Poppies In The Garden

I have had some fun playing with my painted fabrics. This piece brings some joy into the home, with this bitter cold we've been dealing with. It is raw edge applique with some beads in the one poppy. Now it's time to move on to this months FFFC.
I look forward to your comments.
I hope you have all had a Happy Holiday!

New piece

I finished this piece last week. The flowers are all made from the handpainted fabric that I did over the summer. I like the movement in the piece. And sunflowers are one of my favorites.
I've included a close up so you can see the thread work. Many colors of thread in this work.

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge #27

I finally have my right hand free of cast and brace, and have started physio. I'm thinking that sewing is great physio, although the hand tires fast.
Here is the latest challenge piece, I've really enjoyed constructing it.
Our challenge was to do a close up or a far away scene. The second part of the challenge was value.
The Basket Weaver
Continuing with my Women at Work series I've chosen to do a close up. The close up is of a basket weaver. I found it difficult to portray the subject at such close range, it was a great exercise for me.
I worked hard with the value part of this challenge but am not sure that I totally achieved it, it seems that I don't have enough really light spots?
The piece is 13x16". After some great critique from the FFFC group, I realize laying the plaid fabric down was a mistake, so I've reworked it with some paint.

FFFC #24 How Does Your Garden Grow?

The hand has healed enough that I dived headlong into this months challenge. Our challenge was to do an abstract of our garden.
My deck is abloom with burgundies and pinks. I dug out my old Quilt Art books and re read the articles by Liz Berg. Very good information. Using this information I did an abstract out of my head of my garden. I used the split compliment of red-violet and yellow green. The background is hand dyed fabric, chopped up and pieced back together. I enjoyed this challenge very much. I feel I did get rhythm and motion in the piece by placing the elements close and than further apart as they progressed and also varying sizes.
I'm booked for my big surgery on the right hand on Sept 10th, so likely will only be creating in my head for sometime :(
I will be so glad when the healing is done and I'm back to normal.
Lovely weather up here, Fall is definitely in the air and our summers are just waayyy too short.

FFC #23

I have sadly neglected the blog, that's because I've had surgery on my right hand and have not been doing much. Also summer is here, and it is so short that I like to be outdoors enjoying every bit of it that I can.
I didn't participate in FFFC #22, but felt I could participate in #23. So here it is.
The theme was a focus point with large background. This was difficult for me, as I do a lot of planning for the background. Last winter I played around with the tusineko inks doing fabric portraits. I choose the one of my grandaughter done in one color, again that was a stretch for me as I love color! This piece is very much like Andy Warhol's Marilyn. I did very simple verticle lines of quilting, as I don't feel the piece would s uit all over quilting.
Stretching ones skills and creativity is what FFFC is all about, and I certainly enjoy the challenges.
Enjoy.

FFFC #20 Deconstruction

Our challenge this month was to take an UFO and deconstruct it. I took a wallhanging , that I never finished and started chopping it up. Adding colored strips until I was happy with it. I added some funky flowers to the right hand corner. After having it on the design wall for awhile, all the lines and the fragmented flowers made me think of the business in our lives, and how some days I have to MAKE time to enjoy the garden.
Therefore I added the wording, 'Be still and feel the moment.'
It isn't finished, I'll add some hand stitching and machine quilting to it.
I look forward to your feedback. Ever since taking Pamela Allan's class I feel the need to add handstitching and I think that's a good thing.
The pictures are of the original piece then the deconstructed piece.

Tye for second place at Quilt Show

On a more traditional note, my sister, Betty, and I tyed for second place Viewers Choice. We are each standing in front of our quilt.

1st Place at Guild Show

I am thrilled to say that one of my art quilts actually took 1st Place Viewer's Choice at our Guilds Quilt Show yesterday. You can tell by the look on my face that I was quite overwhelmed! I learned the technique of dying fabric at a Phil Beaver workshop in January.
We had a wonderful show, and I am exhausted.

The apron, we also had a tea, so all us gals had on our patchworks apron.

