Quilt Inspiration classics: Aquarium quilts and seascapes

This week, we're going positively aquatic! Today's quilts will make you feel that you can dive right in to the underwater scenery. The quilts we're showing include fish, turtles, and other sea-dwelling creatures, in settings that evoke the color and movement of the sea. What a way to keep (your) cool !

Koi, 40 x 68 (or miniature Koi, 11 x 13), by Lydia Russell Albers and Carol Morrissey, at O Carol Designs

Carol Morrissey is renowned for her vibrant, artistic designs. We love "Koi", above, by Lydia Russell Albers and Carol Morrissey, with its orange and red fish cavorting among stylized blue waves. The miniature version (11 x 13) features a single koi, which would make a beautiful motif within an Asian-inspired quilt.   Another stunning aquatic quilt is "Follow Me", below, which measures 40" x 50". The giant green sea turtles are so realistic...the turtle in the foreground appears to be swimming right towards us!

For more aquatic designs by Carol Morrissey, check out Swim Party,  Clown School (with a school of clownfish, of course), and Standing Room Only, to mention just a few ... we're particularly fond of  The Toad ( formerly known as Prince) (!)  Her patterns can be found on the patterns page at O Carol Designs. 

Seascape I and Seascape II,  by Marjan Kluepfel

Marjan Kluepfel is a fabric artist whose work has been shown in galleries around the world.  The inspiration for her magnificent seascape quilts comes from her scuba diving trips on reefs around the Hawaiian islands, and Australia. Seascape I is in a private collection, but Marjan offers a pattern for the dreamy Seascape II, which is shown above. The brightly colored hand-dyed fabric, which blends from blue-green up to yellow,  creates the impression of the sun penetrating the ocean depths; and the textural embellishments really bring the reef to life.   Marjan teaches some great workshops, including one devoted just to seascapes.  Her work can be viewed in her online galleries.

Blue Lagoon, 41 x 41, and Sandhill Cranes, 67 x 63, by Louisa L. Smith, at Quilt Escapes LLC

Louisa L. Smith is a fabric artist, designer, and teacher, whose work has been described as "painting with fabric".  The radiant Blue Lagoon is an example of a "creative nine-patch" quilt, while Sandhill Cranes uses a special curved diamond template; these are just two of the projects in the One Patch Plus book by Louisa L. Smith and Lisa Harris. In these quilts, a few dramatic elements are appliqued on top of pieced backgrounds that evoke the sea and sky. As in all of Louisa L. Smith's art quilts, the colors and values of the fabrics are expertly blended to create a sense of depth and movement (witness the beautiful blue Cycloid II).  Also check out her classes and lectures, which include "The Wonderful Art of Stripping"!

Beach Walk, 59 x 73,  including Whale Watch, by McKenna Ryan, at Pine Needles

Beach Walk has become a seascape classic; we especially like the Water Ballet (jellyfish) and the Whale Watch block, shown above...okay, we like 'em all.   Her other aquatic series include Sea Breeze, which includes a cute pufferfish (Koo Koo Puff); and her newest design, Something Fishy.  And here is something fun about the Pine Needles site:  you can send a free electronic postcard of any quilt block to a friend (how cool is that?)  Check it out by clicking on the exquisite LOVE quilt block (or if you happen to know someone who is snooty, consider sending The Snooty Sisters !

Aquarium Art Quilts: For even more inspiration,  take a quick peek at a few quilts by these outstanding quilters (you'll be glad you did): Janice Potter's Lion of the Sea;  Jean Baardsen's Raffle Reef and aquarium quilts;  Mary Butler's  Into the Deep;   Betty Busby's aquarium quilts at bbusbyarts;  Debra Harry's aquarium and mermaid quilts; and Stacy West's underwater gallery.

Fish samplers:Hmmm, a fish sampler sounds like something on a sushi menu (sashimi, anyone?) But of course we're talking about fish sampler quilts. See the Under The Sea series by Barbara Bieraugel, who lives in Hawaii (lucky devil). Now someone just has to design a sushi sampler quilt so we know what to order at the sushi bar!

Image credits and links: Images are shown with the generous permission of the artists.  This article was first published at Quilt Inspiration on August 9, 2010.

pluggin' along & happy mail . . .

