Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Spring CQ...California Poppies

They spread all over my garden like weeds, and I have to pull most of them out to keep them from taking over. But I love how California Poppies add such a cheerful jolt of orange to the garden every year in their haphazard way.

The leaves are delicate and so I decided to try my hand at creating them with "thread painting". I'd never done this before, but it was pretty easy and fun...

I stretched some water soluable stabilize into a hoop, drew a rough sketch of a poppy plant with a water soluable marker (not wanting any stray ink to float onto my threads when I later dissolved the stabilizer), and began free form straight stitching with cotton machine embroidery thread. Feeddogs down.

The stitching is completed here and the excess stabilizer cut off.

The stitching has been dunked in cold water, swished around, then blotted with a paper towel and ironed flat. I did have to clip off a few loose threads here and there, but all in all not bad for a first attempt.

Then I sewed it onto the quilt with the same thread. This took awhile, which is why I am a day late posting this...took longer than I thought it would. Picky, picky, picky.

Plus, just like in my garden, the poppies spread like weeds on my quilt too.
This shows how I designed the second and third poppy plants to make sure they fit in their designated spaces. I pinned some tracing paper over the area and sketched the plant to fit into the space.

When all the leaves and stems were on, it was time to make the flowers. These are two colors of orange fabric fused together, cut out into petal shapes, and then sewn together at the bottom. The side petals are each folded with the fold sewn into place.

I sewed them on with 6 strands of silk embroidery floss to cover the edges.

And here is Poppy #1.....

and Poppy #2....

...and Poppy #3.

They would spread all over the whole dang quilt if I let them!

I'm almost done with the "outer ring" of flowers. The next area to fill in will be along side the iris...lots of contenders for the honor are growing out there now in this glorious month of July......

And then I will be able to start in on the quilt's center, covering seams along the way, of course, with the simple seam treatments I have going...mostly herringbone, to keep the look uncluttered so the focus is on the flowers.

Pink, I need more pink! *Must*Find*Pink*......

Hmmmmmmm........

21 comments :

Leonie said...

Nice to see you back Allie. You did a great job on the poppy leaves! I'm not much of a machine person but your efforts have given me confidence to give it a shot. Your quilt is developing beautifully. I am enjoying watching your process AND progress!
Thanks for the pleasure!

Threadspider said...

Happy flowers, those California poppies. They look great on the quilt and I'm looking forward to trying that technique out too.

Karrin Hurd said...

Beautiful poppies Allie, great to have you back. You make the process look so easy, I want to give it a try. Thanks for showing us how you did it!

Kay said...

So glad you're back, Allie, and I think the poppies and the "first attempt" at leaves look terrific. Am intrigued by the "personal" news stuff too!

Maureen said...

Nice to see you back and that Quilt just gets better. Love your sister's ideas for the quilts also

Judy Merrill-Smith said...

What great poppies! I love the photo of the real one next to the one you were making.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Welcome back! Pretty orange poppies in your garden - mine is full of red ones and oddly enough I posted a pic of them on my blog today too. I'm not, however, making such gorgeously realistic art like you have done!!

Judy S. said...

Hey, Allie, isn't this weather the best? Just what we've been waiting for, right? I was sure you were working out in the yard, but I guess you were visiting your sister....sounds fun to me!

Your poppies look great! I've been able to grown Icelandic poppies but not the CA ones for some reason....one of the little mysteries of gardening. Our house is back to "normal" as the grandbabies are safely back in Chicago, so maybe some sewing will get done in these parts...

Barbara C said...

Hi Allie, Your poppies are wonderful-- both the leaves and the flowers look so realistic.

Great photo of you and your sister. Welcome back to blogland.

Susan Elliott said...

I have missed your posts. Those poppies are perfect and I just might have to try that threadpainting thing...a wonderful post, chock full of information. thanks!

Cathy said...

Oh Yeah!!! Soooooo glad you're back. ;-) LOVE those poppies! You are such a natural artistic talent - sketching the greenery and then free-motion stitching. And your fluorescing quilt - amazing!! Welcome back! Hugs, Cathy

JoWynn Johns said...

It's great to have you back. I've missed you. Orange, and related hues, are my favorite color. I LOVE your poppies. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen orange poppies. They sure look great on your quilt. Such amazing work!

Terrific shot of you and your sister and the other-worldly glow of your quilt under black light.Wow!

Debra Dixon said...

I would take a garden bed overrun with poppies anyday! I wish that was what I had for weeds in my garden!
Nice interpretation--I think you got that poppy just right.

Anonymous said...

Oh goody, CA poppies. I was hoping...they really do add a pop of color!

NCPat said...

This is a wonderful! Look forward to seeing the pinks!

Marty52 said...

You really have captured that poppy, Allie. Amazing... I have so much to learn and so little time!

CJ STITCHING AND BLOOMS said...

Hello Allie, You are sooo incredibly talented. You have a wonderful creative mind in all the ways you think to create the many different kinds of flowers in your garden. Lucky you to have Poppies. I can not get them to grow in mine. Hugs Judy

Cat said...

Welcome back! You and your sister look so much alike!

Your poppies are great, I think orange is my favorite color for flowers. You do wonders turning all things beautiful into beautiful quilt art!

SewAmy said...

omg, that crazy quilt is gorgous.

Mona said...

Thanks now I have a new obsession poppies, I am going to see what can be done with peonies! You are so creative, your quilts are intricate works of art, they should be hanged on walls. Lovely!

Michala Gyetvai (Kayla coo) said...

Beautiful work.x