Feathered Star

I am excited to be starting a new quilt. I will post a few photos of the "background" in process, which hopefully will feature a face in the center. If all goes well, I plan to give it to a friend who has talked about this idea for quite some time. It has been a long time since I have made a quilt from a pattern, with piecing. And this is fairly precise piecing--feathered stars are all points! The stars are cut using a 'stack and whack' system, stacking repeats of the fabric so they line up perfectly before slicing into diamonds. The final effect is of a kaleidoscope. When I get to the face, I plan to print it on fabric, paint, then thread paint and finally, embellish with tiny beads. Fingers crossed for a happy outcome! Should the top come out well, it will be on to quilting, and I want to do rather more structured quilting than usual--the blue spaces lend themselves to specific designs--I am thinking about something to do with zodiac signs, but we'll see. Long way from that decision yet. Here are the 1.5" half-square triangles, chain-stitched, then surrounding the star. Love that Hoffman garden fabric.

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Goodbye 2009

End of the year, and no projects in the works! I had thought I might start a new piece over the holidays, but there were just too many happy distractions. The tree quilt our group is working on (see below) is at another quilter's home awaiting borders. I do have plans for two new pieces--even have the main fabric for one, and a pattern (!) Don't do many quilts from patterns anymore, but I fell in love with a feathered star and really want to try it. The second is another based on a photo--so far all I have done is get the photo enlarged to size. More on that later. Perhaps January will provide some snowy weekends to motivate me!

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Quick Pic

Just a quick picture so you can have an idea of the new quilt in the works. This is the center panel of a group quilt, as explained in yesterday's post. Borders are in the works. We got together today to stipple the leaves and satin stitch the branches/trunk in place. We added batting behind the leaves to give them some depth, and tried stippling with and without stabilizer on top. Putting stabilizer on top meant the triangle points stayed put so we didn't have to keep stopping and starting, but when we got done with the section with the stabilizer, we had to spend time tearing it off, carefully, painfully. So probably like the stop and start better, if we had to choose. Coming along nicely, though!

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New Work

The only quilt in the works at the moment is a group quilt. Created for a wedding that blends two families, the design is of intertwined trees, with a branch for each family member. We paper pieced the trunks from strips of batik in a random fashion, starting with browns and ending with a different color for each branch. We pieced flying geese (geese mate for life, you know) to make one of the borders, and used the off-cut batik triangles to create abstract leaves. We solved the problem of how to attach all those tiny triangles by drawing a rough outline of the tree top on Steam-a-Seam lite, cutting the fusible web out, and applying it to the background fabric. Because it is pressure sensitive, we could keep the triangles from falling off until we were ready to fuse them with the iron. Next step: stipple the leafy area with batting behind to give it some dimension. I think a variegated thread will do nicely with the multicolor leaves. Then satin stitch the tree trunks and branches on top, add a few random "leaves" to blend, and voila! A family tree! I'll try to get a photo up soon so you can see what I am going on about.

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I've Got to Crow!

I've got to Crow! I received a copy of Sarah Ann Smith's book, Thread Work Unraveled in the mail today, and right there, on page 73, are two photos of my quilt, "Postcard from Rajasthan" One is a full shot and the other a close-up. How COOL is that! My quit pictured in the same book with Sarah's "Bijagos Warrior", which inspired me to begin "Postcard", and quilts by such renowned quilters as Hollis Chatelain and Jane Sassaman! I'll be cozying up with the book tonight to begin reading it, but it is a super thrill to see my work in print.

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Angel Complete!

McAuley Angel finally feels done. With a drift of flowers at her feet, shaft of sunlight falling behind her, and serendipitous halo that appeared in the background, begging to be highlighted with sequins, she is embellished to the hilt. The photos in no way capture the way the light plays off of the crystals, sequins, beads and glitter that adorn her. I like the hint of chaos in the darker sky, and the swirl of roses surrounding her. She goes on display tomorrow, and we'll see if the quilters think she needs anything more!

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Still working...

Not a lot new to report--making slow but steady progress on McAuley Angel, which once embellishing began has begged for just one more thing several times--Here's hoping this final bit will do it. I am adding sequins to an arc that is suggested by the values behind her--I'll post a photo when it gets done (if I like the sequins and don't pull them all off!)

The Deep Ones baby quilt is coming together as well. Here is a shot of the completed top, although the color is more true in the post below. Next step: construct a back from the left over fabrics, then quilt!

Meanwhile, I found the fabric I want to use for a feathered star quilt based on a Persian myth, Khorshid Khanoom. It is the Hoffman challenge fabric from 2007. Once I realized it was out of print, I searched online and sent for the few yards I found. I am thinking to place her face in the center of the star--maybe something zodiac around the border. Still in the thinking phase. As is another quilt based on a photo taken in DC. Never enough TIME!!

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