Today I've been working away at trying to finish up the ministry's summer newsletter. Todd wanted to go to a bigger, more professional look, so I literally started from scratch! Here's a snapshot of the cover page . . .

I'm really pleased with how it looks. We're actually going to print and mail all our copies this time around, but next quarter we'll e-mail it in a pdf format to everyone on our mailing list we've got an e-mail for. Nonetheless, I truly feel like I've spent the day plodding along at the computer.

I think this fellow knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Me: Mr. Turtle, do you know what I'm talking about?

Turtle: Move lady, you're blocking my path!

I got out of his way -- he had a 'look' about him. ;)

I had a happy in today's mail. My Spring Flowers block of the quarter from Honeybee Fabrics. She's got some gorgeous quilt kits going right now. Definitely worth checking out!

I love that as part of my kit, I receive this WHOLE magazine! It's filled with beautiful, beautiful quilts. There's one in there this month that's a crazy quilt of butterflies! How awesome is that?!?

This is the block for this quarter -- The Bearded Iris.

Isn't it gorgeous? Isn't it intimidating looking?!?! LOL! I will not be able to start working on these blocks on a day like today, when I've been staring at the computer screen for so long!

And look at these beautiful fabrics . . .

This is going to be an exquisite block in an exquisite quilt!

For now, I've got my own spring flowers going.

On my own summery table runner!

Happy, happy; joy, joy!

:)

Exotic flower quilts (we're dreaming of paradise)

Here are the stunning flower quilts we've been writing about for the last week.   As you can see, each quilter has her own unique style.  These exotic flowers bring to mind Hawaii and other tropical climes.  We wish we were there (but this is the next best thing !)  We hope you've enjoyed the show too.

Image credits and links: Row 1, Sylvia Pippen, Sylvia Pippen Designs; Row 2, Eileen Sullivan, The Designer's Workshop; Row 3, Brenda Yirsa, at Bigfork Bay Cotton Company; Row 4, Ellen Lindner, Adventure Quilter; Row 5, Vyvyan Emery, Rosewood Quilts.

Gardens of Dreams: the art quilts of Vyvyan Emery

It's Day 5 - and the finale - of our exotic flower quilts series, and we wanted to share with you the inspiring original art quilts of Vyvyan Emery.

It's a Marvelous Night for a Fern Dance, 43.5 x 31", by Vyvyan Emery, at Rosewood Quilts

Vyvyan lives in the mountains of western North Carolina, an area noted for its many cultural opportunities and its abundance of  fine arts, textile arts, and music.  Surrounded with so much natural beauty, she takes great pride in corporating the joys of nature into her quilts which she both sells and enters into quilt shows. We love these appliqued ferns, whose leaves gently undulate as if they are listening to music. Notice how the jewels tones really "pop" against the deep black background. This quilt won first place in the small professional category at the Mountain Quiltfest in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Garden of Dreams, 47 x 58", by Vyvyan Emery, at Rosewood Quilts

On her Rosewood Quilts blog, Vyvyan notes that the placement of the main caladium leaves in this quilt were done from a photo of her garden,  then she filled in the rest of the details with her imagination. Notice the careful juxtaposition of   patchwork monochromatic blue tints and shades which provide the contrast between the night sky and the day sky in the background.

Native to the Amazon River region of South America, the vibrantly colorful tropical caladium is grown from a bulb and makes a stunning addition to a window box, border, or patio. It can be planted in a container and grown indoors during the winter, then moved to a patio or terrace for the summer. The brilliant reds and pinks with the contrasting green make this exotic plant a perfect and original subject for a quilt.

Lotus Garden, 30 x 30", by Vyvyan Emery, at Rosewood Quilts

"Lotus Garden" is a landscape quilt which uses the traditional Far East inspired color of indigo blue to provide a rounded portal to a scene so serene and ephemeral, that we feel rested and refreshed each time that we view it. Giant lotus flowers float in languorous splendor while in the mist, a large rock rises protectively from the water. Note the use of the split-complimentary colors of blue-red, spring green, blue-green, aqua green, and aqua blue, which really bring the lotus flowers to the forefront of the quilt. A strand of reeds helps bridge the gap between the timeless beauty of the scene and the stately inner and outer border of the quilt. 

