A “Duh” Moment

 

We have been having very spring-like warm weather this past week. It’s been such a treat. I actually opened the windows in my studio on Monday as I started applying the next quilt to the frame. Maybe it was the fresh air that made me wake up & finally figure out what the reason for being able to lift the top bar was. I’m sure Megan probably told me when we set up the machine almost 2 years ago, but it was one of those things that apparently never sank in. I even found there was a little lock to hold it in place so I could layer the batting without having to struggle.

I am using 2 layers of batting on this quilt, per Carla Barrett’s suggestion for helping to square up a slightly wonky quilt. Below the photo shows how it’s just a little un-square. I am hoping to be able to make it a little better with the extra fluff inside.

Last, this photo is just a hint of some threadplay that I’ve done for my next Fiberactions Challenge, “Communication”. The quilt is almost complete, & though it didn’t go exactly where I thought it was going to go, I am pretty happy with how it turned out. For the whole story you’ll have to come back on March 15th.

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Finishing Small Projects

 

 

I got 3 small projects finished up today. The fireweed clock for the Irish Dance Silent Auction is all done. I bent wires for the numbers & stitched them on by hand. I’m happy with how it turned out.  (click on any of the photos to get a closer look).

Thursday is the Teddy Bear & Friends Tea at the ALCQ guild. I got a second little quilt made for the tea, for this friendly snake. I used some of the fabric that I won from the Aussie Challenge that I won viewer’s Choice for several years ago.

This last piece may not look finished, but it is. I made it for part of a sign, that explains the parts that make up a quilt. It will hang at the Loussac Library here in Anchorage March 16th-April 1st, as part of the National Quilting Day celebration.

A Day in The Valley

 

 

Today I got up at 5 a.m. & drove 80 minutes north to Palmer , to teach an Embellishment class. I started them out painting on fabrics, Tyvek, lace, silk hankies, silk cocoons (after they cut out the worms) & batting.

Then we did foiling, embossing, burning fabrics, made  fabric beads, & played with Angelina,& Friendly Plastic (among other things). Then the last couple of hours we did small collage pieces.

The ladies were all very good sports, & we had a lot of fun. The next few pictures are things they did. They were a creative group.

 

On the next one, I liked what she did with the Friendly plastic. She took apart an old earring, & pressed it into the surface of the plastic. We just heated the plastic with a heat gun, & had some fun with it.

The reason this snow scene is tilted, is I was driving & not looking through the camera. I just sat it on my left shoulder & pushed the button. I’m surprised it turned out this well. It was a beautiful afternoon, driving back to Anchorage.

These last 2 shots, are a clock that I am making for the Irish Dance School auction coming up in another week. I’m not finished with it yet, & will try to get better pictures when I’m done.

 

The Space Between Us

This is my entry for “The Space Between Us”.  It’s an Art House Project that will be happening in NY, some time in March. I painted silk & cotton. The cotton was given more texture by adding Shiva Stick rubbings on top of the textile paints. I also layered circles cut from Angelina film, & one layer of Tulle to tone everything down a bit, before adding the top layer of silk. Next I quilted it all with Sulky Holoshimmer threads, then beaded over the top. I included 2 little mirrors to help represent “Us”.

Catching up on Quilting

 

Saturday I taught Advanced Threadplay. Pam Harris, is the president of ALCQ, my local quilt guild. She made this great flower in class.

Our next meeting is the Annual Teddy Bear & Friends Tea. I made this little 9 patch quilt for this Turtle in about an hour.

 

I backed it with this polar fleece, & sewed the top to the back like a pillow, then turned it, stitched around the edges & quilted it in no time at all. It will make a nice Woobie for some little kid.

The rest of my week has been quilting another large quilt for a friend. I can’t reveal the front until Friday, but you can see my quilting best from the back anyway, so here are a few shots. Click on any of them to see a bigger picture.

Oh, here is one little preview of the front.

UFO or WiP

 

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Today I went to my friend Kate’s  house. We decided to work on repairing an old quilt for her MIL. When I got there, I set my basket with a crochet project down on the floor, & Camille, the dog decided to check out my funky yarn.

Ginger the cat held the quilt in place for use while we worked on it.

It had one particular square, that was in the worst shape & in need of repair. The green triangles were splitting.  Kate had found a good match, & we cut triangles to lay over the broken ones,

 

Then appliquéd & hand quilted them down.

 

Our friend Jeannie Smith came over too, & helped. It was good to get together with old friends. We think we should make it a monthly happening, & work on those projects that we have started but never take time to finish. Kate has another quilt that needs repair, we’ll fix next.

 

On my way home, I stopped to say hi to my friend the Raven too!