Thursday, January 15, 2009

Travel Project

We don't leave until tomorrow, so I've been keeping the pedal (the sewing machine pedal, that is) to the metal to get a project ready to work on while we are away.

Since pushing so hard on the experimental side of crazy quilting has worn out my brain a bit--that Cottage CQ has been hard--I've hankered to do something traditional and familiar. When you see my Alliance CQ it will look familiar to some of you, too.
And yes, this is going to be my contest entry!

Let's start with the day before yesterday.....

I don't spend a lot of time on my drawings, do I?

I did decide to graph this quilt out, though. I knew I'd be tracing my fan blocks off this drawing, and the center oval, so wanted to be fairly accurate.
I thought I was going to use some of that cool black and white fabric there, but I ended up not. It will look great on the back, though.

I've done a zillion "cut out flower" quilts--or Broderie Perse--in the past, but never combined them with floral embroidery on top of the collaged flower fabrics.
So I guess this will be a little experimental, after all.

This process felt SO familiar. I spent years during the 1990's doing this...cutting out the flowers, spraying them on the wrong side with 505 Spray and Fix, smoothing them into a collage....

....until "done".
The next step is zigzagging around the cut edges with a clear monofilament thread.
Got that done Monday night.

Yesterday I spent piecing, which is so fun and which I don't get to do nearly often enough. Crazy quilting takes so long...the piecing is maybe 5% of the time spent on a project. Anyway, I got the border squares, fans, and central black section all done by last night.

This morning all was assembled.

It's a lot like my "H" quilt. It is 16" X 16".
Gotta fix that wonky oval...I'll deal with that later.
I've interfaced the back, zigzagged the perimeter...and now I just need to pull out some threads, ribbons, and needles for embroidering this on my trip.

Oh, and I had better pack some clothes, too...
Thanks for your bon voyages....next stop, Mexico!

26 comments :

Amy Munson said...

Allie, I really like the center flower arrangement and the combinaton of the broderie perse and crazy quilting is striking. Have fun in Mexico. Sounds warm, it was -44 this morning on my way to work

Anonymous said...

It is -7 in Illinois right now! Have fun in sunny warm Mexico.

I love the design!

Jean said...

WoW! I am so impressed by how quickly you work! The colors are great! And the fans are nice... they add a pop!
Have fun... hope you packed the sunscreen!

Christine said...

Allie, isn't Broderie Perse fun? I was asked to do an interpretation of the famous Rajah quilt recently for an exhibition in a local gallery.The original had a broderie perse wreath around some tiny cross stitched words. I couldn't exactly match the flowers used in 1830, VBG, but I made a good attempt thanks to the back, cut and arrange techique. I love your bouquet of flowers so much, looking forward to seeing the finished piece. Have a great holiday!!
Hooroo,
Christine
http://missmuffettwo.blogspot.com/

Paula Hewitt said...

I cannot believe how quickly you put this together - it is going to look great. have a wonderful trip

Judy S. said...

Looks like a winner to me, Allie! I really like the way the center flowers spill out onto the black. The fans are very nice and I'm sure your embellishement will be wonderful. Have a warm and safe trip!

Marty52 said...

Scrumptious as always, Allie! I, too, like the way the flowers spill out of the center oval... verra nice. Now get busy packing! ;0)

Kay said...

The black and white really pops this. Amazingly fast work. Have a wonderful time.

Pat Winter said...

Love the black! Have a safe and fun trip.
Smiles,
Pat

Mary Corbet said...

oooooh, Pretty!!! I love the layout and the colors! And - wow! - won't it be fun to embellish?!

I hope you have a heap of fun on your vacation(s), Allie!

black bear cabin said...

wow...its not even embroidered yet and its already stunning! have fun in Mexico with this colorful piece!

Wendy said...

Oooo I am so in love with it already. What is 505 Spray and Fix? I would sure like to know because I would love to learn how to do this beautiful work.
Wendy

Barbara C said...

I love the black and white too. It's a great accent.

Enjoy Mexico!

Maya Sara Matthew said...

You have magic fingers and a great imagination. That's a beautiful piece, have a wonderful time in Mexico.Hope I get to visit some day.

Debra Dixon said...

Relax, willya?

Esther Gregory said...

heehee, I'm packing for my bham trip and that sounds a bit like my list too...

Summerset said...

Pretty! Those bright colors certainly say, "Holiday in Mexico" to me!

Helen said...

wow this will be amazing Allie!
have a wonderful trip.

p.s. there's prize draw on my blog if you haven't already seen it :D

Anonymous said...

There you go again...giving me more ideas! So much stitching...so little time! Super start...can't wait to see what you do with that!! Gorgeous!

Willa said...

Magnifique!!!!

Unknown said...

Spectacular!!!!! Adios!!!!!

Trish Goodfield said...

When I pack craft stuff to take away on holidays, no matter how brief, my husband refers to it as my Security Craft. I never leave home without it.

Anonymous said...

Really wonderfull that center, Have fun in Mexico!

Unknown said...

Amazing! How wonderful to see your work in progess! It is so lovely!
~Emily

Rose Anne B said...

Oh My, Robin did say I was in for a treat if I visited your blog - boy was she right!!!

I totally LOVE this project and can't wait to see it finished. It's awesome seeing it grow to this stage. You do beautiful fabric art! I will be back!!!

Conni said...

Oh my, this is going to be gorgeous! Looking forward to seeing it embellished!