Quilting the Day Away

Today I'm working on my July Fiberactions challenge. This is the first real test since installing the offset thingy for my hopping foot. And wow, it is wonderful! I am amazed at how much more visibility I have in every direction...I should have done this MUCH sooner!



a few more peeks at the quilt...









Still lots more to do, but I'm ahead of schedule for a change :)

 

 

Just a Glimpse

I've begun work on a new show quilt...actually two; one painted and one applique. Both will fit my tarot theme and hopefully one will work for the "Dreamcatcher" theme as well. That decision will be made later.  But today I'm showing a glimpse of some of the fabric elements for the applique quilt (these are the "before" photos; they've since been cut to shape)

Starting with several yards of Vicki's gorgeous new "Twilight" gradient



Can you see Bouree just itching to get into trouble? I captured him in mid-jump...



look ma, a tent!



OK, back to the quilt.... add to the" twilight"  a bit of dupioni silk that I dyed  in a pale turquoise



I just love the texture and shine of dupioni, and it takes the dye so well ( the color in the above photo is more accurate)



and a sparkly, sheer overlay that I purchased



and some silk charmeuse that I dyed lime green ; and some silk organza that I also dyed lime green



and we'll even throw in some silk organza that is not dyed



I just love all these colors together!

I'm also making a small, simplified variation on the theme of this quilt that will be another pattern to kit with Vicki's gradient. That one is pretty far along...I'll show it to you when the top is finished.

Back to Bouree...for those who have asked;

He had his cardiac workup earlier this week. The good news is he has no signs of HCM at this time.  The only finding was tricuspid regurgitation that the cardiologist defined as "trivial" and needs no treatment at this time.  While I would have preferred no cardiac issues at all, I am so relieved there is no evidence of HCM.  He  doesn't need to see the cardiologist again for 2 years.

Enjoy your weekend and Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there!

 

 

 

 

 

Printing Some Silks

My sister Mary had asked me to print a couple background fabrics for a project she wants to do, so I worked on that today. She specifically asked for silks, one  brown and one  green.  She had purchased a tree stencil that she liked and wanted me to use.

I used  silks from my stash; a jacquard that had a leaf pattern



and a dupioni with a very subtle stripe



I used Dye-Na-Flow (thickened) in golden yellow, sulfur green, bright green(with a little black added) for the green piece. Then I brushed some Lumiere Citrine and sunset gold for the metallic highlights over the base colors.

For the brown piece I used brown,ochre, and burnt umber...and then brushed the metallic (sunset gold and copper) over the base color.



As you can see, there was some seepage on the green piece...that is the jacquard. ..it's not as heavy as the dupioni and it wicks more easily.  But the leaf pattern in the fabric looks good with the greens.  I'm just waiting for Mary to let me know if these will work for her projects.  If not, I'll try something different!

Finished!

The painting of my latest quilt, that is. Next step is to load it for quilting.



Probably won't do that for a few days though because my fabric arrived from Vicki today and I'm anxious to get started on that!  It's her newest gradient..."Twilight".



And Bouree has recovered from his vaccinations and is back to his usual antics.  He even agreed to pose for you this afternoon.



I tried to get Chloe too, but she was too busy napping :)

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Painting the Day Away

to add a little color...

Bouree had his year old check up and shots this morning.  He was such a good boy!  He felt fine when we first got home



But later in the afternoon, he was feeling a little puny...those shots tend to do that to him.



But tomorrow he will be back to his usual mania!  Then in 2 weeks, he gets his baseline cardiac workup with the feline cardiologist from LSU.  After that, I hope I'll finally be able to relax.

Back to Work with a Bang!

With the party that was MQS and the holiday weekend over, I'm back at work in earnest now!  The drawings for the voodoo quilt and the Tarot inspired quilt are both coming along well. The "voodoo"  drawings are actually done, and I prepped the background for the soy wax resist this afternoon.  The drawings for the possible "dream catcher"  quilt are finished and work will be starting on that one soon.  I hope it will fit the theme... I'm anxious to see the written description so I'll know how broad(or narrow) the possibilities are.

Last week I finished the drawings for the next Fiberactions color challenge quilt.  Today I prepared the background for painting; made my freezer paper masks; and got the background base painting finished.  The reveal for that is not until July 15th, so you'll only see snippets as I go along.  And here are your first peeks...

loads of 5/8" freezer paper circles...thank goodness for my "Go" cutter!!



ironed to the background



base painting of background done



freezer paper masks removed



Not bad for a day's work!

And for those who tune in for the kitty fix...I give you my assistant Bouree trying to fall asleep on the job!



That's it for today, have a great evening!

 

 

Home!

Actually, I've been home from MQS since Friday night.  But I needed a little recovery time ... and a little kitty (& hubby) snuggle time.

The show was wonderful! It is always a joy to see old friends and to meet new ones.  The competition was stiff, but my "Queen of the Nereids" managed an honorable mention ribbon.

While I did not teach this year, (and I sort of missed that)  I did have a wonderful time just goofing off with my sister and my friends. I guess we all need that once in a while.

Mary met me there...it's always nice to have time with my sister!  And I was able to convince  another good friend, Candace West, to meet us there as well.  And of course we all met up with my usual hangout partner in crime, Cathy Wiggins.  Together, we had a blast enjoying the show and being together.

I did come away with another ribbon too...for my auction donation quilt "Sadie"...that one really meant a lot.



I have to say thanks, to the staff and volunteers of MQS and IMQA.  You all do a wonderful job making MQS the best show and education venue for Longarm quilters in the country!

I actually only spent a fraction of my usual budget shopping this year.  I did get a few templates and some thread, but my best find this year was the tool to offset my hopping foot for better visibility.   When you get to be my age...the better you can see.....well, it's worth a lot!!

This nifty little thingy came from Andersons Quilting Elements .  I installed it in less than 10 minutes, and then tried it out...FANTASTIC!!!



The difference in visibility is huge!  Love it!!!



I also found a new thread..Wonderfil Invisifil.  100wt poly...very, very fine and strong. and comes in loads of colors.  Recommended by Candace, I tried it today...runs great and is pretty much invisible....perfect for my dense quilting style.

And that's about it...you're caught up now. I'll leave you with a few photos from the show...

Sadie and Henrietta hanging



Sadie and Henrietta with me and my friend Cathy Wiggins and her auction quilt...side by side



Sadie and Henrietta with me ,our ribbon, and her new owners...my sister Mary and my wonderful friend Candace West



Me and the Queen before ribbons were awarded.  A little blurry, but it gives you a good idea of how large it is.



And the last one of  me, Cathy Wiggins and Cathy Franks celebrating our win



A great week with good friends!

Now, it's back to work....already starting on the next show  quilt.  And here's a hint...



So stay tuned!