Birthday Week!

     I have been busy since the last post.  Also the Internet slowness is driving me crazy as I've been trying to post since Monday.  I've been continuing to SLOWLY hand quilt the Round Robin quilt.  I've got three of the six blocks done and have started the 4th one.  For pictures see my post labeled More Tee click here .  I've also finished my tee that I've been working on.

What is REALLY exciting...... are you ready?   On Monday The Explorers Group in Lynchburg (I'm one of them) got together and tried our had at marbling fabric.  Some did the traditional style you see when you think of marbled paper or fabric.  However one of the recent Quilting Arts Magazine had an article on marbling non traditional designs.   We played with different coloring materials.  We found that diluted Setacolor did OK,   Tsukineko inks were fabulous, India Ink gave a fabulous pop to the colors,  the expensive inks sank to the bottom.  We tried sprayed fabric dyes that the craft shops sell, which worded really well.  Anyway, because we were so messy we did this outside and it's a good thing.  The pictures below show some of the fun.

L-R: Linda & Debra

Combing the colors for traditional marbling.

Patty adding inks for the non traditional marbling

Patty's results

Jackie dipping her fabric

Melissa trying alot of black.

Just about ready to dip the fabric

Melissa's results

Today was another hike with the Ridge Runners.  We hiked up a trail to the Devils Marbleyard, which actually is a hillside of huge rocks.  We climbed on them and had our lunch before descending on the trail back to the cars.  It was a beautiful clear sunny day, starting off cool but warming up as we climbed higher.

I can't fight the slow Internet any more... I'm going to post this with hopes that tomorrow will be better.

Have Sew Much Fun!   Bette

Otter Creek trail

I went hiking on Wednesday with the Ridge Runners on the Otter Creek Trail, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Lots of stream crossings.  Amazingly there were lots of fall flowers and mushrooms. 

 I've also been working on quilting the second block on my round robin quilt.  I've finished the water under the boat and now I am working on the sky. 

Later,

Bette

A little of this & that

This past week, I had another block of the month for the McKenna Ryan "Beach Walk" quilt.  It was the jelly fish.  Only one more block to go.  Last month was the beach house and Hollyhocks. 

The pattern calls for using Angelina for some of the jellyfish tentacles.  I tried one that way but they seemed to disappear into the background.  So the sparkle silver and pearlized lavender and cream worked out much better.  However, I did use some of the Angelina as highlights on the jellies.  The pattern called for only 4 jellies and I felt it needed one more.  I wanted that one to be fairly transparent, so I used fabric for the body and Angelina for all of the tentacles.

In addition to that I worked on quilting my round robin quilt.  I've got one block done and am starting on a second block.

I also stared to play with my challenge quilt.  But I can't show that in case any of the guild members look at this blog.  It will have it's showing in December.  Then you'll get a chance to see it.

All for now!
Bette

More Tee

Yesterday I worked on my Tee again.  I put in the side inserts, the sleeves and the neck binding.

I shortened the tee but still need to hem it.  It still needs some more work on the pattern, but the sewing part is almost done.

Last weekend, I started to work on my Round Robin quilt that the River Queen Bee's did.  As I looked at it I decided the lower right hand corner needed something more.

Since this is a quilt  depicting summer at Smith Mountain Lake I felt a striper fish would work well.  I went to Google illustration and put in fish.  When I had the profile I liked, I then put in striper.  Below is the drawing I used to make my fish out of fabric.  The pieces are fused together, and then fused to the quilt.

 Then I started to machine quilt it.  I guess it just wasn't my day to quilt.  The thread kept breaking.  I changed the needle and the thread several times.  No luck.  So I finally decided to hand quilt it.  The only thing I didn't try was adjusting the tension.  I'll try that next time.  but now I'm committed to hand quilting it.  It is not one of my favorite things to do, and you can see below I have a non traditional quilting "hoop".  the only good part about it, is that I can do it at night while the TV is on.

That's it for now.

Bette

Not Sewing

Hi,
Yesterday and today I've been working on some icing flames that will adorn cupcakes at a friend of mine son's rehearsal dinner.  Whew that was a mouthful... did you get that?

Anyway,  we were supposed to do this together, but she had to go to NJ this weekend to a funeral. 

Her son's wedding is a week from today... yes back in NJ.  she can't stay over as she has apts scheduled for Monday and Tuesday to get ready for the wedding.

So here's a peek at the decorations.  Oh you ask why flames?  Her son is a fire fighter.

What's up today?

Well last weekend, I spent several parts of a day to read David Baldacci's book "One Summer".

A book our daughter read and left for us to read.  It is very different from his usual "suspense" books.  This was a real tear jerk er.  A couple of times I had to stop reading because my eyes were too blurry (tears).
It has a great ending making all those tears worth it.


I've also been playing with my tee-shirt.  I'm now at the point where I need look at it, and have it tell me what's next. 

So while it sits, yesterday I painted a silk scarf.  Sunday I drew the design on the scarf with a water soluble pen, then used water soluble"gutta" to create my barriers.  Yesterday painted it, using my new paints... Tsukineko Inks.  They worked wonderful on the silk.  I can see more silk painting in my future.  Had tons of fun!

Design drawn with "gutta"

After painting

Printing

Here's some of my progression on a Tee Shirt Challenge, two of my friends and I are doing.
The rules:  re-make a tee shirt into something fabulous.

This is my tee shirt before doing anything to it.

First I cut off the rib from the neck, then I cut off the sleeves

Using the stamps I just made I began stamping.  No particular plan, just what looked right to me.

Here I am painting one of the stamps.

This is the front so far.

This is the back so far.

Here is my inspiration fabric.  I will use some of this in my shirt.

That's it for now.

Bette