I recently gave a presentation for a womens group in Longmeadow MA.

My "Couture Circle quilt and Lesage pieces in the background.

In the background are my crazy quilt pieces and crazy quilt.

My new Psychedelic Circle quilt.

This is  the first piece I did when I was trying to figure out what/how I was going to make my Couture circle quilt.

 I like to pass it around so people can touch and examine.

Chatting after the presentation.

The best picture I have of my completed quilt was taken at the presentation.

I thoroughly enjoy giving presentations.  The two things I learned from these pictures were ...I needed a hair cut bad... which I did and I need to loose 20 lbs or so which I am working on!!!!!!

 I was in Barnes and Noble waiting for my husband so I decided to  browse the magazines.  I came across the March/April issue of Piecework in the craft section with a tambour hook on the cover and I had to buy it.  

The tambour article was great but another article in the same issue by Arlene Baker really caught my interest.   Arlene is a bead artist,  and author of Beads in Bloom Interweave Press 2002.   She has an extensive collection of vintage ribbon flowers and flower making tools, and offers a large variety of classes in flower making and beading in her studio next to her home in sunny California.  She also sells kits to create some of the flower bouquets pictured in the photos below.  Arlene has a collection of 50 different antique metal molds used to make flowers, leaves, and petals.  She has had the molds reproduced ( by her husband and brother!) and sells the molds separately.

Arlene does not have a web site or a blog... so sad.... but she has e-mail ArleneBkr@aol.com or can be called at (562) 928-3583.

I e-mailed inquiring about the flower molds and  received a wonderful e-mail back from her with loads of information.  She asked for my telephone number and called me the next day.  We had a long conversation, it was like talking to a longtime old friend.  I explained what I was looking for and she is going to make some flower samples and mail them to me. Can't wait to get them!!  If you get a chance pick up a copy of Piecework and read the articles....

P.S. I have finished all my psychedelic circles and the second quarter of the background is beaded.  I will photographed it when I get it all basted together.

Lame circles

Seven more circles are completed ... almost.... only one to go!!

 The next 4 are connected pink, green, purple, gold

 The pink in both groups is the same circle... the light makes it look
different.
 

The light blue is the almost done one...

I am also auditioning ideas for the sashing around the perimeter of the quilt .... I don't have a lot of the gold organza left so I squeezed in  a small section of an idea for the sashing  in with my last two circles.... 

 Flowers/sequins would... might go in the center of each circle.  butttt I am not liking it too much..

I also have mounted the 2nd of 4 sections of the background so I can pick away at that in my spare time!!

More Psychedelic Cricles

Five more circles are completed.  Four are a group and overlap - pink, green, purple and gold. 

The dark blue is a separate circle.    

The light changes the look of each circle.  Above the light catches the dark blue lame under the circle.  below you see the gold mottled organza.                                   

All of these are still on the frame.      

True colors

I finally got some good pictures of my new quilt!!  A friend took them at a lecture I did on Friday.

 

The colors are truer in these photos.

The purple pink and orange circles are just pinned onto the background.  I was wrong I have 13 more circles to make!!

Delectable Mount Cloth

A couple weeks ago I went on a field trip to my favorite fabric store Delectable Mountain Cloth in Brattleboro VT. 

silk chiffon velvet brocade

1/4 yard cuts of anything 

new and vintage laces

They carry a wonderful array of fancy fabrics, buttons, lace etc. 
It makes my heart sing and my eyes glaze over.
The window display was also was a wonderful group of faeries....

A totally delightful trip!!!

Lame Quilt Background

My computer has been in the "shop" for exactly one week.  It's amazing how much work one can do when the distraction of  just "one" game of solitary is not an option. 

I was still thinking about what background fabric to use for my new quilt.  Even though I have three different fabrics, I almost bought a fourth last week.  I resisted because of an idea that has been rolling around in my head for the last month or so.  Nothing seemed to go with my psychedelic circles so I decided to try this idea.

I ironed "Lite Steam-A-Seam 2"on  all the colors of my lame and cut them out in 1" squares and ironed them on the geometric (just like my last quilt) taffeta fabric.  I shaded the colors from dark to light and then embroidered the lines with a combination of beads and sequins... also darker to light. 
So 8 hours of laying out the pattern and ironing it on the background "canvas". 

and about 20 hours of beading and I think I have a background I like!

I just laid the circles on to see how it looked.

1 section done and 3 sections plus 10 or 11 circles and I will be done!!!