Monday 6 August 2007

Marie Curie is back home

My entry for "She Made her Mark" arrived home this morning from Indiana. It's been away a while and I was excited to see it again.

I wanted to share with you the "ribbon" I received with my quilt. Isn't it beautiful?

I thought I had decided on the colour to paint my 2007 Journal Quilt but I was busy doing something totally different and wondered what the fabric/quilting would look like painted blue. Instead of painting a sample on it's own I decided to paint one with all three colours - red, white and blue. I have decided on blue. I painted the whole quilt top with the blue acrylic and it looks good. It was a little scary after spending a whole morning quilting the piece but it was fine in the end. If you haven't tried painting your quilt AFTER it has been quilted then you should try a sample it's good fun. I use the sample pieces as a warm up before I start quilting on my main quilt.

I spent a good part of yesterday adding beads to the Journal Quilt. It's time consuming and I have so many other things I just HAVE to do but I also want to get more beads stitched on it. Today I have been beading for a while then housework, beading and then housework ....... I often work like this and it's just amazing how much I can get done that way.

Here are some samples of Evolon I have been working on. This piece was dyed using some dyes I have had lying around in jars since my last dyeing session. All things considered it has turned out OK. I need to experiment a little more with different colours to see how they turn out. I also heated it with the heat gun. I definitely needed a respirator for this. I melts into holes rather than crumbling like lutrador or kunin felt. I prefer lutrador for burning I have to say but I will experiment some more with the evolon.

I coloured this piece with Ranger Distress Ink pads - vintage photo and weathered wood by rubbing the ink pad on the evolon and you can see I also stamped it using the same colour ink pad (sorry the photograph is a little out of focus).


I used System 3 acrylic for this piece - I should have waited until the base coat was dry before I stencilled with the red but you get the idea. I just love this piece. The photograph doesn't do it justice. I used the new Media Textile paint I bought recently - Turquoise and purple - with treasure pewter rubbed on top.

I had the Markal (shiva) paintsticks out for something else I am working on and tried them on the evolon. They have turned out well. The background is blue, brown and a touch of red. I added the yellow by rubbing over a stamp. I think I will try the irridescent colours next.


You can see from the photographs that I have added mini tags to each of my samples. I painted the little tags with the media I used on the evolon and wrote on the tags the media I had used. When I was making my books a while ago I was having real problems with eyelets and Tonniece told me about the cropadile. I bought one and I have to say it is fantastic.

8 comments:

Leanne Hurren said...

Congratulations on your ribbon Carol! Love your samples and reading your blog. Will have to look at that eyelet tool. I spent £25 on a setter tool and I am having trouble with it - waste of money!

Carol said...

Isn't that ribbon just lovely. love all the samples too. well done

Sandy said...

Congratulations on your winning quilt and ribbon. Nice samples. I, too, alternate what I'm working on with what I have to do. Sandy

Digitalgran said...

I'm glad your quilt arrived home safely Carol especially with the lovely Best of Show along with it.
Isn't it annoying when other things get in the way of creativity? That's what is happening to me these days. Must try it your way and hop from one to the other a bit.

Tonniece said...

A Great Big CONGRATS Carol on you Best of show award. You so deserve it.

WOW!!!! Where to begin, you have been so busy (no big surprise there). All the pieces are just lovely, I'm at a lose for words, except to say that i wish I had you energy, and I'm glad I don't own a sewing m/c or you'd put me to task.

So pleased you got and like the cropadile. IT IS Fantastic for sure.

A wonderful day to you and Norman
Tonniece

Unknown said...

Congratulations on your winning ribbon, love the samples so far.
hey I bought one of those cropadiles a couple of weeks ago, I now have holes in all kind of strange places :)

Alis Clair said...

Fab ribbon, well done.

I love to see all your work, you are such a busy person and get to play with so many ideas.

Nola said...

Congratulations on the ribbon - how lovely! Love the Evalon samples. I actually like the smudged one!

So much to try....