Hibiscus I, II & III comparison shots! Vote on your favorite by leaving a comment!

Amazing how news travels.

One of you already asked to see 

comparison shots of the Hibiscus quilts, 

so here you go!  Enjoy!!

Hibiscus I, from Kauai:

Hibiscus II with local batiks:

Hibiscus III (featured in an earlier post today) with Maui fabrics:

Which one do you like?!  They're all pretty much the same, but with slight differences.  Can you find them?  Hibiscus I doesn't have as much contrast going on in the border fabric, something I like but couldn't find on Maui or home when I wanted to make the quilts.  It's a very simple pattern made of half-square triangles, but it has impact especially if the fabrics chosen have a translucent effect, such as can be found with Hibiscus I and II, not so much with Hibiscus III.  These fabrics translate a solid, brick wall effect instead of a 'balloon-behind-a-balloon' type of feel found in I & II.  It's a great lesson in contrasting fabrics, not so much the piecing.

Aloha, and thank you for reading!

A Hawaiian needle-turned pillow - another restoration

 Welcome back!

It took me three months (though there certainly wasn't a rush) to get this beauty done.

Needle-turn is supposed to be entirely enjoyable and not rushed.  Earlier this spring my husband and I went to Maui for our 40th wedding anniversary.

While there I picked up another Hawaiian pillow kit, a refresher course on traditional Hawaiian needle-turning, and BOOM! I was relaxing to the sound of surf months after we returned home via quilting this project.

There is quilting in the ditch of the appliquéd design, around it, in it, and echoing it several times.  Lovely pastime!  My only complaint was in their not using colorfast red material for the floral design.  When I tried to spritz the water-removeable pen marks used for stitching lines, it bled.

No bueno.

I plan on buying a Shiva ink pen to permanently cover this faux pas.  I sincerely hope this works.  But I'm still thrilled with how it came out and plan on doing another two - but with fabric I have purchased and KNOW is colorfast.

Until we meet again, aloha from the Pacific to you!

 

Hibiscus II - A Restoration

As promised, a couple of *restored projects are featured in this and in an upcoming post (*items I used to have but were consumed in the Black Forest Fire 6/11/13).

It is no coincidence that Hibiscus III is pictured in our new forest on the Pacific coast.

Restoration is, after all, what this post is all about.

Did I say Hibiscus III?  Wasn't this supposed to be about Hibiscus II?  Well, I was so excited to find the pattern of my original Hibiscus quilt we lost that I made two.  This one is a duplicate of the restored one hanging in our home.  I prefer the one hanging.  I was too lazy to get it down, so Hibiscus III gets all the fame.  Come on over sometime to see Hibiscus II!

Here's a closeup of McTavishing background fill around the needle-turn appliquéd hibiscus. You can also see ferns quilted in the light blue triangles.  As I've said, even though I have a Statler computer-guided machine now, I drop the belts for hand-guided custom work simply because I love doing it.

 I caught the sun behind this quilt in the next two shots.  Very illuminating...

A bit more hand-guided detail in the borders.  I used King Tut variegated threads.

 Usually, I match or near-match threads to the fabric, like the center of this quilt.  But I wanted them to pop out in the border.

From the Pacific coast to you:

see you next time with another restored project!

Needle-turn and Double Appliqué

Three things I'm restoring to my new home that were lost; 

two needle-turn appliqué pillows and this Hibiscus Quilt.

Why?

Because I forgot to take them with me when evacuating.  Join me as I reconstruct the Hibiscus Quilt first - only because the needle-turn pillows are taking a lot of time, go figure. I will update you with the progress of the pillows and quilt in future posts.

The appliqué technique of the center of the original Hibiscus quilt was raw-edge machine appliqué.  Not the new one...

It's emerging using two techniques: traditional Hawaiian needle-turn (the leaves) and double appliqué with the hibiscus petals and centers.  Why?  Traditional Hawaiian appliqué isn't done in layers.  I felt a different method was in store after finishing the leaves - a method I'd never tried: double appliqué.  You can see a partially finished petal attached to the center block, above, and zoomed in, below.

The right side of the fabric is sewn on the line as traced around the pattern to lightweight, non-woven, non-fusible interfacing.  The interfacing is trimmed and curves clipped close to the sewn edge.

Slit the interfacing to turn the piece, and iron - rolling the interfacing under.

 Tah dah!  You're ready to machine or hand appliqué.  I chose to continue to hand appliqué since I'd already started needle-turning.  

When I walked into the Maui Quilt Shop (www.mauiquiltshop.com) to peruse and relax after snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing, I saw a few patterns I'd lost, and completely unaware, I began to weep.  Turning away from shoppers to compose myself, I then saw the exact fabric of a Hawaiian dress I also lost which didn't help the eye-watering situation. Turning another way, I saw needle-turn pillow kits (to purchase and use with their classes offered on Fridays, which I'd taken years before) and I was absolutely a goner. Noticing I was the only patron in their tiny but cozy shop, I approached two employees, asked for a tissue, got in control, and explained the situation.  Big breath.  There, I can shop now. Of course I bought patterns, dress material, fabric to make pillows, and signed up for a needle-turn appliqué refresher course that very Friday.  I was in heaven!

