WedeWorks

Wool Works In Progress

2012-01-29T02:09:00.001-09:00

Winter temperatures rekindle my dormant desire to play with yarns. Handling wool fibers warm my hands and work stiff hand joints. My project below is presently in limbo so I thought I'd share some history in the meantime.

Machine felted wool crocheted rectangles made from needlepoint kit yarns.

My friend Ramona is a prolific, extremely accomplished hand quilter and knitter. Years ago, her beautifully felted purses sparked my interest in wool felting. She graciously shared her felting process using a washing machine, which joyfully eliminates laborious hand felting and leads to near instant results. Ramona gifted me with a bag full of wool yarns she scrounged from garage sale needlepoint kits, knowing I'd eventually do something with them. This project has been evolving since then in stages.

I'm not a knitter. Although I've attempted knitting a few times since childhood, I found crochet less frustrating, quicker and readily adaptable for the large flat items I usually make. Imagine my delight discovering I could achieve relatively similar results with felted crochet instead of knitted wool.

Results vary according to wool fiber choices and the amount of machine washing done. Since I'm not an expert in this field by any stretch of the imagination, all my attempts have been strictly experimental and surprisingly satisfying. The main 'recipe' for machine felting is using 80 to 100% wool fibers (not the type that won't shrink), hot soapy water just enough to cover the wool in the machine, and high machine agitation. Repeat as necessary to get the shrinkage required. Hand block and air dry on a flat surface. It truly is as simple as it sounds.


Tentative layout for a possible rug, wall hanging or perhaps a couple of throw pillows.

The rectangles were crocheted by tying short yarns end to end, then each crocheted block was edged with the same orange wool yarn prior to felting. The orange introduced a unifying element amidst the chaos of color. After machine felting, I hand blocked each square, scissor trimmed the knots and loose ends that didn't fully recede in the felting process, and laid all the blocks on my plastic folding table to dry. Final results will be posted hopefully before the trees start budding!

"Time and Tide Wait For No Man"

Most of my early felted pieces were made into small purses and hand sized pouches. The foundation of the mixed media art wall hanging shown above resulted from a failed purse attempt. It pays to never give up. Honest! (That's a SOLD sticker on the art tag).

A small zippered pouch with button and bead embellishments. The shoulder bag is densely constructed of double strand crochet. I used recycled silk and wool together. I love the texture.

Noro yarn from Japan is so luxurious. The subtle blend of color transitions occur naturally when the yarn is stitched. If my recollection is correct, I used two different skeins which gives the purse a reversible appearance. This purse is lined and velcro closes at the top. The handle is a kumihimo braid with a beaded strand added in for glitz and drama.

According to my research, these Striped Flint agates are only found in Poland and are supposedly pretty rare. I wonder? There's 7 right here on this purse. Well, I'd never seen them before I bought this strand in a local bead shop. They were too pretty to separate.

A rosette was squeaked out of the remaining purse lining fabric. Drape a few miscellaneous fibers left from the handle and voila! A versatile look, pretty enough to dress up or down with.

Here's more felted skeins of Noro yarn in the process of becoming something wonderful, someday. The two clutches need embellishments.

Creases are visible from folding before drying them as purse shapes. I pinned them open for viewers to read how one skein of Noro blends so beautifully.

That's it for the winter woolies. Hope everyone in cold country is staying warm and cozy. If not, it's time to play with wool!

Snow Records in Anchorage, Alaska

2012-01-21T22:08:00.000-09:00

Major limb damage on our Amur Maple thanks to excessive, wet, heavy snowfall. I'm wondering if I can shape this mess into a bonsai? ha.

Our record snowfall this winter is hitting the news big time. Frankly, I wish we were not so notable in this regard. Between the relentless snow and the weird temperature fluctuations, especially the subzero double digit readings, we hardy Alaskans are getting a bit weary of this record breaking phenom.

I read that the weather service counts our snow year from July to June. From July 1 through Tuesday, January 10th, Anchorage has received 81.3 inches of snow. That's almost 7 ft. of snow mostly from late October. As per Meteorologist Shaun Baines, Anchorage is experiencing the snowiest period since records have been kept. Oh goodie! Take a look at the National Weather Service snowfall records for Anchorage.

The following photos were taken from my yard in South Anchorage on the 11th. Snow removal in neighborhoods has been challenging, our double lane roads are narrowing with every snowfall and just accessing the house is a challenge right after the big snow dumps. Thank goodness for snow blowers, shovels and strong backs.

When my kids were little we used the accumulated snowfall in our culdesac for sledding down and building forts. The mountain of snow has nearly doubled in height since the graders plowed last week to tighten up the circles.

It's been so bitterly cold, I've seen few kids out playing this winter, at least for any length of time. Way too cold for dog walking Maggie.

This little Nuthatch with an abnormally long beak whom I've dubbed "Beaker" is my resident regular at the feeder. He'll camp for extended periods of time throughout the day on 'his' perch.

Typical overnight snowfall on the railing.

Maintaining Maggie's access to her dog pen creates regular workouts for me.

I am sooooo ready for Spring and sprouting greenery. I'll bet Maggie and Beaker are in agreement.

SAQA Alaska Regional Meeting

2012-01-21T20:52:00.002-09:00

Wednesday, January 11th our Alaska Regional SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) gathering took place at Regional Rep. Cat Larrea's lovely home. Even though my camera was fully charged, I was so involved in our fabric art/surface design experiments that I failed to snap even one photo during the meeting. Woe is me.

Five of us, including Cat, spent an absolutely marvelous evening sharing design techniques we were familiar with or wanted to explore further as a group. Cat was so well organized. We began with her YUDU screen printing machine because it is a rather time intensive process done in stages: Preparing a design on a clear film transparency, burning the image on a screen print for 8 min., then soaking that exposed image in water (out of direct light) for 12 min. before washing (actually scrubbing) away the film residue which then reveals the prepared image for printing. Back to the YUDU machine to undergo the drying stage. I think that was 20 min.??? I used a hand held blow dryer to dry mine. The drying is necessary to harden the remaining film that acts as a resist to the fabric paint during the screen printing process.


Rust colored fabric paint stenciled on a commercial batik.

Soft irridescent peach fabric paint for a subtle background image.

The following pieces are various surface printing techniques with fabric paint.

Here, I applied yellow acrylic paint with a brayer onto a Gelli Arts printing plate. With a rubber stamp pad I was able to lift the paint from the gel plate and press it onto white flannel. I then hand pressed a dark cotton fabric on top of the gel plate to get the look below. This exercise creates two fabrics with a positive and negative print.

Printing with Knox gelatin refrigerated molds makes fabulous prints also but the gelatin eventually breaks down, whereas the Gelli arts product is reusable and transportable.

These prints are a result of using a plastic place mat instead of a rubber stamp to lift the paint from the gel plate and then print fabric with both the place mat and the gel plate.

Here are the remainder of the nights experiments.

Onion bag netting used as a template/stamp. Brush marks show on the gel plate.

Sponge fabric paint through a plastic stencil. Blue paint is applied using a foam stamp over the top of the stencil design.

Red paint is applied using a foam stamp onto flannel, purple is applied using the end of a toilet roll , and the lines were printed using corrugated cardboard.

Aside from the artful experiments which I'm certain I'll put to good use somewhere in my creative future, I thoroughly enjoyed this evening of great fellowship and a delectable meal thanks to Cat's warm hospitality. This one is permanently logged in memory bank!

2012 Sketchbook Challenge

2012-01-15T17:11:00.000-09:00

Last night I stumbled upon the 2012 Sketchbook Challenge on a fellow artists blog and felt like I'd slipped down Alice's rabbit hole to find a personalized creative opportunity flashing at me like a neon sign on a pitch black night. I'll explain...

With the best of intentions, I'd planned to journal fabric art techniques on a weekly basis last year. Well, that never materialized (no pun intended), but hope was reborn after reading about this wonderful art journal challenge offered Internationally and Free to all those interested in regularly journaling with their chosen art mediums. The rules are enticingly simple, relatively unrestrictive, and perfectly adaptable to anyone's personal goals and interests.

At last I can link my art journal goals with like minded people across the globe, be inspired by others and share my own experiences with a larger audience. An added bonus is a free monthly prize drawing for everyone who posts ONE challenge piece to the Flickr group connected to the Sketchbook Challenge. The internet is such a marvelous gift when used to benefit the masses!

So here is my first submission as a member of the 2012 Sketchbook Challenge.

SAQA Doodle

The theme for January is Doodling and it just so happens that I had been exploring pen and ink doodling last year and just this past week at our SAQA Alaska Regional meeting, I doodled this design on film transparency which I then burned into a EZScreenPrint screen using a friends YUDU machine. More about that session in a future post.

The doodle was screen printed with a rust colored fabric paint onto a commercial batik fabric background. This is not a finished piece ~ just an experiment with surface and fabric art design techniques. Most likely it will end up in a finished piece at some point in time since I seldom discard anything.

This post is all about sharing my latest art related commitment for 2012 and spreading the word to others who may be interested in accepting this Sketchbook Challenge for themselves. Currently my posting and art activity is a bit erratic as I sort out my schedule this month, but one way or the other, it will all get recorded here on my blog and specific progress will be grouped according to Labels in the sidebar.

Material Maven's 'south' Challenge

2012-01-15T16:04:00.003-09:00


"South Bound" by Judy Wedemeyer (12"X12")

As the newest (14th member) of the Material Maven's international group of art quilters, this is my first piece submitted for 2012. Each member, on a rotational basis, will choose a theme on which all of the group members will individually interpret the theme and create a 12" square art quilt. The January theme is 'south'. Readers can follow the entire groups submissions and creative descriptions on the Material Maven's blog. Catch up on older posts to learn about our members. Some members have their own blog links listed on the Maven's home page, in addition to others of interest to art quilters.

Quilt challenge results and the next theme will be revealed on the 15th of every other month. Rather than double posting, I will post a photo of my submission here with a link to the Maven's blog, where you can read about my creative process there. Check back frequently there until all 14 members have posted.

2012 promises to be yet another exciting year of challenge and personal growth. I hope you are feeling the excitement as well! Have a blessed New Year!

New Year Inspiration and Motivation

2012-01-13T00:25:00.000-09:00

Some of my faithful readers may think I've fallen off planet Earth due to my lack of posting lately. Honest, I've been busy as usual but not so much artistically as mentally. As is my habit, a good portion of my December is and was spent in reflection. I like to evaluate my achievements, see where some good intentions fell to the wayside for whatever reasons over the past 12 months, and reset my goals once I determine what is working for me and what is not. I look at all areas of my life, not just the creative side.

Physically I can't do everything I want and sometimes I don't actually want what I thought I did in the first place. Without getting too 'deep' here, suffice it to say, I'm learning my limitations and realizing setting priorities and following a schedule of sorts is most conducive for me to pursue and achieve what truly matters in my life. My personality has always functioned best with an organized mind and environment. Nothing bogs me down faster than clutter and excess. My other major bugaboo is having so many interests I spread myself too thin to truly master the excellence I desire in anything.

With that said, I entered January with a clear vision of what I wanted my 2012 to look like in terms of goals. My chosen Word of the Year is SIMPLIFY for obvious reasons. Until I remove clutter from my home and studio, cut back on activities that don't bring me satisfaction and replace them with ones that do, and most importantly, fail to put my health in first place daily... I will continue to be less than satisfied with achieving my potential, in all areas of my life.

By clearly defining on paper the changes I wanted to make this year and goals I set for 2012, I'm already making significant progress in less than two weeks! Daily treadmill walking (1.5 mi.) first thing in the morning is a major breakthrough for me.

I'm surprised how quickly my body is responding to this healthy habit. It also frees my mind to pursue the remainder of my day guilt free. I've omitted and replaced some group activities this year ~ all geared to promote and inspire the goals I've set for myself. Next year I turn 60 with a firm belief that I can and will be living a fuller more enjoyable life thanks to the changes I'm pursuing today. No doubt my artistic output will improve accordingly. Life is good!

Round Robin 2011 Update

2011-12-13T15:29:00.002-09:00

One more rotation, due in February, will bring our 3rd annual Round Robin project to a close. Without a doubt, keeping project rotations straight was far more challenging than actually working on the pieces! Our confusion became a standing joke ~ which helped soothe our aging memory deficiencies. :)

Jackie with Louise's

Mary with Irene's

Lynnette with Cathy's

Louise with Mary's

Cathy with Jackie's

Irene with Judy's

Judy with Lynnette's

Low indoor lighting today ~ I should have used the flash after all. Focus wasn't that great either for some reason. Hopefully February's photos will clearly represent our final work. Check back then.

