Retreat Reopening May 19-22 2022

 Please go to  pattsretreats.blogspot.com for info on my  new  retreat dates  and information for 2022 - (May 19-2022) YEAH!!!  Back on! 

Outside My Window...

Hello all who may have thought I was actually dead.  NOT the case... though a tough couple years.... moving /consolidating the 2 homes hubby and I have shared for now 13+ years...     This week, I spent the  week  teaching at  The Road To California Show in Ontario Ca.  GREAT SHOW !   The City of Ontario sits  in the shadows of Mount Baldy..... my home for so many beautiful albeit COLD winter years.
The painted/quilted piece below is not a competitive piece but instead a representation of things photographed and viewed literally outside my kitchen window.   For me, never before a bird watcher, I loved it and quickly saw dozens of Gods creatures at my very door step.  The mountain Blue Jay definitely stands above other winged birds that cluster near California mountain homes.

(click on photo for enlarged view)

Quilting Mixed Media

  Central image now quilted... My whole quilting plan was simple...a) outline stitch the stenciled areas and leave them alone ... b) Using matching threads in free motion... straight stitch outer edges of tissue elements to make sure they stay adhered , and c) enhance prominence of gold circles by stitching each circle with bright yellow/gold thread.  Not too hard a quilting plan.

The background fill could be anything unobtrusive... even a smaller meander would work great. Shown here is a simplified  rather relaxed version of the S curve fill sometimes known as McTavish..   the original thanks to the talented Karen McTavish who credited  Alfonso Mucha with some of her quilting inspiration!

All adhered elements (w/ one exception)  seen on this quilt top are either napkin: flower, butterflies) , bathroom towel tissue ( bird) , kleenex tissue(yellow circle elements), or handmade paper ( rust orange and gold vertical paper strips,  and paper with holes behind dark butterfly) ). The  exception being the puffed shiva paint stick stenciled swirls outline stitched  but left open to puff. Paper elements were  first adhered to background fabric using  matte medium as "glue", then top coated with same , then  air dried becoming softly "plastic", allowing for quilting atop elements.

 Note: Generally... edges  of  paper elements were stitched with matching or near matching 40 wt. thread.  I used needle size. SHARP 70 / 10  to achieve smaller needle holes . Click on photo to view enlarged image.

Media Mixing FUN!!!

For those that might have thought I died or something... not so..... I've  been embroiled in downsizing, moving, 2 houses to one...and the one a good distance away from the first 2... all this while working a hectic  traveling work schedule ...  What was I thinking??!!   Apparently, I wasn't!    Things are now changing !!!  
Friday of THIS week, I got to  lecture the previous day and then teach a mixed  media class  with Valley Quiltmakers in the Northridge Ca. area.  What a fun daytime guild.

There were lots of great  creations by students. Wouldn't you know my camera was not doing its job of capturing photos....   I did do a sample in class as a teaching tool.... so today I'm getting it ready for bordering  it.  Heres where we start...   The semi square image began with a lightly patterned(mottled) yellow fabric .  Then, using a artist medium, I added  rust&gold strips of  handmade paper found in Sedona AZ, top layer of polka dot kleenex, flowers, butterflies, bird from several pictoral napkins, ourchased in my travels. Finally I  added a stenciled background using Shiva paint sticks. Now  today... to select bordering  fabrics.

The  casual focus , yellow/white stripe will be THE border...   first an inner border ( about 2" width)  Then I want to add a rusty orange and gold fillet ( Finally a use for that orange  pack of fat eights purchased a decade ago).  As audtion samples...  I cut a 1 1/4" strip of rusty orange/gold cotton for a  1/4" "Fillet)  then a 3 inch yellow border.  I'm going for the general look layed out below.   The sample widths seem a good size. 

   First I added  to all 4 sides  a 1 1/4"  strip of rusty orange...  This is admittedly a larger width than will  be there at the finished product.... but we will be doing a trick working from the backside that will give us a perfect 1/4" rusty strip  at finish.  Its easier to achieve with this larger than ultimately needed width.

This is a trust me thing...   from the front... pin right sides together  with the light outer border yellow atop the rusty fabric  and overlapping at least 1/2 inch  beyond the rust fabric seam.   

Now flip over to the back.. We'll be stitching this outer yellow border ( which we don't see in this pic below.  We are preparing to stitch a perfect 1/4" ... guided by the left side of your 1/4 inch pressure foot.   Notice here at the top I also extended a chalk line straight up from the original seam line where the rusty fabric was added to the inner border..( did same at unseen bottom)  Stitch top to bottom guided by the stitching line to the left of your pressure foot. 

 Looking from the back.... This is the result

When you  turn the mini quilt right side up and press out the outer border... you see a perfect 1/4" "fillet" of rusty orange. I turned back the edge of the outer border  held by my trusty scissors so you clearly see the extended fabric underneath.  It's a great stabilizer so if it doesn't show thru from a top side view... you can leave  all alone and move on. 

 In this case as I was sure would be the case... because the yellow strip is rather sheer cotton,  you CAN see the rusty shadow so...

Flip the outer yellow border back (Right Sides Together)  and trim away excess rusty fabric. 

Once finished all the way around/ border pressed... we've got a top ready to be sandwiched and quilted.  

ANOTHER DAY! ;-D 

Headed to Houston

The Annual Teacher Donation Auction for  this Novembers IQA Festival....   a small sweet bird....

 Framed in sateen.

Very Fun MUG RUG

I'm not often enthralled with the Mug Rug Idea....    'but  here I saw a great THANK YOU opportunity for a welcome lady at our new 55+ HOA community. I know Joan is a coffee drinker and wanted to thank her for the hour+ she spent going over rules, regs,  and social connections for our Mountain View Community.   Painted, quilted, and bound in an hour and a half! Nice 'therapy' for me  and generally pretty sweet result.

A Beautiful Creation

Sometimes a quilter gets handed a gorgeous piece to quilt in a way that further enhances its beauty. I love this quilt by friend Kelly.  It was great fun to design quilting to support her appliquéd circles. I'm pretty happy with it but for having to return to her. Definitely worthy of an important position in the home. Click on photo for enlarged view.