Garden Quilt Progress

I have been working off and on to get a quilt done for my newest grand baby, Layla Grace. 

 I made a block with a pot of tulips.

I used the freezer paper appliqué method, and machine-stitched with invisible thread and a size 8 needle.  It went together pretty easily.

Then I remembered the problem with stitching through freezer paper.  You have to cut away the backing fabric and pick all the paper out of the seams when you are finished.

My team's football game was not very exciting today, so I picked with tweezers while halfway watching on TV.

I think I got most of the little dribs and drabs of paper out.

I also embroidered antennae on the butterflies and eyes on the birds.

Layla is getting excited about it...hurry up, Gigi!

Handwork is a little difficult for me because I have a dislocated arthritic thumb on my left hand.  I have been getting by with steroid injections, but I think it may be getting bad enough to have the surgery to fix it.  It is not an easy process, and will require a big cast and weeks of rehab. 

We are in the North Carolina mountains this weekend, and are blessed with beautiful sunny weather to show off the autumn foliage.

We are also celebrating my husband's retirement from work.  His official last day is November 1.  He is going to go by on Monday and say goodbye, but his office is cleared out and his work is done!  We are so blessed that his cancer is in remission, and now we have some time to enjoy his retirement together.  I am looking forward to this new phase of our lives.

Chenille Baby Quilt

It only took three months to finish the quilting on this little baby quilt!  But, it came off the machine today!

I purchased the top at an antique store in Pittsboro, NC, back in April.  I put it on the machine in July, and tried quilting, but it hurt my ankle to stand on the concrete basement floor.  Little did I know that I had a broken leg!  I went to the my orthopedic foot specialist a week later, and found out I had a displaced oblique fracture of the fibula.  I got an ankle brace...which I am still wearing, because the fracture has still not healed.  Anyway...

I echoed around the chenille flowers, did spirals in the squares, and leafy vines in the borders between    the chenille stripes.

The backing is a soft flannel in pastel stripes.

It is good to finish the quilting!  After it is bound, it may offer it for my new grand-baby Layla to use until her garden quilt is finished.

My state of North Carolina has been through a bad time following Hurricane Matthew.  We were at our mountain cabin when the storm hit, along with our son and his family from South Carolina.  Their power was out for five days.  When we returned home, our Raleigh house was fine.  There are many places in North Carolina that are totally flooded.  It is amazing what too much water can do.  My heart goes out to all those who are in shelters, hoping that they will have a home left to return to.

 
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Botanical Paintings From Loose Washes

I am becoming prolific at producing small watercolor paintings---just by creating three washes a day and then creating a painting out of one a day.  See my previous posts about learning from artist Jean Haines.  Here are some botanicals:

I just got three new tubes of Daniel Smith watercolors to try out some new washes:  Cascade Green, Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Genuine, and Quinacridone Coral.  Can't wait to try them out!

And while I was playing with watercolors, I did another Bible journaling page to open the Book of Psalms.

Birdies and Trees

A few more blocks for new grand baby Layla's garden quilt...they will have French knots for eyes.  I have a few more to finish that will be facing right.

I am still trying to follow artist Jean Haines' advice and make three watercolor washes every morning using different colors.  Then see if you can make a painting emerge from the luscious pigment that landed on the paper

I did quite a few using paper about 5.5" x 8.5".  I think it is probably more fun for you to see the painting next to the original wash.  I have also edited some of the finished ones down to 4" x 6" so I can use them for greeting cards.

Lavender and green wash

5 x 8 painting

4x 6 cropped final version

Here is another from beginning to final.

Red wash with salt

5 x 8 Tree painting from red wash

Final 4 x 6 Autumn Trees

And here's one more.

Original "autumn" palette wash.  Cellophane was added when it was wet.

Autumn Jewels, 5 x 8, by Jeanne T. McBrayer

I liked the last one and did not crop it down to a smaller size.

It is really fun to do this kind of painting, just playing with color and pigment and water flow and seeing what emerges.  Thank you, Jean Haines!

Watercolor Washes

Today I continued with several more quick watercolor washes, and worked on  one of yesterday's.

Here is a little painting developed from yesterday's spring palette wash.

Spring Wildflowers

red and turquoise wash

yellow-orange and green wash

Pastel color wash

I also did a wash in my watercolor journal using shades of blue and added salt.

Blue wash with salt added

So far, I have turned it upside down and made an angel by painting the negative space around the wings.  I may add some scripture to this one.

Angel from blue and white wash

These paintings are loose, fast and fun.  

Atmospheric Watercolor Practice

In my last post I wrote about discovering Jean Haines work through her book, Atmospheric Watercolors.  I finished several of yesterday's practice projects.

Two washes became some new friends I am calling "Shorty" and "Lefty."

Shorty

Lefty

I also finished a practice page of anemones using Jean's guidelines from the book.

One of Jean's recommendations is to start each day painting three loose and juicy washes in different color palettes.  You can come back to these later and make finished paintings.

So, today I did a spring, summer, and autumn wash on small pieces of Arches 140-lb. paper.

Spring Wash- with cellophane and salt

Summer wash with cellophane

Autumn Wash with cellophane manipulation

And for those anxious for more pictures of the new grand baby...here are Charlotte and her new sister, Layla!

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Atmospheric Watercolors

I am in love with  a new art instruction book that I bought for myself .  Jean Haines' Atmospheric Watercolors is a delight to view and read, and had me reaching for my brushes and paints to try some of her techniques.

She encourages beautiful, loose washes of color for starting paintings.  She paints loosely, leaving much detail to the viewer's imagination.  In the book she shares tips and practice exercises.
Here is what I have done so far.

elephant work-in-progress

Another elephant work-in-progress

Sunlit daffodils-I think this one is done!

Venetian door-I'm going to repeat this exercise to try to improve it.

Colorful wash-might become a seated figure or an angel

Painting in this loose, juicy style is so much fun!  There is no sketching ahead of time, just applying paint to paper and utilizing the unique characteristics of watercolor paint, like the way it flows, forms blossoms, and blends.  

Jean Haines has several other books available, which are being added to my wish list!