More WILD Flowers...

Joy I

I guess you might say...these are exactly the same, only different. :?}

 

 

Joy II

WILD flower quiltlets are like rabbits...

Good Afternoon!

Fall II

Fall I

Night time Wild flowers

Here is the silver gray rendition of the Wild Flowers series, Under the Gibbous Moon. The flowers consist of 2-3 layers in various sizes, the smallest centers being comprised of thick metallic thread. Leaves are from the several shades of silver gray thread also. New to this series is 'grass'. I used my long rectangle cardboard form, stitched two lines 1/2" apart down the center of it, as well as all around the perimeter, then sliced it right down the center. I have 11 more wild flower bases ready to quilt, all in the WILD colorway.

Mini-WILD Flowers

I had several people interested in the large WILD Flowers, but one of them preferred, 'just a taste' rather than the entire buffet...so, I made a mini-WILD Flower. There will be several more minis, as I have had so much fun making the flowers I have a miniature Mount Rainier pile of them ready to use!

Hand dyed background. Free motion embroidery leaves. Hand wrapped, machine 'quilted' flowers and grass. 11"x14" artist canvas mounted, ready to hang.

WILD Flowers 101

WILD Flowers tutorial-another free motion embroidery play!

Pick your palette. Light, medium, dark works well. Any kind of thread. Variegated is fun to use on the 'bubble quilting'!

Choose your shape(s). Sturdy cardboard (cereal boxes, cardboard that comes in stacks of scrap booking paper, packaging-my rectangle shape below came from the box my surge protector came in) or strong paper plates. I cut one paper plate circle, then re-sized and stitched it back together to get the egg shape. Flatten the ends for easier wrapping! Circles are difficult to wrap-the thread wants to slip and slide. Place double sided tape around the perimeter to help tame it. Don't try for precision wrapping on circles, unless you want the huge hump of crossed threads in the center of your flower. Slightly sloppy disperses the threads and is easier to 'nail down' in the 'quilting' stage. Squares and rectangles are the easiest shapes to wrap, so they are a good shape to start with for practice.
The larger the window, the larger the finished shape. The wider the border, the wider the finished fringe. (you can always trim it down shorter when finished)

First wrap, North to South. I usually choose the darkest thread.

Second wrap, East to West, same dark thread.

Repeat the wrapping process with the second color, North-South, East-West. (I usually choose the lightest shade) The more you wrap, the thicker the fringe and shape. Wrap to taste, or as long as your patience holds! :?}

*Be sure and set your machine up for free motion embroidery. Feed dogs down, less tension, less pressure foot, hopping/embroidery foot.

Begin by sewing a straight stitch around the window's perimeter to initially secure the threads. I have now changed to the third thread, 'star of the show'. If you struggle with threads tangling in the hopper foot, just place a piece of clear 'Solvy' on top of the thread to keep your foot free to move and not tangle up.

Begin the decorative stitching in the window. I like to use 'bubbles', but there are no rules, just the need to 'link' all the threads together to make 'whole cloth' when released from the cardboard frame.

Bubbles completed.

Time to snip all the threads free from the frame, releasing the fringe.

Fringe released, piece complete. Begin again-it's addictive!

WILD Flowers-work in progress. I am creating the stems by wrapping various fabrics around cotton rope. I free motion embroidered the leaves in all kinds of colors and variegated threads. I am auditioning borders. PLAY! IMPORTANT UPDATE
Choose your background colors and size, piece, quilt and bind it, THEN place your flowers, stems and leaves onto it. So much easier than trying to work around all that fluffy stuff, stems and leaves! :?}

Oh! Oh! Oh! "Pasayten Memory"

I haven't been this excited about a work in quite a while! This is on the design wall, still held together with pins. I am adding 'snow' contours. I am arranging and gluing down the black thread lace of the mountains and the dark forest green thread lace foothills. I think this style should be called thread scribbling-though I haven't read that term anywhere yet.
The entire thing has been a free form play with 'what ifs'. I can think of a couple things I will do differently next time, for ease of construction, but the thread lace on top of the satin, tricot lining, and shimmer whatever that fabric was...this opens up a whole new line of possibilities!

Started with hooped Solvy

Then scribbled with black thread mountains, forest green foothills.

Pins still in- 'Pasayten Memory'

I painted the sky with watercolor acrylics. I am no painter, but I am so grateful for the 3 watercolor classes I took from Ardell, a professional painter and friend.
I will post the finished product in about a week, I think.

Summer Promises

I began with a photo taken near my home, printed it on photo canvas, thread painted the balsam and fence post. I made a balsam applique to bring the flowers off the canvas onto the background. The background fabrics are my hand dyes layered over a second white fabric, layered over cotton batting, and all stretched over the artist's frame. I am having fun now!!!

Some closeups of this photo/thread play method were requested on another forum, so here you go!
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