Stay tuned for tomorrow: We'll wrap up this exotic flowers series.  Later this week we're beginning a special June feature (you won't want to miss it !)

Ellen Lindner, Adventure Quilter

It's day 3 of our Exotic Flower Quilts series ! We've been admiring Ellen Lindner's photo-inspired quilts ever since we featured her Apple Still life (see our 2010 article on harvest quilts). Ellen Lindner's quilts ranges from pictorial still life to modernist abstracts, and she works in a freeform collage style which lends a natural look.  In addition to creating original art quilts for sale, she generously shares her techniques through workshops, videos, e-books, patterns, and online classes at her website, Adventure Quilter.

High Ti, 20 x 25", by Ellen Lindner

The ti plant was introduced to Hawaii and New Zealand by Polynesian settlers, and the tropical plants grow well in warm climates like Florida. High Ti is one of Ellen Lindner's newest photo-inspired quilts.  Her fabrics capture the colors and the variegated textures of the ti leaves. You can see the detail of the raw-edge collage and the machine quilting, below.

High ti, detail, by Ellen Lindner

You can also see the original photo that inspired the quilt at Ellen Lindner's Art & Creativity blog and at her Adventure Quilter Newsletter. Also check out Ellen's award-winning Ti Plants A-Glow -Glow, which was featured in the book 500 Art Quilts, by Lark Press.

Ripening, 51 x 33, by Ellen Lindner

In December, in Florida, the Christmas Palm Tree berries slowly change into the colors that give the palm its name. Ellen Lindner's beautiful quilt, called Ripening, was made with cotton fabrics, using raw edge collage and machine stitching.

For more information on Ellen Lindner, and for tips, classes and other resources, check out her website, blog and newsletter (also note that she has an online Color Class starting this Friday.... May 27 !)

The art of Brenda Yirsa: exotic flowers in fabric

Brenda Yirsa is a pastel artist and oil painter whose work depicts landscapes, portraiture, and abstracts of Montana and the American West. She has designed quilt patterns for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company based on her original paintings. Her love of Western themes is revealed in her American Icon (cowboy) and Blue Paint (horse).   Today we're featuring Brenda's gorgeous flower quilts, which include birds of paradise, plumeria, poinsettia, hibiscus, iris, and more.  Her floral designs create a sense of depth through shading and layering of the fabrics, making us feel as if we can reach out and touch the flowers.

Bird of Paradise, 23.5 x 31.5", by Brenda Yirsa, as seen at Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.

Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia) has always been one of our favorite flowers, and this quilt captures its beauty. The genus Strelitzia is native to South Africa, and is named after the duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the birthplace of Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom. The common name  is "bird of paradise", because the flower resembles the avian bird of paradise.  The orange flowers of Brenda Yirsa's design are striking against the purple-and-green backdrop (color lovers will note the perfect triadic color scheme).  Bigfork Bay Cotton Company offers the bird-of-paradise quilt pattern, or a complete fabric kit.

Plumeria, 19.5 x 24", by Brenda Yirsa, as seen at Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.

Plumeria have a glorious fragrance, which makes them a popular flower for Hawaiian leis. The flowers are most fragrant at night in order to lure sphinx moths to pollinate them. However, the flowers have no nectar, and they fool their pollinators; the moths transfer pollen from flower to flower in their fruitless search for nectar. This system seems to work for both plumeria and moth, since neither of them is endangered ! We love Brenda Yirsa's plumeria applique pattern, which captures the beauty of the flower and its glossy green leaves (a plumeria fabric kit is also available).

Poinsettia, 21" x 23.25", by Brenda Yirsa, as seen at Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.

If you've ever seen a poinsettia growing in the wild, you know that this is truly an exotic plant.  The poinsettia plant grows as a shrub or small tree, which can reach a height of up to 4m (16 feet)!  The plant bears dark green leaves, and the colored bracts—which are most often flaming red - are actually leaves. Brenda Yirsa's poinsettia pattern reminds us of the wild plant in the tropics; the reds and greens of this quilt look perfect against the sophisticated black-and-white border. A poinsettia fabric kit is also available.

