Sunflowers

What a playing/sewing afternoon can do to me !
I was becoming depressed because I hadn’t a minute left for me.
This summer has been full packed of emotions.
Some big decisions were made and I had to find my balance again.
But..
After viewing the pictures from our trip to Avignon, this picture was the ‘that’s it’ moment : I was inspired.
I cut a paper sized woven stabilizer.
I took my fabric scraps basket.
I took a variety of light blues and some greens.
I reduced the size of my scraps, yes, even scraps can be too large.
I layered the fabric ‘randomly’ or almost :

I forgot to tell :
Between the stabilizer and the snippets, I layered two layers of mistyfuse.
I ironed this background :

I looked for more scraps evoking a sunflower.
I freely cut some petals, leaves and stems in a variety of brown, orange and yellow.
Layered those petals on my background :

I still have not used one pin !
I closed the door because a breeze wasn’t an option : Didn’t want to go on snippet hunt.

Under the heart of the sunflower I added some wool roofing.
To protect the surface, I layered a beige polyester chiffon, the first pins were used :

A detail to show you the wool under the flower center :

I added some 'stitch and tear' on the back when I started to thread paint.
Without I wouldn’t have enough stability :

A detail :
I thread painted the background with swirls to remember the mistral when we were in Avignon.

I also used some metallic thread because I wanted the blinking capturing the sunlight.

I simply zigzagged the border as final touch :

Now I feel so well again ! Not depressed any more.

“Housework is something you do that nobody notices unless you haven't done it.

Sam Ewing


Write you soon,
Nathalie

Lavender Landscape

I had to put an intermezzo in my blogging because I wanted to finish the lavender landscape. The quilt shop is having a class sample exhibition next week and since I was asked to give a beginners landscape class, I hurried to start and finish a class sample.
I only wish they will like my lavender landscape.
I added two detail pictures to show you the quilting.

The quilting in the landscape was free-hand machine quilted. In the borders I used an embroidery motif and my endless hoop. Embroidering the border took about 5 hours, hooping included.

I had one panic situation : I was embroidering the border when I realized I only had 1 spool from that colour ! Never enough. After some searching I found almost the same colour in a different brand. You’ll never find the place I made the colour change.
The size of this quilt is : 27 x 21 inch.
I still have to name this landscape and sign it.
During the class I will show how to machine appliqué with freezer paper and how to choose/quilt a motif in a landscape. I deliberately left a hill barely quilted to prove that even the ‘bulk’ can play in your favour.

“You know what charm is: a way of getting the answer yes without having asked any clear question.”
Albert Camus

Write you soon,
Nathalie