Alaska Winter White

2011-12-12T18:45:00.000-09:00

View from back deck toward neighbors yard.

Our weather has been extreme in every way this winter. It was late October before we finally got a snowfall that stuck, as usual, just in time for Halloween craziness. We hit the deeeeep cold 0º temps for much of November. This is the cold stuff that normally takes your breath away in January. Then our thermometers hovered in the 20-40º range for a while, allowing most of the snow to melt, with bare roofs and a bit of green lawns visible in the neighborhood. Wonderful balmy warm.... until the torrential rain and snow melt took us to flood point in areas where runoff couldn't keep up due to the iced drains and the 100 mile and hour winds scared most folks off the roads entirely. Now you'd think that was enough weather weirdness in such a short span of time but oh no! We woke up to almost a foot of new very wet and very heavy snow this morning. Schools and many businesses closed today.

We lost the back half of this Lilac last winter from snow.

Close to a foot of snow while we slept!

I decided to help the hubby by clearing the decks and muscling the snow blower to get the driveway cleared before he got off work today. He gets to hand shovel and clean up areas I just said 'good enough' on. The snow blower cut out several times because the snow was so wet to process through the chute. Needless to say, I got my exercise wrestling that machine around because the tire chains on it were too blocked with packed snow to even grip the ground. Oh the joys of winter in Alaska.

My pampered Amur Maple, which we have coddled over several winters, got hit hard with this snowfall and we lost another major limb. I'm thinking how to shape this lopsided mess into an interesting full sized Bonsai! Another snow might manage that decision for me with no effort on my part. That wasn't the only damage - high winds caved a portion of our cedar fence in the dog run so now I must chaperone Maggie Mae's outings to make sure she doesn't escape.

Maggie could get lost in her dog pen!

Fence repair on the To Do List shifted to top priority.

The upside... Anchorage is wrapped in a beautiful white winter wonderland which I must admit is lovely to behold at this time of year and definitely adds to the Christmas postcard mentality.

Round Robin October 2011

2011-11-02T21:36:00.000-08:00

Photos were taken October 11th. Where was my head? I loaded them into the computer, edited them and must have gotten side tracked because they never got posted. Sorry folks. Blame it on age... and I'm the 'baby' of this group!

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Online Quilt Auction 2011 Now In Progress!

2011-10-27T00:40:00.000-08:00

MD Anderson Cancer Center's Ovarian Cancer Awareness Online Quilt Auction 2011 is currently in progress and lasts until Noon (Central Standard Time) on November 9th. This link will take you directly to the 'action' page where you can see the bidding protocol and current bids on all the quilts up for auction. Check it out!

For those familiar with my blog, you may already know that this is my first year to donate finished quilts for the auction. Here are quick blog links to the three pieces I donated for those who would like to read about each.

FROM THE HEART
ALL TIED UP IN HOPE
LOVE GROWS

"Termination Dust" in Anchorage

2011-10-04T00:46:00.002-08:00

Termination Dust is an Alaskan term I grew up with, which refers to the 'dusting of snow' on the upper elevations of the Chugach mountains. This 'dusting' typically melts before our permanent snowfall arrives ~ usually before the end of October.

I was curious about the origination of the slang term. Here's the statement Princess Cruises posted on their website in 2008:

Termination Dust: The construction workers during the building boom in the 1940's called the snowfall each year termination dust because it meant the end of their jobs would be terminated for the season. Now, it is used to refer to the first snowfall signaling the end of the summer season.

Here are some photos I snapped on my way home this afternoon.

Gardening season has drawn to a close. Most everything is pruned, pulled, planted, or put away until May. The majority of the leaves have fallen and our leaf blower makes quick work of keeping the decks and dog pen cleared. Tonight I finally finished organizing the garage so our vehicles can officially winter under cover. Tomorrow I think I'll get to slow down a bit... ahhhhh.

Potter Marsh and Beyond

2011-09-18T22:34:00.000-08:00

An impromptu drive south of Anchorage, along Turnagain Arm on one of the most idyllic Fall days we could hope for, gave me reason to congratulate myself for always carrying my camera with me.

First photo op were the Trumpeter Swans at Potter Marsh. Scads of people were roadside with cameras in hand or mounted on tripods snapping to their hearts content. Here's what I caught with my little Cannon Power Shot SD800IS Digital Elph. Thank goodness for image stabilizer and a limited but useful 3.8x zoom lens. Think what I could achieve with a better set up... but then I'd probably take fewer photos because it wouldn't fit in my purse.

The ever popular butt shot. Ha.

Not bad for a hand held digital camera!

I snapped several photos but these were my favorites of the swans.

I couldn't travel too far since my gas tank wasn't full, so I pulled off at a popular wayside viewing area about 10 miles south of Anchorage, just past McHugh Creek. Maggie and I enjoyed exploring an area neither of us had previously investigated.

Maggie didn't miss a thing. She socialized with people and dogs but was most interested in the smells and exploring. I expect her to have good dreams tonight.

Here's a rather large burled evergreen we discovered on our walk. I've included this Wikipedia description of burls for those who are interested in reading about this grain deformity.

Fall colors seem more vivid this year and anytime Alaska is sunny her landscape appears even more glorious.

Maggie is a wonderful companion, always eager to join me regardless what the activity. Today we gardened and then rewarded ourselves with this lovely drive. Here's my favorite shot of the day.

If I could have hoisted this driftwood log home it would have been a super garden item. I managed to bring a large forked limb and three smaller pieces of driftwood home instead.

On the way home I pulled off the highway in hopes of capturing a few shots of Beluga Whales surfacing in Turnagain Arm. The sun was so bright my camera screen couldn't register the image so I had to guess on the viewfinder location. Wellllllllll, I ended up with 5 frames of sky! Ha.

All in all, it was a grand adventure for Mags and I. Being spontaneous can certainly pay excellent dividends.

Quilt Show - Anchorage Log Cabin Quilter's

2011-09-15T23:01:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was our annual quilt show and small quilt silent auction. Here are photos of the 61 auction quilts this year which raised over $4K for our educational fund.

Pat Shroeder is manning the raffle quilt table. One of our own guild member's husband (Noel Fujimura) won the quilt.

The Last Supper Quilt by Donald E. Locke D.D.S., was this years special featured quilt. I took the photos below but you can check out more information on this marvelous quilt and how it was constructed here.

Donald's miniscule piecing began with a suggestion to make a quilt from a photo of he and his wife.

These are a few of the quilts I found especially appealing. My camera card was full so I didn't capture as many photos as I'd originally intended.

Sandy Winfree combines her love of costuming and doll making along with her passion for dyeing silk and shibori techniques, then translates those ideas into artfully designed quilts. Her auction piece brought in the highest bid this year. Below are photos of her show pieces this year.

Various satellite groups operate within our quilt guild. Those who follow this blog regularly know Round Robin Chicks of which I'm a member is now in its third year producing group quilts that are then displayed as part of the group section of our guild show. Here is our 2nd year quilts completed.

More group quilt displays ~

So many quilts, so little camera space. Hope you enjoyed what I was able to capture.

Bell's Beautiful Baskets

2011-09-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

Garden centers look fairly bleak as we downshift for another winter. Bell's Nursery on Specking is just up the road from my house, therefore I seldom travel across town to visit their Cranberry location. Their stunning hanging petunia baskets made the extra drive well worth sharing here. Enjoy!

Art Quilt "Creation Speaks" Completed

2011-09-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

Deadlines, I'm discovering, help prod yours truly to complete projects I might otherwise let stagnate interminably. Such is the situation with this art quilt.

The silkscreen centerpiece was my beginning block for our 2010 Round Robin project. As with last year, our Round Robin group is displaying the previous years quilts at our guild quilt show this weekend. I just finished this 22.5" X 24" wall hanging today.

Search older 'Round Robin' posts on this blog to view the progression of this and other group quilts. Click on the photos for macro details.

The mask image, dark burgandy inner border on bottom and right sides, the outer border print, machine quilting, hand embroidery and embellishments were added by myself.

Extensive bobbin quilting in yellow radiating circles using a large stitch with size 8 perle cotton reinforced the sense of light and life radiating from the 'creative spirit' and the voice of that spirit speaking into my creative woman (symbolized by the silver charm). The theme and fabric choices lent itself to a somewhat native influence so I chose embellishments accordingly but the silver charm and glass bead (dangling from the donut bead) were contributed during one of the group rotations. Rounding the corners off helped soften and echo the circular shapes within.

Gardening Friends

2011-08-11T16:50:00.000-08:00

My friend Irene inspires me in numerous regards. I marvel how similar our interests are, including our exact choice in dinnerware and silverware! She is a gracious hostess, a marvelous cook and one of the sweetest yet fiercely independent women I know.

Irene is a fellow Tuesday With Friends Quilt Go Round member, ALCQ Quilt Guild member and Round Robin Chicks member. In addition to our obvious quilting interest, she and I share an enthusiastic passion for gardening. I wanted to share the photos I snapped of her yard this past Tuesday, in spite of the intermittent drizzle.

Just like Irene, her home is warm, cheerful and inviting... inside and out.

Water, sunshine and fertilizer doesn't hurt either! :)

Round Robin 2011 - August

2011-08-09T15:45:00.000-08:00

Garden Photo Update

2011-07-25T00:36:00.001-08:00

No commentary ~ Just photos...

Bowling Ball Bumblebee and Ladybug

2011-07-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

A year or so before I even got on the ladybug craze I inadvertently stumbled upon a ladybug yard art piece made from a painted bowling ball. Recently I Googled ladybug images and found this ladybug pattern as well as the adorable bumblebee pattern. I just had to have them for my yard! I gave the extra ladybug to my parents for their yard.

The bumblebee requires more time and fuss to make but it was worth it. I discovered bugs aren't color blind. They weren't attracted to the red but before I finished spraying the yellow ball, bugs were sticking to the wet paint!

I have one more bowling ball from the original seven I purchased from second hand stores. I'd already grouted the finger holes on it so was unable to make a second bee. That's okay. I'll mosaic the last one and free up garage shelving space used for storing 7 bowling balls. Hubby will be happy.

Alaska Gardening Tips

2011-07-22T20:21:00.002-08:00

Gardening is all about being flexible with your ideas and intentions. Drawing up a plan and seeing that plan realized often involves factors not within our control. During my 30+ years of gardening, here are some lessons I've learned along the way:

1. It's good to have A plan, and a Plan B is better yet!
2. Local nurseries and box stores dictate supplies, unless you plant your own seeds or mail order.
3. A packet of seeds = a LOT of plants. :)
4. Garden season is short here, but the days are long.
5. Weather is relentlessly unpredictable in Alaska.
6. Choose the right plants for the right conditions.
7. Replace the dead & dying... Life is short. (see #4)
8. Rethink and re-purpose containers for gardening.
9. Add colorful yard art with a wow factor.
10. 90% perennials, 10% annuals defrays annual costs.
11. Provide healthy soil, ample water and fertilize!
12. Water hanging baskets every other day until the water flows through, fertilize every 2 or 3 weeks.
13. Dead heading promotes flowering and improves the overall appearance of your garden investment.
14. Photo journal your garden annually; use as a reference during winter months preseason planning.
15. Connect with other gardeners to learn from and possibly share or trade plants with.
16. Photograph local public gardens for ideas.
17. Online: Google Images for plant identification.
18. Garden catalogs are free educational resources.
19. Inspect your gardens for pests and murder them!
20. Learn when and how to prune for ideal growth.

In no way is this all I've learned about gardening. Undoubtedly I have much to learn with each passing season. I consider myself as growing right alongside my plants. The challenges and joy continue to blossom from year to year.

Mosaic Yard Art

2011-06-30T12:05:00.003-08:00

When I purchased a ceramic birdbath from the second hand store a few years ago, my intention was to mosaic the bowl and the detachable base unit. However, an unforeseen mishap occurred in which the base shattered beyond redemption. I may recycle the pieces into something artsy on down the road, however, my priority was providing the birds fresh water and enjoying the bathing entertainment a deck side basin provides. After several clear coats of spray ceramic glaze, I'm well pleased with the results. Side note: Water resting in the bird bath caused the spray glaze coat to lift off the shiny glass and ceramic pieces. A strong rinsing from the water hose knocked off the loose coating. The grout remains sealed and waterproof.

