the rage and the madness

4 small strip pieced blocks, backed with water soluble stabilizer, heavily embroidered with cotton and rayon thread, that will somehow end up in one wallhanging. I think I will applique them to a background fabric.

i miss the city

Another small one that will be mounted to stretched canvas. I layed out all the pieces on the sandwiched quilt, then the raw edges were machine "appliquilted". The quilt edges were blanket stitched by hand, with 6 strands of variegated embroidery floss.

looking deeper

A collaged (fabric, leftover yarn and threads, sandwiched between background fabric and watersoluble stabilizer), heavily embroidered, quilted with invisible thread quilt (27 x 42 cm/~10.5 x 16.5") mounted (with gel medium) on a stretched canvas (40 x 50cm/~16 x 20"). I blanket stitched the edges of the quilt with 6 strands of variegated embroidery floss. I really, really like the process of machine embroidery, as it comes very close to the "spaced out" feeling I get when I paint.

life weaving

A small collaged, heavily embroidered, quilted with invisible thread quilt (26 x 30 cm/~10 x 12") mounted (with gel medium) to a stretched canvas (40 x 50cm/~16 x 20").

top done and thread and fabric collages

I finished my free pieced quilt top and it's already sandwiched with batting and backing. Now to get it quilted. Not today, I can't face wrestling with a big quilt so soon after finishing my last one.

I started two small collages. For the one on the left I just took fabric scraps and "dot-glued" them to a piece of muslin, for the one on the right I put threads and fabric scraps between muslin and water soluble stabilizer. I then set my sewing machine for free-motion stitching and had a go at them. They are far from done, but I wanted to show you what I've been working on.

and it keeps growing...

still crazy after all these quilts

That's what this quilt will be called, once it's done. Often people ask me how I come up with the names for my paintings and all I can reply is that they just "arrive" in my head. It works everytime for me. And it seems that it's the same with my quilts. Last night while happily piecing and cutting, I suddenly knew it.

This is where I'm at right now, 24 small blocks, 2 big ones.

yesterday's progress

I pieced and cut, then pieced and cut some more and at the end of the day I had eighteen 8 1/2" blocks (plus one 16 1/2") on the table. Since I worked with the same fabrics for the last quilt I made, I'm getting a little tired of seeing them. But I promised myself not to cut into any yardage, until I have used up at least some of those strips and scraps.

free piecing again

I started to piece again. Nothing complicated, I just grab strips and scraps from my pile and piece them together randomly until the fabric looks right to me. Then I cut blocks. So far I have one 16 1/2" block and four 8 1/2" blocks. I might cut those up diagonally and then join those triangles to make new blocks. We'll see. In the photos you can also see some of the strata I made to cut my blocks from. Can you tell I'm having fun? :)