Hand Stitching

I promised that I would be showing the progress on the art piece I am working on. I started this piece as part of a class I am taking on Craftsy.  The class is called Stupendous Stitching.  You can learn more about by clicking on the link.
I have not been doing a lot of work on this lately, but today I got some stitches in due to the rain and no morning walk.
So here are some detail shots.

In this shot you can see some French knots, some simple Xs and some sheaf stitches. 

There is one section of the couched "knot" that I have not filled yet.  I am still waiting for the right stitch to pop into my head. 

This is what I call a weaving stitch.  I do a running stitch and then go back with another thread and weave it in and out through the running stitches. 

Finally a wider shot although this is not the entire piece.

The fabric is some that I hand dyed and the added spatters with liquid acrylic paints.
I used marbles to create a resist that left the round shapes with starbursts in them.
I have to say I like the visual texture that I achieved by hand dying and spattering this fabric.

Today is Special

Today is a special day to me.  It is also just a bit sad.
My sister had a short life.  She was in a medical accident almost 30 years ago.
Today is her birthday and I am choosing to honor her life today.
Here are a few pictures:

School Picture

Charlotte and me in front of a car after a hail storm

An early picture of Charlotte

She grew into a lovely young woman

Soon after giving birth (I don't know which
baby this is)

She would have been 57 today.  She was my sister, my protector and my friend.  I miss her laugh, her sharp wit and her loving ways.
Rest in Peace my darling Charlotte. Your children have grown into amazingly wonderful adults that you would be so proud of.
Forgive me if I don't reply to comments. Sometimes the memories overwhelm me tear ducts.

Edit:  Beaquilter asked what happened.  Even though this occurred in Alabama, it made national news. Here is a link to the New York Times Article.

Calling All Angels

Last year I worked with a project that we ended up calling "Quilt Angels"  If  you click on that link you can read the posts from last year. (This post will probably show up there also )

We received a total of 16 quilts, one for every resident that was there.  The day of the delivery was amazing.  We delivered on Christmas Eve (partly because we started the project too late to manage it any time sooner.)  There were two residents that did not go home for Christmas. Why? (I had to ask, didn't I?)  The one answer made me so sad, but also glad that we had done the project.  "It just isn't a safe place for her to be right now."  While this broke my heart for her, I realized that I have so much to be grateful for. My parent's house has always been a safe place for me.  Even to this day, when I am acting as partial caregiver to my mom, I feel safe and loved at her house.  I am truly grateful that I always had a safe haven.
One touching moment from the delivery was when the two picked their quilt from the stack.  One picked her quilt and was really looking it over when she saw that the giver had put a label.  In awe, she asked "Did someone in Virginia really make this for me?"  Obviously she had never had so tangible a gift that was given with unconditional love.  I managed to smile through the entire time we were there for the delivery but at times the tears really threatened.  I thought I knew the real meaning of Christmas before that but it really gained a deeper meaning for me that day.

Okay so, here is what I am asking:  Could you, would you be able to find it in your heart to make a quilt for this endeavor?  We would like to match the number we did last year which is 16 quilts.  The quilts need to be 45" by 60" inches or bigger as these are all teenagers.  We prefer a gender neutral fabric selection as there are both boys and girls in the shelter. The quilt needs to be here by December 12th but if you are running behind communicate with me and we can probably work out a late time for you. (however, earlier is better)
Your binding can be finished by machine - it is generally faster and stronger, but if you want to hand sew it down that is okay too.  Labels are a great addition to the quilt - you don't have to put your name if you don't want to.  I would love for you to put the STATE your are sending it from and maybe "made with love" on it.
If you wish to donate a quilt but remain anonymous, please put a note in with your quilt so I don't mess up and list your name in a blog post.

If possible we will deliver on Christmas Eve again. It really made Christmas more meaningful to me last year.

Last year we had a prize and this year we want to have prizes too. We are offering two gift certificates for $50 each to an online fabric store such as Connecting Threads or Fabric.com.  If you win I will let you choose the store. So there will be two prize winners.  But honestly everyone who has enough love in their heart to do this is already a winner.
I will also be happy to accept prizes from other sources.  So if you have a store(or just a big heart)  and want to sponsor a prize, please let me know.  I answer all comments unless the post states otherwise.  You can also email me at geneblack At gmail (dot) com.

The shelter home for this project is The Ogden House.  This shelter is a part of the Tennessee Valley Family Services organization.  They operate on a minimum budget and rely a lot on donations.  Needless to say, the quilts are probably the best Christmas present the residents get.  One of my friends is making a pillowcase to go with the quilt she is making. I will probably include a machine embroidered lace bookmark with mine. An extra gift is appreciated but not at all necessary.  But just for the fun of it, if you include an extra gift I will do another giveaway with a small prize that I will make just for you. Just be aware that it may take me some time to get it to you as I will make it specifically for you.
I really look forward to hearing from you.

Quilty Embellishment Day

Today is Quilty Embellishment Day on Color Me Quilty.
Yours truly is the guest blogger today.  So please go over and show some love!

Meanwhile, I  am sad to say that the Men Quilt Too show has been cancelled due to lack of participation. One of the rules was that the quilt was never to have been shown or blogged about - to make it a fair show and NOT a popularity contest.   Apparently that was just too hard for most guys to follow.  I made my quilt and have never posted it.  But today as the show is cancelled, I am happy to be able to share it with you. This quilt is all about embellishment. Let me present:

String Theory

From the very start of this quilt I was inspired.  The base fabric, a batik, has lots of visual texture.  In making this quilt, I wanted to add to that texture. I also wanted to add more color to intensify the visual impact of the quilt. I also happen to love bright bold colors.

As I worked on this quilt I noticed a flow begin to develop. Areas were stitched, not in a planned order, but rather as inspiration came. I let the quilt “tell me” what it wanted rather than trying to plan everything out.  Symbols that have personal meaning, such as the spiral, were incorporated into the design.  There are a lot of organic shapes that emerged as the quilt took form.
Various areas were filled with hand stitches but also some machine stitches.  In places, threads were woven through other stitches.  Much like our lives, the combination, working together added strength to the whole.
I sometimes used more than one thread in the needle as I had sewed.  This allowed some subtle color shifts that would not be possible with a single thread.  It also created a few challenges in the hand stitching. It was a great learning process for me.

I chose the title String Theory for a couple of reasons.  In science, string theory is a contender as a “theory of everything.”  It is a way of attempting to describe the natural world and its wonder.  I am fascinated by the higher sciences.   The second reason is that every part of the quilt is made up of strings.  Some of them are visible and some are hidden. I found  the wordplay in the title appealing to me creatively.

Here are some detail pictures.