Withered Rose

10 1/2 x 10 1/2

Have I show motion here? I stopped putting beads on for the stamens, because the shininess seems distracting to me. I think I may take them off in favor of more french knots (like I did the pistils).


Update (November 26, 2007):
I have replaced the beads with french knots. I think I like it much better this way.

Windy Day at Nags Head

Size: 14.5" x 10.5"

Susan Brittingham

My husband is a windsurfer, so it was a natural choice to use the image of a windsurfer in order to capture the idea of motion and translate it into visual form.

I found a photo, cropped and enlarged it, then made a line drawing of the image which I printed onto stabilizer. I used mainly batiks and hand-dyes and a few odd scraps to applique the scene. The sail has an overlay of organza to simulate the transparency of a sail.

I used thread painting as my "embellishment". The bridge in the background is rendered in thread, the wake and the waves are also partially thread painted and there is thread work to suggest the marsh grasses in the distance. I used variegated thread to quilt the water and tried to include whitecaps each time the thread changed to a light color. The quilting in the sky is an attempt to suggest the wind.

I welcome any comments or critiques.

Challenge #14

Cosmic Swirl
18" X 18"

Debbie Krueger

Waukesha, WI

Personally, this challenge was right up my alley--I've been wanting to play with movement for some time, and embellishment is second nature to me.

I used commercial fabric for the background and the pillowcase method of "binding" this piece. I used freezer paper to draw my swirl, pressed it to a piece of "unknown" fabric--something fun found in the remnant bin. Then I stitched the swirl down, cut around it, and used a zig zag stitch to secure it. I used fishing "flash" to add sparkle (another on of those things I've wanted to use for a long time) and couched the flash down with amethyst and bronze colored beads.

Here's a close up of the embellishment

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Waiting

my entry for the motion challenge, as the storm approaches, this woman stands, looking out to sea, watching and waiting....I used a scrap of fabric from an old dress and a piece of black lace for her shawl, I still need to quilt and bind this one. Right now I am on a creating spree, when I get several done, I quilt and bind them all.

Swirling Oaks

Here is my Challenge #14 piece- Swirling Oaks- 11"x14"

It looks like many others also thought of wind and leaves for this. It was the first thing I thought of when I read it, because fall is really here, and the winds have picked up, and the leaves are swirling all around.

I used sunprints of oak leaves I did this summer, using colors in orange and green with some burgundy. The sunprinted fabric was backed with Wonder Under, then cut apart, and fused to the batting with a gold-flecked ivory fabric between the prints. The edges of the prints are covered with a yarn in the colors of the fabric, couched with clear thread.

I quilted the outlines and veins of the sunprints with a variegated thread, and stitched some wobbly, curved lines with clear thread to show the swirling wind. The "binding" is the same yarn used earlier couched around the edges. The leaves for the embellishment are "silk" leaves pulled from their plastic stems. I attached them by stitching only on the vein lines, so they are loose on their edges.

The first photo is of the piece placed on a 16"x20" pre-stretched canvas which I would like to mount it to.

The second photo also shows it on the canvas, but with a couple more leaves placed on the canvas outside the edge of the quilt.

I am not sure if I like the canvas left white, or if a color would be better, or if I shoud add the extra leaves, or leave it alone.
If anyone has any ideas, I'm very open for suggestions.

Colorful Chaos - ~20" x 25"

Despite having issued the challenge, not a single advance idea of this piece came to me until Wednesday after it was posted!

I started off by going wild with the shape, then machine appliquéing a couple pieces with plenty of motion of their own. Then I dove into my stash of ribbons and trim, and twisted them around; they got sewn in with beads. This has to be the wildest piece I have ever made!

Beauty Vs. Imperfection

This quilt was meant to be a journery of healing for me. Almost eight years ago I had a mastectomy. Because of the many surgeries I went through that year I chose to not undergo reconstruction, so I have scars on my chest. I am reminded daily of that ordeal - the scars aren't pretty. But I do not wallow in self-pity. The scars remind me that I am a survivor! The quilt is embellished with a descontructed cooper pot scrubber and gold acrylic paint. The triangles are a loosely hand woven fabric that is somewhat frayed around the edges, demonstrating my journey, and that all is not as it seems. I plan on doing a bit of beading in amongst the copper after I have this quilted. It is not finished in that it needs to be backed and bound.