In my exuberance, I purchased 7 used bowling balls to recycle into mosaic gazing balls. This third one was an experiment using the grommets from upholstery fabric samples. Indoor/Outdoor Clear Silicone II adhesive requires a longer setting time before grouting but the adhesive's flexibility is best suited for outdoor temperature changes and waterproofing. An entire tube of blue acrylic paint was added to the grout for color and weatherproofing.

Originally I'd planned to grout the ball in black but I'd mixed up too much blue for the birdbath and couldn't see wasting the excess. Actually, the two projects look great displayed together using the tall plant stand pictured below. I might use the short leaf stand for indoor winter display.

Last summer we had two robin families sharing the water rights on our deck. What a fun source of natural entertainment to view fledglings bathing for the first time. I just hope my jazzed up birdbath appeals to my feathered friends as much as it does me.

Maggie and I are enjoying the best of summer on our deck. The added color is a real plus.

Guestroom/Art Gallery

2011-06-23T01:53:00.000-08:00

An empty bedroom, sunny colored walls and an excess of art quilts shuffling around the house all added up to my long awaited guestroom. The "Art Gallery", as my husband labeled this room, became a staging area for my brightly colored floral quilts. This room is cheerful in any season and makes my heart smile.

Gardening Progress

2011-06-14T19:02:00.011-08:00

Before the Forget-me-knot and Globe Trollius faded, I wanted to document their striking display of blue and yellow.

Our Norland Apple was gangly and difficult to harvest so hubby and I pruned it excessively last Fall. I'm happy with less apples this year to deal with.

This over sized Lobelia basket looks great on the urn. My bird bath broke so I'm using the dish to fill the urns hole, which the basket rests on. Lemons into lemonade as the saying goes...

Salmon colored Diascia plays beautifully against the purples of Heliotrope and Brachycome. This planter will be overflowing with flowers soon.

On occasion I get a brainstorm. My broken fountain made an interesting planter. I filled the bottom with rocks for some needed drainage before adding soil and plants. If it dries out too frequently, I'll move it to a shady location. I'm anxious to see how this fills in. The Golden Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia) was wintered indoors by the dining window, but this Fall I will transplant this perennial in a permanent bed, since my other Jenny's wintered outside successfully.

Moving onto the front deck...

My 3-tiered urns are filling in nicely with more Brachycome, red Verbena and yellow bidens and the window box will be similar in look except for the addition of white bacopa and osteospermum (aka African Daisy). Rain and clouds kept the daisies tucked in tight.

A closeup of the Globe Trollius by the front step.

White Marginata Hostas are growing rapidly and fill an area quickly once the snow melts.

The other side of the driveway is now showing color due to a recent addition of white Allysum, pink Cosmos and a sunny yellow Sunflower to flank the gate.

As the Primrose mature I'm seeing larger blossoms which are lasting longer. Yay. I've also had good success with returning perennials, however, several tags have blown away so now I have to research ID's and re-tag with a more permanent solution.

Bleeding Heart's delicate lacy look and faithful hardiness make it one of my favorite perennials, but their dense foliage requires additional support to avoid toppling over. I use an inverted wire basket with large openings to cage them before the stems grow up through it.

Off to a good start after it's first winter, the Tangutica Clematis should be blossoming within the week. The plan is to have the top and sides of the garage door framed with this vegetation. The flowers are less interesting than their feathery spent seed pods.

Although the Rose Tree of China is losing its blossoms now, once the Allysum and Marigold fill out, this rock garden will be a nice focal point for the front yard. I'll enjoy changing the annuals each year to spotlight different colors now that the ground cover has been removed.

I'm still buying flowers for inside (bug free), because I love treating myself to their cheerful colors on a rainy day such as this. Happy Gardening!

Round Robin 2011 - June

2011-06-14T15:52:00.004-08:00

Rocky Road To Kansas Lap Quilt

2011-06-06T19:32:00.005-08:00

Here's yet another recycling quilt using larger pieces of blues and creams from my scrap bins, and piecing leftover batting scraps for the filler. Even the binding was an old remnant from my first quilt made in 1988.

I emptied another box from my studio, and if that wasn't enough, I used a pre-printed continuous line backing that was better suited for a commercial sewing machine. Live and learn!

I'm very pleased with the look of the quilt top but equally unhappy with my machine quilting. My thread choice was horrible (it kept breaking and garbling up), and due to the high color contrast, it shows. I was able to persevere through the imperfections when I reminded myself this project was strictly for utilitarian use and would eventually wear out without me feeling bad about using it.

The lap size was too difficult for me to manage on my home sized machine. I WILL NOT DO THIS AGAIN. Hence forth, anything exceeding small wall art sized pieces shall be passed to local long-arm quilters... so my smile will remain in place. : )

I wanted to learn more about this patterns origins. History grants us the ability to time travel, (aka 'mind travel'), because we can imagine the past and how some things came to be presently understood. Many quilt block patterns were designed with specific references to their makers surroundings and experiences. How they were executed was often determined by their current resources and social influences. In that regard, not much has changed from generation to generation.

The Rocky Road to Kansas quilt block specifically refers to its early settlement period when it was first thought to have appeared in 1889, over ten years after the Santa Fe Trail was last used. "Rocky" refers more to the difficult traveling conditions by wagon during the state's early settlement period, than by the actual nature of the road surfaces.

The original pattern is a string ~ or crazy-pieced design developed, some believe, to use up long narrow strips or strings of fabric from other sewing projects. Variations of this pattern exist by other names as well.

For those wishing to draw from their multi-colored scrap bags, here is the string pieced quilt pattern for the Rocky Road To Kansas. Several photos of RRTK quilts vary greatly in looks based on fabrics and construction choices. Be sure to click on the photos for larger views. Scroll to the bottom of this link to view a photo of a RRTK quilt using strips for the star and the background templates.

The same two templates are used whether you piece strings or not. My version eliminates the middle seam of the background piece but it does create an inset seam that some beginners may find difficult to piece. Either version looks nice.

Westie Update

2011-05-29T13:56:00.002-08:00

Sadly, old age (16.5 yrs) transported our dear sweet Max to Dog Heaven last month. We miss him beyond description but knowing he had a good life and is better off there, makes the loss more tolerable. Such a sweet tempered dog, Max left us with countless fun memories and unconditional love. Life isn't the same without him.

My devoted sidekick ~ Miss Maggie Mae

This dirty girl is due for a bath but we're buddies no matter what. Maggie has adjusted well to Max' absence but I sense her loss at times also. I've made a point to increase her socializing and car travels, as well as allowing her more home privileges as a single dog in the family. Life is easier with one dog, and this one doesn't miss a thing! As a 13 yr. old, I know how quickly Maggie's remaining years will pass, so we will make the most of them.

Deck Container Plants

2011-05-29T13:33:00.009-08:00

My garden focus is primarily on container plantings with easy access to both front and back decks. This is where I spend the majority of my summer at home, reading, enjoying morning coffee, occasionally doing crafts and basically savoring the fresh air, birdsong and lush yard view.This trailing lobelia with licorice plant accent is so stunning and when the gal who had it decided to put it back I grabbed it fast! I couldn't resist the instant color of hanging baskets this year. I even earned a free one (for spending more money than I intended to) at Fred Meyer's, but it was worth it.

I planted a 6-pk of Oak Leaf lettuce in my kitchen window box and harvested the first picking for lunch today. I added the water globes mostly for color, but it will also help with moisture control.

Our home has two large decks on the front and back of the main level in addition to the upper level master bedroom deck. The bedroom deck is long and narrow with just enough space for a small seating area, my water fountain and a few pots of flowers.

The retro patio set I currently own is too large for the top deck where we need to store it for winter, and too much effort hauling it up and down through the living room each year for the lower deck. A smaller replacement will solve that dilemma.

The fountain is loud enough to be heard from inside the house! I placed marbles and colored glass in the bottom to make it prettier.

This is only the beginning... hopefully our sun will last throughout the summer. More photos coming soon.

Gardening in Alaska ~ Judebug Style

2011-05-28T23:41:00.002-08:00

I've been bitten by the bug - the gardening bug that is, and two of my dearest friends, Denice and Marlene in NC refer to me as "Judebug". The moniker originated last year when I'd told them if I owned a red Volkswagen beetle, I'd have it custom painted to depict a ladybug sporting personalized plates that spell "Judebug" (because my nickname is Jude). They have addressed me as Judebug ever since, and now I've been collecting special ladybug items for house and garden decor that truly puts a smile on my face.

It seems the ladybug theme is everywhere now that I've taken notice. This darling garden ornament caught my eye a couple of weeks ago at a local greenhouse but I passed her by.

Today I was back in the greenhouse, drooled over her again, drove home, then returned shortly after to snatch her up before she was gone forever. She personifies my "Judebug" mentality and I'm absolutely delighted to have her greeting visitors by our entrance steps.

Here's my garden flag stapled to the house wall on our back deck where I can see instant color year round.

Summer is the perfect time to create a few unique outdoor art pieces, adding color and interest to the garden while displaying my own artistry. Of course I'll post the finished results over the summer.

Today's photos document the beginning of my garden season. Wind has been persistent and chilly all month but the sun is encouraging me to get on with my annual routine.

Rock garden reconstruction last year reveals noticeable visual improvement this year. The rock path dividing the top layer makes planting and weeding more accessible as well. The majority of my gardens contain perennials, thereby minimizing cost and effort required to fill the gaps with annual color spots. This European Bird Chokecherry Tree with Bergenia underneath is currently in full bloom and smells heavenly.

Vinca Vine wintered beautifully and offers a sweet early Spring welcome. After the flowers are spent, alternating Sedum will carry the show with their colorful vegetation and subdued flowers.

Forget-me-knot is blooming in the foreground and reseeds itself throughout the growing season. Globe Trollius' yellow blooms precede the taller Orange Trollius display in July.

Top level, center stage accommodates my need for variety in choosing annual color spots. Behind on the bottom level is my favorite small bush ~ Gold Flame Spiraea (aka Spiraea Japonica - Japanese Spiraea). It's foliage transitions from a bronze color, to chartreuse in Spring, to half dark/half light green split down the middle of the leaves, then a solid dark green before clusters of pink flower heads bloom. In the Fall the leaves resume a bronze color. This hardy bush provides a lot of bang for the buck! All 7 specimens survived their first winter in the rock garden and will no doubt triple in size eventually.

Primrose provides floral 'eye candy' in far more colors and varieties than I have. Hmmmm. I've got a bit more space I can fill in.

Last Fall I transferred my rhubarb into this barrel as a temporary holding area. It did so well I'm leaving as is, where I assume slugs won't be an issue this summer. My chive also wintered well in a barrel. I used the Topsy Turvy® Tomato bags last year and was less than thrilled so this time I'm back to the barrels. See the Garden Bon Bons (patent pending) laying on the surface... an early birthday gift from aforementioned dear friends Denice and Marlene. This is a first for me! You set them on the soil, water well, water often, and voila! enclosed seeds should sprout, take hold and hopefully offer a culinary harvest of assorted fresh herbs. Nothing compares with the flavor enhancement of fresh herbs and spices in every day cuisine. What a novel and much appreciated gift idea. I love my friends. :)

My next post will show gardening progress on decks with container plantings and hanging baskets. I LOVE to garden!

Round Robin 2011

2011-05-14T15:24:00.001-08:00

Our third season began in February with a 'theme fabric' exchange. I waited until April to photograph the starting fabric with the first round. Here are the results. For close ups - click on the photos.

Cathy with Mary's

Irene with Cathy's

Jackie with Irene's

Judy with Jackie's

Louise with Judy's

Lynnette with Louise's

Mary with Lynnette's

Vikki Pignatelli Class

2011-05-14T13:15:00.005-08:00

Vikki Pignatelli

My first quilting class in 1988 was wrought with high expectations, nervous apprehension, and absolutely no clue that I would be hooked into a lifelong passion that eventually superseded the full gamut of my creative endeavors. In those early years while learning the basic construction techniques and various block patterns, my penchant for perfection ranked higher than ever in my new found hobby.

Perhaps the cost of fabric, a total dislike for ripping out stitches, and the wasted time of doing things wrong were even bigger motivators, but I have relaxed myself on all accounts these past 23 yrs.

One undeniable truth is that I am easily inundated with learning new things, especially if the material comes at me fast and furiously, so I now enter every class situation with an attitude of listen carefully, watch closely and don't sweat it if you do absolutely nothing during class! As long as I have written material to use at my own pace after the class, I can systematically work my way through just about anything at home when there are no distractions.

