Bunches of Landscape Cards

     Since I finished the new treadle redo, I used the Singer 237 to make some cards. I used a 10 x 10" piece of heavy wt interfacing, layered it with a 10 x 10 batting, and layered scraps of batiks to make lots of landscape type areas. I put a watersoluble interfacing piece over the top and zig zagged the whole top with invisible monofilament thread (YLI) to hold it all in place. Then, I used black Gilde and added details in FMQ. After the sandwich was all quilted, I rinsed the interfacing away and cut the 10 x 10 into many smaller pieces, which I glued on cardstock. I was tempted to leave the piece whole, but I really needed some cards to send. I thought I took a photo of the fabric before I cut it up, but it was not on the camera. 

Watersoluble sandwich on treadle

New Pond and gone

    One of my art teacher friends had a birthday. Terri is one of the most generous people, so I wanted to do something special for her. She loves my fabric collages, so at the last minute, I decided to put one together. I worked from one of my photos, sketch, and used an 8 x 8 piece of batting and Timtex. I layered the batiks on and press them down using spray starch. Then I put a piece of water soluble interfacing over it, a few pins and FMQ all over it with YLI invisible thread to secure everything. Since I was pressed for time, I also went over it with black glide and golden brown glide to accent portions. Usually I melt the watersoluble first, then add the color thread. I soaked the piece, let it dry, and painted an 8 x 8 canvas with greens in streaks (no photo, I was in a rush). I glued the fabric piece to the canvas and added a few silk waterlilies that I glued on. After hammering a sawtooth hanger on, I just had time to wrap it. When I gave it to her yesterday, she really loved it. Now I need to make some bigger ones when I am not so pressed for time.

I took the photo outside and the bottom sky reflection came out lighter than it is. Size is 8" x 8"

Batik scrap scarf

   I love scraps, tiny batik ones too. I have made some small wall quilts with them and I decided to try a scarf. I used 60" x 6" of sticky water soluble interfacing on my table and added background scraps, light blues. I overlapped and layered them. Then I added greens for leaves in separate areas. Last, I added colors for flowers. I was thinking roses, but I am not sure that is how they will turn out. Before I layered another water soluble interfacing piece on top (ran out of sticky water soluble), I drizzled a little washable Elmer's glue. Where the drops were too big, it ate through the top layer of interfacing. Hmm, better think that out better next time.
  Then I free motioned densely over all the scarf with YLI invisible thread on top and Bottom Line in the bobbin. Then, using blue Glide thread, I FMQ the blue background, the green thread over the leaves. I am debating about dissolving the interfacing now, and then FMQ the flowers so I can see them better. I tried to photo the steps so you could see the process.

Laying out the background

Continuing to add pieces

Lengthwise

 

Layering leaves and flowers

Flowers down the length

Free motion with Singer 15, works like a charm

Blue thread being added

Green thread on leaves

Tulip Fabric Collage

I have been doing a variety of artwork, so I have not been timely in posting. Using a photo from my own garden, I sewed this 12" x 12" Tulip Garden with Batik scraps, a lot of them donated, on heavy weight interfacing with watersoluable interfacing over it, stitched with Superior's MonoPoly. I then added a backing of batting and quilted it again with Superior Metallic thread. I had lots of issues with the MonoPoly breaking so I have to tweak that. I had only excellent results with the metallic thread. Now I have to figure out how to mount this- in a frame, on a canvas or what. That is always the hard part for me.

12 x 12 Tulip Garden

Fabric sandwiches

  I love landscapes. I love batik and batik scraps, so here is a way I combined them. They are done on heavyweight interfacing as a backing, then the scraps are layered on, then overlaid with watersoluble interfacing, free motion quilted (sometimes with invisible thread on top), and then dipped in water to dissolve the interfacing. The first is one that I showed previously, but a better picture. The second is my newest and I will put it in a 12" square shadowbox. I want to make more! I keep collecting lots of value scraps.

I used invisible thread here. I am thinking of not trimming the edges.

Fiber sandwiches

  Here a couple more of my fiber pieces done with watersoluble interfacing that are Free Motion Quilted. The maroon ones are from fiber from The Critter Ranch (local and Etsy). I don't know how I am going to mount them, so I put some possible fabric behind them. I could mount them on canvas boards or in a frame, hmmm.

Interfacing sandwich with quilting

With fabric background

Without fabric background

With fabric background

Without fabric background

What is on the Wall?

I have a lot of different projects going and the wall is getting crowded.

In process, scraps sewn on heaving interfacing by sandwiching water soluble interfacing over the scraps before free motion quilting, then dissolving the interfacing after sewing. I have some spots to touch up where there are gaps. I am undecided whether to finish this with a facing or mount it in a shadow box. It is about 12" x 12"

These colors did not turn out well photographed- please come back sun! This is Aurora Aura that I started in a workshop with Karla Alexander in September 2011. I have to sew all the columns together and choose border colors. This uses the stack the deck method.

This is Acadia, making this as a baby quilt for a friend. I don't know whether I like the color arrangement yet so I am pausing to think about it. Again, the colors are not great on such gray days and a flash wipes them out. Will show progress.

These are two samples of Liberated Stars from Gwen Marston's book. I don't know why these are so hard for me to make. I am undecided if I will make a quilt of these as I find the stars very confusing to make.