Ann in Walnut, CA

Second attempt at leaves

Here is a second attempt at fusing real oak leaves onto quilted fabric. Now I'm out of oak leaves... This shows more movement, I think, but I can't decide whether I'm looking up at the sky, which I intended, or down into water. The blue hand-dye is by Robbi Joy Eklow.

MINESHAFT

There are many old abandoned mines in deserts and mountains. Sometimes when you stumble across one, it looks like a bottomless pit (it often is!) surrounded by plant overgrowth and rocks. Careful, or you might fall in! One slip of the foot sends rocks and sand tumbling down into the shaft.

Moonlit Swamp

Successive layers of tree appliques in cotton and overlaid with sparkle tulle. The movement is the slow play of moonlight across the water. Embellishments are the twisted bugle beads in a dark, tarnished green/black color and the furry yarn in the tree top on the right. Free-motion quilted, faced, 33x28.

Skippers

Started right away. Worked hard. Didn't finish. In my defense, we had a family emergency. This piece is about 15" x 18", raw edge applique and hand embroidery. I enjoyed all the articles about what creates the illusion of motion in art and I tried to freeze motion. I don't think it works as well as it did in my sketch. Maybe when the rest of the embroidery and the quilting are added.

Through Hail and Ice

I tried to achieve movement through silence.

I drew a duck in flight then fused it in segments to a background which i painted with some metallic paint. I appliqued around the duck with satin stitch.

Free motion quilting with silver holographic thread was used as an embellishment.

Metallic paint for the feet and beak; with shading with fabric crayons to achieve greater definition of the duck and the movement of the wings.

I don't know whether i succeeded with the theme of movement.

I will appreciate any comments.

Anna.

Flight of the Dragonfly

The finished measurement is 13x17. I named if Flight of the Dragonfly - it reminded me of the Flight of the Bumblebee. The background is pieced with various scraps of fabric. The leaves and cattails are appliquéd down with the quilting. The cattail stems are couched yarn. The cattails have a little bit of stuffing to represent going to seed. The flight is beaded dancing in and out of the cattails. Finally a little blue beaded dragonfly to finish it off. As always I did have fun.

Lisa
In Sunny Seattle

Swirls by Lisa Konkel

This is the first challenge I've completed for this group. My challenge 13 quilt isn't finished yet.

When I read the rules, I kept thinking of swirling lines. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so I sat down and did a series of sketches. I came up with two I really liked, and started with this one of swirling ribbons. (I'd still like to do the other one too, when I have a bit more time.)

I used sheer fabric and red lame, fusing them down to form the ribbons. This is the only embellishment I have. I have thought about adding beads to form additional ribbons. The ribbons are satin stitched to the quilt front, then the quilt was layered and quilted along the lines of the ribbons. I quilted to the edges of the fabric and then went back to add the borders, which is why those aren't quilted. I like the difference in texture of adding the borders after quilting--it looks more like a frame.

This is really a departure from other things I've made. I'm not sure if I really like it or not, but it was the quilt that was needing to be made for this challenge. I really enjoyed the challenge, especially the idea of trying sketches and then picking one to make.

Challenge 14 - The Wave by Cynthia Ann Morgan

My 17 x 13" piece is based on a 19th century vintage japanese woodcut print, called the "Great Wave off Kanagawa" by Hokusai which depicts an enormous wave threatening fishing boats with Mount Fuji in the background. Mine's not about Mt Fuji or fishing boats...just the motion of the giant wave and all that curling foam. I used hand dyed fabrics, fused applique and trapunto on some parts to give it more dimension. The embellishment part of the challenge is small...just some slivers of foil here and there.

This was a good challenge for me...I looked at alot of art to see what creates the feeling of motion. It really livens up a piece to have some movement and/or rhythm.

Comments welcome!

