Dream catcher

I was given a hand dyed silk scarf to needle felt fibers onto. The silk was so light that the fibers dragged it down and I hated it as a scarf. So, I cut it in half and hand appliqued one half to some gorgeous hand dyed brown fabric. I used a thick fabric that I bought in quantity at a yard sale for the batting and it really shows off the quilting. I needed a little more sparkle so I hand stitched the ribbon yarn around the outside after binding the quilt.

There are a variety of fibers and the needle felting went very quickly.

I let these pieces dangle a little.

IF: Breezy and Intricate

Here are my latest Illustration Friday pieces. Breezy started with some fabric that I had made years ago swirling paint. I added hand stitching with metallic thread and a few rubber stamped clouds.

Intricate reminded me of lace so I used some that my Great Grandmother had made and I added pearl-like beads for decoration. I have a lot of other projects in the works but they are not ready to be revealed yet.

Rogue Art Quilters new show

Our latest quilt challenge went up on Friday at Fabric of Vision in Ashland. The challenge was to create a quilt that speaks of Ashland or the Rogue Valley and to use a sequined fabric in pink or silver. The results are wonderful:



Shirley Snowden created this park like scene.

Sarah Breckenridge used the pink sequins to create her wonderful circle.

Rona Barnes did two quilts based on plays that the Oregon Shakespeare Festival will be performing. We have Don Quixote fighting windmills....

and 76 Trombones leading the big parade.

Pat Gleitsmann recreated the Elizabethan theater with gorgeous thread painting.

I opted for pictures of Ashland and lots of green! I had great fun beading the leaves.

Elaine Turcke recreated night skiing on Mt. Ashland.

And Cynthia McKee gave us a taste of Lithia Water from the drinking fountains on the plaza.

Christine Smith recreated her Craftsman house and the cat on the stairs is wearing a sequined collar.

Our newest member, Carol created this wonderful Shakespeare quilt.

Note the sequined beard!

The show will be up for the next two months. Don't miss it!

IF: Instinct and Urban Decay

This is my photo of Urban Decay in Ashland. It is the remains of a greenhouse which has completely disappeared since this photo was taken. The challenge was to take a section of the photo and create a quilt out of it.

I used soy silk to replicate the plastic sheeting and my gelatin printed fabric to replicate the wire fencing.

Buttons were added where there are circles in the photo. I mounted the quilt top on black batting, layered a backing behind it and quilted the piece leaving the batting exposed around the outside. No binding.

Insinct was more difficult. As you can see I am not much of an illustrator but my first thought when I saw the word instinct was to run!

Celebrate and Modern Amish

This is my Illustration Friday piece using skeleton leaves and colorful yarn. I felt like celebrating nature.


I created Modern Amish for a challenge where we were to begin with a traditional pattern and make it contemporary. I love Amish quilts with their use of simple shapes and solid fabric. I used hand dyed fabrics from Cherrywood that I have been hanging onto for a very long time. I chose the simple Bars quilt design and broke the bars into a lot of little pieces. The Amish always seem to throw in a zinger fabric and mine is the red.

I quilted heavily across the surface of the quilt ignoring the pieced design and just having fun.

IF: Time and a velvet container

Diane Ericson gave us an assignment to make a container for something we hold dear. I began with my hand dyed velvet and started beading in a circle. That turned into the flower in the center. I continued with swirls and just let myself play. Very enjoyable and relaxing.
I topped it off with a couple of large beads in the corner.

The Illustration Friday word was Time and since I have been playing with rusting fabric, I decided to use a piece of it for this week. Rubber stamping and some old lace which I stained in a cup of tea finished it off. I have had a lot of fun rusting fabric. I walked Rascal along the railroad tracks and picked up lots of rusty metal things. I layered fabric and metal things on a rusty cookie sheet and put another layer of fabric on top. Then more rusty things and more fabric. I poured a solution of 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water over the top and left it in a trash bag for about 36 hours. Voila...rusty fabric.

IF: Flawed and beaded bag

I am taking a class with Diane Ericson and her first challenge to us was to create a container for something you like. I decided to start beading on velvet to create a bag to hold special cards that I look at daily. I began with the flower in the middle and let the project speak to me as I went along.

I have been taking a watercolor class and realized very early on that I am not meant to be a "painter" who does landscapes or anything realistic. I just like to play with the paint. Since we began by making a lighthouse, I knew that it would be the perfect way to express the word "flawed". I am having a lot of fun doing the word that comes up every Friday. I ponder it during the week and usually get around to making something on Thursday...just before the next word is revealed.

I spent a good part of Saturday playing with gelatin printing. Rayna Gilman's video and book inspired me. Debra joined in the fun and every piece looks different and wonderful. Now I need to figure out how to use them in my quilting. We printed on black fabric with lumiere paint so they have real sparkle. I will try to post some next week.