I'm certain that this philosophy no doubt served me well during Vikki's two full class days (April 31 & May 1) covering Improvisational Quilting and Fabric Manipulations. Vikki proved to be an exceptionally gifted teacher not only for the material she presented but the fun and relaxed approach she delivered her techniques with. This class was suitable for choosing what you wanted to experiment with while having her expertise available to trouble shoot. Our class of 2o or so was the most enjoyable quilting class experience I've had in ages. I know there were others who felt 'out of their depth' at times, but I don't think anyone was left feeling they couldn't execute Vikki's techniques shown in her book:

With the new tricks I learned in class, my art quilting will most certainly benefit from more complex looking compositions and the ease in which to realize them. Hopefully I will be posting some of them soon.

"Zentipede"

2011-04-22T13:27:00.004-08:00

Some projects mature with age, and this one in particular traveled the love/hate highway before morphing into one of my favorite art quilts. Oddly, the few people who saw this piece during the beading phase definitely liked it while I remained less than thrilled with it.

The journey began four or five years ago during my first experimentation with hand dyeing fabrics. Later I doodled a freestyle design on the surface using colored fabric markers. Recently I dug into my stash of surface designed fabrics and decided to make an art quilt with this piece.

Some of the markers showed rather pale so I layered the top with batting and a backing and began free motion quilting all of the design elements with black thread to help define the shapes. Using a machine button hole stitch to secure the raw edges helped keep the quilt squared and less inclined to warp with handling.

The resulting thread work contrast improved the look but remained somewhat lifeless to me. Since beading was one of the reasons I took up art quilting, I thought this was a perfect surface to showcase beads for interest, texture and added pizazz. This is truly one of the rare times in art where 'more was better'! Every time I thought I was finished with the beading, it called for more, more! Even now I wonder if I should have added beads to the center of the 'zentipede', but held off, knowing I can later if it really bothers me.

"Zentipede" by Judy Wedemeyer (24" x 17")

The design is interesting regardless of the direction it is hung, so with that in mind I chose not to sign the front of the quilt. With so many beads attached I didn't want the weight to pull on the fabric when on display, therefore I created a sturdy fabric backing to attach the art quilt to. I applied a contrasting wine colored accent fabric to both sides of a fusible stiff stabilizer (like Tim Tex), and then satin stitched the edges with black thread. Not wishing to detract from the button hole stitch around the quilt edge, I straight stitched the quilt to the backing using a smoke colored mono filament thread. If it shows any sign of sagging once it is hung, I will free motion quilt a few areas to stabilize it sufficiently.

The doodles I created on this fabric brought to mind my recent discovery of the term 'zen doodle' (aka zentangle), which further confirmed my idea that I, along with many artists, have always doodled long before the zen aspect was applied to it. My daughter and I instantly recognized a centipede in my quilt design, so with that in mind a title was born! Zentipede.

Arts and Auction

2011-04-17T12:06:00.005-08:00

Yesterday my friend Lynnette and I enjoyed a sunny, full day of creative artwork and delicious food together. Salvation Army's much anticipated 4th Annual Transformed Treasures Auction/Luncheon was once again lively and quite successful. An eclectic, colorful assortment of one-of-a-kind art pieces lined the perimeter of the Sheraton Hotel ballroom. What the creative mind can produce from castoffs is astounding!

I'm delighted to report all three of my art donations sold beyond my expectations. The mosaic bowling ball yard ornament auctioned for $125., the elegant ottoman took a high bid of $140., and surprisingly, my quilted table runner constructed of dress ties topped out at $375., which totally floored me. I'm so pleased with these results, especially knowing the funds are helping many local needs right here in Anchorage.

My slide show of some auction items can be seen by clicking on this link or by clicking on Transformed Treasures Photos in the sidebar link list.

Following the luncheon, Lynnette invited me to view the resident artist show at the nursing home her father resides at. Talent and ability is not age restrictive that's for certain. We so enjoyed the variety of talent exhibited in a room filled with wonderful residents, their visitors and cordial staff. Live music performed by the Fireweed Flutes set the mood for a peaceful melodic occasion while guests nibbled fantastic finger food. Wine and punch were served in addition to a decadent layered chocolate dessert that I would have enjoyed had I not already consumed my daily chocolate intake at the auction luncheon earlier.

I purchased a lovely beaded tiger eye necklace and a set of stationary cards with printed artwork on the covers. Hopefully I'll be able to attend the next show they offer. It was quite a nice ending to a lovely art filled day.

Table Runner

2011-03-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

Here is another relatively quick UFO I just completed. Several of the quilt blocks (a 1936 Whirlygig Hex pattern) were hand pieced by a previous owner. After cutting and hand piecing several more blocks to form this table runner a year ago, I lost interest for awhile and set it aside.

Top side of table runner (13" X 75.5")

Yesterday I thought, why not make a two-sided table runner since it was a great opportunity to stash bust more small pieces of fabric. I cut 3" strips in several coordinating colors with a somewhat 1930's appearance. Sewing them end to end to form one long strip, I then cut the strip in half and began sewing the fabric jelly roll style... long sides together, cut the length in half, sew the new long sides together, cut the length in half, repeating until an appropriated sized backing with short strips side by side was formed to cover the length of the table runner.

Back side of table runner

I sewed the project 'pillow case style' to eliminate the need for a traditional binding. With this project I sprayed the top side of the batting with adhesive quilt basting spray, then smoothed the backing (face up) onto the batting. Smoothing the top right sides together on top of the backing, I pinned the edges and sewed a quarter inch seam around the table runner following the block contours, leaving a small hand sized opening on one end.

I trimmed the points and snipped the 'v's along the sides just shy of the seam stitches. After pulling the sandwich inside out pillowcase style, and shaping the points from the inside, I steam pressed the table runner to form smooth flat edges. I hand stitched the opening closed and machine stitched around the entire runner working my way from the outside in until the mat was completely quilted. I used a Cotton Classic Quilt batt (80/20) which requires stitch width no less than half an inch apart. Knowing this item will be washed often, I strictly adhered to the manufacturers recommendation for best performance of their product. This is not typically a batting I use ~ it was given to me ~ but it works perfectly in the right circumstances and free is a wonderful thing!

SAQA Benefit Auction Quilt (2011)

2011-03-25T10:53:00.000-08:00

"Spring Fling" (11.5" square)

This is my first year to submit a quilt for the auction. I've had good intentions the past three years but didn't get myself in gear until this year. I had a lot of fun making this quilt. Anchorage has been having gorgeous sunshine the past week and although there's plenty of cold and snow yet to thaw, this little quilt expresses my cheerful anticipation of Spring. I'm smiling just looking at it.

Studio Art Quilt Associates 2011 online quilt Auction will begin on Monday, September 12th at 2:00 pm Eastern and conclude on Sunday, October 2 at 2:00 pm Eastern. The funds raised support SAQA's exhibitions, catalogs and outreach programs. All of 2010's auction quilts will remain on the SAQA website for viewing only, until the 2011 auction is underway.

Fiber Bowl

2011-03-23T16:16:00.000-08:00

Another UFO completed and ready to be 're-gifted' to the quilting friend who talked me into trying our hand at making fiber bowls in the first place! I've made many fiber bowls, most of them are recycled antique quilt blocks. This one Ramona half finished before she passed it onto me. I'm known as the quilting buddy who can't trash projects, I just have to finish UFO's eventually... mine and other peoples too it seems.

Ramona hand quilts everything and this block was no exception. All I did was machine satin stitch the pleats and double satin stitched the edge. This square shape with the shallow darts are quite easy to maneuver under my sewing machine. Some deeper, smaller bowl shapes can get downright testy to handle. Anyway, one more project finished and a little bit more space is being reclaimed in my studio. Yay!

Mosaic Bowling Ball

2011-03-23T15:42:00.002-08:00

After completing my first two Transformed Treasure auction pieces this winter, I'd almost talked myself into skipping this third idea due to four other art/auction commitments waiting to be realized. I managed those in record time and decided last week that I could beat the deadline this Friday after all. I was highly motivated since this bowling ball was a shelved plan from last year.

I've tried to adhere to my self-imposed rule of using up what I have on hand instead of rushing to the store to purchase more supplies. When I ran out of the blues I switched to the yellows and oranges. White and green migrated the two sides fairly well but lo and behold --- I didn't have enough to finish so still ended up making a run to the store. Ugh. I would have been happy with a small bag of whites and maybe even back to blues but the bag mix was sparse on colors I needed so I ended up with the larger multi-colored bag to finish. I'd venture to say I'm pretty much back where I started with the amount of colored glass supply again but alas, it will end up in another mosaic project.

The warm and cool color wave is an interpretation of fire and water, or flowers under the sky, therefore I entitled this globe "Earthworks". I keep my eye out for appropriate weatherproof display stands at second hand shops. I've no idea what these metal stands were used for originally but they work splendidly as 'gazing ball' stands for garden or home decor.

Zendoodles

2011-03-16T23:34:00.001-08:00

Zendoodle has become my latest pen and ink obsession. I discovered Zendoodles online during one of those mindless surfing expeditions. Zendoodle, Zentangle and other terms are used interchangeably but apply to the same concept. Google either term and you'll find plenty of sites to check out. How fun to see there's a name for what I've been doing all my life!

Free form art like this is so relaxing. I''m no psychologist, but my guess is that the 'Zen' refers to the meditative state one settles into due to the mindless nature of doodling. It must somehow allow your brain to disengage logically in order to create visually. What happens analytically doesn't really matter to me. My primary purpose in pursuing this activity is from an artistic perspective and if I achieve health benefits along the way ~ hot diggity!

Circles and curves are by far my favorite shapes. I'd guess there's some scientific reason for that too but... I'd rather not sweat the small stuff. The bottom left doodle is going to become an art quilt. My thought is that machine quilters 'doodle with thread' every time they do free motion fill in stitching. Most of the Zendoodles are in black and white for some reason. Maybe it's a yin and yang thing? My intention is to practice in black/white contrast until I become adept with thread on fabric, then I'll experiment with color.

One of my examples is two toned because my black ink ran out and the blue pen was handy, but I like the interplay of color. I found color use became one more element to remove me from the simplicity of Zendoodle so I may stick with black/white compositions until I need a change.

Organic and animal shapes intrigue me with Zentangle possibilities and I even tried letters and a word for the experience.

The basic instruction for those ready to jump into the Zendoodle movement:

1. Draw a basic shape. Square is easiest to begin with.
2. Divide the shape into subsections large enough to doodle within.
3. Fill in one section at a time with these objectives in mind.

* balance light, medium and dark contrast throughout the entire design. (white, black, grays)

* fill in with a variety of patterns, using lines, circles, and solids to create textures.

* keep your sections well defined so your eye has a place to rest.

4. Relax and enjoy the process ~ there is no right or wrong to your doodle.

Wild Flowers Quilt

2011-03-15T18:11:00.004-08:00

"Wild Flowers" (12" square)

My two most recent little flower quilts were such a joy to make that I found myself smiling often while playing around with construction possibilities. No doubt about it, I love bright cheerful colors, a bit of whimsy, dashes of the unexpected, and of course exploring my favorite recurring floral theme.

Surprisingly, I noticed that having a 'workbook' mentality loosened my approach and expectations. Perhaps having two similar foundations contributed to my explorations? A new finishing technique surfaced with this project. After hand sewing the conventional binding on "Spring Fling", I purposely opted for a machine zig-zag stitched edge on "Wild Flowers".

Heavy machine embroidery without extra stabilization causes the background to pucker, which I then had to heavily machine quilt out later on my first flower quilt. Therefore, I hand embroidered the stems and leaf outlines on the second quilt. Let me emphasize how tough poking a big eyed needle with 6 strands of embroidery floss through heavily quilted fabric is! My finger joints ached for two days. I fabric fused the green fabric inside the leaf outlines and machine stitched the edges to secure it.

Most enjoyable was inventing new flowers from jelly-roll selvages. If you read my blog posts here and here, you will notice how my creativity just sort of evolves over time in a serendipitous progression. Look closely at the flowers ~

I folded the 'jelly-roll jiggle' in half lengthwise onto itself, then sewed along the fold, anchoring the fold permanently. From there, I cut a small, medium and large strip for each flower, sewing the ends to form circles with donut hole centers. Flowers were machine stitched to the quilted foundation and gluing the centers was my final step.

Floral centers are all different. Buttons with the plastic shanks removed so they would lay flat are on the two smaller flowers. The largest flower center holds an art clay (FIMO) cabochon I made nine years ago. (Some things take time you know). :) My remedy for filling a concave area inside the flower center before gluing the buttons/cabochon in was to glue a piece of pellon down first, then glue the center on top of that.

