I added borders to my "Desert Daydream" quilt. Only one inch will show on the front and the rest will be wrapped around a 20x16 frame. You can see on the top where I'm adding big stitches to connect the borders with the center.
Now I'm interrupting this post to bring you the latest Juniper update. She found her feet!!! She's such a little bundle of cuteness. I can hardly wait to visit her again.
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Back to the stitching: I'm using a variegated orange pearl cotton thread. I might add some kind of stitching to the left side of the quilt by the stamped figures, but I'm not sure what that would be.
Before I started the quilt, I pulled out my favorite surface design books to get in the spirit. They're so old that I don't know if they're even still in print, but I treasure them.
I used Yvonne Porcella's "Colors Changing Hue" to learn how to paint fabric about 30 years ago. I still do it her way, using Pebeo Setacolor paints, aluminum pie plates to mix the paint, and scrunching the fabric so that it dries in interesting patterns.
Sherrill Kahn rocked my world about 20 years ago when she came out with these books about fabric painting and mixed media. She's incredibly creative and was an art teacher in public schools for 30 years. I especially like them because she uses my favorite color combos -- orange, blue, purple, gold -- and uses petroglyph inspired stamps, which she designed and sold. Her company was Impress Me Now, but it's since disappeared.
I bought some of her rubber stamps way back when and used them for the stamped petroglyph figures in my quilt. I also learned from her how to create quick and easy stamps from foam food trays, now one of my favorite techniques. And I like her technique of sponging paint onto the stamps to give the image more texture.
Switching to weather news: It's hot! Triple digit hot. These scraps on my cutting table remind me of the searing desert heat.
But the summer monsoon rains have begun, cooling us by about 20 degrees when they pass through. This is last night's sunset after a short rainfall.
Have a colorful day
I really like that stitching over the border seam - it lends a rustic touch perfect for the scene. Ahh our libraries of early "manuals" now out of print, most of the authors no longer teaching or even with us. Not familiar with these titles which shows you the very different quilting paths we took in the early years in terms of influences.
ReplyDeleteLove this little quilt and watching the progress. And the update on Juniper - so cute! Thanks for showing your books that inspired you. I ordered two of them!! Can't believe I've never seen them before. They might be the inspiration I need right now to get back in the game! It's been so hot here my flower garden is turning into weeds but I hear this next week will be cooler!! Stay cool.
ReplyDeleteNice progress you've made on the quilt! And adorable picture of Juniper finding her feet, what a sweetie!
ReplyDeleteI love the Sherrill Kahn books - sad that she had to close the company after her husband passed. Last I heard she was living somewhere in the Big Bear or Lake Arrowhead area.