Mandala didn't make the cut

"American Made Mandala," by Sherrie Spangler

This is the secret project I was working on a few weeks ago for a contest that didn't allow previous publication of entries. I just got notice that it didn't make the cut, so now I can show it.

It was for a contest by American Made Brand, which is a line of solid quilters cotton grown and processed entirely in the United States. The challenge was to make a quilt no larger than 15 inches in any direction from the American Made fabrics. They only juried in 40 out of hundreds of entries, and my mandala didn't make it :(

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A quiet morning at home

This first day of October began quietly, with Bunners peeking from her hiding spot and fog shrouding the water.

I sipped coffee by the window and then decided to take my camera outside and capture some images from the day. I have nothing better to blog about, so I'll just offer up these pictures of a peaceful morning.

Sea gulls wheeled above me and rested on a floating dock as the sun burned through the fog, turning gray water silver.

A heron statue guarded the fish pond while our little boy statue quietly read in the spreading sunshine.

Pink blooms and purple kale added more color to the morning, glowing in the sun.

Inside, my wool birds and embroidery floss waited for my attention. I did do a little stitching later in the afternoon, after errands and yoga had been done and dinner planned.

If you ever come to visit, you'll be greeted by Bunners' outdoor friends who live on our front porch. Hope you had a good Oct. 1.

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STITCH library show is up

"Kaleidoscopic Vision" by Carol Arnold

The STITCH library show in Gig Harbor is up and will stay up through early December! It took my art quilt group two mornings, but we finally finished hanging more than 40 quilts from the light fixtures. It was a stretch, in more ways than one. We call it:

"The Art of the Quilt"

By STITCH

October through early December 2015

Gig Harbor Library

We'll also give a talk and trunk show:

"Art Quilt Techniques"

Oct. 10, 2015 / 1-2 p.m.

Gig Harbor Library

First, we laid out everything in the community room then pinned on labels and found poles or wooden rods to fit each quilt. Then began the tedious task of running fishing line through each pole and tying the ends to hooks that we hung from the light fixtures.

I love how the quilts seem to float over the books.

"Sedona Spring" by Sherrie Spangler

 

The photos above and below show some of the quilts in our 22"x33" challenge, in which we wanted to see how many different directions we could go within that size format with the quilts hanging vertically. We went in a lot of directions! There are 11 quilts in that challenge and we grouped them together near the front of the library.

Judi did the giant snail, above, and Carol did the fractured piece, below. Hope you enjoyed this little taste of the show, and I hope some of you can see it in person and come to our talk on Oct. 10. Note: The library will be closed Nov. 9-22.

Here's the library's website:
https://www.piercecountylibrary.org/branches/west-county-branches/gig-harbor/gig-harbor-library.htm

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Stitching the wool birds

I've been stitching away  at my wool birds from Sue Spargo's "Bird Dance" book. I don't always follow her stitch suggestions because I want to throw in some of my own favorites, like the chain stitch (below) and blanket stitch. But other times I learn new stitches from her books, like the blue drizzle stitch above.

My birds are also different from hers because she uses a lot of cotton prints (often inside the wings and on the neck) that are needle-turn appliqued down, whereas I'm using all felt with a whip stitch applique. I love her lively prints, but I don't like to do needle-turn applique.

The gold stitch above is the rosette chain stitch, which I just learned today from her "Creative Stitching" book. In "Bird Dance," she tells you which pages in the stitch book you can find directions for the various embroidery stitches.

I'm saving all the thread tails because I like the colors. I may do something creative with them once I get a bag full.

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Fall, Comfort Quilts and Chocolate

 
The first day of fall here in the South Puget Sound was sunny and warm, with an evening sky tinged with pink over the Hale Passage.

I spent an enjoyable afternoon with the Comfort Quilters sewing inside a sunny window at Quilt Revolution. We completed about five tops for local patients undergoing breast cancer treatment. I snapped photos of three, but the rest were folded up and tucked away by the time I remembered that I had my camera.

One of our members brought a box of delectable chocolates made by a local chocolatier, Trop's Chocolates. What could be better than quilting in the sunshine with friends while eating gourmet chocolates?

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Wool birds and real flowers

I'm starting to embellish the wool birds with embroidery! I've barely begun in these photos, and I can tell it'll take me awhile to get them all gussied up. I'm planning to do most if not all of the 30 bird blocks in Sue Spargo's book.

They still need feet, eyes, a lot more embroidery and some sparkly beads. The blue thread being wrapped around the long needle is my beginner attempt at the drizzle stitch.

I'm linking this post to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Fridays, in case you want to see what other fiber artists have been up to this past week:  http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/#

Also adding color to my weekend were these glorious dahlias in the quaint little town of Pt. Gamble. I went to get more wool at the Quilted Strait but ended up spending a lot of time in the public garden marveling at the large size and perfection of the flowers.

This last flower harbors a tiny tree frog. You can barely see its head peeking out from among the petals.

 I blogged more about Pt. Gamble in these posts:

http://sherriequilt.blogspot.com/2013/12/color-splash-in-pt-gamble-wa.html

http://sherriequilt.blogspot.com/2013/10/an-amble-through-port-gamble.html

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Beach, bunnies and baking

My daughter came home to visit over the weekend and it was like a little vacation for me. We walked the beach, cuddled her bunnies (my grandbunnies) and baked. I wish she could be here every weekend, sigh.

The weather was sunny, with a touch of fall in the air. Seagulls swooped and bobbed in the water, and a Great Blue Heron stood guard on a dock.

Mt. Rainier loomed massive over the water, blending in with the sky.

Frankie and Bailey, her rabbits, are SOOOO adorable and snuggly and silky soft. I just couldn't get enough of petting them. To top off the weekend, we baked plump loaves of chocolate chip zucchini bread. Yum!

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More wool applique

I started another wool applique project, this one a quilt of birds designed by Sue Spargo. I bought the book, a selection of wool/acrylic Grenziana thread and some colorful felted wool fabric when I was in Sisters, OR, in July for the quilt festival.

Book of applique bird patterns.

The cutting and quiet hand stitching are very addictive, and only my screaming arthritic thumbs make me stop every once in awhile.

Freezer paper template.

Sue's technique is to stitch the wool applique shapes down with the wool thread and a tiny whip stitch. After everything is down nice and snug, then the fun of using decorative embroidery stitching begins. Here are a few of my blocks before starting on the embroidery. Note that the birdy legs and feet will be added with embroidery stitches.

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