LEAF QUILT - continues.....

As you can see below.....the leaves are now all hand appliqued and stems/center vein have been added.

Thanks to my good pal Jackie of Colorado Springs.......I was reminded there is a less messy way to apply starch to fabric than the way I described yesterday.  A small amount of spray starch can be placed in a small shallow dish, plate, or bowl. Then with the aid of a Q-tip...dipped into the solution, transfer the starch to the edge of the fabric motif....wetting it sufficiently to form around the template.  Press to hold the crease/fold.

Call me impulsive!!!!  Yes, yes.....Jackie's method is the preferred approach and I'm grateful we chatted about this less some of you aren't familiar with it. I admit to being too lazy to leave my studio, go downstairs, & get the proper supplies.  Instead, I used the spray starch cap and my fingers.....and not even a proper table covering. Yup, I probably wasted more time in the long run with the clean up that was required!

 As I now view the piece.....I'm liking it a lot......and perhaps it doesn't need further embellishing.....

 However, you know I can't stop myself......  To prevent distortion, a thin batting has been thread basted to the top and it's secured in a 11" x 11" Q-snap frame.  

Let the beading begin!!

Click on photo for a closer view.

I'll be beading the leaves to my heart's content....but won't be able to chat with you for several days.  Look for my posts early next week......unless I can figure out a way to post from my ipad in my remote location.....I need a 16 year old to teach me this stuff!!

But....of course I can't leave you without saying.....GO PACKERS!!!!!

TAMING THOSE COTTONS!

One of the biggest reasons I love working with felted wool is its ease of applique since the edges do not unravel!  Don't you think our cottons (with the exception of batiks) have become more loosely woven....where fraying now is so much more troublesome?  Is this why I have been avoiding cottons lately??  

 I still prefer the look of traditional applique so after attempting needle turn applique of one of my leaves onto the deconstructed screen printed background, I gave up on that method.  

Each paper template was retraced onto card stock and cut out.  Using a bit of spray starch on my finger....the fabric's outside edge was dampened and secured to the card stock.....and pressed with a dry iron to hold the crease.

 If you've never done this before.....it's a good idea to protect your work surface (actually with something a tad thicker than the tracing paper I used!)

You'll have to work the damp fabric against the card stock....in this photo, I've just begun.  The first photo shows this same wrong side, nicely smoothed out, just before moving the motif to the pressing surface.

Here it is pressed and ready to be peeled off the card stock and hand basted to the background.  I purposely did not draw and cut these leaves with perfection....nature isn't perfect.

Each leaf will receive this same preparation to provide a smooth edge to applique.  The center edges have been left raw....as they will be covered with a thin strip of either fabric or perhaps Ultra-Suede to represent the center vein/stem.

I'll be busy stitching and will report back....

REVISITING COTTONS

I've been petting my pile of deconstructed screen printed fabrics since the Fiber Junkies's last dye day. 

Of course now I can't recall what I used to get all those squiggly lines, but I can see by a previous photo I took, that the screen was printed 4 times.  Actually, it really doesn't much matter what I used because with this method, it's nearly impossible to duplicate one's efforts...the surprises are half the fun!

 So....with these reds calling me, I cut them apart and stitched a background together.  Originally, the darker strip was to be placed vertically, but in the end,  it became the bottom.

Earlier this year, my good (and very generous) friend Helen sent me a large box of black and white prints.  I mean a BIG box....the prints read from mostly white all the way to mostly black and everything in between.  Here are some I selected for this wall quilt.

The theme of the piece will be leaves.....now that fall is nearly upon us, you may be asking why I wasn't thinking sparkling autumn colors??  Dah....I just didn't....but that'd be a good idea.

I often have trouble working with deconstructed screen printed fabric because they have so much energy.  Multiple prints and busy patchwork is successfully accomplished by others, but I'm not comfortable in that zone.  So instead, I'm going for a bolder graphic appearance that stands out from the background...yet that background provides texture and interest for the entire piece.

Auditioning shapes/sizes with paper can be a helpful method of avoiding wasting fabric.  Fussy cutting the leaves gives them more definition.  

Stay with me.....two more leaves to go, then hand applique is ahead before the next design step is taken.

MADE MY DAY!!!

At the risk of sounding terribly self-indulging.....let me share several things that 'made my day' yesterday....

Before I do.....for anyone local who is reading this...don't forget the Asheville Quilt Show is ongoing now through Sunday at the WNC AG Center, across from the Asheville Airport.  It won't disappoint you!!  But of course you'll want to see the show early enough to allow you to get home and watch the Packers on national TV late Sunday afternoon!!!

 Besides the obvious opportunity for inspiration at a quilt show and of course shopping, the Asheville Guild offers several daily free lecture/demos presented by our members.  Yesterday afternoon I presented one.  At the end of my chat...Janet Ginn of Greer, SC, MADE MY DAY!!  

