GIVING THANKS

I give thanks every day for being able to wake up to a scene like this just outside my window.

Barred Owl

 "Barred Owl"

21 inches by 15 inches

Rawedged fused applique

Couched Yarn binding

Machine Quilted

First Quilt of 2013

 I finished the binding this morning and the quilting yesterday.  Woo Hoo!   I am very happy with this owl and the piece overall.  Since I do not physically plan out my quilts other then the main character, I always hope that what is in my head transforms successfully into the piece.

 I added more quilting to the downy type white feathers and left that darker ones more simple.

 I couched yard on as my binding.  I learned this technique from my good friend, Nellie Durand.  If you are interested in learning this you can go here:  Couching Yarn
I do not use it on every quilt but on this one I like how ti added to the naturalness and texture in the piece.

Here is the back.  I am showing this just to show the amount of quilting on this one.  I am a firm believer that the art is on the front!  I am always mystified at the judging that is done on the backs of art quilts.  I get it on a bed quilt and yes I do think that your back should be neatly done without anything horrible going on with tension, loose threads, birdnests and things like that but
that is it.  I think my backs are nicely done over all .  I refuse to bury my threads and instead choose to take several very small stitches to end a line of stitching. This results in a perfect top and maybe if quilting in a thick or dense area, a tiny knot will appear, at times, on the back.   I do not think it matters.  

"Hootlet"

 "Hootlet"

17 inches X 26 inches

Rawedged fused applique

Machine Quilted

 This was quite the journey making this short eared owl known as a short eared Hootlet in Scotland.

 They like to make their nests low to the ground in grasses so my guess is he was guarding his territory.  I wanted to be sure his stare translated into that intense warning he was giving my brother, the photographer.

I am particularly happy with my bark on this stump.  It took lots of different scraps of greys and browns but I was happy with the results.

Hope you enjoyed this journery constructing this piece with me and watching "Hootlet" come alive.

Cockadoodle

 "Cockadoodle"

25 inches X 29 inches

Designed, Raw-edged Fused Appliqued

and Machine Quilted by

Barbara Strobel Lardon

Copyright 2012
Sold to Private Collector

I have been working on this off and on for the past week finishing all the quilting and then fusing on the binding, labeling and adding the sleeve.  

I added the barn and a few fir trees to add depth to the piece.

 I love doing birds feet.  Not sure why, but I do.

Each feather is individually quilted with the exception of the breast which is a solid piece quilted with feathers.

I added barbed wire to the post since that is seen on most farms around here.

 Tail feathers were also individually quilted and are in shades of blue green and black.

I had lots of fun working on this piece.  When you are enjoying the journey it is very hard not to be in the studio everyday working on it.  I had to continually break away from this piece due to my schedule and also the Quilt Expo but ....it was all worth it in the end.  At the end of the month this one will be entered along with my frog into my guilds show.  I hope everyone enjoys seeing them there.

I did attend the Madison Quilt Expo which had my quilt "Honorable Mention?" in it.

Not a winner but I was filmed by the committee explaining my inspiration and technique in making this piece so that was unexpected and thrilling!   I will share it when they publish it.

Tomorrow I will post some to the great quilts that were at the Expo.

"RRRRRR-GA" Finished

"RRRRR-GA"

25" X 34"

Raw-edged fused applique, border and binding

Shiva Paint Sticks shadowing

Machine Quilted
Interpreted from photo by photographer Darren Flynn

Aug. 2012

It was a lot of fun working on this piece.  I love when I feel the personality of the love creature coming through and this guy has a lot of personality.  I will enter him in the guild's show in September.

(I was going to change my typo of "love creature" to live creature and then I thought, maybe he is a love creature?  So I left it.  )