Spider/Spider Web Fabric Postcards

I go in streaks where I want to make fabric postcards and now is one of those times. I chose my line drawing fabric postcard pattern included in my Bridgette pattern and 5 Halloween colored fabrics to begin this project. I selected the fabrics in Halloween colors and not necessarily Halloween themed fabrics. Five fabrics in a variety of widths work nicely and the varied widths give a random look. Any fabric combinations will work-I chose Halloween this time and make 4-6 cards at a time. I cut them out on the diagonal to give movement and to accent a cheekbone line. I have two sides of the face in my designs and I like to place them together and they look like mirror images. I used black batik for the raw edged applique and black thread with a fancy stitch to join the top, bottom and Peltex stiffener. I usually use Fast2Fuse stiffener by Pellon but I could not find it online and I substituted Peltex and it actually worked nicer because it was heavier (less floppy.) I found the spiders at Joann Fabrics-they are not buttons but are flat on the back to glue to the front of the card. I created a spider web from variegated thread in the lower corner. I embellished with glitter nail polish on the eyelids and a dot of white matte fabric paint on the eye for the eye reflection. I intend to give two of these as door prizes in my "I Value That Quilt!" lecture I am giving twice at the Wisconsin Quilt Expo in Madison, WI on Friday Sept. 11, 2015. My pattern is available for sale from my website at www.laurieceesay.com. Maybe I will see you at the expo since it is a blast!! Their website is www.wiquiltexpo.com

Three Little Witches and an Auction Quilt for IQF-Houston

 I am lecturing at the Wisconsin Quilt Expo in Madison, WI this coming Friday Sept. 5, 2014. My lecture is called "I Value That Quilt!" and decided if time permitted I would make a few 4" x 6" fabric postcards as a gift to my volunteer and one for a lucky person attending my lecture. The third postcard is a surprise to someone! I drew up a design loosely based on a small version of my other witch designs. I had left over fabric from my Halloween 2013 Witch Quilt and some Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics left over from The Wicked Challenge a month ago which I used for the green skin. The fabrics are all batiks and I embellished with three colors of nail polish and my signature white dot of paint in the eye area for reflection. I used a variegated Sulky rayon thread for stitching the dress, hat and outside edge-love, love, love this color combination of purple, red, dark blue and lime green!!

This little (12" x12") quilt is my donation for the International Quilt Festival in Houston at the end of October. I am so excited to be teaching there for the first time and the organization asks all teachers to donate a piece to their charitable cause. I picked the dots, stripes, rainbow color scheme, brown hair and glitter nail polish because those are my favorite things and I thought they represented me the best. I hand beaded the earrings and the necklace and used some nail polish on the lips, eyelids and hair, I need to get it to Houston by the third week of September.

I have an "epic" quilt that has been finished but I have to figure out how to add a watermark to the photographs. My techie skills are substandard so I have some educating to do!!

 

Hanging with AQE (Art Quilt Elements) 2014

Wayne Art Center is in Wayne PA-I have never been there. I received an email from them about fabric postcards donations for their art center. They have an art exhibit (which I had no idea about) every year and they have another exhibit of fabric postcards at the same time as the main exhibit. The postcard exhibit is called "Hanging with AQE." I donated this postcard in the second photo. Apparently they raise money by selling these cards to help the art center.

I had this card hanging out in my studio so I mailed it off for the cause and exposure! Not too much commitment on my part except some paperwork and a trip to the Post Office! I hope someone likes enough to bid on it and it can have a happy new home!!

Fabric Postcard Becomes a Birthday Card

I have not been in my studio much because it is summer and my garden is calling me and I am doing an art fair in my hometown on July 29th and prepping for that. But at my July quilt guild meeting a member asked if I would make two of my fabric postcards for her friend (and my neighbor) who will be 95 yrs. old in August. Now that's a landmark!!This woman is a petite little spitfire-always happy, an art appreciator and she wears her white hair in a bob with the trademark black headband!! She has suppored the local art community and I enoy visiting with her when I see her. My quilt guild friend wanted 1 card for the birthday girl and one to keep for herself.

I designed this pattern in '08 when I signed up for a fabric postcard swap and drew up a bob cut with a headband to make this postcard. I finished the fusing and realized the two images were slightly different-one was more centered and they have different foreheads-kind of like family members with similar DNA but different. I do not like one better that the other. I added a bit of fabric paint, fabric makers and silver/irredescent nail polish in the hair to enhance the image. They were fun to do but not enough to make vast amount for an art show!!

My studio is in dire need of cleaning and organization because I can not find my color wheel!! Later...

Back to Back Quilt Retreats!!!

 I work one day a week at Pine Street Quilts in Marinette WI and the owners treated the staff to a "sleep in your own bed" quilt retreat the weekend of Nov. 11-13. I made this cute hat for Jordana, my daughter, who requested pink, white and black. I had tons to of trouble making this and didn't like the instructions. I said I would never make another one and when I gave Jordana the hat she loved it and when we were in Joann Fabrics she saw the "tacky" Hello Kitty Christmas fabric and Xmas peace sign fabric and asked if I'd make another hat. She picked out red feathers and a lime green sequin flower for embellishments. The next 2 pics are the finished hat. I aplogize for the photography. It was easier to do this hat since I did it MY way not following the instructions

 I will see Jordana on Thanksgiving and she plans to wear it shopping on Black Friday.

 these little purses I made at the first retreat. I made one for myself and love the small size, zippered pockets and long shoulder strap. I made these 2 as Christmas gifts. I added the pattern to the picture in case you want to make one.

