Painted Seashells and sandcastles

A Day at the Beach  24" X 24"

Feels like summer is coming... This quilt was made for a challenge, interpret A day at the beach. I made it years ago, and aside from a fold line, it's as fresh as a daisy!
The reason I am sharing it with you now is I am teaching a workshop on painted seashells on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in a few weeks. I want to share pictures of the technique being used in a quilt.

 As always, just click on a picture to enlarge it and see details better.

There are beads hand sewn on the finished quilt, couched threads, but the fun thing about this is the
 sandcastle uses a fused bead technique.

I placed a layer of fusible web over the front of my sandcastle, probably steam a seam at the time.
I poured on tiny, and by tiny I mean miniscule glass beads, smoothed them out, and heated them up with an iron. They fused to the fabric and haven't moved yet.

They feel so sensual, and well, sandy.

 Another close up of the shells, thread work, and hand beading.

The technique I teach is so much fun. It is free-ing to your spirit, allows you to play with paint, is like coloring in a book, and can be done with any image.

I use textile paints, supply the paints and beads in a kit fee, and the student leaves with an almost finished small quilt. Win!!

This is the class project. I show you how to paint the shells, do free form curved piecing, applique your shells, hand bead, and do a quick binding by machine. It's a full day but a fun day.
I'll be speaking to the Olde Kent Quilters on the evening of May 19th, and running the workshop the following day. There may be room in the class, so contact me if you are interested in attending either function.

LeeAnna