Art with Fabric Blog Hop–Landscape with Birds

I have always loved the artist, Paul Klee, so when Alida invited me to join the Art with Fabric Blog Hop, I jumped at the chance.  Alida asked us to choose ‘a’ work of art to inspire our textile creations.  I couldn’t choose just one!!

Instead, I chose two pieces by Paul Klee:

The first is titled, “Landscape with Yellow Birds,” and the second is “Fire in the Evening Sky.”(Museum of Modern Art, New York).  Of course, one can’t have two without three so I found a poem on Jill Berry Design‘s blog which really spoke to me about hope.

LANDSCAPE WITH YELLOW BIRDS
Shuntaro Tanikawa (1931-    )

there are birds
so there is sky
there is sky
so there are balloons
there are balloons
so children are running
children are running
so there is laughter
there is laughter
so there is sadness
so there is prayer
and ground for kneeling
there is ground
so water is flowing
and there’s today and tomorrow
there is a yellow bird
so with all colors forms and movements
there is the world

Paul Klee’s ‘Fire in the Evening Sky’  inspired me to construct my landscape with horizontal lines.  Our beautiful sunsets over the Mississippi river this summer gave me a color scheme.  My birds are drawn from the ‘Birds in Air” block:

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I inserted triangle birds into my landscape–red, for the cardinals which visit my yard, and a yellow bird to add color and hope.

 

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I chose a quilting design which also used horizontal lines and triangles.  In addition, I drew yellow and red birds with big stitch hand quilting.  Finally, I added some random big stitch quilting lines to add spark and interest.

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I used pearl cotton thread and a chenille needle to do my ‘big stitches’.  I also used a thimble–which, in my opinion, is necessary when doing any type of hand quilting.

Please visit the other bloggers up today:

Bea @ beaquilter (http://www.beaquilter.com/)

Heather @ heatherquilts (http://www.heatherquilts.blogspot.com/)

On the longarm today…Swoon

I feel like I should be putting one hand on my forehead and one on my heart as I sink gracefully onto a fainting couch.  But, no, it isn’t that kind of a swoon, the quilt on my longarm today is made using the pattern, Swoon, by Camille Roskelley.  It is a wonderful pattern which is well written and easy to make.  There are many ways to quilt a Swoon quilt top and for, me, that is one of the challenges–because I want to try them all!!  For this quilt, I chose a block pattern from One Song Needle Arts which would lay nicely in the block, emphasizing the different segments of the block, and yet be a cohesive design.  I always try to add ways which cause a viewer to look at a quilt and find interest from across the room, from closer, and then from closer still.  One way to do that is to lay a quilting design on top of the quilt so that it doesn’t follow the piecing exactly, but it emphasizes it.

As I design a quilt layout, I look for designs which repeat motifs found in the fabric, in the piecing and/or in the applique.  For the Swoon quilt I noticed that several fabrics had circles, and that several had flowers.  I chose to combine several different flowers by Anita Shackelford for the sashing.

I was very pleased with the way that the quilting turned out.

Now is a great time to get started on Christmas gift piecing.  I can guarantee that any quilt sent to me for quilting in August will be quilted before Christmas (custom or edge to edge).

Have a great quilting adventure!!

lovelliquilts.wordpress.com

We Support You!! Eight Days A Week!

Thank you so much Madame Samm and Pat Broe for such a fun pattern and blog hop.  We all used this wonderful retro pattern by Madame Samm, which you can purchase by e-mailing her:  madamesamm@me.com for $12.00.  Madame Samm created the pattern and the original quilt to help a friend who was facing a cancer diagnosis.  Throughout the blog hop I have read touching and interesting stories about each blogger’s experience with cancer or other serious illness.  Every project has been touching and thoughtful.

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When I first signed up for the hop I was clueless about what I was going to create, although I thought it should be fun, practical and inspiring.  Our family has experienced a lot of loss, cancer, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, heart disease…. I would love to give each one of those who I’ve lost one more hug.  However, with each of those losses I was fortunate to see family members care for each other.  My quilt is for the care givers.  Those are the people who care–Eight Days a Week, 25 hours a day.  I was inspired by The Beatles song “Eight Days a Week” by Paul McCartney and John Lennon:

