Water Lily

Kayaking is a favorite activity at the lake and this piece is inspired by the wonderful plant life in the backwater areas of beautiful Minnesota.

This piece has taken me a while to finish.  I had lots of starts and stops as the piece just seemed to need time to develop.  I would work on something, finish that idea and then I would  need to step back and wait for inspiration on how to go on.

Step one was hand coloring this wonderful vintage napkin.  I have had a set of these vintage water lily napkins. When I found them they seemed to be a work in progress. Some had the cutwork areas still intact while others had various amounts of the cutwork finished. I used both a finished and unfinished napkin in the final piece. You can see the difference in the above photo (an unfinished napkin)  and the detailed photo below which shows some of the cutwork in place.

 I'm not sure where I picked these napkins up but I've always loved them. The napkins were a cream color and I spent some time playing with changing the color.  I wanted a more sepia/aged look while retaining an organic nature.

Most of the color work was done with Tsukineko Inks.  Different types of accent marks were also used.

I also took some time cutting off the stems and small leaves.

The next step was to stitch the napkin to a backing fabric and then thread paint like crazy. 

 Back

When I finished thread painting the flower I free motion quilted the sides and turned under the edges to make a finished knife edge.

 

I reinforced the edges to give them a crisp fold.  My hope was that the addition of this extra interfacing would help keep the corners extra firm.

I used inks and markers to add shading, and pop to various areas.

And then the embroidery and beadwork began.

The piece is beaded with several types and sizes of beads.

Algae was made with confetti patches.

Stems were made using twists of fabric.

I also added a string of "knotting" along the edges.  

Because I wanted the piece to hang in the on-point perspective I wanted to add the piece to a base.

I experimented with several options before settling on a linen toweling fabric.

I made a quilt sandwich with linen toweling, batting and cotton backing. I free motioned quilted this in a design I hoped would reference wood grain.  To the corners I added dark napkin pieces, these were from a second napkin. After I colored the napkin I needed to cut it into quarters to fit under the top piece.

The binding was done on a curve.  Batting is  80/20. Finished size: 26.25" X  26.25", 80/20 batting.

According to the Department of Natural Resources for Minnesota The White Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata) which grows in mucky low water areas is important to the natural balance as it is an excellent habitat for fish and the seeds are eaten by waterfowl.  Management questions should be addressed to the DNR.

I really love how it all turned out.  I hope you enjoyed hearing about my journey to finish Water Lily.

Have a great day!

MaryEllen 

Scrap Quilt

 

Another quick scrap quilt.  This one was constructed with scrap blocks I've been working on between other projects.

As I've mentioned in other posts I always keep a bag for scraps under my sewing table.  As I'm working on other projects I toss all my scraps in the bag.

When the bag starts to overflow I sort through it, and most of it will head to scrap bits for blocks.

I'll work on these blocks when I'm in a creative slump or only have a short time to work on something.

The blocks get ironed and tossed in a new box.  Again when I'm free I'll work on making them bigger or working on a layout to make them into a quilt.

For this quilt I used a gray fabric as a grounding border to link all my wild and colorful blocks together.

I think the finished quilt is really playful and I hope some young child enjoys it.

Finished size: 52" X 45", flannel backing, 80/20 batting.

Thanks for dropping in.

Have a great day,

MaryEllen

Fidget Quilts

Below are another set of fidget quilts ready for donation.  If you are unfamiliar with fidget quilts they are small mat quilts for folks suffering with alzheimer's and dementia.  Each quilt is meant to be visually and sensory stimulating.  I try to use fabrics that are bold and bright in a variety of weights and textures. The embellishments  are all colorful with a lot of different "feels".  Safety is a big issue and so any embellishments must be well attached.  Quilt should all be firmly made and washable. 

If you are interested in making a fidget quilt I would recommend asking the location you are planning on sending your donations to if they have any special size requirements for guidelines.

Rick-rack in various sizes, lace, satin and organza ribbon, yo-yos,canvas and various cottons, a leftover quilt block with embroidery.

A leftover quilt block, large rick-rack, yo-yos, lace, ribbon.

Above photo with ribbon, burlap, various laces, yo-yos,

Another leftover quilt block, ribbons, trims, yo-yos, rick-rack and lace.

Leftover quilt block, yo-yos, rickrack, trims, ribbon, and bias tape.

 Each fidget quilt is approximately 22" X 17" with flannel backing and 80/20 batting.

I find working on fidget quilts super rewarding.  I hope you may be inspired to look for opportunities in your area to donate a quilt.

Thanks for stopping in. Have a great day

MaryEllen