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

White in Nature

. This picture is from a view along my morning walks. Not our view, but it's close. I loved the fresh white chairs lined up so regularly.
 Let''s talk about white.White was the color of choice for walls, weddings, cake icing, and quilt backgrounds for a long time. It feels clean and fresh. Who doesn't love to see a fresh set of unwrinkled white sheets on the bed? White holds all the colors within it's boundaries, and I love all the colors

I love tulips, especially lavender ones but these white ones in front of a faded wooden fence are very appealing.
As artists, not there is a bit of gray, green, and yellow in these white flowers. They wouldn't look as lovely without these accent colors.

Dogwood tree in bloom

The dogwood is one of my favorite trees. It just seems so gentle. The little nip nature takes in the center of the petals.
Again, white, but look at the hints of pink blue and gray as well as the yellow and chartreuse.

My white daffodils have finally bloomed, alongside the tulips. The yellow ones have gone.

I always feel daffodils are girls, in frilly white dresses, singing.

 The white carpet of flowers is beautiful especially next to the pink azaleas. I saw this along the walk so don't think I have the green thumb of flowers.
I am an appreciator of landscape and color!


I will leave you today with a picture of a lowly dandelion. The most hated weed in suburbia. I have a bumper crop as I am allergic to a lot of week killers and pesticides. I should get one of the habitat signs for my front yard so my neighbors with the golf-course-lawn will think it's intentional!

Does nature inspire you as much as it inspires me?
Want a bit of fun? Here is a new quiz to see what color you'd be (click here!)
LeeAnna

Another way to Text

this is a portion of the quilt

 I am still working on my State challenge project. I am finished with the quilting after yesterday's marathon ending with the title quilted into the top border. Love it! It may be subtle but it's there. I had some questions about density of quilting. The past few years have seen wall quilts becoming so densely quilted that they resemble tapestries, if some is good, more is better! 
You'll see the areas I chose to leave puffy in design when I post a finished picture on Monday.
In order to work on this large 35X46 inch quilt, I had to clear the surfaces of my sewing and cutting tables.

 What a difference it makes! Why, it makes me want to actually sort and clean the whole studio finally! All that cleared off surface is enticing, no??
Thought I might show you how I approach a big challenge project. After I decide on a design, draw it out, gather fabrics and start the top, I move on to the exciting bits, the embellishments! Whee!

As I consider beads, sequins, trims, fonts, etc, I pull out one of my empty drawers and use it to corral the possible finishing trims. It holds bits of fused pieces, patterns, threads, etc  until the quilt is finished. It keeps them together and allows my mind to move (moooove) on to the task at hand. Compartmentalization in use.
In this bin is some discarded bias, some wooden fish, some flower beads, the font I used to cut letters for a-moo-ha.
Back to binding choices. Then the embellishing begins!
How do you keep things in order while you create? 
LeeAnna
to see other posts on the hibiscus method (click here!)  and the sun in the beginning (click here!)

Pink is back!

It's all about pink for me right now! I thought since I love color, and flowers, and art I would share some of the inspiration I find in pink. I used to buy into the idea that pink was for little girls. Either I am still a little girl inside or I finally got old enough not to care what some people think! I love pink! I used to study ballet, so I even miss ballet pink, tights in a delicate pink that allowed me to lift my legs into a split while leaping through the air.

One of our neighbors planted these little flowers one year and now I get to enjoy the burst of hot pink every Spring. I planted some that promptly died.

There is a color quiz here (just for fun! ) and among other things says about the person who enjoys pink:
"You are friendly and approachable with a warmth and softness others are drawn to" I'll take that.

 Color vibrates on a wavelength, similar to  music.


People are drawn to certain colors and that attraction can change according to your needs at the moment.

 I love most pure colors. I'm a bit hard to pin down on a quiz. I am totally drawn to yellow and coral, I work mostly in blue/green/aqua, I'm drawn to all white kitchens, aqua appliances, red objects and  I look good in black clothes. I spent some time exploring neutrals last year. Lime green resonates at a fabulous wavelength. Mr. Walks-With-Poodle is an electrical engineer and has studied color at it's "molecular" (my words) level but I just like to look at it.
Back to this day's color study. These little watering cans were sitting out on a wall:

One might as well enjoy the process, right?

