Double Pop

After making my poppies, I tried them on my busy background. The light reflection of the satin weave fabric along with the large area of solid color seem to outshine the background. I think this will work. At least, I will continue on.

I also tried narrow strips of fabric that I printed with a handmade stamp. I like the balance and the interest that these bring to the project.

To add life to my flowers they needed to be connected to the earth. Of course, stems could be drawn out and carefully planned. Or you can fly free and simply cut.

This will work.

Adding the stems and buds and appliquéing them in place.

My completed project. 

Did I accomplish my mission to subdue the diva background?

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

Ah, I Am Green

The sun is shining, the snow is melting and I have laid aside my brown fabrics. 

A scrap of color has caught my eye.

Not wanting to waste (that is so stuck in my personality), if I have a bit of paint left after working on a project, I use it up on a piece of muslin. Perhaps these muslin pieces are nothing but paint rags or maybe, just maybe, they are the start of something beautiful?

When I pull out one of these painted pieces, I don't feel the pressure to create a masterpiece.
I can play and experiment and there is the thought that I may be able to rescue this bit of nonsense or perhaps, a masterpiece WILL pop out.

Thinking spring, I could see trees coming alive on this mottled ecru fabric. 

I started to add embroidery stitches. 

Will this work? 

The green tree is coming to life but is it still just blending into the background? 

There just isn't much of a value difference.

French knots add texture to the ground.

I finished my Quilter's Tile off with a border and binding of a great dotted print.

Even with a fun fabric in the border, the green tree still didn't stand out. 

Out came the paints.
 I mixed a bit of yellow into my green for a spring green and painted,
not the tree, but a halo of green around the tree.
My tree is now happy basking in the glow. 

Quilter's Tile

"Ah, I Am Green"

8" x 8"

"Ah, I Am Green" is available for 
purchase here.

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

Inspired by fabric? Then what?

Recently, I was asked the question "Are you ever inspired by a piece of fabric and where do you go from there?"

This led me to think further. Where do I go? How does a drop dead fabric turn into a completed project.

Some fabrics need to "hang" around for a while. I do mean this literally. I hang the fabric on my design wall until ideas start to pop into my head.  There are days when this happens quickly. There are other times when months go by before the inspiration comes.

I loved this hand dyed scarf and added silk yarn and leaves to it. Then what? Would I really wear it as a scarf? So, it waited.

Often, my "diva fabric" starts its journey by gathering all its friends. This, of course, means pulling fabrics out of my stash that coordinate or complement my inspirational fabric.

The pile of fabric friends may start out large or pulled in one direction but not all fabrics may become part of the final trip.

My scarf was not impressed with these so called "friends", 

rejected them, and sought other companions.

Yes, we got off to a rocky start.

 The group of "friendly fabrics" may be small but as I go along new friends are added.

These new fabric friends seems more to her taste.

There have even been cases where the "friendlies" went on the trip without the "diva". The inspirational fabric was just that, an inspiration for a quilt.

In this case, she was not to be left behind and adored herself royally. 

After all, she was the "diva".

The journey from fabric to completed project is always interesting. It may be a straight road or it may be a curving path with hills and valleys along the way.

Social Climbers

Sharon V. Rotz

What direction does your path take?

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

Working Small

What could these two unrelated fabrics possibly have in common?

It turns out that they both contributed to my latest project. 

As my hands were busy fringing the edges of the circles for one project, my mind was also busy. Look at the growing pile of silk threads. Should they simply be discarded, the logical choice, or could I find a use for them?

A piece of scenic printed fabric (similar to the first photo) provided a resting place for the threads.

I trapped them under a netting and added a bit of machine quilting and a good amount of hand stitching.

I also trapped wool roving on the mountain tops to give them a misty look and added more embroidery stitches.

My favorite french knots were added to the bottom for a bit of extra detail.

My completed mountain mini measures 7" x 9".

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

Too Much Winter? Think Flowers!