Hold me, love me, hold me, love me

I ain’t got nothing but love, babe

Eight days a week

Eight days a week

I love you

Eight days a week

Is not enough to show I care

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I was also inspired by an exhibit of ‘envelope’ quilts which were made for Veterans and shown at the AQS show in Paducah last year.  Each block had an envelope pocket made of fabric into which people added notes, or gift cards, or other trinkets.  Earlier in the year a group of friends created a friendship quilt for one of us who had been experiencing health issues.  Each of us wrote a message on our block to encourage her.  All of these ideas tumbled around in my brain until I had a lightbulb moment!  I made each of the bra cups, fully lined and padded :), into a little pocket, just the right size for a little note of encouragement or a gift card.  Because each caregiver ‘loves’ Eight Days a Week, there is a bra for each of those days.  In keeping with the retro feeling, I hand embroidered each with the days of the week..
And yes, there is an ‘itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny, yellow polka dot bikini’ in there as well, because we all need to laugh and smile, even if it is through tears.  You may notice some of the straps are twisted and some bras are a little lopsided, because my sense of humor is twisted and lopsided, er, not my sewing.
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Please visit the other talented bloggers on the hop:

Finish A-long 1st Quarter

My word for 2015 is: Concentrate.  I realized, after looking back at 2014, that I tried to do too many things and that I tried to be too many people, e.g. mom, quilter, volunteer, blogger, appraiser, design, office manager…..  I also realized that I start a great many projects and finish very few.  Concentrate is an objective which will hopefully result in more focused efforts on my part in the coming year.  Many of my unfinished objects last year remain on my to-do list this year.  I hope to whittle down this list, starting in Q1.

1.  Flower Strip quilt–the quilting is done, I need to sew the binding and label on.

2. Winding Ways–the quilting is done, I need to sew the binding and label on.

3.  1930’s reproduction quilt–the quilting is done, I need to sew the binding and label on.

4.  Quilt the 4 Quilts of Valor tops which I have received.

5.  Finish Imperial Blooms, pattern by Sue Spargo (www.suespargo.com).

6.  Finish Crimson Tweed, pattern by Sue Spargo.

7. Riley Blake–here is part of my mock-up in EQ7:

Riley Blake Challenge

I need to re-do some quilting and bind it.

8. Mission Triangles, this is a quilt I have made with the help of our Mission Stitchers group at Onalaska UMC from donated flannel triangles.  It will be soft and warm.  Here is the EQ7 mockup:

Mission Triangles
Mission Triangles

The top is done, well almost, I need to put on some borders and quilt it.

9.  Log Cabin quilt–the quilting is done, I need to sew the binding and label on.

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10.  Various mug rugs, place mats, and table runners–the quilting is done, I need to sew the binding and label on.

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I think that is enough, for now.  I do need to sew a lot of bindings onto quilts–there are a great number of binding tutorials out in blog-land, but I will also write one.  One of my goals this past year, and the coming year, has been to improve my bindings.  I’ve learned a great deal about binding as I have worked on that goal.  Hopefully I will be able to branch out this year to some shaped bindings.

January is an exciting month–I have 3 blog hops scheduled and I will be writing a pattern for my quilt guild’s quilt show quilt.  I am looking forward to concentrating this month!!

Lovelli Signature

 

Quilt Design a Day–Getting back in the groove

My designs slowed down in September and October.  I wasn’t able to design every day, but I am getting back in the swing in November.  With these 30 designs I have earned my “150 day badge” with Quilt Design a Day.

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Experiencing ‘quilter’s block’ is no fun!  I think that most of the block was due to an increase in family obligations, septic issues (yuk) and the inspiration pictures we were using on Qdad were getting stale (I lost count of the photos of the same geode, lol).  Our Qdad leader, Anne Sullivan, switched us over to member contributed photos.  Every day I am excited about the design inspiration and the palettes which go along with them.  My turn to post photos will come right after Christmas.  I am exited about some new projects in the months to come and, hopefully, some blog hops with the irrepressible Madame Samm.  Please stay with me on my journey.

A quilt party: Spiked Punch on the Longarm!!

It is such a joy for me to quilt for clients and to help them finish quilts.  Last week I spent my time on a client’s quilt, made from a pattern called Spiked Punch by Tula Pink.  The fabrics in it were from Amy Butler’s latest line “Glow” and some Tula Pink fabric.  Here is a screen shot of the quilt mockup:

Spiked Punch capture

I used a Whispy Feather design by Donna Kleinke of One Song Needlearts, a fill pattern by Anita Shackelford and a curved grid fill of my own design.  It was fun to place the feathers ‘behind’ the stacked bricks (something I’ve seen hand-guided quilters do) with computer-aided design and quilt it with the computer.  Note, I still sat and ‘helped’ the needle to stitch in the ditch along the bricks.  It is fun to fill the negative space with quilty lusciousness!!

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Have a quilty day!!lovelliquilts.wordpress.com