Our next challenge

This series is proving to be fun in that the theme is wide open for each person to choose.  So, Beth, would you please draw a name 'out of a hat' from the following names:  Jinnie, Phillida, Momo, Patricia, Hilary.

Please post that name on this blog soon so that they can announce the theme for pieces to be revealed on 30th September.

Hilary

High Ball

 Apologies for mine being very simple but it came to me early on and I shared it with Dianne, so I stuck with it.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought - feathers! - when they first read Beth's 'cocktails' theme.

Very cheeky.  There is a definition of what a highball cocktail is and how it is served, along with a list of familiar and not so familiar highballs, and a highball glass with cocktail and ice cubes, all quilted in the background.

Raw edge applique, free machine quilting, satin stitched edge.  18" x 12"

Thanks for a fun theme, Beth.

Hilary

RUSTY NAIL

 My original idea was squashed when I came across by accident all my stash of rust dyed fabric which cried out 'rusty nail' so here is my inspiration....... 

Pieced, applique and paint formed the composition of this piece.  For those that don't know the cocktail Rusty Nail (like I did not), there are a few stories as to how it got it's name e.g. the drink mix was stirred with a rusty nail / after the rusty nails holding the Drambuie boxes together / the golden tones of the finished drink. 

So happy that I have used up some of my fabric which is a mix between what Hilary and I had fun creating and what Alison had dyed and gifted me. 

HAPPY HOUR

 Instead of placing an orange or lemon slice on the side of the martini glass I decided to place a music CD on the edge as I wanted to give it a bit of a twist hence the music notes above.  So what more can we have but a Beach, Sunset and music!  I used angelina for the CD and found something for the glass - I can't say it is fabric but something I was given for my stash ages ago and so at last it has become useful and works well to depict the glass.

Cocktail

 

This is my cocktail work . Inspired by dirty martini, I used the dyed embroidery threads as the background to create the atmosphere of a bar, and the blurred fabric to present  the drink - dirty martini.

Cheers~~~         

                         Momo

Cocktails

I chose Tequila Sunrise as my cocktail hence the yellow background against which I placed the cocktail glass cherries and orange pieces . The glass is covered with netting in order to get a shine. I felt it needed to be outlined in order to show up more. Here it is:

Cocktail Teaser

    

I'm afraid my quilt is going to be a little late.  I've been working on it most days, but despite that, it's taking me longer than planned. At the same time I've been doing a course with Cas Holmes via Fibre Arts Take Two over the last two months, and I have been really enjoying it. It has enabled me to overcome my problems with freemachining: I will probably be freemachining everything in sight from now on! I gave up on using my newer machine, as I've never managed to get it to freemachine for me and in fact it had put me off. Instead I dragged out my old mechanical machine, which had been stuck in the attic for the last 16 years. I didn't think it would work after not having been used for so long, but with a good oiling it's working perfectly.

THE NEXT Challenge from BETH

My choice of theme is "Cocktails". Be inspired by the colours, the shape of the glasses and even their names. I look forward to seeing the results. 

Regards

Beth

Book Titles

Book Titles

I am having to do my comments in this unusual way as I cannot get the blog to accept my comments in the usual way. So here goes.

Jinnie. The Hidden life of trees by Peter Wohlleben

I thought that your muted choice of colours very effective in creating a mystical feel to this quilt certainly enhancing the "hidden life " aspect .

Hilary. Fifty(-ish) Shades of Grey by E.L .James. The greys were contrasted very well with the yellow background and your placement of the grey pieces excellent . I think you are amazing to start and finish a quilt so quickly. I would be in a complete state of anxiety with so little time ahead . It became a very interesting piece.

Beth. Tequila makes her clothes fall off by Cara North . I have never heard of this author  or book before but it sounds like good fun . You created some fun with it showing the unclothed back of your lady in the picture. Your background quilting seemed to emphasise her.

Momo. Fantasy Flowers by Keigo Higashino. This was a delicately created design so very suitable for the book title . It had a feeling of restfulness about it which I really enjoyed . Flowers are so good to interpret in a quilt and you did it really well.

Phil. The Last Beekeeper by Siya Turabi. Only you could have had the energy to create a book of quilts  for this theme. Very clever to be able to peel away the layers (pages) and have a different quilt exposed each time . Very apt for this theme.

Patricia. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I loved this book when I read it and you have made it come to life . I love the painted vines of flowers which you created instead of just ordinary kite tails. It really makes the kite fly . What a super piece and you must have so enjoyed making it.

The hidden life of trees

  At first I was daunted by this challenge, until I remembered reading the book "The hidden life of trees" by Peter Wohlleben several years ago. I was fascinated to learn about the symbiosis between trees and mycorrhizal fungi, the trees receiving essentials nutrients from the soil and the fungi receiving sugars and fats from the trees that trees derive from photosynthesis. Most of my sketchbook work, printing and sampling I have done in the past couple of years has been to do with the trees I have observed in our neighbourhood. I thought this would be the chance to actually make something other than a sketch or sample! I printed the grey fabric with a piece of loosely and crazily interwoven natural fibre of some sort (no idea what it was as a friend gave me a scrap of it) that was perfect for the mycellium. I used silk organza for the tree roots, and a fabric that I printed and cut up for the forest floor. I used bondaweb, which didn't bond very well despite it not being that old, and I had trouble getting the forest floor to stay in place. When I had finally attached the tree trunks, I realised that I didn't like the arrangement of the branches of the tree on the right. As the bondaweb wasn't sticking very well, I thought that I could remove one of the branches, but of course that piece stuck perfectly!

Fifty(-ish) Shades of Grey by E L James

Sorry, Jinnie, that's just me being chaotic.  I actually landed on my title ages ago but all the other projects that I get myself involved in seem to crowd in and demand attention.  Like you, Beth, I decided to have a bit of fun - and no, I haven't read the book, but it was a bit of a cause celebre. 

One downside of leaving it the last minute is that I had to piece the yellow background.  The piece measures 16" square.  The wadding is acrylic felt.  The icons are raw edge fused and the quilting is machined with a variegated thread.  The edges are satin stitched.  All fabrics are commercial cottons.

I will have to go back to the library and show the ladies the finished piece.

Roll on the next theme!

Hilary

TEQUILA MAKES HER CLOTHES FALL OFF