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!

Leaping Looper Fish

A planet covered with water must have lots of fish.  This is a Leaping Looper Fish.  Its side and top fins are loops of silk tubing.  The stone monolith is also a 3 dimensional loop.  What fun to imagine a new world of water!
Peggi

Cygnus Loopy Bird

Hi everyone! This is my first posting for the Fast Friday Fabric Challenges! I loved the theme and was inspired by Marilyn Foulke's Louis the Loopy bird from Louisville piece.

Loopiland is a large planet and has more than one species of fowl on it. I was able to capture a 'picture' of this bird-like creature called a Cygnus Loop-y Bird:

The Cygnus Loop-y Bird has a loopy crest and tail that are remarkably like tee-shirt strips! It's long beak can suck out food from deep underground. They are a flightless bird but can walk very fast until their five legs trip them up.

The 'picture' of this odd bird measures 4x6 inches in size and will be shipped off to Houston for further inspection. I hear it will be then donated to a worthy cause there, to raise money for "Friends for Life" a pet rescue organization.

Thank you for allowing me into the group! This was a lot of fun and I love how I will be able to help out a pet here on earth too!

Melvin, the Spotted, Ridgebacked, Fuzzy Headed Pigasus!

As our space ship begins it's descent to planet Loopiland, I glanced out the window to see this wondrous creature waiting to welcome us! It seems that because Loopiland is mainly water, many of the mammals who live there have evolved to fly as a means of getting around.

The ridges on his back are made from felt, his hair is red and purple yarn which was fuzzed using a cat brush, his tail is a pipe cleaner and his wings are part of a pair of fairy wings I got in the costume section at Dollar Tree. I had a lot of fun creating Melvin. There was a companion piece to go with him planned but I ran out of stuffing..lol

Loopiland Arch

Planet Loopiland's sea reflects its sky.  A monolith arch is also reflected in this stormy early morning scene.  One of the planet's two moons is setting as the sun rises.  Loopsters lurk below the surface.  I was going to add one poking up his head, but liked the scenic as it is.  This piece is 12" x 15" .  The arch is made from 3 layers and is my loop.  It is sewn to the background along  the bottom but just tacked on the top, so it had a 3D effect.
Comments welcome.

Deb

I am not sure if I followed the loop procedure correctly.  This  is created as  to represent a picture in a  picture album. To do this I uploaded 2 pics, one with album open and 1 with it closed. I used a photo  and transferred it to fabric  the back ground is upholstery fabric sample, this was free motion embroidery.  I wanted this to look a bit 3 D. The cover is made to look like a door ( door is cotton fabric, loops ribbon with felted balls to hook on.)  Around her neck Deb wears a necklace made out of an old garnet  ear ring.

I had fun with this challenge just doing my own thing. When an idea pops into my head I reach in pull it out and hope for the best. Comments will be appreciated.  I look forward to seeing what everyone has created.

http://fastfridayquilts.blogspot.com/

http://fastfridaytalks.blogspot.com/

SusanPI2/SusanWard

Imagination What A Wonderful Thinghttp://berylsjourneywithbreastcancer.blogspot.com/

http://artquiltssusanpi.blogspot.com/

Lupus in Loopiland

14" x 16½"

When I mentioned the theme of this challenge to my husband, he suggested that a wolf, as a "loupine" be part of the picture, hence the grey fellow here.  I took the stone loops from Cay's story very literally, making them 3-dimensional infinity signs; the loops themselves  are not tacked down.

Because the blue/purple loops did not show up well on the watery background, I ironed on some thin fusible interfacing to add contrast.

The wolf was cut out of dark grey fusible interfacing and some eyelash yarn fused to it, with the eye added using fabric paint.  I also tried outlining him, and his tail, with black fabric paint, but it needs more.

Critiques are welcome.  A fun challenge, Cay!

Yoga Recycled

Recycled items including zippers, pop can tabs, plastic keychain loop, loopy beads, ribbons, lock washers, bracelet

Wide Eyed Loopy-Finned Stickleback

I'm one of the new members this year and have been waiting excitedly for this first challenge.
I imagined our exploration of aquatic planet Loopiland in search of life. We identified and catalogued the indigenous flora and fauna...and I found the Wide Eyed Loopy-Finned Stickleback!

The challenge loops make up the side and lower fins, and since this piece is sculptural, there are fins on both sides for a total of ten loops! I'm considering adding something more to the tail to balance the numerous and exuberant back spines...thoughts?

I enjoyed making this bit of whimsy, and I hope it brings a smile to you, too!

Robert Hartley

The Day and Night Flip!

     

Originally, I posted the bottom panel as a standalone image, since I wasn't going to have time to do any creative work this past week due to work-related conferences.  After my return Friday, I completed  two additional panels that I consider valances.  One is for day and the other for night...on Planet Loopiland.  You can flip the panels easily to change one 'time of day' to the other.

