"High Summer"...a new project

This is a portion of one of the wildflower patches in Robert's garden. It's been putting the zap on my head! It's compelling me to try my next "stitched over printed photo" project, as I really liked making "June".

My sketch for this project is laughably primitive, but I'm afraid it always is. In this case I drew it on my nightstand table at 2 a.m.

The center landscape is the main focus, with a dark border and then some 3-D poppies along the bottom and up the sides.

I've got the print finished, after a few false starts. I'm going to use my stitching to "pump up the volume", colorwise...

It's on ColorTextiles prepared silk crepe de shine. (I ordered it from Out of My Mind Prints.)

I'm eager to see how the stitching will work with this detailed of a print. As soon as the ink dries, I'll interface it, and then sew some narrow muslin strips around the edges. I'll just remove them later, but they'll help protect the edges of the print while I'm handling it so much in my hand-stitching.

Vintage CQ....Finished for Now

I began this project in June 2009, piecing the center wheelblocks feverishly as a way to cope with a dire illness in the family. (My SIL is fine now, thank God.)

The inspiration for the quilt was this, as you recall:

I had a great time over last summer and fall creating unique flower motifs to go into each wheel block; I made 30 and discarded 2, for 28 total.

Along the way, I pieced one set border blocks surrounding that central wheel block section and then scrapped it as being too loud and contemporary.
The second set of blocks was much more to my liking, and you saw their finished result in my last post.

Then those butterflies flew in with the sunshine!

Now the quilt is assembled and at a good "resting point". Sometimes these very long haul projects need to hibernate awhile, and I sense strongly that that is the case here, as my vision for the final border is not clear (though Maureen Greeson kindly drafted a pattern for the outer border you see in the original quilt.)

So here is where we are now:

First, a few detail shots that show some butterflies and also that black inner border that finally went on to help define the center section.

I repeated the fly stitch in floss between the blocks in the outer border to tie in with all the flystitching in the center section.

I have to admit, it was fun using such wild color combinations, trying at the same time to keep them from getting away from me...sort of like riding at a gallop but pulling on the reins!

And finally, this:

I'm quite happy with it, although I wish the wheelblock piecing was more accurate. But their wonkyness reflects what we as a family were going through at the time I was sewing them. And I can't look at all that flystitching in those blocks without remembering long plane rides to and from the hospital, crying, hoping, and praying.

So we'll let this quilt sleep for awhile and see what it wants when it wakes up, whenever that is!

Meanwhile, there are more garden prints to stitch.....

Vintage CQ...Outer Blocks Finished

A tour around the blocks!
There are 14 of them, and I'll just post them in order as they go around the center section of the quilt.
I won't show the whole view until it is all sewn together, though. You'll have to wait to see....

Believe it or not, there is a lot of structure built into this quilt, to counter the randomness inherent in it too. Hopefully that will all be apparent in the end....
As always, click on the pictures to get a larger view.

Block 1

Block 2

Block 3

Block 4

Block 5

Block 6

Block 7

Block 8

Block 9

Block 10

Block 11

Block 12

Block 13

Block 14

And yes, a few of those butterflies landed in the center of the quilt, too.

I really couldn't stop them.

It feels good to be coming down the home stretch on this quilt, although there is still that outer border to go....

Vintage CQ...Butterfly Invasion

I have been working on this project off and on during this spring-into-summer. Slowly, a seam here or there between other goings-on....

I've let this gradually unfold....

But all of a sudden a giant cloud of butterflies has alighted onto this quilt!

I am "catching them" with this nice old black perle cotton that the lovely Freda sent to me awhile ago.

Here are two more! That third one in the upper left is waiting for the blocks to be all sewn together before it will permanently land on the seam between them.

When they are all sewn on I'll post more pictures. I'm so glad they showed up....!

Class at New Pieces, Berkeley

New Pieces is a great quilt store in Berkeley, CA, owned by one of my very favorite people, Sharona Fischrup.

A more positive and warm-hearted gal you will never meet.

She's invited me to teach at her store and I will be there for two days in September, the 25th and 26th. Read about the class here.

Some of you may remember this post where I was working on the class sample. The finished quilt looks like this:

This quilt is 16" X 16".
I plan on covering a whole lot of ground in these two classes, with even some homework during the evening between class days. There is so much I want to impart....

If you're in the area and you want to learn curved block construction and basic crazy quilt embroidery stitches, I'd love to see you in class.

Flower Time with TAP...Finished!

This little experiment was a great beginning for me. There is much, much more to explore with the Transfer Artist Paper.

I got invited to participate in the International Quilt Association's Celebrity Mini Quilt Auction to be held at Quilt Festival in Houston this fall....I think there will be great quilts for sale, and their proceeds will benefit the work of IQA. I am planning on doing another take on this project for the auction.
(Unless it morphs into something else, of course!)

Here is June, 10" X 14"

Actually, it is not quite finished. This is eventually going to be the center of a small quilt with CQ borders...but I will put that aside til later. I have more images to transfer!

Flower Time with TAP...Part 2

That frame gave me fits. (See previous post.) It competed with the central embroidered image, rather than focusing on it. I tried many ways to subdue it, but finally gave up and decided to "wallpaper over it" with some other fabrics.
The irregular shapes gave me the idea I needed, after many false starts.

I've enjoyed embroidering over the photo. The TAP creates a slightly stiff surface on the cotton, and I want to work with this new product some more, using silk to see if I can achieve a softer base for my stitching. But I would use it again as is, for its simplicity of use, sharp detail, good color, and reduced ink consumption too.

Here's where I am now...

Do click on this so you can see it better.
Some raw edged appliqued leaves fit with the theme and also were right in terms of color, value, and shape. *Whew* Problem solved!

There is more stitching to go on the central image but at least now I can proceed without being bugged every time I look at this.
And I would like to make another one....

I have been putting some time in on the Vintage CQ and will show that next post.

Stay cool and hydrated everyone!