seed pods

Today is the Fiberactions group quilt reveal. 

The challenge word this month was transformation.

Seed Pods

Inspired by the seed pods left behind when flowers die off.

The fabric is hand made silk fusion.

This is the first in a series of seed pod quilts I'm planning.

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Be sure to check the Fiberactions link (here) to see the group's responses.

tis the season. . .

. . .  well, almost.

. . .

But, it is the season to start planning your holiday gift giving.

You might want to check out some of the online Etsy shops.  Now, and  throughout this holiday season I'll post some interesting etsy shops. I hope you check them out and find something handcrafted to give as a gift this year.

Check out SueBs shop here.

She has beautiful handcrafted journals and books.

Like this one -

It has plenty of white signatures separated with colored handmade paper.

I have a ton of sketchbooks, but this one I'm dedicating to only doodled quilting designs.  When it's full, I'll have my own personal journal of custom designs.

Kathleen's shop is here.  She makes all kinds of great quilted bags.  Check out all the great fabrics!

If you are a quilter or need to buy a gift for a quilter - don't miss Vicki's shop here. She sells her own hand dyed fabrics and patterns.

Go and look at Terri's beautiful art here.

Handmade soaps can found here.

(the links are not high-lighting in color, so be sure to drag your cursor over the words 'here' and that will direct you to the etsy shop indicated)

Happy Holiday Shopping!

it's almost friday and

under the needle is . . .

out the window is . . .

in the cage is . . .

in the almost finished pile is . . .

on the frame is . . .

thanks for visiting

more painted cloth

Painted canvas cloth using Stewart Gill Paint and black ink. 

I couldn't decide on a few colors, so I used several-

which gave me a piece of cloth that looked overworked and unusable as a whole piece.

Sew, I did what any good quilter would do . . .

. . . I cut it up,

sewed it back together again

and made a little bag.

I like how you can see the painted cloth, but not all of it.

I didn't have enough length of the painted cloth to make the straps as long as I wanted, so I added some chain links on each side.

Under the flap is a snap closure and I added a jewelry finding to hang off the flap.

and again . . .   

I made the mistake of using that green polka dot as a lining, 'to use it up'. 

It's a little too campy, but oh well - I wasn't going to rip it out.

I may paint over it.

painted fall tote

Using Stewart Gill paints I painted black canvas.

Added silk batting and quilted lightly with straight lines and various metallic threads. . .

. . . drapery grommets, lining, string and finished! 

Quick and easy fall tote.

I liked how the paints responded on the black canvas.

A weathered graffiti look.

raw edge applique

 I experimented with Brusho Crystal Colors by Colourcraft C & A LTD, and  wanted to see how the paints acted with varying amounts of water and the thickener.

I mixed up the paints on a paper palette and used several  small pieces of tone on tone ivory as waste cloth. 

I dried the scraps of cloth and heat set with a very hot iron. 

All the fabrics in the raw edge applique piece, except the stems, are the painted cloth.

I loved using up some of my old buttons

and adding embroidery.

 

The paints were great and I will use them again.

 

sue's sunflowers

This is Sue's new pattern using her leaves galore templates. 

Check out Sues patterns and templates here.

I quilted this for Sue on a longarm but, it would be an easy project to quilt on your domestic machine.

It's the perfect size for a lap quilt, baby quilt or a nice wall hanging using her petite size template.

Thanks for looking and have a nice weekend!

Mother Nature's Autumn Coloring Book

It's Friday. . .

. . .  and on the frame is Amy's quilt. . .

. . . the colors are bright, beautiful and inspiring . . .

. . . under the needle is the Bargello (aka the dorm quilt) . . .

. . .  a process I thought I wasn't going to like, but now that it's going - I quite like it . . .

 . . . on the design wall is the Fiberactions challenge (our theme word is transformation) . . .

. . . and an abandoned challenge piece which still has potential for something else at another time . . .

. . . thanks for looking and

have a nice weekend!

Autumn colors

 

doesn't this gourd look like a swan?