Sketching

The Sketchbook Challenge(link at right) has Opposites as the word this month. Yesterday I was sketching and came up with a couple.

Geometrics always appeal to me, and this one could turn into an interesting quilt block.

Hard arch and wall; soft grass and dirt. I like doors, walls, arches.

Quilt

Months ago or longer 3 of us got together and made prints using disperse dyes. I've been working on some of the leaf prints I made using real leaves.

I have 4 small pieces ready to have the binding hand stitched down. This is one of them. I have a bigger piece that needs to be machine embroidered then quilted. When I'm done with it, they will be joined in some way( not planned yet). At least now I have some more hand work to do.

Thanks for the well wishes about my back.

Class

I'm taking an Electric Quilt class from http://www.quiltuniversity.com/ on how to use Paintsticks. I've waited for it to be offered, and now I've done something to my back and can't work for very long at a spell-very frustrating for someone who doesn't know how to be still.

Here is a notebook page on blending two colors in various ways.

This page shows using the sticks directly. I like the blending better.

This shows the few fabric samples I managed to do. The yellow in the lower corner is stretch velour-very hard to work on even backed with freezer paper and no detail possible. I'll do a bit more today. The doctor said it's muscles which I knew, but now I have a relaxant prescription, so at least I can sleep. This too will pass.

Quilt

This latest journal quilt is an experiment to try the layering method Beryl Taylor uses. You layer 5 fabrics, sew a design, and cut through to various layers. Then I quilted it, added some glitter glue, and edged it with a yarn most of which was cut off by the new scanner. I've either got to work smaller or photograph the pieces.

I don't care for this one, but that is the value of journal size quilts-seeing what works without a big investment of time and materials.

Quilt

I finally made a hanging from a piece I did in a workshop when we lived in California. I think it was from Judy Mathieson. The star is paper pieced but not the flip and sew method. Each shape was backed with freezer paper and cut with a seam allowance. It was pieced on the machine. The background is hand painted. It really is square, but my photography leaves much to be desired.

Quilt

Another sample from the past. Jill Nordfors Clark came to the Columbia Fiberarts Guild when I first joined. She had just written her first Needlelace book-one I treasure having. We were all doing stitching at the time and this sample is holes edged with Raised Stem and Buttonhole Stitch.I backed it with the bright pink poly satin. It is worked on brushed denim-a scrap from a jeans outfit I made. The dark blue stitching is Spiderwebs. The circular quilting seemed to be the right way to quilt it. Then I edged it by zigzagging a feathery yarn around the outside doing two rows.

Metal

I decided to play with those colorful metal squares and rubbing plates. It was hard to figure out where to run the tool to make the impression, so it is not as clear as I would like. I guess like everything, it takes practice.

Here the same plate was used but with the metal reverse side up.

I like the bubbles best, even if they are not as clear. I thought to use them on a hanging for the Fiberaction challenge, but decided I need to plan with them more first.

Thanks to everyone who comments.

Bead Journal Project

The February journal quilt for http://www.beadjournalproject.com/ just had to be red.  I attached the lace, stitched over the seams, used metallic, and then beads.

Cards

More cards.  The upper left was done by marbling on shaving cream. It's a fun technique where you make a layer of shaving cream, drop paint on it, use a skewer to move it into a pattern, and then make a print by putting the paper on it. Remove and let dry, then scape the cream off.

The lower left has a piece of paste paper. Paint is thickened with a special paste then applied to the paper. While it is still wet, it is drawn into leaving a pattern.

Thanks for all the comments on my green piece. I'll probably try cutting it into cards.

Quilt

This quilt has still been haunting me. First I cropped it.

 Then I decided to try something I'd read that Laura and Linds Kemshall do. Take acrylic paint and a roller and apply the paint to the top of the quilt with a light brushing.

The light brushing didn't do much, so I kept adding layers.

I still didn't like it and decided to try black paint.

It's still a quilt I don't like, but I did try to fix it and will now be free of it by trashing it.

Quilt

When http://www.3creativestudios.com/ had a challenge of doing a Journal quilt, I had no idea how it would inspire me to create so many.  Here is the next one.

The flower in the center was a photo that I took of one in our front flower bed and printed on Tyvek. After machining it to the gold felt, I used a heat gun to distress it. Be sure to do it outside with a proper mask, because there are fumes and who knows what's release when plastic is melted.

I layered it on the hot pink hand dyed fabric and then the green and quilted the piece. Trim was used instead of binding. It seemed to need the trim around the gold too.

Cards

One afternoon when I didn't know what I wanted to do, I made some more cards. The cardstock is a prescored paper in a big pack from Michael's. The envelopes were from Goodwill-a whole sack of white ones in different sizes.

I make up little components and keep a box of them for when needed and also a box of paper scraps. They are handy to use sitting at a table and watching the news.