If you read my last post you know I am working on a quilt with coffee pickers. This weekend I was finally satisfied with the sketch and started to work in fabric. Here is a sneak peek of the first picker! Still need to do the cuffs on the shirt ..but it is a great start.
As a result, I have gone through 2 more interations of my sketch and I am much more pleased with this rendition. I hope you can see this faint cell phone photo. I did not bother to draw in all the coffee leaves but you can get a feel for my intentions.
Last week when I saw my little neighbor go off in the
morning to pick coffee in her purple rubber boots, I thought to myself, how
strange that children and families still go off every December to pick coffee
by hand.Despite the prevalence of cell
phones, computers and cell towers, some things are as they have been for years.
So when I heard that the THEME for the International Quilt
Competition was TRADITIONS, my neighbor came to mind.Over the last week, I have been playing
with ideas and today I sat down and did a first sketch.
My idea was to do the older version of coffee picking like a
sepia photo..perhaps die the fabrics in tea (or coffee)..and the current
version in bright colors.
This is just a flat sketch and I would try to add more
design to the characters to make them appear 3 dimensional…you know, shadows,
facial features, etc.
Now I would really like some feedback.I fear that all the color on the right will
make it feel too heavy ..The 2 men are throwing the coffee beans in the air.
The local PZ LADIES CLUB is having an HOLIDAY ORNAMENT CONTEST. I worked on this yesterday and I quite like it. I think I may add a little moss on the bottom and perhaps a title. The fish and the froh have moveable eyes. Cute!...ya think?
This is my first attempt to upload a vdeo with music to my blog. Let´s see how this works.
I previewed and worked great on my end. Let me know if it works for you.
My friend, Isolde, loaned me a book on quilt jackets while she was away for a couple of weeks. After I made the first one , Blue Sampler, I just went crazy..I could not stop. It was a great opportunity to learn new techniques and practice my free motion quilting. I have one more that didn´t make the video because it is not quite done. Please enjoy.
While I have been busy in my studio Sergio has pulled out his carpentry tools and build this lovely bench for his sister Lorena and her daughter Noelia. Lorena just purchased her first home. She has a lovely backyard patio that is going to be the perfect place to to sit and relax.
Sergio also built the white picket fence in the background. This keeps the dogs out of my plants.
Just finished Emilia's Portrait Quilt!!! (cell phone photo) Final 21" x 22"
I wish I was there cooling off on the warm ocean shore.
My technique is getting better, just wish I could get more control over my machine stitches. But the experts say "practice, practice, practice" and don't be afraid of your bobbin tension.
You probably can't see it in this photo but the white in the dark wave says Emilia and there are seagulls dotting the i's.
I have a few small projects and then hope to get back to me and the dogs!
So as always, stay tuned and thanks for all your encouragements.
Sergio's cousin asked me to a portrait quilt of her first granddaughter, EMILIA. She has a photo of Emilia in the water at the beach.
This is a cell phone photo of my first draft. Still missing one leg and both hands. The final quilt will be about 20 x 30. Using the same technique as my dogs. Unfortunately that project is on hold while I have a paying commission. Stay tuned for updates!
I stopped by the home of one of my quilt students from 2 years ago and saw the sample quilt that we made in class artfully displayed in her living room. I had to capture a quick photo on my cell phone. “Aida, you made me proud!”
I recently finished a quilt (80” x 88”) started over 55 years ago by the grandmother of my friend Pene. The center design of this Scrap Quilt was pieced by Ludie Aldridge, of Brownwood, Texas). Ludie used the paper-pieced method, as evidenced by pieces of newsprint still attached to the seams. It is called a scrap quilt because leftover fabrics were used, most likely from actual garments. The unfinished quilt top was passed to her granddaughter Pene Carole Turner Awodey and in 2012 I was commissioned to complete the quilt.
I added the black border and the 2” squares around the outside in fabrics closer in design to the original fabrics. The quilt top was not a true rectangle so I had to be creative to get the quilt to line up and lie flat. I quilted around the centers of each piece every ¼”. I calculated over 4,000 “stop, foot up, turn quilt, foot down, smooth and sew”, all the while hoping that you did not get a wrinkle in the fabric on the underside. I free-motion quilted leaves in the black frame.