For more information on Brenda Yirsa's original artwork, please visit her website, www.yirsa.com. For a complete list of Brenda Yirsa's quilt patterns and fabric kits, visit the Bigfork Bay Cotton Company.

Image credits: Images are shown with the generous permission of Brenda Yirsa.

Exotic flower quilts: Paradise Stitched, by Sylvia Pippen

Today, we begin a five-part series on quilts featuring exotic and unique flowers. To kick off the series, we are featuring several quilts from an outstanding and prolific designer, author, and teacher, Sylvia Pippen. Join us, as we sail the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii and Australia, lands of magnificent natural floral beauty.

Plumeria floating on water, 22 x 33, by Sylvia Pippen, at Sylvia Pippen Designs

Sylvia has so many fabulous quilt kits and patterns on her website - Sylvia Pippen Designs - that it's difficult to select favorites. However, we were enchanted by the exquisite appliqued pinks, peaches, corals, and magentas of the delicate plumeria flowers as they rest gently on a water background. Unconstrained, the flowers extend from the water, into the border batik. Silvia has made this quilt so life-like by the swirls of Japanese sashiko stitching which follow the curved applique background, thus replicating the ripples and undulations of a quiet pond. As a time-saver, the sashiko embroidery design is already screened onto the background cloth,  so all you have to do is follow the dashes printed onto the cloth in order to complete the stitches. Included in this kit is the Hoffman turquoise batik for the borders, water, and binding, along with sashiko thread and beautiful color-washed fabric for the plumeria.

 Blue lady orchid, 14 x 18, by Sylvia Pippen, at Sylvia Pippen Designs

This quilt block kit  is part of Sylvia's new quilt and new series on Flowers of the Outback, featuring six  Australian wildflower designs. We love how this cerulean blue fabric is gently tinted with pastel streaks to make it appear as if the orchid blossoms are streaked with sunlight.   Sylvia is preparing for a teaching tour of Australia in October/November 2011, where she will give classes and seminars on applique and sashiko techniques. The black Kona cotton background fabric is included in the kit and really makes the vibrant orchids just pop right off the quilt. We think that black is a great neutral when working with high-chroma, pure jewel-tone colors, as it provides a perfect contrast. Sylvia also sells the pattern for this quilt without the fabric, so that you can make a 20 x 24 wall quilt of Blue Lady Orchid.

Heliconia with bamboo, 31 x 38, by Sylvia Pippen, at Sylvia Pippen Designs

Heliconia flowers, with their bright pointed leaves, are an important source of food for hummingbirds in the tropical rainforest. The sashiko bamboo design provides a graceful sturdy backdrop for these exquisite blossoms in shades of orchid, pink, and pale yellow. Note the magenta, fuchsia and orchid inner border of this quilt, which glows against the black Kona cotton and reflects an eye-catching color scheme of fuchsia with yellow, orange-yellow and pale green. This "Heliconia with bamboo" quilt can be seen at Sylvia Pippen's Gallery; there is also a heliconia fabric kit in "sexy pink".

Paradise Stitched: Sashiko and Applique Quilts by Sylvia Pippen

Having lived in California, New England, and having sailed in her own sailboat across the Pacific Ocean to her current home in Hawaii, Sylvia Pippen is living a fascinating life. In addition to being a very gifted designer and teacher, she is also a wonderful author, as you will see when reading her book, Paradise Stitched, from C and T Publishers. It provides numerous ideas for creating beautiful quilts by combining sashiko stitchery with applique, including tips for fabric selection and patterns. Also, check out Sylvia's first book,  Asian Elegance, which she co-wrote with her mother, Kitty Pippen.

Quilt Inspiration Classics: Hawaiian Quilts

We think the construction and design of Hawaiian quilts is fascinating.... do you like them too? Today we're bringing back one of our favorite Quilt Inspiration posts.  These gorgeous quilts are also in keeping with next week's theme of exotic flower quilts. Come along with us on an island adventure !

Long ago, the Hawaiians learned to make their own cloth, called "tapa" by pounding Mulberry tree bark and fibers tightly together. They colored it with natural dyes from their environment and sewed it into bed coverings, using thin, twisted vines and needles made from fish or bird bones. When the 19th century missionaries brought cotton to the Hawaiians, they transferred their skills onto cloth, using large pieces of fabric, instead of small patchwork squares. Today, Hawaiian quilts are still made in the wholecloth style, with vibrant curved patterns painstakingly hand-appliqued with thousands of tiny stitches. The applique fabric is usually folded into fourths, then cut into intricate shapes, as one would cut snowflakes or conjoined dolls from paper.

