AT LAST....A FINISH

THOUGHT IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN

Painted, bordered and ready to hang.  There is lots for me to be proud of in this hanging-my first real inktense project.  I learn so much and had fun playing with different techniques.

Here are some closeups.  One of the things I like most is the treatment of the rock wall.  I just sat there and did it-I had no idea what I was doing.  I found a likely black and white drawing to a rock wall, expanded and manipulated it, drew it behind my birds and flowers in a heavy inktense pencil line.  I then made a wash with inktense block scrapings and water and used this to wash over the pencil lines making them softer and also giving the edges of the blocks some demension.  I also like the variation in color in the buds, a technique I learned as I went along.

Birds were the hardest part for me to paint.  I practiced and practiced on the sateen fabric. I had to use the same kind of fabric to practice so the end would be the same.  Different fabrics yield different results.  The bee on the orange flower is appliqued on as a broderie perse-didn't trust myself to be successful at that tiny level.

I love how the butterflies turned out.

The marking on these birds came out very super.  After I photographed the finished piece, I wondered if the paving stones should be a darker color to stand out more against the flowers which are in front of them.  I may go back and do so but a finish is a finish so I may not.

This bird is one of two catbirds.  We have these all summer in our yard.  Interesting quirk of catbirds-they lay their eggs in other birds nests and just abandon them to the care of the parents of that nest.  The catbirds nestlings are generally bigger and sometimes push the actual babies of the parents out of the nest.  Not very nice!

The center  piece with rabbit and bird waterer.  I painted a couple of birds flying in the distance in the sky of this section.  This gives the whole work a different aspect.  The distant birds gives the impression of distance which begs the question Which is the actual "Secret Garden".  Is it in the foreground with all the flowers and the pathways in different directions or is it the one beyond the door.  I love this ambiguity. 

Not my favorite birds but okay.  I like the flora climbing the wall.

The yellow and blue bird is my absolute favorite.  I love how I managed to blend his wing colors.  He is so cheerful.  Your can see the rock wall nicely in this photo

Center bottom and the catbird mate.

Close up of the door painting created by rubbing an inktense block against the sateen.  Again, I just thought I would try as I had become more intimate with how inktense would work.  I was flabbergasted at the effect this made.  Do you like my wrought iron?

You really can't tell in the photos but the border fabric is some kind of grunge fabric which has lots of the same colors in it.  Even so, the purples and green tones are missing from the photo.  

One finish down, two to go before I let myself begin my new project.  Arrggh!

**********

I want to remind everyone that my painting is not an original.  I adapted from a pattern I ordered from and English designer:   RaggedyRuffDesigns. She has wonderful patterns and you can find her on Etsy.

 AND NOW.....

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

Jurassic park everyday in our backyards.  The paragraph says it all.

  I am linking up with the following great linky sites:

Slow stitching Sunday https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/

Design Wall Monday at https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/

To-Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt 

Finished or Not Friday at http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/ 

Off the Wall Friday at http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

Frederique at https://quiltingpatch.blogspot.com/

 LOTS OF ODDS AND ENDS

Okay...I finally decided how to complete this project-no mellowing for this one.  I decided not to use batting as thickness was not really called for.  I ironed some light interfacing to the painted piece (after practicing on my trial attempts).  The interfacing gives the sateen some body though the inktense and fabric medium does also.

Did you know washing removes a lot of the fabric medium so the hand is much softer.  I did not realize this would happen.

I am using Kimono silk along the seams to attach it to the background. By hand.  In tiny little stitches. Which don't show.

AND SO TO GO ON....

After completing the "secret Garden" I am going to finish a long mellowed wip.  The original pattern called for crazy quilting which was just so lovely but as I attempted to do crazy quilting, my brain failed me, telling me that for us,  crazy quilting was not in our repertoire. 

This wip mellowed for a couple years before I came up with a solution, implemented that as far as my imagination would go, then it mellowed again as I tried to put some coherence to the pattern which it lost when crazy quilting was forsaken.  I hope it will not take me more than a couple of weeks. Sigh!

