Art Quilt Top Completed

The art quilt top has been completed. I just have to add borders and quilt batting and backing and then I will quilt it with my sewing machine.

I would like a little advice. Should I leave the border off or put one on. If I put a border on it, it will be a very narrow 1 inch border.

I think I'll title it "Dramatic Skies".

Art Quilt Progress

Well, it is the week before Christmas and I really thought I'd be able to get this art quilt  top finished before Christmas. I've completed another section and may get a little further on it but I know that putting the layers together and quilting will be happening after Christmas.

I'm still not sure if it will look like I imagined it but hopefully it will work when it is all sewn together.

Wishing all of you a Wonderful Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

2017 Calendar Completed

I am happy to report that I managed to get my 2017 Art Calendar done and printed before Christmas. I've posted the pages below. If anyone of my followers is interested in one, let me know and I will try to get one to you.

Updates Re: Calendar and Art Quilt

I was quite productive this week and was able to get my Calendar pages done, photographed and to the printer. It looks like the Calendar will be ready before Christmas but sadly not for tonight's Christmas Celebration with my family. They'll be getting an IOU.

Our Art/Craft Exhibition and Sale in support of our Refugee Family was more successful than I even dared to think. The evening was well-attended, there was lots on exhibit and also lots for sale and we sold a lot. Thank you to all who gave of their talents and generosity to make it happen!

Even though my Art Quilt was unfinished, I brought it to the event and did a small demonstration of my working method. Surprisingly, it sold and it also generated interest in a commission for another one which will also be donated to the cause.

I was also able to work on the original quilt this week and so it is slowing coming to fruition.

It is still hard to see what it will actually look like but I still love the colours and am hoping it will turn out as I envision in my head.

Month by Month Inspiration

I am still busily working on my Calendar and I'm feeling a little pressed for time as it is moving toward the end of November. Today I finished my November Calendar page and when I was ready to put the dates on it, I noticed that I had done the dates for October incorrectly. I skipped a date which made October only 30 days. A bit stressful, since I had finished painting it and it was ready to go. I managed to fix the dates without having to do the whole page over again which made me feel so much better. That will teach me not to rush and always check twice.

I also want to redo April because I am not satisfied with that page. It was a page that I had measured wrong so it was bigger than it should be on one side. I had cut off the extra inch but then it really didn't work anymore. So today I started a new page and hope I can get it done quickly.

Then the last one is December. I have some ideas for that calendar page and will think on it some more while I'm working on April. I may also get some inspiration from Christmas cards that come in the mail.

Once all the pages are done, they will all be photographed and then I'll take the images to a printer and have them print the calendar. I'm really hoping it will work out since I've put a whole year of work into it.

Below are parts of July, October and November.

A Little Mexican Inspiration

It's November and that means it is time for our getaway to the South. We visited Mexico this time and had wonderful weather and a great resort. As we don't really do excursions while we are away, I satisfy myself by sketching on the beach. So below are some of my sketches.

Chaotic Inspiration

My studio is a chaotic mess currently. I'm not sure if my mind is influencing the chaos in the studio or the chaos in the studio is influencing my state of mind. There is fabric everywhere while I work on my art quilt. I also have pieces of dyed fabric drying over the sink for my batik course. On my drawing table I have my watercolours out while I work on my calendar pages. There is just stuff everywhere. I am definitely going to have to spend some time cleaning and purging after Christmas.

I'm working on so many things at the same time that I don't always know where to begin. At this time of year I am working on stuff for Christmas and as we've moved into November, I'm not sure any of it will get done. Having really only one full day per week to spend on art is just not enough! I am slowly plugging away at the projects and am making headway but sometimes I hit a snag and what I've done doesn't satisfy me and I have to come up with another plan and start all over from the beginning.

Here's a little update on the art quilt. As I work on it, I am trying to come up with a Title. I have finished the land areas and have now begun the sky which is going a little faster.

And here's a little something that gets me excited as I work. When I took off the freezer paper to see the colours underneath, one of the pieces had such nice striations in it! A little surprise that made me happy!

Still Inspired

I was really enthusiastic last week when I started my Art Quilt for our upcoming fundraiser. After having put almost 24 hours into it, I don't have much to show. This week I realized that I will not be able to get this quilt done in time for our fundraiser. I will continue to work on it steadily and will try to get most of it done but it will certainly be incomplete come November 19.

Even though there is only a tiny portion of it done, I really like the colours I chose and think it will be really beautiful.

The bottom section which will be the water and land portions are the most detailed and time consuming sections to sew. That is what I've started on and once those sections are done, the rest is the sky which will develop a lot faster.

When Deadlines Inspire Me

My church is holding an Art/Craft Exhibition and Sale in support of a refugee family that we are sponsoring. The date for the event is November 19 and I don't have anything ready for it. That is less than a month away and so I have been working diligently trying to plan an art quilt that I can place in the silent auction. I went through my photo file and selected a photo. I did a watercolour painting of it enhancing the colour a bit, decided how big I wanted it and today I finished plotting the pattern and gathering fabric. That was about 7 hours work.

I am pleased with the design and the colours. Hopefully I have plotted it correctly. Now I will have to spend every free minute on it if I am going to get it done on time. Sometimes you just need a deadline to inspire you.

Here's my watercolour from which I will choose my fabric colours.

Fabric choices

Pattern

2016 Wild Women's Booth Lake Canoe Trip Art Cards Completed

Last week I completed 15 watercolour and ink art cards. Most of them have been sent to the canoe trip participants so I thought I'd post them here for you to see.

Booth Lake Tent

Paddles

Misty Morning

Booth Lake Campsite

Rugged Shoreline

Paddle

Tattler Lake Ranger's Cabin

Kevlar Canoe

Tattler Lake Canoes

Kitty Lake Ranger's Cabin

Sunny Rest Spot

Canoe at Rest

Tranquility

Rocky Shoreline

Early Morning Paddle