A Completed Challenge

Another group I (and Fran)  participate in has just finished the first challenge for this  year. The subject was 'Flora' and you can see the groups work here Art Quilts Around the World.
Below is a picture of my quilt, the title is 'Ficifolia'

Now I can concentrate on our 'Hidden Treasures' challenge.

Here is another.......

manipulated photo that I am thread painting -- it is looking good. I printed the picture, trimmed it so the white border was 1/4 then laid it on a larger square of background fabric, then placed it on a square of timtex and then started thread painting it.
It is going to be a pretty one, I think.

I have decided to do a series of them for the draws at both retreats I am going to in June. I will show them as I finish them. I
like to have some on hand for gifts or sale. I am also showing the original photo. You will note that I added some pink rather than the rust color -- I will do another manipulation and use the rusts etc. Shirley

finished miniature - manipulated

I have, as you know been fooling around with photo shop and liked one well enough to print it on fabric
and thread paint with some beading - then I bordered it - Thanks to Fran and Del for getting me started!
Shirley

I have burnt this one in a few places but you can't really see it on here.

It is material background with wools layed over and stitched down then organza on top.You do have to be careful with the fabric you put on top so that it does not all burn. I usually only like it to burn in spots. Sometimes it burns through. That is ok just add another layer and re do.

Delia

Manipulations - it has been quite in here

It has been quiet in here. Where have you all been?

Hi Girls I have been doing some manipulations in GIMP2. I think it was Fran who told us about this free program. Thank you

It is fun but I waste to much time messing around with it..lol

I would like to do what Shirley had done and do one on to fabric and then stitch and bead.

Keep stitching

Delia

STILL RAINING

It is still raining here over 3inches in the last 2 days.

I have been trying to do without a dryer as ours cracked up a few months ago but today went over and brought one. We got a Heller. I did not know the brand but takes a 5k load and with the extra warranty has a 6 years warranty. For $334 we thought it was a great deal. It is drying much better then the other one and hardly any creased in the clothes. It turns one way for 10 minitess and the changes to the other to avoid tangles. It is sensored so if the cloths dry before the setting it stops to save eletricity.

So far very happy with it.

I am starting to get depress even though I love the rain. The gardens and yard are a mess and will now take days to clean up. We can't do this till it fines up and no rain for a couple of days. I am starting to feel like a duck. So many little frogs have hatched out and together with the bugs make such a carouse at night.

I have made some painted pieces that can be framed and hoping to do some work on my Seminole later tonight if I can get all my commitments done early.

These are hand painted fabric. I then painted with Lumiere paints and some strips of Christmas decorations. Organza over top and then hit with the heat gun.

Keep stitching

Delia

`Computer hospital'

I am taking my imac in to be serviced before my tech support expires.

Hopefully I will be back within a week. Shirley

Manipulated photos

I have spent the afternoon fooling around with photo shop -- I have managed to get some different manipulations and am enjoying 'playing' with the photos.

I have decided to use one of these to do a small l2 " square little wall hanging on

timtex - adding beads etc. It will be just

to see what I can do with it. Lots of fun!

Hi Girls

Hello

Margot and I worked on Sun Painting today and as she had not done this before was so surprised what could be done.

A few pictures to show you how it turned out.

I also finished one of the pieces I have been working on for the Palmwoods Art Show. The theme is Fungi but I still have not named the piece. Any ideas?

Keep stitching

Delia

What I am working on beside the Challenge piece

I found this little BOM online and love it! These are the first two blocks, just wanted to share them with you.

Manipulating photos

This started out as a scene of the Northern

lights with brightly lit tipis. It seems that some of the pictures can be uploaded here but some can't - I will read my 'help' in photo shop tomorrow. I am having fun

though. I am not sure whether I will

use manipulation very often -- as abstracts are not my thing but it isn't as involved as I thought it was (this part at least). I am

feeling quite pleased though. I just put in the original picture. Interesting!

Piece finished

Picture of the piece from the last post of mine. I stippled and then washed the washaway out. This is how it looks when finished.

Delia

And still another group

I mentioned this group before but here is the link.

Interpret This

http://photothreads.blogspot.com/

"A blog for the recording of a yearlong challenge amongst selected quilt artists. Artists will be asked to interpret a photo with fabric and threads. Each month the finished work will be shared with comments from the artists and viewers."

Another group

Fiberactions

The creative journey of 13 fiber artists.

http://fiberactions.blogspot.com/

I found this group while blog surfing - you know one blog leads to another and that one leads to another...
Actually, I follow a couple of the members and that's how I found it. They just started in November 2009 but this is the first time I have been on the site.

