recycled wool and embroidery

 This particular piece is done and only have in process pictures. The pictures at least give a sense of where this was going. will have to take a finished picture and add it after I get home.

 After making the scenes for the small tri-fold bags i applied the same ideas to a larger piece. Beige / Tan wool background with a shiny polyester fabric for the main background. To this multiple layers of silk and polyester scraps were added to form the hills. The yarn is a heavy wool couched down to form a tree figure.

a gold colored thread, it was like a metallic was used for the running stitches in the blue part. regular pearl cotton was used to quilt the wool background.

recycled flannel bed sheets-dyed

Still going through what was up loaded. found a few more things to add to the blog.

At St. Vincent De Paul's in Oshkosh Wisconsin when one of the nursing homes donated their sheets. Flannel!
Took some home and hand dyed them and created tri-fold small purses. Hand embroidered and then different fibers added .
These were some of the first one's.

 Most of these were created in 2008.
some given away, some donated to a quilt guild sale--I think I have one left.

 used different fibers and only three embroidery stitched. heavy on french knots in different threads, chain stitch, running stitch and a back stitch.
french knots or colonial knots are my favorite-esp with wool thread. I found needlepoint kits at
St. Vincents so i kept the wool and threw the ugly needlepoint pictures away.

 This one has fused green leaves. The flannel was laid on a piece of batting and loosely quilted. That made the surface stable but not stiff. Used up alot of small pieces of batting that were laying around. On all of these a piece of scrunched up yarn or ribbon was stitched down -then the little gardens were added.

 Pretty much free form embroidery. Fun stuff.

 adding beads really sparked some of them up.

documenting whats on my camera

Finally got all my pictures uploaded into a file. all of the posts below this are whats on the card. hopefully my son will be happy. He has been after me to document them all. I leave here on the 27th of July so will continue to add to this new blog and try and include as much information as i can. There are alot of quilts etc at home that I may or may not have pictures of. there is another camera card at home.

The big project will be pictures and documentation of all the stuff at home. Hoarders here I come. Have been trying to downsize or is it organize my stuff. Wow-too much. Have been doing a few boxes at a time to St. Vincents but have a long way to go.get to feeling over whelmed and a little amazed when I try to organize the stuff.

Big decisions with books and fabric. Jude Hill is right --approach should be one half--if I keep that in mind hopefully I can actually do something about the mess.

I do make many different styles so downsizing the fabric part is sheer agony. Inside I know I can never use up all of it...But with personal finances at an all time low grateful for every last inch.

Chant of the day---close your eyes , turn brain off and pack up....

Two years wool crazy

 these pictures were taken inside the house with the quilt laying over a chair. Hmmmm you think that's why the whole thing can't be seen? it was winter 2012--no way to get a decent shot. the borders are done and all the stuff in the sashings. I put it away every once in awhile--got sick of working on it. for awhile seemed like i was not getting any where.

this is a black wool background with 4 main crazy quilted blocks. The wool pieces were added and then embroidery stitches used to hold them down. when the blocks were done -embellishments were added. this idea came from the Wool Crazy book . Decided not to use many of the elements in the book and added some of my own.

 The border sashing was highlighted with pieces of wool for the stems and felt flowers from a scrap booking kit i found on clearance. The small felt flowers were tacked down and green emb floss used for the leaves. there were two sizes of felt flowers so used both. The larger ones on the outside border and the smaller one's on the inside sashing.

 the dates of 2011-2012 are on the quilt but its still not done. I sewed a  backing  on but still have not finished the outside. all the finishing stuff is going to take awhile. will have to tack the backing to the front either with little tacking stitches or buttons.

 my favorite words faith hope and charity.

 here is a little better view of the felt flowers and some of the embroidery.

 Here addition of beads that looked like flowers.

 wound up crocheting flowers for this--used crochet cotton and it took me a long time to find my crochet hooks. if i remember right it is about 72 x 72.

baskets, baskets, baskets ..Some are wool felt and some are salvaged wool from women's blazers i bought at st vincent depaul or at rummage sales. Most shops 26.00 to 38.00 a yard-WOW . most of the blazers were 50 cents or 25 cents. hope to finish this --this year 2013--then hopefully get a decent shot of it.

it is very heavy. I only used muslin as a base when i started and no batting. I have enough selvaged wool to make some more. Learned alot.

low volume blocks

 i started these three  blocks which hopefully someday  will be 9---another long term project. i managed to get three done june and and the first half of july. heavily quilted with white emb floss --two strands seems to work the best.

the florida sun is shining through the lattice. soo not really clear. OH well

here is a brief shot of the three that are done.

i have enjoyed all this handwork. my brain wants color back so have decided to put these aside and maybe in the last part of this year i will get back to them. (Hmmmmm add to the pile of ufo's at home.!!)

this morning spent time working on hexagons. have to be doing something as life in this over 55 community is pretty quiet...very glad to be spending some quality time with my dad. 87 this month.WOW i am starting to feel old and where the hell does all the time go.
lets see--my age, my mortality, my fathers age, his mortality--all way to fast....

more detail pictures of hearts

only two more weeks here in florida ,,then to chicago to see nicole and then home. wow 2 months gone..

found more pictures of detail on the heart quilt so Adding them today.

low key low volume color

 this is another peice made with a muslin background then stitched with two strands of embroidery thread.
elements added. trying to keep this in muted tones with very little color. Also put a bird on it---idea from all the wonderfull quilter blogs that are out there in data land.

 this shows some of the stitching. circles are the traced circle from a spool of thread. reverse applique.

i still have to add elements to the borders. probably another year of stitching but no hurry on this one. i wonder how many skeins of white emb thread this will take .....Lots!!!
started this in jan or feb of 2012...seems i always work on forty things at a time. i put the different sections together. Pressed muslin to the back of the border fabric ---machine stitched the borders on.

on this one i sewed on strips of fabric to cover the seams on the back. will see how that works out??