I thought I had finished getting company, but the last couple of days I had a little more company show up. I was able to keep working while we talked so it turned out OK. I just finished uploading my photos so I could get them posted before I went back to work on the quilts.
I am feeling physically and mentally good right now and very happy to be working on new quilts. I get an energy flow when I am working that feels great; it is hard to describe.I spent the last couple of days cutting out my patterns for the ravines that I want to put on the side of the mountains in the background. I ironed the patterns I had cut from freezer paper onto my fabric and used a white marking pencil to draw around each pattern piece. Then I cut out each piece of fabric for the ravines.
I have used three different green fabrics for the mountains and ravines. I am going to use a fourth fabric to make the highlights on the mountains I think. The sun is rising on the left side of the quilt so my highlights will be on the right side of the quilt and on the very top ridge of the mountains. Once I get all the pieces glued down I will over paint the fabric with acrylic fabric paints
I also cut out the circular patterns I am using for the sun and moon. I am also going to put rays around each. I will be using bridal tulle for the rays . I like the way my fabric shows through the tulle and the tulle adds just a hint of light over the surface. I made from three to six circles for for each sun and moon.Now that I have the first part of the full color quilt done I will start to work on doing the same thing for the black and white quilt.I have already cut most of the fabric pieces for the ravines for the black and white quilt. I will get that done today.
These first photos are of my setup. I clear off a large table the sit my fabric on. I gather my tools for the day's work. I sort through my fabric and get each color in it's own stack. I cut all my pattern pieces that I will be using that day. I make new pattern pieces for each section of the quilt so I have to make a new set of pattern pieces almost every day. I can end up with 150 or more pattern pieces for each quilt. Luckily I am making the full color and black and white quilt from the same patterns . Even with that I don't know how each quilt will look when I am done. I find that exciting.The next thing is to make sure the mountains, sun and moon are in the right place are put in the right place before I stitch them down.
Once that is finished I want to add some texture to the mountains, so I will be doing free motion stitch on Solvy and using that over the surface of the mountains.The free motion stitching I do for this is very tight tiny circles. I use several different colors of thread to give it a natural look.I have to keep things organized and do a little at a time to make these quilts. Now that I am older I find I have to be even more organized and I can only do a little at a time. I used to work a lot more hours a day than I do now. I never really thought about how getting older would effect the way I work, but I sure think of it now.
I love making the quilts and to be able to work is a blessing. I find having something to do each day that is creative or something you love makes getting older not so bad or unnerving . Doing something you love is very important .
I found the fabric I want to use for the back of both quilts and I cut out my pieces of batting for the middle of the quilt. I am using a low loft polyester batting.I am going to try a new design for my hanging sleeve for the back of the quilts. I bought a large piece of heavy duty stabilizer that I am going to insert inside a piece of fabric.
Here is a closeup of the fabric I am going to use for the back of the black and white quilt.
The two center photos show my first placement of the mountains and ravines.The second photo shows the high light fabric I want to put on the mountains. Nothing has been stitched in place yet and the pieces have been lightly glued down with a glue stick . I will move the mountains into place then stitch , add texture and paint them. Once both quilts are done to the same point I will move to the next step.
I am hoping to get the black and white quilt to the same place as the full color quilt today . I'll try to post Monday. I am sending prayers to the victims of Sandy.