Royal Symbols With Border, by Deborah Kakalia



Every June 11, Hawaii celebrates King Kamehameha Day, in commemoration of the esteemed 19th century monarch who united the islands under one government. Here is a quilt by famed artist Deborah Kakalia, which honors past Hawaiian Royalty. There are four crowns which pay tribute to the monarchy, along with four "kahili", the feathered scepters or staff carried by the kings and queens as they walked in procession. This is a regal and elegant quilt, which the artist presented as a gift to The Bishop Museum in Honolulu.

Nanahonua (Angel's Trumpet Quilt), by Deborah Kakalia



Another magnificent work of art from Deborah Kakalia is her Nanahonua quilt, or Angel's Trumpet quilt. The Angel's Trumpet tree produces large, colorful, bell-shaped flowers, reminiscent of celestial trumpets. Nanahonua means "earth-gazing", an apt name since the Hawaiians learned to smoke the Angel's Trumpet leaves as hallucinogens. However, one would have to be perfectly sober to create a quilt this intricate and precise, which almost looks like a beautiful lace handkerchief.

For Kulaniakea, by Nalani Goard



Nalani Goard, who is the granddaughter of Deborah Kakalia, has designed and constructed many lovely quilts, so this fabulous talent obviously runs in the family. Here is a quilt that Nalani created for her brother, Kulaniakea. She writes that he wanted a design of pineapples and guava for hospitality and strength. Nalani's work is an excellent example of large, leafy quilt patterns which reflect the lush vegetation of Hawaii.  Nalani also offers design instruction, quilt kits, and finished quilts at her Hawaiian Quilting website.

Na Ulu O' Hawaii (Breadfruit Quilt), by Nancy Lee Chong, at Pacific Rim Quilt Company



From the Pacifc Rim Quilt Company comes the pattern for the esteemed and venerable breadfruit. The breadfruit tree is a symbol of abundance and an ancient legend tells us that those who make Ulu their first quilt will always enjoy prosperity. Above, the round shapes of the breadfruit form a "ring of plenty" around the star created by the intersecting branches of the tree. PRQC offers a wide variety of Hawaiian quilt patterns, kits, fabrics, videos, and notions.

Breadfruit(Ulu), Wall Quilt, 18 x 18



Tiki Master, which sells all things Hawaiian, recently featured this arresting dark green and white wall hanging of the breadfruit pattern. The rounded breadfruit here are easily seen here at the base of the outer leaves of the tree. It is said that one day in the 19th century, some Hawaiian quilters were outside, working on pieced patchwork, when one of them noticed that the sun behind a breadfruit tree was casting a fascinating shadow on the grass. The shadow of the breadfruit tree interested them so much more than patchwork, that they immediately went to work on creating a wholecloth image of that shadow. Thus, the first truly Hawaiian quilt was born.

Hawaiian Applique 2008 by Kerry Marksbury



Here's a quilt which is as lushly green and refreshing as a Kauai rainforest. This four block quilt is a variation on the traditional Hawaiian wholecloth quilt. Kerry Marksbury has created a fabulous quilt with blocks depicting the auspicious Ulu, dignified sea turtles, pineapple plants, and tropical blossoms, possibly Hibiscus. The lighter green scalloped middle border provides eye-catching detail to the blue/green batik outer border and block motifs. Notice the innermost aqua border, which provides a fanciful grasslike fringe effect to complement the emphasis on flora and fauna. For more fascinating quilts, please see Kerry's Quilting.

Lava Flow by Cydney Brooks



Using custom dyed Ultra-Sateen fabric from Jeanette Viviano at Jeanette's Fabric to Dye For, Cydney Brooks creates a tribute to another of Hawaii's natural wonders, the volcanoes of the Big Island. Jeanette and Cydney collaborated on the fabric colors, and Janet Fogg quilted this vibrantly colorful work.  The orange and gold glowing embers and flickering flames of the center medallion give rise to the swirling, meandering trails of lava as they make their way down the mountainside to the ocean. This is an exquisite use of contrasting colors, as the orange applique seems to pulsate with movement against the serene aqua background.

