Organizing.......A Fresh Start

It feels so good to get everything all cleaned up and in order after completing a big quilting project...

Click Images to Enlarge:

Textile Paints

I have been using textile paints the last couple of years.

It was about time they had their own storage area.

These blue bins from the Dollar Store work perfect.

I am able to sort the paints, brushes and mediums.

Fiber Storage Unit

I have also been using different fibers for couching on textiles.

This set of drawers from the thrift store was just right to sort out the fibers.

The top drawer holds the smaller finer fibers

The middle drawer holds the fuzzy fibers

The bottom drawer holds the big knotty fibers

Newly organized corner of the Thread Shed

Donation Fabrics

The best part of all this cleaning and organizing was culling out nearly 50 lbs of fabrics to donate to different groups I belong to.

Every few years go through your stash. Your skills and taste change over the years and you will find you have outgrown many of your earlier fabric choices.

Why not let someone else make good use of them.

I have now made room for newer fabrics, which were in piles here and there all over the room. They are all sorted and tucked away in the cupboards, and best of all so easy to find when I need them.

Tool Box

This came home with me from the thrift store last week.

I knew just exactly what it would be perfect for...

Hot Fix Crystals

It holds the hotfix crystal wands and all of the crystals.

Now you know why I haven't posted for 2 weeks.....all of this organizing takes time!

I hope I have inspired some of you to take a good long look around your creative area, and make some improvements to your working environment. When you work in an organized manner, you can find things quicker and keep those creative juices flowing. If I have to look around for something for an hour or two.....the moment of creation has passed and I am onto something else, and usually frustrated.

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

Cow Pony..... Slideshow

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

Cow Pony Quilt........Peace & Joy

This Rust Tex Challenge Quilt has been officially entered 2 days before the deadline.

Below are the two entry photos that were submitted:

Cow Pony Quilt

42 x 36 inches

I chose a striped green batik for the binding.

Cow Pony....Detail Image

I chose the threadwork as my detail image.

I would like to share an email conversation I had this morning with my friend Martha. Every quilt has a story...

LuAnn,

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching your progress on Dancer. I so appreciate seeing another quilter at work --- seeing the kinds of thread, needle, freezer paper (border), etc, and design progress that you use. You never go to the next step until you like the current one. So important, because it's harder to fix later down the line if you don't like what you did. I liked the tree immensely, then the leaves ... those last two finished it for me. Then of course, you machine-quilted the horse (I was happy to read that it takes a while for you too, 5 hours). Are we sick people to spend so much time at the sewing machine? I wonder if you feel any differently now after you have machine-quilted Dancer? Was it therapeutic after all? No need to answer that, just writing to show my appreciation. Thanks, Martha

Hi Martha,

Thanks for your thoughtful words and appreciation for the Cow Pony Quilt.

It is sweet of you to send me this email.

I am fortunate that this quilt was intended for the Rust Tex Challenge. If not, I would have packed it all away in the cupboard and never completed it. It was difficult to work on at first, I was still so tender and teary eyed.

What helped the very most was an email from you.....you suggested that I not dwell on that one day in Dancer's life when he died. That I should rather think of all the other wonderful days we had with him. That struck a cord with me.

The very next time I was on a crying jag over Dancer I asked myself to stop crying, to stop dwelling on the last day of his death.

I spoke out loud to Dancer and told him that I loved him, but I could no longer grieve in this way. I promised him that I would never forget him and would now celebrate his life and what he meant to our family. I wanted to be at peace with his death.

After that, I was able to go out into the Thread Shed and get to work on his rust quilt. I wanted it to be perfect, so I was so cautious as I worked on it. Unfortunately, my cautiousness was creating a well made, but rather boring textile. When seen from across the room at a distance......the quilt did not make the viewer want to come across the room for a closer look. That really bothered me. A quilt needs to grab your attention from across a room and make you want to walk closer for a better look.

One day I just couldn't take it any longer........that is the day I put the tree on it. That made my heart sing.

I sat yesterday quietly hand sewing the binding down. It was a perfect time to reflect. I was content sitting there with the quilt in my lap, thinking about all the great memories Dancer gave us. I never thought it would, but this quilt makes me smile when I view it. It has turned into something joyful and I am at peace.

Again Martha, thank you for your kind words and for thinking of me.

