Poppies No. 1 & No. 2

POPPIES NO. 1 is finally bound and ready to hang.
I like the colors and the size of this one so I decided to make
another in different colors so they could be sold together.

           So I made POPPIES NO. 2!    
           This time I used yellows that were found in the
           background.

           These are up in my gallery and also listed in
           the Art Quilt Shoppe found in my side bar.

3 Poppies & Bovines

We are on the last two months before our daughters wedding on June 25th.  This month I am hosting a shower for her at my house.  The weather had better improve before then.   This weekend we are going to be making these balls that will hang from shepards hooks at the entry to the tent that will house the reception.

Seems now each weekend will be dedicated to something.

However, I did make up this little piece 12"x 16" in preparation to a larger piece I want to make 

which I want to give an impressionistic feel in fabric.  I am testing whether it is possible to find fabric for the background that will give you that feel along with the batiks.  I thought this was fairly successful.

I also had to go out to an 1885 farmhouse this morning to look at a set of antique wicker furniture to possibly purchase from this couple who are now too old to stay on the farm.  It is always sad but this woman who is 86 is ready for the change and gave me a wonderful tour of the house and told me all sorts of stories about the parties she had there and the joy she had raising her NINE children.  

 

Of course I had to stop and take some photos of the cows enjoying a warm day out in the pastures.

Isn't she beautiful!

Of course I could not forget the horse and pony grazing across the street!

So nice for spring to return. 

This was one of my favorites calls that I have made and if I were 20 years younger I would be tempted to buy this place.  It needs a lot of TLC but the views and the countryside is gorgeous.

Three Poppies

 "Three Poppies"

23"X 26"

Pieced, Raw Edged Fused Applique,

Machine Quilted.

With another huge snowstorm dropping about 14 inches of snow on us just when we could see a bit of grass, I decided to spend the day in my studio working on the flowers to complete my pieced background.   To solve the problem of the H's (see previous post) I fused over them.  Bet you can't find them now!

I wanted the dead heads, stems and leaves to come in and out of the background while the flowers 

were the center of attention.  I wanted that lush spring green feel with the sense of sunlight peaking through the foliage.   I think I accomplished that.

When I do a lot of quilting I like to take breaks and begin another piece.  So I fused this background together.  This one will be titled "Reflection". 

I have not put the foreground pieces on yet. but I am happy with it so far.

My Pods Finished - New Start - On the Lake

Here is the completed "My Pods". I think I will smile everytime I look at this piece since
it was supposed to be a nice small quicky and I think I spent more time on this then other quilts that I made. This was partly due to the quilting error made. However, I was rescued with great
quilters giving me tips on how I could save this and not hide it in a closet. First, I colored the threads that crossed over the pods and leaves to match and not stand out so badly.

Then I over quilted some detail stitches on top of the pods and leaves.
It worked! I am actually happy with the movement and action on this little quilt as I wanted
it to reflect the music that is listened too each day and as loud or soft as I want!

I was doing double duty finishing up "My Pods" and beginning the background to my next quilt on my featherweight. I like using it for seaming just to keep it in use and keep the oil flowing.

I cut apart a great piece of fabric I had in my stash and reassembled it. I wanted the water to look more in motion and wavy.
More to come later.

Since it is our vacation I thought I would show the lake we went fishing on. It is called
"Bullhead Lake". Not a very nice name. It was small and we probably will not go back because of that, but it was still beautiful and peaceful. I enjoyed "discovering" a lake I had never heard of that was only one hour away.

Here is my hubby getting a pole ready for me. I am a fairly good fisherwoman but not so
good at getting my pole set up to fish. I do put on my own bait though, so I am no wimp about that. Bob is so good helping me get set up even when we both forgot our reading glasses!!!

Butterflies Are Free Binding

Spent part of the weekend finishing the quilting on "Butterflies are Free". Then yesterday I put on my first chenille yarn binding. I have mixed feelings, maybe because I am not used to this type of binding. Maybe I just used the wrong yarn? I need input. Does it add interest and texture or detract?

By the way...the allium flowers are embroidered on the edge and I used trapunto for some dimension and depth.

Urban Sprawl Completed

Trust me ....this quilt ended up square. I hung it on my studio wall with an odd ball hanger and took the photo. When I downloaded it on the computer I see it looks all distorted. I will have to retake it on the floor and shoot from above. Regardless, it is finished. I am happy with it. I did add some tulle clouds in the sky for the look of smog but then ripped them all out after. I did not want the message to be about pollution as much as the sprawl of city, suburbia and big box store encroaching on what is left of our countryside. The trees symbolize bars trying to keep the encroachment at bay. It is raw edged fused appliqued, quilted and designed by me. If you view the closeups you can see some raveling on the trees. I want this in my quilts. I feels it adds texture and a naturalistic feel to the setting. I also like to reinforce the fact that my quilts ARE fiber not paint, not printed, but fiber. I personally like to see what fiber brings to a piece in the texture, raveling, threads, weave, print, dye etc. I hope you all enjoyed this journey with me.

A little more of a detail shot.

The campers tent.

The bridge to a quiet spot.

The farm, still holding on, while subdivisions crowd him out and a road divides him from his own house.

Red Barn

Red Barn is complete. This was a fun quilt to make and I enjoyed working on it. It measures approximately 16"X24" and I decided to bind it with the same fabric used on the trees.
Used different quilting designs in different areas, made the buildings more whimsical and
wanted just an uncomplicated setting of peacefulness.

Beaded Poppies

Beaded Poppies is complete with the exception of hand sewing the binding on the back. I thought I would go ahead and photograph it anyway. I could not get very good photos for some reason. Tried different lighting etc, but it just does not show the beads like it should and the orange and turquoise is not real true. I loved the look of the closeups so I included them just for fun. When I finish the binding tonight I will rephotograph the entire quilt with borders and the back.

I do not know what I will do now while watching tv! It was nice to do some hand work. Maybe I will do another.

I spent much of my evening last night reading magazines that I have not had the time to do more then page through before. So much information in them. Really enjoyed Quilting Arts magazine this month. Lots of techniques I want to try this summer with paints and dyes. SAQA's magazine is very technical and requires my mind to be wide awake when I read it, so that will have to wait until the morning one day or perhaps I will take it to work and try to read it there.
Then Quilters Newsletter had a survey I wanted to participate in. It was quite long but I have subscribed to that magazine from the very beginning and felt like it was my obligation to let them know what I still like and do not like about it now. Anyway, by entering you are automatically eligible for an ipod! :)

Now it is back to "The Girls".