One of the larger items completed this season was the little quilt for my
newest grandaughter, Elizabeth. Here she is in her first holloween costume:
and here's her quilt:
Twelve Connected
Our web-group continues (www.twelveconnected.com). Every two months, one of us is assigned the task of posting the new topic, told in just one word, and we have the next two months to finish it. We all work in the same 11 x 17 format. I'll show you some of my recent posts, in case you missed them.
"Reminiscence" was the challenge, and I found my brain searching for childhood images. What popped up was the memory of sitting under my favorite tree -- a little weeping mulberry bush, that sat on the corner of our property -- and reading and eating ripe mulberries. I had Dave take a picture of me in the pose so I could see how to do the limbs, but I didn't know how to do the tree's limbs. Finally, I decided to just suggest them by attaching small strips of green/yellow batik sewn only to the top of the quilt; they float in front and cast just a little shadow.
The next challenge was "ebullient".... hmmm, when did I feel ebullient? Aha, dancing! I was a dance addict some years ago. Squares, Contras, International folk dance, Swing, Ballroom...basically anything that I could do with a partner. I loved dancing!!! So, here's the quilt for ebullient, altho' my dancers did get a little out of hand:
The most recent challenge is a tough one; the word is "idol." I knew what my idol would be immediately, and I'll bet you've never seen a quilt about my idol, but I can't show you my response to this challenge till after Dec. 1st, when we post our images on the site. How would YOU respond to the challenge "IDOL"?
My iPad!
The best birthday present ever (70th). I looooove my iPad.
But I thought it needed a cover, and what better
use for those things in the stash that have been neglected.
Here's my first attempt:
It's Ikea fabric, kinda tough, lined with a black/white fabric, which sandwiches some thick felted batting, and has a velcro closure. I went on a several-day spree of making different designs in different fabrics, and am happy to give them away. Want one? Drop me a line.
Small Works:
I've been slowly making blocks for my oldest grandchild, Ana
(whom we fondly call AnaBanana). Yes, of course, it's a Banana Quilt, and the blocks will have Banana jokes,
Banana Recipes, and a wi-i-i-de variety of Banana images. Here are a few:
a banana outfit
... a pieced banana
...a cubist banana
an abstract banana:
a low-contrast banana:
and...well, you know who...
Falling in Love with an Artist!
Yes, I recently finished a lovely book I'd picked up at the Tate
Modern in London on Modigliani. I love his work, the numerous
portraits, his colors, his composition, his uniqueness in that
time....all this in the context of his tragic health history
and foreshortened life. And then I saw a few photographs of him...and that's when I fell in love. I kept studying
this one photo of him, drawing it and re-drawing it, and realizing I was beginning to
abstract it in the manner in which he worked.
So, here's my little portrait of Modigliani in fabric:
You may notice some heavier outlining of the face; that's because I experimented with a funky
stitch on my old Bernina. It goes two steps forward and one step back; I kinda like the little
jagged edge it creates.
Odds 'n Ends
I have a number of files of images (e.g., hands, faces, children
playing, and dancers). I thought it was time to try a miniature
"dancer", so here she is:
I have a lot more stitching to do, and I'm replacing her lifted leg (I don't like the proportions), but it was fun creating the scene, and playing with layers of thin silk for her
ballet skirt.
I'll say "so long" with two tiny stitchings made after an evening workshop with Lee
Porter on Kantha embroidery (straight stitching). I've lots to learn about this, and plan
to do more, but here's a sample: a shoe and two flowers....
