Category Archives: Blossoms and Butterflies

Blossoms and Butterflies, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Incisions, Label Blocks

Fall Feeling

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Susan's GrapesHello,

This is the time of year when we are reminded of Natures Bounty.   This picture is of the grapes on Susan’s front walk.  I love the light filtering through.

From my point of view it seems like I have not set down to take stock in a long time.   I have been very active.  The Friday after the last post I went and visited my friend Susan and we  had a  day that was mostly organization.  That is a task that needs to be taken on more frequently than I do it.  Susan with her eye always on the dates of her migrations to and from Florida, has a thing to teach me in that area.IMG_4405Even her desk – pictured here- is far more structured than mine.

Next on the list for me was a Creative Play Day at Varna.  I spent the IMG_4519_thumb.jpgmorning making silk paper in preparation for my workshop and after lunch I played with the 3-D pen the grand kids had given me.  I have come to the conclusion that one could make nice light weight ear rings.  I wish I could wear them.   IMG_4422  My next event was the teaching of the Silk Paper Workshop.   Alice did some IMG_4423wonderful dye painting on here silk.   Cris worked away capturing different objects in her silk.   She put in paper, leaves and flower petals to some fine results.    I experimented with using leaves as “molds” for thin layers of silk.( see photo above)

Then on Thursday Cris and I did someIMG_4510 silk screen printing.  I have two wonderful new pieces of fabric to use as a IMG_4487result.    I drove home on that afternoon.  Mother Nature was just starting her fall display  and I had to stop more than once to take pictures.

The Friday after that adventure I went south to help again with the clean out of Ethel’s house. IMG_4504.jpg Elise has been so generous with her Mother’s quilting materials- that I feel surrounded by Ethel’s love.   I have also been charged with the completion of her last quilt.   I put all the pieces together this week and will now create a back form some of her fabrics.  The hand quilting will begin some time soon.

IMG_4500The last event was this week and it was a FAB meeting.   Judy had completed the top of a new wool quilt.  She plans to tie it.  Sally got some feed back from all of us about how she could finish up a project from a old QBL class and Nancy wanted help with a new top she is considering making.  We had fun.

Progress Report: Blossoms and Butterflies IMG_4513.jpg  This is the second in the butterfly series.  I sure enjoyed doing all the  free motion work that this one entailed.  The flowers IMG_4517are all drawn in with pebble quilting for their centers.     I think with this quilt I made the Butterflies too strong.  I will try for a better light dark balance on the next one.IMG_4515

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IncisionsIMG_4512  I am almost done with the free motion work on this quilt.  I did the pebble quilting in the white areas and let the designs on the printed fabric tell me how to quilt the darker areas.

IMG_4506.jpgSilk Paper Still Life    At the creative play day I made some silk flowers.  They are pinned now and I am ready to begin hand work on them.   I do have about four other hand work projects going now so they will not get any attention for a while.

15 Challenge    I now have the 15” block assembled.  I plan to handIMG_4505_thumb.jpg quilt this project too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Label Block 21IMG_4507   I did some thinking and realized I will need at least 80 blocks of this size to create a bed quilt.  I guess I will be at this process awhile.

Keep Creating

Carol

PS: One last shot from the trip.  I enjoy how the stream bottom and the sky is reflected in this clear brook. IMG_4475.jpg

Blossoms and Butterflies, Incisions, Label Blocks, Scrap Happy Quilts

Dealing

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Ethel Whittamore's work
Ethel Whittamore’s work

Hello,

We all have losses in our lives.  Some are small like losing a thimble and other are bigger like a death.  I suffered a big one with the death of my quilting buddy Ethel.  I am so very fortunate that her daughter, Elise,  has included me in her end of life events and in  doing  so, the loss, although deep, is becoming one of bitter sweetness.    I have been tasked with the completion of Ethel’s last top to become a quilt for the Quilting by the Lake raffle for the Scholarship fund.   What a gracious honor.    I plan to finish the assemblage and then hand quilt it in the style Ehtel her self would have done.    IMG_4383Elise has included me in the dismantling of Ethel’s studio and in the distribution of her many quilting treasures too.  We spent a lovely day last  Friday sorting and  boxing up her fabrics.   My studio is bursting with the boxes and I feel very comfortedIMG_4385 by there presents.   I will not keep most of the material, but pass a lot onto her many other quilting friends with the hope that it makes IMG_4388them feel her spirit around them as I do.     I did most of my dyeing with Ethel’s guidance and now I have all of her materials to continueIMG_4403_thumb.jpg the process.  I am thankful.     Ethel was also the person who got me interested in silk paper making.  That is something that I continue to explore and I even teach the process.    This week I did two sheets in preparation for  a work shop on that topic that I will be teaching next week.   There will be no post because I will be at the Pink House Art Gallery in Saranac Lake presenting at that time.

Nancy's workThere was a FAB meeting here this week too.   With lots of thought and with great care I am posting a quilt by one of the group members Okay.  Nancy is quit proud of this quilt and I think she should be.    She has a design sense that I so admire.  I have been a big part of this quilt too as the IMG_4391 thin dark  blue line near the outside boarder is one she and I  over dyed  earlier this summer.    She now has to decide how she wants to quilt this colorful work.

Progress Report: BlossomsBlossom and Butterflies and Butterflies    This work is moving along nicely now.  It is the second in the butterfly series.  The background is completed now and I will now build the butterflies to add on top.

Incusions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Incisions   This work now has a title and  I feel good about it.    I have started the free motion quilting on this piece and think it will be finished soon.    The red is the felt/batting so this part of the image will not be part of the final work.

  IMG_4399Scrap Happy      I finished the second twin Scrap Happy quilt on Tuesday and it went with the first to its new home.  I can’t seem to leave well enough alone – so I made the rows from the left overs from this project and several others.  The shoe box that I keep leftover squares in, is still overflowing so there will be at least two more quilts of this style in the near future.  

Creative Assistants    Creative AssistantsAll these guys got arms, hair and backs this week.  Now they only need there final paint embellishments  and they will be done.   I am ready to switch back to making more faces on the next batch.    That is what I do during TV   football games.

Fifteen Challenge    The Diva group is fifteen years old  and we are IMG_4397having a big show next summer.    The group  challenge is to create a 15” square quit  that has fifteen in the work in some way.  I have designed a square that  has a  roman numeral –XV  in it.   I made the block and because there is lots of bias in the shapes it got greatly distorted when I assembled it on the machine.   So I am re doing it and making the blocks by hand.     This is one fourth of the final piece.

IMG_4395Label Blocks  This is # 20 in the label block line up.  I can see this process still has weeks to go as there are still lots of labels in my box.  I am glad to take contributions from any source for this project too.

Keep Creating

Carol