Floral Challenge

Floral Art Sketch

The Project Quilting Quarantine Challenge this week is Floral.

I've been meaning to try this technique for awhile so this was a great week to try it. I used A light colored Cherrywood fat quarter as my top fabric. It's a fabulous fabric to sew with and to paint on. I looked at several photos I took of a messy garden and sketched several elements from those photos into a composition. I used a frixion pen on the fabric. I sandwiched it with some black batting pieces I had and black backing fabric. I used black thread and free motion quilted the sketch onto the fabric. I ended up with this.

I used fabric medium and watercolor paint to color the piece. It got very intense and bled quite a bit. I liked the effect but I wasn't sure how to control the edges. I sprayed some water to encourage the spread. Then I added salt to the whole piece and let it dry. I used pink Himalayan Salt, cause I had a bag of it handy, but you can use any salt. It pulls the water towards it and thus, the paint, so the end result is a mottled look I really like. 

 After it dried and I brushed all the salt off,(Outside and with a good brush) I realized I wanted a few more flowers but lighter, so I used a lighter thread, instead of black, to sketch in a few more. I used Inktense pencils with fabric medium to bring out some more spots of color that I lost from bleeding before. I've never actually made a quilt with a rounded top , but always wanted to try it. It's roughly 13 x 20.  

Overall, I liked this project. I got to do some techniques I had wanted to try and I like the overall feel of the piece, like it's a watercolor sketch. I'd forgotten just how much I like the effects of salt. I really liked the whole piece as a great little project. 

Small escapes during Coronavirus-19

Social Distancing

It's been a bit more than 3 weeks of social distancing for me. At first, the days were moving so slowly and I kept thinking I needed to be highly productive every day. Now, I'm settling into a pattern of life and I'm not quite as driven. I can spend a week at a time indoors but then I need to step out a bit. I am sheltering in a rural area and can easily spend some outdoor time without encountering anyone. I celebrated the super moon by spending quite a bit of time at the lake. 

 I've been waking up very early  and taking pictures of the dawn. I don't know why I am waking up so early every day. 

 I enjoy watching dawn every day. 

 Just for variety, I went to the lake for sunset. The sky was mostly cloudless, but also fewer contrails. It's Spring, which means lots of rain and the lake is flooded. I miss being able to walk along the shore. 

I've been enjoying the wild life out my window. Some are quicker than others. I've missed photos of the groundhog and fox, but this little guy is a frequent visitor.

 I am not sure how long we'll be social distancing and unable to go to work. It sounds bleak. I understand the social distancing means we don't overwhelm the hospitals, but at some point, are we supposed to get it? Are we just delaying the day? Can we really survive like this long enough to get a vaccine?That's over a year. If we do get it, and survive, are we immune? The jury is still out on that. Not sure if our government even knows or has some sort of overall plan.