Sunday, March 30, 2008
Art bra quilt - block
Phew! Made it! I finished both blocks for the art bra quilt! The theme this year was butterflies and the colors are yellow, salmon, green, lilac and periwinkle....The silkie is a butterfly fairy flying in the sky with butterfly friends tethered to her! She is soaring as I hope the women who are fighting breast cancer will do. The next picture is a butterfly angel of sorts, freeing the flowers and butterflies as she spreads her wings.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
CQ Promotion! Clarified!
It occurred to me that I was possibly not "specific" enough with my intentions in my original post on CQ Promoters and what I would like to "see" happen with a crazy quilt organization! In my mind, and dreams....hopes....etc. this is a global concern....not just American. We need to step up and let our voices be heard thru our artistically created cquey singing . We need to let people know we ARE the foundation of embroidery, brazilian embroidery, beading, metal work, goldwork, redwork, ad infinitum. ALLLLL is shared thru the medium known as a crazy quilt! It is ALL about expression of self. Of who we are, want to be, want to share. Its about sharing a piece of US......... soooo, please if you live somewhere other than the US, I hope that you will consider joining us at CQ promoters....and furthering our ART!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Ogalala Butterfly Beading
I have a cyber beading bud that shared some directions from a class she had taken. The sample she sent me was for a bracelet, but I took one look at it and knew it would be a neat seam treatment or addition to the art dolls I was doing! SOOO, I jumped in and gave it try! It worked! As can be seen on my "Forest Within" piece. I also decided to put it on a doll I was making for a swap with Judy at Christmas! She fell in love with it and after trying to explain it thru email, I called and talked her thru it! She is now attaching it to everything!! LOL!! She also requested that I do a small tutorial on it, sooo, at l
ong last, i'm getting it done!
ong last, i'm getting it done!The first thing you want to do is lay down a line of stitches on the doll or cabachon or seam. I typically thread 4 beads, go thru the fabric, wrap back up thru the last two beads then proceed in this way, adding 3, back 2, add 3, etc. until I have a line the length that I want. Then you will need to come back up (after securing the last bead underneath) directly next to the bead.
Thread 3 beads onto your thread/needle, skip over the first bead and go thru the second bead. You will then thread 3 more beads, skip over a bead then go thru the 4th bead. Progress in this way, adding 3 beads, skipping one, thru a bead until you have reached the end of the line of beads you laid down. Go under the fabric, secure your stitch and come back up directly next to the last bead. This time you will thread on 5 beads and the go to the middle bead of the 3 (at the top of the hill basically). Then, thread 5 more beads, thru the middle bead on the second batch of 3 beads and so on until you reach the end. At this point you will see a distinct ruffle forming. This stitch can be done with up to 7 beads per "hill", but I tend to stop at 5 as it gives enough fringe for most of my projects! 
In this last picture you can tell fairly clearly the difference between three and five beads. The face has been wrapped with five and the body is going to be left at three.
In this last picture you can tell fairly clearly the difference between three and five beads. The face has been wrapped with five and the body is going to be left at three. I hope you enjoy this stitch! I surely do! If you need any help or further directions, please let me know and I will do my best to help you!
CQ Promotions!
With the new year, I have been walking to a different beat and have decided to begin working towards the person I am evolving into. This will be a big year for me age wise... still not telling how much or when, but being around for any length of time tends to change a person's perspective about things. I am totally in LOVE with crazy quilting and all that is involved with it. It is an ever changing world that grows and consistently maintains my interest. That all being said, I have noticed there is a sad lack of attention paid to these gorgeous pieces of art! This is evident when a person peeks into assorted magazines, etc. and sees that crazy quilts are NOT selected as award winning quilts! Of course, they cannot be judged in the same fashion as a regular quilt as they are fundamentally a composite of many techniques. Simply put, crazy quilts are NOT the same beast.
Why am I babbling on about this, you ask? Well, I have just created a new yahoo group with the sole purpose of bringing this wonderful art form into the public eye and treated as the magnificent work that it is! It is my hope that with the combined efforts of interested parties, current artists and authors, etc. that we will be able to establish a crazy quilt association that stands on its own in a similar fashion to AQS. We will create standards by which crazy quilts are judged, develop sponsorships with corporations so that cq events can be held successfully. We will bring crazy quilting into the mainstream conciousness as the art form that it is.
If you are interested in joining in this effort, I would love to have you join us! Please let me know and I will happily send you an invitation! I appreciate you taking the time to read my humble missives and look forward to chatting with more of you in the near future!
Spring in the Rockies!
What a difference a night makes!! Went to bed with my snow bells blooming happily, grass sprouting, pussy willows popping....toooooo, BRRRRR!!! LOL!! If you click on the picture, it will take you over to Flickr where you can see a couple more "chilly" sites!
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Fabulous Fans rr - Bonnie's Block
This piece is from another "DYB" rr I am in at CQI! Bonnie requested that the fan be stitched as the primary focal point and the rest of the block be embellished neutrally. For some reason this was a challenge for me, which is good! I LIKE challenges! LOL!! Sooo, this is what I came up with! It's so very nice to have a full block to focus on! Tis the reason I enjoy DYB rr's so much! I did a lot of SRE roses, some bullion and cast on roses and then re-discovered in my stash some silk trim, which I used to make the spider web roses! I liked the twisty effect of it as it made the roses appear to be more real! I used Edmar thread for the feather stitching and small fans and layered the leading edge of the large fan with about......six different stitches to create a lacey look! Anyway....I hope Bonnie enjoys it and am looking forward to seeing the other blocks as they are worked up!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Final landscape entry
YEAH!!! It is DONE!!! This is the last time you will have to look at this! LOL!! If you click on this pic it will take you to Flickr and you can see some closeup of the flowers and trees! It was good fun to do and i'm SOOO very happy it is done! Now...to submit it!