This project was based on a pattern called "His Majesty the Tree" and is a seasonal pattern having a tree for each month.  It was an intricate pattern with silk ribbon embroidery, 6 strand embroidery, applique, and bead work.

LASTLY: A NEW PROJECT 

To be attempted after tree quilt is done (Ya think? who knows, I don't!)

This is some of the fabric:  Liberty tana.  This project will involve embroidery and paper piecing.

Above is what you might call "framing fabric".  The Liberty will be used solely the paper piecing. Below is the fabric to be used around the "framing".  

AND NOW...

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN.....

These are Painted Cuban shells.  Nature does the loveliest designs

  I am linking up with the following great linky sites:

Slow stitching Sunday https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/

Design Wall Monday at https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/

To-Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt 

Finished or Not Friday at http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/ 

Off the Wall Friday at http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

Frederique at https://quiltingpatch.blogspot.com/

Hope you stay well and plenty hydrated in this heat!  Or stay warm if you live in Australia and environs.

 STONEFIELDS QUILT

AKA CHUCK,SUSAN, AND ME

2016...I may have finished the blocks then and the assembly but.....I have told you of the terror in my heart when it comes to quilting.  Projects sit and mellow as I work up my courage.  I quilted this in sections (sort of a large quilt as you go).  As I look at it now I like it.  Each block is quilted differently and I used lots of different kinds.

The Chuck, Susan, and me block is in the center.  I bought the pattern for, gulp, $200 in 2015-I don't know what is charged for it now but that was a lot for me then.  After I opened and looked at the pattern I was pretty disappointed as the pattern consists of so many repeats in different colors.  I just did not see how I could make myself do all the repeats.   I have seen beautiful Stonefields but my mind does no work that way.

I had a wonderful by by Chuck Nohara "2001 New Blocks" published by Quiltmania (I miss them).  The Me part is my block designs.  The ratio is roughly 1/3 for each of us with the weight going to Chuck which is why she gets first billing.  Susan is second as the concept was her.  I am last but not least.

This quilt was my favorite to make.  Lots of different techniques were used like Broderie Perse like the 2 red vase flower blocks above.  There are mine as is the owl and the hot air balloon.

Another technique is to use the design in the fabric as the block or as an insert-for instance the pink rose block or the pink cameo block clipped from toile featuring people.

This also shows some broderie perse as well as in patterned flower fabric.  The basket is mine and was very tricky to make to get the perspective correct. 

This one has some designs from all of us.  I am especially fond of fuchsia which I designed.  Another technique used on this quilt is embroidery.

The cat in this block is one of my favorites.  The original cat was lying on a book shelve which I turned into a window ledge and made the framing out of other scraps of the bookcase.  The sun is shining with embroidered rays and the bird is b.p.
 
The fish block is mine and also a favorite. I found some fish fabric and some shell fabric and embroidered some sea weed.  I don't know if you can see it but the big yellow fish in the center is eye to eye with a fish hook on a line from an unseen boat.

Two things I especially like are both mine-the girl in the rain with the fabric forming the rain and the house block which reminds me a lot of my house: rock front, chimney gabled brown roof.

I thought the little house was an interesting use of fabric.  I built a little house for the 3 girls with pink check curtains, a gray kitty, and a stone walkway.

The two love birds are from Chuck's book-I love them.

The wonderful sleeping cat was from Chuck's book but I added the dream.

Here are just some random photos of the quilt:

Weekly progress report on the inktense Secret Garden:   just have the hinges to paint on then ready to back and bind.  I feel some quilting will be needed to keep all the layers in place .....we will all know next week-I don't know either so it will be a surprise for everyone.

AND NOW...

YOUR MONENT OF ZEN

Here is some cool patterned cityscapes:

Amsterdam

Barcelona

  I am linking up with the following great linky sites:

Slow stitching Sunday https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/

Design Wall Monday at https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/

To-Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt 

Finished or Not Friday at http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/ 

Off the Wall Friday at http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

Frederique at https://quiltingpatch.blogspot.com/

TWO NEW TECHNIQUES LEARNED ON RAGGETY RUFF'S "SECRET GARDEN"

 

First:  use of inktense blocks to create texture of wood grain.  I drew the lines of the board of gate heavily using inktense pencil saddle brown (one of my favorites) then....