Cynthia

Storm watch

What fun, I really had to think when the Challenge was posted. Waterand wind kept coming to my mind. So, this is what I ended up with. Ihope I captured the essence of the challenge. I did use embellishmntsto help move the eye around the piece.Thank you for thinking of this as a challenge.

I used a lot of teqniques and embellishments in this piece.

I used my embellisher to texturize the water. Then with cellophane, tyvek, sparkle paint, angelina [from the sheets] ,paint, cotton balls, tuille, hand dyed and painted fabric, it all came together.The water started as a shimmer polyester. Hot fix embellishments and quilting lines move the eye around the piece as we" watch the storm"coming in.

I did something I had never done before and that was to fuse the pieces that make the four wind'y blocks on the left side. I always wanted o do this. But, I wouldn't again. Much easier to piece, even if it was by hand.

I look forward to your comments

Eddy

This is my attempt at showing movement. I began with a piece of hand dyed fabric from Alice Cruz, Della Jane Hand Dyes. The gold lines are Radiance, Copper, "Frize" type yarn. I used my new free-motion couching foot to apply the curvy lines. Then I quilted in gold within the lines, and green outside. This is hard to see. The leaves are real oak leaves that I collected from Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, KY last week. I used Heat 'n Bond Lite and fused them to the quilt.
Then I looked at all your other quilts. Wow! I should have quilted echo lines, which would have emphasized the movement. and, I fused the leaves too close to the edge and they are caught in the binding.

Fire Storm

I finally finished a challenge! It's been awhile. I chose to do a wild fire not only because of the most recent California blazes, but because my niece and her significant other both work for the National Fire Service and fight these terrible fire storms. I plan to give this to them for Christmas.

It didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped but I think gets the message across. I used all scrap pieces and fused them to the fabric using a circular pieces to get the swirling motion of the fire engulfing everything in its path and leaving only tinder behind. I then attempted to add 'smoke' by fusing separated yarn to the sky with fusible, too. Therein lies the problem. The fusible backing shows through in some spots more than others and also fuses the yarn down too flat to get much of a wispy effect. Any suggestions?

Salsify by Kathy Lichtendahl

Here is my second entry to FFFC. I am amazed at how many of us seem to have had the same initial idea of wind as the subject for the movement in our pieces. Especially since it is an invisible element in real life! The timing of this challenge was perfect for me as I just purchased an embellisher with some birthday money and really needed an excuse to try it out. The seed pods of the salsify plant are made from some of the hair off one of my llamas, attached to the background with the embellisher. The curving line of flying geese was a true challenge and I really need to work on coming up with a better method for including them in any future quilts. Any and all comments are welcome!

ren's Solar Wind

When the challenge was first announced, I saw this image in my mind's eye. And it's taken me days and days to execute it. The movement part was fairly easy to put down. The embellishments—which are not finished; nor is the piece itself—were to be things that I hadn't done before. I explored different stitches on my machine and then used a couching/beading foot to put the strings of beads down. And I did that using invisible thread. Whew! That stuff is really, really invisible, both the clear and the smoke. Now, I need to decide what, if anything, I want to do with the blues. And, of course, I need to finish the piece. I'm thinking of doing a pillowcase finish with fuseable web to secure all the threads on the back. Any suggestions are welcome.

Victorian in Ghent

I was excited about the challenge because I really enjoy working on architectural pieces. The challenge asked that we make a quilt based on architecture and that showed depth. I love Victorian Architecture and did a series of Victorian Turrets for my Journal Quilt Project of 2006. I had planned to continue making these but other things always seemed to get in the way. This was my chance to continue. My previous turrets have all been Journal Quilt Size (8.5" x 11") but this time I wanted to work larger.

detail

I actually did not think it would take much longer to work a bit larger than to work small. I was very wrong about that. I found out that each piece when it is large takes on more significance to the outcome of the whole. This has lead to some trial and error and changes in my fabric choices. I feel that I have gained a lot by working on this challenge and am satisfied with what I have done. Learning something new, motivation to work on a topic of interest, that is reason enough to participate in challenges.

This quilt is made using my Upside Down Applique technique, some thread painting and an off-surface needle lace technique that combines both applique and free motion machine embroidery.

