Saturday, February 18, 2023

my creative week.... Fun with Dick and Jane, SAHRR challenge met and some paintings


book cover, Fun with Dick and Jane  9" X 12.5"
the Project Quilting prompt this week was to interpret a favorite book...I remember the magical moment when I realized the alphabet I'd been singing and writing was the key to reading. The spark grew instantly. I came home and said, I CAN READ! I've never stopped!

As I pondered what to make in one week, I thought of our 1st grade readers. 

I thought of the other books that have also marked a time period  for me

Jessamy a story of a young girl who visits and aunt and time travels through her bedroom closet of her aunt's turn of the century home. I read that one many times, once in the last 5 years. Then there was Watership Down, The Thornbirds, Outlander, and so many authors I've come to love. 

When we lived in the DC area, we used to go to the Library of Congress's Nat'l Book Festival yearly, and listen to many many authors speak. 


I found a fat quarter of fabric with kids from that era, and cut motifs to collage into my "book"

I visited DaFont for a retro font and chose Fifties Movies. Printed the title out on paper to size

it was too small to cut letters out so I traced them on white fabric with ink, cut that out for the book title, and colored it in with prismacolor pencils in ocher and pink. 

I collaged and quilted and finished this into a book cover... 9" X 11.5" opened up

you can see the collaged fabric motifs, the quilting, and with peltex instead of batting, it's firm. 

note I did repetitive lines of quilting along the spine so it could expand to hold more pages and fold easily. I did the binding on machine with many rows of metallic gold stitching it in place on the front. Reminds me of the Little Golden Books I used to love as a child.

It was my desire to start keeping track of quilts I made each year. I tried spread sheets and written lists and never kept up with them. Now I plan to capture one of my images, and fill in details like size, month/year finished, challenges. If there is any other fact I'll add that in. I could not figure out how to format this orientation so I just cut out the image, and the typed info and glued in on. 

So far I am enthralled when I look through it! I feel like I've been published! Haven't decided if I want to attach the "signatures" or groups of pages and they are all laying quite straight and flat so... no rush

Once again, I love what I made with this challenge. 

click on image to enlarge it
 At the start I wasn't sure how to pick just one, as I love being lost in a story, of reading history, of learning through words in books. But like the magic of reading, there is magic in inspiration too. 

Next up is my Stay-At-Home-Round-Robin blocks/row for this week:

the block prompt is to use "flying geese" and you know I love improv geese and add them into lots of my work. But.... I'm making a Spring scene this time... how to use the repetitive triangles in a scene? 


 I drew out the idea for a butterfly... two sets of geese, one of them more narrow, could be wings.

picked out some fabric scraps to use...from the batik bucket, of course with spots on there!

How pretty! Shall I cut into these? YES! I even used the cutaway HST units to make a small butterfly after that! No waste!

four HST sewn together for each side

I had used a pink scrap in the butterfly for the RSC color this month, but thought... geese... how could I include more? I fleetingly thought make improv worms, nah. Got out my pink scraps and found these

oooo that might work. It's all just a twinkle of an idea on the design wall at the moment anyway. I quite like the pink under my lavender bunny block, like it's leading my eye to her.

gosh it's fun! I like a challenge, I like making something work with a parameter to work around. 

So far it was the center, spool blocks, star blocks, hourglass blocks and now geese. 

Last up, two paintings from this week. I go in spurts with art mediums... and am engrossed in fabric art at the moment but in honor of Valentines day...

I tried to learn a layering paint technique from this video, didn't do very well but it was fun

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW0_3nXJCm8

and this one from a video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgIABNOO6FQ

I totally missed the mark on it but again I was trying to learn illusions. Gotta keep trying... 

linking to these parties: 

design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays 

https://myblog-lunchbreak.blogspot.com/ 
















27 comments:

Iris Flavia said...

I love the series "Quantum Leap", same theme as your book.
And, yes, I remember when I learned to read and a whole new world opened up! (we had but three TV-channels, but books... bliss).

Great idea with the quilt. Wish I could do that too (I have a sewing machine but am a newbie).
Love your artwork too.

