Inktense.......Grape Leaf

I am still testing out the new pack of

Inktense Pencils

This is an image I took last year of our Grape Arbor

Let's see how the Inktense works:

Click Images to Enlarge

Grape Leaf

The grape leaf image was altered in Photoshop Elements 4

then printed out on white fabric.

My favorite fabric to print on is White Cotton Sateen

My Epson printer uses Durabrite Inks

They are a pigment based ink and are water resistant,

which means they don't bleed when wet.

I am just beginning to add Inktense Pencils to the leaf.

I have all of the yellow and green color added so far...

The inktense pencils look rather dull at this stage...

Half way done adding red...

The entire grape leaf is colored in...

I decided to be true to the photo and color the background black.

I was tempted to color in a pretty blue sky, but I resisted.

Now to paint the fabric:

The yellow and green areas have been painted

and are much more vibrant now.

I paint over the Inktense Pencils with

half water & half textile medium.

This helps me control the paint.

I have just started painting the red...

you can see how much more vibrant the top left side is.

All of the leaf has been painted...

Next comes the background

The black Inktense Pencil adds so much drama to this leaf.

It is now ready to be basted and quilted.

I will post images as I continue to work on this piece.

I found this video tutorial on You Tube

It will give you an idea of just how to use the Inktense Pencils

CLICK HERE to view

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

CLICK HERE to view a Neocolor II Tutorial

CLICK HERE to view my Traditional Quilts

CLICK HERE to view Sun Dyeing

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

Featured Quilter...

Last year I participated in the

Blogger's Quilt Festival

Amy has posted our interview

CLICK the Link below:

LuAnn Kessi Featured Quilter

Thank You Amy...

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

CLICK HERE to view a Slideshow of my Quilts

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

Neocolor II Portrait......Lilly

Success is not final,

Failure is not fatal,

It is the Courage to continue that counts

Winston Churchill

I have been planning this portrait for months...

My sister took this photo of her grandchild, Lilly, and it captured my attention

and also created a desire in me to quilt it.

Click Images to Enlarge:

After months of struggling with self-doubt and my abilities,

I altered the image in Photoshop Elements...

and colored it with Neocolor II Crayons.

It sat for a few weeks.....waiting for me

to get up the courage to put a needle into it...

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by

each experience in which we really stop

and look fear in the face,

we must do that which we think we cannot.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Today I marched out to the Thread Shed.

I decided to begin auditioning background fabrics.

This is Gel Glue Resist Fabric I painted 2 summers ago

It is playful, like a child and the blue goes well.

Another Gel Glue Resist Painted Fabric.

Too overwhelming and busy...

One more Gel Glue Resist Painted Fabric.

Fun....but too Geometric

Hand painted fabric I made last summer

Soft color.....but too much contrast.

Hand Painted Clean Up Cloth from last summer.

I love the watercolor look,

but the blues don't go together.

Hand Painted Cheesecloth

I love the texture here

Hand Painted Clean Up Cloth

Well.....it's just too blue !

Hand Painted Fabric I made last summer.

I love the way the green in the fabric

draws you right into those GREEN EYES.

We have a Winner !

Now, do I dare put this under the needle?

That little voice of self-doubt in my abilities is speaking up again.

You will never do anything in this world without courage.

It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.

Aristotle

I chose my quilting thread...

Took a deep breath...

and put this under the needle:

The quilting on her face is done...

Yes, I am relieved and thrilled.

Bottom Line Thread by Superior Threads

was quilted on her face.

YLI Variations Teddy Brown Thread

is quilted on her hair.

Here is the completed portrait,

still under the machine:

What is most important about this portrait,

is that it is a birthday gift for my sister.

Happy Birthday Tinker

All of our dreams can come true,

if we have the courage to pursue them.

Walt Disney

LuAnn & Tinker

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

CLICK HERE to view Neocolor Zinnia Portrait

CLICK HERE to view Gunnr's Portrait #1

CLICK HERE to view Flowers for My Sissy Slideshow

CLICK HERE to view ALL Neocolor Portraits

CLICK HERE to view Neocolor II Portrait Tutorial

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

Grampa's Shirt........Needs Buttons

This isn't really a story about buttons,

but you will see lots of them here:

Click Images to Enlarge

One of my strongest memories as a child was when I was greeted at the door of my grandparents home with a BIG hug from Grampa.

I can still feel his whiskers rubbing on my cheeks.

Sometimes my sisters and I would spend the night with

Gramma & Grampa.

I remember Grampa holding my hand to help guide me down the stairs in the morning to the kitchen....we had to be really quiet so we wouldn't wake up Gramma.

We enjoyed a delightful breakfast of

Tea & Toast.

We would dunk our toast in the tea,

eat the corners off the toast until it looked

like a bird house.

In the summer I remember sunny days and

walking through Grampa's garden...

We would sit under the grape arbor and eat grapes

warmed by the sun.

Little did I know that when I was grown,

I would live 3,000 miles away from Grampa.

I married and had two young children of my own.

I made them tea and toast and taught them to dunk and make birdhouses

from their toast.

We also have a grape arbor in the backyard, and each fall

when the grapes are full and plump

I pick and eat them and think of Grampa.

This is Grampa's shirt.

I have been wearing it for 20 years now...

I wear it out to work in the Thread Shed most days.

I wear it when I mow the lawn and work in the yard.

And, when I don't feel so good or I am tired,

I reach for this shirt to comfort me.

The collar is worn and a bit rough...

Sometimes when I turn my head to the side and brush up against the collar

I can feel Grampa's whiskers on my face again.

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

Neocolor II Portrait..... Baby Goat Quilting

This Baby Goat Portrait is ready...

to go under the needle today:

This is one of last year's babies...

We have lots of new babies in the goat barn right now.

What is the difference between

A Good Quilt

and

A Great Quilt?

Here is a hint...

If you guessed a Seam Ripper...

You are right.

I am not pleased with the brown thread

I quilted on this babies white facial hair...

The brown thread has been removed from the left side so far...

It looks much better, so I will continue ripping.

All of the brown thread has been removed from the

center of the baby goat's face...

It took about an hour to remove all of those tiny free motion stitches but I feel so much better now.

Just outside the Thread Shed Window...

The yearling calves kept me company while I removed all of those stitches.

I quilted with white thread on the white hair:

Baby Goat

13 x 16 inches

Neocolor II Portrait

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

CLICK HERE to view Neocolor II Portrait Tutorial

CLICK HERE to view A day at the Goat Barn

CLICK HERE to view Inktense Portraits

CLICK HERE to view my Binding Techniques

CLICK HERE to view Life on the Farm

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn