Zinnia Art Quilt...

Inspiration for a new design can result from just about anywhere.     For me it usually comes from gardens.  Fortunately, I have a lot of models just waiting to pose for my next art quilt....

So I cut a few zinnias & quickly get them into a vase with water. Zinnias make good cutting flowers.  If you change the water daily they will last a long time.

Now for some fabric.....I pull every color of fabric that I see in my flowers & hope I don't have to go out shopping for more fabric.  Once I have the idea of what I want to make, I want to get started & don't want to hunt down fabric in store after store. 

Guess what?  I had to go shopping.  I didn't have enough light golds or oranges.  After I came back from shopping, here is the range of values I worked with.

Then I set up a still life to photograph my models.  My models won't last in a still life until I finish my drawing, cut my fabric, get it into place, etc.  So I work from a photo that then becomes a black & white outlined drawing.  

Oops!  Blue background is wrinkled.  I don't like stopping to iron.....ggrrrrrr.    In spite of this, my models strike a pose in a very "Vogue" sort of way.

Here is the black & white drawing that will be my pattern.  What was I thinking?  As I number the petals in the flowers I discover that one flower has 98 petals & the other has 95 petals.  Do I really want to do this?  The effect will be lost if I don't work with all the petals.....

I've come this far & no turning back.  I must press on & fuse forward.  I simply need to adjust my attitude about finishing this quilt quickly.  So I repeat to myself, "Enjoy the process, enjoy the process."

Let the fusing begin....

I tried to make the fusing simple for myself.  I used an applique pressing sheet & fused all the petals in one flower together as one unit then, the second flower & finally the third flower.  This made the placement of each flower on my background a little easier.  

Thank goodness for this great product by Bear Thread Designs.  If you're interested in an applique pressing sheet go to their website:  www.bearthreaddesigns.com.  Their phone number is 281-462-0661.  

Fast forward to the quilted back side...

This is the flower that sits next to the vase.  The entire backside didn't show up well in the photo so I focused on this one flower.

Twenty days later I finished....whew!  See completed quilt in the floral gallery. 

Thank you for taking the time to stop by & visit with me today.   

Have a great day!

Nice Surprise!

Such a fabulous autumn like morning that I had to write about this today.  I actually lingered outdoors this morning, cutting flowers from my garden.    I didn't have any greenery so I cut from the tall dill plant for filler greenery, in the sunflower arrangement below.

I hope the cool temperature lasts.  When my husband & I came back from our walk we sat out on the back patio & actually felt a chill....brrrrrr!

Have a great day!

Let's Take A Stroll...

Two weeks have already zoomed by since my last blog post?  I suppose it's gone by quickly because I'm very focused on a new project that I'm not quite ready to show just yet.   Instead come with me for a little stroll along the inspiration path.  

First, I have to mention that there is a new baby! 

Yes...the large rabbit I've been blogging about must have had this baby.  The rabbit family keep to themselves but, have been eating my zinnias.  Lucky for me the more you cut zinnias, the more they bloom.  Zinnias are blooming very rapidly & they are heat tolerant.  

I can't seem to keep up with cutting the zinnias down.  It's a nice problem to have & I'm happy that we'll be enjoying fresh cut flowers for a good while.  My husband & I are enjoying seeing the fresh blooms outside our windows.  I'm also allowing some of the flowers to dry so that I can save the seeds for the following year. 

This got me thinking......

Only dreaming of having a flower market...(must have a/c so, I guess this would mean a flower shoppe instead of a market).

How about a closeup?

I see a still life in my future...

Stay tuned for the unveiling of my next art quilt...

Thanks for stopping in & taking a stroll with me along the inspiration path!

Have a great day!

Model Search????

Below is a sneak peek at my latest art quilt, resulting from several days of searching for a model.

Close up of petals.

Now a peek at the back side of the quilt.

To see a full view of the front side of this quilt go to the Floral Gallery.

Whew!  That was an intense few weeks of designing & completing this art quilt nonstop.  Now for a much needed break.   

Until next time.......

Model Search????

