Seeing Red

Seeing Red measures 17 x 24, & was constructed using the Bargello "tube method". It is quilted & edged, but I need help on further embellishments, & also admit that the picture isn't the greatest either. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Orange Blossom Special

I'm calling this a finish!
Here are 3 postcards that I created using the original background piece. I decided to cut it up, & make 3 parts... thinking that at least 1 of them would work. The middle card is actually the 1st one I worked on, but when I finished the top & the bottom photo, It wanted to be in the center...too bad I don't have any photo collage skills, but then I'd have to re-name this to "Blue Highways".
They all measure 4x6, & are made from batik scraps. One is discharged, & the flowers are outlined in variegated emb. floss (6 strands) The scrappy strips of blue,orange,purple, & the floral, are raw edge appliqued. The flowers are buttons, & the glass bead in the middle pic is also variegated, & kinda looks like a bean...
One of the cards will be entered in my postcard group's lotto drawing, (wish me luck), another will be traded with a mixed media cardmaker, (so I can learn something new), & another will be sold to benefit the RAK fund on another group of traditonal quilters.
I'm finding that I should continue to do my challenges in this size, as I have more opportunities to share, learn, & benefit others, instead of my work sitting in a drawer, all but forgotten.
As always, comments are not only welcome, but appreciated.

Red Hat Birthday

As a newbie to the artsy-side of quilting, there were too many different materials that I've never used before, so picking something was the challenge for me. That being said, the new materials that I used on this postcard, was seed beeds, & fun fur. I had glued a few jewels to some work, but had never tried to bead before. I know that you aren't supposed to see the center of the beads, & you can see some of them on my card, but just doing it gave me great satisfaction. At least I'm not afraid of it anymore. Also I had never couched fibers before. The fun fur was difficult to control at first, but I did get the hang of it. Best of all, this card will be going to a friend of mine for her birthday this month. She is a red-hatter! If anyone has any visual links on beginner beading they could share with me, I would be so grateful. Thanks for such an open challenge. Now to back-track on the ones I've missed.

Orange Blossom Special

This is the 15 minute background that I have created for the challenge. I'm not sure where I'm going with this one yet, but I'm setting a time limit of no more than 3 hrs of actual sewing.

The Green Sea

This is a reference book titled "Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path" by David Freidel, Linda Schele, & Joy Parker. The 1st line reads, "The plains of Yaxuna in northern Yukatan are usually covered with a green sea of waving maize plants and waist-high grasses in the month of July."
It measures 9 x11-1/2, & is constructed with commercial cottons. The background & 2 of the borders were machine pieced diamonds from a bolt end with many different degrees of pattern & color & lack thereof. All of the greens are fused & zig-zagged. I added 2 different dark borders, one to contrast, & the other to ground the piece. The Shaman figure was also fused & raw edge appliqued. I found the placement looked best in the lower left & appears to be looking out at the vast expanse of the plains. It was first machine quilted in a diamond grid with clear nylon, & then over quilted in gentle waves in variegated green to create the motion of the sea of green crops. I did enjoy this challenge, & was grateful to use a book that I had not read before, so it would not influence the outcome of the piece itself. Now to read it, & see what I could have done differently. I still think it's missing a little something.

Merry X-mas 2006

These are fabric postcards that I made earlier this week. Unfortunately, the 3-D cardholder that was supposed to be my challenge entry has had a fatal mishap, & it is
beyond repair for the time frame of the challenge. I'm just glad the rotary cutter made contact with my work, & not my fingers. It was to be hung on the wall & ready to hold the tiny works of art I will be receiving from 2 challenge swaps that I am participating in for X-mas.
I hope you like the cards I made, I have more that I painted, stenciled, stamped, & glitzed, but they aren't dry yet. The ones in the photo are machine satin stitched, & echo quilted. My construction & edge finishing skills have greatly improved since my 1st donation of cards to FAFC, & I really enjoy making them. Here's wishing you all a very Happy Holiday Season, & thanks for the kindness you have shown to me on this new adventure of non-traditional works.

The Beast of Slithertongue

Beware the forest of growing I's
where even toadstools have found demise,
there roams "The Beast of Slithertongue"
who feeds on gems and gentle ones.

Beware the bog of no escape,
the claw of fears and moss thou drape,
the trees of bare and tugley wood,
of Jabberwock mis-understood.

finished size: 12 1/2 x 16
Trapunto,fusing,machine applique,free motion quilting,beads & gem, various yarns,& wire.

I would very much be open to suggestions/critque
on this, as I had to step back for a day after It took on a life of it's own.
Was definately a multi-learning experience for me.
On a lighter note...The trees are stuffed with a pillow that had exploded in my dryer, so I did use re-cycled elements. Just glad no animals were harmed in the process as the claw looks like the foot of a chicken! Santaria anyone? WINK!

sewinginsa

Fall Guy

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge #1 part 2

I've had to remove the hair & start over! In my haste to see if I could use the element, I neglected to figure out that it might ravel after it was attached. When I was moving the piece around to finish the profile & do some quilting & adding other elements to complete, that's exactly what it did....RAVEL! So I'm back to square 1 as far as using the orange bag for hair. Since I had gotten such posotive feed-back on using this material in the 1st place, I'll need to come up w/ an alternative method of attaching it! (SIGH)

Approaching Autumn

I've called my challenge piece "Approaching Autumn". It is officially fall here in Texas, but won't be able to tell by the weather 'til Feb.
I did not turn on my PC this morning as I told myself that today was the day to just get-er-done! I had no idea what I was going to do. I opened a drawer full of scrappy strips & grabbed the colors representing fall. I set a time limit (very short) to pair them up, most where not straight or trimmed. I chain stitched/pressed/& magic sized them & found another same strip from my pile. I turned this to the wrong side & stitched to the pairs to get 3 fractured colors. I used wonder-under & did the 1st fuse to the strings & set them aside to built a base. My piece consists of 4 layers & a stabalizer. The leaves were fused to a heavy gauge black felt that I ended up cutting in a rectangle. I placed them in the order they would be in nature, turning to fall, & fused. The black was put on a burlap layer, then placed on the background layer of dark green felt. This importand element did not show up in the pic very well & I will try to correct this when I get some natural lite with the camera.
The leaves where machine appliqued with corresponding variegated thread. The black layer satin stitched on the edge, & the burlap was satin stitched inside the edge & was later frayed to add a bonus element.
The piece is 10x13 & has no binding. It will be hung by a twig.
I believe that the criteria for the challenge was met by the use of color, multiple layers & stitching. The idea being simple, minimalistic, & I did not add any beads or other embelishments thinking that it would distract from the floating of the leaves.
Hope all the other newbies are having as much a I did, & since I didn't use but a small fraction of the strings, I may be able to do another piece.