Source Photo

This quilt was completed in December 2007.

Floating Mermaid by Ann Morrell

I probably went "overboard" on using my embellishments but had lots of fun using my hand dyed yarns, my watercolor crayons, and my Embellisher. I was also able to use some of my fancy stitches on my sewing machine. (I used a lot of glitter.....which does cause a bad reflection in flash on camera....sorry about that.)



When I read the challenge, I instantly saw a mermaid taking a nap, wrapped in seaweed, as she is being rocked to sleep by two sea turtles. I tried to use the background fabric stitching to also show movement as well as the seaweed wrapped around the mermaid being pulled by the waves. I also tried to twist the mermaid's body to show the pull of the waves.

Square Dance for Fun and Friendship

This is a couple twirling during a square dance. It was all hand appliqued.

Wind

11 1/2 x 14

Thread painting

Watercolor crayons

Hand-dyed fabric

Commercial batiks

This work is of wind blowing through a willow tree, wheat and grasses. A lake appeared by accident when I was trying to make a horizon line. This piece is not in the vivid colors I usually work with because I had a disaster of a fabric dyeing day last week. The background fabric was supposed to be a rich yellow with some turquoise. Didn't happen so I decided to try the pale imitation on this piece. I had a wonderful time making this since I had no preconceived idea how it would turn out. I started with the wheat, then the tree and just kept on thread-painting until it seemed done. Thanks for looking at this work - as always, I appreciate your comments.

Challenge 14 - Down the Tube quilt

This was really a Challenge for me. I had big plans of showing a surfer racing down a wave, but plans sometimes don't work out so well. I took a photo of a wave and played with it on the computer. I made the photo sepia tones, then added the effects of contours and thought I had a really cool start to this challenge. When I started translating it all into a fabric composition, I lost the wave effect and tried to salvage the work I had done so far. I was hoping that the quilting would restore the wave look, but alas the composition is now called "Down the Tube" instead of "Catch a Wave". I tried to think of some embellishment that would enhance this quilt, and would welcome any suggestions you may have. I hate to think that I will have to cut this up and turn it all into postcards. Help!. Joni

Challenge #14 Brenda Jennings (9"x11.5")

I had several ideas for this challenge, but many of them seemed too overwhelming to get done in a week LOL. I finally chose to do a somewhat abstract version of seaweed moving in an underwater current.

The seaweed is fused applique. The embellishment is angelina which I tried to make as thin as possible (it is still a bit too heavy in a couple of spots). The whole thing is overlayed with a blue tulle and then machine quilted with Sulky rayon thread. I thought about adding some beading (for bubbles), but I want it to be more abstract than try to make it a realistic sea scene.

The hardest part was trying to get a good photograph without the angelina taking over the photo! On my third setup, I shot it with (natural) light from the side.

Challenge #14 - Rhoda

I have finished Challenge #14.
Well not totally, the binding is pinned in place in the picture.

At first I was going to do dancers. While having my morning coffee I noted a magpie trying to land on a tree...fierce winds have been blowing up here.

So, the magpie was the inspiration and wind is the movement.

I chose black and white fabric, because the magpie is black and white, and I have lots of this fabric which I don't seem to use. As I was working on the piece I was thinking of the fires in CA and the Santa Ana winds...decided to include some gold and red to symbolize the fires.

The tree is done with puff paint, I used raw edge appliqué for the bird, leaves etc. The quilting (the wing) was done with Sulky holoshimmer.

I look forward to your comments on my effort.

Witch Creek Fire

As the world knows, San Diego was blasted with Santa Ana winds and consequently fires raging out of control. Hundreds of thousands of us were evacuated from our homes...I was one of the lucky ones, able to return home in just two days, however many were not so lucky. Some of my friends lost everything to the flames. This little quilt is dedicated to them.

I tried to convey the awful fury of the windswept flames using various metalics, angelina, roving (including silk) and copper dust mica to replicate the flying embers. I used thread painting for the brush, bushes and grasses. The flames were stitched with holoshimmer gold, and the wavy lines in the smoke were hand stitched using a mohair yarn.