My loop element is the hanging system for the panels.  The loops are intertwined.  There are 3 green loops for the day panel; 4 blue/purple loops for the night panel; and 2 larger blue/purple loops for the bottom panel.    

I took photos of this piece last night using a green fabric tube to cover the rod used.  But I think I may remove that fabric tube, because it seems to hold the eye from moving around the entire piece.

All comments welcome!   

Green Headed Loopster

 

Shortly after landing on Planet Loopiland, Spaceship FFFC was greeted by the Green Headed Loopster, the planet’s ambassador.

The Loopster’s “loops” are a different interpretation from the dimensional loops suggested by Cay’s examples. My loops are three layers (2 fabric and 1 fuzzy yarn) rouched and sewn into loops. His head is loops of yarn.

Thanks Cay for a fun challenge forcing us to think outside the box.

Pam Harris

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

Challenge 73: Planet Loopiland

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge for September 2012

Challenge Hostess:  Cay Denise MacKenzie

Title:  Blast Off to Planet Loopiland!

Spaceship FFFC has just landed on Planet Loopiland and you’re discovering just how loopy this new world is.  Readings indicate the entire planet is covered by water with the only hints of a molten planet interior ~~ the monolithic stone loop and plateau formations that water flows through and under, and that our spaceship sits upon.

You can use this short story as a take-off point or pursue your own direction for imagery.  The challenge, however, is to create a piece that incorporates at least two “loops” (three layer strips –with or without stabilizer) sewn into the piece as a design element(s).  Remember to have fun!

To help with idea generation, below are some links to get your creative imagination working where loops are concerned:

http://tinyurl.com/9antv9m

http://www.michelemademe.com/2012/01/exploring-loop-closures.html

http://tinyurl.com/8nzzcac http://www.etsy.com/listing/54219916/repurposed-fabric-earrings-loops

http://tinyurl.com/9zbf4zq

http://textile-blog.com/textile-blog-trends-innovation/tag/trisha-hassler

http://tinyurl.com/c4dhhu8

http://www.soulseasonsquilts.com/displayquilt.php?image=samhain&pgtitle=Gallery&pgname=gallery

http://tinyurl.com/d4c2mvh

http://www.learntoapplique.com/quilt-blog/30-day-challenge/hangers-instead-of-quilt-sleeves/

http://tinyurl.com/czfo2p5

http://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/cutting-corners/2012/7/2/santas-workshop-countdown-christmas-july-chain/

http://tinyurl.com/bqn9sfl

http://donnadowney.typepad.com/simply_me/2009/03/creativity-requires-the-courage-to-let-go-of-certainties.html

http://tinyurl.com/9kgdmlw

http://www.maillardvillemanor.com/2012/05/fake-roman-blind-how-to.html

A Quiver of Cobras

This is my August challenge piece...A Quiver of Cobras.  I was so surprised to learn that a group of cobras was called a quiver...and voila (with a little help from internet imagery)!

I'll be hosting the September challenge -- coming up in days, and I hope you have fun with it!

A Leap of Leaping Leopards

I'm late....as usual...but at least I've finally been able to complete one! YAY!  I originally intended to do a school of fish with a design that I developed during Elizabeth Barton's Quilt University class, "Inspired to Design."  Although it wasn't terribly original in the first place, when Ann Ruthsdottir posted hers, I decided to scrap it.

Instead, I chose to do this Leap of Leopards....and of course they had to be leaping!  It measures 9 1/4" square.  The sun or moon.....I can't decide which I want it to be, is stitched around with a spiral in yellow pearl cotton.  Machine quilted with a yellow/green rayon in the body, and the sky is a blue done in a swirl pattern.

A Passle of Poseys and a Bevy of Buttons

A church group asked me to teach a class on Cathedral Window Quilts. I needed a sample, so I created this little quilt that measures 8.5" square. Several years ago I made a whole cathedral quilt completely using hand stitching, but I wanted to teach the group a quicker method, so I did this sample all by machine. It only took about an hour to make as opposed to several hours if stitching by hand. I think it also meets the challenge requirement of using a grouping of things--buttons and flowers.

A Friendly Family of Five Fabulous Fish

A Friendly Family of Five Fabulous Fish

Frequently Travel with Two Terrific Tag-a-longs

36" x 47"

A Friendly Family of Five Fabulous Fish

Frequently Travel with Two Terrific Tag-a-longs

36" x 47"

When the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge came out = a group of something, I got this fish idea.

Since I am very behind in my charity quilts, I wanted to 'catch up'. I also have a 'guild summer challenge due September 13'.  This quilt serves all of those purposes. I would really like to know the age and sex of the person who picks this quilt. It is very unlikely that this will happen. I just hope it makes the recipient smile.  It was a LOT of FUN to make.