Well, like all projects, it was a learning experience. I know what I would do differently next time….more free motion (less turning) but need to practice first!!
NELLY's formal name is Melissa, but we call her "NELLY" short, for the nickname NOSEY NELLIE. I actually started to write and illustrate a children's book after this character. Nelly is a very special dog. She has had chronic urinary problems since birth and so she requires extra attention and care, but Mom loves her all the same. She looks most like a german shepard, with longer hair. Nelly is kind of tucked back in the original photo but I tried to pull her out in my illustration.
Well the first draft of all 5 dogs is done. Tons of work to do, but I can say that I think I am getting better at this.
Some friends have asked me where I got the idea for this quilt. It is actually a photo taken about 3 years ago. Peanut was not then a member of the family but I have added her to the picture. Well, one more PEEP to go....NELLY.
Ah...my youngest, PEANUT. I rescued her over a year ago, flea covered and dehydrated. A neighbor had abandoned her to die along with 3 other siblings. Unfortunately I could only save Peanut. Peanut is all street dog. She rules the neighborhood and can out run all four of the other dogs. She is the ALPHA female. I would say she is part minature pincher..and yes her tongue is that long and skinny.
This is SNOOPY, first born, first son, and most loved...OK I am guilty of having a favorite...but I do love all my kids...Snoopy is a smaller dog, has short leg, runs like a rhinoceros, and pulls both ears back like "Rocketeer" when he flys through the yard. He loves to have his belly scratched and he is totally bilingual. You can see as I work on this I am keeping them rather sketchy in my excitement to get them all done. I will be adding alot more details as well as pulling them together into a group photo. For those of you that followed me for the first "MAKING FACES" Quilt, you know what I mean. Hope you enjoy.
MATTY or Matilda if you want to be formal, is the largest and most lovable (not to be confused with most loved) dog in the family. She has a big head and walks a little like Eyor...(from Winnie the Pooh)...head down and swinging left to right...with a slight bounce to the ears like Dumbo...She has very short hair and is lighter in color than the rest...and YES her tongue is that BIG. Just ask Snoopy. Matty is always trying to lick and kiss Snoopy..and she likes to get a drink of water first so that her kisses are really wet and sloppy. Hope you are enjoying the sneek previews of work in progress. Who shall I start next...perhaps Snoopy for a change in colors?
SASHA is most noted for her constant grin...in fact we sometimes call her "V" after the movie V for Vengence...you know the one with the man with the scary face mask always smiling...not to be confused with my other favorite V-dog, Veronica, who lived in Orlando, Florida. This is just the first layer with fabric. There is much more to do with each piece...for example, stitching so it looks like dog hair....oh wish me luck, I hate to get this far and muck it up. The missing area is where the side of the cart goes...must get back to work!
This is a sketch for my next big quilt project. This was taken from a photo of me and my 4 dogs....Peanut was not a part of our family at that time, but I have conveniently added her into the picture. I have started with SASHA, first dog on the left. I need to work on my face,,I should hope that I am a little more attractive than this sketch. Stay tuned for pictures of my progress. I also finished Sophia but need to take a photo before I can post.
This quilt, submitted by HOLLY DOMINIE, won Honorable Mention at the Road to California Quilt Show Jan 2012. The quilt measures 28" x38". This is the style of work that I am currently pursuing and I love her choice of unconventional fabrics. Oh someday, I am dreaming of my name up in lights...so let's get back to quilting!
Serg has been busy with a few household projects. He built a small fence for my plants..a cabinet under my sink...a light box for my studio...a shelf for my table..., and he is putting stones around the house and driveway. YEAH, HAPPY, HAPPY. It is going to be a good 2012. THANKS DEAR!!
This is 4 year old Sofia playing in with a boogie board in a blow up pool...You remember Sofia from the doll house photos!
It measures about 20" x 25"
Once again, using cell phone camera...took photo at an angle so arm is not really as fat as it appears in the photo..but what a good idea to use pictures as you progress...you get to see things that you might not otherwise notice.
Working on technique. Used a flat batting on this project. Did not like. You lose the puffiness when you do the quilting. Still struggling a little with adhesive materials...little pieces fall off as you bend the project...I think the problem is all the humidity here.
Will send a photo when finished. Thanks for staying tuned.
