EQ7 Meets EQ52 and Other News

Wow, it is a steep learning curve becoming a Northcott Fabric Designer! Two posts ago I told you about my attempts at dyeing a second set of fabrics identical to the ones I shipped to Northcott for scanning/photographing so I would have fabric to work with when creating something from this line. Little did I know that the quilts designed to promote lines of fabric are designed virtually with photos of the fabric, and not with real fabric. The production schedule is just so tight that there is no time to deal with real fabric. The patterns that goes on the promotional cards that are shown to the fabric shops, must have a picture of the pattern on them, and those promotional cards are printed before the fabric is even produced. This is where EQ7 gets to meet EQ52. Yes, I am going to have to learn to use Electric Quilt 7. Do you think the fact that the initials "EQ" for Electric Quilt are the same as my initials means we will be a match made in heaven? I sure hope so. I can't wait until the line is finalized and I can share it here. It won't be long now.

In the mean time, I've been clearing out "stuff", in preparation for my husband's retirement on December 13, and in preparation for the many bolts of fabric that will arrive here when my line is produced. I think I have mentioned here before that our house is small. I haven't gotten to cleaning up my web code yet. I'm hoping to have an improved website up soon, but I'm a few weeks behind on that.

I've also created another 12" x 24" piece for the European exhibition on Nature. Here it is below. I am not completely happy with this one, but I am going to wait until more of the panels are made before I decide whether to change it or make something new.

I'm moving on to the third panel (third in order of making, and not in order of hanging). It will be inspired by a photo I took of hostas about to blossom.

I've pulled out my palette below. Today I did some experiments using hand-dyed purple organza to add the bits of purple over the unfurling blossom. I think it looks better than using the purple cotton because the organza is a bit transparent and you can see just a bit of the green showing through.  I also have a piece of fabric (lower left below) that is an interesting mix of green and purple that I might resort to. Still deciding which green to use. I think it will be the spring green at left and top.

I am starting to become a bit panicked about the lack of Steam a Seam Lite available on the market. As you may have heard, there was a problem at the factory that produces the backing paper. After a couple of months the company re-issued Steam a Seam products, but there were problems with the new backing paper. They are trying to resolve the problem and will not re-issue Steam a Seam until the problem is solved. I couldn't believe my good luck when a very helpful person at NJefferson in Vancouver found one last bolt of Steam a Seam Lite in their warehouse. I can limp on for a while longer. I'm concerned for classes I have coming up in the new year, and this is not enough Steam a Seam for three classes! 

I might have to resort to using Pellon Lite EZ-Steam II. It will definitely be fine for my Collage Tree class, but a challenge for my In Full Bloom class. On the other hand, those who have never used Steam a Seam might not feel the challenge ... perhaps I am just set in my way of working. Given that Pellon's EZ Steam is the only other fusible on the market that has the repositionable, pressure-sensitive adhesive, I think this is the next best choice. Building a tree or flower requires a lot of little pieces, and the design clings together so much better with these fusibles than with all others.

Keeping my fingers crossed that there is Steam a Seam by the time I teach my first hosta class in March. However, I think all the back orders will not be filled by them. I think I'll need to make the EZ Steam work.