After completing the background of my abstract quilt, I was ready to tackle the primary motif. I used my sketch as the idea. Next, I had to choose colors. I thought some red might be dynamic. I used photo editing software to audition several different color options. I wanted to play up the red (above)…
As I worked on the abstract quilt, I continued to take clues and inspiration from the original fabric. Since it was very angular, I wanted my pattern to be the same. Can you see how the shapes and lines of the side fabrics are extensions of the central fabric lines? Same for the quilting. First,…
Back in July I bought this beautiful painted piece of fabric from Pat Pauly. Isn’t it gorgeous? I knew it could be the start of something wonderful. The only problem is that the scale of this fabric is much larger than I normally use. Which meant that I didn’t have other similarly scaled fabrics to…
I’m getting ready for a shibori dying day with my art quilt buddies. (Shibori is a type of dying which uses manipulation of the fabric to resist the dye in certain areas. Tie dye is an example.) There are a TON of ways to fold, roll, scrunch, and stitch fabric prior to dying to get…
What is utilitarian, personal, and decorative? Why hand stitched dish towels with my personal recipes printed onto them. This is what I made for several close family members as Christmas gifts. My mom and sister especially appreciated them because we tend to use many of the same recipes. So, they had fun hunting up their…
My experiments and play this year have taught me a lot. Some of it has produced good results and some of it has taught me what to AVOID. All of which is valuable. I learned more about abstract composition. And how NOT to get transparency with fabric. I tried my hand at deconstructed screen printing,…
Continuing with a glimpse at the “Dressing Downton” exhibit, this is one of Sybil’s maternity dresses. (The last of the “everyday” outfits.) Now, for some more gowns. In this case, those worn by Lady Cora and Lady Rose at her presentation to the court. Here’s Lady Cora’s, which features vintage beading on the bodice and…
Not far from my home I noticed this on the side of the road. You can’t tell what it is? It’s a scrawny Christmas “tree,” right there on the side of the road. I drew it onto this next photo, so you can see it more easily. What on earth? Why did someone add a…
Are you a Downton Abbey fan? I am, big time! So, I was very excited to see “Dressing Downton,” an exhibit of many of the outfits worn on the show. It’s currently on display at the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine, FL, which is a show-stopping setting in its own right. It was originally the…
When quilting my latest piece I decided to mimic the swirls/curves in the background. In addition to machine quilting, I also added some hand stitching around several of the curved shapes. My main reason for doing so was to add contrast to the white curves in the light areas. I intended to stitch around all the…