Warm Hugs,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

Cow Pony Rust Quilt.....Done

This is how things looked at 10:00 last night...

Click Images to Enlarge:

Cow Pony Quilt

All of the applique and machine quilting is done.

About 5 hours to get the leaves on and complete the quilting.

Today I will hand sew the binding.

Then we will go outdoors for a photo session.

(I hope my camera cooperates)

Detail image of threadwork on Dancer

I kept the leaves close by.....they were a great inspiration when it came time to quilt the veins in the fabric leaves. Isn't mother nature wonderful!

Tomorrow I will spend the day doing a clean sweep in the Thread Shed.

Many fabrics were auditioned and are now in need of sorting before they are put back into the cupboards.

After a project it helps me to clear my head by cleaning up and organizing the Thread Shed. Once everything is put away and order is restored, I love to stand back and appreciate this lovely environment I am so fortunate to have and work in.

I do have to tell you though....it doesn't last long!

I can't wait to get back in there and start on something new...

If you are new to this post, you can see all the previous posts about the Rust Quilt by clicking 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

Cow Pony Rust Quilt.....Leaves

After two days away, it is good to be back to work on the Cow Pony Quilt.

The clock is ticking for me.....the deadline is nipping at my heels!

Last fall I pressed leaves that fell from our trees in the yard.

They were perfect to pin directly to the quilt...

The tree comes alive with the addition of leaves.

Real Leaves pinned to the quilt

Unfortunately, I am still having issues with my digital camera.

It just will not accurately photograph the threadwork on the phototransfer of Dancer.

The thread work is much darker and richer than these photos portray.

I will have to try different lighting conditions in hopes of getting a better image.

Auditioning leaf fabrics

The real leaves made great patterns to trace.

Lite Steam A Seam 2

This is so lite, and after it is fused to the fabric & cut into leaves, I can press them onto the quilt top and they stay put until they are heat set. You can move them around until you get the exact placement you want. They won't fall off the design wall.

Cow Pony Quilt with Fabric Leaves

You just can't beat mother nature...

I like the look of the real leaves in the first photo of this post.

These fabric leaves are the best I can do.

It is only 5pm here on the west coast....

I plan to applique leaves and continue quilting into the night.

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

Circle Quilt Tutorial

Circle Quilt Tutorial..... CLICK HERE

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE

Cow Pony Rust Quilt....Finding the Joy

This quilt is an entry for the Rust Tex Challenge

Entry Deadline: January 10, 2010

One of the reasons why I am passionate about quilting is that it fills my life with joy.

That excitement I felt as a child going to Disneyland for the very first time, is revisited each time I create a quilted textile........sheer joy......and it makes my heart sing.

Unfortunately, with this quilt I have not experienced joy.

It has been an uphill battle for me the last 6 weeks.

I have played it safe, not taken any creative chances, just hoping to make the deadline and get this quilt entered into the challenge.

No joy...

I have actually, mentally, gone on to other quilts I wish to work on.

I have been dreaming and planning to do some landscape quilts.

I think that is why I made the decision today to put a tree on this quilt.

Here are a few tree fabrics I auditioned

Two of my favorite Tree Fabrics

I love the texture

Freezer Paper

I sketched out a tree on the freezer paper

I cut out the tree and pinned it onto the quilt

I ironed the freezer paper tree to the top side of the tree fabric

Misty Fuse

I decided to fuse the tree onto the top of the quilt with Misty Fuse

Misty Fuse applied to the back side of the tree fabric

I flipped the fabric over, misty fuse is on the bottom side

I cut out the shape of the tree following the freezer paper image.

I took a deep breath and ironed the tree onto the top of the quilt.

There is no turning back now.....this is permanent.

This is what I call....taking a creative chance

My heart is pumping faster as I peel off the freezer paper tree.

Will I like the fabric tree I have just fused onto the quilt?

I stood back and smiled.......oh my......JOY

Yes, I have found joy again.

What a rush!

Now I am thinking a few autumn leaves in the branches and a couple that have fallen to the ground...

I am teaching a class on Monday, going into town on Tuesday, so I won't get a chance to touch this again until Wednesday.......see you then.

May Your Quilts Fill You with Joy,

LuAnn

To see my New Work CLICK HERE

To see the Thread Shed CLICK HERE

To see my Exhibit Quilts CLICK HERE