsultant for organizing!

QuilterMomma and MaryMo I love your mug rugs. They are all so different! Very creative :)

we hope so....don't want anyone letting their creative side grow old, and stale..need to keep it fresh, exciting, upbeat and out of the BOX!

Fabric altering can be soooooo much fun....and easy, from crayons, to softscrub, shaving cream to kool aid....don't be afeared...we won't lead tooooooo astray!:D

abd, any day i can get someone else in trouble is a good day!:D i think perhaps we could suggest embellished fabrics so people don't feel they are locked in to color alterations only. i'm excited jacqi has kits. i want to know what all she has.:)