~ Dinner for Eight: II ~

So I am well aware that my blogging skills as of late have been less than stellar.

The truth is that I took some time out to make some things for my grand kids and  ... the Boy Scouts. The work for my local 11-year old troop, involved sewing a flag that was embellished with a rabbit.

A Nuclear Powered Killer Rabbit to be specific.

But, I digress.

Before starting those other fun projects, I had already decided on my next Sea Quilts adventure and had already set aside my piles of fabric ... paint.

I decided to reprise my very first Art Quilt, which has long since sold and is no longer in my possession. I am pretty excited not to be starting from Square One, especially since Square Two (the fabric picking process) is my favorite Square of all.

And what is your favorite part of the creative process?

`

~She Sews Sea Horses on a Surfboard by the Sea ~

This was SO much fun!!

~ Coastal Sunglass Cases ~

So ... I have been busy.  Busy picking a new set of fabrics every 30 minutes which pretty much put me in a heavenly state.  The picking of fabrics is my favorite part of this process, although all the others fall closely behind.

I have been busy making eyeglass/sunglass cases that are now for sale on my Etsy Shop.

First: Octopi, as seen above.

Next: Sea Horses.

And last but not least: Surfboards.

And just in case you were wondering ... the tornado that attacked my fabric shelves during this process ... was tamed.  

It was a very good week.

~ Fish Lips ~

TaDa!  I finished both of my colorful tropical fish quilts.

Two ... two quilts in the same space as one! 

Each of these quilts measures 25 1/2" wide X 18 1/2" tall. 

Each one is created out of colorful, shiny details ...

... + layers of texture to bring them to life. 

I didn't originally intend them to sport such ... girly ... colors, but once the fish spoke to me, those things were out of my hands.

So I offer you this PINK.
In the month of October.

Only fitting.

~ Something's Fishy ~

 

 

 

More. Fun.

Make that double the fun.

And yes ... Fish have Lips!

~ NOT reinventing the Whale ~

It's back to business, people.

I am honored and excited to take part as a vendor at an event here in Orange County on Saturday, June 8th.  It's called the Joy Expo.

I am working fast and furiously to add some mid-priced items to go along with my patterns and my quilts.

Because of the quick pace I must work at, I have chosen not to design new motifs, but to open my own patterns and use the applique patterns from them.
(That's perfectly legal, I believe.)

Hence ... the whales you see above.

These are my next three piles of fabric goodness.

And this is the pattern I'll be using (more or less.)

I have said it before and I'll say it again ... I am NOT a fast sewer.

Wish me luck.

~ Fabric Painting: III ~

So this little swimmer is the third in my Deep Blue Sea series.

Each one more fun than the one before.

 I loved the chance to sew with some bright pinks.

You'll note the presence of the  green ... food ... in this one also. Each "painting" measures 25" wide by 36" long.

You can find this one here on my Etsy Shop.

Right now I am working on a series of two ... sisters.  I'm thinking of calling them
"Merternal Twins".

Stay Tuned.

~ More Painting with Fabric ~

So ... after the Octopus, I decided to try my hand (and machine) at a
Sea Horse.

Once again the fun was out of control!

Picking the fabrics, designing my little equine friend and machine quilting her down were all delightful jobs.
It's funny because I didn't used to enjoy the machine quilting part.
That has all changed.

The size is the very same as my Octopus ... 25" wide x 36" long.
That is partly determined by the relatively small size of my design wall.

The astute eye will note that the same bright green fishes are swimming (probably to avoid becoming dinner) in all three of my Deep Blue Sea series.  Just in case you might want to hang them all together.

You can see them here on my Etsy Shop.

Thanks for all your sweet comments which have only encouraged me.

I guess that's the point though, isn't it?

~ Painting with Fabric ~

When we last saw this guy, I was still covered in a bit of Christmas glitter and my back ached from putting away the decorations.
Let's just say that a lot has happened since then.

I made the decision last September that I was going to try and make some quilts with more of a painterly effect.  The only way to do this was to let go of the concept of turning them into patterns and just go with the flow.

And boy, am I am having fun.

This guy is the first in a series of three that I like to call Deep Blue Sea.

Sea Creatures that hang around beneath the surface.

I 'm naming this one Dinner for Eight.

If you can't wait to see the other two ... head on over to my Etsy Shop.

I have to spread these blog posts out, people.  This takes time.

I hope you are having as much fun as me.

But I doubt it.