Saturday, April 1, 2023

My creative week.... Art quilt for Table Scraps Challenge "Beautiful Understory"

 

I almost didn't make a table scraps challenge this month, feeling so tired from the last project quilting piece, and the round robin finish. I'm so glad I made this! 

Joy likes us to use scraps in the RSC color of the month if possible, so I pulled some strips to see what came of them...

after moving them around, I cut free formed curves and sewed strip to strip, pressing after each seam, trying out more colors and patterns... as one does. til it became about 15" wide by 22" long

time to quilt!

lots of quilting in parallel lines, different color and textures of threads, stop reevaluate, add more. Notice the ragged bits cut away when I made the initial long cuts often made it onto the finished top to become rawedged appliques. I love the tiny pops of color and texture

placed a broken broach on the bottom for laughs... 

 here is the backing I chose, seemed wild and fun!

while I stitched I imagined an old growth tall forest. I wondered if I might add in some mushrooms and a fern, but it seemed to throw off the scale of the "trees" 

I stitched a combination of free motion and even-feed foot work. 

binding was done one side at a time, because I had that tiny scrap just enough for the bottom, with texture and leeeeeetle hearts...

I kept putting the wild woman pin on it... but it was too "something"
I did this drawing from a youtube tutorial, see yesterday's post for details

so I pulled out my fusible scrap box and cut some mushroom shapes from it, along with two tiny fairies

these were the quilting threads used for the appliques, along with pencils and brush pens

a close up of the little appliqued area... I scumbled a shade along the tops to lock them down and shadow with the thread on the left on the light ones. It is some kind of twist of bronze and black, kind of textural and kind of bold on the spool. It blended really well but I had to go slower than I usually do. On the stems I used the oliver twist in gray tones, and came in repetitively in parallel lines on the left to create shadow and depth, and it worked a dream. I would love all the oliver twist colors. I used black then hologram silver with yellow and pink in it, for fairies. The under caps are drawn out with the black thin 2 ply broder cotton and it was perfect for definition. The silver mylar on wings and dresses.

click on any image to enlarge for details 

so you can see more of the piecing, extra strip placement, and scale

I made this in less than a week, because I got excited about it... isn't that a nice feeling as an artist?

speaking of that, please come see my paintings done this week, on this link    click here!

one of them

  

linking with

https://thejoyfulquilter.blogspot.com/2023/03/march-2023-abc-table-scraps-challenge.html

design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts

finished or not

19 comments:

Kathleen said...

I love that your drawn art inspired your mushrooms on your table scraps piece. So much fun!

Cathy said...

Oh my, that piece is MAAAHVELOUS!!! It is so evocative of a magical woodland! Kudos and all the heart eyes!! 😍😍

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Your forest is beautiful - you made me see it, too! Love the little mushrooms and fairies. There's a story in that little quilt!

The Joyful Quilter said...

While I love your GREEN free-pieced curve on their own, your mushrooms and fairies sent this piece to a whole 'nother level of awesomeness!!!

MissPat said...

Mushrooms growing in the forest with fairies added for whimsy. Delightful!
Pat

Helen said...

I love it when you paint with fabrics! This one is really beautiful. Great colors.

grammajudyb said...

Oh my gosh, LeeAnna! This creative piece is fab! I kept reading your steps, then enlarging the photo to look closer! The Mushroom Fairies are just perfect! It’s really, really wonderful!

Susie H said...

For almost not doing the Table Top Challenge, you sure came up with a winner. The mushroom & fairies were the perfect additions. Every forest has them, right?

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

Oh wow, Your mini quilt is wonderful, I love the mushrooms and the deep forest. The drawing of the houses, and the paintings, are fabulous too, well done!
Thank you for sharing your art, and linking up.

PaintedThread said...

Love this! The color and the texture. Funny - Salley Mavor's post this week featured toadstools, too!

Lynn said...

A gorgeous little quilt. Thanks for sharing the process too, the quilting really enhances it all.

Sara said...

Another beautiful art quilt. I love the mushrooms!!!

Andree G. Faubert said...

Hi LeeAnna, what a gorgeous little quilt - it really does look like a forest and those mushrooms and fairies are perfect. Thanks for linking up to Free Motion Mavericks! Take care.

Kim said...

Wow! That quilt is gorgeous! And your drawings and painting are beautiful and inspiring, too.

Ann said...

Gorgeous Understory. Congratulations and thanks for sharing the details.

Jennifer Fulton Inquiring Quilter said...

When I saw the small photo of your quilt in the show and tell linkup, I couldn't wait to see it in person. Absolutely gorgeous! Love, love it and yes it reminds me of an old growth forest. Takes me back to last summer when I visited one. Thank you for linking up to Wednesday Wait Loss!

Linda said...

Your art quilt is stunning, just beautiful. Your fabric choices and placement and the quilting all just look so natural - love the mushrooms and fairies additions. You are such an intuitive artist!

Leanne Parsons said...

I love the old growth forest feel of this! The mushrooms and fairies feel like the perfect addition to give it a little whimsy.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Wow.... what an amazing piece!!!