Michele McLaughlin said...

Just loving how clever you are! I love the butterfly you made and the book cover is fantastic! Have a great weekend!

Libby in TN said...

I recently purchased a Little Golden Book entitled, "Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Little Golden Book" by Diane Muldrow. So true!

Sara said...

Oh my goodness - your journal is fabulous!! I love it. I used that same Dick/Jane fabric and made a wall hanging years ago. It hung in my school office near my desk for several years. Now it's hanging in the basement family room. I just can't imagine a life without books. I'm so happy when I watch my grandkids enjoying books too.

Susie H said...

Missed your mark with the painted heart? I don't think so. I like it! And oh, that Fun with Dick & Jane quilt journal is FABULOUS! Lots of creativity in this post. Great job!!!

PaintedThread said...

I love how Dick & Jane came out!

Quilter Kathy said...

Very fun Dick and Jane project - I remember those readers very well! I love how your painting turned out... I'm going to pop over and watch the video... looks like fuN!

Marti said...

Oh my! I am totally in love with your Dick and Jane book. And what a great idea to put your quilts on each page. How did you attach the pages to the book cover? You are so creative, I am just blown away with your art and quilts.

Thank you for your kind comment on my blog. You have a no reply comment in my email and I was feeling too lazy to search out an email address, but I do appreciate your thoughts.

Claire said...

Very clever modification of the flying geese block!

Brian's Home Blog said...

That is so cool and boy do I remember growing up with Dick and Jane.

Andree G. Faubert said...

Hi Leeanna, those are great projects. I love your butterflies made from the flying geese blocks. Your Dick and Jane book is great! Have a lovely weekend.

Sandra Walker said...

Lots of wonderful eye candy LeeAnna! I like your Dick and Jane book to hold your quilt journal, and the flying geese butterflies, grin!

The Joyful Quilter said...

OMG!!! I absolutely LOVE your new "book cover", LeeAnna!!! Brilliant use of the Flying Geese prompt for the SAHRR, too.

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

Wow, your book cover is wonderful, and I love the butterflies made with flying geese blocks ;)) Your SAHRR project is calling for sun, holidays and sweet days ;)
Thank you for sharing, and linking up!

Kathleen said...

Love your book cover and your flying geese butterfly! I loved Dick and Jane and that you had some fabric just wait was certainly serendipitous. Also, the butterfly is just perfect for your SHARR! It is such an interesting piece with so many fun elements.

Helen said...

I love that you'll use this book to document your quilts. I know it's validating to look through and see what you've created.

Joanne said...

Those butterflies ! Super idea !

PersimonDreams said...

so fun!

Ann said...

I learned to read with Dick and Jane, too. How lucky to hear all those authors at the Library of Congress. I've been under the weather and am just getting back to reading some blogs. A whole month has disappeared.

Susan said...

How cute! And what a blast from the past! As a third-grader in a one-room school house in rural Vermont, I helped the 1st graders learn how to read using Dick and Jane. Can't forget Spot!

Jennifer Fulton Inquiring Quilter said...

Your little Dick and Jane book is so cute! What a great way to record your projects from this year. Love the way you added geese to your SAHRR. So clever! Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.

Pat at Bell Creek Quilts said...

lots of fun creativeness is happening in your space! love the improve butterflies aka flying geese!

Gillena Cox said...

Your Dick and Jane triggered my memory. And the hearts paintjng is just wonderful.
Thanjs for lknking to Art For Fun Friday.

Much💜love

Kathleen said...

Thanks for linking up to TGIFF! So good to see this fun book again. I really love it.

Vivian said...

Okay, that is a great book cover project for Project Quilting, hope you win! As a reader you might also like checking out the blocks posted to Quiltfolk's Patchwork and Prose QAL. I'm loving the Spring/Easter theme your SAHRR is taking. Those long skinny FG were a great find and addition!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

What a great interpretation of the Project Quilting prompt!!!!

Judy Biggerstaff said...

Love your projects! You are always so creative and so colorful. Just as your blog title says "Not Afraid of Color". Dick and Jane is just so cute.