Final treatment is applying the kumihimo braid (I made 5 years ago) just inside the quilt edge, using a straight machine stitch to tack it down every inch or so. I pulled the tiny ladybug sticker off mail that arrived yesterday and stuck it on the leaf. I like how it looks but I don't think it will stay long term. If it falls off I'll replace it with a more permanent alternative.

Fabric Embellishing Workbook 2011

2011-03-12T00:44:00.005-09:00

Since January I've been knocking out unfinished projects (UFO's) as rapidly as possible with three major goals in mind. (1) Make space in my studio by using up supplies, (2) complete this years donation items before gardening season revs up in May, and (3) learn new art quilt techniques using one of the many books within my personal library. Here's the book I decided upon. I'm thoroughly impressed with the format, style, layout and clear directions compiled by four extremely talented artists. The clear photos and helpful tips assist in the learning process. I recommend this resource without any hesitation.

The authors have created Workbook Journals from the 'pages' of various art quilt techniques they have experimented with. Rather than the page sized rectangle they chose to work from, I set my page size to a 12" block because I knew auction donations would look best at least that large. Starting from page one is not necessary but it made sense to follow the chapters as written since the first section is on creating different foundations for the 'pages'. Best of all, there are options based on your interest and skill level. My goal is to challenge myself more creatively ... as you will see below.

First lesson was to weave two pieces of fabric into one foundation, to be used as a mini art quilt page in my workbook. I chose two pieces of cotton fabric I'd hand dyed a few years ago. I wanted a subtle background with curvy lines instead of straight weaving. My fabric pieces are larger than the 12" square because I planned to cut it in half after the foundation was complete

I took my time, followed the directions explicitly and was quite pleased with the results. My light green rayon embroidery thread used in a narrow zigzag machine stitch, blends yet defines the weaving.

I didn't have a plan when I started so it took a few days playing around. Here's one possibility using the selvage ends of my jelly roll fabrics but I'm not convinced yet...

but here's what happened to the other half of my fabric foundation...

"Spring Fling" (11.5" square)

Longer daylight, warm sunshine, and my much anticipated desire for Spring's arrival is clearly expressed in this quilt. Gardening is definitely on my mind. Micro machine quilting using clear nylon thread, and metallic thread accents in the purple squares prepped the foundation.

My design was drawn on tracing paper, pinned right side up on the foundation, then outline stitched with white bobbin thread. I removed the tracing paper, then outlined the flower, leaves and grass with appropriate colored tatting thread wound on the bobbin and stitched from the backside of the quilt foundation, following the white thread outline I'd previously sewn. Final step was to free motion thread paint the flower, leaves and grass with embroidery thread. This quilt may be an auction donation, depending on what the other half of the fabric turns out to be? One of them is for my workbook.

MD Anderson Cancer Center - Auction Quilt Donation #3

2011-03-03T20:09:00.000-09:00

"All Tied Up In Hope" (28" X 32")

This quilt is my favorite of the three I've made this month for the Center's 2011 auction. The two pink and white corner blocks were pieced by Irene Stewart. All three pieced bows were sewn by Sharon and Lavone DeBoer. I sewed the remaining pieced blocks to form the illusion of ribbons framing each side of the quilt. Although various white on white fabrics were used, it all looks like one solid white background. The words "Hope" and "Believe" are free motion quilted in white on the solid teal blocks. I found it extremely important to remain positive throughout my cancer journey - by having hope and believing the best ~ moment by moment. A healthy attitude is recuperative on its own merit. Thus the title --- All Tied Up In Hope.

Time to get the three donation quilts in the mail tomorrow. I 'hope and believe' the funds earned from these quilts will aid research for a cure as well as blessing the highest bidders for supporting this important cause.

MD Anderson Cancer Center - Auction Quilt Donation #2

2011-03-02T12:15:00.003-09:00

"Love Grows" (23" square)

Just got the binding on this one last night. Lynnette Motz machine button hole stitched the appliqued hearts onto the center block. Corner blocks were foundation pieced using my box of pink scraps. From there I added filler borders to connect everything. I combined machine and free motion stitching to create an abundance of texture. The white fabric was a bit stark so I softened the appearance with teal thread in a vine and leaf motif. For some reason my machine kept balking with the buttonhole stitch around the pieced hearts, skipping stitches randomly, which would have been a nightmare to rip out. My solution was to off center the stitch and repeat a second go round so it looked intentionally 'organic'. The reason I chose a contrasting thread was to help unify the teal and define the rather pale looking heart blocks. The floral binding was chosen to coordinate with the floral heart fabric.

Sometimes my mind draws blanks when it comes to naming a quilt. In this case I hoped to emphasize the living aspect of growing in life.

One more quilt to go ~ I'm working on the quilting today. Posting soon to follow.

MD Anderson Cancer Center - Auction Quilt Donation #1

2011-02-27T13:03:00.009-09:00

"From The Heart" (23" square)

The MD Anderson Cancer Center explains their event as follows:

The quilt project and 2011 online quilt auction benefit the Blanton-Davis Ovarian Cancer Research Program and the Uterine Cancer Research Program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Through innovative research, these programs aim to develop effective screening methods and ultimately a cure for ovarian and uterine cancer. The online auction also raises awareness for cervical cancer and the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic predisposition which increases the risk for developing both ovarian and breast cancer.

This is my first year participating as an auction donor. Some of my quilting friends donated blocks to make quilts with. Lynnette Motz pieced the center heart block and then machine button hole stitched the fused applique hearts on top. Her machine work is flawless! She contributed two large blocks, each of which became the central theme in two separate small quilts. This is the first one, the second will be posted soon. My plan is to continue making quilts throughout the year with the remaining blocks ~ to be donated to future MD Anderson quilt auctions.

For those who aren't aware of the colors depicting these specific cancers, they are as follows:
Teal for ovarian cancer
    Peach for uterine cancer
    Teal and pink for ovarian/breast cancer
    Teal and white for cervical cancer

Using pink thread, I free motion quilted the radiant bursts around each heart, then using my even feed foot (aka walking foot), I echoed straight line ripples around the diagonally set theme block. After applying the hanging sleeve and binding I felt the hearts needed additional stitching, so I used a contrasting teal thread to free motion quilt a random fill stitch. I sewed and ripped out a few times before achieving the final outcome.

This piece is appropriately titled "From The Heart", because I am a 6 year survivor of Fallopian Cancer (extremely rare but treated as Ovarian cancer), and my heart is invested 100% in support of this cause. Every day is a gift, which I believe should be 'paid forward' with the talents, abilities and time I've been blessed with, to share with others facing trying times and contribute to further research in finding a cure. My prayer goes out to everyone who has or will be touched by cancer, particularly ones that plague my global sisters.

The deadline for anyone wishing to participate in donating completed quilts is May 1st, 2011. If you have difficulty obtaining a donation form directly from their website ~
Send a request for a Quilt Donation Form to:

Pam Martinez

Community Relations - The Department of Gynecologic Oncology & Reproductive Medicine

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

1155 Herman P. Pressler, CPB 6.3244

Houston, TX 77030-3721

Phone: 713-792-2765

Email: GynOncCommunityRelations@mdanderson.org

Transformed Treasures 2011 Ottoman

2011-02-17T20:34:00.001-09:00

This was one of those well intentioned projects that gobbled a week of my time and made my confidence meter waver a bit. I had no doubt I could manage this makeover but there were a few moments in the process when I wasn't quite sure how to tackle the next stage. My experience in reupholstering is almost nil. Fortunately most of my education and growing abilities have developed via trial and error.

Typical wear and tear I suppose for a foot rest. The out dated fabric was worn completely through on the top

Past experience reminded me to carefully deconstruct the furniture covering systematically. The deeply seated staples must have numbered in the hundreds because it took a full day just to remove them and dismantle the fabric pieces. A couple photos documented visual reminders for reassembly. After all the fabric was removed I used those pieces as pattern templates to cut out the new fabric, which in this case is a recycled table cover I found at a local second hand shop.

A little visual to remind me how the welting ran.

Step by step dismantling of fabric pieces. I made improvements on reconstruction after fighting a bit with the original method.

The welting was in good shape so I recovered it. Although I was able to reuse the foam cushion and padding, I did add a bit of fiberfill on worn areas of the legs. I hand sewed the inside leg fabric covers to avoid staples showing ~ except for the dust cover stapled to the bottom of the ottoman. I confidently declare this ugly duckling has been transformed into a classy looking piece of furniture that is substantially sturdier than the original. Hopefully bids will prove others agree with my consensus.

Round Robin 2010 Finale!

2011-02-12T12:06:00.000-09:00

Last week all seven participating Round Robin Chicks received their completed quilt tops. How absolutely intriguing to view the ongoing process throughout the years rotations. We never know what the end product will be and yet we have such a marvelous time En Route. The big reveal is highly anticipated of course so without further delay ~ here are the results.

Irene with Cathy's

Jackie with Louise's

Judy with Irene's

Louise with Judy's

Lynnette with Mary's

Mary with Jackie's

Cathy with Lynnette's

Our completed wall hangings will be displayed in a group exhibit at the Anchorage Log Cabin Quilter's Inc. annual quilt show in October 2011.

All seven Round Robin Chicks are continuing into our third Round Robin year but with a slight twist. Instead of preparing a beginning piece with applique, piecing or treatment of any kind, we agreed to choose a fabric from our studio stash to act as the theme of our project. The first rotation will bear large impact on the direction each fabric will take. We included enough fabric in our project bag to allow subsequent use throughout the top ~ if desired, but will continue to aim for a small wall hanging when the entire top is finished. As with our preceding two years, we will be challenged, inspired, possibly stumped at times, but definitely reeling with anticipation every other month as we watch our projects mature and blossom into fun art pieces. Next update (April) will reveal our chosen fabrics and their first step towards becoming something wonderful!

Batik Block Swap Package Arrived!

2011-02-02T18:20:00.000-09:00

Yippee, my package of 24 pieced batik blocks arrived in today's mail! I'm very pleased with the variety of pattern and color. Rather than set the blocks in a rectangle, I will piece one more block to fill in the missing corner so I can have a square wall hanging. All but one of the blocks originated in the United States and oddly enough several of the quilters were Judy's. The 'international block' was sent from Scotland, UK which makes this project even more special to me. I think the coordinator of this online batik block swap achieved a well blended assortment of blocks for me to finish a quilt with. I'd definitely participate in another block swap or maybe a fabric swap in the future. Here you can read more about various online quilting swaps.

Transformed Treasures Tie Table Runner

2011-01-31T15:30:00.003-09:00

This morning I finished hand stitching the binding on this table runner, which is the first of three projects for Salvation Army's Transformed Treasures Auction this Spring. Unlike the set of four table mats I donated last year for this event, this table runner was sewn on pre-stamped foundation sheets thereby simplifying the construction process. I eliminated two of the fourteen dress ties I'd chosen at the Salvation Army to be 'transformed' because they didn't blend well enough with the dozen I used. A thin poly batting inside allows for enough definition in the machine quilting without being too fluffy. Other display options would be as a wall hanging over a wide doorway or on a narrow wall space.

Charity Fundraiser 2011 Sneak Preview

2011-01-24T17:39:00.003-09:00

My plan is to transform 14 ties into one or two table runners for the Salvation Army's Transformed Treasures silent auction this Spring. Last year I made a set of 4 table mats (or mini-quilts) for this programmed event, which were very well received and even garnered a large photo in the Anchorage Daily Newspaper! I enjoyed making them enough to repeat the idea in a different format. The tie project is the first of three unrelated art transformations I am creating for Transformed Treasures 2011 Auction.

The miscellaneous blocks in the photo above were sewn by some of my Quilt Go Round members and are the foundation for a sampler wall quilt or perhaps a few smaller wall quilts, to be donated to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas. I discovered this website while doing personal research on Ovarian Cancer ~ of which I am a 6 yr. survivor of Fallopian Cancer. It seemed only natural that my love for quilting, supporting worthwhile charities, and my personal experience with cancer would meld into an enthusiastic response to participate in the MD Anderson Ovarian Cancer Quilt Project. The colors signify specific cancers. I will be making additional blocks and coping strips to complete the tops. Finished quilt donations must be completed by May 1st. More details are on the link above, should you be interested in participating in making a donation or bidding online during their auction.

Vintage Applique Tote

2011-01-24T15:56:00.002-09:00

Just over a year ago I designed an identical tote bag which I gave as a Christmas gift, but this one remained partially finished. I got to thinking if I finished this second one I'd transform one more UFO into a backup gift item. All I needed to do was add side panels and handles which took a couple of hours this past weekend. Tah dahhh. Only two dozen more UFO's in the wings...

