Poem for Dancer...

Upon my horses back I ride; I need no other by my side

Over the rocky trail we trot, I trust my horse with all I've got

Though the hills are steep and the trail is long, he runs like the wind his body strong

I hear the sound of a running creek, while upon this horse I do not speak

As I take in his majestic beauty and grace, my kind companion keeps his pace

There has never been a happier me but the trail has ended, I start to cry

To my beautiful horse a sad goodbye.

Knowing you has filled my heart with joy

I shall never forget you, my Dancer boy

A special Thank You to my sister, Tinker, for writing this beautiful tribute to our companion, Dancer.

Warm hugs go out to all of you who follow this blog and who have left me such supportive comments when I need them most.

I have not made it out to the Thread Shed yet. I am hoping I can very soon.

Bye For Now,

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

Art I Want You.......Art I Need You...

I am experiencing a loss now and my heart is aching.

I need my art to comfort me, but I haven't been able to walk out to the Thread Shed and get started.

I watched this video....Art I want you.......and it helps.

Dancer & Freckles

Spring 2009

Dancer & Freckles

Winter 2007

Dancer

October 2009

Dancer

Dancer

October 2009

I spent the afternoon out in the pasture taking autumn photos.

Dancer followed me around until he finally got the camera way from me.

I had no other choice but to give him a good scratching.

Two days ago this beautiful animal left our lives.

He died unexpectedly.

My heart is sad and broken.

I know I will feel better if I can just make myself go out into the Thread Shed and create. I long for the healing benefits of creating art...

Art I want you.......Art I need you

CLICK HERE to view the Cow Pony Quilt

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

Fabric Paper Experiment...Part 2

I ran into town this morning to run a few errands.

I couldn't resist picking these Sweet Gum leaves off the ground.

They remind me of a Star Fish.

Click Images to Enlarge:

Sweet Gum Leaves

A trip to town isn't complete without a stop at the thrift store...

I brought home a few patterns.

I wanted to try using the tissue paper patterns to make more Fabric Paper.

Let's see what happens...

Fabric Paper made from Pattern Tissue Paper

I think the pattern tissue paper works perfect for this technique!

It will take overnight to dry...

These are the dried Fabric Papers I made yesterday

They are curled up on the edges, but not overly stiff at all.

I was hoping they would be soft and more like cloth so I can quilt them.

Iron the Fabric Papers....paper side down.

Press the iron against the fabric side.

They lie nice and flat.......love all that texture!

Blue & Yellow Textile/Fabric Paint

After I painted on strips of yellow and blue paint....I took the yellow foam brush and pressed it all over the entire surface, blending everything and softening all the lines between the two colors.

I wanted a simple design that left plenty of room for some free form machine quilting. Maybe some lines and pebble quilting with some variegated threads???

Landscape Design

I started at the bottom with the blue paint, then blended the lavender on top of the blue and worked my way up. I put a strip of red through the sky, then blended over everything with the yellow paint last.

I am looking forward to quilting on this piece...

Squares & Circles

I decided to try a bold geometric design, again leaving lots of space for machine quilting.

Everything will need overnight to dry out...

The Fabric Paint should help the fabric to remain softer.

Clean Up Cloths

This is where the fun begins......cleaning up all of the leftover paint with muslin scraps.

I start by wiping up all the paint leftover on the table.

Then I pour on leftover watered down paints from the containers.

Leave the fabric crunched in a ball for the best effects...

You will get a more random pattern.

Sprinkle the piles of clean up clothes with rock salt.

Then spray water over the top.

The salt adds a wonderful texture to the paint.

Leave them to dry overnight until they are bone dry.

I am meeting with my local quilt group tomorrow, so I won't have anything to show you for a day or two...

CLICK HERE to see more Fabric Paper

To see more posts on FABRIC PAPER 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

Fabric Paper Experiment...

Click Images to Enlarge:

I have been seeing and hearing about "Fabric Paper"

I thought I better check it out for myself.

Mix 1 Part Elmer's Glue to 1 Part Water

I wet down a 9x12 piece of white muslin.

Spread it out on a sheet of plastic.

Most any fabric will work...

I crumpled up a piece of tissue paper.

Loosely spread it out across the surface of the muslin.

The tissue paper is probably 4 times larger than the fabric.

This will give you lots of wrinkles and texture.

Soak a foam brush in the glue mixture.

Squish the tissue paper down onto the fabric.

The more wrinkles the better.

Manipulate the tissue paper to fit the size of the fabric.

Fabric Paper done and ready to dry...

Place a drop cloth below the drying Fabric Papers.

The excess glue water will drip off as it dries.

Ready for Tomorrow...

Textile Paints

Dabbing paints all over the Fabric Papers

I am using Textile Paints, which will remain soft after drying.

I plan to quilt across the surface of the Fabric Papers.

CLICK HERE to see Part 2 of Fabric Paper

Sunset

Harlan, Oregon

May Your Drying Time be Speedy,

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

Flowers for My Sissy.....Slideshow

Flowers For My Sissy

This was created as a birthday gift for my little sister, Sherry. She will see it for the first time when she comes to view this exhibit....SURPRISE!

This is a joyful and happy quilt, and reminds me of all the fun and laughter I have shared with my sister.

I love you Sissy

2009

LuAnn McDonald Kessi

Harlan, Oregon

http://luannkessi.blogspot.com/

Techniques: Disappearing 9 Patch Machine Piecing, Fusible Machine Appliqué, Free Motion Machine Quilting & Hyper-Quilted Feathers in Border, Original Design.

If you're surrounded by people you love, you must be home. --Dan Zadra

Make a Smilebox slideshow 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

Cattle Quilt Done.....Day 3 Final Post

Day 3 Cattle Quilt.......Final Post

Click Images to Enlarge:

2:00 Machine Quilting Complete

3 Bobbins and 3 Hours later......the Quilting is DONE

Blocked

The quilt has been blocked and is now ready to be trimmed and bound.

Back of Cattle Quilt

Love the pine cones on the back of the quilt.

The Bottom Line Thread blended in beautifully.

The person this quilt is intended for, grew up in pine tree country.

Trimmed and ready for Binding

Binding Strips sewn on Diagonal

See my previous post for a tutorial on this method.

The diagonal seam distributes the bulk of the seam.

There is no bulk in the seam area when you roll the binding around the edge of the quilt.

Binding Technique

A coffee can on the floor catches the pressed binding strip.

Binding Strips

They are easily transported from the pressing area over to the sewing area.

Binding the Quilt

Yes, that is Suzy the little Quilting Doggie asleep under the sewing machine.

I place the coffee can between my feet....the binding feeds flawlessly onto the quilt surface.....works every time!

Binding Tin

I have been using this little tin can to hold my binding supplies for more than 20 years.

I found it at a garage sale.......full of hair pins. I use the pins to secure the binding around to the front side of the quilt while I am hand stitching.

It is now 3:30 and I am heading into the house to get a bite to eat and begin hand stitching the binding to the back side of the quilt.

As of now I have about 17 hours into this quilt. I am fortunate that it was a simple quilt, with big pieces (I designed it as I went along), and I chose a simple quilting motif with no thread changes. I had a 3 day window of opportunity to work on this quilt.

Why did I show you so much of the process?

When I began quilting over 22 years ago.......I struggled and struggled and struggled.

We all have a starting point.....we were all beginners at one time.

This post has been for all of the beginners out there.

Learn and make many quilts to keep your loved ones cozy.

May Your Life be Filled with Quilts,

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