My four-inch block for this week started out with a simple nine patch block I had formerly pieced of my own hand dyed fabrics. I've been spending a lot of time in my garden lately watching different flowers emerge so I believe that's where I got the inspiration. I first created a single flower with a sheer fabric. I used a purple organza. I then stitched quilting lines to follow the pattern of the flower. Then I decided to paint the rest of the background patches different colors to create yet another design element. I used inktense pencils and water for this. The original color of the 9 patch block can be seen in the space between the sheer flower and the stitching line. I really had nothing specific in mind when I approached my nine patch block but with a few different techniques I ended up making what you see in the photo.

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My good friend Susi recently told me about a batik technique with Elmers glue so of course I had to try it.
I took plain white fabric and regular white Elmers glue that is water soluble. Using the Elmers glue tip as a writing tool I drew patterns or designs on the white fabric and then put it aside to dry for a few hours. After it was dry I painted over the fabric with acrylic paints in a way that I found interesting. Then I set this aside to dry completely. I then took the painted fabric over to the sink and rinsed off the glue with warm water and that created the fabric you see in the photo. I'm pretty sure I could make more interesting pieces if I kept at and continued to perfect my designs. I recommend you try this technique if you like new things!

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Yesterday I happened to look outside my back door and noticed that the sun was shining directly on one of the hostas at the edge of the woods. That Hosta just stood out as if it were on stage so I went outside to take a photo. As you can see the top leaves of the hosta appear white because of the sunlight and you can see the lower leaves in their typical green but brighter than usual. I also noticed the green shadows of the Hosta leaves beneath the Hosta. In the background just a bit you can notice a reflection of the greenery of the woods in the water of the birdbath. The woods can often appear dark and deep but sometimes when you look at them the sun is filtering through the trees just right to highlight something in particular. This was one of those times and I'm glad I saw it.

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I don't exactly know how I was inspired to make this weeks' 4 inch block but here it is. I created a simple human body pattern and use it to cut out the shapes from different fabrics. I fused them to the background and machine quilted around their outlines. If I had to name I guess I would call it "we are the world ".

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Here's a photo of a narrow shawl I'm weaving now. The warp is a blend of Merino wool,acrylic, and cashmere. Two thirds of the warp is an olive green and one third is a brownish color. For the weft I am alternating 3 inch sections of a dark charcoal gray, burgundy, and two other fibers that I've been dying to use to add a bit of spark. One of these is the light-colored section you see in the weaving and the other has purples and greens and has a little bit of sparkle. I'm very happy with how it is coming out and it is very fun to weave! The warp yarn moves like a dream and it is a fast and very relaxing project not to mention fun to see the color changes! I like to use two different colors in the warp because in the completed project the user of the shawl has the option of wearing it with either the darker or lighter section closest to their face. Plus it's just plain more interesting don't you think?

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My four-inch block for this week is made of fabric that I had made from a quilt I had created. One of the pictures here shows a quilt I had made which measures about 27 x 36". I liked it so much I decided to have a piece of fabric created of this pattern. I did this through the Spoonflower site online. From the piece of fabric that was created I cut a four inch square and that is my block for this week. I quilted around the branches in the block. I did extensive quilting on the original quilt and I liked the fact that you can see those quilting lines on the fabric created from the original quilt.

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I was motivated to combine some different parts of different photos to create a new art quilt. The quilt you see here is a result of that process. The archway and stairs were from a photo I took of the back of a home that I thought was very interesting. This photo was taken a few years ago. After I transferred it to fabric I decided I wanted to create something else to see in the photo so I selected a photo of a young boy's face that I then transferred to fabric and inserted into the archway opening making it partially visible. I added color to highlight different sections and then stitched the quilting lines. The photos were transferred onto pieces of my hand dyed fabrics and ironed. The frame is a simple mat for a picture that I covered in fabric.
I like to create art that causes the viewer to think or wonder about what he or she is seeing or to create their own story. This is a fun technique if you are interested in taking photos and combining them to make a new picture.

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