Celebrating Blue

I spied these hyacinths on our way to the rally this morning...so I'm celebrating blue today! 

They were behind a metal trellis type thing...but I was able to slide my hand under for a photo. 

I couldn't really see what I was doing...but I think I did pretty well! 

This afternoon during the rain (yay!) I sat down at the sewing machine to ease back into the studio. No plan...just a piece of watercolor paper and my blue tutti frutti swatch from my stash. 

I wasn't very creative with my design...but it got me back into the swing of things. I didn't want to change the presser foot to stitch around the outer edge to attach it to the card.....so I took a chance and did it free motions. I like the concept....but the execution could be improved.

I want to keep developing this idea of plants and vessels....so here's what I learned:

• I like that I left the jagged edge on the top.
• I like the wonky free motion stitching around the edge...but it can be vastly improved and better balanced. 
• But I also like the combo of straight and zig zag I did last time too. I may set up my second sewing machine somewhere so I don't have to change the foot.
• I want to sketch out some designs that include a variety of flower shapes and leaves.
• I want to experiment with different vessel shapes. 
• I need to remember that I don't always need to paint them. 
• I hpe to keep practicing and experimenting.

Favorite sign of the day! Yes! Let's welcome the stranger and love our neighbors! 

Free Motion Cover

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. Charles Dickens

It certainly was! 

I've been working on a personal project for a few days that I'm not quite ready to share....and the timing is just right to start sharing Cherie's journal because he just got it in the mail today. I'm going to start by celebrating the cover.

In October of 2024 I took a Fabulous Free Motion quilting class with Izzy Moore. I loved it!  One of my favorite lessons was practicing my free motion stitching around the designs on upholstery fabric. 

I did several projects that I was quite proud of including this card...and several of these 4 square pieces that I hope to turn into coasters. I wrote about these stitch doodles here in this post.

I recently found this larger piece I also did as practice....and thought it would make a lovely journal cover. It was just the right size. So that's exactly what I did for Cherie.

Cherie's materials had a bit of a vintage vibe....so gelli prints and handmade papers weren't going to work. But this would....and it became the jumping off point I needed for assembling her joy journal.

Because there was a raw edge around the fabric piece...I had to fuse fabric to the back then wrap it around to the front this time. I prefer to do it the other way around.....but this worked out well enough. In hindsight...I could have done a tradition quilt binding...but didn't think of it at the time.

A slide off and on belly band closure was the way to go....and I did like mixing in a stripe. There are quite a few mixed patterns inside.

This fabric cover...was the perfect pairing with all her vintage vibe clothing tags that you can see peeking out. I'll save the inside for tomorrow. I was pretty tickled with this free motion cover...and I loved using something from my stash.

I dropped off my bag of Maine needs good this morning!

That always feels good! Thanks again for the donations!

Peace...

...is an inside job.

Paul and I had what might have been our last happy hour on the patio...but you never know. We don't mind bundling up.

It gets dusky pretty early these days....and the light was just lovely through the bare trees.

The Fabulous Free Motion class has continued...and is acutally winding down. I'm behind...but I have lifetime access to the course so I'm not worried. I have had a few sewing sessions here and there and it feels good to be back doing some of the things I enjoy.

Just yesterday I used a granite stitch to create this ornament in honor of Margie. She was a peace and justice lady...so this seemed like the perfect image to practice the technique.

This was actually the side I stitched on using a multi-colored variegated thread. The granite stitch is a lot of free motion tiny circles used to fill in an area creating a bit of relief. I stitched it on a piece of red wool...which I felted from a thrifted sweater a while back.

I had green in the bobbin...and in the end I like the backside much better. I'm going to put a hook on it and hang it on the Christmas tree this year in honor of Margie.

Claudia Diller, an artist I admire, thinks about PEACE as an inside job. While she paints her Peaceful Places....she heals.

Claim to Fame

There were five cards and a postcard in Margie's mailbox today!  Pure JOY!

We had a fun family text exchange over Sam's recent claim to fame. He was playing four square with the kids at his school one day...and the Google Street View Camera Car came by catching them playing ball. It's now "live" on Google Maps.

That's Sam holding the ball and other staff and students are further down the street! 

It made me smile.

I thought I would do a little catch up on some of my homework projects for the Fabulous Free Motion class.  I haven't had a lot of time....and there are lots of flops....but I'm having fun being back at the sewing machine.

The wreath was stitched on a solid piece of fabric on top of the blue fabric...then I cut away the fabric between the stitching lines.  The leaves and berries were stitched onto fabric then cut out and glued on.

This was a sampler of stitches.

I did this continuous line drawing of one of my bottles of marbles a while back for another class. I also did it in stitch at the time....but gave it away so I decided to stitch it again as my homework for the "stitch like an artist" lesson.

I used Posca paint pens to color in a few of the marbles on the stitched piece.

Here's the real bottle...and here's the project from a few years ago!