Because I am thinking it may be washed a lot, everything is faced and stitched down tight. There are NO raw edges, loose threads of anything that might 'wash out'.

A Neighborhood of Zucchini

9/28/12
I added some foil on the leaves and zucchini to give more depth and interest to the piece.
=====================
14" x 29½"

As most vegetable gardeners know, if you have zucchinis in your garden, you end up with more than enough to share with the neighborhood, so here is "A Neighborhood of Zucchini", with the repetition of leaf shape as well as the squash and the flowers.  Many years ago, I made a minimal garden catalog purchase that promised five free gifts with any purchase; they sent me five packets of ... wait for it ... you guessed it ... zucchini seed!

The background is silk, the zucchinis are home dec fabric, the leaves are cotton on a fusible stiffener, and sewn on to the background along the veins so they stand out a bit, and finally the flowers are made from Angelina fiber.

I welcome any and all comments on this somewhat late posting!

Army of Ants

It has been a long while since I have been able to do a challenge.  Many life changes that have prevented me from quilting.   I hope to catch up and look forward to next year.

I didn't really fully read the challenge, I checked the first link and immediately thought of an army of ants.  We have many ants that march along our sidewalk.

Final size 8 1/2 x 10 inches.

Lisa
In Sunny for 40 days Seattle

Stacking the Deck

Two novelty decks of cards were used for this quilt. One deck had Saddam Hussein, his sons and other Iraqi players and the other deck had members of the Bush Administration. Playing with the cards made me revisit "Shock and Awe” and other the Iraqi War Games.

A Coven of Coffee

Finding a picture of a coffee cup made of beans made me think of a coven of coffee.  It is all raw edge applique , shadowed with shiva paint sticks and touched up with puffy paint.  The cauldron is beaded lace.  It measures 29 x33".

Catseye

Just after I read the challenge I found, in my grandma home, this old chalk drawing made by my mom:

I can remember it being framed and hung in my room when I was a child, so it has a meaning to me, and since the desgn seemed to fit with the challenge I've decided to convert it in a quilt.

And then I've named it "catseye" because you can't name a group of cats ... every single cat is sure to be the center of the world :)

I've fused the blue and yellow confetti and the cats using commercial cotton, the threada are poly and rayon..
It's 15x9 inches and I think I'll frame it :)

The only doubt I have is about the blue/yellow part of the catseye... I wonder if it could benefit by a dark satin-stitch to enhance the blue/yellow edge. But I'm afraid that this could visually darken the right half of the work lowering the calue contrast with the purple cat.

what would you suggest?

Thank you!

A Plethora of Grapes

I went through many ideas before coming up with this one.  My piece is done on canvas and is approximately 16"X 20".  The grapes are made from a combination of fabric, deli paper and watercolor crayons and then stitched.  The big leaf on the upper left side is made from a paper bag and the leaf in the lower right hand corner from deli paper.  The small little stems are painted with acrylic paint and water color pencil.  Since I want to hang this as an art piece I backed my piece with felt to frame it, instead of using stretcher bars as was my original plan.
Thanks Ann for the great challenge!

A Pick Up of Sticks

15 1/2" x 15 1/2"
I hope everyone has at least given this challenge a try. I had a lot of fun coming up with this concept, then creating my own quilt, and abstract representation of a collection of sticks. Each block measures 5" square and is constructed from decorator fabrics. I've added a few hand-stitched details in a few intersections. The black outer border is actually a large piece of felt which serves double duty as the batting. At the moment my quilt is only two layers so doesn't technically fit the definition of a quilt, but if I fused on a backing, then it would. All comments are welcome.
Ann Turley

A Ziggurat of Zigzags

Ziggurat: A rectangular tiered building/temple or terraced mound erected by the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians.

I had a lot of fun using my "artistic license" making up groups of objects, like a rounder of rings; a cyclone of circles; a triad of triangles etc.  Can you tell I'm into 'shapes'?

The ziggurat is all velvets and brocades, and the shrine on the top is the Palomar Observatory dome.  The sky is a sparkle satin with overlays of jeweled organzas.  The mountains are hand dyed silk and the grass is taffeta.  I built the tree trunk on timtex, painted with puff paints, then expanded with a heat gun.  The leaves/branches are a netted lace fabric.
I tried some new to me quilting designs...they took forever! LOL
It measures 29"x31"

This was a really fun challenge Ann, thanks for the 'nudge' out of the box.

Comments and suggestions appreciated
Cherie

Challenge 72 Fill in the Blanks!