Hoar Frost 2011

2011-01-21T22:24:00.001-09:00

Typically January and February are the coldest months in Alaska, when natural winter conditions are most likely to produce a fascinating and quite beautiful scenic frost accumulation known as Hoar Frost. Ten days ago I took late afternoon photos and then some night photos from my back deck using a Canon Power Shot SD800 IS (hand held, auto mode, with flash on).

Some of the photos weren't that great so I used special effects in iPhoto editing to play up color displays. Just having fun jazzing up these frigid dark winters!

For those interested in the scientific aspects of hoar frost ~ read on....

Wikipedia explains :

Hoar frost (also called radiation frost or hoarfrost or pruina) refers to the white ice crystals, loosely deposited on the ground or exposed objects, that form on cold clear nights when heat losses into the open skies cause objects to become colder than the surrounding air. A related effect is flood frost which occurs when air cooled by ground-level radiation losses travels downhill to form pockets of very cold air in depressions, valleys, and hollows. Hoar frost can form in these areas even when the air temperature a few feet above ground is well above freezing. Nonetheless the frost itself will be at or below the freezing temperature of water.

Hoar frost may have different names depending on where it forms. For example, air hoar is a deposit of hoar frost on objects above the surface, such as tree branches, plant stems, wires; surface hoar is formed by fern-like ice crystals directly deposited on snow, ice or already frozen surfaces; crevasse hoar consists in crystals that form in glacial crevasses where water vapor can accumulate under calm weather conditions; depth hoar refers to cup shaped, faceted crystals formed within dry snow, beneath the surface.

The name hoar comes from Old English and can be used as an adjective for showing signs of old age in reference to the frost which makes trees and bushes look like elderly white hair. It may also have association with hawthorn when covered in its characteristic white spring blossom.

Surface hoar is a cause of avalanches when it forms on top of snow. Conditions that are ideal are cold clear nights, with a very light wind that is able to circulate more humidified air around the snow surface. Wind that is too abrupt will destroy the crystals. When buried by subsequent snows they may remain standing for easy identification, or become laid down, but still dangerous because of the weakness of the crystals. In low temperatures surface hoar can also be broken apart and blown across the surface forming yukimarimo.

Hoar frost also occurs around man-made environments such as freezers or industrial cold storage facilities. It occurs in adjacent rooms that are not well insulated against the cold or around entry locations where humidity and moisture will enter and freeze instantly depending on the freezer temperature.

Updated Vintage Applique

2011-01-09T19:35:00.009-09:00

A friend passed portions of an old applique project onto me some time ago. Hand me down projects often share mysterious aspects ~ who started what when? How many hands did the project pass through before getting to its final destination. Is the completed project remotely akin to the original concept? In this case I can't positively answer any of those questions but I do know the majority of the applique pieces were cut and ready to applique when I received it but I did have to add flower centers, choose the background fabric and plan the layouts. A quilt magazine with both patterns was included in the bag. I attempted to update both 1930's era patterns (Pansy and Flower Basket) by pairing newer fabrics with the appliques.

The 15" blue-green botanic fabric squares helped define the pastel shapes. By choosing to machine applique with a clear mono-filament thread, I minimized my time investment yet stayed true to the original design. I could have combined the set of 4 basket blocks into one wall hanging (see photo) but I chose to finish them individually as donations to the Providence Spiritual Care Center for the dying. The pansy wreath is the first of my Guild Auction donations for 2011.

Working on UFO's (Unfinished objects) ahead of my monthly schedule will grant me a buffer when garden season kicks in and studio time diminishes. All repetitive steps on these five small quilts were done in an assembly line progression. It saves time, motion and effort to do all the measuring, cutting, ironing, fusing, applique, piecing, layering, quilting and binding in stages for multiple projects. The payoff is when the last step is completed for all quilts simultaneously! The photo below shows the quilt work ~ machine stitched in clear monofilament thread.

The quilt on the left was titled by the Guild's Silent Auction Committee. It is now known as "Dancing Bouquet".

Miniature Reverse Applique

2011-01-09T15:22:00.003-09:00

Projects are well under way in my studio. I've publicly committed to completing a minimum of one Unfinished Object (aka UFO) per month in 2011. Here is the back story on January's first item on my list...

(Pepper Cory Stencil 12"W x 14"H)

Years ago, I'm thinking mid-90's or thereabout, I attended a couple Pepper Cory classes through the Anchorage Log Cabin Quilters Guild. This was back when classes were held at the local dog pound! I'm so glad we don't meet there anymore because it broke my heart to see the homeless animals and I always entertained thoughts of adopting more pets. Anyway, if I recall correctly, this particular class was on quilt stitching designs. While Pepper was lecturing I got busy pencil marking my mauve fabric with one of her 9" X 11" cut stencils. At the time, mauve and blue were popular interior colors and my home was no exception, but since then, mauve is not my thing and doesn't really fit in with my color scheme. In part that is why this marked fabric moved around my studio as long as it did before progressing to the next phase.

Originally I'd planned to hand quilt the penciled line design but then thought my effort might not show up well enough so I diverted to Reverse Applique. For the uninitiated, Reverse Applique requires that two layers of contrasting fabric are layered right sides up, basted together, cutting through the top layer and tucking the inside cut edges under, then stitching down by hand or machine. Needle Turn Applique means an applique shape is 'applied' to a base fabric, turning the outside cut edges under and stitching them to the background fabric.

After my scissors cut the fabric there was no turning back. Little did I realize how intricate and tedious sewing reverse applique on such a small scale would be. I confess, without glue stick I would never have managed security and precision in my cutting and sewing. To further elaborate, each tiny leaf in the border is half the size of my little fingernail. Each of the six sampler motifs measure less than three inches squares. I know ~ I was nuts! I decided 2010 would be the last year this project would be shuffled around my studio so after the applique was finished I completed the hand quilting in approximately 10-12 hrs. Last Friday it was bound and labeled. Voila! UFO #1 is Done.

As I stated, mauve doesn't fit my current decor but knowing I will NEVER repeat a mini like this one again in this lifetime ~ I'm hanging onto it for posterity unless someone recognizes its monumental value and offers me substantial compensation for it. : )

Batik Block Swap

2011-01-05T21:47:00.005-09:00

What do Japanese Lanterns and Log Cabin/Square in a Square quilt block patterns have in common? A dozen of each are practically flying out of my studio as my first quilt related project for 2011.
Recently I'd become acquainted with an online quilting group called the Quilting Board. So I signed up and immediately got involved with a Batik Block Swap for January. Most of the 52 committed participants are sewing one set (a dozen of one pattern), others are sewing two sets (a dozen of two different patterns) like myself. Wisely, I refrained from an overly ambitious goal of sewing three sets, as some eager beavers did, because I have easily put in 12 hours behind my machine on this project already.

Below you can see the secondary patterns when all of the blocks are laid out side by side. I wanted to have this recorded in my mind because I will only have one each of the two patterns I've made. In return, I will receive 22 different blocks that will hopefully compliment the color schemes I've chosen below. Without previous experience in doing a Block Swap, I'm thinking positive!

Three Creative Studios - Destination Theme Challenge

2010-12-31T16:24:00.002-09:00

Can you believe the 2010 Three Creative Studios Quilt Challenge has come to an end with this final piece? Destination was the theme. I pondered my options to the last minute and simplified my original design a few times because I wanted the 'less is more' approach to have the largest visual impact.

"Take The High Road" measures 14" square. The aqua batik background with moon, stars and comet shapes creates a Universe in which to suspend planet Earth. Free motion quilting lines closely stitched in clear monofilament thread flattens the background to make the Earth appear three dimensional.

The highway is a synthetic satiny material already embellished with glitter and faux beads. I liked the tonal striations on the gold fabric and just enough texture to add interest to the highways surface. I fused the highway before edging it with matching embroidery thread. My intention in drawing a winding, narrowing road that diminishes in an upward direction, is my interpretation of traveling the highway of life - a steep climb with switchbacks, that when my days on earth come to an end, the road I've traveled (and hopefully by Taking The High Road in my life choices), will lead me to my heavenly destination.

Molly's Jelly Roll Quilt Top

2010-12-31T15:45:00.000-09:00

My biggest Christmas surprise was receiving this gorgeous Batik quilt top from my friend Molly in Maine. Last November we both got busy sewing up a Jelly Roll using a quick piecing method I'd found online. Her fabric is from an earth colored Bali Pop. I was stunned to find this in the box she mailed and we thought was lost. No wonder she was frantic - I had no clue. Isn't it warm and luscious looking? What a beautiful lap quilt for my living room this gift will make. I'm so honored Molly parted with it because she loves Batiks as much as I do, but most of all, this piece ends the 6 yr. quilt drought Molly has been in since relocating to Maine. She says this quilt wouldn't have materialized without me spurring her on so it is a win win for both of us. So few friends give me anything they make because they think I can just make my own quilt related items. True, but how I love knowing that every time I look at or use a handmade gift, it brings that person lovingly to the forefront of my mind. Thanks Molly!

December Dog Daze

2010-12-14T22:52:00.001-09:00

Max and Maggie Mae are looking a bit shaggy for the holidays but I've left their hair longer to better insulate them against our frigid winter temps. I do what I can to keep them willing to go outside for potty breaks when it gets below 20º! Besides, if having pristine Westies for an ideal photo op is required around here, it just isn't going to happen.

I was experimenting with special effects in my iPhoto application tonight and thought I'd share the results. The original photos were shot with the flash on, in low indoor light. Our green colored room paint, rug and curtain reflected too much green on the subjects so I chose a black and white print to eliminate that influence. A tight crop in photo editing plus selecting a diffused corner edge matte in Effects helped diminish the busy nonessential room clutter. Less than successful photographs were saved with a click here and there through software editing. I'm glad I didn't erase these images after all!

Maggie Mae is the 12 year old bossy lady of the house. She's spunky, playful, intelligent and Mom's little shadow. Wherever I am, Maggie thinks she should be also. Being held is tolerated in measurable seconds not minutes, but she insists on laying on or next to me whenever I plant myself long enough for her to do so. Although my little girl has packed on extra weight this winter, come summertime when yard play is doable, she is the fastest thing on four short legs and will burn off the excess practically overnight. She doesn't miss a thing and loves hunting mice and chasing obnoxious Jays.

Max, (nicknamed Mo-Mo) is the old man of the house. Sweet in temperament, amiable toward all and always so tolerant of pushy Miss Maggie. He grew up with our two girls and still enjoys hamming it up when he's dressed for a laugh with a hat, glasses or a scarf. Our favorite was the Groucho Marx glasses. I've never seen a dog grow long thick toenails as fast as this guy does. He clicks around the house on our laminate floor until it drives us nuts, then I shorten them as best I can, but I never seem to get ahead of it. Age is taking its toll on Max but he still does relatively well for his 16 years. His body parts are failing more noticeably this past year but his healthy appetite and occasional spurts of enthusiasm convince us he isn't quite ready to sign off. He tires easily and sleeps a lot so when his time comes I hope he departs in gentle sleep. Max is the sweetest, most compliant dog I've ever known. A small dog with a big heart, Max will leave a huge hole in our family when he's gone.

Round Robin 2010 6th Rotation

2010-12-14T20:51:00.004-09:00

Today was our sixth long awaited reveal, and look how beautifully this years Round Robin pieces are shaping up! It makes us all smile to see how each addition adds more personality, interest and pizazz to our art work.

Judy with Cathy's

Several more bead, applique and trim embellishments were hand stitched to each section, then a black velvet border was machine sewed to frame it all in.

Jackie with Judy's

Color coordinated sequins in the upper left corner, an African tradebead and silver fetish charm in the lower right corner and machine embroidery details were added to the mask feathers.

Irene with Lynnette's

A warm sunny border fabric is added to the left and bottom edges.

Lynnette with Jackie's

Small satin ribbon is threaded through the inside area of the heart, creating a sheen that outlines the female subjects.

Mary with Louise's

White floral lace appliques were added next to the red roses.

Louise with Irene's
Three ravens were appliqued to create humor and havoc.

Cathy with Mary's
The heavily beaded gold applique compass point indicates true north.

February will be our final reveal, when we return each quilt top to its rightful owner. You can view all previous rotations by selecting "Round Robin" in the labels section of the sidebar.

Spiritual Care Quilts

2010-12-07T19:46:00.006-09:00

Providence Spiritual Care Center offers unique support for their dying patients in the form of small 24" comfort quilts. Patients of all ages find the size, thin batting and tactile quality of home-stitched quilts reminiscent of being cared for. Later, these quilts are given to the family in memory of their loved one.

