Story of *the quilt*

 

 

If you have been following me you must know by now that I enjoy doing art quilts. Let me tell you the story and technique of my latest *utility* quilt. It took me double the normal effort to fabricate it. Add on the piecing and it took even longer!

I made this quilt for a very special person. The only thing that she wanted on the quilt was the presence of bright  colors. And since I love lettering of course I had to include a personal message.

I wanted to do a no pattern quilt.

 

I got his book more than 10 years ago and I've used it only once ever since. The author makes the lettering based on strips, narrow and wide. No letter is the same. Hmmm, I like that approach.

I started by dyeing pieces of fabric, all the color of the rainbow and a grey fabric for the background.

 

I did not like the very first word I made. I don't know why. Could it have been the blue letters? I took the word and hanged it on my design wall. Then I realized it was the grey fabric. Yes, it's a neutral color but this grey felt unappealing...

So....

 

I went to my garage/wet studio and ice dyed fabric. Then I cut some of this fabric in strips and silkscreened designs with opaque paint. Afterwards I started piecing the colorful letters and my enjoyment grew in the process...

Half way through I ran out of fabric but since I dyed my own, I knew exactly which colors to use. To tell you the truth I didn't even know how big it was going to be.

I combined the lettering with hearts and kisses.

And here are some details combining the silk screened designs:

In some areas I sew simple lines with 12w cotton thread.

The backing fabric it's also an iced dyed fabric combined with leftovers fabrics. I like the back as much as the front so I called it a two sided quilt!

 

I am standing beside the finished quilt. The special person absolutely  loved it. The surprise on her face was priceless and I will keep that happy memory in my heart!

I am linked to : ninamariesayre.blogspot.com Go and visit the work of other artists and get inspired!

MQX Quilt Festival New England *New Traditions in Textile*

*PEACE* a paper and fabric quilt

 

I'm honored to have received a teacher's ribbon from Candace West at the MQX Quilt Festival New England 2016 for my quilt "PEACE". I entered a new category called *New Traditions in Textiles*

You can read more about this quilt HERE

Hanging with the quilt was this card, were I explained how I constructed this work of art.

I used Aurifil threads, which are perfect also for working on a mixed media piece.

Thank you Janet-Lee and Mary, founders of MQX Festivals for opening this new category. There are many of us who like to work with unusual materials.

Creative Machine Embroidery July/August 2015 *My Latest Article*

I don’t have the blessing to have my kids around me anymore; they don’t even live in the same town so when they come to visit us, it is a very happy occasion. We try to make it special, by not only cooking their favorite meals but also by showing them our love in form of *small details*.

I love to surprise them. These “door knob messengers” are meant to give messages unexpectedly. I hang them on their bedroom’s doors or even on the bathroom’s doors with little messages. Sometimes I write what’s for breakfast or the plans for the day creating anticipation to celebrate our time together.

On page 28 I explain the fabrication of these "messengers". You probably already have all the materials at home to make them. You can find the patterns HERE

*Prayer Flag* - October- Breast Cancer Awareness Month

*A Flower for You*

a paper and fabric prayer flag

  

October is -Breast Cancer Awareness Month-  I have friends that are fighting this terrible disease so I decided to make them prayer flags with paper and fabric.

 

Some I made big and some I made small for easier fitting in a card and mailing.

After I put together pieces of paper cloth and fabric I decided to cut some letters out to form words of encouragement and for them to be part of the design. To accomplish this I took out my *Slice* machine and put it to work.

First I ironed on fusible web to the underside of a designer paper. Then I peeled the paper off and with its glue side down, I chose the letter size (in this case I chose 1 inch size) and started to cut.

After I've formed the word, I covered it with parchment paper and ironed it in place.

With the help of a sewing machine I then sewed all around to secure all the pieces in place. Afterwards, I then decided to embellish it.

I used 12w Aurifil thread for some details and...

...beading and paper flowers for other details.



I bought a supported stencil to paint on the backing fabric or on the envelop. All the proceeds from the sales will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research.

You can read more about *The Prayer Flag Project* in this blog

Let's make prayer flags and support our loved ones.

Paper and Fabric Quilt

I've recently relocated to another city. My heart is still in the *old place* where we spent many happy years. To be more present in this new city I needed to embrace it and to help me with that I decided to do a paper and fabric quilt.

The quilt started with a painted background. I applied 4 layers of paint before stenciling the focal point and wrote with hand-calligraphy the message *embrace change* and appliqued paper.



