Gift

Gift
98" x 98"

The only thing missing is the bow!  ...well, that and the quilting.  I fully expected to have this quilt done by this time.  However, my other art quilts have been stealing my time.  And, I am not ready to quilt this one just yet, I thought I would show you some variations on a theme, done on my computer....just because it is fun!

I quickly threw this project together in a few days with batik and dyeing.  However, it is a simple pattern that could be easily pieced.  Beauty in a simple form!  I took some big pieces (about fat quarter sized), folded in half twice, dipped the edges in wax.  Then the standard, bleach discharge, and overdye.  Boil out the wax, trim each block (now about 19.5" square), and stitch together.

 And, as much as I like bright colors, I couldn't help but think that this would look good in some other color palettes.  And so, I took a photo and uploaded into Photoshop.  Then with the magic wand tool, I went around the quilt selected different colors, and replacing with other colors. Here are two, a lovely pastel collection, and one in black and white and grey.

The possibilities are endless!  And the idea of designing quilts on the computer is not a new one.  I will say that nothing compares to standing in front of the real quilt.  Computer screens do not take scale into account.  A tiny photo that looks pretty on the computer screen does not evoke the same feeling as the full scale project.  It is fun though!

A Year Ago Today

A Year Ago Today
 I am celebrating the recovery of my accident today.   Last year on this day, I was in surgery to repair the tendon that ripped on my thumb from my bicycle fall. Now, a year later, I am recovered probably as much as I will be.  A little stiff, a little slow, and I drop a lot, but it doesn't keep me from working!  Still loving my colors, batik, and quilting!


Yellow Windows
21" x 21"
From here to there.  Picking out fabrics.  The top one is an extra that I batiked without a plan for it. The bottom is a commercial print from Malka Dubrowsky.  Looks good, yes?

 

 Ever wonder what happened to the holes I cut out from this quilt?  See High Rise.

I saved them, in a box, collecting dust and cat hair, the saving was intentional, the dust and cat hair was not.  lol!!  Then I pulled them out, dusted them off and fused them onto this piece, to give it a little color.  Then arranged and auditioned the borders, two of mine balanced with two of Malkas.

 Sequence, sequence, sequence....first quilt; then satin stitch.

Next, I added some hand stitching.  I love this part.  I had originally planned to stitch all the squares the same, but then changed my mind.  I like this more random confluence better.

 Here's a close up of some of the hand stitching. 

 Last, a photo of the texture.  It is just so luscious!

And, not a finished project yet.  Can't decide to make this into wall art, or a giant pillow??

Quilting Arts Magazine and our Artist Village

Quilting Arts Magazine and our Artist Village

Our Artist Village is published in this month's Quilting Arts Magazine!  I am so excited!  The article looks fantastic with closeups of some of the houses.  It is accompanied by an article I wrote about how I constructed my house.  It is a fabulous issue and has a special about another exhibit that I participated in (though my quilt was not selected for this issue).  The quilts chosen were awesome!  And the one by Susan Brubaker Knapp is gracing the cover.  A special honor for her, especially when you read the story about her quilt.  Judy Perez also wrote an interesting article about DeColourant.  And the Twelve by Twelves also make an appearance!  It is a fantastic issue!  An honor to be a part of it!

New Pillows and How Scary is This??

New Pillows and How Scary is This??

Okay, the first two photos, NOT scary.  I had a few experiments with some batik, and thought it would be lovely to see some of Malka Dubrawsky's new fabric line, A Stitch in Color, and see if they look good together.  We use a similar style and color palette, so I was hoping.....YES!! It looks fabulous together!  I look forward to these two projects....and wishing I had access to more of her line to play with.  The store I went to, only had a few of hers...but it looks good, yes? (Mine is on the right side, Malka's is on the left).

Update:  I just ordered MORE of Malka's fabric at Marmalade Fabrics, as there was a link on Malka's blog.  Yeah!  I can't wait until they arrive!
 This is the scary part.  I love, love, love the quilt top.  But it is really, really, really big.  And, my machine has not been feeling well lately.  It's been sewing with big birds' nests on the back.  And if you don't know what that is, you are lucky.  And if you do know what that is, I am sorry that you know!  lol!  Suffice to say, it's not pretty.  And everything I did to "fix" the problem, did absolutely nothing. For two days!! Frustrating!!  Meanwhile, I want to start sewing this big, mammoth, gigantic quilt but now I am scared.  And it is physically difficult to move around in interesting patterns under the machine...and, I don't want to mess it up!!  Twenty seconds of courage and the first stitch later...it is going okay.