Asiatic Lilies

Here's the latest 12x12 piece in my series pairing bird and flower images. This piece began as a home dec fabric sample. I've been looking for fabrics on which I can embellish in order to create a new composition. I was attracted to this lily fabric, and I found some clip art pieces to add both more flowers and a bird.


Both lilies and Stellar's Jays are prevalent in the region where I live. The Stellar's Jay is a bird common to the west. Though the Blue Jay is more well known, they're not native to the west.


I used a drawing of a Blue Jay for the basic body shape, and then studied a friend's photos for the Stellar's Jay coloration.
I drew the shapes on water-soluble stabilizer, and then stitched through the whole thing.

The embroidery is almost all chain stitch. I like the idea of using one stitch for the whole composition. I did add a few bullion stitches for the pistils of the flowers.

I'm looking for ideas for my next composition. It's fun to choose the bird, flower, and background fabric for the next project.

Making a Messenger Bag from a Skirt

I made this messenger bag from a recycled skirt. Here are the instructions for a really easy project



Use a knee-length straight skirt. I found my skirt at a thrift store. The skirt will form the body of the bag. Sew up any side or back slits, remove the waistband and cut off the hem.

Sew the skirt closed at the bottom edge and then fold the bottom corners toward the side seams. The width of the bottom of these corner triangles will establish the width of your bag. I chose a 4" wide bag. Top stitch the triangle sides to the bag.
Mark the back side of the skirt about half way between the top and bottom, depending on how tall you want your bag to be. The top part of the skirt will form the flap, and the bottom part will be the body of your bag. I decided to keep the zipper in the skirt, which will form a zippered pocket on the inside of the flap.

Carefully cut across the marked line, through only one layer.
Turn right sides together at the top of the skirt, and stitch. I took the waist darts out of my skirt, but would leave them in next time. This way your flap is narrower than your bag. Now you should have a completed bag exterior. To make the lining, cut a piece of fabric the size of your bag, exclusive of the flap. I used a piece from an old corduroy skirt. For the pockets, stitch some rectangles with right sides together, leaving an opening for turning right side out. Turn the pocket and stitch it to the lining on three sides. Top stitch across the pocket to make sections.

Now run your bag by your feline design consultant. Bunny is channeling Coco Channel for me. I cut the bag strap and hardware from a worn out messenger bag and attached it to the new bag using a loop made from the skirt's waistband. Pin the loop between the lining and the bag and top stitch the bag opening all the way around. You will be attaching the lining to the bag and to the inside of the bag flap.

Reinforce the strap loop.
To stabilize the bag bottom I taped two layers of cardboard together with mailing tape. I wrapped the cardboard in an envelope I made from a piece of denim.
Voila, a new bag.

Boy this tutorial writing is harder than it looks! I hope these instructions were clear.

Loaves and Fishes

I haven't quite fallen off the edge of the world, but the school year has started again and I'm back at work. I have less time for fiber work, but I'm fortunate to have a job where I can be creative in other ways.

Before I went back to work, I decided to clear out some Christmas fabrics that I had in the drawer. When I combined them with some non-holiday but matching fabrics in my stash, I almost miraculously had enough to make these two quilts. The first one is about 30x30 inches, and the second one is larger, about 50 x60.
These photos are a bit blurry, but the close-up is clearer. I think I'll quilt these for gifts.
One of my favorite thrift stores is moving to another location so they marked almost everything down so they don't have to pack more than absolutely necessary. I got this wonderful batch of buttons for 35 cents. There are some wonderful large vintage coat buttons.

I like that some of them are not round.
In this batch, the little green buttons caught my eye. I like the metal buttons, which I use for sweaters and other garments.

Some days I just get lucky. I love getting these little gifts from the universe.

Going for Baroque

Tepeyac
20 x 27

I just finished this new piece in my Madonna series. Debra and I have been encouraging and inspiring each other over on our shared blog The Madonna Idea.

You can click on this image for a better view. There are some close-ups and a few notes over on the other site. Be sure to check out "Continue," Debra's latest quilt in the series.

Fabric Madness

It's not just for humans any more.

On a more spiritual but equally ecstatic note, Debra and I are blogging some new Madonna quilt projects. Check it out at our blog The Madonna Idea.

Girasol

This quilt is square, it just photographed crooked. Honest.

This is the second in my bird series for the 12x12x12 Challenge through Quilt Studio. I'm a quarterly participant and others are making a small quilt each month. Here's a link to my post about "Morning Glory," my first quilt in the series.

When I was finishing the quilt I realized that it looked like a sunflower, so I named it "Girasol," which is sunflower in Spanish. In the next quilts, I'll also be pairing flowers with birds, since I seem to have established a pattern. The color of the close-up photo is truer than in the photo of the whole quilt.


The outline of the bird is from a motif on a Mexican ceramic cup I have. The stitches inside the bird are called Dorset feather stitch (get it? feather stitch), which I read about in an English embroidery magazine. The pieced pickle dish block was an orphan in my stash. I'm very pleased with how it's turned out.


My next bird piece is designed and ready to go. I'm going to do lilies and a blue jay. I'm going to color some drafts of the motifs with colored pencils before I pick my threads and start.

From the Scrapbag

These quilts came from the scrap drawer and from a small stash of squares I had set aside. First is "Mosaic "(48x48). I'm favoring table-sized quilts these days. They're mostly done by the time I get bored. The white and blue inner border is from a piece of vintage fabric that I think may be feed sack. I'm happy to have found a use for some of it.


"Blue Cross" (30x30) is from the stash of squares and the sugar skulls border is from the Alexander Henry Day of the Dead series.



The last one for now is a table runner, also from the squares. I think I will put these little quilts away for gifts.

Playing with Scraps and New Tote Bags

It makes me both excited and a little nervous when the scrap bins start to overflow. I usually have some projects lined up for when the selection gets really good, and so now I'm simultaneously making a number of things.

I'm collecting strips and squares for the scrap quilt pictured in the background of this photo. I think I have enough and I should stop stuffing pieces into this bag.


I've also got these two sets of blocks in the works. The brown background is up there only for contrast. Any suggestions on colors to use in the background of the scrappy star?

And I've been making bags. I love it that I see more and more people in the market with reuseable cloth bags. This one was once a muslin wood carrier. I stitched up the sides and inked over an iron-on transfer with sharpie. I also added pockets inside and outside. That's Bunny the cat walking by.

This bag is more of a purse. I used the Alexander Henry "Loteria" (Mexican Bingo) card fabric I got so excited about, and some deniim from my stash. I added lots of pockets, including a zipper pocket, on the inside.


Have a restful and creative weekend!

Thirty Seconds from My Day

I look out the front door and think, "what's wrong with that cat?"But Fatty has just found the perfect place to relax.
Michael scratches the place the rocks don't reach. He's so thoughtful.
When Louie comes by to join the party, Fatty will have none of it.

I hope your day is half as relaxing as Fatty's. Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post.