Friday, May 23, 2008

Spring CQ...Wisteria and Cornflower

There are indeed some flowers blooming now, in spite of ALL OUR RAIN (this is getting to be a sore subject), so I decided to add my first flowers to the inner portion of the quilt....timidly, along the edges, and blending in with their backgrounds...but still, the first flowers have gone on!

Let's start with the wisteria....

The blooms are a little more violet colored here, but that was the ribbon I had on hand.
Can you see the burned-edge silk leaves above the blooms?

This is a nice way to get a finished edge, and you get that little black outline, too.

The cornflowers in the garden are a robust and actually quite invasive plant. I try and restrain them to one area of the garden....

These were a favorite flower of my mom's so I love growing them. The ants love them too, and crawl all over them.

Cornflower supplies! (*Freda, do you recognize the shiny ribbon and the cool black thread?*)

The first clump.
I think these are going to spread out on my quilt, too, just like they do in the garden...I'll add some more in a spot where they will show up a little better.
And of course I will have to sew on some ants....then the chives will go on.

I want to thank you all for your lovely comments as I work along on this quilt. Lucinda from Belvedere Beads said it was like watching a romance unfold. That is how it feels to me, for sure...

18 comments :

Possibilities, Etc. said...

This is so gorgeous! Trite things like "dawn of creation" keep popping into my head - like a very large garden beginning to bud and then come into full bloom with the sun finally shining.

Anonymous said...

Your work is always so inspiring. Thank you for sharing your talents with us!

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh my...your flowers a beautiful! Both real flowers and the fabric ones!!

Susan Elliott said...

Loving that wisteria flowing over all those blocks taking your eye from the green to the purple...mmmm...also love the spunkiness of your cornflower. How creative!

Unknown said...

love love love the cornflowers!@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Barbara C said...

Both flowers are so lovely!

Summerset said...

So beautiful! Very inspiring - keep sharing!

Jo in NZ said...

Wow. I love the wisteria, and your cornflowers...did you come up with those.Ingenious.
I just tried your burnt silk leaves. Piccie on my blog. They're great.

Deb Hardman said...

Your flowers are lovely, both the live & the silk.

I use a cautery pen to burn my fabric. It gives me a little more control, & less likely to set my studio on fire! I am a big KLUTZ!

Sue Krekorian said...

Exquisite!

Threadspider said...

One day it would be great if you could come and stitch my garden too...I can't believe the growth on your quilt in the two weeks I have been away. Just like in the garden.

Willa said...

Very cool Allie... I always wanted to try and emulate a photo or something like that on a piece. Great to see it get done! Gorgeous. You little artista you!

Judy S. said...

Wonderful flowers, Allie! Oh how I wish we had wisteria in our garden, but we do have cornflowers here as well. Your quilt is SO lovely! It's fun to watch your thread garden grow!

Anonymous said...

O how lovely you can make those flowers. I never knew our "Blue Rain" is officially called Wisteria. I learned that from a gardeningprogramme at the BBC. But not nice that you have so much real rain!

CJ STITCHING AND BLOOMS said...

Hello Allie, It seems like I am always the last on your comment list but never the less I love visiting and seeing your beautiful CQ being created. I have always wanted to try and burn the edge of silk ribbon but always was a bit hestiant. After seeing your demo I reckon I could do it too. Also I love seeing your garden blooming. Thanks Judy

Gail said...

Allie, lovely flowers both in stitches and in real life. Do you know the botanical name for your corn flowers? I have not seen these before and it is not what I call corn flower or Echineacia, they are really lovely flowers.

Cat said...

Wow Allie, this is beautiful! I've been contemplating Wisteria lately and might plant some to climb the arbor when it is finished. You make it look delightful in silk!

Esther Gregory said...

I love seeing the details. It's amazing how subtle the flowers look on the whole quilt zoom. I'd suggest not using Robert eating a flower as your centerpiece :-P