Summer Quilting

Sunny days and warm evenings; what more could one want?  Add some quilting time and it sounds pretty perfect.  I can be in the studio during the heat of the day and enjoy relaxing time when it cools down in the evening.  I got a good mix of lobelia and nasturtiums  in the window boxes and so far the pots on the deck are holding up.  I even have a few tomatoes (still green) on the vines.  So, yes, it’s summer and I love it.

Our week in Sisters was both colorful and fun.  I took a one-day class with Laura Wasilowski.  We used Laura’s hand-dyed fabric and fused scraps and I came up with this:

 

The idea was to have no pattern, just an idea, some fused fabric and a pair of sharp scissors.  I’ve added a bit of embroidery for flower centers and leaf vein and will stitch a bit on the vase.  The oval was fused and then I used a decorative stitch around it with my machine.  My Pfaff has a whole bunch of stitches I haven’t used and I’m working on trying some out. This provided a nice finish to a really imperfect oval.  I’ll show it again when I’m finished with it.

I spent another two days with June Jaeger learning to paint on fabric with ink.  June is a wonderful artist and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.  I started with this photo I took about five years ago of a peach-colored pansy.

And here’s the one I painted.

The plan is to appliqué it to some dark blue/purple fabric.  I can’t wait to try this on some other subjects.

Barb spent two days dyeing and a day making tote bags.  When she comes up for air after catching up at work, I’ll have her post pictures.

I just had a fun idea for a Halloween project.  As soon as I work it out, I’ll post it and get right on a pattern.

I’m close to finishing the top of a quilt that’s been “in progress” for five or six years.  It’s not a typo.  YEARS!  There was a lot of embroidery and a whole lot of distractions.  Now that I’m motivated to finish, I’m going for it.  Because the top has a lot going on and I don’t want to detract from that, the quilting will be simple.  Well, as simple as quilting a big project ever is.

 

Enjoy the summer and don’t forget to Quilt For Fun!

Also, share us with your quilting friends.

Candy