Jewels on Black RR - Jo
This is Jo's block for the Jewels on Black. I had some neat old mop buttons and some other vintage buttons that I created a button trail with. I also did the fly stitch lace, and the black patch with the red butterfly, white roses and red feathery fern!
Encrusted RR - Ati's block
This is a pic of the work I did for Ati in our Encrusted rr! I created a little wheelbarrow....added the blubird, the bird houses, cherry tree and tulips, butterfly and dragon fly. I also did the violets along the fan seam....but not the fan. I believe our VERY competent Ms. Cobi did that gem from beginning to end!
Ullas new blocks
I recently participated in a round robin with some new to cq folks... It was a sampler rr. Well....two of the blocks didn't make it home to their owner....they are adrift in the mail system SOMEWHERE. Sooo, I made up a couple of replacement blocks, as close as I could to her originals.
I then did a couple of the first batches of stitches and have now lauched them onto their journey thru a few more seasoned stitchers and then home. They BETTER get home anyway! LOL!! Enjoy! I hope Ulla likes them!Friday, February 22, 2008
Landscape progress
Just a quick update on the landscape. I'm narrowing in on the finish..still a bit to do, especially to help with the mountains, but its getting there, I think!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Landscape progress
Though i'd post a progress report on the landscape i'm working on. I'm not sure about the died sunflower.....if I leave it it will be beaded... I did finally finish the tree....and have some buffalo that will live in the valley between the two trees. I have some running horses that I need to pre-embroider to see if they would work in the the other field. I hope, they would look neat I think. Anyway.....gotta go put on more flowers! :_)
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Landscapes
I've been back in a landscape mode again and am making a couple for a special event... and wanted to share with all of you. This is the overall picture of one of them....altho I have changed the fabric in between the two trees since I took the pic. This next pic is a closeup of the trunks. Thennnnnn, the next pic is of another landscapey/gardeney item i'm working on. It's a little scewed (I need to take another pic). Enjoy!
Friday, February 08, 2008
2008 artbra block1
These are the beginning pics of two blocks I am working on for the art bra quilt. This is an annual project that is done for breast cancer. This year it sounds like the quilt will be donated to the Burlington Hospital BC Center. How kewl is that? The hopes is that it will let those folks going thru treatment know that they are being thought and cared about across the world! The theme this year is butterflies and the colors are salmon, yellow, periwinkle, green and cream.... YUMMY spring colors. My initial plan with this butterflies was to have strips of color radiating out, but it just wasn't looking right, sooo, I adapted it into cq wings on a cq cream back ground. I will now bead a fimo face on and create a body of sorts. I may bead it as well. The second block I am working on...... will have dimensional free standing lace butterflies on it so it will be a different look from my first one! Enjoy!
Monday, February 04, 2008
T&T Amy
This is another "angel" stitching job that I finished up! I hoppd all over the block so there will be several pics! Enjoy!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Tone on Tone stitching
I recently had to do some round robin "Angel" stitching duties.... one of the blocks is Jo's in New Zealand.This is a pic of the block as it came to me.....Then this next shot is of the overall area that I worked on, the a little more closeup shot of several sections. I've been on a "spidey" creating thing lately and so I took a closeup of the one I did for Jo! Enjoy!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
CURVES
This year at CQI we have a monthly challenge. It goes as far as we want to take it. One of the pieces of the challenge this month is curves! I LOVE curves!! BUT....I haven't been able to do them on the machine! After MUCH wandering and guidance and trepidation... I finally sat down at my machine and we reached a truce!!! I have the basic idea down now of how to do this! Now i'll have to actually PLAN a block so I can utilize it my new skill! LOL!! I'm not usually much of a planner because that opens the door a crack to my inner critic that i'm ALWAYS trying to shove away! But.... I have one idea I would like to try so I think i'll map it out, dye some fabric (that bit is necessary for this idea to work) and then try and piece. Now....to find the fabric! LOL!!
cq flour sack blocks
Well.....these blocks have their own charm and certainly aren't the most gorgeous...but I suddenly realized that they are PERFECT for a challenge we have going on at CQI for our novice stitchers! We are doing a sampler of stitches and what better palette than these? Sooo, i'm going to stitch them, one stitch with variations, per block. When they are done, I think this will make a perfect throw! Soooo, utilitarian in ALL ways!
forest within
I'm sure many of you remember when I first posted this last year. It's been languishing on the design table for a bit....waiting for me to sit still long enough to work on it. Surgeries are over...its a New Year...what better time?? Sooo...I have finally gotten some blocks pulled together (more to come) to go with it! This piece is reallllly speaking to me so i'm hoping I can hold onto that energy and get it further along! I initially had thought that I could do tone on tone blocks surrounding this, but they just were flat looking...so a bit of revision and this is where i'm traveling with them now. I still need more color variation I think but I need a LOT more blocks too so i'm hopefully on the right track now!
Civil war replica blocks
I am SO excited. I am joining in on the project with Cindy Thury Smith and will be stitching these two blocks for her. These pictures are of the blocks she sent me to work on. These blocks are HUGE.... at least 14 inches!!! She is re-creating a crazy quilt that will hang in the LeDuc mansion! Apparently they were very linear in their work, so i'm hoping that the herringbone and cretan type stitches with variations will be a good interpretation! Anyway, this is a good experience and I look forward to seeing the quilt when its complete! Its somehow comforting to know that at least a teensy piece of something I have stitched on will live on in history! VBG!
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