CHALLENGE #72, “FILL IN THE BLANKS”         Due: Sept 1 noon EST

Host:  Ann Turley


A pod of whales. A deck of cards. A stack of pancakes. We’ve all heard these terms to describe a specific group of animals or items. But we creative types surely can think of much more inventive and creative descriptors.

The San Diego Zoo has a long list here: http://tinyurl.com/8grom9v 

James Lipton, of The Actors Studio fame, has written a book on this very theme, entitled “An Exaltation of Larks”. You can read a review that includes a few of his terms on Amazon:  http://tinyurl.com/87tw3m9 .

The obvious art principle we want to explore is repetition, defined here. “Repeating visual elements such as line, color, shape, texture, value or image tends to unify the total effect of a work of art as well as create rhythm. Repetition can take the form of an exact duplication (pattern), a near duplication, or duplication with variety.”

This website: http://www.filmclass.net/principlesart.htm covers the basics on the principles of art. While all of them are pertinent, be sure to read the small section on Repetition.

A few images that illustrate Repetition:

http://tinyurl.com/9ldp7ux http://tinyurl.com/8evbq3c

Andy Warhol was a master when it came to repetition: http://www.artchive.com/artchive/W/warhol.html (Scroll to the bottom for links to his artwork.)

Your challenge is multi-layered. You could select one of the many descriptors found at these two sources, or you can invent one of your own. Or you could borrow one of the few I have found – a royalty of chess pieces, a flirt of butterflies, a dearth of politicians. Illustrate your selection in an innovative manner. Have fun!



Ann Turley

www.annturley.info

Challenge 71

Ranuncula Patch in Hundertwasser's Garden

Flaxen Fete

The first piece was finished before Challenge #71 but seemed so apropos to the theme.  So, I did another one that was similar in style, but completely different in background and quilting.

NOT QUITE O'KEEFE

  



I took a phote of this purple coneflower near Flathead Lake, Montana.  A few hours later the challenge was posted, so it seemed appropriate that this would be the flower for my challenge.  I have always been a fan of Georgia O'Keefe and thought maybe I could pull off something in her style, but I am dissapointed with the result.  This flower just doesn't seem to be the right type as so many of hers are much more sensuous up close. The closer I got to the flower, the smaller the quilt became, and I didn't see any improvement in the overall design.  But, that's what this exercise is all about; some are better than others.  I pre-quilted the background, stabilized the petals and then shaded them with water pastels.  I used two shades of pearl cotton for the stamens. 

Blue Horned Violet

9" x 9"

My Mom's favorite color was blue. My dear friend Deborah also likes blue a lot. Thinking of both of them as I debated how to respond to the latest FFF challenge of a flower in the mode of a painter. I chose to do a Horned Violet ala Georgia O'Keeffe. I also remember when I transplanted a LOT of these violets around a large bush in our back yard. They grew and thrived; maybe too much. However, Mom loved them. Precious memories.

Since I lost my Mom on July 20, I've been struggling with a LOT of emotions. This challenge and the thread painting [which was boring], has helped me cope. Deborah's birthday is August 16. Hope she likes this little 'painting'. If she doesn't she can choose from something else that I will be creating in the small category. I will be creating many more small items for a one person show next year.

Cactus Flower

I already entered my psychedelic garden piece but went ahead and finished the cactus flower anyway.  It is painted with colored pencils, overlaid with sheer petals and has a very ethereal look in person.  It is hard to get the transparency look on film.  It was taken from a cactus in my garden with the shadows just right to give it the wonderful colors.

Pat Havey

Special Delivery

Florals aren't really my favorite subject, but that's the point of a challenge, right? So I dove in and used abstract art as my genre. The vase fabric was in my stash, and after twisting and turning it, I found that it had the highlights printed into it that I thought I would have to add with stitching. The background is an older Wyland undersea print that had all the right lines for echo quilting. This was a fun piece, and I really am thinking of doing another! Size is 18"x24", maybe a bit less.

Psychedelic Garden

This is my Psychedelic garden.  I would say it is op-art genre.  The flowers are folded and stitched the leaves are raw edge applique.  The edge is finished with eyelash yarn.  It measures 14" x 16".

Pat Havey

Sunflowers Outdoors

15 1/2" x 11 1/2"

It was the flowers of Emil Nolde that got me started, using Tsukineko inks and painting directly on a piece of muslin, and then thread-painted over that.  However, it all seemed too diffuse and unsatisfying, so I went on from there with beads, and did heavier beading than I have ever done before.  The beads in the centers of the flowers were simply glued in en mass which gives a more nubbly texture.  As a shortcut, I used Shrinky-Dinks for the leaves, which came out nice and bright.  As a final touch, I painted with a clear glitter paint in strokes away from the flowers.

I find that I like the flowers but not the rest of the "canvas" here.  Suggestions and critiques are welcome (including a better title!).