Blog: Leimomi Beaudet

August!!! The ending of summer! Doesnt it feel, like, time just keep's getting faster and faster, and we have less and less time to do what we want to!? I just feel like I want to do so much, I want to work on all my unfinished projects ( I probably need another couple of years of straight sewing no distractions to do that one), I want to venture into new projects for work :0) I want to redecorate my home ( Thats a never ending project ), I want to learn to play the piano, I want to have more time to learn new and different things,  oh and the list goes on and on and on and on and on and on. I know I am not alone in this, but like my mom always tells me take one thing at a time and be patient. That is good advise! It's so we dont overwhelm ourselves and we dont become disappointed before the opportunity is even able to become alive to us.

So my encourging word for all you busy women out there is this, When life feel's overwhelming give yourself grace, and take small bites so the task at hand dosent feel so overwhelming!!!

Blog: Leimomi Beaudet

My Appoligize for getting this months page out so late.

Last Week, Here in Hilo it was our towns biggest and busyest week of the whole year. It was Merrie Monarch Week. The week where our Hawaiian Heritage is celebrated, By not only locals but by people all over the world as well!

 I love this time of year, where you can indulge in the ono (delisous) Hawaiian food, the great craft fairs, and all the aloha that people share. Oh and of course we get to enjoy the Hula all week long. And this years competition was fierce. Every Hula Halau (Hula School) came, bring their very best. I have no idea how the judges do what they do. But this I know they are very maika'i (good) at it!

But what really got me thinking was of course the hawaiian quilting. We, here in Hawaii speak of the Hula as being the written language of our people and the hula was how our history was documented. All our wars, royal history, and the way of life, and even all our legons are alive today because of the Hula. And i also believe this true for the hawaiian quilts. At a time in our history when our culture and language were look down on, our tutu (grandma) created hawaiian quilts as a way of telling the future generations of our people, our ways, our culture, and the mana'o(knoweldge) of their family lineage. So it would not be lost. That is why when i see our vintage hawaiian quilts i appreciate my past soo much more! Even those our contemporary hawaii quilts, you really can appreciate all the aloha (love), And manawa (time) that goes into what these women do! Especially, because they are continuing to perpetuate our culture, which myself being the future generation am very thankful, and hopefully one day will also be in a place where i may give to the future generations after me this same gift of hawaiian quilting!

This month here in Hilo we have our Hawaiian Quilt Show going on at the Wailoa Art Center if you Have time go and see all the beautiful hawaiian quilts on display. Mon-Fri 9:00- 4:00 And watch those there as they demonstrate hawaiian quilting!

Blog: Leimomi Beaudet

I was reading this piece in a quilting magazine, and she was pointing out how quilting and God went hand in hand. I just loved it! It's so true, for us who live here in Hawaii, we have such and inpiration board set up from God. All the natural beauty's around us, our lush forest's, our beautifully active volcano, our paradise sunrises & sunsets. And its all here for us to be inspired and I hope it inspires you in your all quilting and sewing. 

What I also liked was how she was saying that Our lives are like quilts having to be pieced in so many ways, And when you look at the front it's what looks good to the eye but when you look behind that theres all the knots and seams and cut up parts and loose threads. Isn't that great . And to know that it's the same quilt no matter what you see on top or inside!

God trully is in it all! I believe it, because when you see all the natural beauties out there and all the wonderful color that makes our world as quilters so exciting it'll only lead you to look higher.

Blog: Leimomi Beaudet

So i found these tips i though these are really great! Many of them you probably already knew but reminders are always good! and other might be new, and hopefully come useful to you.

FABRIC CHOICE AND PREPARATION

1. Don't be afraid to use color in your quilts.
2. Pick a print that grabs your attention. Coordinate colors around that print.
3. Always pick a fabric that is a little different from the others to add interest.
4. Choose fabrics from the same collection. They usually blend well and have a variety of lights, mediums, and darks, as well as different scales.
5. Purchase extra fabric (1/4 yd. or more). You might make a mistake or need an extra strip or two. Plans for quilts change!
6. When shopping for fabrics, take the pattern. Also, tack fabric samples to a 3" x 6" index card so you can find just the right fabric by comparing it to what you already have.
7. Wash and press fabric before cutting.
8. When prewashing fabrics, clip the corner of each piece to prevent a big, tangled, spider web mess when the machine stops!
9. To straighten fabric after washing, in preparation for cutting, fold across the bias and pull. Get a friend to help. Pull at the fold and every few inches out to the points.

QUALITY COUNTS

10. Get the right tools
11. Use high-quality, 100% cotton fabrics

ACCURACY MATTERS

12. Press as you go.
13. Be sure to cut accurate templates.
14. Cut accurately when using the rotary cutter.
15. Do whatever is necessary to achieve accurate 1/4" seams. You'll have fewer headaches!
16. Learn to sew accurate strip sets.
17. Be sure to square up each block before stitching them together. Square up your quilt top before adding borders.
18. "From my dad, a master cabinetmaker, MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE."

