Galveston Sunset

No Wednesday Work-in-Progress today...I finished this piece last night!

Galveston Sunset, 2009, 17" x 22"

This one needs to be shipped today for a presentation on Saturday, so I have been working hard for the last couple of days since returning from our mountain trip.

The quilt is based on photographs of the view from the recipient's house in Galveston, Texas. The home was destroyed during Hurricane Ike last year. The homeowners say that what they missed the most was watching the sun set over the water of Galveston Bay.

I had a short turn-around time on this one, but once I decided on my method, it came together quickly. After several unsuccessful attempts to layer or paint fabric, I decided to build the backgrounds using my Babylock Embellisher. I had some beautiful hand-dyes that I used for the sky, strip of land, and water. I needle-punched these to a batting background, and then started layering various sheer and shiny fabrics and fibers on top.

The sun is white satin that has some colored sheers overlaid.

The reflections in the water also include some Angelina and Tinzl for sparkle.Once the backgrounds were completed, I rough-cut the pilings and birds and strip of land. The slightly frayed edges of the fabric help to give the look of old wood and landscapes. (Thank you, Pamela Allen, for introducing me to scissors again!)

I painted the dog and pier with a combination of Tsukineko inks, colored pencils, and fabric markers. I wanted a little texture on the planks of the pier, so I cut up some gray knit gloves and stitched them down, and covered the whole dock with black tulle.

Because of the time constraints, I combined machine applique with machine-quilting. I used some shiny rayon threads that really add some gleam. For the back, I also used some hand-dyed fabric that resembles sea and sky. Most of the bobbin threads blend with the backing fabric, but the black outlines show up nicely for some "back art."

I started my new job yesterday, and was delighted to find that I am sharing my classroom with the same teacher as last year. She is also retired and about my age. We also have a lovely younger teacher who is joining us this year. We have already gotten the classroom set up in just half a day. Soon we will meet the kids who will be our students, but I am not sure when we actually begin having classes.

I have lots and lots of mountains pics and adventures to blog about, plus a nice hand-painted card from a special artistic Valentine to share next time.