Frost?

Happy New Year! 

The Frost challenge began smoothly.  I took hand-dyed fabric (ice blue) and layered hand-dyed organza (sage colored) on top.  I painted white snowflakes over the surface.  I then cut the piece into 3" x 3" squares (3.5" x 3.5" with seam allowances).  I sewed them together haphazardly and couched a thin silver braid around the snowflake edges.  I then sewed a inner and outer borders around the snowflakes using a silver rayon thread.  This is what the final background looks like...

I love the look of the background, but it needed something more and here is where my snag came.  I have hit many dead-end trials and ideas.  One of my trials was to add a cardinal bird sitting on a branch; here is my cardinal....

I really like the cardinal, but felt its style did not match the style of the snowflake background.  So, the cardinal "flew the coup".

I finished the piece by adding a butterfly, and here it is.....

Enjoy!  Kathy

First Frost

This was a challenge that was fun.  So many ideas and so little time with the holidays mixed in there too.  Like many of you, my first thought was a snowflake.  But I couldn't figure out which technique.  Then I got a great idea but it was too late to complete it.  

So, during dinner one evening, I asked my husband and parents what they thought of first when they heard the word "frost".  My Dad said "My geraniums."  I said, with not just a little confusion, "Your geraniums?"  He nodded, said yes and proceeded to explain that after the first frost they are dead!  I thought of a 12 x 12 with a dead geranium and decided against it. :)  

My mother's response was "I think of all the little birds we used to see on the power lines in Edmonton.  When it got cold they would all sit together to keep warm."  Now that imagery I could work with.  And here it is.  

The technique I used is the one learned from Lorraine Roy and that is the background and the birds.  The piece is mounted on satin, which is a royal pain in the butt to use, but it worked and it looks cold. Here is a detail photo of the birds.  

And, I too would like to wish love, happiness and health to everyone in the new year!  

A Touch of Frost

This has been a challenging topic.  My first thoughts included snowflakes in various techniques.  Too complicated.

I remembered a photo I took awhile ago of leaves edged in frost. 

The leaves are made of silk fusion. They are edged in a  non-fire ceramic glaze snow found in my cupboard from years past.   The background is a hand dyed  Judy Robertson fabric.  It was a perfect colour for the leaves. A fun project.

Diane   Boyko.

Frankly, it's Frosty! (or "Inspired by Bacon")

Happy New Year, challengers! I hope you had fun with the frost theme! When I told my husband that I thought the theme should be seasonal, but not Christmassy, he suggested "frost". So, Frank, this one's for you!

About two years ago, I won a random drawing from the Quilting Arts forum. I received, amongst lots of other goodies, some white opalescent Angelina fibres, which I excitedly packed away in a drawer, where it remained until I went looking for frost. I spread out the Angelina and MistyFused them together on plain white cotton. And left it like that for about 6 weeks, waiting for inspiration. 

A few weeks later, my sister suggested that "we" (meaning "I") make a bacon ornament for her son's Christmas tree. She even provided me with a picture of her idea of a perfect slice of bacon. This is what I came up with - free-motion stitching in many different threads (complete with some glitz, because it's for Christmas; but not too much, because it's for a guy!) on water-soluble stabilizer:

(Before I gave it to my nephew, I rinsed out the water-soluble stabilizer!)

As I was makin' bacon, I decided I could make a tree - using the same technique and, if it turned out, use that with the Angelina/MistyFuse background. This led to some more of the same technique to the strips at the base of the tree. During my canvas-work/cross-stitch days, I  had accumulated a rather large supply of fancy, glittery, glitzy threads and fibres, so I added lots of frosty sparkle!

 

Using an over-dyed rayon thread for a bit of subtle colour in the trunk of the tree, I machine-stitched the three pieces to the background, but decided not to stitch down all the branches, because I like the 3D effect. I also like the crumpled effect - the Angelina cannot be ironed any more due to over-heating. I think the 3D effect and the crumpled look add to the harsh, wintery appearance of the piece.

After I had finished the machine-stitching, I added a few random opalescent beads in the branches of the tree. 

This is my Frost.

I look forward to seeing the more frost - and to the next challenge!