I have the series of half-square triangles all cut and sewn together, since this quilt is primarily made of them.  It's a very simple but stunning study of contrasts, illusion and transparency.  I purchased some fabrics on the island  at another very nice quilt shop (www.sewspecialmaui.net) but they had a flat effect.  So I came to the mainland and found these at Fiddlesticks here in town (www.fiddlesticksquiltshop.com), and will keep you entirely in suspense until I finish the quilt! I was a bit disappointed that the exact fabrics weren't available anymore, but what quilt fabric lines stay around for long?!?  BTW, Fiddlesticks was one of the shops that garnered the 2015 APQ Shop Hop award!  You can purchase the Spring/Summer issue right now.

I am swimming in batiks but not drowning!  Stay in tune for the reveals!

"The Quilt Show" 2015 Block of the Month - I am chosen as longarmer!

Many of you have been anxiously looking for the first signs of spring, as I have.  From buds on flowering and leafing trees to longer days, we’re all ready for change. 

I look for dragonflies, such as this one that caught my eye while photographing quilts at a client’s lovely home last fall just before leaving Colorado toward a life that continued to change.  

Why am I talking bugs on a quilting site?  

Is this really about TQS 2015 Block of the Month?

Before answering I have to talk bugs.  

Dragonflies are amazing creatures to watch as they hover in one spot for a very long time and dart from place to place.  They’re long-tailed, four-winged insects that inhabit the waters and wetlands of North America. And although they have four wings, they come in two sets, and if needed, they can fly just fine with one pair.  They can go from a dead halt to about 90 miles per hour in just a few seconds.  

In the 22 months since the devastating Black Forest Fire that took home and quilting studio, I have flown far from everything I’ve known all my life.  With my husband, I've tweaked future plans, changed states and retired.  I’ve physically done just about everything I can to rebuild home, business and life … and metamorphosed.

What does this bug offer all of us who try to adapt to change?

Dragonflies are amazing creatures, and amazing creatures often come with interesting mythology. In part, the meaning of the Dragonfly symbol to some Native Americans represents transformation and life's ever constant process of change.  This symbolism is based on the life of a dragonfly which in the first year or more of their lives, they live in the water as nymphs. They then metamorphose - change - into the flying creature we recognize as the dragonfly. This particular insect has been on Earth for over 100 million years.  Because of this, they have a wonderful ability to adapt to their surroundings – to change. 

In the Dakota/Lakota mythology, the dragonfly is equated with the mirage or illusion, because their wings beat so rapidly that the human eye cannot see it. They tell us that things are not always as they seem, and that life itself is not always what it appears to be.

Now on to the quilting part of this post.  What does this have to do with quilting?!

I was pretty beaten down moving from Colorado, trying to rebuild my quilting business.  But I realized through the encouragement of family and friends who reminded me of the talents I still had to offer, that things are not always as they seem, and that life itself is not always what it appears to be.

I needed to adapt to change like this little creature and begin life and business anew.

An opportunity to let my talents shine - and to beat with all four wings - was presented to me in the form of this singular quilt, to be featured as the 2015 block of the month on The Quilt Show (TQS) sometime later this year between July and December.  I was invited by Lilo Bowman, Editor-in-Chief, to attend one of the tapings last month, but had to refuse due to scheduling conflicts.  Drat.

The TQS 2015 Block of the Month quilt!

 The gorgeous quilt top...

 ...quilted!

 For me, it's all about balance.  Balance in texture, style and art form.

 That ornery fox.  It'd better not eat that chicken.  I don't think he's as sly as he thinks because he's having a hard time finding it.

Above, locate the block with the bird atop the horse to the far left: ...

 ... it's singing a few notes into the background!

 This dogs' name is Spot - so monikered because of the spots I thought he needed.

 EVERY country home needs a pebbled pathway, and the sheep need cotton-bally texture.

 Outer border detailing.  Since the inner border was flanked with prairie points, stitching was constrained within these areas.  No problem, thanks to being able to drop the belts on my Gammill retrofitted Statler Stitcher and use the old trusty hand-guided mode!

 Isn't there a smell of spring flowers on this breeze?  And the gate is beckoning our visit.

  

This shot shows the first taping of this quilt at The Quilt Show, as sent to me by a good friend who just happened to buy a ticket to go, and emailed it to me.  Another dragonfly?  I think so.

Things are not always as they seem. God turns everything to the good for us as we strive to adapt to change and live life to its fullest.  His love comes in different ways: friends, family, clients, fires - and if you believe - even dragonflies.

May you be blessed to find your dragonfly soon.