After careful screening of all the flowers, I think I've found the next model for an art quilt!

All I can reveal at this time is that the following colors, ranging from lights to mediums to darks will be used.

Here's hoping you are able to carve out happy hour for creativity this weekend.

Stay tuned for the big reveal in the floral gallery soon!

Model Search????

Searching for a new model to pose for my next art quilt.....
Hello Miss Coneflower.
So sorry but we're looking for a little more color.  You should really try to get some sun. It will do you good.  


Next please......

Good afternoon Miss Lavender.  

You're very pretty but, we're looking for someone who has more petals.   Have a good day!

Next please......

Hi Miss Zinnia.  

You have lovely petals & good color but, we need for you to make good eye contact.  Thank you for stopping by.

Next please......

Where's my assistant? 

 Lovely Vincas, today is not the day we interview grouped flowers.  You need to come back tomorrow. 

Next please......

Assistant:  "Those are all the floral interviews we had scheduled for today."

Artist:  "Really?  Good.  Let's just call it a day."

Assistant:  "Are you okay?"

Artist:  "Yes, thank you for asking.  I've been quilting a  flower quilt design today & I'm feeling a bit loopy."  

Assistant:  "You should get some rest.  You'll be able to have something to post to this blog soon enough."

Artist:  "Have a good evening Miss Assistant & I'll see you tomorrow."

Somedays I spend a little too much time on my own(written with a sense of humor).

Until next time!

Bluebonnets...

How do you know what subject to make into a quilt?  Someone asked me this question the other day.   For me, it has to be a subject that is beautiful.   I really love to grow flowers & make them into art quilts.

It helps to start with a photo.  Below is my sketchbook that holds a photo I took back in March-2010.  I also glued some blue fabric swatches that I thought would work well for a bluebonnet.  This year, I finally got around to making the quilt. 

Deciding what to edit out of the design might be the most time consuming part of the process.   I'm a detail oriented personality & I do love the details of certain things.   

Selecting the background is probably the second most time consuming part of the process.    Some fabrics are obvious that they will work well & sometimes it's trial & error.

Select fabrics for leaves that won't disappear into the background.  You want greens that will stand out from the background & yet will look like they belong with the entire scene.   They should get along, like people.

As a placement guide, I use tracing paper which is thin enough to still see the fabric.   I have not shown tracing paper in any of these photos.

My bluebonnet design has a lot of small pieces.  You can use simple shapes for the flower but the results are not the same.  You need all the fabric pieces that will give you the depth & highlights in the flower.

Finally!  It's not yet quilted but, it will be soon.....someday.

The size of this bluebonnet  is 24" wide x 32" length.  

To be continued........

Impressionist Art Quilt

Inspired By A Water Scene

With this summer's temperature reaching triple digits, I can only think of  being on a beach somewhere.   Especially since I've been doing everything else except quilting.  Today I'm posting a quilt that was inspired by a water front scene from a trip to Acapulco.

Imagine a cool breeze.......

The quilt didn't turn out exactly like the photo as I had envisioned because I didn't have access to a variety of different values of fabrics.   I was living outside of the US & ordering on the internet was not an option either.  In spite of this, I was determined & went to work from my collection of fabrics & used textile paints.  Thank goodness there was a small artist's shop close to where I lived.  

This is the quilt that I made several years ago.

The foundation is made up of 2" or 2 1/2" squares.  The wrought iron is my own drawing & is fused on to the background.  The wrought iron applique is stitched down with invisible thread.  It is free motion quilted with an all over leaf design. 

What I learned by making this quilt? 

I learned to do what you can with what you have.  Part of the fun of creating a quilt is figuring out how to use your inspiration (a photo, sketch, or quilt pattern, etc.) & translate what you see.  It can be a lot of fun if you're interested in duplicating what you see.  However, it is a great thrill to create something original.  Especially if you're trying out a new technique or stretching your abilities.   

Didn't have a new quilting project to post so, I thought I would share a quilt from good times gone by.  As soon as time allows, I'll get back to stitching by hand or by machine.  The UFO's are patiently waiting for me.

Have a wonderful day!