Hi Bev,
Yesterday I thought this quilt was “finished” and I posted the “final” photo. But the quilt was missing something and it bugged me all day. It needed some free-motion quilting, so I bought some invisible thread today at the fabric store and headed home to finish the job.
When I got done, the girls and I chased the setting sun to a patch of sidewalk across the street for a quick photo in fading natural light.
So, now, I think I’m finally finished. Really.
Cheers,
Jen
Hi Bev,
I hope you’re enjoying your travels and on the verge of discovering a great fabric store. The July package you sent is absolutely perfect. I really can’t believe how perfect, actually. Did I tell you my idea when we did our unveiling of the the June quilts on Skype? This month I’m going to do something a little unexpected with my interpretation of the “home” theme and the fabrics you sent will work very nicely into my plan.
When I think of “home,” the first thing I think of is the place I grew up, my parents house in suburban Detroit and what a relief it was to have a comfortable refuge from the nonsense of the world.
I’ve lived in several dorm rooms, apartments and houses since I left my childhood home. But there has been a constant substitute, a place I’ve gone quite regularly to feel “at home.” And that will be the subject of my quilt.
I can’t wait see how this month’s quilts turn out!
Cheers!
Jennifer
Hi Bev.
Well, this is it. My first quilt is done. Can you believe we’re actually doing this?! I’m so glad you were willing to take me up on this challenge. If you had dismissed me as crazy, it’s doubtful that I would have went through with the project on my own.
My strategy for this first quilt was to do a lot of thinking. I mulled over my ideas until midway through the month. So I didn’t actually start stitching until about two weeks from our deadline. This was a little scary considering the fact that I’ve never made an art quilt before. Thankfully, once I started stitching it came together fast. It helped that I spent about two weeks leading up to that first stitch thinking about this project and what I was going to try to do. I find working this way so much better than trying to create something on the fly.
Here is the process that led me to my finished piece:
I started by taking a self-portrait using the camera on my MacBook. Then I used a light box to transfer the image to fabric.
I used a paper piecing technique to applique the hand.
Then I started stitching like mad. The hair was easy. The eyes were tough. The nose proved to be the most difficult.
I kept stitching and stitching, and when the front was done I decided to do the back, too. Here’s how that came out.
I made a paper template by tracing around my hand and used a piece of apple fabric from my stash to balance the “treat” fabric on the front of the quilt. I cut the butterfly from one of the swatches you sent.
This quilt could be interpreted a number of ways. Perhaps I’m saying “no” to sweets and “yes” to healthy eating.
I don’t know about you, Bev, but I surprised myself with this one. I wasn’t sure I’d be successful embroidering a likeness of myself and I’m delighted with the outcome. What a kick to have my first art quilt out of the way!
Cheers!
Jennifer
Hello Everyone!
Hi. I’m Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood and I’m very pleased to introduce a project my new friend, Bev Laing, and I have been working on in stealth mode for almost three months now. It’s a monthly art challenge called Posted Stitches. Each month we swap a parcel of fabric, beads, buttons and other notions and challenge each other to make a 10″x10″ art quilt.
Every month there’s a mutually agreed upon theme that we use as our guide to create our quilts. Our plan is to document this year-long project on this blog and post photos of our progress. You can read more about the two of us and our project on our “about” page.
We appreciate your feedback, so feel free to leave a comment below.
Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers!
Jennifer
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