Orange Printed Foot Square

 Yesterday I showed the strips of hand dyed fabric that were block printed in orange and yellow.  It is quilted and I have printed more strips for the binding (above).  I am doing a fused binding, so I have cut the strips and (below) they are fused to the front.  I will fold them back and fuse them in place.

 Here it is (below) with the fused binding in place.

 I added a few more yellow block prints to create a little contrast (below).

For the finishing touch, I fused, then stitched these screen printed butterflies in place.  Another foot square done!

Another Foot Square - Block Printed

 I am starting this piece off with some strips of hand dyed fabric leftover from a previous project.  I sewed them together.  The strips are about 4" wide.  The colors are primarily yellow, purple and white.  I am not sure what to do with this, but I think I will do block printing - that's what I am doing these days so may as well just continue with the program!

 I've decided to use orange and yellow fabric paints for the printing.

 I layered the printed fabric with batting and backing and did the machine quilting.

What next?  Tomorrow I will show you.

Foto / Fiber for the American Cancer Society

I am delighted to be one of the contributing artists for Foto/Fiber, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society sponsored by Virginia Spiegel.  It is coming up in less than two weeks!  I will be sending out two bonuses, and today I am giving you a sneak peak at one of the items that will be included in the bonus envelope.


I will be creating a special postcard series just for this event.  I will be using gelatin printed fabric and my chickadees - same thing you saw on the cover of Quilting Arts magazine.

There will be lots of other items in the bonus envelope - you can expect some hand printed fabrics, for sure.  Here are the details:

How Does Foto/Fiber 2012 Work?
Gold Donor Day: Wednesday, February 15
10 a.m. Central - 3:00 p.m. Central
Make a minimum donation of $100 directly to the
American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause,
choose one of 90 photos, and choose one of
90 Fiber BONUSES by a specific artist.Thursday, February 16
10 a.m. Central - 3:00 Central (or until SOLD OUT)Make a minumum donation of $50 directly to the
American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause and choose a photo.
Your Fiber BONUS will be chosen for you at random.

There will be drawings for fiber art throughout the event.

100% of donations are made directly to the American Cancer Society

through Fiberart For A Cause.

See my interview on host Virginia Spiegel's blog here.

Sunset is Finished!

Here is my Sunset, all bound and finished! 

 Here are some details of the binding.  I have started mitering the fused binding at the corners.  A tutorial of this technique is coming soon.

 I continue to find the fused binding works really great.  I am happy I can trim the binding so it extends the (mountain) block printing visually.

This piece makes me inexplicably happy.  It is such a simple scene - I find myself wondering why I like it so much.  Perhaps because I am so delighted with the effect of the "mountain" block.  Or is it because sunsets are one of life's greatest joys?  We have stunning sunsets nearly every day here at our home, and we really enjoy them.  Our big windows face west, so we get a great view.

Sunset Quilting

 The quilting is finished.

 Up close, you really get the details of the block printing and stitching.  I am pleased with the luminous quality of the iridescent fabric paint I used for the printing (Jacquard Lumiere - gold).

 I find I am really fascinated by the effect of the printing - not just for this piece, but for all the pieces in this series.  I am intrigued by the way the underlying fabric and stitching continues to show through, yet is completely transformed by the printing layer.  I am very inspired to continue my explorations with this series.

I have run out of the block printing plate material I use, so I have ordered more.  I have experimented with a lot of different products, but my current favorite comes from Nasco, a school supply company.  Click here to see what I ordered.  This recycled, latex free product comes in many sizes, but this time, I have ordered it in a 12 x 18" sheets. 

Next, I will trim and bind this piece.

Travel Log Tuesday - Lava Beds National Monument

This is the entrance to Golden Cave at Lava Beds National Monument.
It is a very tight opening. You have to watch your head as you descend the ladder.

The floor of Golden Cave is covered in rough lava. Many places it is necessary to stoop to pass through an passage way. This cave has some loops. We actually got lost for a while and it was kind of scary. We really did not have enough light - just our headlamps which were inadequate in this very dark cave.

The reason this cave is called Golden Cave - is the yellow green or golden colored fungus that grows on the lava rock. It happens to grow here because it is just the right environment for it - temperature, humidity, and darkness are all factors in the environment for the fungus.

Mail Art Project - Week Seventy One

Here is the fabric I used for the background. It was hand dyed (pink), then printed with the leaf fossil. I didn't like the pink, so I overpainted it with red fabric paint.

I quilted it very simply, then fused the fish fossils in place. Below, you can see how I stitched the fossils in place after fusing.

Today's quote:

"I have great faith in fools. My friends call it self confidence."
-Edgar Allen Poe-

Pepper Print - 100 Foot Square

 I am doing a lot of rummaging in drawers for this 100 foot square series.

I have always liked this piece printed with a green pepper.  Apparently, I cut into it at some point, but I think there is enough to make both a 12" square and a couple of postcards.

Here it is after quilting.  I decided to stitch a hand dyed specialty yarn to the edge for the binding.

Mountain Block for the Sunset Sky

 This piece called for a new block.  This one is 4" square - the size I am making most of my new blocks these days.

It is all printed and ready for quilting.  I am loving the new block and am really pleased with the piece so far.

Block Printing the Sunset Sky

 Preparing to print this piece, I selected several blocks I like for the sky.

Here is the full piece after the sky has been printed.  The printing is not terribly obvious at a distance (especially on the orange and yellow fabrics).  However, note the top 6 inches of the purple areas that are altered by the gold and yellow printing!

Zig Zag on the Sunset

 This time, I thought I would try using a regular, wide zig zag stitch to attach the collaged fabric pieces.

I did not use the darning foot for free motion.  I set my machine for a wide zig zag stitch. 

 This went quick, much quicker than when I am using the free motion and creating texture.

 I changed the thread several times.

Here it is all stitched down.  Next, I will add the block printing.