Giraffes

The Giraffes quilt, companion to Gorillas, is taking shape. The top is pieced and awaiting applique and thread work before quilting and attaching the free-standing leaves. A few steps in the process:

Photos printed on fabric:

Stitching one-inch squares together:

Top almost done:

I hoped to complete this piece for next weekend when I will be seeing the person who commissioned it, but I don't know that I can devote enough time to it over the week. Last night I pushed on too long and made mistakes that I had to frog stitch this morning (rip it, rip it!) Hate to have to do that again! If it isn't finished, I can always bring it "in progress" for the owner to see.

Butterflies

Sunday I'll be teaching a workshop for our quilting group. We're several friends who work together and enjoy quilting. We meet to teach each other techniques or make group quilts as gifts. I'll be walking the group through making free standing butterflies that can be secured to your art quilt. Not so good for a quilt that goes through the wash much, though!

I took a class with Christine Fries Ureel last summer, and she demonstrated this technique. http://www.loveabideth.com/index.html Here is one butterfly I made in class.

Isn't it great? It was stitched in a hoop: 2 layers of fabric, wrong sides together, topped with a piece of heavy washaway stabilizer on which you draw the butterfly. Satin stitch around the outline, decorate the wings to your heart's content with your sparkliest, brightest, shiniest threads. Trim close to the satin stitching, rinse away stabilizer and attach to quilt through the body. Very pretty!

New quilts

While I wait for new quilt ideas to gel--I'm thinking about a hibiscus bloom, super-sized, or a whimsical sunflower or perusing photos taken from my walks along the Portland Trail system--I thought I would work on a new commission. I made a small wallhanging using gorilla photos my friend had taken. She recently sent me a CD of giraffe photos and asked if I could make a companion quilt.

The technique is one I made up--I cut a variety of fabrics into one-inch squares, fused squares and photos in sections to gridded, fusible interfacing, then top-stitched with a feather stitch to secure the fabrics. The completed top was then appliqued, free standing leaves were applied, and the whole quilted and bound.

Here is a photo of the gorilla quilt. I will post photos of the giraffe quilt as I work through the process. At this point the photos are printed and set on fabric, and about 400 one-inch squares have been cut out. I just bought thread to do the top-stitching, and am building the sections.

Invitation!

My Maine FiberArts membership has opened doors again. Previously I was asked to demonstrate quilting at the York museum, and organized a group of friends to bring quilts and a frame so we could demonstrate a quilting bee. It was great fun as we got to dress up in period costumes and sit under a shade tree welcoming visitors.

Now I have been invited to submit three pieces to the first show of the Pearson Legacy Gallery at 13 Dow Road, Deer Isle, for an exhibit titled "Forever in Bloom." Artists may submit work in any medium as long as the subject is flowers. Mine, naturally, are quilts.


The exhibit opens with a Bloomin’ Bash reception on Thursday, March 12, 2009 and runs through Sunday, March 29th (Friday-Sunday and by appointment).

'Vase' is one of my pieces. Completed in 2009, 'Vase' is a scrapture, a technique created by Frances Emery and described in American Quilter Magazine (Spring, 2006). Tiny scraps of fabric and fabric motifs are layered over a base to create a watercolor effect.

If you have any questions about the exhibition or the gallery, please contact Carolyn Hecker at cahecker@midmaine.com.