"Pay it Forward" Projects

Right after New Years, someone on facebook decided to start a "Pay it Forward" project, the first 5 people to sign up got a handmade goodie from that person, and had to post the challenge on their page, and make handmade stuff for the next 5 people to sign up with them. I managed to get signed up with Sue Cutsogeorge, and Darla Shannon to make me something. I am making stuff for, my friends Tisha, and Darcy, and cousins Dawn and Joy, and my sister's best friend Darla. I'm also making something for my sister Vicky, after all she is my sister. I started making these cute little pouches, got the fabric cut and made a few, but wasn't real happy with them. I will finish them and give them also, but I decided I needed to make something more "Me." I am taking one of my original photographs, printing an 8" x10" image onto fabric, and I'll free motion quilt and embellish all the photos, to make a small wall hanging. Picking out the photos to use for each individual was very special, I asked them for favorite colors and favorite flowers. I've got two almost done and I will take them with me on my trip to Seattle next week. I am not going to post photos yet of the finished pieces, cause I want to give them as gifts first, so I'll post later. Working in the small format of 8" x 10" is fun, just big enough to get good detail, but small enough to be easy to finish, and the embellishment doesn't get carried away, tho I am adding a lot of beads to one of them. Quilters call this size "Journal Pages" from the "Journal Quilt Project" from a few years back, when people signed on to do a page a week for a year. Using a photograph makes it very personal, and fulfilling.

Fiber Play Day

Our textile arts group, "Fyber Cafe" had a fiber fun play day, at Vera's house in Days Creek. Up on top of the valley with a great view of the pastures. Good friends and new ones. We started with types of fibers, silk, wool, merino, alpaca, rayon, angora and mohair. We discussed their properties and felt them all up. Next was trying to use the drop spindles to learn to spin yarn, good luck, most people couldn't get the coordination to pull the wool and pinch off the twist of the yarn. Several ladies tried to use the spinning wheels, and Pat W. caught the hang of it, and Vera was getting along good with the spindle, but everyone else said, "Not for me!" It is like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time. We had a nice break for a fabulous potluck lunch. After lunch we played with more fibers to do needle felting, we piled a whole lot of wool, yarns, threads, Angelina fibers and hand dyed cheesecloth onto the table. It was a dazzling mound of colors!!! We used hand held needle felting tools, or individual needles and used felted wool for the background. We started with the wool and added yarns and cheesecloth for texture. We never did play with the chiffons, silkies and polyester fabrics that I had brought. Playing with color and texture was the key to the small felted pieces we did. Nobody really knows what to do with what we made, just samples I guess, but I might add beads and frame one or two of the pieces. Also glasses cases, small purses, and pincushions were discussed. They also might benefit from some free motion quilting to add more detail and texture, and to stabilize everything. Corrienne brought a big bag of "thrums" the end pieces from her weaving, that we all pawed through, going ooh and ahh! Mostly pearl cottons, but also chenille yarns and wool yarns, we took what we wanted and she'll bring the rest to the next meeting for people to go through. A fun time was had by all, thank you for attending and the delicious lunch.

"Summer, Plate Licker"

"Summer, Plate Licker" was my Christmas vacation little project, it is only 8" x 10". The photo was taken by my Dad, Bud Cruger at the Thanksgiving table, when Summer put her nose over the edge of the table looking for goodies. I traced the photo on to clear plastic sheet protector, and scanned it into my computer. I enlarged to 8 x 10, because I don't like making people or animals bigger than life size. It always makes them look too weird. I used raw edge applique to construct the picture with different bits of fabric and quilted/appliqued with matching rayon threads, in rust, tan and white and black. A cool blue/teal background contrasted with the warm colors of Summer. My machine died right then so I haven't gotten the binding on yet. I'll send it to my sister Vicky when I am done, as it is her dog, and my nephew's.

LaBrie's Barn and Sheep"

This quilt is more traditional in construction, I pieced it with 1" to 2" sashing in various bright lime green prints. The photos are printed on treated fabric on my computer. The photo is of the LaBrie Barn on Garden Valley Blvd, in Roseburg, Oregon. Last year I chased around the area with my camera trying to get pics of the new lambs. They like to run to the other side of the field when I approach, it didn't help that I had the radio blaring in the car when I opened the door. We finally figured it out at the 4th field, ha ha ha. I had left over lambs, that I cut out and added with fusible web, they were "outside the box" and added a lot of movement. I call them free range lambs, cause they didn't stay in the photos. I added a little bit of red colored pencil to brighten up the barn a bit and to add color to the wagon and fence post, they were pretty gray, I used a rusty color to warm them up. It is free motion quilted with rayon threads, and clear nylon monofilament to outline the lambs. The border is a wood pattern fabric, like a window frame.