Explorers Challenge

One of the groups I'm in is the Explorer's.  We challenge ourselves with experimenting with different techniques.

This year we are doing a monthly challenge.  It contains three parts, a color, a technique, and a subject. We all contributed to the words and put each group in separate jars.  Each month at our meeting we draw one word from each jar and then create a small quilt using and interpreting the three itmes.  The size of the quilts can be anywhere from 4"X6" up to 8"X12".

For April:  Our color was red-orange; the technique was multimedia; the subject was grief.

This was a challenge!

I took a white piece of fabric and started to paint, stencil, etc.
This is a part that I did not use.  I did three items.  Two using the painted fabric and one using
a framed canvas.

I started with a framed canvas that I had stuck a bunch of fabrics to and never liked
what I did.  So I took white gesso and covered it over.  Now it was lumpy bumpy.. good!  Then I painted
a light yellow red and kept adding layers to a darker red. Stenciled, screened etc.  Added a faint picture of my parents
and a very faint picture of my mom's obituary.  Kept adding sketched my face (at about age 40)  Then continued to add.

This is one of the fabric pieces.  I printed my mom's obituary and photo of my parents
on silk organza.  You iron silk organza to freezer paper and put it through your printer.
To stick the organza onto the fabric I used a gel medium.  

This is another fabric piece.  this time I printed the same items out on
silk haboti.  They are not as transparent.  I used the gel medium  to attach the
printed silk to the painted fabric.

Here on the organza embellished piece I've added a raw edge applique piece in silk.

I'm stitching it down as well as adding in some lines.

This is the completes one with the silk haboti.

Completed one on the canvas.

This is the completed one with the silk organza.

 I had started with a basic idea and it was going to be generic.  However, once I got going, the projects took on a life of their own.  I called them a "Tribute to my Mom".  

Sew see you later

Bette

Spring is here

Below are a few pictures I took yesterday in our yard and on our deck.  Spring has arrived in mid-western Virginia.  Enjoy, if you've had spring already here it is again, if not be patient it's not far behind for you. (unless you live in Alaska or Canada).

Sew see you later.
Bette

Japanese Fan Quilt

 I've gone back to working on the Japanese Fan Quilt by Judy Neidemeyer.

Last weekend I made some progress, all the fan blocks are sewn together including the top part.
I found that it was easier to pin all the tops on the fan parts then sit down at the sewing machine and stitch them one after the other.  The pattern said to put the paper side down, however, I found it easier to put the paper side up.  Yes I know the top portion could buckle up underneath, but I was careful and kept feeling with my fingers for fabric bumps as I stitched.  That way I could reach under the top piece and straighten it out with my left hand and keep going.  When I had the paper side down I experienced the top piece stretching on me.

Here are the fan and tops all pinned together.

A few of them stitched.

Here is my stack... nearly 30 fan blocks here.

Stitching one after the other.

Carefully feeling for fabric lumps.  I do use both hands , but,
since I have to hold the camera can only show one hand.

I did several layouts and took pictures of each.  This is one of them.

Sew See you later,
Bette

Place Mats

For February I spent some time making up some Christmas place mats.  I've had the fabric since last Dec. but never got to them.  Imagine that!  I was not as faithful this time showing you the progress in pictures, sorry about that.  The design I adapted from a table runner shown in Easy Quilts Magazine Spring 2013 on page 91.

I learned that the contrast in my small squares did not show up well enough.  With the pattern as busy as it was, I feel it would have been more effective (and easier) to just cut the 3.5" squares and put them together.  I'm letting you know this so you too can learn from my mistakes.

On the back side I used a border fabric that is a spring/summer design.  That way we can use the place mats for longer than one month. 

Pieces are sewn together.

Layered up with batting and backing.

This is the backing fabric.

Quilted

All four done, two with Christmas facing up two with spring facing up.

Close up of spring(back).

Close up of Christmas (front)  two have snowmen and two have Santa's.

Sew see you later.

Bette

Cruise the Caribbean in January

In January My husband & I went on a cruise.  We decided to drive to Ft. Lauderdale the port we sailed from.  We cruised on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, which is their largest ship.  YES it is huge!

We had a wonderful cruise, no bad incidents!

On the ship I did the zip line, climbed the rock wall, and generally enjoyed the whole experience.

In Port Allure of the Seas

Our room

On the main shopping floor

If you look in the upper left corner you can see a
person just leaving the diving platform, to the small pool below.

The main shopping area

The running/walking track around the outside of the ship on
the 5th floor

The pool, water shows were done here

The shopping area outside the Aqua Theater, includes a
Carosel.

One of the Shows in the Aqua Theater

Labadee, Royal Caribbean's provate port in Hati

view of the ship in Labadee

Flow Rider on the ship

Flow Rider on the ship

Looking at the Aqua Theater from the 16th floor,
also the inside balcony rooms.

Falmouth, Jamaica

Famous courthouse in Falmouth, Jamaica

One of the ice shows on the ice rink

Falmouth, Jamaica approved shopping compound

Me doing the zip line

shopping area outside the Aqua Theater

Me on the climbing wall

On the way back we ran into freezing rain in N. Carolina

We stopped to clear off the windshield, this is all frozen and was getting worse.

Sew see you later,

Bette

Knitting

A little history.  My Mom spent hours trying to teach me to knit and to crochet when I was a youngster. I had the hardest time controlling the knitting needles, while crochet came easier.

It is maybe 50 years later probably more.... and Mom would have been proud of me.  I have in the past 10 years knitted lap throws, just simple knit and pearl.  Learning again from the Internet.

My best friend is having a grand baby girl in February so I wanted to knit the hat my mom had made for me and I used for my daughter.  I had the pattern (dated before I was born) and decided to give it a try... again with a little help from the Internet.  I had a live person as a back up, but was able to knit it without her help.  It is the best fitting hat for babies!

In progress...

The finished hat... it is a little big for a newborn so
I am making another one smaller.

This is the picture on the pattern.

So there it is I DID IT all by myself!

Sew see you later.

Bette