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!!!!!

Numbers 11 and 12

Number 11 was really fun to make - even got that ol' Bart Simpson and his baby sister in it.
BUT - and it's a big BUTT - I JUST MADE A HOUSE CARD!!!! It was #9. What th.....?!

So immediately, #12 - the bird of paradise took shape using some of the already cut-to-shape pieces in the fused ready drawer. Amazing how that makes a person think of a new design. That one only started with the black wing which lay on the backing for a day before more pieces joined in. I took my cue from that black wing and shaped other pieces to follow suit. When all was done, it still needed more feathers in her cap so I just drew them on. Oh well.

Here they are:

 #11 - "Feelin' Groovy"    

 

#12 - "Flying High"

                                                  
One of the next ones needs to have a little different shape. I'll work on that.

Number Ten

Just got my studio in a better working condition thanks to Wanda Shelton and Sharah Gannett. Yes, Sharonahhh, there IS a floor in there - and I saw it today!!!!!
So this evening Number Ten was accomplished using some of my really fun scrappies.
Here ya go:

#10 - "George"  Cotton strip quilting

 

It's difficult for me to keep color value in mind and it shows in this piece. The composition in this one is okay but the colors all blend together. ...I still like it tho. The window is from a photograph taken in France and the shutters actually shut on this postcard. The photo was printed using an ink jet printer onto special cotton cloth produced for this purpose. Here ya go:

#9 - "Ouvre la Fenetre" (Open the Window)

cotton, photo print window, lace flower applique.

 





 

So. That's it for today. I'm about 3 or 4 behind - but we're not going to get picky here.

Numbers three through eight

Okay. Here's the start of posting I said would happen. My brother-in-law is in University hospital for a three week treatment time and it gave an opportunity to me to get back to the sewing machine.
I imposed a personal challenge on myself to make a postcard a day for 21 days in hopes that it would be enjoyable for b-i-l and also in hopes of getting my "mojo" back in the color and design world.

It wasn't until the first postcard was sewn that I realized that the upper tension on the machine was virtually non-existant. It was the weekend so I had to go to the ever lovin' paper (I love paper) for the next two. Of course, immediately I was behind two postcards. Never mind, "we must persevere"!!!

I brought the machine to Johnston's Sales and Service on Lyndale Ave S and 64th Street. They had it fixed for me that same afternoon!!!! Here's their web site:
http://johnstonssalesservice.com/
They cleaned, oiled and repaired the upper tension and it runs like silk now.
I recommend them.
Commercial over.
Here are some sort of fuzzy photos of #'s 3-8. Didn't think to photograph the first two. They'll come later - AND I'll use the tripod from now on.

#3 - Self Portrait. Paper

#4 - Rooftop Dancing. cotton fabric and foil moon. Thread drawing.

#5 - Lake Minnetonka. Cotton, metalic mesh, shiney see-through filmy stuff.

#6 - Hot Jungle. Cotton. Thread drawing.

And what is behind the flippity flaps?.....

#7 - Peek-A-Boo! It's Betty!!!  Cotton. Thread drawing.

#8 - Fall On The Hill. Cotton, thread drawing.

 

 

That's it for now. Hope you like the show.