I padded and wrapped the mat using black nylon and will frame it.

As always, I welcome and appreciate any and all critiques and comments.

Cherie

Challenge 14 ~ Movement

Challenge # 14 - Friday, 26 October 2007

Guest Hostess - Tobi Hoffman

Theme: Movement with embellishment

Movement in Stasis: Lights, Camera, Action!

While our artwork itself does not move, the eye does; this challenge is to create a piece that shouts out visually the sense of motion. This is not about actual moving parts, but a feeling that there is real motion in the piece.

It could be abstract, a design that pulls the eye from one part to another or leads it in a path around the piece, or it could be elements apparently caught in mid-motion.

Use any form of embellishment to help create and drive the sense of motion in the piece. This can be something you frequently use, or something entirely new to you, but it should be an important element in your piece.

Design Element - Movement.

Movement is an effect rather than an element but is also related to the elements/principles of line, rhythm, and repetition.

Discussion - The following is included for informational purposes only:

As I began work on this year's journal quilt, I wanted to create a sense of motion into the piece. I think I managed this, with a combination of general design, fabric selection and embellishment; more than this I will not say -- and since it is not supposed to be posted on-line until the Houston show, you can't see it until Nov. 1st!

Due - Saturday, Noon EST, 3 November 2007

One final requirement - HAVE FUN WITH THIS

Challenge 13- My Dream House

Only about a month late with this one. I finally got my head together enough to get "My Dream House" mostly done. I still need to trim and bind it, and maybe add some beading? Not sure what else might happen, but here it is. I used a photo of an old house near where I live as inspiration. Definitely not what I live in now.

Now that it is this far, it could almost fit for the present challenge, but I do plan to do a new one for that.
Any critiques, ideas, etc. welcome.




Here is a detail shot. For a post on my blog showing more process photos, and the original inspiration photo, click here.

The past 2 months have been a "real" challenge for me, so having the FFFC gives me a reason to get off my butt, and do something productive.

Cobweb

I'm not sure where I'm going with this piece -- it's far from finished, but the next challenge is soon upon us!

I love the idea of looking through something to see something perhaps unexpected, but not sure I've achieved even the idea of that. The current plan, subject to change at any moment, is to threadpaint cobweb patterns around the leaves, possibly mount the whole thing on a darker background, paint some shadows and veins on the leaves themselves, and maybe cut the whole piece to the shape of a cobweb to mount between pieces of found branches.

The barn is made of deck-stain paint chips, conveniently textured like wood; the cobweb is variegated metallic thread with silver beads glued at the "points;" the leaves are cotton fused with MistyFuse; the background is a combed cotton blend of some sort that I found in a remnant pile.

Please comment with gusto -- honest critique is the main reason I joined the group. Thanks!

The Office

Since my original idea didn't work out, I started over and finally have finished with The Office, a view of the back of the black glass and pebbly concrete building where I work. Those windows were interesting to create - I used a navy blue lining fabric for an undertone of the reflected sky, and covered that, as well as the building reflection, with a black organza. It's all pieced, with no fusibles or raw edges anywhere. Yes, the sky really was that blue on the day I took my picture. I machine quilted the building and the glass panes. When I was done, I realized that the quilting on the back of my work was a mirror image of the front, like a line drawing of the same view. That's why there are 2 pictures of mine this month. Any comments would be appreciated.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Finally got my challenge done. I printed on fabric a photo that I took looking out a window in the fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico last fall. I fused the shapes of the wall and tower, grass and water, then free-motion quilted the whole thing. It measures only 6 1/2" x 10 1/2", because I wanted to be able to scan and then post it.
Comments and critiques are very welcome!

I have added alot of shading to the house, darkened the shadow from the tree, and quilted some wispy clouds in the sky. I think it has added alot of dimension and perspective to the house. What do ya'll think?