Hibiscus Fire by Carol Kamaile



A gorgeous quilt inspired by the islands' beloved Hisbiscus flowers is Carol Kamaile's "Hibiscus Fire". Carol is a well known quilt artist, whose creations were displayed at the San Jose, California, Museum of Quilts and Textiles in August, 2010.  Native to Hawaii, the hibiscus plant comprises thousands of varieties, in all flower colors from delicate white, through bright pink, pastel pink, coral, yellow, and red. It is interesting that Carol has made the center of her medallion golden yellow, as the yellow Hibiscus is the State Flower of Hawaii.

Hawaiian Yams by Hawaiian Style Quilts



Allen and Ipo Camara are the owners of Hawaiian Style Quilts, which provides magnificent custom quilts, tailor made to the customer's request. On this elegant gray and white large bedspread, with its artful matching accent pillows, you can see a clear example of the traditional outline stitching done on Hawaiian quilts. The quilting pattern carefully follows the outline of the applique shapes, starting out as parallel lines and turning into concentric rings, until all the background is filled up. Also known as "echo quilting", outline stitching helps give Hawaiian quilts their lively sense of motion and energy.

Books:  For more fascinating patterns, ideas, and instructions, please see the following books: Hawaiian Applique by Vicky Fleming, or Hawaiian Quilting: Instructions and Full Size Patterns for 20 Blocks, by Elizabeth Root.

The Lion and the Lamb

The Lion and the Lamb quilt is rather large, but still definitely a wall quilt, measuring 49 inches wide by 45 inches tall. I've always loved the lion and lamb imagery, and decided to tackle it using an applique/mosaic approach. I first researched images of lions and lambs, even to the point of sending myself a picture of a garden statue that I saw in Hobby Lobby! I picked my favorite photo and dithered with it in Photoshop Elements until I had a fairly simple black and white version, which I cropped, and enlarged somewhat and printed out. Using a sharpie marker, I chose the important lines and made a line drawing of the printout, kind of like what you see in a coloring book. Since I wanted to have a stained glass look, I needed to then turn the sketch into what I call a mosaic, where there each piece of the picture is surrounded by a bit of space, which would eventually be the black background fabric showing between the "tiles".

The next step was to enlarge my new sketch to final size, for a 'blueprint'. There are several ways to do this - but here's how I do it: I take a digital photo of the sketch, and in photoshop I 'clean up' any blemishes or shadows. I've been told that you can enlarge a sketch from photoshop, but I don't know how. I bought an inexpensive software program called Big Picture Quilt, which will enlarge and print any size out of a regular home inkjet printer. Obviously, the bigger it is, the more trimming and taping you have to do, but you end up with a large version to work with. I then laid this 'blueprint' on a flat surface and made a copy of the blueprint, this time on tracing paper. I've used clear plastic that you can buy at Wal Mart, but a roll of tracing paper is a lot cheaper. I would use the tracer paper blueprint to later place the fabric pieces onto the background fabric. Time to play with the fabrics.

I wanted turned edges on all the 'tiles', and I wanted to try out Stable Magic for Applique that I'd purchased at the Paducah show a while back, so I proceeded to, with a light box, trace all the individual pieces onto the stable magic and, while sitting in front of my computer watching episodes from the 1st season of Fringe, using glue stick to turn the edges of my fabric pieces around each stable magic template. What intrigued me about the stable magic was that I didn't have to remove it, like freezer paper, and it would dissolve away once washed and rinsed.

I focused on the lion's mane, first, and only worked with 3 or 4 traced templates at a time, thereby eliminating the step where most people mark the templates to remember where they go. I'd finish a couple and then lay them on the blueprint, and continued that way until the entire mane was done.

When it was time to move the pieces to the black background fabric, having already pinned the side edge of the tracing paper blueprint to the side edge of the background fabric, I could start transferring the fabric pieces from the paper blueprint. As you can see in the picture below, I pinned the side edge only so that I could gently fold the tracing paper away to access the background.

