Some scraps and glue

I've been trying to finish up a piece that uses the technique of Sue Carlson.  You know, the one where she uses all types of fabrics and composes pictures of imaginary creatures.

It's basically a type of collage, except using fabric rather than paper.  Glue still comes in handy though.  Here is a close up of what I mean.

I'm once again working with complimentary colours and using a simple shape.  I would like to get this finished by the end of December so that I can use it as a sample piece when I describe the technique to my local fibre art group (QuArtz).

This is how far I have managed to get but there is still a way to go.

Till the next time, let the creative muse settle on your shoulder and whisper in your ear.

Begin WIP reduction

Like so many other quilters I found my self tripping over fabric on the floor, the cutting table, the sewing machine table and on every available shelf.  Time to "deal with it" to some degree.

After making a quilt for a family member, my step-mother had sufficient pieced blocks and fabric left over that I managed to get them off the table by piecing this lap quilt.  It's rather simple with just 9-patches and setting blocks, but it will keep someone cozy.

It's all pinned and ready for some free motion quilting.  That cleared the cutting table.   Now for the next thing to begin.

A visit with Australian fabric

I belong to a group called "Quilters Without Borders".  When we meet we study the quilting aesthetic of other countries.  Our initial two meetings dealt with Japan.  Our last meeting (and I suspect this next one coming) dealt with Australia.

We are invited to create something that relates to what we have studied and invited to bring it to the following meeting to share.  Well of course this meant that I just had to go and add to my stash with some wonderful Australian fabric.

After doing some studying with mirrors,

I cut up the fabric into 60 degree diamonds and came up with this.

This was based on an aboriginal story about seven sisters, hence the pattern.  The Australian fabric I used have depictions of  waterholes and footprints which I thought fit with the legend.  There were enough diamonds left over that I created this little table topper too.

Now I'm off to work on my Tangled Textiles piece.

Till the next time...

"Do or do not; there is no try"-- Yoda

Exciting News!

I recently sent a submission for the Canadian Quilters Association National Juried Show.  I have been waiting to find out if my quilt had been accepted.  It was the first time I had entered a quilt into a national show and one that is juried.  Imagine my excitement when I found this in my mailbox:

"I am pleased to inform you that your entry has been accepted in the CQA/ACC National Juried Show 2013"

Let's just say, I spent 20 minutes dancing around the house!  Now I just have to calm down enough to fill in the required additional documents and figure out how to package the quilt so that it arrives safely for display.

On another note, I finished up a quilt that consists of blocks made by some friends.  Here is a picture.

I've called it Scraps of Value.  Each of us were given instructions to select dark and light scraps; we could choose any colour and had to precut our scraps to predetermined sizes.  We also didn't know what colours the others had chosen, nor were we given the pattern for the block until we got together.

After setting all of our pieces out to share, we discovered that the majority of the colours chosen were within the "cool" spectrum.  We were given block piecing instructions and each of us made a "dark" and "light" block.  Here is a closer picture of what I mean.

 

Look closely... the block with the dark star has a dark border; the light star, a light border.  Initially we thought that the blocks wouldn't work well together, but when put up on the design wall all of us noted it was the value that created the pattern.  Of course it helped and was an added bonus that we had picked colours from the cool side of the colour wheel, but I think it would have worked even with multi colours.  It just would have projected a more vibrant mood rather than the calm one these blocks did.  Its the value that did the work!  Who would have "thunk" it.

 

Till the next time... pieceful sewing!