Mill2

I started with Mill1 - had it on the design wall for a bit and realized that the buildings were really too small. Revised, cut down the sidewalk/road and made the buildings bigger, which then became Mill2. This one seems better proportioned. I was aiming for simplicity and starkness.
thanks for any comments.
Kathy
http://www.kathyangellee.com

Gothic Arches

I really enjoyed this challenge, because I felt right at home. I used to be an architectural designer before I retired, and it was a comfortable subject for me. The vaulted ceiling is of the Notre Dame Cathedral, and it was fun to put non traditional colors to liven up the subject matter. I made a template for each section of the quilt with freezer paper, and then fused the various sections to the background. All the pieces were satin stitched as a way of quilting, and black quilting lines added to the texture and sense of depth. I had to resort to penciling in a little bit of shading to get the look I wanted, but the whole process was enjoyable. I look forward to our next challenge. I have also enjoyed seeing the large variety of quilts on this topic. They all are wonderful! Any comments or critiques would be most welcome. Joni

My Alabama Home

This is something I've been thinking of doing for a long time. Thank you, Roberta, for the push.

This is my house - the one I've waited all my life to have.

For anyone who is geographically challenged (like I am) I used a map of Alabama as a pattern for the background.

Portals

I love the idea of portals. (Love Esterita's work) we often visit ruined castles, abbeys and churches. I have loads of photos, but I have had this one from a magazine up on my wall for ages, wanting to do something with it.

I used paper solvy to print my sketch and then thread painted over it. It is meant to dissolve easily. But I found it difficult to get rid of it under the dense stitching. When it dries, it dries white again. The work looked pretty good yesterday in time for the deadline! But the white bits bothered me. So, since I had stitched it onto tea-dyed linen, I thought I would use a teabag to put a bit more tea on, hoping to colour the white bits of paper.

Well, that was a mistake, as it turned everything VERY dark, and I lost any definition at all in the distance. So, this afternoon, I have reworked more threads into the background, and brought it back to where I can cope with it! The actual piece is a bit browner than this photo shows, and the whole thing blends better, but the photo does show the depth.

In order to create the depth, I tried using lighter threads in the background and darker in the foreground. Using principles suggested in the link to the essay. I also used stronger definition in the foreground...often using 3 or 4 threads in the needle to get the mixture of colours and strength of line.

thanks for any comments.

Pink House

This quilt might fall into a "cheater"...I started with a UFO. When we were on a cruise...while visiting Dominica.. I took a photo on a moving bus thru the window of the pink house. I found the pink leaves on another Island ..St Lucia..with the plan for a Architecture quilt. I enlarged the photo and printed 4 parts on 8 1/2x 11 fabric sheets and sewed the parts together. And added the pink borders...pressed and my steam iron dripped water spots on the printed house.....so into the UFO pile it went..... With the announcement of Architecure... a rescue plan came with crayons and shiva paint sticks and quilting with different colors of verigated threads. I'm late posting as I did not have my photo or my statement ready before we went out of town for a few days...

Orange House, 25 1/2" x 18 1/2"

• 

Architecture is not my thing! Nevertheless, here is my attempt. I pulled in what I learned years ago of perspective and vanishing points. I built the house with woven strips, sewing them down with satin stitching which got thinner with distance, and for the vertical stitching, going from black to dark gray to lighter grays.

My thought is that I have mixed up surrealistic elements with more natural ones, and it doesn't work as well as I would like.

Passageways by Linda Cline

12 x 12
fused cotton, paint

I had a couple of ideas for the challenge last week that I sketched out. They seemed like they would take more time than I had to do them in, so I sat on the floor against the front door yesterday and sketched the hallway. I made it simpler by just sketching the walls; eliminated the doors and all the stuff.

Scanned the sketch into the computer and then drew on top using straight lines. Added a vanishing point to check and fix the perspective.

I took some artistic license before I made the quilt and moved a wall slightly and rounded the tops of the doors. Took even more liberties with the colors. I thought I would make the whole quilt in warm neutrals. But lots of color snuck in before I was done. I used a piece of fabric that I had used as a paint rag for a lot of it, and I added more paint after the quilt was fused together. I didn’t think architecture was my thing, and didn’t think I was going to like it after I had made my sketch, but decided to go with it anyway. I kind of like how it turned out.