New Bella Jordana Pattern Sample

I introduced my newest portrait quilt pattern Bella Jordana last week and I am sharing now another sample of this pattern using the Moda charm pack called "Flow." I used a grayish black batik for the raw edged applique-I wanted more of a charcoal gray but I want to use what's currently in my stash! The left over charm squares were cut in half and sewed end to end (I used 20 of them) to create the pieced binding. I used a variegated gray and black thread to quilt and attach the applique to the background. I used a combo of green/blue/yellow/pink variegated thread for quilting the background and a light gray variegated thread for the face and neck quilting. I embellished the quilt with two Hawaiian lei flowers and a flower button for the hair accessory. Glitter nail polish is applied on the lips and eyelid. A few matching color rhinestones in the background and one for a nose piercing adds more bling. White matte fabric paint for the eye reflection. This pattern is now available at Pine Street Quilts in Marinette, WI and on my website www.laurieceesay.com

 This is the original quilt which i gave to Jordana for a Christmas gift in 2015. I used dark olive green for the batik and a fabric yo yo for the hair accessory.

 

 

 

This is the quilt that is on the pattern cover again using a Moda charm pack. I added felt trim and beads to create a necklace and Hawaiian lei flowers for a hair accessory. I blogged about this quilt last week for more details. Check out this pattern at Pine Street Quilts in Marinette, WI or on my website www.laurieceesay.com

 

Bella Jordana: Second Version

 I have decided to turn Bella Jordana into a pattern for 2016 and need a few samples for my pattern cover. The original quilt in the second photo was intended to be my daughter Jordana's (hence the pattern title) Christmas because she likes a shabby chic style. While at the quilt show in Houston I purchased a Moda "Good Karma" charm pack and asked Jordana if she liked this fabric (she had not seen the other finished wall hanging) and she liked the greens in the fabrics to go with the bare spot in her kitchen.
I would have used navy blue for the dark applique color but I bought a nice dark green in Door County WI on my travels to my November quilt retreat to repeat the green theme. 
After finishing the quilt I thought any rhinestones would get lost in the fabric print. I did embellish the lips with nail polish and I used a left over charm square to create a yo-yo flower for the hair. I added a few buttons and called it finished. Both quilts are machine quilted the same.

 

This is the original quilt which has a lot more embellishment and will be the cover of the upcoming pattern. The choice of fabric really does set the mood because the top photo's quilt is more contemporary and the lower photo's quilt is more old fashioned. I like them both!!

Bella Catalina

I love making Bella quilts from my Bella pattern! I made this one using a Moda Catalina batik charm pack from Pine Street Quilts where I work on Tuesdays. I also selected a very dark brown from the shop as the applique fabric. I used some of the left over charm squares cut in half and sewn end to end as a pieced border.

I quilted a leaf design on each cheek and the chin with variegated thread. I added some grass green glitter to the veins of the leaf on the left cheek to add definition. I embellished with some loose glitter/glue on the eyelid and I also added some glitter nail polish on the mouth.

I presented this quilt to the owner of the quilt shop as a potential quilt kit and she agreed! I will also will be teaching this quilt as a class on Saturday January 10, 2015 and students can create their Bella quilt in any color way whether monochromatic, color wheel or a charm pack version.

I taught this class last Saturday in Green Bay, WI and was impressed with the student's creativity and am inspired my their color choices and want to create more Bella quilts!!

I'm Over Winter and Thinking About Spring, Pastels and Easter Colors

I am over Winter and it is snowing again even though the weatherman said our area would only get a "dusting" of snow. So I am inspired by the arrival of Spring and the colors associated with the season.

While working at Pine Street Quilts in Marinette WI, I discovered a pattern callled "Oh Sew Charming" in which you use any charm pack and a yard and 1/8 of a background fabric to make a wall hanging 33 1/2" x 33 1/2" with two border options to finish it off. I was not impressed with the photo on the pattern front because it was done up in the Kansas City Troubles type fabrics and I didn't bother looking any further. But the shop did a sample for a quilt kit and I was part of the construction process and I fell in love with the pattern.

I had a Moda Chez Moi Charm Pack in my stash and never used it and thought it would work out nicely for this pattern. I used a turquise blue as my background because it looked like robin eggs and spring.

I wanted to embellish the quilt with buttons but I had limited pastel buttons and I live where there is no Joann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby or Michaels. Walmart didn't have any and I was bummed because I wasn't able to drive out of town because of the wintery roads.

But I try to think outside the box and found these pastel bow barrettes at the Dollar Tree in the second photo! I cut the barette flap thingie off and stitched them to the quilt. Then yesterday Walmart got in the pastel button mixed bag and wa-la the quilt is completed this morning. I am staring outside at snow but thinking Spring!!

I plan to make another wall hanging with this pattern using my Moda Vintage Modern Charms. Can't find the right background fabric though so it is on hold until I can road trip to Green Bay or Appleton.

Playing Around

I was paging through a magazine at work and saw a Ray-Ban ad which had a face that was black with a rainbow colored lines that looked to me like a neon lite. I am attracted to all art forms where a face or portrait is viewed. I saw this ad as the opposite of the art I do where I have a colorful background and black "line drawings" in batik. I thought what would it look like to do the same image my way and then the opposite way as in the magazine add? So I was playing around and the photo above is the end result. I was dying to use some of the wonderful brights from the new fabric line by quilter Jan Mullen from Moda Fabrics. And I used my favorite Hoffman batik that's black with hints of blue. The two images are exactly the same except for the placement of color. The left one ended up looking like Haley Berry and that wasn't planned. I call this piece Positive and Negative" since it reminds me of a photograph. I'm surprisedIi only used two fabrics and two threads since I'm the scrappy type!! It became a study of color, line and shape and how positioning color in certain ways changes the whole look of the project. I chose to not embellish this piece because I didn't think it needed it.