Make a party out of every day life!

Now I want one. I like everyday objects that make me laugh. Hmmm, that 5 year old me is still alive inside!



The cherry trees are awesome right now!

Just look at those blossoms! I am so inspired by color. Note, they are pink.
Pink, but not just pink. They have brownish green leaves with hints of yellow, to  support  the star of the show. The brown trunk also sets off pink. Within each blossom is a range of white to light ballet tights pink, to dark pink. That robins egg blue sky helps by creating a background.

Do any of you that work with fabric to make art, see nature as colors you would work with in the studio?
I will look at the sky and think of painting it, what colors I would choose, how they would blend, the influence they would have on each other as colors change according to ones they are next to.
I'll leave you with this little one exploring her world. She is obviously new, as a big poodle lives in this yard. One that enjoys the thrill of the chase. 

So tell me...What kind of pink resonates with you?
LeeAnna
linking to a new party http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/

Sew first, ask questions later

 This will be filed under, "what to sew when you don't know what to sew but want to sew now" discussion

See the pile of little scraps all in shades of purple??

All of them represent old projects, favorite fabrics, and possibilities. It feels good to me to make something from scraps someone else wouldn't think twice about tossing away.

Today I needed a break from the decisions about my challenge quilt but still wanted to sew.

My plan was to sew dark shades about the same length, together in a row. Didn't worry with grain, or straight lines too much.
After I had four strips, all wavy and messy, I put them side by side til I liked it. I then used free-form curved piecing techniques to sew the columns together. It needed something... I tried several items, insert circles, smaller finished quiltlets, single fabric inserts, then decided to be influenced by nature and cut a raw edge flower out of one of the little scraps. Layered it, used a bias strip left over from the mermaid quilt. A little quilting, a little paint, a few beads and it'll be a cute little project. I had fun, and that was the purpose.

You don't always have to know what you want art to be, when you make it! 

Linking up to http://superscrappy.blogspot.com/  and http://www.mollisparkles.com/
LeeAnna

surfs up!

I am deep into the process so I haven't been writing lately.

If I am ever missing in blogland like this again, feel free to look at a label on the side for topics, or blasts from the past to enjoy. There are some funny bits back there!

Can you tell the state now?
Does that look like a surfboard?
I'm going to try and make it look like it's embedded in the sand.
Isn't the pic to the left gorgeous? I found it on google images (visualphotos) and fell in love! It's sheet music from 1925, a glorious period for art in my opinion. So until I am farther along in my challenge quilt, I might not be around much. Please enjoy topics from my almost year in blogging. Keep making stuff!
LeeAnna
There are several other posts on this quilt and it's components so please, keep scrolling down for the lowdown!

Easter Saturday trip to Annapolis

The day was mild and sunny, so we took our morning walk in Annapolis. Cole contemplates the Capitol.

Here is some of the loot we bought (instead of fabric).
This, along with a bottle of pre-made mimosas and some greek feta with red pepper dip.
The pink poodle in a french maid's costume, and the lovely cream pitcher were half off, the doggie treats were full price and more! We all enjoyed shopping while people watching, on a crowded morning in the old town.

I didn't buy this card... yet. I figure I need the reminder that I'm not too old to do something stupid.
The other cards fit me too, click on the picture to enlarge and read them.


We saw a lot of flowers emerging in the Spring sunshine.

Aren't these tiny grape hyacinths cute?? One might step on them they are so tiny but so rich in purple color with each petal forming a little balloon.

We spent about 2 hours strolling around with periodic breaks for people to admire and pet Cole.
I swear we'd be ignored if it weren't for that poodle!
 He is having joint issues and not doing well on regular walks, so we like to visit other places on the weekends to jazz him. 

Our neighbor puts out this plastic bunny every year, so I thought I would leave you with this image. Imagine biting the chocolate ear off this guy!
I miss getting an Easter basket of treats, don't you??