Fairies & Flowers...

I had a great deal of fun today finishing up this fairy quilt of my grand niece.

Click Images to Enlarge:

Fairy Business isn't for Sissies

Back in April I posted a quick tutorial on how this photo transfer piece was created. If you missed the post CLICK HERE to view.

Not a lot of threadwork on this piece.

For the most part I matched thread color and just traced over the basic lines in the photo with thread. I am trying to practice the "less is more" theory.....which is difficult for someone who believes "more is more."

This is the Gel Glue Resist piece I just showed you in my previous post yesterday.

This is the AFTER shot with the glue washed out.

I washed it in the washer on HOT.

Close Up View

After the glue and paint was applied, I sprinkled rock salt all over the surface.

The salt made the cool texture in the paint.

Red White Dinnerplate Spider Dahlia

I went behind the Thread Shed today and found this beauty!

I have never seen a dahlia like this!

It is BIG and WILD looking.

Front Flowerbed

A bird family has made their home in the flowerbed out front.

No sooner did Brad put the new bird house up this spring, and a pair of birds took up residence and began raising a family.

Red Glads

Every year when these fire engine red glads come up, Brad refers to them as Scarlet Spears.

Lavender Dinnerplate Dahlias

It is difficult to truly appreciate just how BIG these dahlias are until you are standing right next to them......eye to eye. They are as tall as I am.

State Fair Zinnia

Love that juicy orange color!

State Fair Zinnia.....side view

Asian Star Lily

These beauties poked up their heads this week.

I wish you could smell the aroma....enchanting.

The smell draws you in for a closer look.

I love the dots inside the petals and the orange stamen

Yellow Dinnerplate Dahlias & Pink Star Lilies

p.s. To see more of the Fairy Business Quilt Click HERE

Settling down to hand sew bindings,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

Sun Dyeing, Rust Dyeing, Gel Glue Resist, Threadplay, Paper Quilts

What a fun weekend.....Sun Dyeing, Rusty Dyeing, Gel Glue Resist, Threadplay, Paper Quilts.

Click Images to Enlarge:

This is Hillary's Sun Dyed piece.

She came to spend a long weekend with me in the Thread Shed.

We managed to find time to make a few fun pieces.

This is my sun dyed piece.

Oak leaves and dandelions baking in the sun.

We used Tulip spray paint on white muslin fabric.

This is my Elmer's Gel Glue Resist piece.

Also made with Tulip spray paints.

I am patiently waiting 72 hours for the paint to cure before I wash out the glue.

This is the back side of the gel resist piece.

My next piece will hang directly from the clothesline while I apply the paint.

I am hoping to get some dripping lines in the paint.

This is what my rust dye piece looked like after 5 days of rusting in vinegar and salt.

On the 6th day I removed the plastic covering to allow it to completely dry.

It really darkened up in the oxygen.

This is the rust dye after soaking in baking soda and a good washing.

I plan to applique' big horses running across the fabric.

Maybe add a little metallic paint too...

It is getting down to the nitty gritty of what I can get completed for the quilt exhibit in September. I put a few journal quilts, in progress, up on the design wall to see which ones "move" me to work on them...

Suzy

Threadplay on Phototransfer

This journal quilt of my son's dog, Suzy, was the first to come off the design wall.

I really enjoyed thread painting Suzy's face.

The thread added such texture, even though it was white on white.

This is a close-up view of Suzy.

The photo transfer is clearly visible through the heavy thread play.

My thread of choice is Superior Thread Bottom Line. It is a fine 60 wt trilobal polyester that is perfect for heavy stitch work. It allows the photo to come through even after all of the thread work is done.

Home Sweet Home

Blue Jay Paper Quilt

This was the next quilt to come off the design wall.

Decorative stitching was all that was needed on this piece.

No free-motion quilting at all.

Suzy is recovering nicely from her surgery last week.

She looks like a flashlight with this plastic collar around her neck.

Thread Shed Hollyhocks

Old Fashion Single Flower

Orange Dinner Plate Dahlia

My favorite time to photograph the flowers is right after watering.

The droplets look wonderful on the petals.

Pink & Yellow Glads

Hillary went along her merry way today.......we had so much fun. I will miss her and I will think of her each time I look at the textiles we created together this weekend.

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

Chicken Slideshow

I spent the morning weeding the flowerbeds......it made the chickens very happy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Turn up the VOLUME...

These are our beautiful laying hens.....no, we don't eat them!

p.s. To see more chickens click HERE

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

Bubbles & Blooms.....Ready to Bind

The machine quilting is completed

Click Images to Enlarge:

The quilt is trimmed and ready for binding

The feathered border quilting is done with light lavender thread

Then I went in with orange thread and hyper quilted inside the feathers

I learned to hyper-quilt from Patsy Thompson DVD's

Auditioning variegated pink fabric for the binding???

Pink & White glads beginning to bloom behind the Thread Shed.

Orange Dinner plate Dahlia

Bright Pink Spider Dahlia

Lollipop Lily

Very Bright Pink State Fair Zinnia

Bumble Bee on Pink Spider Dahlia

The Bubbles & Blooms quilt is the last large quilt I need to complete for the September exhibit. Tomorrow I will finish up the binding...then move on to a few journal quilts that need some work. I am looking forward to working small for awhile.

p.s. To see more Bubbles & Blooms Click HERE

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE

Quilting & Blooms

Quilting and 105 degree Weather...

Click Images to Enlarge:

We have had temperatures over 100 degrees this week.

Rare for the Coastal Mountain Range of Western Oregon.

I have spent a few mornings quilting at 5am to beat the heat of the day.

This is the last of the 3 BIG flowers to be machine quilted.

I couldn't resist putting some hot pink thread on those black flower petals.

It has cooled down today, so I am hoping to get a few hours of quilting in tonight, maybe even finish this quilt...

Monday I found this star shaped metal gear in a thrift store...

I am becoming obsessed with all things RUSTY.

Tuesday I put the metal star onto some fabric soaked in vinegar, along with a few horse shoes from Dancer & Freckles....the start of a new rust dye piece.

I scraped out the rust from the bottom of Brad's tool box and sprinkled it across the the fabric to add a bit more rust. It is covered up with plastic to keep it moist. I will check it in a few days to see how the rust is transferring to the fabric.

I can dry a load of laundry in an hour in 105 degree temperature!

The new flowerbed behind the house is full of these gorgeous glads

Just love the yellow centers in these pink glads.

Suzy spent the night at the doctor last night.

She had minor surgery.

We brought her home today.

She is recovering nicely.

Black Hollyhocks

Love those star shaped centers!

Hens & Hollyhocks

Pink State Fair Zinnia

This image is a quilt.....waiting to happen!

How fun to do some threadplay on those petals and center.

Star Lily

Yellow with Red Freckles

Dinner plate Dahlia

Yellow with Red Stripes

Dinner plate Dahlia Bud

Just beginning to bloom...

Sweet Peas Blooming

As always, feel free to use these images in your artwork. They have been downloaded at high resolution, and will print out beautifully for you. I would enjoy seeing what you create with them!

p.s. To see more flowers Click HERE

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

To see Tutorials CLICK HERE