Still UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Putting a quilt TOGETHER always takes longer then you think!!
The piping inside and outside...

The trim over the raw edge of the inside piping. 
Sewing the glittered sequins in some of the squares.

My job today is to sew on the rest of the flowers I made using the  "Arlene Baker" flower mold along with the leaves.  Then I have to make 2 more leaves as I didn't make enough.

Forget-me-not pillow

I decided I had to the make pillow out of the piece I finished a few weeks ago for my friends birthday. 

I found simple instructions at  needlework.craftgossip.com. on how to cover a pillow form.

 Happy Birthay Cheryl only a few months late!!

Forget-Me-Not Pillow

I have finished 3/4 of the background for my Lame Psychedelic Circle quilt and have one more circle to complete.  For some reason I am dragging my feet and choosing to work on other things....

This is one of the projects that I promised to my friend Cheryl.
Last year for her birthday/house warming present I made the picture below.  This is it before it was finished.  I found I did not take a picture of the completed project.  The tissue paper circle in the lower left is a circle of forget-me-nots around my chop (initials).

The flowers are raffia with beads in the center.  The leaves are floss and sequins and some are woven ribbon floss.  It did get completed and is framed and on her wall.   

This year I promised a pillow for her bed to coordinate with the above picture.  

She loves forget-me-nots so I used my Arlene Baker flower mold and Dye Candy blue velvet to make my own version of forget-me-knots.
The poem is from a vintage "motto picture" and it is unattributed. 

The writing is done with the "tambour hook" using YLI metallic cranberry thread and beads.   

close-up of flowers 

Now the fun begins... I have a pillow form 20" by 16" , the black duponi and all I have to do is sew it into a pillow covering..............

I think I will work on my the last part of my Lame Psychedelic Circle quilt ................................

My GDD's (granddaughter daughter)  BFF moved away this past weekend so the girls had a last sleepover Friday night which always leads to a Saturday sleep in.   Saturday my DH was off for the day in pursuit of the perfect train picture, so I was left to my own devices. After my am coffee at Starbucks and an estate sale on the way home I arrived back at 9:30am.   The sleep in put me out of my normal stitching area and I was relegated to my sewing room with nothing to do but quietly make flowers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. 
 So I prepared the fabric, let it dry, cut it into appropriate squares and heated the molds...... and for the rest of the day I molded, cut out and remolded flowers.   I probably made 40 large and 80 or so small.


Large flowers for the quilt border

Small flowers ... don't know what for yet!!!

 

More small flowers different shape


Stamping and cutting complete... believe there are lots more than this!!!

The completed flowers for the border...  The Lame flower with organza petals over it.  The center is a dome sequin with some glass glitter applied i.e. I glued it....

    


This is an experiment with the border design...
The actual design will be different.  It will be outlined with the green metallic and the leaves will be done separately in sequins and sewn on.    Maybe... Sometimes when I get there it doesn't look just right so it may change.

Thanks Arlene I love your molds!!!! 

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

After my class its taking me a while to get back into the swing of things...  First I would like to show off one of my students work.

 Monarch butterfly on small black clutch she designed

Design on the top of a hat she made.

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Then of course I have been talking to Arlene Baker about her wonderful flower mold reproductions (See other post labeled Arlene Baker) She sent me a sample of what she thought I was looking for plus some some extras...

I chose # 8 and of course the first thing I did when I received it was not follow the instructions.   I very carefully made these flowers out of my synthetic Lame fabric... They and a variety of other colors with adorn the border of the quilt.

It was so much fun I ordered # 1 and #21. 

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School Vacation and a trip to NYC, the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero with Sabrina, my GGD (granddaughter daughter) , her friend Christine and my husband. 

 new building at ground zero

 Christine and Sabrina on Liberty island

Me, Sabrina and Christine

and of course a trip to MOOD was squeezed in

Fabrics for a future project.  The fuchsia/cranberry cotton velvet is from Delectable Mountain Fabrics, the white with the grid is from my friend Gloria's stash, and the variety of silk organza's and coordinating tulle is from MOOD... and of course Opie the cat must sit on whatever I put down... except he will not sit on my lap...

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Now I am back to my Lame quilt project.  I have completed all the circles and 1/2 of the background.  I spent the last several days ironing on the 1 inch Lame squares onto the second half of the background fabric and I am about 1/4 of the way through embroidering the sequins and beads around the squares.  

Hopefully by the end of next week I will have the embroidery done and will start the borders.

Enjoying the spring weather!!

 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.