En Provence Mystery Quilt - Week 1

It's that time of year again when Bonnie Hunter shares a mystery quilt with her readers. This year the name is "En Provence" and is inspired by her recent trip to France. She is giving us one clue per week until the grand reveal which usually lasts from 6-8 weeks.

These are the fabrics I have pulled for my quilt.

I decided to go with one constant fabric for my neutrals instead of going scrappy. I only have about 1/2 yard left after cutting the required squares. I hope that will be enough.

Last year two of my sisters, Emily and Polly, and my niece Jolene all joined in the fun of making Allietare. We are all doing it again and hoping another sister and friend will join us.

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The sunset this evening was so beautiful. As it got darker it also got more red.

Sunflowers in Quadrants

The challenge for our Southern Fiber Artists was to make a sunflower in four quadrants; and then we will exchange 3 quadrants with other artists.

I was a little late getting mine finished but here it is now. We will do the exchange at our next meeting in February.

Here are some of the sunflowers that were brought to our last meeting.

  

And then we mixed some of them up just for fun!

I started my piece by preparing the background and quilting it.

I printed off a pattern on paper and glued it to a piece of fabric. Then I cut out the sections of the pattern and glued the sections onto another piece of fabric leaving a space between each piece.

It was tedious work and easy to get mixed up; but finally it was done.

I cut the circle out ...

... and laid it on my prepared background.

Then I proceeded to sew it carefully down to the background removing the paper as I sewed.

  

The center all sewed down.

Then came the scary part of cutting it into quadrants.

I then added the golden yellow petals and finished it by twisting fabric into a thin rope and zigzagging it in place.

I'm afraid now that my center is way bigger than it should be. I guess I could cut off the two center edges but ...

Thanksgiving Company and a Sunflower

Life ...

We had a fairly quite Thanksgiving day. Then in the late afternoon I fixed a pizza supper for Paul's folks, his sister Jeanie & Galen Schrock, and their daughter Jennifer & Marvin Lapp and children. Craig and Angie and children also came so we had company after all. Most of our children had other family events to attend.

I think my dishwasher is 'toast' !!!

... as a Quilter

I worked on a 'sunflower' piece of art. It was tedious work and hard to keep all the pieces in the correct order.

I'm leaving the paper on the top patches until it's time to sew them down, just in case they come unglued.

Cypress Queen

I have finally had time to work on a piece for SAQA's 2017 Trunk. Here is my submission of an egret perched on a cypress stump.

  

Cypress Queen

7" X 10"

Materials: commercial cottons, Superior Thread, and other thread

Technique: fused raw edge patches and bird and then heavily quilted

Statement: One of the objectives of the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge is to provide habitat for migratory waterfowl and other birds. This egret stands as if queen of the surrounding lowlands.

The back.

Linking to:
Crazy Mom Quilts
Nina Maria
Whoop Whoop

Cypress Queen

I have finally had time to work on a piece for SAQA's 2017 Trunk. Here is my submission of an egret perched on a cypress stump.

  

Cypress Queen

7" X 10"

Materials: commercial cottons, Superior Thread, and other thread

Technique: fused raw edge patches and bird and then heavily quilted

Statement: One of the objectives of the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge is to provide habitat for migratory waterfowl and other birds. This egret stands as if queen of the surrounding lowlands.

The back.

Linking to:
Crazy Mom Quilts
Nina Maria
Whoop Whoop

The Pond and a Lost Quilt

Life ...

I got to keep Joel & Sheila's children for a day and a night. While Georgi was in school Talya and Delta used the high chair as a desk to color.

I have enjoyed our pond out in front of the house so much. We get a little wildlife and then the morning sunrises are magnified by the reflection of the sky in the water.

The pond has been leaking for some time now; and finally we are getting it fixed. Yesterday they cut a hole in the dike to drain the water.

Itlooks different from over here on the levy.

With the water draining out there were thousands of small fish locked into puddles of water.

... as a Quilter

Yaaay. The lost is found. Paul brought in my "Ugliest" quilt the other day. He said he found it in the farm Pete.

Miriam and Dorcas

I have been working on two small pieces of fiber art for Paul's sisters

Miriam and ...

.... the Randy Miller Family for Dorcas.

I first found a picture of Miriam when she was in her late teens or early twenties. She and I taught school together and this was her picture for the yearbook.

I cropped and tweaked the picture using a filter on the computer and then printed it out on fabric that I had ironed to freezer paper.

Then I layered it with batting and backing and quilted it it.

She was surprised to received it as a birthday gift.

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For Dorcas' gift, I took a picture from her daughter's collection of their family's recent trip out West. They sang a song together at sunset at the Grand Canyon and someone snapped a picture for them.

Since the image was so dark; I lightened it up to trace the outline of each person.

Then I found some fabric to resemble the sky, canyon, and foreground and cut out their silhouettes from black fabric. Unfortunately I forgot to turn the image over to get the correct orientation.

I think she was right pleased with the outcome.