~ 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?

~ The Autumn Seashore ~

Here is my design wall this morning.

The temps will still hit the 90s this week here in southern Cal ...

... but I am officially declaring it autumn.

In trying to decide just how I would merge this season with the sea, I chose to light up some jack o'lanterns with sea life. Then while in the process of drawing said pumpkins, I remembered that I had drawn pumpkins before.
In another life, under another (pattern) name, I had published a pattern for a 90s era folk-art fall wall hanging.  I have long since grown weary of the fabrics in it, but I decided that since I had drawn the pumpkins in the first place ... I could copy my own design.




Then ... I started thinking ... why not copy the whole dang thing?
I knew I wanted calmer sea colors and I wanted to add some light to the pumpkins, but it seemed a good idea not to try and reinvent this particular wheel.

So I got out my pattern and I followed it.
  

Having recently been to the beach and become fond of all the lovely lavender, I knew what color the flowers would be.

I kept my print palette to dots, stripes and solids.

I vow to have this pattern up on my Etsy Shop ...
not next week, but the week after.

Next week I will be immersed in a class taught by this master quilter.

I feel cooler already!

~ The Color (Day): Purple ~

I didn't even realize I had anything from my home to post in this color range until I realized that I just keep seeing it ... outside ... and that it warms my heart every single time.

The lovely blossom above is  from a walk very near my home.

As I perused my beach pictures, I realized there was an abundance of purple:
  

 I love how it is heightened by all the blue.

Yum.

More deliciousness ... surrounded by white ... surrounded by green.

Always wanting to bring a bit of the beach into my home, I picked these lavender lovelies when I repotted some things on my porch a couple of weeks ago.

And then this weekend as I was starting yet another sea quilt ... and yet wanting it to have a hint of autumn ... I found myself in my stack of purples. 

I'm very excited.

Now, if we could just have some autumn temperatures around here, I could really be happy!