I dragged the inkense block across the dry fabric to create the look of  grain in the wood

I forgot to photo the door after laying down the inktense color and then painting over with fabric medium (I sue 50% Golden GAC 900 and 50% clear aloe gel).  You can see from the photo below how the gate looks like wood. ...that is technique number one...I wish I had taken more photos.  It looks kind of crummy until the medium is on.

 For technique number two I placed the piece in my big 14 inch embroider hoop, stretching it very tight.  I wanted to paint the sky is a soft blue.

 After it was in the hoop, I sprayed it with water until it was wet. It did not matter if other painted areas got wet as these areas are already set by heat.  They can be painted over but will not bleed.  I got out my bright blue block, wet my brush and stroked it over the block,  Since the fabric was damp the inktense flowed across the fabric with the water in my brush.  (makes me want to take up water color painting-the effect was the same).  Around the edges and close to the other elements, I used a small round brush.

This is a pretty good photo of both the sky (2) and the door (1).  I had some cleanup work to do also as the 2 side panels weren't balanced and needed some elements to balance out.  I also added several long spring green curly vines as I love that kind of movement.  I have temporarily blocked out the stone pathway which I will work on tomorrow.  

If I had it to do over, I would have eliminated the seams in the center panel...oh well. live and learn.

AND NOW.......

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

Flower carpet in the Grand-Place in Brussels made of mainly begonias and dahlias grown in Belgium. 

A different carpet of flowers has been made every August for about 25 years.

"The Flower Carpet is 70 m long by 24 m wide. 1,680 m2 of  begonias, dahlias, grass and bark. More than a hundred volunteers  assemble the carpet in less than six hours.  The first Flower Carpet of Brussels was created in 1971 and  has been a showstopper every two years on the Grand-
Place since 1986. "

Another example:

Making beautiful things, however ephemeral, is one of the best things that makes us human.

Stay cool!

  I am linking up with the following great linky sites:

Slow stitching Sunday https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/

Design Wall Monday at https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/

To-Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt 

Finished or Not Friday at http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/ 

Off the Wall Friday at http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

Frederique at https://quiltingpatch.blogspot.com/

 

AFTER THREE YEARS OF BEING INCOGNITO,

                               I thought I would catch up

This is my current project.  It is based on Raggety Ruff's "A Secret Garden" which she designed as a raw edge applique with thread painting.  Her patterns are lively and colorful.  The original which you can purchase on etsy (no affiliations-just honest praise):

Since I am not creating a background of blocks of different colors, I made a rock wall which gives my concept more coherence.

My project has a ways to go yet-lots of details and finish up.  

I took an on line class from Bethanne Nemesh on inktense, learning lots of technique ideas, about brushes, mediums.  This was a great class and I applied lots of what I learned.  However, doing is also a great source of learning.  Here is just a sample of my "learning by doing":

The stone wall was painted after other painting was done.  I drew the block lines heavily in willow.  The made some willow paint by scraping off bits from an inktense block ( most of the painting was using the inktense pencils).  After it was watered down and dissolved, I brushed it over the willow lines creating a softer line and some texture and shading as I drew out the color.  I was careful in the amount of paint/water I used and used a small round brush around the flowers and birds.  

So anyway, this is what I have been doing.  Since i have not blogged in 3 years, I have lots to show everyone.  But just one other project today.  

I ordered this pattern from Material Obsessions in the land of OZ,  I have embroidered since I was a girl and this pattern really appealed to me as a combination of applique and embroidery.  It is call "A stitching Story" by Karen John.  I changed it up a bit but not much.  It is a lovely pattern.

The hardest part of a project is finishing it.  I don't know what to do as a border or what best way to hang this one.  

AND NOW.....

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

This guy is asking my husband what he is going to do about it.  Hope everyone has a nice week and doesn't evaporate with the heat and humidity.

I am linking up with:

Slow stitching Sunday https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/

To-Do Tuesday at Quilt Schmilt 

Finished or Not Friday at http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/ 

Off the Wall Friday at http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

Whoop Whoop Fridays at http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com