The green and gold!

      Another done quilt, this time the pieces and fabric from Quiltdiva Julie. This was part of a boxed set of goodies/quilt pieces from Julie to put together. My husband's high school colors were green and gold, so he really liked to see this one finished. It is a comfort quilt waiting for a referral to recipient who needs the comfort contained within.

Choosing Borders

Quilted and trimmed

With binding provided by Julie

Quilted details

Back, love that Blueberry Park fabric!

Back Detail

One Wandaful Quilt

      Wanda sent me a top to quilt for a comfort quilt. It is pretty unique and beautiful. She staystitched all the edges so it was a dream to longarm. I did outlining in the butterfly blocks, stitched the shape of the log cabin in that block and did a locking curved motif in the light print blocks. Mocha Glide top and bottom. I think it came out terrific. I auditioned a dark blue and a gold dotted dark red fabric for the binding and chose the dotted one. I usually don't use gold printed fabric, but it looked perfect with the mood of the quilt. So now it is waiting for a referral to make a special person extra comforted. It was such a treat to quilt such a wonderfully sewn and pressed quilt top! Thank you, Wanda!

Border auditions at sides

Back

Back detail

Taking a big chance out of the comfort zone

     It is no secret that my favorite place on earth is the Adirondacks, especially the Old Forge-Fulton Lakes area. We rent a place for a week in August with all the family, and 4 days in October for just the two of us. I shot many photos of the landscape for painting reference. Over the years, we bought photos and made friends with an extraordinary photographer, Kurt Gardner https://www.kurtgardnerphotography.com/. He has a gallery in Old Forge and I have taken a few photography classes with him shooting early morning landscapes.  In October, he asked me if I would teach a beginner watercolor class in his gallery as it is closed in February. I have never been to the ADK in winter. I live in Buffalo, NY which can have scary snow enough. Old Forge is looked at as the snowmobile capital of NYS, which is a reason I never went in winter. I did not really think people would want to go to Old Forge in February to take a watercolor class from some unknown artist. However, Kurt posted the class on his Facebook page, and what do you know, people have signed up. I am not on Facebook, so here is the link to see what I will be up to in Feb.: https://www.facebook.com/events/808432141293827/?ref=newsfeed 
     I have been pretty busy trying to prep the class, gather/buy supplies, and pull it together. I still think it is pretty funny some people are willing to go to the ADK in winter to learn watercolor painting. There are some sturdy people out there I guess.
     This is the painting we will do all together that I have sketched out for them. This photo does not show the colors as well as I hoped. The original photo we will work from is Kurt's that I cannot reproduce as it is his. All the paintings are quarter sheet Arches Cold Press 140 lb.which is about 10.5" x 14".

     Then after we work all together, they get to choose one of these three. The three paintings are mine from Kurt's photos.

Wrestled to the finish

     I can't believe all the trouble I had with quilting Pixel Chain (Cluck Cluck Sew). Finally after a lot of trials, consults with the dealer, changes, prayer and tears, got it finished and bound. Now it is ready for a quilt referral to a recipient. 

Back

The quilted roll up

Not just quilts...

      I love to make quilts, sew quilts, cut quilts, dream quilts. However, I spend time and energy watercolor painting. It is a different thinking kind of art than quilting. You may have an idea, and sketches, but you don't know how it will go or where it go. All kinds of surprises and accidents of timing. I don't show my work, but just keep painting. I decided this year, I will put more paintings on this blog because the thought of making a second blog gives me the heebie jeebies. I paint because of color, value and texture. I quilt for the same reason. They are just different mindsets and processes. Hard to switch up the same day, so I work on one or the other in a day.
     I finished a small quilt, made from some orphans reworked for my granddaughter for Christmas. She loves it!

Doll quilt and pillow for Violet

      I also finished the long delayed butterfly pillows for my couch.

     They were FMQ quilted on the Singer 301 with a backing and then assembled. They are double sided, big ones on one side, lots of butterflies the other. Changed up the border fabrics. The old ones were really pitiful. I am not a great Home Dec sewing maker. I like quilts. I could have sewn a decent size quilt in the time it took me to do these pillows.

Trying to get back to it

      Well the "it" is blog posting. I read all my favs and comment, but I don't seem to have to mental fortitude to write my own. I have taken plenty of photos and get them on the computer, but stall at writing the post. I have a nice list of posts to do on my to do list, but I just stare at it. It is hard for me to write what I do and getting those photos off the camera, named and in the right folders takes longer than it should for me. Too bad I couldn't just take the photos and they would be right there on my hard drive presto!
     Since my last post, Christmas passed and it was days of card making and getting them out. I think the only one that was late was to Maureen in NZ. I did them with watercolor and no tricks, just flat out brush painting.

Rosie, for the second year, inspected all supplies throughly for use

      The card process is in steps. I cut a strip of watercolor paper (Arches 140 CP). First the yellows/oranges in the sky. When dry, the blues/darks of the sky. Then a light tree line. Then the darker tree line. Then the individual trees. Each step has to be totally dry before I paint the next. I get about 7 cards out of each strip. Last, I add tree shadows and white dots of snow (gel pen). After it is all dry, I cut them, mount them on background paper, and glue them to pre-folded cardstock. I glue a verse inside. Then address and stamp them. A long process. I did not take photos of the finished cards, but a few blog friends posted them. If you are just hankering after one of these, I have a few left, just send me your address and eventually, I will send one.
     One of my favorite things is cutting down the Christmas tree which my husband and I still do. Neither of my grown children do. And the grandkids no longer want to go with us, but we go and we love it. The tree farm is a 45 minute ride into the next county, but the scenery is breathtaking and the tree hunt is great fun.
     Hope this post is not too Christmasy for you, but inspiring you with the natural beauty of trees!

Forever Green Farm's Barn