Purple House - Part 5 - The Sky

The house is pinned on down the middle of the piece, just to keep it in place.  It will be ironed down as the blue squares are added.  By just pinning, and not fusing the house, I can easily flip up sections of the house structure, and add the background piece behind it.  I am applying this row at a slant.

Now I could have used a laser level, if I wanted the rows to be in a perfect straight line, but I felt it would be way more interesting and fun to start them on a slant, to create movement in the piece.

You can see 5 rows of the gradual slant, and then I can make it go another direction.

I peel the house back to make room for the blue squares.  I could have fused all of the squares onto the background first, then added the house, but I think it is a waste of good fabric to do it that way. 

I am liking the direction this is going.  The background has texture, color, contrast and interest!  These are all Batiks, by the way!

I am ironing this portion of the house into place, including the cup and saucer.

Here is a clearer view of the fabrics and their movement

Almost done!

The backgrounds of blue and green.  Next I will be adding the vines, flowers and another bird on the top!

Purple House - Part 4 - The Landscaping

The house is pinned down the middle to the wool blended felt foundation.

I have started a couple of rows of green 2" squares.  I have applied them at a slight slant, to add interest to the piece, as a whole.  You can see that the sides of the house have not been fused yet, as it is awaiting the blue background fabrics.

After I applied all of the green squares, I can turn it over, and cut the excess from the back.  I do it this way, because I don't want to cut the felt.

Here is the landscaping all fused onto the lower portion of the quilt.  Stay tuned for the sky next!

Building the Purple House - Part 3

I am cutting out each house part, using the pattern that I made, pinned to the front of the fabric.  I am going to build the house, one section at a time on a Goddess Sheet.  All of the fabrics have been Mistyfused.  If you scroll down to the two previous posts, you can view my process for making an art quilt.

As I go, I cut off the tails, and then set all of the fabric aside, because I might need it for another part of the house

Making this section, I am thinking that this row of flowers will look nice in front of the windows.  They are fused into place

Adding the windows to the upper portion of the flower box section.  I cut out the yellow fabric to use as the windows

Cutting black and white polka dot fabric into thin strips for the window frames.  I am making sure that the windows are not placed in a perfect position, but just a little off kilter.  All pieces are fused into place with a dry iron on medium high heat.

I realized that the flower fabric was not going to work with the windows, so I tore it off the section.  Did you know that Mistyfused fabrics can be repositioned?  As long as they are on another piece of fabric, and not wool felt, they can be easily removed, without leaving a trace of thread.  I decided to make my own flowers.

I think the red flowers are a nice contrast with the purple fabrics.  Red will be used in other places as well, so it will add a nice balance to the piece.

Another section of the house, I am auditioning fabrics to use for the shutters.

This fabric works nice, but I still think it needs a little something else to set them off - -perhaps some mini rick rack, when I get to the sewing stage.

The first section, which is closest to the green landscape.  Funky windows and doors!

Here are the first 3 sections.  Looking pretty fun so far!

Okay, I not going to make myself nuts, by making this round window the way that I've been making the other windows.  I am placing the round window directly onto the window sashing fabric, fusing it down, and cutting around it.

Here is the top level with the round window, bird, and cup and saucer on the roof.  Another bird will be added to the top of the cup later.  It's coming along and I am super happy with how funky it is.

The purple house is now ready for some background fabrics!  Stay tuned.

Purple House - Color Selection - Part 2

Purple is a hard color and there are not too many choices out there in the world for it.  I don't know why.  I need purples that stand out amongst my blue fabric sky.  I've got some choices up on the wall here, including a rather garish satin one with velvet swirls in it.  Could be fun, but I don't think it's the look that I am going for.

I took some black and white fabrics home last night and dyed them with Rit Dye, which helped bring my color choices for my funky purple house up a notch.  I really like the musical notes fabric and one one with the writing.  These will all coordinate well together.

Fusing with Mistyfuse, using their 12" bolt, that easily rolls out onto the fabric.  It's my favorite size on the bolt, because it is so easy to handle and it packs in my suitcase nicely too, for teaching and taking classes.

I am using a Fat Goddess Sheet, also from Mistyfuse.

Here are a few of the greens that are getting cut out 5x12 to use in the Accuquilt GO machine.  This is the fastest way to cut 2" squares.  I use this size for the backgrounds of most of my house and portrait quilts.  The scissors with the pink handles are Havel's, the best I've used!