Another idea

These are pieces of tyvek painted with lumiere paints.

I find they are best as no residue fall into machine when you sew over the pieces.

After they dry hover an iron over the top of them and the will shrink up in different shapes.

Delia

An idea for you

This is a piece I worked on this week for our show but you may like the idea.

You take a pieces of black fabric and place shapwell under it (that is a material like stabiliser)

Cut up bits of threads or pull a glitz piece of fabric apart to get the threads. I used gold and silver as I was making badges for our upcoming Quilt show.

Cover with net pin and then stipple heavily over it.

I cut mine up into diamonds but you can do so much with this technique.
I will post another piece that is done with cut up bits of wool but instead of netting on top I put washaway. Opps will post that one later as I have only just dried it but I am posting one of it before I put the washaway on so you will get the idea.



Both ways work well.
Delia

My challenge is finished and

I am happy with it. I have another idea in my head and might decide to

do that one too and then decide at the 'showing' which one I will use.

I didn't reach too far from my usual work but did try something I had

never really tried before. I have put it away in a baggie and am glad

it is finished. I found it a bit scary to do the first challenge. Since then

I have surfed the net and the Quilting arts magazines and there are some

techniques I really want to try. I don't have a studio for dyeing or heat work etc.

so I will be limited in that respect

I am wondering if I am the first person who has finished the challenge?

I didn't branch out into new techniques but have some ideas for the rest of the Challenges.

I also finished making two landscapes which I attached to pillow cases - It

is the l0th anniversary of a retreat I coordinated in Strathmore - There were

55 + people there and I painted a scene on 55 pillow

cases to give to the girls

at the closing banquet. We are going to have a few reminders at our Retreat

in June and I have made a couple of new ones for draws.

I have also been working on a photo album and am collecting 'memories' from

the first year attendees. The retreat is held every year in Alberta in June and there have been 2 or 3 other retreats that have evolved from the first one.

It was started on the Cdnquiltswappers yahoo group and we had one girl from Australia, 3 from the US and the rest from all across Canada. It was so

interesting as we met on line and none of us knew what the others looked like.

I have life long friends (about 20 of them, ) from that retreat. We meet at two retreats every June. By the way the quilt bags from pillow cases are really handy - some of the girls still use theirs. One girl made some for her guild and placed

blocks on them. I cut across the bottom and up one side seam. Added the

landscape using a wide satin stitch - and then I sewed the seam.

Hello

Hi Girls Still some heavy showers but the sun is trying to show through at times.
I am here.
Thank you Shirley for setting this up for us.
I will post later as I am in a hurry to get back to a local quilt group in our village. I have gone there to show them the items I have done for the art show and forgot to take one item down. As it is only 3 mins away for home I was able to come back and pick it up. Of course had to check my email and notice this one.
Keep stitching
Delia

Labels -IMPORTANT

Hi ladies I would like to ask you to fill in the bottom space on your posts

with your name only -- that way each of you will be able to see all your posts.

This will be especially helpful when we have our 'showcase' each challenge--

People will be able to check everyone's work.

I am also going to put in a thought at least a couple of times a week. I

hope I can find some that fit what we are trying to do! grin. Shirley

Can I do this?

Hi. I am Miriam and I live in Ireland. This is the first time I have ever used a blog.....This is very daunting for me. I have been quite busy over the last few weeks as we had our quilting weekend on Feb 12 - 14th. I took a class with Inike Berlyn which was super and I have been trying out her technique using sheers, nets as well as cottons........ I was also organising the weekend and then in my spare time I am Chairperson (President) of the Irish Patchwork Society.

My ideas for the challenge are very strong - in my head - but I hope that next week I will get started on it. I just made a "Moving Quilt" for my son-in-law who is opening a Leprechaun Museum here in Dublin next week. The quilt seems to move but it is an optical illusion. Now I have another job to do lfor him - A Leprechaun suit!!!!!!! Yes really.....

I am looking forward to doing some more "Normal" sewing next week.

Thought for the day!

When I'm not doing something that comes deeply from me, I get bored. When I get bored I get distracted and when I get distracted, I become depressed. It's a natural resistance, and it insures your integrity.

Barbara Hall

Headline inspiration

This was on the front page of the Toronto Sun on Sunday, February 28, 2010 - despite the Olympics and the fact that the closing ceremonies and the final hockey game was to be played later that day. It's the first in a series of six articles with great colour photos on the hidden treasures of the Royal Ontario Museum. This was "the first time [that the museum] opened the doors to the treasures in its secret vaults and its high-security warehouse whose hush-hush location ....is somewhere in the GTA" (Greater Toronto Area). 