Canadian, Trend Tex Challenge

I am proud to announce that my piece is included for the online auction. I enjoyed doing the Trend TEx Challenge, this is the first year for me.
I took the title literally 'Quilting On The Edge', it includes a gal with her sewing machine perched on the edge of the cliff, cat on the table and seagull perched on the edge watching her carefully. When all the quilters arrive in Nova Scotia I'm sure the sea gulls will be watching.
Here it is.
You can view all the pieces at http://www.canadianquilter.com/events/index_events_quiltcanada2009.htm
My piece is #90 and my little sisters piece is #14.
Enjoy.

FFFC #20 Denim/recycled

Here is my piece for the present challenge. As soon as I read the challenge the song 'Forever In Blue Jeans' was running through my head. So here she is, Forever In Blue Jeans. I didn't have any blue jean scraps, so borrowed some and used fabric from my scrap bag,left over buttons etc. I hand stitched before quilting it. Following the techniques I learned in Pamela Allen's class.
The weather up here is still very iffy...we had snow yesterday. I'll be so glad to get out digging in the dirt! It has been a long winter.

Pearls of Wisdom

Ha! Finally finished another project started in Pamela Allen's class. I call it 'Pearls of Wisdom'. note the pears in her hair. This was really fun, a lot of hand stitching and then machine stitching. Loved the class and know I'll use the techniques learned. I'm doing one right now for the FFFC, using her method, watch for it coming soon.

Blue and orange`

I finally finished my piece, the challenge was to use two complementary colors, I chose blue and orange. I've done a lot of hand stitching and then free motion quilting, which doesn't show up well in the picture. This was from Pamela Allan's class and I really enjoyed working on this piece.
I've posted a close up, you can see the stitching better. And the moon, well it's half of her face.

Project finished

Happy Easter everyone. I finished the piece from the first Lesson in Pamela Allans class. Lot's of hand stitching, perhaps a bit over down. Who would believe that one small blue button would stand out. I think I shall call it 'Out Of The Blue'.

Self Portrait

I am having so much fun in Pamela's class and learning so much. No sketching or drawing, no fusibles, just taking the scissors and cutting the shapes. Our present lesson is a self portrait, here is mine. The hair, well I was a blonde but am greying nicely, the purple/blue? It's just a laugh on many older women that I knew that put that blue rinse in their hair :) The hair is yarn. It will look better when I get some stitching done on it, so far it's just fabric glued down.
A gorgeous day in the far north, little snow left can now see some green grass and I'm thinking spring is on it's way.

Catch up

I am so behind, life has gotten in the way!
I'm posting a picture or two from the class I'm taking with Pamela Allen. Man that girl just oozes talent. This is an online class and due to a computer melt down I started a week or more late. This picture was an exercise in using only black and white to do a still life, with lot's of feedback from Pamela this is my attempt. It still needs embellishing with stitching etc. The colored picture is from lesson two, using complimentary colors blue and orange. No pencil, just the scissors!

F&S Scrap Bag challenge

The challenge was to put scraps in a bag, and only take 15 min. Here's what I made. A three sided vessel, beads hanging from it.
It was a fun challenge and didn't put much of a dint in my scraps.

A snowy day up north, but a perfect day for spending in the studio working on projects. I like this kind of day. sigghhhh.

Fast Friday Challenge #16

Ahh, a new year and new outlook.
I have just completed my Challenge piece for the FFC group. Fire and Ice was our challenge. I got a bit carried a way and it is quite different from my norm. I use angelina and tinsel on the iceberg, just to make it shimmer and look real cold. I also used copper thread on the fire, unfortunately it doesn't show up that well.
I stretched the quilted piece on stretcher bars, first time and I quite like the look of it.
It feels good to be back in the groove after all the holiday stuff.
I invite your comments on this piece, any and all constructive criticism is appreciated.
Now I must get to work on my scrap bag challenge for the Fiber and Stitch group.

Happy New Year.