Ole'

When I saw the list of possibilities for this challenge, it motivated me to start and finish a quilt I had been planning for a long time. So it became a celebration of National Spanish Heritage Month and National Chicken Month.

I have been saving fabrics that looked Mexican, and I will add this to my series of roosters that I have been working on this summer.

This measures about 17" x 18", and is all commercial cottons, fused and machine quilted.

I enjoy using fabrics in unusual ways, and the tail feathers are from a Laurel Burch print of horses, and the wings holding the maracas are from a very colorful tropical fish fabric...

It was lots of fun, fussy cutting each and every feather, and seeing it come together as I added them on, one by one. 

This was a great challenge - very open-ended and accessible! 

Bluebird of Happiness

My sewing room is too cold to work in right now, but I found this challenge irresistible. So I decided to make "something blue" by just using cutting and fusing. I used fabrics from my bag of blue scraps, and there are about 40 different fabrics in the feathers. 

Once it warms up enough for me to get to my sewing machine, I will do some quilting on the bird and in the background. The finished size will be about 12" x 12"

WHO are you?

When I started doing research on Monarch butterflies,  I became fascinated by the Monarch caterpillars, with their striking yellow, black and white stripes to warn predators away, and the fact  that they tasted terrible, due to their diet of milkweed. 

But, I could find no myths about the caterpillars! So I resorted to the Alice in Wonderland fable that featured an arrogant pompous caterpillar. I changed him to a Monarch caterpillar, and it was all fun from there!

I have enjoyed seeing the Monarchs by the thousands, migrating in Florida, and I love watching them on the butterfly bush by the window in my sewing room. But  now, I will also watch for the brightly colored caterpillars.

Braque-inspired Still life

Still Life by Braque

Although I was in the middle of several other projects, I could not resist this challenge!

The opportunity to study two of my favorite artists, Braque and Picasso,  along with the chance to play with color, was right up my alley.

I looked at many still lifes by both artists, and chose the one above by Braque as my inspiration. My quilt group is also doing color studies now, so I picked the split complementary of red, and did this piece in red, yellow-greens, and blue-greens. What's not to like?

I couldn't quite make a triangular peach, or a mango with straight lines, but I did simplify my shapes. 

I really had fun with this, and it went together easily.

It is about 15" x 17", all in cottons, fused and quilted.

I would appreciate feedback on ways to improve this.

Factoid: Braque coined the word "collage", from the French word for glue. (I know this is true, because I read it on the Internet.) 

Wild West Landscape

At first, I wasn't sure what I would do with this challenge. Then I found this painting in the first website listed. I loved the purples and browns, and the lovely sky above the mountains. I found several purple and brown African batiks in my stash, along with other batiks and hand-dyed fabrics. 

My abstract interpretation of the painting is a faux-bargello landscape, and I did some embellishing with some of my favorite matte beads, in purple, bronze, green and brown. (The beads don't show up very well in the photo. )

My quilting echoes the shape of the mountains; the finished piece is about 20" wide, and 21" tall. 

In spite of the fact that the "Wild West" paintings are not among my favorites, I enjoyed this challenge.

Marilyn Foulke

Louisville, KY

Summing it all up...

The letter I chose is the Greek letter SIGMA. In mathematics, it stands for "summation", and also "series."

It's probably obvious that I did this in a hurry, (Fast Friday), and it was fun. The letters in the quilt, all sigmas, are cut from the yellowed pages of my high school calculus book, now an antique. The text on the pages is about summation and series. I used tulle over the paper cutouts to protect them, and I did a little echo quilting. It is about 14" x 16".

Speaking of series, this might be the beginning of a series for me. My next letter would be DELTA, which stands for "change." 

Thanks for an interesting challenge!

Marilyn Foulke
Louisville, KY

Fast Fused French Door

I started this yesterday, and although I love the fabrics,  I am a little disappointed at how it turned out.  

I based the quilt (9" x 12") on a photograph I took about 10 years ago in France.  I think the photo was a little off kilter, and I had problems with perspective on the quilt.  However,  the Stonehenge fabrics turned out to be perfect for the weathered stone on the building.

I also like the complementary colors of the door and door frame, and I think the door provides the "contrast" that was part of the challenge.

I consider this a learning experience, and I would welcome any suggestions.

Marilyn Foulke

Louisville, KY

Panther Chameleon

I started this Friday morning, as soon as the challenge was announced. Most of the time since then has been spent sewing on beads. The rest went together quickly. I plan to continue adding beads - you can never have too many beads!

The background is a commercial batik, and the chameleon is dupioni silk. The beads are all #11 delicas. The eye is a cotton bead from India, and the leaves are two-sided, with a wire to help create the 3-D effect. Using beads for texture is one of my favorite ways to embellish, and the wire I put in the leaves makes it possible to bend them for a realistic appearance.

