Moonlight and Coconut Palms

I know this is quite late, but better late than never, right? I tried a lot of techniques in this project, and although the physical properties of the piece are not perfect, I still feel that I learned a lot from it. I used a gauzy fabric for the water to give it sparkle. Unfortunately, I touched it with the iron and burned a hole in it after it was all sewed on, so to cover the burn hole, I added some rocks. This piece started out to be a day scene, and then I found this really cool moon fabric and decided the piece would now become a nighttime scene. I had already stitched on the dock and cabana, but I felt I was lacking something, so I added the coconut palms. I decided that this would be a great place to incorporate buttons, so I used 8 buttons. The piece looked a little unbalanced so I added the posts and the boat to even things out. I then used glittery paints and fabric crayons to add all the shading on the dock, the boat, the water, the sky and the rocks. I added the crystals to add a little more interest in the sky. Our Siouxland Samplers Quilt Guild is doing a challenge called "House it Going?" It has to have a structure in the quilt, so this piece will be used in that challenge, as well. The only thing I feel bad about are that my borders are not even, but I like the piece otherwise. The piece measures 14" x 13". Comments are welcome.

Challenge #74 Done!

"On the Hunt"

Finished this piece 12/27/12, but am posting based on an earlier date that will fall under Challenge 74 works.

This piece started as a UFO (the background part - that was created from a Japanese block pattern).  I had fun in creating the 'hunter' faces ~~ that are based on mask patterns from one of the fabrics.  This 'take' on the Mission Possible challenge theme is that these hunters are hunting some of the buttons that have decided to go into hiding (and are visibly invisible).

Cityscape on the River

12" x 21"

This is really better as a touchy-feely kind of piece as the main fabric that I used is an Oriental flocked fabric that I picked up a couple years ago.  The buttons stand out much more in this photo because of the lighting than they ordinarily do -- except, perhaps, for the three red leaf buttons on the right side.  What seems to have happened is that the buildings themselves attracted the buttons to themselves!

I originally had all of the Oriental fabric in a single piece, but then cut it apart and interspersed some other red fabrics, and I sewed windows on one piece with gold thread.  And since the shapes did not conform to rectangles, the result is a rather abstract cityscape.  I was not certain about the selection of the batik piece for the water, but it forms quite a contrast to the buildings.

I welcome any critiques for this admittedly late posting.

Button Quilt

Button Pony - My button horse was fun to make, like a mosaic with buttons. He does not show up well in the photos. The baby  is highlighted with fabric paint; the tail and fur are made from scraps of braided trim. The buttons are from my collection! haha I am sure I am not the only one who collects buttons. Thank you for this fun challenge.

Button-snatchers

I caught these Spotted Owl  button-snatchers with my night-vision goggles.  They are lining their nests with our buttons.  Don't they look guilty?  Is this an environmental concern?  The owls are pastel tones.  The piece is 12" x 14", commercial fabrics.  Thank you for your comments.  I hope you all have fun with this challenge.

Button Plant

I know who the button thief is in my house -- it's my female cairn terrier.  She chews the buttons off the laundry.  She's crafty and clever, so I keep checking Etsy thinking maybe she's putting together a line of button-embellished designer bones!  Otherwise, I'm not sure just where the buttons go.  Here are ones she didn't get.  I tried to stay in a limited palate tonally, both with the fabric and buttons.  I'm not sure there's enough contrast to make the leaves pop.  Thoughts?  Suggestions?

Button, button, who's got the button?
Robert Hartley

Over 50,000,000 Missing Americans and Counting…

 

 

The Statue of Liberty represents Freedom and our right to choose.

We protect eagle eggs and destroy humans. 

The buttons are the zeros in the 50,000,000.

Castle in the Mist

I worked from a piece I had trialled in an abstracting exercise. Although it looks a little bit like a castle, it was in fact some chemical crystals in a close-up photo. I fused the sheers with Misty Fuse - worked really well. Sometimes when I look at the darker squares near the bottom, I think they are distracting, but I really wasn't aiming for reality, just a suggestion. The quilting over that area in grey-lavender rayon has helped to unify the blocks.

