Getting ready to teach my 1st free-motion class

 Lately, I've been busy with family and trying to complete a few UFO's.  My sewing room is approaching critical.  I need to put away lots of fabric and scraps, but I am using them for all the current projects. (Good excuse anyway ... except my scissors and favorite rotary have been swallowed up in the chaos.)

I have been working on the skill builder quilt by Pile of Fabrics and Leah Day's goddess quilt.  These have been very good for sharpening my free-motion quilt skills.   I have created handouts and a quilted book of some of my free-motion stitches for the class I will teach for Sassy Stitchers today.  Here are a few pictures of my quilted book.

February's Scrap Challenge

February's scrap challenge color was red.  First I choose a photo of one of my roses.  I decides to select a portion of it and make a kaleidoscope.

 I started with looking through my large and small scraps for lights and darks.

Next I sorted thread for various red shades.  It is unfortunate that as soon as white is added to fed you get pink or if yellow a peachy shade.  I decided to only use the reds.

Here is my pizza slice wedge based on the flower contours from a small section. I started with red satin, but scored it.  I found a darker cotton and utilized what I could of the satin scrape for the applique pieces.

Below is my finished piece.  After lots of applique and then quilting I finished the piece off by going around the edges twice with yarn and a zigzag stitch.

You may be able to see some of the free hand quilting  by clicking on the close up.
Unfortunately, i was not happy with my results.  I think when i have time I will do a realistic read rose.

My Valentine's Project

Here's my free motion valentine's day project and Haiku I made for my husband.

Sketchbook Project Day XX and XXI and XXIII

Well only two more pages of my sketchbook project.  I hope you enjoyed seeing them and reading the haiku.

Sketch book Project Day XIII and XIV

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.

 

Sketchbook Poject Day VI

Day 5 sketchbook project

Sketchbook Project Day III

Christmas Angels

Here are pictures of a few of my Christmas Angels.  I started by layering fabric and free-motion quilting. Some had stars, some leaves, hearts and some intersecting lines Then I drew the angels on the batting side and placed the backing fabric face down on the quilted side.  The hands were pinned in place and then the outline was sewn around.  The heads were attached separately after the faces were painted and finally the hair.

Humming Bird & Leaves

Last week I worked on thread painting a humming bird.    I just put the feed-dogs down and stitch with the open toe embroidery foot.  It is a lot like coloring with pencil except you use a needle and thread. Here is a picture of the Humming bird journal I made for a friend.

I enjoyed it so much I decided to thread paint the autumn leaves I have found. Here are the first ones I did to day for a wall hanging.  I have about 8 left to sew.  I am using invisible thread for the bobbin so i don't have to change it every time i switch colors.