Quick Alter-Art Update

Just a quick note to say that my very first full size quilt is complete! It was a real adventure to do all of it - and especially the quilting. It wouldn't have been possible without some great instructions from my extremely talented mom. And she even answered the phone when I called for the 50th time in an hour - I was getting nervous for the quilting part. Thanks, Mom!

The whole enchilada...

And a couple details of the quilting. I used a simple free-form wave pattern - a great choice for my first try at quilting...

Now, just in case you want your very own amazing quilt, here's your chance. My fantastically talented mom made a stunning quilt that is being raffled off this year to support the Piecing Partners Quilt Guild, including their charity work with the Department of Human Services.

Here's a look at the quilt. It's actually quite big - 94"x93" - and it's called Domestic Drama. I've held this one in my own hands, and photos cannot do it justice, but here goes anyhow...

For just $1 a ticket, you can be entered to win it! So, if you want a few raffle tickets (I recommend it!), please just shoot me an email and I can put you in touch with the right folks.

Thanks!

A Different Craft - Quilt Preview

As you know - and probably a lot of you can relate - I like having my hands in more than one craft at a time. While most of my time might be about belt buckles, that doesn't mean I shouldn't fit in drawing, cards, jewelry, quilting, random crafts, and anything else that sounds intriguing and uses some creativity. In my temporary Seattle digs, I so far have a place for buckles (of course), sewing, and jewelry. I did just get a book on candle making, but I'm fairly certain that wax on someone's floors is not a good way to say "thanks for the accommodations!".

So, in a quick break from Belts & Buckles 101, here's a preview of my current quilting project.

Next, I'll chop off the ends of the rows and straighten things up. Then, I'm trying to decide whether to add a plain batik border before putting it all together. What do you think?

A cornicopia of fantastic (free!) fonts

As business continues to grow at Wild Bear Buckles, I'm spending more time considering branding and a proper logo. In my quest for great design ideas, two different friends have mentioned one website -- dafont.com. It took me a bit to get around to look at it, but let me tell you - it rocks! I hope I'm not giving away some fantastic trade secret of text designers, but this website is worth exploring for anyone who likes

• design
• text
• being creative
• writing words on the computer

I'm assuming that pretty much means all of you.

So, here is the deal with dafont.com. You hop on the site and you can browse literally hundreds of font designs. You can even type in your text and preview how it will look. When you find something you like, just download it and follow the (very simple!) instructions to add it to your computer's fonts. Just make sure you take note if the font is "free" or "free for personal use", so you know how you can use it.

Check it out...

Wild Bear Buckles goes on a Caribbean vacation...

...dresses up as Frankenstein and sings Thriller...

...gets cultured at the avant garde movie theatre...

...does time...

...attends a night at the opera...

...and gets in touch with its Montana roots...

And that's only the beginning. Now go find your own crazy, fun, funky, modern, vintage text for your latest crafty idea. (Warning: may cause sleep loss.)

Calendar of owl illustrations - free!

It's half way through January and you don't have a calendar on the wall yet?!  Don't despair.  Check out this fantastic free owl calendar.  You can choose just the illustrations you like and...tada!...a calendar for the whole year.  What a great idea!  I just couldn't help but share...