quick quilt

quilt280605
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

Had another busy day but wasn't going to let another day go past without sewing. I have a library book about Hunderwasser out at the moment and a piece of a painting caught my eye. I love hot pink and this blue together so 1 hour later this was on my floor - how I love when I work that fast and that intuitivily!
30cm x 65cm

new old quilt

New Quilt
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

No sewing today, worked all day!
I finished this quilt a couple of weeks ago. All the fabric is discharged black cotton homespun. The quilt is inspired from a picture of a quilt from the book The Quilts of Gees Bend. I love to cut my blocks freehand (i.e. not using a ruler). The quilt reminds me of and old lino floor. I would love to own an pre-loved antique quilt, I suppose this is my way of getting "character" into a new quilt.

ATC series

ATC series1
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

I had so much fun yesterday, I decided to make a series of 6 ATC's. I was having so much fun I could have just kept going, I made one and that lead to another - the ideas were just flowing!

Also I have had an idea for a new quilt that relates to my most recent quilt so have done a couple of blocks of that. Purple and green again!

love these cat photos

DSC_1278
Originally uploaded by junku.

Not my photos but If you love cats, you have to check out this set of photos by Junku on flickr!

Click on the photo and it will take you to the site.

more exciting mail!

fromihanna855
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

This arrived this morning - my ATC trade from ihanna in Sweden.
Just love the card.

I got mail!

fromtifty
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

My first ATC trade arrived today from tifty in the USA

Wow - it felt like xmas opening my letter!

new ATC

ATC18
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

Had some fun with machine embroidery today. Not something I have done much of. Started off with machine on wash-away fabric and made some wonderful "thread-yarn" that will be wonderful to couch down onto an ATC.

On this ATC I machine embroidered circles on black felt and then attached to the ATC.

What I like about doing ATC's is that I get to play and try things that I would be to daunted to try on a quilt. My next challenge is to transfer my skills to a quilt design.

visual journal

journal
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

I have kept a visual journal daily for the past 2 years, a5 in size and the challenge was to find something inspirational every day to put in there. Some days easy, others a real challenge. Sometimes I have written notes, more often not so when I look later I often wonder what the "original" inspiration was. This was from an advertisement for a CD holder but makes a wonderful quilt design. I have made a small quilt of this, now I want to make a larger version, or maybe make another the same size and just alter the colour.

untitled quilt

untitled quilt
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

This is the quilt inspired by my journal entry.

48 x 48 cm

"Ideas have come from the strangest places"

Joyce Carol Oates

new ATC

ATCduo
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

Received my latest copy of Quilting Arts magazine yesterday. There was an article about mixed media & quilting, with the idea of using watercolour paper, so these are the result of a play with my paintbox!
I ripped the shapes out of watercolour paper then coloured with watercolour paints. I used a small amount of PVA to fix them to the fabric and then stitched over them. It worked well, I think because of the thickness and flexibility of the paper the fabric and paper go well together.

fabric ATC's - Artist Trading Cards

ATCtrio
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

To construct my ATC I first make a sandwich of backing fabric / vleisofix / batting / vleisofix , and iron to make a unit.
I then either sew my ATC top or use a piece of fabric and vleisofix the 'bits' on.
This I then iron altogether.
I usually then cut to my 2/1/2 x 3/1/2 finished size before quilting.
To finish I either do a straight or zig-zag stitch several times around the outside.
If the back has ended up particularily messy I will then vleisofix on another backing, and do a couple more rounds of stitching around the outside.

ATC 12

ATC 12
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

Bit of fun today, some light-hearted quilting/sewing!
I love making these when I don't want to get too serious

ATC 11

ATC 11
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

Another one!

photo

veins5
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

Clearing out old files on my computer, - having a bit of a spring clean.
This is a scan of a leaf I took a while ago and the played around in photoshop to alter its colour, intensity and contrast. I love the creativity of it, starting at one point and letting the process lead you to another.
I made a couple of ATC today, will post tomorrow, they just seem to make themselves. A process of letting go of fixed expectations and ideas, enjoying the process and then enjoying the result.

visual diary entry

nanapostcard
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

A collage page from my visual diary. A postcard written to my Nana when she was a little girl from her mother.

another postcard

potcard3
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

A piece that I had machine embroidered a year a ago and had been sitting around, so made it into a postcard so I can enjoy and see it now. The echo machine quilting is something that I wouldn't do on a "real" quilt, but I found I really enjoyed doing it - easy on a small piece.

postcard no.2

Postcard2
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

I am looking at all my reject and play blocks with a new view. I can see myself getting a great deal of creative thrill from turning them into postcard sized "finished pieces" - much more inspiring than half finished UFO's stuffed into a box.
This block is inspired from a photo of old corrugated iron on a shed.

new quilt

ladders791
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

This is the quilt I have been working on for the last 2 weeks.
It is 60 x 83 cm.The design spring-boarded from the scrap quilt I made a few weeks ago.

"Make something and then
do something from that"
Jasper Johns

first fabric postcard

postcard1
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

I have made quite a few Artist Trading Cards, but wanted to try the postcard size. From the sites I have found the finished size seems to be 4 x 6 inches.
This was a piece of a block I had played with and was never going to use - ideal for a postcard though. Having a starting point made the process easy, think I will turn all my odd blocks into postcards! First I cut my piece to approximately 4 1/2 x 6 1/2inches, this I spray basted to a piece of batting. I quilted this (with no backing fabric). I then vliesofixed a piece of calico to the back, then trimmed to 4 x 6 inches and finished the edges with several rows of stitches.

UFO finished

5trees
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

Got this quilt out of the UFO bin today, it has been sitting waiting for a bit more quilting and its binding. It always feels so great to get another thing off the to do list!.
The quilt is from a photo I took at Wanaka an couple of Easters ago.

"Coaching the Artist Within" Eric Maisel

ericmaisel
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

Reading this book at the moment. I read "Fearless Creating" a couple of years ago. This book is about becoming your own creative coach, with ideas on becoming more creative and getting over all that negative self-talk we give ourselves. Helps me be more determined in my creative persuit I suppose. Another great book of his is "The Creativity Book" a year's worth of inspiration, but just a good book to pick up and read an entry when want to kick-start yourself occasionally.

Quote

 
"Be an everyday creative person, creative in everything you do"

  E R I C  M A I S E L

Close-up of my 'as yet un-named' quilt

greenladder_detail
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

New Quilt. Did manage to do some quilting yesterday, despite all the learning how to blog and to put images into my blog. This is a close-up - got some hand quilting as well as machine quilting going on.

ATC Surfing

ATCsurfing
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

My favourite Artist Trading Card. My first surfing lesson at 44! Getting out of the surf as the sun was going down.

Strip Scrap Quilt

strip scrap quilt
Originally uploaded by leap-of-faith.

My latest smallish quilt, 55 x 75 cm - all those strips and scraps that have been hanging around for ages.

Day 1

Took that leap-of-faith to make a blog spot!
Should be quilting, got a quilt I want to finish today.
Also have to learn to get a photo in here from flickr.