Picture This!

So proud of the students in the Picture This! class last weekend. In spite of challenges with the fusible web on Friday, they persevered and produced the truly marvelous parade of chairs seen above! 

The second day we worked on creating a landscape for the chairs and boats to live in. Everyone learned several new techniques, including the most fun way to make trees from Tree Bits! I didn't get a chance to snap a photo of anyone's tree, so take my word for it, they look amazing.

It is really cool to see how the fabric choices affect the mood of the scene. Even before any stitching is done, the pieces begin taking on perspective and dimension. I sure hope some of the students will send along pictures of their finished pieces (or works in progress!) Here are some photos taken around mid-day.

Lisa's scene with curly grass and swirly water

Sandrea played pattern on pattern to great effect

Pat's luscious fabric choice for her ground really wowed us

Missed the fun? Linda and I will be teaching Baker's Dozen Improv on Saturday, May 14. Sign up with Tyler at the Sewing Machine Exchange. It will be a blast! 

Chairs on Parade!

Class sample Picture This!

We had such a good time in Trenton at Sewing by the Sea! The class was called 'Picture This!' and the goal was to learn how to transform a photograph into a quilted wall hanging. For class, I used two of my photos from Friendship, Maine to create a pattern, and used that pattern to teach various techniques such as creating elements from the photo, working with shadows and reflections, and creating trees.

We created the boat in a traditional raw-edge applique manner; make a pattern, cut it apart and fuse to fabric, then reassemble as a single, portable element. We moved on to chairs which use a layered applique technique suitable to creating shadows and highlights on an object. As the chairs began taking shape we all got pretty excited and started pinning them to the bulletin board. Check out the chair parade! Finally we spent time learning my favorite technique for making trees--creating a negative space pattern, using batik and other bits of fabric, and tulle. So very cool.

March of the Chairs

The photo below shows one student's piece with the various elements fused in place. All that's left is to add some thread paint, layer with batting and backing and quilt. Next up? Peruse vacation photos for images and create their own, personal piece of quilted art. Nothing quite like a couple of days immersed in fabric, thread and fusible web!

Student work in progress

Progress?

Friendship, Maine 2013

Deadline looming so I should get going on the major construction bits still to be completed. I think I am finally done fiddling with the photos. Here is the original photo, and the print on fabric, embellished with thread, colored pencil and glitter. For all the time I put into enhancing this photo, I hope the finished piece is dramatic enough without going over the top. I don't think I am in danger of going over the top though--my issue is generally too much attention to details that no one but me ever notices! The flowers are thread-painted. Foliage, chairs, even the water and sky are hand colored with Prismacolor pencils. I added glitter to the water to mimic the effect of sunlight bouncing off the surface--it is blinding in person, standing on the shore squinting at the water--I'd love that effect to come through. If I can get this quilted this weekend, I think I have a shot at finishing the binding, label and hanging sleeve before the June meeting. Onward!

Friendship, Maine photo on fabric

News from New Hampshire!

A friend just called to say that her sister went to The Quilter's Gathering show in New Hampshire this weekend and 'Mom and Aunti Jean play Gin' had a ribbon attached! Very awesome. She says I won "Best interpretation of the theme" which was Sisterhood Swirls. Can't wait to get the 'official' notification. I had two quilts in the show, this one and 'Bali Bloom', the big pink flower with beading. You can see it in the slideshow on my sidebar. Made my week!
Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Finished

The Giraffe photo quilt is finished! The binding went on while watching TV last night. Don't you love the way the applique tree branches and three dimensional leaves enhance the photos? I especially love the one of the baby giraffe. The quilting for Giraffe was done with gold metallic thread, first outlining each photo and the branches, then filling in with vines and leaves. My daughter suggested using metallic thread when I was doing Gorilla, to suggest light in the trees. Don't you love the sparkly effect? I am a sucker for anything sparkly, of course. Leaves were created by fusing a leaf print fabric to a deep purple, then thread painting the leaves with green thread. Leaves were individually cut out, some used purple side out as shadows. As a few leaves were left from Gorilla, I incorporated them here, as one more way to tie the two pieces together.
Can't wait to see these two quilts side by side--hope they make a good pair.