WILDFLOWERS

 

The inspiration for Wildflowers was photos taken on an afternoon of picking flowers with my grandson.  They may be weeds to most but these little blue buds become priceless flowers when you find them at the park with your 18 month old grandson.

For my piece I used several of the photos I took that special day.  

I printed the photos on fabric and then embroidered and manipulated the images before working them into a complete composition.

Above, the printed on fabric photos.

Above photo,  paints being added.

Above photos, shows the start of the work on the embroidery.

Above photo, cuts and holes were made at various points in backgrounds of the photos and fabric was pushed through the spaces to give more dimension.

Above photo, the various materials after bring dyed for the piece.  Type of fabric and colors used were noted as I worked on getting the right colors for everything from the background to each flower petal.

Above photo, materials for the flowers being dyed .  All the flower petals started as white silk ribbon or white silk fabric and were dyed to give each flower natural variation and shading.

Above, experimenting with the layout

Above photo, playing with how to add the final details.

Wildflowers is  27" X 28.5". 

Silk ribbon, paint, various threads, various fabrics including silk, satian, cotton and cheesecloth, paint, vintage linen, lace, personal photos.

Wildflowers is part of  the Texas Regional Showcase, Artfully Yours.  Artfully Yours will open at the Baugh Center for the Visual Arts at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton TX on August 10, 2026.

Thanks for spending time on my blog. Have a great day!

MaryEllen

Happy red,white and blue!

 Wild West Crazy

An assortment of bandana handkerchiefs in red, white and blue was the inspiration for my first full crazy quilt (2008).  A few of the red bandanas belonged to my father and others I picked-up on various travels. So not only was this my first crazy quilt but it is very sentimental. The squares were decorated in lace, vintage and new, buttons, ribbons, some embroidery, rick-rack and yo-yos.  I did not use a lot of embellishment on this piece because I thought I might put it on a bed.  Once I finished it I decided it was only going on the wall as it was to special for daily use.

Wild West Crazy is 79" X   71", each square measures 

10.5" X 11".  The batting is 80/20. The  quilt is tied with white ribbons as well as some machine quilting.  A blue chambray was used for the backing.

Happy 4th of July to all my US followers!

Happy a wonderful day everyone!

MaryEllen

A sweet little craft project

 

Today's post isn't really a quilting project but it was such a cute craft project I wanted to share.

This sweet little Boho bag idea was something I just happened upon at Nonnie's Sewing Room.  She has a fun YouTube channel as well as Facebook page.

This little bag is made with a dish drying mat.  What a great idea!  Nonnie also had a variety of other ideas using the drying mats.  I hope you with stop by one of her social media outlets to see more of her great ideas.

I hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful day!

MaryEllen