Self Portrait

This really took me out of my comfort zone but it was fun to do. I'm not sure of the cubism but I am sure of the colors.

My Own Brain

This is my first challenge in about a year.  I decided I had to get back into it.  I've missed doing the challenges.

When I read about negative space I felt like I would have to make my own brain.
I guess I was meant to do it because a friend posted a picture on Flickr of a tree and it's reflection with the limbs  of the tree itself and the reflection coming together in a point making perfect arrow heads.  He gave me permission to use it as my inspiration.

I machine embroidered the tree and satin stitched the branches.

I made it into  a notebook cover.

Betty

Winter Storm

The snow is batting and the sleet is metallic thread

19-3/4" x 17-3/4"

Flower

Not much to say about this. Probably the easiest one I have ever done.

I used the applibond method for the flower and the leaves are from a silk flower bouquet.

Notan

This was a lot of fun.

If you cannot enlarge this, go to my Flickr site and click on action and then view sizes.

Van Gogh Colors

I used Van Gogh's "L'Arlesienne: Madame Ginous with Books for my colors.

The leaves are real hydrangea leaves that I painted.
Vase hand appliqued.
Machine quilted.

12" x 16"

Textured Photos

For my challenge I textured two photos. I used a photo of a previous Fast Friday challenge photo for one and another Fast Friday photo for the texture on the other one.

I hope they aren't considered things done in the past because I just used them for raw material.
The challenge was the texturing that I did yesterday. I'm just learning how to do that.

You can see the before and after on my Flickr photo stream at or near the top. I have the photos that I used posted as a comment.

www.flickr.com/photos/squarequilter

Solitude

Here it is. I think I got the solitude o.k. but abstract on purpose is still something I struggle with.

Stencilella

I decided to make an Irish Quilting Fairy Godmother.
She is paper pieced. I got the pattern from www.paperpanache.com She has free mystery pattens frequently and this month it was create your own quilting godmother. She had six sets of words and we have to pick one from each set. There is no way of knowing what she looks like until it is sewn.
It was machine quilted and the celtic design in the border was part of the quilting.

15-1/4" x 18-1/2"

Hey Baby!! Ya Wanna Dance?

I don't know the different art styles so I hope I got this almost right based on what I've read. At least I got it finished on time. That hasn't happened too often lately.

The background was machine pieced and quilted and the people were hand appliqued.

It is 21" x 18"

Rhythm of Nature

This is only 11-1/2" x 8" but I worked on it constantly all week. For the last two trees I was wishing that I had used a different technique with every stitch.

The trees were thread painted and the leaves were hand embroidered using single chain stitches.

I'm going to be sending it to Ami Simms for her Alzheimer's auctions or sales.

Lady in Pink

I'm late. Took a while to decide what I wanted to do.

The girl was put on with fusible web.

Face was drawn with sharpie pen.

Clothes were hand appliqued

Hair - embroidered.

Hand quilted.

Since she is dancing on a stage I framed it with velvet.

Will send to Ami Simms for her Alzheimer's auction or sale.

http://www.alzquilts.com/

7" x 9-3/4"

Silver Moon

I hope this fits the category. I used the bottom of a can for the moon.

Chocolate Boxes

I set my chocolate boxes on the ironing board and traced around them and also the shadows.

Raw edge applique and machine quilted..

14-1/4" square

Falling Colors

I almost didn't do this one. I had never heard of the color field concept and it just seemed so foreign to me even reading about it.

When I went back and read about it again it made more sense and I THINK I understand it now.

Anyway -- this is what I came up with.

The size is 14-1/2" x 20"

Fair Ribbons Quilt

This is something I've been wanting to do for awhile and when I read the rules that all pieces had to be the same shape I figured this is the time to do it. It is much larger than my usual Fast Fridays.

It took the first two days to sort the ribbons. I started sewing the day after Thanksgiving. I still have to tack down the tops.

The ribbons are from 1990 thru 1993. One of the fairs had a 50th anniversary in 1992 and all their ribbons that year were gold.

I used a piece of quilted fabric for the backing and attached the ribbons with a serpentine stitch and also considered that to be the quilting.

My husband thought I should use all red, white, and blue or just do the 1st and 2nd prizes. I like the variety of colors.

I don't like the white streak going through the picture but I guess it must be the way the light hits it.

Missing the Music

When I read this HAIKU poem by Soseki I immediately thought of an old woman thinking about days gone by.

An old woman

draws her shawl closer

scent of tea roses.

I appliqued the woman, crocheted her shawl, machine embroidered the dancers, and hand embroidered the words and music.

I really had a good time making her.

I'm not happy with my quilting but otherwise I like it.

Betty

Colorado Sky

I had never heard of Chiaroscure before so I hope this is the right idea. I used a friend's photograph (with his permission, his Flickr name is Carfull53) as my guide. I'm adding his photo here as well.

I used reverse applique for the yellow/red part of the sky and the mountains in the foreground are black velvet that I went over with my embellisher hoping to give it some texture.

Let the Sunshine In

I was beginning to think I would have to pass on this one because I couldn't think of an idea. I wasted all of Friday trying to think of something.

Saturday morning I looked up and noticed a metal sun that had been given to me and that set off a spark.

The metal I used was the sunflower, bottle caps are holding the yo-yo flowers, a gold chain is the fence wire and metallic thread was used for the leaves veins and outline and also to top stitch the binding.

It is 24" x 20-3/4"

Reflection

The tree is from a picture in Flickr without the leaves. (used with permission) I just liked the shape of the tree. The tree was thread painted and then appliqued on.

The tree reflection was colored in with a crayon.

The bushes and reflection were machine appliqued with invisible thread.

The quilting was also done with invisible thread.

The color that I didn't like was used as the border and binding.

I also added the picture of the tree that I used as a guide.