Several Anchorage Log Cabin Quilt members have been providing many of these hand made quilts throughout the year. Last weekend I completed two scrap quilts specifically for female patients. There is an unspoken connection that occurs between quilt maker and recipient regardless of whether the two ever meet. In my case, I like to pray for the dying person and their family during quilt construction. No matter what your beliefs are, there is an undeniable spiritual realm we can choose to acknowledge and function in. People who are facing death or know someone who is, understand the need to release the physical yet hold onto the spiritual. A quilt can't replace a loved one but the comfort a small quilt offers can help bridge that transition.

Both scrap quilts pictured above display subtle differences in my quilting and finishing choices. One quilt is straight stitched along the seam lines and diagonally across the solid blocks, the other is wave stitched over the seams and around the border. I folded the backing fabric to the front to form a pink binding on one and the other I didn't edge at all. It's a nice comparison of how stitching and binding techniques influence the outcome of nearly identical projects.

Memorial Tie Project

2010-11-30T16:56:00.001-09:00

When longtime family friend Jim passed away last June I wanted to do something special for his widow Barb. She couldn't stand having perfectly good shirts cut up to make a lap quilt, so we opted for a wall hanging comprised of twenty of Jim's favorite ties. My friend Ramona was extremely helpful in printing out a Block Base pattern for a 20-blade Dresden Plate. That saved me the time drafting a pattern. I enlarged the pattern blade on my home copier and was good to go.

I learn something new every time I work with ties. What I know for sure is that stabilizing the various fabrics eliminates a lot of struggle when cutting and sewing. I used a gray iron-on fusible that maintains the softer drapes of silk and keeps loose weaves from fraying. Second most important trick in machine sewing tie fabrics together is using a walking foot (aka even feed foot), which has both top and bottom feed dogs to pull the fabrics evenly under the needle while sewing seams. (Your machine will require the proper attachment.) Third best tip I can offer is using a steam iron set for silk to avoid scorching or melting synthetic fibers.

A near disaster on the last tie I was stabilizing resulted in a great learning lesson. This particular tie was pretreated with a stain resist coating that discolored a horrible brown from the iron. I thought all was lost and felt hand washing the tie certainly couldn't hurt it at this point. What a fabulous outcome! Clean and softer than the original. Whew. Close call. I really detested adding a substitute that Jim had never worn.

Let me enlighten you on the mileage one can get from one single tie! When the seams are open, the filling removed and the tie ironed flat, there is plenty of material for one large plate blade on the fat end keeping the finished point intact. The skinny end can be used for strip piecing log cabin, fence rail or similar quilt patterns. All the remaining trimmings will stitch nicely into crazy quilted blocks or small projects. Everything photographed in this post I created from the same 20 ties and still plenty of fabric remained. Ties are easily obtained from family, friends, and Goodwill. What a fabulous, economical way to purchase a variety of silks and fancy fabric samples for crafting and quilting.

Coasters were 'labeled' with tags from the ties used. Satin stitched rayon embroidery thread finished the edges on the coasters and fabric bowl.

The bowl is reversible, plus it can be shaped to lay flatter by folding the brim down close to the table.

Braiding three complimentary colored ties, ends secured, then machine tacked to the fiber bowls edge, formed a three dimensional textured trim. Sewing braids end to end could also be adhered to a sturdy canvas base to make into accent rugs. So many options once you start playing with ties so grab a bundle and see what you come up with.

Jelly Roll Jiggler

2010-11-30T15:46:00.002-09:00

Those selvage end trimmings from jelly roll or similar strip quilt projects can be put to good use in novelty items. My recent batik jelly roll quilt top produced some colorful snippets I just had to do something with, so I created what I call a Jelly Roll Jiggler.

Finger fold the trimmings in half, lengthwise, butting the fabric edges without overlapping then chain stitch down the center using a small machine stitch to secure the folds. Line the fabric colors randomly or in a pattern to suit your taste. Run the machine after the last fold to create a thread tail. Re-stitch the entire chain length two or three times to firmly secure the Jiggler.

I discovered if you twisted the chain ends in opposite directions, the fabrics formed a pleasing spiral. Hand manipulate the chain to create a spiked flower, a hair bow, craft embellishment, pillow trim or package decoration. Extend your fabric investment by tapping your imagination and playing with items typically tossed in the garbage. Your pocketbook and landfill will thank you for it.

Jelly Roll Batik Lap Quilt

2010-11-20T19:59:00.001-09:00

Thanks to a link posted in the November issue of the Anchorage Log Cabin Quilters, Inc. newsletter, I located this Super Fast Jelly-Roll Quilt Pattern. It just so happens I had a roll of batik strips just waiting for the right project to inspire action. Mindless piecing projects like this one help facilitate my ability to enjoy what I call 'mind traveling' during simple sewing procedures. For me, this is meditative productivity at its best! The only thing that would make it more enjoyable is sharing it with a friend.

Since my dear and longtime friend Molly, whom I met through ALCQ 20 years ago, now lives in Maine with a four hour time zone between us, we rely mostly on the internet to keep us reasonably connected. I knew she had a Jelly-roll or two in her fabric stash and with her new sewing room just begging for activity, I thought it would be fun to work on this project simultaneously. Think of it as a long distance Quilt Retreat. When I proposed the idea, Molly said let's do it, send me the steps one at a time and treat it like a Mystery quilting class. Yay ~ sewing with a friend is always fun.

Well... I woke up this morning to two emails Molly had sent telling me she was well underway on her piecing! Gee whiz, I hadn't even made coffee yet. Thus the 4 hr. time difference I made reference to earlier. I was stunned and thrilled Molly was going great guns and having fun sewing - once she found the power cord and got reacquainted with her machine. I had some serious catching up to do!

I'm posting the beginning steps of my Jelly-roll quilt as well as the completed top. Hopefully Molly will send me a photo of her finished quilt top to share with readers also.

This particular Jelly Roll fabric I purchased from JoAnn's with a 40% off coupon. The entire quilt top cost $7.50 to make. There are other fabrics and colorways available at JoAnn's I may have to try. I chose not to put a border on this top. Molly used a batik Bali Pop. I don't know if she will sew up more tops like these but I plan to try it using different colors and themes such as Aunt Grace or Oriental fabrics. So many possibilities and so little time required to make them! This one took about 5 hrs. start to finish.

Fantasia Garden

2010-11-17T14:21:00.000-09:00

This is the last of five designs resulting from participating in Larkin Jean VanHorn's Shattered Circles class. My first four designs were created using only one large circle. Fantasia Garden combines two different sized circles in which I used a small and large paper plate as templates. A black and white dotted background provides a neutral yet lively stage for showcasing the bold colors in both the design and border fabric. Quilting small black circles over the entire background fabric subdued the contrast somewhat while still keeping with the circular motif. I machine outline quilted the border shapes using clear monofilament.

My failed attempt to insert a thin black velvet inner border pushed me to rethink how I could achieve a similar look. The black velvet shifted while using an even foot feed. However, I was able to substitute the narrow dark black line I desired by lightly gluing a 1/4" wide black velvet ribbon butted against the border fabric seam line. The ribbon is one continuous piece with corner miter folds ~ using Aleene's Fast Grab fabric glue ~ left overnight to dry. I'm sure the glue would have held but the corners still needed to lay flat so I twin needle stitched the ribbon in place permanently.

Applying a removable three-dimensional flower embellishment allows the flexibility to display this art quilt with or without it, as personal preference dictates. The flower adds a feminine touch but without it, the piece reads more geometric and masculine... something to consider as a sale or auction item.

3-D Flowers

2010-11-17T13:40:00.006-09:00

Supplies and directions for creating a three dimensional flower which can be used as quilt and craft embellishments or fashion accessories.

Supplies:
(6) single flower petals of one color (or mixed as desired) from an inexpensive party lei
(2) 2" matching colored felt squares
(2) 2" squares of iron on fusible web
(2) 'silk' leaves
(1 pkt) of floral craft stamens (12 stamens for one flower)
clear or matching thread

Directions:
1. stack two flowers with petals offset (not directly lined up on top of each other).
2. fold petal sandwich in half, then in quarter, machine tack or hand sew tip.
3. repeat first two steps for remaining petals.

4. iron fusible web to one side of each felt square.
5. draw a 2" circle on the paper side, poke a small hole in the center of each.

6. center and sew the tacked tip of all three flower quarters to the felt side to form a circle.

7. tack stamens in groups of four to the center of the flower, avoiding one large clump.

8. cut out the circle, carefully avoiding cutting flower petals.
9. position and sew the leaf bases onto the felt side (under the petals).
10. cut out the remaining fused circle.
11. place fused sides of circles together, lay a protective sheet of parchment or paper over felt, then iron carefully just enough to adhere the felt layers together without pressing the flower flat.

I used a safety pin to adhere my flower to the Fantasia Garden quilt, hiding the pin under the petals on the top side of the quilt. Clusters of flowers can be made in similar fashion, using more supplies and larger base pieces of felt, or sewn directly to your project.

Seward Train Trip 2010

2010-11-06T14:09:00.001-08:00

Riding the southbound train to Seward from Anchorage has been on my bucket list for several years. Last July I'd scheduled a weekend visit with quilting friend Marguerita McManus, and decided to double my pleasure via the Alaska Railroad. Driving is lovely but sightseeing is limited and leg stretching is non-existent without roadside stops. Most appealing for me was the lure of scenic beauty only visible from the train route, of which I'd never viewed in the 57 years I've lived in Alaska.

Our weather was abysmal this summer but I chose not to let the rain deter me. Life is short and continues to pass us by while we wait for perfect conditions to enjoy it, so I booked online and said get on board Jude! I clicked over 100 photos during my three day weekend, but lighting and motion had much to do with the general outcome of said train photos. I might add that standing in the breezeway clipping along at 30 miles per hour on a chilly rainy day is not conducive to photo taking either.

Surprising to me were the few animals that were visible from the train... a few mountain goats, two black bear, one moose (running on the tracks ahead of us as we approached a tunnel), eagle and beaver. I expected more wildlife but perhaps they aren't crazy about the rumble of the train tracks.

This excursion would be absolutely breath taking on a sunny Fall afternoon so I might consider repeating the ride in future but with plenty of other bucket list adventures, I haven't progressed to 'do overs' quite yet. For those of you considering an Alaska Railroad adventure, I enthusiastically recommend paying extra for the Gold Star service. Service, amenities and view were outstanding and well worth the added expense. I hope you enjoy the view.

"Double Trouble"

2010-10-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

Sometime in the mid-90's I'd sketched this cat silhouette. The background setting was a detailed room with bookshelves. Too many years have passed for me to recall why this project sat in a drawer unfinished, but recently it was revived as a possible charity donation for Friends of Pets. A knee injury has interfered with studio time since late August, so this piece was not completed in time for Friends of Pets auction earlier this month. It is ready for next year - unless I make something else and keep this one!

I simplified the setting thinking 'less is more', and focused on supportive fabric choices that would depict the environment I envisioned.

"Double Trouble" (22"W X 21.5"H)

I'd cut two cats (reversed pattern), out of shiny black suit lining to create the look of sleek feline fur. Fusible web was placed on the backside to make them into iron on appliques. The goldfish/bowl is treated with a pastel gold tulle overlay to soften the water effect and add sheen to the fish. I fussy cut the bowl fabric to insinuate a 3 dimensional water feature in the bottom of the fish bowl. By eliminating overdrawn details, I was able to create a simple indoor window view of an outdoor background. The cat resting on a shelf is all that was necessary to imply indoor furniture. The same theory applies to the base of the fish bowl and the sides of a window frame in wood fabric. You don't have to see all the details for the mind to comprehend the scene in it's entirety. Actually, the less is more approach allows the viewer to imagine so much more!

Outline quilting with clear mono-filament thread, in the ditch, around the key elements of the composition helps focus the eye on the subject matter. I wanted the leaves in the background to be defined without competing with the feeling of looking through a windowpane so I chose to not quilt anything in between the leaves.

Double Trouble is playful, colorful and cheerful... emotions I experienced while working on this scene. I've discovered I enjoy working most with happy colors, animals and nature. It all puts a smile on my face and I hope it does yours as well.

Three Creative Studios - Music Theme Challenge

2010-10-21T15:09:00.007-08:00

jubilation - ˌjoōbəˈlā sh ən

noun

a feeling of great happiness and triumph.

