Making Kits...and Some Finishes

I put an unusual binding on my "Garden Lace" CQ...I used jacquard ribbon, handsewn on the front, and then on the back. I liked adding that extra detail in the ribbon.
To finish "Elle and Dave", I mounted it on foam core, stretching it nice and taut. I wrote an article for CQMagOnline about how to do that here.

Both of these are ready to mail.
On the back they look like this....

I must have had that cotton lace panel fabric for 20 years! Kinda scary...

Now I am fully engaged in the final preparations for the workshops I'll be giving in Baltimore in early May. The components for the kits for Crazy Applique are cut out, the instructions written and printed, and all just needs to be assembled.

After that the in-progress block examples need to be sewn, and then the kits for the Embellished Flowers workshop need to be assembled. So I am not going to have much of interest to blog about here for the next week or so....but it is pretty fun work, pulling everything together.

I am so excited about my teaching debut! ;-)

Elle and Dave....Finished!

The best part about doing crazy quilt "portraits" is getting to spend that quality time with the subject. It's been great smiling down at Elle and Dave while I've been working on this.

The wreath around the center section just evolved as I went along. This is as much collage work as crazy quilting...and the intersection of those two approaches is becoming more and more of interest to me.
So the goal is not "how much can I enrich this with fancy stitching and embellishments?" but, "what do I need to add to make this composition right?" These are two equally valid, but different, questions.

Some detail shots.....

I made the big white flower, but purchased the pink/yellow one on the right at the Dollar Store. All is fair game in C.Q., this we know. The little orange ribbon flower and the crocheted yellow bloom in the bottom right were both purchased and tacked on, too.

These velvet leaves were from the infinitely dangerous 3rd Floor of Britex Fabrics in San Francisco. (If you click on the link, you'll see what I mean.) But I think they are pretty easy to come by. Machine applique made them go on fast.

They also illustrate the collage process. They went on over other appliqued leaves, seam treatments already sewn...I was just building the composition as I went along.

I loved using vintage quilt blocks for the background of the photo, and know I'll be trying that again. The plaid, camo, and paisley jacquard ribbon from Ally's Bazaar helped keep the quilt fresh against that antique background.

Don't those two look so joyfully expectant though? I can't wait to meet those twin girl babies....

Elle and Dave....Leaves and Flowers

I started the frame of leaves and flowers that will surround the central photographic image.
You know I can't stay away from flowers for long!

All of the leaves were machine appliqued with a clear thread in a narrow zigzag.

The flowers were made with the millinery tools that I wrote about here. I did add more glue to the glue/water ratio that I pre-soaked my petal fabric in, which helped the petals keep their shapes much better than my last batch of fabrics. And there is no fraying whatsoever.

Now for some fun viney embroidery....

Fun with Elle and Dave

After finishing a long project, it is so much fun to just play for awhile in a totally different mode.
I pieced this large block for a wall-hanging for my expectant niece yesterday. It's 17 1/2" X 21 1/2" at present.

I'll be writing about this piecing technique for the upcoming issue of CQMagOnline
so I'll save process shots for then...

We are all so excited about the twins' arrival!

On another note, by good friend Cindy Thury-Smith was recently interviewed about crazy quilting by her local TV station in Minnesota. Her delightful humor shows through...so check it out..it's too short a segment but a great glimpse of my wonderful friend. You can watch it here.