GEESE

A lot of progress in this piece since the last post. The geese were time consuming  to first draw and than construct out of very small pieces.  I waited to make the final placement until they were all completed and now am happy with how it looks.  Next step, quilting down them and the larger chopped cornstalks.  This may take a bit of time especially with all the holiday prep that will be in between.

I am enjoying the construction of this and am happy to have snow somewhere since, so far, it has been a very mild winter and there is nothing on the ground.  It is even staying above freezing!  I guess those Greenbush Ladies at the church cookout know more than the Farmers Almanac!

SUNFLOWERS

 I love overdyed fabric but have no time to do it myself so always look for pieces when out at Quilt Shows or in fabric shoppes.   Here is one that I have saved for exactly this piece.  I have quilted it so it is ready for the flowers.   

 Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers and I have planted a few in my yard this year.  I have done them in the past so I do not use a drawing but instead just free cut all of the pieces and construct it on my teflon sheet.

Had to include a partially open one.......which will be even better once quilted.

 I like place them on the quilt knowing in my mind what will still be coming.....you will have to wait to find you. 

Now I add their stems and may add a few of their leaves that are behind their stems before fusing and quilting.

I am happy when working on sundlowers....they have so much personality...joy in the beginning and then sadness at the end.

CONEFLOWERS

 "CONEFLOWERS"

21 1/2" X 10 1/2"

Original Design

Rawedged fused applique

Machine quilted

 Details of quilting

I like to make small quilts for two reasons.  The first being that they will be great for gifts or in my Etsy Shoppe for someone who can not afford the larger pieces but still would like a fiber art piece.  The second reason is it spans the gap between quilts when you have nothing in mind to start yet.  I have though about a few ideas but am distracted with everyday life right now.  Summer likes to do that because it is the time you can find many fun things to do all around you.  So this....does not take a lot of thought....and makes you feel good all at the same time.

MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY

MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY

30" X 30"

Original Design

Rawedged Fused Applique

Machine Quilted

Not for sale at this time

THE JOURNEY

I love making poppies and this journey was no exception.  I don't know why but the leaves the stems the flower the buds all are exciting to do.  Perhaps it is the movement of the whole thing...always looking like they are swaying in the wind.  Perhaps it is just the thoughts I had while working on it.  Whatever it is...I enjoy it all from the start to the finish.

Thank you to all who have taken this journey with me.  Hopefully I will start a new one soon and you will join me once again.

Thank you so very much.

SAND HILL CRANES

I have finished all the quilting on this piece for all the additions.  Whew!  That took me a long time.   So now....you will see that I have added a pair of Sand Hill Cranes.  We have many of them here and I hear them every day and see them fly over the house.  I just need to go down our road a bit and I can see them out in the fields.  So I had to interpret them in a piece.

I am using my tissue paper drawing to place them in the scene moving them around in different locations until I like the placement.  Right now this is looking pretty good to me.

TREES AND SHADOWS

How about a few trees and some shadows to set the mood of this piece.   More to come but so far it is coming along as I hoped for.

So much going on this month....mother's day, my birthday, my son's birthday, my daughter's birthday!!!   All fun and joyous events.

Next month will be my mother's 91st bday which I am hosting and then Father's day and my husband and my Anniversary....so summer continues to be full.

Hope all is well in your lives...and you continue to follow along with me in this journey.

HEART TO HEART

"HEART TO HEART"

31" X 17"

An interpretation from a photograph taken by Natalie Rowe of two horses, Sarah and Limerick

Raw edged fused applique, machine quilted

Framed over stretcher bars

by 

Barbara Strobel Lardon

This art quilt was a pleasure for me to work on.  The theme being, horses, sunflowers and trees, who could ask for more.   When I saw this photograph I was immediately moved by the tenderness between these two horses and I just had to make this into an art piece.   

 Sarah and Limerick by Natalie Rowe

THE JOURNEY

THE TEAM

 Today is the day to let you all know what the main subject matter is for this quilt.  It is this team of horses in their harnesses.   A friend of mine has a friend who owns these two beauties and she took a photo over a year ago of them and gave me permission to use it if I wanted to.  I have saved it until now when I knew what setting I wanted them in.  So I sketched them on tissue and now will attempt to recreate them in fabric.  This will take some time as you can see there it a lot of detail.  I will take photos as I go to show you the good the bad and the ugly depending on how it goes.

Debbie, you asked to see a closeup of my sunflower center and how I am quilting it.  I chose to allow the fabric to do most of the work and just quilt circles throughout the center.

Hope all of you are warm...we are in a cold spell....tonight -21 degrees.  Yikes!

MORE SUNFLOWERS

Now all the sunflowers are added.    They still need to be quilted but then I will move on to the main subject matter.   You will find out what it is soon....a challenge for sure...but hopefully will be all that I hope for.  Stay tuned.

SUNFLOWERS

I am adding more sunflowers as I move towards the foreground.  I quilt each part as I go....first the stalks, then the leaves, then the petals and last the pods.  Takes time to change the thread colors but well worth it.  Next will com the very closest flowers.

There is a lot of come....as you have probably guessed to fill the left side.  You will have to wait to find out what it is.

TREES

I must apologize for my lack of posting much on this piece so far however...quilting these branches take time and my time in the studio is still limited.   They are finished now and it is time to move into the mid-ground now...I am excited about this piece and hope it works out as I envision it.

FEELING FOLLOWS BEHAVIOR

 It was difficult beginning anew.  It has been a difficult road we have been on ...but my husband is doing fairly well...baby steps towards full recovery...but getting there.  He suffered a second heart attack after having attempted to put in two stents.  He is home for a week now and doing better each day thanks partly to all of your well wishes and prayers.

So today is the first day in the studio.....and it was a difficult start.  However, I read my little saying that I keep in here for just this reason.  It says "Feeling Follows Behavior". 

So without any direction I began a background for a landscape.  The longer I worded on it the more ideas began popping into my head and now....I know exactly where I am going.

"Deer Trace"

"Deer Trace"

25 1/2" X 18"

Raw edged fused applique

Inktense pencil

Tulle Fog

I must admit that this piece had its challenges and I almost gave up on it.  However, I persevered and am fairly happy with the results.  I always remember looking down into the field by our house growing up, and seeing the deer in the early morning.  They would be nervous as the daylight crept in but could not resist a few more bites of the fresh spring grass before heading back into the woods.

Not sure I would use the tulle as extensively the next time.  I hate working with invisible thread even though it moved through the machine well.  It is just hard to handle and not my favorite but for the fog it does disappear well.   I chose to try using a new product I have been hearing about which is the inktense pencil.  It is like a colored pencil but if you take a wet brush to it afterwards it blends right in.  I used it to shade the edges of the tree and its branches and I thought it worked nicely.  I also used it on the deer's bodies for shading    Hope you enjoyed the rocky road journey with me.   On to another adventure.

This piece will be available in my Etsy Shoppe:                  Etsy Shoppe