NEXT CHALLENGE SUBJECT

After much thought and pondering, I have come up with a theme for the next challenge. It can be interpreted any way you wish, as always.  Because of my love of rocks and stones that are beautiful, I've decided to provide a little more room to work in the theme and it is:  drum roll.......

GEOLOGY

Please have fun with this!  

SPICEY

I love the colours “spice” brings to mind.  I thought of course of spices as well as all the wonderful colours of leaves as they turn spicey in the fall.  And the smells of spices!  Too bad we can’t capture that one on the computer…

So I started pulling out shiney fabrics, bits and pieces, and soon a collage appeared to use as a background.  Cool.  How to make them stick together fast and easy.  Hmmm.  Embellisher!  So far I’ve used my embellisher for felting wool roving to stuff then wondered what would happen if I used it to “stick” one fabric to the other.  It worked like a dream.  Took some of the shine away, but that didn’t seem to matter.  I should probably have used larger, therefore fewer, pieces, but what the heck.  And since my current favourite quilting pattern is a spiral, that went on next over super fluffly batting.

Now, what to put on top.  Sure I could put a flower or leaf or  -  how about a word.  How about the topic.  How about use my new couching foot. 

Ergo, “spicey”!  The couching foot is incredible.  To think I used to lay the wool or whatever down and couch by hand.  I was done before I could have threaded a needle!

Happy New Year everyone.

Star Anise

Spices - I read and thought oh oh. Im not a spice kinda girl but I do like the warm colours of them so pulled out two fabrics that I thought suited the theme both in colour and the fact the texture could be suitable for bagging up spices. I searched the library, the grocery aisles even took hubby to a museum exhibit ("The Spice Ships") for inspiration. But other than the rich golds and colours I drew a blank. 

A quilting weekend arrived. On my 3 hour drive to the destination I popped into a health food shop and found the Star Anise. I loved the shape and woody look of it. So bought half a dozen. 

I then endeavored to find the perfect way to show my interpretation of this spice by working on several samples of different techniques. I enjoyed them all from painting the sticky side of Vliesofix, painting one and stamping with it then free motion stitching over the designs, lighting the fabric with paint,  to hand embroidering over thread snippets which where machine stitched under "Romeo water soluble fabric". So instead of picking one I made my challenge quilt out of all of them.  

A month later I find myself in our holiday cottage with limited supplies and an unfinished project but luckily there was a local market where I bought a roll of re cycled sari fabric and some ribbon which finished a couple of blocks plus the borders of my piece. I felt it was complete once I added a few of the original stars. 

Thank you for a challenge that really made me get out my books and supplies and actually try some of them out. 

Happy New Year to you all and may it be one full of creativity.  

Liz 

SPICE - GINGER, THE GINGERBREAD CUTOUT

Ginger was on loan for the Christmas season, so is not finished. My sewing room gets turned into the "move this stuff out of the way in case my sister brings extra stuff" room at Christmas. 

My first spice thought was just to embellish a photo of the three shelves in my spice cupboard, but I decided against it as being far too labour-intensive!

My inspiration for Ginger began with a picture that had nothing to do with gingerbread, Christmas, or quilts.  Once I decided on the gingerbread thing, I found a recipe on-line  that called for lots of gingerbready spices.  (More about the recipe when Ginger is baked!)

I altered an outline drawing of a gingerbread man and cut out two from gingerbread-coloured cotton and layered some Timtex between to give Ginger a gingerbready appearance.  Ginger is trimmed in with some twisted cord I made, Kreinik braid, metallic threads, mica flakes, glitter, and puff paint - all in gingerbread-spice colours.

Ginger will be going back in the oven for a bit!

Happy 2016 everyone!

We Three Kings

Happy New Year All! This was a challenging way to end the year! I really had to mull this topic over. At first the only thing I could think of was Spicing things up in the bedroom! So I had visions of a thong on a bed post.

Then my hubby suggested the Silk Road & spices so I then contemplated camels all dressed up in tassels etc. but I couldn't find an image I liked enough to do & I do prefer to work from my own photographs. Yes I do have a camel photo but again not what I wanted to make. So back to the drawing board.

I doodled.

My helper liked this one! I may make this one yet! But I got into the spirit of the season.

Now fabric

It had promise so I went with it. I had to borrow some glitzy fabric. I'm really pleased with the result. 

Meet my Three Wise Men carrying Gold, Frankincense & myrrh.

Detail

I hope wish you all a happy & prosperous New Year! 

"SPICE" (Saffron)

First let me wish you all a Happy New Year 2016

I had a enjoyable Christmas day spent with my 3 boys. I trust all our challenge members also enjoyed a relaxing day. 

I chose Saffron as my spice for my challenge

I used fabric from a sari I was given by a friend for the background and a border for the binding. I thought the colour represented saffron well.   I had fun doing the piece.I encountered a few hic ups along the way when constructing the photo and embroidery but am pleased with the results.

I used some water soluble fabric and printed a picture of Crocus sativus (saffron flower on) and also printed the section printed below and embroidered it in black thread. When I rinsed it the thread in some areas were not secured to well. I also had to paint the flowers after stitching around the petals as the picture disappeared after rinsing I did some embellishing 

I'll need to brush up on transfer techniques for any future projects.

I hope you all had as much fun as I did stitching/making this challenge

   

Saffron

Botanical Name: Crocus sativus

Family Name: Iridaceae

The name Saffron comes from  the Arabic za’faran, which means YELLOW – a sacred colour chosen by Buddhist monks for their robes.

Saffron is hugely expensive: consider that 200,000 flowers have to be harvested by hand to obtain 450g/1 lb saffron.      

Hi All "Up for a challenge" members.  How is the "Spice" challenge coming on.
I'm looking forward to seeing the challenges.  My piece is almost done just a little more with a tweek here and there and it will be ready. Are you all starting to unwind and getting ready for the coming festive season.  This year has passed by so quickly.