The Accuquilt GO, running through the squares template.  It cuts 8 squares and you can stack up about 6-8 fabrics and are pre-fused.  So, let's see, that comes out to 64 squares in one crank of the handle, which is way less stress on my wrists, than using a rotary cutter and ruler.

Cute little birds on feather fabric.  I may entertain the idea of polka dot birds too.  Who knows...the sky's the limit.

A plate of blue sky.  This is an easy way to organize my cuts of fabric, for this particular project.  Serving up color and soon to be a quilt!

My palette for sky and landscaping.  Luscious colors in Hoffman Batiks and commercial cottons!  I can't wait to get started!

Purple House - How I Work - Part 1

I thought that I would show you how I begin a new art quilt.  I make a background pattern with large graph paper, so I am clear on the area that I have to work with. I think that 'drawing' is a good thing.

I could have drawn the pieces directly onto the background, except for the fact that I needed to rearrange them, and then I can use these pieces to cut out my fabrics too, as a pattern piece.

Using the blue painters tape, I can rearrange them on the background.  Right now, I am trying to center the house on the background.  Land under the house, equals the sky above the house.

Now I am thinking about adding a flower vine on each side of the house, which is my usual style, similar to the cup and saucer on the roof.

These are the fabrics that I am thinking about for the house, with each section will be a different print in purple/lavender

Alliance for American Quilts

Quilters Newsletter Magazine; April/May 2112 has a nice 4-page spread on some of  the quilts that were made for The Alliance for American Quilts contest Alliances:  People, Patterns, Passion - in 2011

See page 16!  This is a fabulous issue, and I am honored that my work is included.  This issue also comes with a CD with 5 free Spring patterns!

Here are the first 2 pages, including my quilt 'Soul Sisters.'  I recommend that you just go buy the issue to see how wonderful it is.

Collections

I love these kitchen tools that remind me of my youth.  The slotted spoon that is missing the end of the handle, the old potato masher, the can opener from Cone Chevrolet, where my Grandpa worked and the Revere Ware pan.  Memories of the kitchen in our house.

One of the bittersweet things I did this week was cleaning out my mom's sewing desk, which I am sure was a combination of things that are hers and things that belonged to my Grandma, who taught me how to sew.  Thimbles, snaps, one of my Grandma's woven labels, a seam ripper, and great little 'how to' books. 

The scissor collection.  Gained two pairs of pinking shears, which are probably my most favorite, and one was still in the box!

Some of my dad's old tools with wood handles

And look at this carved handle on the saw, keys and two oil cans, which my sister and I are both happy about, so we can each have one.  Great garage memories of my dad.

Go RED for Women

The Orange County, California chapter is having their annual fundraiser and lunch in Newport Beach on Friday, March 2nd.

Go Red For Women celebrates the energy, passion and power we have as women to band together to wipe out heart disease and stroke.
 

Heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of women, taking the life of 1 in 3 women each year. This means women just like you - mothers, sisters, friends - are dying at the rate of one per minute because they don't know what you know: heart disease kills.
 

Women have come together here in the fight against heart disease in women. Take your seat at the table with dedicated women and men just like you. Hear their survivor stories, learn how heart disease affects a family and how you can help stop heart disease in our lifetime. Share our mission to fight the No. 1 killer of women.
 

Make It Your Mission to fight heart disease in women. By sharing this commitment, together we can help save lives. Be a part of this extraordinary day.
I was asked to make a purse for the auction.  I have a special commitment here, because both my grandmother and dad died as a result of heart disease.  

I originally thought that I would buy a vintage purse and decoupage it with fabric, but I never found a good purse.  So, I decided to make a purse myself, which is a 'first' for me.  It's about 9 inches wide by 6 inches tall.  It has a strip of zipper trim on the front and back, but not in the same place.  A zipper on the top of the bag, and a zipper for the handle, because zippers are part of my signature style.

This was the perfect zipper for the handle, because it has a heart for the pull.  It can be unzipped to give the appearance of 2 handles.

Another view.  The fabric was fused to red wool blended felt in a collage sort of way.  Each section was cut and free motion machine quilted to black wool blended felt, to give it stability.  No pattern was used and no pattern made for future purses.

I love the combination of all of the different red commercial cottons and batiks.  I hope it makes some money for The American Heart Association.  My hat goes off to anyone who makes purses.  I never want to make another one.  I'll stick to art quilts.