After the base was finished I started to make decisions on how to apply the *toppings*, that is what I call the upper layer-texture with thread. I used a combination of 12w and 40w Aurifil thread.

First, I loaded my sewing machine with 12w Aurifil thread and started sewing the flowers, when finished I sewed details with the same thread, by hand.

I sewed the sun with thick 12w yellow thread and beaded following the sewing lines.

I sewed around each letter.

I changed the top thread for a 40w Aurifil thread and sewed the background with a simple loop design.

This quilt is hanging in my living room where I can always see it and reading its message helps me with the process to embrace this new city--my new city.

Can You Make a Piece of White Fabric *sing* With Thick 12 and 24 Weight Threads?

The answer is yes, if you use good quality thread! I used Aurifil 12 and 24 weight in this piece for machine and hand embroidery.

If you have been reading my blog you must know by now how much I like texture in my quilts. I try to obtain it in many different ways. For this *quiltlet* I chose to add texture with thread.

For that, I picked 4 different spools of 12 weight thread in shades of pink (colors I don't usually pick) for the flowers, 3 different spools of 24 weight thread in neutral colors for the background and a slippery white silk/cotton fabric.

To add even more texture, I did a trapunto technique for the heart.

After I loaded my sewing machine with a 12 weight thread and a new needle (100/16 sewing machine needle for home sewing machine or 20 needle for a mid-arm/longarm machine), I started to draw-sew the design.

Once finished, I did hand embroidery using the same thread.

When I was happy with the added details, I took the *quiltlet* again to the sewing machine and loaded it with 24 weight thread this time.

I chose the classic meandering stitch and sew with the three different spools of neutral color threads to add interest to the background. It's more fun than just one color.

details

The finished heart!

The monochromatic color of the flowers stand out with the splashes of color achieved from the different threads in the background. A surprise for the viewer!

I hope this gives you an idea on what to do with a simple piece of white fabric.



Working with Thick Threads by Hand and Machine combined with Beading

*Compost*

 30" inches by 44" inches

It has been quilted with thick Aurifil 12 weight and 28 weight thread.
 

I wanted to do a quilt with one of my favorite fruits as the main design *The Apple* and show off how beautiful it can be even when it is in it's rotten stages.

After I designed and painted each block, I didn't like the *too white* background around each apple, although it can be ideal for showing off the true colors of the paint. To fix this, I chose a light green 28 weight thread to do the quilting around each apple. It gave it just enough color to tame down the white and, in my opinion, give it more depth.

Then I chose a black 28 weight thread to quilt on top of the black and white dotted fabric and red 28 weight thread for the curved red inserts; it gives enough coverage to allure the viewer.

Let me show you how I did it:

I designed the stencils in my Silhoutte Cameo machine and with painsticks I painted the designs on white muslin fabric.

I loaded my sewing machine with 12 weight Aurifil thread and started sewing/drawing around each shape.

With the same thread I did hand embroidery.



And then some beading.



When I was happy with each apple, I sewed the blocks together. Then I loaded the sewing machine with 28 weight thread this time. Although there are so many quilting designs to chose from, I decided to use the *classic* meandering around each apple and loops on the dotted fabric.

(looks like white thread but it is actually a light green color)

Detail of one block.

As you can see, the thick threads adds extra dimension to your work, calling the viewer in, surprising them with the texture achieved and the unexpected hand embroidery and beading. I hope you will give it a try.



Can this *Quilt* be saved?

"Sunny Butterflies" 26 by 45 inches

Well, this is the finished quilt and I have to say I am quite happy with the results.

But this is how I found it while reorganizing my studio:

 I started this quilt 6 years ago. Examining the composition, I realized why I didn’t finish it—I used only dark colors and no contrast to harmonize! What was I thinking.

I asked myself: How can I bring this quilt to life? I challenged myself to make this quilt sing with *texture*. For that I used leftover batting, thick 12 and 28 weight threads for hand and machine embroidery and seed beads.

First, I needed to rip the bottom part of the quilt, where I used thin threads....sigh, this is such a tedious work.

Then I loaded my sewing machine with 12 weight aurifil thread and started sewing with extra batting underneath. After that I hand embroidered with the same thread and applied seed beads.

When I was happy with each butterfly, I loaded my sewing machine with 28 weight aurifil thread and started sewing freely.

I am happy with the end result and I feel I made my quilt sing!