You can read about it here.

And just last evening I tried the handwriting exercise using one of my favorite quotes and strips cut and fused from a colorful piece of fabric. 

Stitching cursive was harder than I thought.....and it was complicated by the confinement of the space.

I'm going to try another quote in a simpler format when I have time.

More Doodle Stitching

I stitched another card from my outdoor fabric remnant...I really enjoy doing this!

This time I enhanced the colors a bit with posca pens and doubled up the stitching lines this time.

  

Go Outside!

Nate texted the family last evening around 7:30 and told us all to go outside and look at the northern lights. 

The four of us were all in three different locations....and connected and chatted by texted about magnificent color.

Paul and I were also greeted by other neighbors enjoying the show too. It was an unexpected moment of joy...just by going outside. 

At the beginning of the Fabulous Free Motion course we made linen and lace backgrounds....and it was time to add a focal point. The lesson was to create delicate flowers or leaves out of painted paper towels. I hope to try that....but this time I used what I had on hand.

I've had this sheer painted curtain fabric from another class for quite sometime...and I thought it would work well for this lesson. 

I applied fusible to the back of the sheer strip....cut out my leaf shapes then fused and stitched them to the lacy background. I think it turned out pretty well. In the end it may not quite be my style...but I think the idea can evolve into something that's a little bit more me.

I went outside again a little later last night...and the northern lights had changed to a soft green. It kind of has the same soft vibe as my linen and lace piece.

On this second piece I used the same sheer curtain swatch...but used black stitching. 

It might be a little too strong for the lacy background...but I do like the doodleness of the black stitching. 

And now....I'm going to go back outside and see if there's another show tonight!

Stitch Doodling

Bob and Nancy are in the second phase of their vacation....and Dave and Jenny  arrive on Sunday for a few days. Paul and I just slid back into our routines today....but we're looking forward to more time with old friends.

We have beautiful a pin oak in the front yard...and I've always loved the somewhat wonky shapes of the slender leaves. 

And this one is especially pretty in a vivid October red kind of way.

One of the assignments this week in the Fabulous Free Motion class was to use floral wallpaper scraps to practice outlining more complicated shapes. I didn't have wallpaper...but I did have upholstery scraps in my stash from thrift stores....and here and there. I sometimes rescue scraps from friends' trash.

We were to cut them into squares and create a doodle quilt of sorts. It was absolutely fun...and hard to stop! 

It does remind me of the watercolor doodle flowers I've done in the past....which is why I liked used black thread making it look like ink.

Moving away from the small squares....I did outline a larger piece of this outdoor fabric. I found that double stitching the lines helped it show up more....and made it more doodly. I will lean into that a bit more next time. I may even add some paint giving it some depth of color. This fabric is going to be fun to play with.

I turned a smaller piece into a card.

I could have done this for hours. But then again...I guess I did!

There's nothing but potential!

Speaking of florals....look what Margie had finished on her board.  

It was a 1000 piece challenge...but she stuck with it...and it was gorgeous sitting on her coffee table when I walked in today! 

Well done Margie! I'm looking forward to doing this one!

The Games People Play

I love going to the farm stand in the fall!

I came home with an teeny tiny pumpkin with a pretty darn good stem.        

And I love bringing home a beautiful pile of fresh produce.

I played a little mind game today....I cleaned a little then I sewed a little. I dusted a little then I sewed a little. I vacuumed a little...then I sewed a little. And it made for a delightfully joyful puttering day. 

This ended up being kind of a goofy piece...but the assignment...and the goal was to practice free motion stitching around objects and in directions.

There are a few lines that are programmed decorative stitches on my machine...but most of them are free motion patterns over fused fabrics.

It's wonky...it's whacky....and it was fun.

These stitchy doodles are a little wacky too.

Oh...the games people play!

Changing Seasons

The theme for this week's Tiny Pages art Exchange is changing seasons.

Tracie's card went to Brenda.  She used a stiff credit type card to scrape on the tree trunks and sponged on watercolor for the leaves. 

The back is a watercolor leaf print. I love the effect on both and they certainly capture the wabi-sabi-ness of this changing season. Well done Tracie!   

My card went to Becky. The front was better in my head. I wanted to depict the four seasons in this little catalog fish scale design....but the color variation is a little too subtle. It's bright and cheery....and in the end maybe that is enough.

The back was a little more obvious. 

I did a little free motion stitch leaf on watercolor paper...painted it in and cut it out. Brenda's card is on its way to me....and I'll share Becky's card once Tracie has it.

Speaking of free motion stitching....I continue to work on homework for the Fabulous Free Motion class....but am squeezing into the nooks and crannies of my days. Here are a couple of recent assignments. The heart used some of the tutti frutti fabric I made from scraps.

Once I cut out the heart it already had fusible on the back so it was easy to attach to the background ready for free motion outlining. I LOVE this technique....it might be time for some fall leaves with scraps!