She introduced herself and shared with me that every morning, without fail, the first thing she does is read my blog.  OH MY!!!  Now, that's a lot of pressure.....and as I told her.....I was sure there were more worthy things to do!  However, I'm very, very flattered.....thank you Janet.  It's great to know I have friends out there enjoying a cup of morning coffee with me!


The following two quilts are on display at the Asheville Guild Quilt show.....much to my surprise they both earned ribbons. That too, 'made my day'!  This will be a great way to remember each of them since they are both going to new homes shortly!

2nd Place

Judges Award

(I've given out dozens of judge's awards over the years in my role as quilt show judge, but I've never received one....thank you to Scott Merkin who awarded this quilt with that honor!)

I took numerous photos yesterday of some of my favorite quilts in the show and will get them downloaded and hopefully post them for you to enjoy tomorrow.  

See you tomorrow Janet!!!

DOTS

All Done.....  Learning when to stop is difficult for a bead maniac like me.....but more is not always better. This piece needed only a few details to complement the resist dyed design.  So, I put my needle down, finished the backing, added a hanging device and now it's ready for a new home!

 DOTS  6" x 5" 

Resist dyed & felted wool, hand embroidered & beaded.

Available here  (and most of these little guys are selling quickly)

Detail

STITCH BY STITCH

Evenings go swiftly when I have handwork to play with.....

 Simple hand embroidery using Lana, an acrylic & wool blend thread.

 .....and more stitching...

....Now the beading begins

You may want to click to enlarge the photo....yes this is beaded.  I'm not calling it finished yet.  I've added and removed that yellow bead several times....the idea of having a spot of color may just not work on such a tiny piece.  I'll play more later today and see how I feel.....  stay tuned...

HERE I GO AGAIN....

Yup.....I simply can't help myself.......I'm totally smitten with embellishing my resist dyed felted wool!

 As mentioned previously in my almost back to back to back posts about this type of project.....I begin by gathering the embellishment options.  It's very important to edit well when working on these tiny pieces.  This one measures a mere 6" x 5.5".....not much room to express oneself!

 Because I've hand felted and then dyed the wool, the shapes are often wonky. Frankly, that can add to the charm.  

 However, sometimes a little trimming can aid in keeping the eye on the design, rather than wandering out to the bunny ear edges.  Notice the difference between this one and the previous photo....and just how very little I actually trimmed away.

Before the beading commences, I like to add some texture and interest to the background with very simple embroidery stitches = nothing fancy here because it would distract from the already fairly busy pattern.  

There's no plan for the stitching or beading.....all too often I try a method and find it not to my liking, grrrr...then it's removed and another attempt is made.  Even when I try to be very thoughtful ahead of time, I'm not always successful....it truly pays to be patient and willing to have 'do-overs'....this isn't a race for me......getting it right in the end is what matters.  

I'll bet a lot of you feel the same way!  Keep watching....

SIMPLE PATCHWORK FUN

My machine has been unusually busy lately as I created this simple patchwork lap quilt.  During my reorganizing frenzy awhile back, a whole bunch of hand dyed fabrics were uncovered.  They were purchased years ago from a fabulous dyer who is no longer in business.  However, the last time I used the fabrics for a piece that would be washed, I realized most of the dyes were not stable....therefore I've put off working with them again.

But, after several Retayne baths....they no longer bleed.

 Sitting at the machine for long periods of time is not a favorite part of my sewing activities.....  So, naturally I design with quick and easy patchwork these days.

 Really....how much quicker could it get?

I began by making randomly sized blocks.....12.5" wide and a variety of heights.  The first two rows are organized here....it was then that I realized I was going to have to be a bit more thoughtful about the remaining two rows because I didn't have an endless supply of some of these colors!

 It's coming together...

 The last row required the most planning to distribute a pleasing color and placement of the blocks.

The still unnamed piece measures about 50" x 60".  It will be machine quilted using a grid design.  I'll post a photo later when it's complete.  Sometimes these quickies are good diversions for me....really one can't bead all the time...or can I???

One final thing....and it's a total whine, bad loser, poor sport comment.  The Packers got ROBBED last night!!!!

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

ARE YOU READY FOR FOOTBALL???  EVERYONE IN THIS FAMILY GETS INVOLVED.....

GO PACKERS......GOOOOOOOOO!!!

MOCA

With another couple of hours of stitching and finishing....this week's project is now complete. As I mentioned previously, it's not a color scheme I've used more than twice when I was resist dyeing.....but will definitely do so in the future.  I love the earthy look and feel to it.  

Maybe that's because fall is about to invade us....we are already seeing snippets of yellow on the trees in the higher elevations.

As is my practice, the piece is already prepared for hanging, but done in a manner that would allow one to frame it if you prefer.  

Happily, my blogshop has had a lot of activity lately.....so if you were keeping an eye on one of the pieces posted, don't delay your decision too much longer!

                                                          MOCHA 7" X 6" © 2012

Available here

Artist resist dyed felted wool, hand embroidery, embellished with steel beads.

Detail