I had so much fun doing this that I plan to make a larger version; this one is 11" x 12" .

I would really appreciate any comments. I LOVED this challenge!

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 

Louie, the Loopy Bird from Louisville

I haven't posted anything for a while, but this seemed like a lot of fun...

Louie's quilt is all in wool felt, but his loops are cotton. I added a few beads, too

I will probably do more with the background, and would really welcome any suggestions or comments.

Marilyn Foulke
Louisville, KY

Teapot, Fruit, and Shadows

I don't know if this fits the challenge or not. I worked from a photo, and I haven't done any quilting yet on the teapot.

I'm not sure how to get a three-dimensional effect on it, but I am happy with my shadows. This was a good challenge.

Copper/Brass Quilt and Copper Stand

I haven't been very productive lately, but here's a little quilt I made as part of a series several years ago, using copper mesh and brass mesh, along with copper rivets and copper beads.

I also made the stand, using 1/4 inch copper plumbing tubing.

Can you tell I love copper?

Marilyn Foulke

Louisville, KY

Max Patch

Here is a little 9 x 12 silk quilt that I finished just before this challenge was issued.

(I have also added the altered photo of the actual spot in the mountains)

It is based on an altered photo of "Max Patch", a beautiful spot on the Appalachian Trail where you have a 360-degree view of all the splendor around.

It is all Dupioni silk, with lots of thread painting, and of course,

a few beads...

Marilyn Foulke

Louisville, KY

Challenge 43 - Under the Sea

This was a great challenge! I love it when I get pushed out of my comfort zone. Although I have done many fishy quilts, I have never tried the "pillowcase" finish. I was amazed at how easy it was, and at how well it turned out.

I fused the fish down, and then did machine embroidery for the scales and texture. I used yarn with sequins and some "hairy" yarn for seaweed. I also cut some wavy strips, and fused them down, but their tops are not attached.

The fish bubbles are holographic sequins, and his eye is a copper washer and a black bead.

I will probably add some more beads, and I'm trying to think of something I can add to the fish, too.

The shape is a trapezoid, and the top measures about 18", the bottom about 16", and the height is 11"

I had so much fun doing this!

Marilyn Foulke

Louisville, KY

Max Patch

Here's a partially finished landscape, based on an altered photo of "Max Patch", a beautiful spot on the Appalachian Trail, where you have a 360 degree view of all the spectacular scenery around.

The fabrics are all dupioni silks, and were wonderful to work with. It is a practice piece for me to try different metallic threads and silk-finish threads for thread painting.

I am happy with some of the effects, but wish I could achieve more of a three-dimensional look, since it is mountains and valleys. Right now, it looks a little "flat" to me.

I love adding beads to my work, but I'm not sure if that would be appropriate here.

I would welcome any comments or suggestions. I have also posted the photo it was based on, and the little quilt will be a gift to the person who shared the photo with me. It measures about 12" x 16"

Marilyn Foulke

Louisville, KY

Cloned Embryonic Stem Cells

I'm going to do some "recycling" this month and use a piece I made last year for another challenge.

My Monday Night group was challenged to do something with circles, and after a few false tries, I decided on Cloned Embryonic Stem Cells.

It was my first experience using Angelina, and that was fun. I also put in hundreds of strands of yellow silk thread, and finished it with a few pearl beads.

I know virtually nothing about microbiology, but I worked from photographs and used my imagination.

Many years ago, I saw a show of photographs by Roman Vishniac, at the Jewish Museum in New York. The images are amazing, and some are what I call "quilts waiting to happen."

Many are shown in his book, Building Blocks of Life; Proteins, Vitamins, and Hormones: Seen Through the Microscope, by Roman Vishniac.

Marilyn Foulke

Louisville, KY

marilynfoulke@gmail.com

Juvenile Sandhill Crane

I have just joined this group, and want to show my juvenile sandhill crane, based on a photo a friend sent me from Florida...

Here is the photo, outlined to help make my pattern.

I have been doing fused "feathered friends" for several years now. It is a great project for fabric play, and a wonderful way to use scraps in a creative way.

Every feather is applied individually, and they are only attached at the base, so the feathers fluff out and add dimension to the piece.

I loved the way this bird was just striding along, and it seemed like he needed a pair of flip-flops. It is Florida, after all.

The fishin' pole is a piece of bamboo, tucked under his wing.

The piece is about 14" x 21"

I am really happy to be in this group. I love challenges, and really enjoy seeing what everyone else creates.

Marilyn Foulke

marilynfoulke@gmail.com