The Tree Project.

So here's the deal:About 30 of my quilter friends accepted a tree challenge presented to us by Wanda Shelton. We all got a basic pattern with only a couple of guidelines as to where the trunk began and a couple of the branches started. When we finished our tree, we were instructed to divide the tree into four quarters, mark them as #1, #2, #3, #4. We got to keep the lower left quadrant and left the other three to be drawn by others for their piece.

The tire swings are made with toy tires from a motorcycle from the Dollar Tree and hung from the branches by a string of beads.

 

That's mine on the lower left.

Lower right is Judy Lewis'

Upper left is Edith Dalleska.

Upper right is Andrea Johnson.



So now I'm going to try to make the pieces relate to each other without changing the original quarter too much. Maybe a few leaves cast to other quarters or beads. As it is, the upper left quarter was a little short so I added a little piece and scattered a few clouds across the top.



So the above is a 45 second video - don't know if it will come out as a video but will try.

A Corset for Marge

My friend Marge had a huge back surgery this past week. She has to wear a tight corset during the recovery time so I "had" to make her a post card:

Then, from Aunties Marion and June, some chocolate is tucked up from the bottom - hiding inside the corset! 
Hope Marge likes it.
The corset is tacked onto the lacy background in six places - each corner and then the waistline... so chocolate could be inserted of course! and then the lace bosom is a straight stitch all the way around it to hold "things" together.

And one more thing....

I brought the latest postcard to show the Aunties Marion and June down the hall. Auntie Marion said " You could use it for a mask!" and we all tried it on and laughed at ourselves. The now mask needed a little spot for the nose to protrube so I cut a little arch and finished the edge. Wah-Lah - a mask!

"Masquing Our Nap"

Think I'll make some more.
Always liked the idea of fantasy masks.

Cepeda gets "postcardy"

Our granddaughter Cepeda decided she wanted to try her hand at making a postcard. She found some fabric in her favorite colors and just put it all together on her own. She asked me to add the word love but the design is all hers.

Then with the leftovers and selvedges she quickly did this one:

 

I love those color dots in the selvedges too.

They're so design-y. Yay Cepeda!!!

"Here's Lookin' Atcha"

Okay. Now MY brother needs a postcard. He just had his retina reattached and is still in pain from an unusual kind of proceedure - plus his eye is swollen closed (doctor isn't worried).

This eye postcard has 3D eyelids (should have made one swollen closed - but they're supposed to be my eyes....) much the same as the eyes in an earlier wall hanging titled "Alligator Shoes". Hope these eyes don't creep him out too much. They're kind of "clowny". Oh well.
Here it is:

"Here's Lookin' Atcha"

 

And here's a side view to see the raised eyelids:

Sigh-A-Narrahhhhh

 

The Tree Project

Wanda Shelton has presented a challenge to whomever wants to take it; it's the Tree Project. Wanda prepared a basic pattern of a tree with only a few guidelines. We make one complete tree any way we want to. When we are finished with our tree, it will be cut into criss-cross quarters. We then will keep only one quarter of our original tree and receive the other three quarters from three different other trees. I think there may be about 25 participants so there should be some interesting results.
Here is my beginning:

The thing I didn't remember before fusing the tree to the background was that it would be sliced down the middle. Therefore, there isn't really a good 1/2 inch seam allowance there. Oh well, I'll make up for it somehow else.

 

More branches were added (fused) and texture was added using very narrow strips of fabric. Actually the strips were from another project that required strips and instead of opening up the fabric, I just cut the fold right off using about 1/8" to 1/16". Those left-over strips were sewn on using a hemming stitch that leaped over the top every six or so stitches. Kind of couched it on...sometimes piercing the strip.
Next will be the leaves.... and MONKEYS! I'm looking for smallish toy monkeys to add to the tree.

Toe the line

I just found out that another brother-in-law has had serious health problems... he had to have part of his toe removed. So I'm sending a post card to him in Atlanta.

"George Toes" 

 cotton applique with thread painting.

This little exercise sure has been fun to do. I recommend it.
However, it does NOTHING to lighten the stash - in fact, it fluffs it up and multiplies like crazy!!!!!