Blog: Leimomi Beaudet

HAPPY NEW YEAR! What a great year it is going to be! I feel very optimistic about 2010. Its going to be an amazing year of allowing our creative nature be set free!! Did you know that we were all created with the intention to create! We were made to want to create. That is why man paints & draws & designs & builds & cooks & has babies. It is in us to want to create beauty, and send it out into the world for others to enjoy it with us. And that my friend is why we quilt & sew today! Not out of necessity but out of joy and desire to want to make something beautiful for others & ourselves.

This next year i hope you all step out of you comfort zone and quilt & sew and let yourself be free! Don't Hold back, let yourself go! Be spontaneous this year and choose to enjoy all that you set out to do! as soon as you find yourself resenting what ever your doing, step back and evaluate what your doing, and who are and want to be throughout the process of creating.

Blog: Leimomi Beaudet

Its so funny, Our volcano shop has a quilt challenge twice a year once on the forth of July, and the other during Thanksgiving and Christmas(please inquire if you are interested). And the last challenge we had my mom called me when she was working on her challenge piece, and we were tring to figure out how to make objects look far away with color, and which colors do you use to give certain depth. and we figured it out and forgot it shortly after. So this past weekend we both planned on working on our challenge quilts and she calls me with the same questions we had during the previous challenge. I got a good chuckly out of that and said "here we go again!"

So this week were going to do Learn about creating different spaces on you quilts. How to make things look closer or farther away, and which colors to use to give a certain depth or feeling. So here we go....

There are a number of ways to create the illusion of distance or depth on a flat surface. Here are some of those ways:

1. Objects that are further away, will appear smaller than those close by. Those same objects will also grow less distinct the further away they are. Their colors will fade and blend into the background colors.

2. Objects which are placed higher on a plane create the feeling of depth or distance. The viewer senses that he or she is standing away from the objects and that there is a large amount of space in the foreground.

3. Overlapping shapes tend to create a feeling of depth.

4. Arrangement of lights. When light is contrasted against dark, a sense of depth is felt.

5. Converging lines. Parallel lines, as they move away into the distance, appear to come closer together to form a vanishing point which may or may not be seen. A good example of this is a road or a path.

6. Colors. Warm and bright colors appear closer, whereas cool or dull colors tend to recede into the distance.

    warm colors:  Yellows, Reds, Oranges,         Cool colors: Blues, Greens, Purples

Blog: By Leimomi Beaudet

This Past week was my birthday. And for my birthday i wanted to clean & organize my house. It might sound funny to most, but i enjoyed getting things cleaned, organized and freshened up! The Funniest part about it all was going through all my crafts, and sewing stuff! I told my mom who was helping me in the madness, this is redonkeylious (ridiculous) how much crap (pardon my french) i had! Fun crap i might have to add. Especially how many unfinished projects I had. Projects that were so closed to finish and yet their sitting in a box or a bag next to the project i started right after that one project i didn't finish because i wanted to start this other project, that, till this day is not done either and all it needs is the binding or to be quilted! Its that hilarious even all the scraps that maybe one day i just might use, maybe. My mom tired to help me and get rid of a whole bag of scraps and i gave her a funny look and the stash of scraps went back with all my half finished projects. Its so funny how we can be about our stash of crafts & sewing supplies, its so hard to get rid of anything, "because one day we will use it" (hahaha). All hail to the Hoarder's!

Blog: By Kathy Tripp

As I read my daughters blog last week and gigled with a smerk of self recognition, I realized the apple does'nt fall far from the tree.  I also thought to myself, she has no idea how much crazier her "collection" will look in 20 years!  Well, maybe she does, she has seen mine.  I came across this quote, which I firmly believe in.  We all need inspiration and motivation and it comes in many forms. One Idea leads to another and another and another.... But its not a bad thing, and maybe, just maybe we really don't have to finish all those projects, maybe they were just the inspiration for the next project! What do you think? I like it.

 After a speech one day, Zig Ziglar was approached by someone in the audience who said "Zig, it was a great speech, but motivation doesn't last" Zig said, "Bathing does'nt either That's why I recommend it daily'.

Blog: Leimomi Beaudet

Quilting isnt it Wonderful! I love it! it leaves so much room for you to be inspired to be creative in any way possible. Before i started working at kilauea Kreations hilo, my idea of quilting really was just basted on hawaiian quilting.  Until i went to Quilt market & festival in Huston, texas. which by the way, if anyone can go one year you should go & take classes & experiance their show room of quilts, and of course the rows & rows & rows & rows & i mean rows of vendors with the most fabulous quilting & sewing & crafting stuff around, its wonderful, like going from quilt shop to quilt shop in one big statium. Anyway i miss going, i've missed it the last couple of years cause i had my babies, but i will be back their soon enough. Anyway, i believe quilting or even sewing shouldn't be put in a box because the possiblitities are endless!! Oh the things we can create with fabric!                                                               

 I have about a month to finish our winter quilt challenge for our volcano shop and i want to do something creative & fun, yet simple cause my time is short. But i havnt got a clue. The theme is  "Its going to be a blue Christmas" and im just waiting to be inspired by an idea or person or thing... It'll come to me soon enough, "thats what quilting is all about taking your inpiration and puting it down on fabric!"