When I saw the button challenge, I imagined I would do a funky piece. But obviously the funky gene is recessive!

Julia in NZ

Buttonmania Strikes Again..

My hand is up, the buttons are all at my house
Small quilt, approx 15 inches tall, with hand-embroidered/quilted stitch holding the layers and the buttons on.  All the woven fabrics (thanks Jude) were grabbed from the scrap box as tones, not choices.. The size was set by the oddment of batting I found under the table.  The background fabric is Oakshott Fabrics Ischia and the binding is another Oakshott colour I can't name. All the buttons came from one of the 7 tins-worth I bought the other day, incidental to purchasing a sewing machine table for my little workroom at home.
Sewn in front of the fire to the accompaniment of a programme about wolves and buffaloes.
Finished on Saturday morning, but it's taken a day or two to get online to post here. Hooray!

Porpita Porpita -- Blue Button Jellyfish

photo of Blue Button Jellyfish from Google Images

This started out to be something very different. However, when I finished the background in different shades of blue-green, it looked like water, so, after some research, I decided to make a Blue Button Jellyfish. I used several types of silk, which I love to work with. 

I added several types of embellishments, including yarn with holographic dangles. Then, of course, I added the buttons, tiny ones which I have been saving for just the right occasion.

I would welcome any comments or suggestions.

Marilyn Foulke

Louisville, KY 

Challenge #74: Mission Possible

Host: Linda MacDonald

Due Date: Nov. 3, 2012 (although late postings are permitted and welcome)

MISSION POSSIBLE

This month we are joining the MISSION POSSIBLE Team.

To get in the mood , click here and play the music theme, while you read this message :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK38IOnN1_Y

Good day FFFC member.

It has come to our attention that there is an evil Button-Snatcher on the loose. Men and women are

showing up for work with no buttons left on their clothes. There are no known pictures of the

button-snatching ring or its leaders. Our target is outside the reach of conventional law

enforcement, so it is up to the FFFC members to find out who or what is snatching our buttons, and

what they are doing with them.

Your mission, fellow quilter, should you decide to accept it, is to obtain evidence of the Button-

Snatchers and/or find out what they are doing with our buttons. As always, should you or any of

our FFFC Force be caught or de-buttoned, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your

actions.

The MISSION POSSIBLE scene is set. Who or What are the Button-Snatchers?

What are they doing with our buttons?

For this month’s challenge you will use at least five (5) buttons in your design. Any size or color

will do, and they do not have to be alike.

Our Design Element is Tones.

Design Elements http://designelementsandprinciples.com/tone1.htm. If this link is too long, here is the

tiny version: http://tinyurl.com/8hu3ulo

Here is an ad for thread, grouped by tones. I am not selling thread and don’t have any connection to the

advertiser, I just like the color groupings. http://tinyurl.com/9hcgj3p

Fine art in jewel tones: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/jewel-tones-barbara-keith.html

(Is this the creature stealing our buttons?)

Missing buttons

Where do our missing buttons go? Are they being recycled? Do our buttons become food for

some alien nation? http://tinyurl.com/8e752po

Are they decorating winter trees?

http://www.lemontreetales.com/lemon_tree_tales/2008/02/four-seasons-qu.html

A Google search will bring up many images of “buttons on quilts” and “buttons in art”

A few examples: Jamie Fingal’s blog http://tinyurl.com/9g34fu8

http://jamiefingaldesigns.blogspot.com/2011/09/iqa-auction-in-houston-at-festival.html

The amazing art of Jane Perkins

http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/jane-perkins-proves-one-mans-junk-is-indeed-anothers-treasure.html  or http://tinyurl.com/6udab8e

This page will not self-destruct in ten seconds. Good luck, Quilter, and have fun with this!