If your studio windows are covering up with snow,

and your birds are walking up to the feeder instead of flying in,

then this is the time to revive your spirit and draw inspiration from the 

Winter's Garden Show 

at the Riverfront Arts Center in Stevens Point, WI.

This exhibit features floral and botanical art 

and fresh blooming orchids.

I'm proud to have artwork in the show.

The orchids are for sale so you can bring your favorite home with you.  

Oh yes, the artwork, too!

Details and link on the Side bar - "Galleries and Exhibits"

Still Sitting on the Edge

Peepers

Sharon V. Rotz

While I was reviewing older quilts and thinking about quilt edges, this quilt stuck out as another of my favorites.

One of the little details that added to the total quilt was the curving edge. Again, this may only be a small thing but it softened what would have been a harsh line and adds to the total effect of a wavy, watery theme.

The binding was traditionally done. The strips were cut on the bias for more flexibility going around the curve. 

Easily accomplished, I have to remember this for my future quilts.

What exciting edges are surrounding your quilts?

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

Make Your Fabric Work for You

Sumac Roadways

Sharon V. Rotz

This week I have been revisiting some of my older works and looking for concepts that I particularly would like to repeat again. This is one of my favorites. Although I've used only a handful of fabrics, they are all working to their maximum to create a complex-looking image.

What I like about the binding is the fabric that I chose and how the fabric pattern works to create an  interesting design edge. The binding was, of course, done the traditional way of wrapping a strip of fabric around the edge of the quilt but looking at the pattern of the printed fabric, there is the illusion of  jagged movement encircling the center.

Do you ever analyze what makes your favorite quilts work?

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

Nine Patch Quad Completed

Nine Patch Quad

21" x 21"

©2012 Sharon V. Rotz

With your words of encouragement from last Friday's post, I continued on free-motion machine quilting around my pods shapes.

Soon the surface was quilted and I enjoyed the moment. I'm so happy that I jumped in with this design. When I started quilting, I didn't draw out the motifs, I just let it all happen. Once I started, I was committed as removing the stitching would damage, or at least scar, the fabric.

In some open areas, I added bending lines to fill in and even the spacing between the quilting lines.

I didn't want the binding to show on the edge of the quilt, so I chose to finish the edge with a faced binding.  I had just enough fabric left to cut strips for my binding. I used the same size strips as I would if I were making a traditional binding. The strips were folded lengthwise and pressed, again as I would for a traditional binding.

Then I stitched the strips together matching the sizes needed for the quilt. I mitered the corners and ended up with a frame shaped facing. I laid this on the front of the quilt and stitched around the edge with a 1/4" seam allowance. The facing was then pressed to the back of the quilt and finished with hand stitching.

Linked to Off the Wall Fridays

You're Invited

Tuesday's Tile - What Inspired You Today?

Pods 4

©2012 Sharon V. Rotz

Where do you get the inspiration for your art projects? 

When I am looking for subject matter for my Quilter's Tiles, I often have a bit of an idea that I want to pursue before I work on a larger art project. 

Today was different. For today's tile I found scraps of fabric from a previous project and was eager to see where they would lead me. Would I make a repeat of Pods 4 or would I be led in a different direction?

Because the scraps already had the beginnings of shapes, I started fitting them together. I'm stretching away from the drawing and cutting pattern pieces that I did for Pods 4. A more serendipitous approach today.

Obviously, a little trimming is in order here.

By overlapping the two sections,

I trimmed them to shape.

Now they are ready to stitch together.

Since I had not accounted for seam allowances, I stitched close to the edge. I do not feel this piece will suffer from wear and the narrow seam allowance will be fine.

Here is the seam stitched and pressed and ready for the next strip to be added on.

Upside down or right side up, I like my small composition. At this point, I don't know which side will be up and I'm open to looking at it from a different view point. What do you think? This side up 

or that side up?

I've layered and pinned so now the next step will be the quilting. Will that be the final step? Even I don't know the answer yet.