Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

I am back from a wonderful week at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.  It started on Sunday the 3rd with a Fiber Arts Walk through the town shops where I was able to view lots of unique techniques where artists were, dyeing, stitching and selling their wares.   I attended "Quilters Affaire" which is the week before the show where classes are taken. I took a class from Leonore Crawford and her painted flowers, see post below, on the 4th of July -- they don't stop for a holiday when it falls during quilt week. Also took a class with Frieda Anderson with her dyed fabric in fusing and learned some new tips for working with fusing. 

Sisters Mountains

"Alice in Wonderland" Exhibit

Quilts on porches

Quilts in shop window.

Saturday was Quilt Show day and volunteers start really early hanging 1400 quilts all over town, from porches, windows, walls and parks. I really enjoyed the special exhibit from some girls in Portland. Their group "Cover to Cover" all read the same book and then each makes a quilt for the book - this exhibit was "Alice in Wonderland". It was really unique and they dressed up in Alice style and greeted viewers.  All in all a wonderful 2 weeks in the area - Sisters, Bend and Sunriver. 

Recent projects

Painted Rose

Been a while since I have updated my blog - we are doing a lot of traveling.  I took a class with Leonore Crawford at the Sisters, OR Quilt show.  The Rose is my finished project I painted in her class. We used Seta Color and I am really happy with this flower.  I will find a background to put it on - I will fuse it - and finish it up.  I really enjoyed her class and like the technique of painting from a photo. 

"Techniques Sampler"

I have also been working on a small quilt "Techniques Sampler" that features a lot of the techniques I use in making my art quilts, including my beaded seams/panels.Flower is painted with crayons and circles are made with the Bernina circle attachment. I will be teaching it at Redlands Sewing Center, Redlands, Ca sometime in the fall, after we return home. 

My sketching class

Wild Iris

Lupine

Working on my sketching while traveling in the trailer.  I couldn't make class last Saturday and Diane (instructor) made a video for those who can't come or live to far away.  The double spread page is the class project I did with a Lupine flower.  The single flower "Wild Iris" I did yesterday after finding it growing all over a big rock we climbed up yesterday to view the ocean in Brookings, OR.  I have lots of Iris at home, but had never seen these small Wild Iris - they are about 4" tall and grow very close to the ground with long slender leaves.  I like my Iris the best, as I got better contrast. I love the technique of stamping with leaves - really cool.  I am learning so much from Diane.

If you are interested in the video, it is available from Diane at www.Desireesdesigns.com under "workshops".

Also, check out www.Sketchy5150s.blogspot.com for some awesome work by instructor and students.

Wildflowers

We have begun our travels up the Oregon Coast. I love flowers where ever I go and photograph lots of them on our trips. I am practicing my sketching some more and did this journal sketch of the wildflowers I saw yesterday  Lots of buttercups and poppy fields, hills with clumps of purple Lupine and Azaleas like I have never seen - they are trees, not bushes like we have at home and are covered with flowers in large clumps at least 8-10" across. 

Rose Petals

I have been practicing my sketching and watercolor painting for journaling, with the Sketchy 5150's group.  Our challenge this week was "petals" and since my bike is in the garage under tarp, I decided the easiest was going to the garden.  I have some awesome roses and iris this year.  The roses are very large, some 6-7 " across when fully opened.  This is one of my light pink roses that has a yellow base - very similar to my "Princess Diana Rose", but more pink.

I drew the rose this afternoon and posted it on the Sketchy 5150's blog and decided it needed more shading. Our instructor, Desiree, says that watercolor is very forgiving - and she is right.  I let me first part dry thoroughly and came back in to shade with watercolor crayons and a little finger rubbing and I am much more pleased with this page - I might even give it a little more dark at the very center top for a little more definition.

I am having fun revisiting my sketching and trying this "journal" thing, I will be taking my sketching and watercolor stuff with me on our vacation this year -- want to try some scenery - but the single items is giving me good practice.

Fun stuff

Took a class at "Create" Costa Mesa this week with Jane LaFazio on Fusing Sheers.  We used lots of fun paper and fabic, inluding napkins, organza, all kinds of sheer stuff, stamping, stenciling, thermo faxing, ribbon, and thread.  Hands were so covered with medium, I was still peeling off after  2 days.   Loved the class, fun co-students, wonderful, sharing instructor.  This is a photo of the three I finished.  They need some stitching and will do that later. When you hold them up to the light they are transparent, kind of like stained glass.

Student Work

I taught a class at Redlands Sewing Center this last month and thought I would post some of the students work.  It's always a pleasure to see the creativeness that comes out in each student as they move through the weeks.  Although most are not finished, you can see how each design using the "Steampunk" theme was interpreted.  All the fabric was dyed with "Seta Silk" in our first week of the class. Then they learned to connect the panels with a "lacey free-motion stitching".