Motif

I'm taking a class from Janet Clark at http://www.joggles.com/ on ways to use Water Soluble Stabilizer. Here is my motif again.

It certainly looks better than my first attempt even though I pressed the seam allowances to one side and top stitched them. The brown sheer just wouldn't behave.

This is the exercise for Lesson l. I can see lots of uses for the technique. Janet is a good teacher.

I hope everyone in the US is having a nice holiday. We in the NW are having rain-more sewing time. I had to shove the dog out the door this morning to do his business. He hates to be wet.

Quilt, Postcard

Here's another quilt using the block I've been playing with. It was supposed to be offcenter but refused to be that way.

For May in the postcard exchange at the Yahoo group Unlimited Textiles, this came from Jill. She was sending a litlle sunshine-very needed this year in the NW! Spring feels more like winter. The poor garden is not happy.

Take A Stitch Tuesday, Tote

This week's stitch at Sharonb's blog http://www.pintangle.com/ is the Cup Stitch.

It's easy to work and could add lots of texture to a piece. It's quite small, so it would take quite a few but the threads could be varied for a sumptious area.

I finally finished up a crazy quilt piece that has been around for a long time. The stitching is done on the machine using those decorative stitches we never know what to do with.  The closure is dicroic glass button that I found at a gift shop that was going out of business. I love a bargain which it was but would prefer that the businesses would survive.

Gifts

I won the prize for posting my Block of the Month at http://www.threecreativestudios.com/ and look at what I received.  I'm going to have so much fun with the things. Thank you Sue, Terri, and Vicki.

Design

I'm still playing with that motif/quilt block that I drew.I wanted to see what would happen with stripes, so first I did it with one set of stripes and a solid.Then I repeated it with 2 sets of stripes. I like the effect, but there are a lot of seam allowances to see through.

Block of the Month, Take a Stitch Tuesday

Here is my version of the 9th Block of the Month from http://www.threecreativestudios.com/  I've arranged them on my design wall for a hanging. Now to sew.

This week Sorbello stitch is the choice of Sharonb at http://www.pintangle.com/ . Worked close together in a heavy thread, it makes a nice braid. The next row I changed sizes and shapes. The light blue is worked sideways using the legs of one as the beginning of the next section.

Thanks for all the comments on my blog. I love reading what you think and try to get back to people but lately the computer has been slow and frustrating, so I haven't.

The robin has 2 eggs in the nest by the back door again, so we are not using that door. She seems to feel safe there. DH had read that they don't reuse the nest, but evidentally, the robin didn't read the same article!

Fiberactions

I'm a member of Fiberactions 13 artists who do a word challenge every 2 months. Click on the side bar to see the other pieces. This time the word was Convergence. I tried 4 other designs, but the motif I've been working with turned out to be the one I felt worked best. I've had the white print for years waiting for the perfect time. I think this was it.

Bead Journal Project

This is May for the Bead Journal Project. The background is roving felted to wool, then machine quilting in metallic thread. The fused glass is glued down then beaded around using the back stitch. Random beading accents the blue and green to echo the colors in the glass. I do like using accent pieces and am pleased to use up some of the many I buy.

Take A Stitch Tuesday, Machine Embroidery

This week's stitch for Sharonb http://www.pintangle.com/ is Bullion Buttonhole. It would make great bushes. I liked changing directions with it and overlapping it.

Here's another free time project. I was looking through stuff and found scraps of silk paper left over from a project, so I decided to make some leaves. It is firm enough that they could be done without a hoop. With different colors of thread in the top and bobbin, the two sides look different.Thanks to everyone who reads my blog and especially to those who comment. I try to get back to people, but if my computer is having a slow day, I get frustrated with it and stop. We changed antivirus programs, so I hope that helps.

Quilt

I finally figured out how to finish this. I had pieced the center many years ago. The border is what it needed.

Book, Wildlife

The April Technique of the Month Challenge at http://www.threecreativestudios.com/ was painted lace. I made a cuff then and had so much lace left over that I made this book. It is bound using the Bind-it-all. Then I decorated the spine with buttons, strips of fabric, ribbons, and yarns. My problem is that I like making the books but am not a writter, so they just sit around.

Sorry about the blurry photo, but it's hard to take one with the momma yelling at you to leave! The baby robins have grown so much. One was sitting on the edge of the nest and yesterday flew a bit. We've so enjoyed watching.

Challenges

I've been doing the challenge presented by Shelagh at http://www.shelaghfolgate.blogspot.com/ and learning new techniques and approaches from her. She is starting a new one in June, so go to her site and sign up this month. These buttons are one of the things I made with the fabrics I created from her instructions. They are sheer fabric with machine stitches on them using tension changes to bring up the bobbin thread and create an interesting edge. I also distressed the fabric on the embellisher.

This week stitch for Sharonb at http://www.pintangle.com/ is Cloud Filling. After I stitched the vertical section, I realized that not only did it make a nice border, but it could couch a braid, so I threaded one through. The lower sample is what happens when you change the spacing.

Beading

When I'm between projects or just need a break but want to continue working, I do small units that can later be used in a more complex piece. These are some of the ones I just finished. They are glass blobs and two tiles-bottom tan and black. I glued them to Ultrasuede, beaded around them with beaded back stitch first into the Ultrasuede and then into the previous row of beading. When the beading was finished, I trimmed the Ultrasuede.