"Jubilation" (16.5" X 15")

Initially I was quite excited about the music theme 3 Creative Studios had chosen for our fifth challenge quilt for 2010. Thinking the category would be easy to come up with something wonderful, my gears started turning. Quickly I realized how difficult it would be to narrow myself down to one idea! With only two weeks remaining before deadline, I convinced myself to run with my first idea and forget all other possibilities.

I have always loved and appreciated music in all forms and cultures. Instrumental, vocal, group or solo, synthetic or natural. Admittedly, I prefer and assimilate some music genres over others, but it has always amazed me how seven pure notes on the scale have been arranged in countless ways to deliver music across this globe and yet remain endless in future creative compositions. Perhaps it is the same thread of wonder I experience knowing seven colors of the rainbow comprise the myriad beauty of art and life as a whole.

Synesthesia occurs when rare people (thought to be linked to genetic cross wiring of the senses) see music, sounds or the spoken word as color. Some can also taste colors. The mysteries of life are complex to say the least so I tend to hang onto my faith, believing God created everything, man and beast, music and color, all for our enjoyment and benefit. Which brings me back to my original idea for this music themed art piece.

As a child I noticed the sweet pure melodies of various bird songs in the background of my outdoor activities. My adult ears, over time, have learned to identify some of the birds that are speaking on the wind and can even interpret some of their language. I try to mimic some on occasion. Ravens are especially fun to 'talk' with. When I sing or whistle, I'm usually in a happy mood. Sometimes I sing to get myself in a happy mood. Listening to birdsong always, without fail, puts me in a happy mood because I sense theirs ~ singing their praises to life and creation. It brings to mind the scripture I have used as my foundation for this art piece:

Psalm 98:4 - Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music.

Ephesians 5:19 - Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.

Construction of "Jubilation" began with a hand-dyed green fabric, rubber stamped with a leaf print using a foil adhesive, left to dry and then gold foiled with an iron. The chickadee (my favorite bird) and leaf applique were results of previous class exercises, tossed aside for just this project! Various options for musical notes were available to me but I decided the commercial fabric I had on hand saved time and created what I was hoping for, appliqued to look like a song. I free-motion quilted around the bird, leaves and musical notes using a batting foundation to create a relief. After deckle edging the quilt-let, I fused it to an orange print fabric, scalloped the edge, then fused that to an orange felt backing. The edged quilt-let was sewn to the inner green print fabric, border strips were added, thus completing the top. After layering the quilt sandwich, I machine quilted in the ditch along the borders. Using a green fabric calligraphy pen, I hand lettered the quotes without pre-marking, which in all honesty made me a bit nervous thinking I might mess up the whole project with a misspelled word or poor spacing! A #1 black Pigma pen outlined the lettering for clarity. Clear mono-filament thread created a freestyle quilted border around the quotes. Final embellishment was hand sewing a glass ladybug on a leaf. This little quilt makes me feel light-hearted. It's a keeper.

ALCQ Silent Auction Quilts & Round Robin 2009/10

2010-10-12T22:32:00.007-08:00

I didn't have the foresight to photograph our finished quilts individually but at least this photo shows our Round Robin Chicks group display at the Anchorage Log Cabin Quilters annual show last September.

Round Robin Chicks 2009/10 ALCQ Show quilts

Small Treasures Silent Auction is the Anchorage Log Cabin Quilters guild's major fund raising event which takes place during our annual September show. One married couple travels from Ireland each year, planning their vacation to coincide with our show, to specifically bid on our auction quilts. I think they took home five this year to be given as gifts.

Louise and Irene chairing the auction quilts

Garden Favorites 2010

2010-10-12T22:12:00.005-08:00

Our summer from mid-June on was miserably wet, making gardening not only a challenge but a disappointment in many regards. My first attempt using Topsy Turvy planters was a bust for my tomatoes. However, the red colored strawberry planters created a lovely backdrop for my annual baskets. I plan to replace the Silvers Sword next year with perhaps miniature petunias or Creeping Jenny.

Lobelia, Silversword and Violas

Hen and Chicks were mass planted in this shallow terra cotta planter and suspended with a rope hanger under the eaves with afternoon sun exposure. Stellar Blue Jay's decided it was great fun to dig them up and spit them onto the deck until my faithful Westie, Maggie Mae stood fierce bird patrol! To my surprise, flowers were forming just as the cold weather arrived so I'm attempting to winter them over in the house. If they survive I'd like to thin these out a bit by adding half of them to my rock garden. My record isn't great with succulents so all I can do is hope.

Hen & Chicks

My absolute favorite group planting this summer was compiled with this particular urn in mind. It's sheer size and shape make a big statement in itself, but when I added the Dracaena spike for added height and the Creeping Jenny to gracefully flow over the curved sides, I was smitten. Verbena got waterlogged from all our rain and had to be pulled out. The remainder hung in so nicely I just couldn't bear to toss it in the garbage so......... while the urn resides on the back deck for the winter, the planter that rests in its hole was easily transported inside to sit on a stand until Spring.


Dracaena spike, Creeping Jenny, Ivy

Red Cabbage

I successfully grew two small red cabbages in hanging baskets located in sun most of the day. Two other cabbages in barrels didn't do as well in afternoon sun and more soil! Yes, the tiny 4" heads didn't contribute much more than color to a bowl of salad but what few bites there were, were very tasty.

Norland Apples

Honestly, with the wet growing season we had I didn't anticipate harvesting apples at all but by mid September I had enough to process 65 cups of cinnamon applesauce for the freezer. Our tree was too tall so we shortened and thinned it drastically last month. Maybe 2011 will be a fruitless year instead?

No matter how pitiful this growing season was, we managed to reconstruct a large rock garden and revitalize an overgrown flower bed in the front yard. Spring will be a blessing knowing those two body breaking jobs are done. I'm ready for winter and more time for studio fun.

Round Robin 2010 4th Rotation

2010-10-12T20:44:00.003-08:00

Our projects are progressing beautifully with each passing rotation. I believe our creativity has truly been sparked by these challenges. I encourage anyone who is contemplating forming or participating in a Round Robin to jump in and get started. It's a lot of fun! Here are the current results of our Round Robin Chicks efforts.


Louise with Cathy's


Jackie with Irene's

Mary with Judy's


Lynnette with Louise's

Cathy with Jackie's

Irene with Mary's

Judy with Lynnette's

Creative Flower Plantings in Anchorage 2010

2010-09-10T15:28:00.004-08:00

Overpass on 15th & A Street - Anchorage, Alaska 2010

This is one of my favorite views in Anchorage. I thoroughly enjoy our creative sculptures combined with beautiful annuals each summer. The 'salmon egg clusters' (which I believe are begonias), hang on fishing poles to create this wonderfully appropriate Alaskan fishing theme. We have a few more landscape areas with the fish theme scattered throughout town, which I hope to photograph this weekend. Finally! We have a six day forecast of solid sunshine. Check back for new photo additions.

Three Creative Studios 2010 - "Reflection" Theme Challenge

2010-08-29T22:31:00.019-08:00

"Growing Reflections" (8.5" X 8.5")

Reflection -- serious thought or consideration : time for reflection. * an idea about something, esp. one that is written down or expressed : reflections on human destiny and art. This embroidered art piece 'reflects' many of my thoughts as a gardener. Earthy colors, growing vegetation, soil, design, boundaries and borders, symmetry, contrast, usage of space within a confined area, light, texture and shapes. When I ponder the subject of reflection as it pertains to my art and gardening, I discover the two are quite similar in my mind. I chose these pastimes because they are wonderful vehicles to explore and express my creativity.

I thrive on color and how it enlivens my world around me. Living in Alaska where the two predominant seasons are snow or no snow, almost always dark or almost always light, I need gardening for my outdoor activity, and quilting for my indoor activity. It seems whatever season I'm currently in, I'm reflecting about the other. Winter encourages quilting and planning the next garden of color. Summer allows me to put my plans (and plants) in the ground, and provides ample photos and inspiration for the pending winters quilt projects. The circle of my life is reflected in my creative pursuits, season to season.

"Growing Reflections" is also reflective in design because the four quadrants are mirror images of one another. In some ways it reminds me of an English formal garden. The design is free clip art I downloaded from Dover Publications. After ink jet printing the design on silk and ironing fusible web to the back of the design, I trimmed the edges to adhere it to the light cotton background fabric. My background fabric was then ironed to a fusible stabilizer before machine embroidering the design. All of the embroidery was free motion stitched using 100% Rayon Embroidery Thread. The stabilizer was thick enough to act as my batting layer, so after fusing a cotton fabric backing, I free motion machine quilted around each color section with clear mono-filament thread. "Growing Reflections" may be hung on point or squared with equal visual balance and appeal.

To view other artist entries click on the 3 Creative Studios Quilt Challenge 2010 badge in the sidebar.

"Growing Reflections" has been donated to Anchorage Log Cabin Quilter's Small Quilt Auction being held on Sept. 11th and 12th, at Conoco Phillips on the corner of 7th & G Street.

Mixed Media Meltdown

2010-08-29T17:53:00.001-08:00

Recycled and Waterproof Flowers for Garden Art?

I'd intended to clean up my beading station but got sidetracked with the first item I laid my hands on.

My studio overflows with daily discards destined as future recycled art. This light plastic divider originally separated fresh boxed peaches. With a bit of ingenuity, and a few hours playing around, I transformed it into several decorative flowers for an undetermined use later.

For the flowers, I randomly scissor-cut the cup sides until the plastic sections laid flat between a parchment paper sandwich. This is when I discovered how quickly the thin centers melted under heat. They bubbled first, the thicker sides took a fraction longer. Don't hold the iron in one place. It will even melt by just lightly hovering over the paper if the iron is too warm.

If you try this project, I recommend you begin your experimentation with a low iron heat setting, using a light touch and paying careful attention to your progress because light plastic melts very quickly!

After I melted all the cups, I layered two together per flower and free-motion machine stitched the centers. After auditioning bottle caps and shiny metal buttons I decided on colorful buttons as flower centers. I felt they needed more color so I added a single flower petal from a party lei, then hand stitched their final placement. Most likely my little flowers will be floating around my studio for a month or so before some brainy idea pops up on how to use them. They are weather proof and I want to create some garden art so...... hmmmm.

Taking the recycling a step further, I melted the scraps between a sandwich of plastic netting, formerly potato and orange bags, making sure parchment paper separated the netting from my iron and the ironing board surface.

Busting Out To Support Breast Cancer Research

2010-08-26T21:47:00.004-08:00

As so often happens, creative minds travel uncharted territory while exploring new ideas, especially when sharp minds and quick wit are sparking back and forth. Such is the case last year when my dear friend and fellow quilt enthusiast Marguerita McManus and I originated our "Busty Cup" fund raising idea. Believe me, the online chat was as entertaining as our developing vision. We agreed to design a fabric coffee cup sleeve into a feminine novelty item that would be specifically promoted as auction items for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research. Last month we gathered our supplies from home and second hand shops, set a date and got busy.

A weekend collaboration in Marguerita's studio this summer revealed major differences in our approach toward realizing our preliminary visions. I tackled the project from an artistic leaning based on previous experience by sewing a fabric foundation then adding the bust.

Marguerita was leaps ahead of me from a couture perspective, in which she created her sleeves from recycled brassieres and focused on the clothing aspect. Her results boggled my mind, not only for the sheer beauty of her designs, but also the dazzling speed in which she cranked out five to my three. (and she's made more since then) Who knew! I can't even describe how fun this challenge was for both of us. Read Marguerita's version on how this all materialized. It stretched our skills and imagination each time we made a new one.

Our Busty Cup instructions and downloadable pattern.
Marguerita's You Tube video

There is no right or wrong method, since the overwhelming emphasis is on one-of-a-kind designs... same idea with different looks, which will vary from person to person. Margaret Bucklew of Chiseled in Cloth proves my point with her twist on our Busty Cup idea.

We had such fun brainstorming ideas while working together on our Busty Cups and realized we were onto something bigger than just our joy in making these little gems. We hope groups of ladies (and men) will gather for a Busty Cup party in their studio, quilt shop, or even host an online challenge, to produce auction items for their own local Breast Cancer Support. Who hasn't been affected by this life altering disease either directly or indirectly? Breast Cancer isn't exclusive to women... The American Cancer Society estimates that about 2,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed in men each year and account for approximately 1% of all breast cancer cases.

Marguerita and I encourage you to 'bust' open your own creative ideas with a few friends and hopefully share your success with others in our fight against this devastating disease.
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Below are some additional photos showing my preparations for decorating artsy foundations. Click on the photos for greater detail. I have since added a small pink ribbon to each cup sleeve to further signify the Breast Cancer Support theme.