You may have noticed in the photos that I didn't make the face of the lion like a mosaic. I knew that I wanted to thread paint in his face to help make him more expressive and less abstract, so I decided to fuse the lion's face, excluding all black outlines. To do that, I put the blueprint on the ironing board, and began making templates of the facial pieces by tracing the whole lions face onto the paper side (back side) of fusible web. I used Wonder Under. Once you cut out the pieces, you can iron them, without steam, to the backside of the fabrics you've chosen for the face. I opted for 3 shades of blue with white, which I later decided to change to 4 shades of blue because the white was too bright. Once the pieces cooled, I peeled the paper, and using a larger sheet of the fusible backing paper on top of the blueprint on the ironing board, I assembled the face right on the fusible paper; (after it's used, that paper is excellent to use as a non stick surface for assembling all kinds of fusible pictures). The fusible paper is see through, so I could easily see the blueprint underneath for assembling the face, independently from the quilt. Once assembled and cooled, I transferred the face to the quilt, using the tracing paper to guide my placement.

I then turned my attention to the lamb. I basically followed the same steps as with the lion, including a few turned edge pieces using the Stable Magic. Keep in mind, I haven't actually attached any of the pieces, whether by fusing or gluing, to the black background fabric yet. I may want to adjust their placement once I've put the faces of the animals into position.

At this point you might ask, "How did I know when to fuse and when to turn edges?" Partly, as mentioned, to avoid the black "grout" between the pieces, and partly as a matter of dimension. The Stable Magic actually gave a tiny bit of volume to the pieces, actually giving them an almost subconscious trapunto effect. (that's what I call an effect or technique that makes barely discernible changes to the apperance of the project)

IT'S TIME TO GLUE AND FUSE!!!! Once the Lion's face and the entire lamb were nestled and fused into position, I gently lifted the tracing paper and made a few adjustments to where the 'tiles' of the mane were, and then started gluing. Again using a glue stick, which is much stickier right from the outset and holds more immediately.

The only assembly left to do before the quilting was with the mod flowers, which are a part of the challenge requirements and have always been a favorite of mine. If you don't believe me, check out the picture of the baby quilt I made for my first grandchild 3 yrs ago! I didn't want the flowers to compete with the mane, or overwhelm the lamb, so I opted for black and white flowers. Serendipity! I spent another afternoon watching episodes of Fringe on my computer while cutting out flower petals from Stable Magic and gluing the edges of black and white fabric around them. I wanted the flowers to have 5 petals, and for the petals of one flower to match each other, so I stacked 5 sheets of Stable Magic together, pinned them, drew 1 petal for each of the flowers planned, and then cut them out, keeping each stack of 3 petals pinned together.

I didn't worry about turning the edges or the base of each petal, which would produce unfinished centers when positioned on the quilt. My plan was to stitch some kind of flower center on each one, hiding the unfinished edges.

Finally, time for some stitching. I decided to layer the top onto black batting with spray baste BEFORE doing any sewing, mostly for stability. I used Invisible thread in both the top and bobbin, and free motion stitched around each flower edge. I originally had thought that I'd do machine applique, but then realized that it would mean keeping the feed dogs up and tediously turning the quilt under the needle. NO WAY. I really enjoy free motion, so I opted for that. After the top stitching, I threadpainted the Lion's face.

Then came the quilting, which meant putting a backing on it, also spray basted. Again, free motion quilting with invisible thread on the black background, which surprised me by showing up as sparkly instead of invisible! I used stippling on the black, but did no quilting on the mane or flowers. I curly quilted the lamb, except for the parts that had turned edges, which I left with just the topstitching around the edges.

Onced the quilting was done, I had the basic quilt top sans borders quilted to the batting and backing which were cut deliberately larger than the black top. This was because, though I wanted to have 2 borders, I knew that if I attached the before quilting I'd have bulges outward wherever there was a lot of heavy stippling. So now I could draw my straight edges around the stippling and add my borders. The narrow brown variegates border was chosen to complement the lion's eyes. btw - the lion is blue because I want his eyes to really show up well, and because blue seemed a pretty cool color for a lion! The final, unique thing to add, before squaring, binding, and adding a sleeve, was the free motion quilting in the brown border. Using a coordinating dark brown thread, I wrote the word love alternating with more mod flowers all around the border. And voila: