May complete - indigo

May's challenge done! 

All damaged digits aside, this was a really fun technique to play with.  I found taking the rorshach like flora print made and then going free motion quilting on it with several threads to be very freeing and really interesting.

I decided a checkered border on 2 sides would give it a bump in color.

I used a bright pink, olive green and steel blue threads for free motion quilting around the dyed pieces.  I may go back and add a few more along a few spaces.

The back is a few strips of fabrics I thought would contrast with the threads.  I love how the reverse image came through - the back is almost prettier than the front!

The flora used were actually small berries, a few weeds and some clipped leaves from house plants.  With the free motion quilting I made no attempt at realism - and it creates a floral that is not quite of this world.

This makes a really lovely addition to the year of challenges!

June - Package and Inspiration indigo

When i opened June's package I had to laugh.  Here are these gorgeous batiks in dark neutrals, and embroidery floss, needles and a pocket guide.  

I have been starting to play a bit with embroidery in quilting.  It's like M read my mind!

Hmmm, a lovely silvery tan floss and a rich red.  With the inspiration word 'haiku'.

Being a literal sort I gave serious thought to embroidering a haiku poem.  Just 2 problems.  I do not know how to embroider words yet and feel that might be a bit advanced.  And I don't write haiku poetry.  Now, i went through a poetry phase in my life.  And I love to read poetry.  But my version was generally dark and a little sad.  That is not what I want for this project.

Then I did a bit of research on haiku.  I read it is syllable based - 5, 7 and 5.

Hmmm.  I could do something interesting with that number sequence in a block.

So, then I went looking for eye candy - otherwise known as inspiration.  Percolating ideas!

Found on pinterest - love it!

Haiku Fabric quilt

From a Haiku Challenge

May Update - indigo

I know, May update in July!  Its getting better but we are still working on timelines!

So for May I blogged about how it had this white fabric, a hammer, some dye and a book about pounding flowers.  I finally got some flowers out of the yard and started hammering.

And thus begins the cautionary tale part of our story.

I decided the little hammer M sent me was too small.  Surely my 5lb rubber mallet would work better.

Well, it's louder.

Then, I forgot my hand - eye coordination is a bit iffy.  and I happily hammered away until "OWIE!"  I 5lb malletted by left pinky.  Searing pain, I hipped up and down a lot, laughing like a moron because I knew it was my own fault!

After my finger went numb and I determined it was still attached, I returned to pounding flowers, keeping my fingers well out of the strike zone, and got the following;

This is a few leaves from a house plant, some kind of berry from my yard, and a few flowered weeds.

 It is an interesting mix now.  I am thinking about seeing if I can add a bit with some of the following pickings from my front yard today.

Some grasses, and some budded flowers.

 I think this is a cool way to play with fabric and various flora - just don't leave yourself with a purple finger for the wrong reasons!

ow ow ow ow ow ow...

April is complete! - Molly

"I think I can, I think I can...."

The last many months in my world have been uphill. With perseverance and support of people I love I am slowly climbing to the top. This quilt journey has been a bit of a guard rail. Although I've not been as on top of it as I would have liked, knowing it was here waiting for me was calm in the storm. (Whoa, that's a lot of metaphor). Anyhow, my April block is complete at last! And I quite love it. 

Indigo sent me a pile of batik scraps in blues and greens and purples, along with a packet of buttons and some gorgeous handmade skeleton leaves. I immediately thought water. And have created, what I think, is like a pool with ripples and rocks and leaves and sunlight creating a myriad  of colors on the surface. 

I have not trimmed it fully yet. The quilting caused the bottom to shrink in a bit and I need to make the wudginess go away, figure I can make it work when I put the final pieces together. 

I pieced the block entirely without a plan. Which is very much outside my comfort zone. I imagine paper piecing with a layout may have been easier. But I really enjoyed the: grab some scraps, sew, iron, trim, grab another scrap...wash , rinse, repeat. And it came together much how I initially envisioned it when I received the package.

It feels good to be getting caught up. I'm going to open my May bundle tomorrow and see what it brings. 

I got mail!

Fun little bundles in the mail today! May, June and July. I am almost done with April. Will explore what the packets contain when it is complete. So (sew) excited!!

May Package - indigo

This project is so fun.  I get things in the mail that make me smile, miss my friend, and inspire.  I am so so lucky.

May's package was opened after I finished April.  I actually opened it right before bed, though I should know better.  I wound up staying awake for several hours with a smile thinking about what I can do with this treasure.

 Inside I found - white fabric, blue fabric dye, a mini hammer, and a book about flower pounding to dye fabric.

SCORE!

So from a quick read flower pounding is exactly what it sounds like.  You take the petals, stems and/or leaves of a plant, and using tape or another removable adhesive affix it to the right side of your prepared fabric.  set on a hard surface that will stand up to abuse - and hammer away.  The pounding squishes the flora which will give you a kind of relief image of your flower on the fabric as a dye.  Let it all dry and treat for permanency, and voila!

I can't WAIT to do this!  I am sure all my chores of Saturday may get swept aside just to play with fabric and flowers, and pound my stress away!

Below is an example of some of the flora I have in my backyard to potentially dye fabric.  I may also see of our local store has a summer bouquet on sale for some added colors and flora.

April Finished - indigo

Ok, ok, I know its not April but its April's blocks.  We might be time-challenged.

This package came with 3 lovely blue fabrics (some of which I already have, blue being the color I reach for most!) and a package of roving.  Along with it is a snort note with 'inspiration' words.  Simply "April showers".

Being the literal sort I immediately thought water.  Specifically rain.  So, I thought I would try out some applique rain drops.  I have been wanting to play with this shape in applique for a while.

So I made 3 sizes of an elongated drop of water.  I traced them on the backs of the blue fabrics and added in a wild blue and red batik on my desk.

Once I got them prepped with folded under edges, I tried several layouts.  I thought the neutral tones of the batik I would give it a soft watery look.

However, after trying several layouts I discovered the one I wanted looked more like a flower.  Hmm, well ok, lets roll with it.

Next I went with a machine stitched blanket stitch.  I then, since it was looking like a flower, decided to add contrast colored threads.  It is a bright pink thread on the blue fabrics and a dark teal on the red/blue batik.

Back of April Block

Then I had a thought.  I wasn't sure I liked the muted neutral background.  Hmmm, what If i do a pieced background for interest... and I grabbed the music fabric in white and grey and another wild batik in shades of pink to yellow.  Used a form of a disappearing 4 patch to create a simple block with lots of movement.  However, once I auditioned that for the background - I didn't like it.  Now back to the nuetral shows of the all over batik.  I elected to use my citric colored pieced block for the back of this block.

Front of April Block

I elected to do an all over grid of quilting in a wavey line available on my Bernina.  Then I appliqued wach raindrop with my pink and teal threads in a blanket stitch.  I was thinking I would use the roving in handmade beads as a center.  But the more I look at the result the more I think less is more.

Now it reminds me of the movement of water after it hits a surface, like a splash.

All that being said, this is how your 'vision' of a block can and does change on the fly.  The more I look at the result, the more I love it!

Time to open and use May's goodies!