Saturday, January 29, 2011

Some people aren't too bright - Cake

Well, we had our big Welcome Home party for my son and to introduce my family to his fiancee today.  It was also my dad's and my birthday.   Mom ordered a cake from DQ earlier in the week and picked it up on the way to Stanford.  She asked them to write "welcome home" and under that "happy birthday"  Here is a picture of the cake when we got it out.




We all had a great laugh.  And a few comments about why they should require at least a GED.  The cake tasted really good.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Sketchbook Poject Day VIII - Mars

The background for this piece is of the silica spot accidentally found when the moon-rover  was having difficulty moving.   The background design was done with bleach and then the addition of a dark brown pencil.  It is a fairly accurate picture of one small section of the red planet's surface.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Thursday, January 20, 2011

2010 Guild Challenge

Monday evening my quill guild revealed their challenge quilts. The two red and green fabrics were from the challenge.  The beige was from my Black-eyed Susan dye experiment. I posted a few leaves in an earlier blog.  The leaves were free motion thread painted on a fabric with stabilizer.  The quilting was also done in free motion stitching without marking. 

Here is a picture before quilting and after as well as a few close-ups.
 




2011 Rainbow Scrap Challenge

While sifting through the avalanche of fabric scraps on my table and floor, I gathered up lots of blue for January's  Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  Here is a picture of my blue moon rose.

This 8.5" by  11'' piece is made with fusible web on a piece of light blue fabric.  I drew the rose on the fusible. The background scraps were put down first with edges cut to lie just under the rose.  Raw edges were folded under or tucked under the next piece and then tacked with my mini iron.  Next I made the rose from the center out, the same way and fused all.  I used a satin stitch to outline all the rose petals. Next the batting and background were added.  I put a scrap piece of blue tulle over the entire piece. It was a last minute thought and just fit with a bit of tugging.  I basted the edges and outlined the rose with invisible thread.  The quilting was free motion leaves in multicolored thread. Thread was mostly blue with analogous  colors purple and green.

Side note- I have a Blue Moon rose and they are more purple than blue.  Here is a picture of one from my garden.
 

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Sketchbook Poject Day VI

Day 5 sketchbook project

My studio - Digging out from Christmas Avalanche II

Well, I'm embarrassed to share these photos.  I have been working on sorting all the scraps and putting them away.  Okay, I admit I keep getting distracted.  Have set up an area on top of all this mess to photograph my sister's gorgeous jewelry. I have made a dent in the blue scraps.  Okay I admit a small dent and only to make a project for the scrap color challenge I joined.  I will get cleaned up by next Wednesday! My son and fiancee are coming to visit.  Haven't seen him since he graduated last spring and took a job playing jazz on a cruise ship.
When i get cleaned up I will share some tips on studio design on a tight budget.




My studio - Digging out from Christmas Avalanche

So, I thought my studio was a disaster last May, trying to get two college graduation quilts finished...
I got cleaned up from this mess, but then this Christmas disaster struck.

Sketchbook Poject Day V

Nothing fancy on this page just random Haiku.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Martin Luther King March 2011

Stanford has celebrated Martin Luther King Day with a march and a great service.  This years theme was "Let the Trumpet Sound"  Ms Barthenia Brown was the Coordinator.  Below are some pictures from the march and the service.


Sunday, January 16, 2011

Saturday, January 15, 2011

sketchbook project

I was part of the Brooklyn, NY sketchbook project.  My book was on the theme of Below the Surface.  I will post a page from it each day until it is all posted.  Here is the front of my book and the side.  It was almost 3 inches thick but only 22 pages.


This is a picture on me stitching the pages together on my sewing maxhine.

 My book standing up.  It is all done in cloth and mixed media.

The inside front where my book cove is attached.

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