Works in progress

If you decide you want to put a few snippets of photos, or the challenge in progress you are welcome to. I have been googling challenges and have learned a lot.

We still have a few people to join the blog but they will likely join tomorrow.

I am really having fun with our blog.

I believe you can all put in new links so if you have a blog that would be of help please put it in the blog list. customize then click on links, put in the url - add the name of the blog and save. I think you all can do that - if not, send it to me and I will put them in. It is fine if we all put our own blogs if we have them. I am really excited about this group.

Another Challenge group.

http://twelveby12.blogspot.com/

This is another challenge group - the challenge which was posted today, was Blue, white and black and some of the work is outstanding. I will put this on our side bar. I think you should look at it. I thought the tea cups and Mt. Hood were

especially lovely and also liked the winter trees - (my kind of work - grin)

I hope you will check it out.

Judy

Just dropping in to say hello and to report a bit of progress on my challenge. I'm working on the strongest two of my many ideas. That doubles my chances of having one suitable for submission. I have made sketches and am working with paper mock-ups for each of them, fine-tuning shapes and proportions. Maybe one day, I'll feel wild and free enough to just pick up scissors and fabric and start snipping. But not yet.

Sue here

Hello Everyone, I'm finally here! I have an idea for my challenge quilt. It took some time but I finally know what I want to do. I usually have lots of impractical ideas that I have no knowledge how to actually execute. A little more research is needed before I begin and I must finish off a couple of projects, a challenge that is due at the end of the month and the quilting on a quilt that has been a WIP since 2008. Back to the machine now.

I'm in as well!

Thanks Shirley for sending out the invitations for us to post to the blog. Now, to get a few jobs out of the road and hopefully tomorrow I can do some sewing and have something quilty to actually post!

I am doing my very first job as a Mystery Shopper today (where one goes incognito into a shop or business as a customer and then writes a report on the service received) so I have to get that out of the way before I can even think about sewing.

I went into the new photos on the LearningFa website and there are some great photos of thread-painting and Irish landscapes, all of which are very motivating for me, to get my other jobs out of the way, so I can sew!

Tammy here

I am in and able to post! This is going to be fun, having our own blog for pics and such.

Shirley here

I am glad you got into the blog Sharon.

I wouldn't worry about which to choose -- I am having the same problem -

I have one project done but I am not sure whether I will go with it as

it isn't a difficult piece - It was an idea I had the first day and I am happy with it. I also have another idea - and might possibly go with it. I think the hardest part

is the decision of what to do. I went with the one I couldn't let go. I think you might want to try both???? just a thought. We are all new at this (at least quite

a few of us are-) I am finding it difficult to get out of my comfort zone too.

I love doing my work and am hoping I will get the urge to 'reach' a bit more - I just keep being realistic and can't seem to get into the abstract mode. grin.

The problem is I love what I do!

I am hoping to jump in and go for an abstract piece sometime fairly soon.

I am sure the more experienced Challengers have run into the same problem.

One thing I know - don't make it more difficult if you aren't comfortable -

we will be doing these challenges from now on so there are no rules. I am hoping to teach myself new ways to do what I love. Shirley

Sharon G

Hello everyone, Shirley the blog looks wonderful.  I feel privileged to be here among all of you wonderful ladies.  I just started into art quilting, fibers and other stuff other than traditional quilting about a year ago so i guess i would still be considered a newbie.  I am currently taking an art/embellishing class right now at our LQS and having a wonderful time with it.
Maybe some of you can help me a little if you have a moment.  I have 2 ideas in my head for our challenge but don't know whether to go with my heart or my head, does that make sense.  The design I have from my heart would be totally different then the idea I have in my head so I guess I am still contemplating my challenge.  Has this ever happened to anyone else in our group.
Looking forward to playing with everyone.

Sharon G here

Hi everyone I have landed.. This is wonderful,

Gudrun

Greetings all,
Just popping in.... I am here. I have not gone aground into
lurker mode. It may feel and look like it, chalk it up to this
gal getting ready for a trip to B.C. on Thursday. (Plus Olympiad 2010 had me glued to the tv. It seems I wasn't alone there...I wonder how many gazillion tv sets were tuned to the O's)
I will be back in the spring. I know spring doesn't arrive here just cuz the calendar says it has arrived, it's just wishful thinking.... here's a picture to help us think spring!