May 12, 2015

Tomorrow is my 41st birthday. I'm seeing all those crow's feet and age spots and gray hairs. I'm dreaming of the summer I was 22 and was able to wear a bikini with a pierced navel in public.

With these thoughts I created "Fleeting Beauty."

The root system is based on a human spinal column. It is made from couched thread and embroidery.

I used huge pieces of gorgeous hand-dyed fabric from Carol Eaton. This piece really looked like a rose garden to me the moment I saw it. I mixed in some commercial fabrics.

The quote comes from the Rubaiyat, Verse XXVIII.

Oh, come with old Khayyam, and leave the Wise

To talk; one thing is certain, that Life flies; 

One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies; 

The Flower that once has blown forever dies. 

I really liked the zig zag edges when I had finished piecing the diagonal rows so I decided to try and keep them. I thought facing them would be too difficult. So I sewed the quilt together like a pillowcase and flipped it right side out, pushed out all the corners as best I could, then quilted it.

Yes, I am painting the finished quilt. I thought those white roots needed a little extra strength to show up better, so I went over them with some pearly white Tsukineko ink using a fantastik.

Here's to 41, and another trip around the sun.

October 9, 2014

It's been a week of lots of finishes. I'm a deadline motivated type of gal.

Two quilts done and relinquished to the Quilt Bingo committee.

Amalia quilted and bound this one for me. I just had a label to slap on the back.

I quilted this one myself, and made some fun binding out of feedsack that I just love.

I call it "Catching Fire", and added a Mockingjay symbol. (from the Hunger Games trilogy if you are not familiar.)

I finished up a small series I started in a class several years ago.They started with a panel of nursery rhymes. They are fused collage and a bit of paint.

I embellished each one with some buttons and a hanging ribbon.

I finished up a hanging for my door. It only needed binding and a few embellishments.

And, lastly, I whipped up a wall hanging from an old Nancy Crow panel. It will be a bonus prize at Quilt Bingo.

June 19, 2014

Last weekend was the Annapolis Quilt Guild annual show. Baltimore Applique Society was the special exhibitors and I had two quilts in the exhibit.

I also did a demonstration on making circles with Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Circles.  I'm always learning little tips here and there, more tools for my toolbox. Here's a great tip on making circles I read on the blog A Few of My Favorite Things today.

Tuesday  I made some fun blocks of the month in "desert colors", not a palette I often use.

Wednesday, I took a fun class with Lauren Kingsland called Quilting to your Center. We made meditative designs based on Indian kolam.

September 10, 2013

I'm having too much fun adding embellishments to my crazy brains blocks.

August 24, 2013

to save some time, i added some of my embellishments with my sewing machine and clear thread. i'm having fun with embellishments and embroidery on these crazy blocks.

October 8, 2012

I've been a busy beading bee, working on my series of small quilts from Deborah Boschert's class.