Finally...

In some things, progress; in others -- finishes!

I have some hand work to do on the facing and label (stitch down on the back), but this collage from Pamela's "About Contrast" class -- Week 2, a two-colour study -- is essentially finished:

Big Sky Country: Autumn at the Slough Redux
(C) 2014

I'd planned to free-motion it but it turns out the fusible I used (the last bit of Steam-a-Seam I could get in a new shop in Red Deer) was too thick/gooey/gummy -- because it wasn't SAS 2 *Lite* -- and even with a metallica #90 needle the stitches skipped and refused to "play nicely".

How did I know it was the fusible causing the problem?

1. Changing the position of the thread from horizontal to vertical didn't help;
2. Changing the needle to a very sharp thin one didn't help;
3. The thread and the bobbin thread were compatible weights;
4. Free-motion worked only on a sandwich sample that didn't have the fusible in it.

So...I put on my walking foot with the metallica needle and straight-stitched the thing.  Trimmed it to finish at 15" W x 14" L with facing.  Not a party piece but I rather like it.  Might even be able to sell it.  :-)  As a reminder, the inspirational photo is this one:

Then I painted the "larger" version of "Gems on the Beach", and wrapped it around its 8" square stretched canvas:

Beach at Noyac (C) 2014
Photo credit: Jane Cochran

And then I put the "sample" of the same piece into it's black mat...all dressed up and ready to go!

Members of Fifteen by Fifteen

In addition to the "finishes", I'm nearly there on the "Sheep Virtues" piece for my friend, B...and have a knitted cowl and hat to tidy up (they've been washed) and photograph...And labels have been made and applied to the two 15 x 15 pieces I am preparing to ship to France for Quilt Expo Beaujolais (deadline: they need to have received them by March 28). (See photo at left. Aren't we a great looking group?!)

I still have to figure out what I'm doing for our current theme, "Contrast", due March 31...I can't go with the collage (above) because it's too small, but perhaps there's hope for the piece with trees...or something new altogether!

We're under a Wind Chill Warning here (down to close to -40 over night, which is pretty much the same think in Fahrenheit or Celsius) so I may be hibernating for a couple of days and will get these -- and the sheep! -- finished.

Meanwhile, because I still can, I'm linking up to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday...and then I'm curling up with a hot cuppa and a good book.  'G'night!  :-)

WIPs and More

First, a big "thank you!" to new followers of my blog (you know who you are).  Sometimes I'm notified, and sometimes you just pop up, like crocuses in the spring.  I appreciate each and every one of you, old and new.  :-)  My next blog-aversary is coming up soon; I think I'll have a wee give-away of some lovely, gently-used publications of the magazine persuasion, so stay tuned!

Now...what have I been up to?  I have several projects going at once, with classes, samples, kits and such...

Today marks two months of work on "Mark on the Body".  You can read the update (with photos) HERE.

Today is also the start of Week 3 of Pamela Allen's class, "About Contrast" -- and we've switched from contrast involving colour to contrast involving shape and size.  Stay tuned for a post about that later this week.

On the weekend, I felt like piecing, so I put together some more units in the medallion-style sample top I'm making from that kit I won as a door prize a few years back. (scroll down)  I've sewn together three rows of blocks, and have assembled blocks for the fourth row, thus:

Guess what?  It's another study in CONTRAST!  There's both colour contrast and value contrast in this piece; which colours you use where are determined by your selections, as each colour is numbered (one through eight) and paired according to the layout in the instructions.  Each block is 6" finished, and each row is eight blocks across, or 48" finished.  The medallion will have another four rows -- and then several borders to flesh it out into a 70" square piece.  It's going to be quite something, eh?

Yesterday was all about hand work.  First, I finished embroidering the letters of "Attention", the first panel in "Deteriorating Civility" (scroll down).  Then I began the seed stitch to accent the lettering.  I've had to be very careful with this, as the rusted and distressed fabric is, indeed, deteriorating!

"Attention" embroidered

"Attention" affixed to the background

The "Attention" panel is sandwiched to the worn and painted quilt background with a thin layer of batting, and some more distressing with the needle-felting machine (embellisher), and then with a narrow band of machine stitching on each side.  The number 12 Finca perle cotton is being used for the seed stitch around the lettering, which adds dimension (a bit of a trapunto effect) and texture.

Next I worked on my knitting -- finishing the gusset of the first of my daughter's birthday socks.  Then I worked some more on B's "Little Sheep Virtues" pin cushion.  I need to get a move on both of these projects as my DD's birthday has passed, and B's is on Saturday!!

Today, I wanted to get going on one of two pieces inspired by photos taken by cyber-friends.  I've obtained their permission to reproduce them in fabric.  The first is "Beach at Noyac", based on a photo by Jane, a knitter I "met" on Ravelry or Facebook or Knitter's Review or...maybe all three!

Here's her beautiful photo:

"Beach at Noyac" - photo credit: Jane Cochran

Before making a full-sized piece (8" square, which I want to mount on stretched canvas), I decided to try it out in 'miniature' -- for a variety of reasons.  I was sure I'd found the perfect fabrics, but wondered how to replicate the pebbles, the foam of the waves, and the shiny surface of the rock.

Here's the results thus far:

It's not attached to the mat -- that's just there for cosmetic purposes for now.  I'm thinking about painting a few of the quilted pebbles to brighten up the beach as in the original photo.  I used damp cheesecloth for the foam -- dampened because right out of the package it was too stiff to create the right look.  And yes, while damp, I stitched it lightly to the background using clear "invisible" thread, my latest purchase from Superior: Mono-Poly Reduced Sheen.  With dark brown Bottom Line in the bobbin, it worked like a charm!  (No; they don't pay me to say that.  I just really love this brand of thread!)

And there's one more detail I'm not sure you can see in the photo: the water's shine on the rock, which I created with a very light use of two colours of hot-fix Angelina fibre -- "Enchanted Forest Flash" and "Blaze Crystallina".  It gives just the right glint, without being over the top.  The key was to use it ver-r-r-r-ry sparingly!  A little Angelina goes a lo-o-ong way!

Once I've finished with the painting, I'll post an up-dated photo and then go on to the "actual" piece, which I'm hoping to enter into the "Gallery" at the Annual Lacombe Art Show and Sale in April.  The deadline for entries is February 28, so I have to get a move on, as I want to finish a piece from the second inspirational photo at which I hinted above:

"Velma's Evergreens"
photo credit: Velma Bolyard

I envision some hand work in this one, perhaps beads, and more cheesecloth....Stay tuned!

With all these WIPs, I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday at The Needle and Thread Network.  Let's see what other Canadian stitchers are up to, eh?