Australian show

This quilt I made for an Australian show. The organisers do not only give a theme, you are also to use 80% of the challenge fabric they send you. This year the theme is 'take flight'. The challenge fabric was a yellow flower on a pale green background. I incorporated the fabric along with lots of others in the pieced background. For quilting design I had doves. The appliqued doves are made from my own handdyed fabrics. Size of this quilt is 60cmx65 cm (23,6"x25,6"). I received the fabric some 2 weeks ago and today the quilt will go into the mail. Not bad, don't you think?.

white

The last couple of days I have been working with white fabric only. The two pictures above are two small quiltlets - each 20cmx20cm (8"x8") - which I made for a show in Germany. The title of the show is 'How Amazing' and they requested to experiment with textile and non-textile materials with a focus on unusual techniques. For the quiltlet on the left I printed a photo of cracked ice on a transparency and added this to the fabric with eyelets. The fabric was first quilted. Additional beads and snowflake charms are added. On the quiltlet on the right I used heated lutrador, hid a cardboard circle under it and quilted it. The show in Germany opens in spring and there are plans for various venues. Both quiltlets are for sale, euro 45,-- each.


These pictures shows even smaller quiltlets, each is 15cmx15cm (6"x6"). I made these for a swap Lenna Andrews is organising. The swap is called 'Shades of White Quilties' and I used all kind of white stuff for it: cotton balls, beads, gauze, paper, decorative yarn, shells, sheers and punchinella.

effect of sunlight

The pictures you see here are both from the same quilt. The one at the left was taken when the quilt was only a few months old. The picture at the left I took this morning, two years later. This quilt was hanging at a wall facing south/southwest next to a window and it got a lot of sunlight. One fabric was already beginning to loose color very soon as you can see on the picture at the left. Now more fabrics have begun to change and also some of the thread I used are fading. A lesson to learn. If you cherish a quilt, make certain that it does not hang in a place where it catches the sunlight.

ice dyeing and painted fabric

A friend of mine Kelly lives in Minnesota where they have lots of snow. She was able to do some snow dyeing this week. At my place there is no snow but it gave me the idea to do some ice dyeing. The picture on the left is the result. I presoaked some P&B fabric in soda, crunched it and placed it in a container. This container I put outside for the night. Although we do not have snow, it has been freezing the last couple of days. The next morning I brought the container inside and poured a mixture of deep navy and tangerine (both ProChem's) over it and let it batch for about 6 hours. After rinsing I got this lovely fabric.

The fabric at the right is the fabric I intend to use for my 2nd Quilten Speciaal quilt. I dyed it with a mixture of two blacks and when that was done I used 2 different coasters with Dynaflow black and Lumiere pewter paint to create this design. On this background I will be using black and silver lutrador, buttons, quilting and maybe some more painting.

Quilten speciaal quilt

These are pictures of the final assessment quilt for the Quilten Speciaal Course. The picture at the right is a detail of the quilt. The quilting of the ammonite is finished. It is looking better than without the quilting, but I am still not very happy with it. I have been trying to find a word which describes it the best, and I think that boring comes close to it. The idea was to work with structure(s) and that I think is accomplished. The green/blue holes in the ammonite are made from sheers which have been heatgunned (is that a verb?). Quilting on the ammonite has been done with a blueish thread.
Next session of the course is on February 8. I will finish this quilt before that day anyway and take it with me but I will also bring another one. For that I have dyed the fabric with a mixture of two blacks and rollerpainted pewter lumiere over it. Will heatset it tomorrow and work on it the coming days.

several quilts at the same time

Wright now I am working on 3 quilts at the same time.
For the Challengequiltgroup I did most of the background. Today I am putting the binding around it. After that only beeds have to be added and I cannot do that until they arrive.
For the c&g quilt I have designed the pattern for the quilting. On this quilt I will first do all the quilting and after that I will fuse applique the birds.
Than the 3rd quilt which is the final assessment for the Quilten Special course. I am making an ammonite for that. The sheers have been heated and placed on the background. So has the fabric layer on top of that. Now I am satinstitching all of this. But I am not completely happy with it. It is looking more dull than I had expected. Maybe I can improve on it with the quilting. If it does not, no harm is done because I have another idea in my mind. This quilt I intend to make anyway. Not sure now whether it will be as an assessment piece or not. The background fabric I dyed today and it is at the moment batching. With this quilt I want to use black mottled fabric, black and silver/white lutrador, Lumiere paint and quilting.
Of none of these I have pictures at the moment. They will come later.