SAQA Whisper Quilt Challenge

Here it is, the piece I have been working on for months.  Actually a week before it was due and then another week just before the reveal.  The challenge is set up like the old telephone game, where you start with one story and see how it changes as it move around the circle of friends.  The first person in each of 5 groups was presented  with a photo to inspire a 22 x 24 quilt.  Those quilts were then passed to the next in line to inspire another set of quilts.  Last week was the reveal of over 30 quilts.  How inspiring and how funny to see how a scene of sea rocks and a crab ended up as trees, flowers, and then back to the sea.  Hard to imagine but go to the SAQA NorCal blog and see the show. I have more work to do with my piece.  First I am cutting off 2 inches on the left (as shown)  and then adding a few more leaves.   I needed to have it done, but upon reflection and some very helpful comments... I have decide to work a bit more.
 

The Istanbul Vest

The pattern for this vest is from an article in Threads Magazine  and is designed by Pat Moriarity of Plymouth, Wisconsin.  It is called the Istanbul vest but my shawl came from a wonderful trip in Spain.  These long shawls are everywhere but if you are like me (and Pat) they are hard to wear.  The pattern was simple to make and I have had loads of compliments and "where did you find it" comments.  Find the pattern in the Oct/Nov 2007 Threads Magazine.  At the end of the article is another kind of shawl pattern!  Thanks to Pat for being so generous, my only comment is that I wish I looked as good at the model in the article!!

Where does time go??

Where does the time go.... but it is fun.  I have been sewing and creating but I can't show you!  First was the whisper piece for SAQA but I can't show you until after the Feb meeting.  Next was little gift card holders, but again I couldn't let people see that in advance. Finally a really cute kitchen thing but again that was a gift.  So as it is with some of you, your art get set aside for the excitement of Christmas.  I'll be back in the swing before long and promise to return to my blog update schedule.  I wish you the most enjoyable Holiday possible and a super creative New Year.

More Sharpie Fun

My sister-in-law Carolyn, and I had a great day last Wed.  We went to both my Knitting Group and the GNO (Girls Night Out) where we had loads of fun.  Thank You to all who made her feel so welcome.  Later in the afternoon we played with Sharpie pens.  As I have explained in older blogs, Sharpie pens can be used to dye fabric.  We have all used them for marking camp clothing etc but when you layer the colors and then spray with alcohol... well then you have a whole different thing.  The alcohol mixes the dye and it often looks like watercolor.  Here are the some pictures.  Carolyn is going to go home and try her own ideas and I'm sure she will come up with something unique!
The top two are Carolyn's.  She started with circles but then laid the silk fabric over bubble wrap before spraying with alcohol.  For awhile it looked like a mistake but then as it dried....  Mine was a little less successful but I think it will become a great landscape.

Latest Moutain Art Quilter's Challenge

The challenge theme was "Anything but Cotton" and it was so much fun.  Ardy's piece was made from her husbands garage scraps!  Mine is made of felted wool, hand made paper (I purchased this), temtex painted and foiled, window screen material made into background and beads, more beads and ribbon.  Just about everything but the kitchen sink.  I wish I had been able to record all the decisions made in this piece because it just took on a life of it's own.  The mistake of making the background too large turned into a better composition, the mistake of not enough paint on the window screen turned into just the right amount when folded and rolled.  Every time there was a problem, I had more fun fixing it and going in a different direction.  Hope you like it.

I enjoy working with the small pieces and adding embellishments but the whole whole piece does not get very large.  Most of the competitions want larger pieces.  So there is something for me to think about.  If you have an opinion, please use the comment option at the bottom of this blog entry.

A Winner!

Norwegian Coat

Third Place Winner

PIQF 2010

Along with two friends - Vicky and Sue, I was a winner at PIQF 2010!  I can't believe I won for a coat that I sewed and I'm sure my Mom would be so surprised.  The coat above which started as a Rachel Clark challenge, won Third Prize for the Coat & Jacket competition.  You can imagine how excited I got when I walked up to the display?  I checked to see if maybe the ribbon had blown over from another coat, but no it was mine.  Life is good.  The bus ride home was really great because there were five of us that had been juried into the show and then there were three of us with ribbons.  Friends shared in the excitement and made the whole thing just that much better.  Again I have to thank my friends for all their support and I think of you often.
There was more good news from SAQA because they sold my donation (12 x 12" square) in the Annual Benefit Auction.  Thanks to the good friend Betty who purchased it.  She saved me from having it mailed back.  Betty was the friend that first brought me into SAQA and I thank her for all the wonderful things that have come from that kindness.

I'm Back from Tile Heaven

Hi Everyone,  I have just returned from Spain and Portugal and what a feast for the eyes.  After a 1000 pictures I am showing you just two.  In the last city I visited - Porto Portugal - all the walls were covered with beautiful tiles.  Every little building had something different in both color and design.  I would love to spend days just taking pictures.  Too bad I don't do detailed applique because I would never lack for inspiration.

Now I have to get back to work/fun and finish up the different challenges that are due.  The one for MAQ - Everything but cotton, is still wandering around in my brain; Jan's challenge to create a piece from a cup design is almost done so you should see that soon; and the SAQA challenge is waiting for loads of embellishments.  While it seems like lots of work it is really lots of fun with just a ting of stress!

Hope you will forgive the lack of updates but the wanderlust of travel calls.  More later.