 Then there is a boomerang pillow that Jordana bought and it came with a thin white yucky pillowcase. She asked me to sew her one-I did a few quick measurements, since I couldn't find any pattern or universal sizing, and used this great large scale Alexander Henry print. It looks kind of weird and I hope it is the correct size. I made it large and if I have to take it in that's okay.

I made 7 of my favorite postcards using Christmas colors and a bit of red glitter. They will be Christmas cards for my special peeps!!

I also nearly finished the 2012 Hoffman Challenge but that one is a secret until next summer. I am entering a wall hanging in the Milwaukee WI Public TV "Quilting is Art" Art Auction next spring and I started this project as well.

The second retreat was NOv. 18-20 in Door County WI at a beautiful facility that Lawrence University of Appleton WI owns. I get to see quilters from Appleton, where I used to live, sew my brains out and eat awesome food (too much!!) I was able to visit a quilt shop in Sister Bay WI and found some great batiks. It was a great time and now it's back to reality with responsiblities etc. but there's no place like home....

I Can't Stop Making These Things!!

I love batiks and all the color combinations you can create with them and I love the new felt buttons available to us and I can't stop making these postcards!! These two cards are made as birthday cards for two of my friends who have upcoming birthdays. I will mail them in envelopes to avoid the post office drama of trying to explain hand cancelling and them being confused and overcharging me postage. I added some glitter to enhance the eyes area and added a "pretend" nose piercing! Now back to the brain busting quilt!!

No Brainer and Big Concentration Projects

The photo above is the no brainer project. I love making these strip pieced and raw edged fused appliqued fabric postcards. I have made many and was in the autumn mood and plan to send a few to my friends with fall birthdays. I found the fun felt buttons in a leaf shape at Joanns. They came in three colors and I sewed one of each to the postcard for a bit of texture and dimension. I added some  orange glitter/glue to the eyes and to make it look like a nose piercing.

Then the other photo is a teaser of my entry in the 2011 Joann Fabrics Quilt Challenge. It is the huge brain buster project that I only do 2-3 times a year because i want it perfect for a conpetition. I was one of the top 20 last year and my goal is to be in the top 10+. The rules for the quilt size is 36" x 36" minimum and this one is horizontal at 53" x 43." I have this attraction to orange since gardening season began and it's overflowed into my quilts as well. I wanted to work in the blue and orange color combo and it was a "challenge" finding fabrics that I liked at Joanns that had  prints with these two colors in them and finding enough batiks to do at least the face. I also was trying to find florals in blue-not easy! I went to the Madison East, Green Bay and Escanaba MI stores and finally felt like I had enough fabric selctions to work with. I'm used to going to my stash and/or purchasing extra at the local quilt stores and not relying on just Joann Fabrics for my fabric choices-perhaps that's part of the challenge!! I have all the applique pieces stitched in place and I am quilting the orange background in a circular "bullseye" pattern at the moment. I have plenty to do but the deadline isn't until January 2012 so I'm good. I setnit aside and do the no-brainer sewing. I plan to make another hat soon and more cards and the list never ends...!! I am never bored and that's a good thing

SAQA Auction Piece and Postcard Entry

This is a fabric postcard I made for a postcard exhibit due in July. I embellished it with a new glitter I purchased at the IQA Chicago Show in April. My thread choice was a variegated yellow, orance, pink and red. I like to back the card with a light colored batik because it is opaque.

This 12' x 12" size quilt is my donation to the SAQA (Studio Art Quilting Association) 2010 Auction. The quilts are made and donated by its members and then auctioned to raise $$ for the organization. I call mine "Do I have pink or yellow undertones?" which is a cosmetology thing!! I used the same variegated thread as the postcard. I embellished it with tiny pink rhinestones along the lashline like eyeliner, a bit of pink glitter on the lips and a felt flower and jewel in the hair. This was a fun little project which I plan to explore when I do the Menominee MI Area Art Council's Art Show this August.

New Fabric Postcards

I decided to make a few (12) more fabric postcards to sell or use as greeting cards. I used the same technique of strip piecing gradations of one/two colors but laid the strips on the diagonal. I used the same pattern pieces from the quilts in my last post to create the eyes and nose. I embellished the eyes with glitter nail polish (hooray for OPI and Creative Nail polish!!!) and finished the edges with a decorative stitch and Sulky Blendables thread. I do six at a time so it's not a Oshkosh B'Gosh factory job flashback!! They are filled with Fast2Fuse and I used a beige batik on the back because the batik doesn't have a transparency like some solid woven fabrics do. I keep the background fabric very simple so if the card is actually used as a postcard with writing the lettering is visable. These postcards are easy to complete and you feel like you accomplished something in a short amount of time.