March was a month for trying new things.  I made two cameo quilts...  I saw a pretty cameo and thought it might be possible to do a whole cloth cameo with my longarm.  So I used a picture of a cameo that might not be so hard to try out the whole idea.  I used two layers of wool batting, hoping the open spaces would show dimension.  I like how it turned out, the piece is 8 inches wide and 15 inches high.  I used neocolor II crayons to paint the background.
This was quilted on my sitdown longarm.

This was all a test before I quilted the larger piece.  This piece is 40 inches tall x 30 wide approximately.  The cameo depicts the goddesses Selene of the dawn and Eos of the dusk.   I used my  Innova longarm to quilt the images (I know, I know - two longarms???).  And I am so happy that I could do that.  I turned off the stitch regulator to do the quilting, it makes the machine run so much smoother - no jerking me around.  I even used the longarm to couch that braid around the circle.  The inner circle is made with a creamy radiance fabric and it is inset into slipper (the pink color) radiance fabric. I still needed to paint in some shadows in this photo.

Here is the cameo that I used to make this quilt.  

I may need to add more wool batting to the chest of Selene... I tried steam and starch to get rid of her chest wrinkles.    I will figure it out.  That's what's fun about trying new stuff, it takes a little finagling to get the kinks worked out - then either it does or it doesn't.  Here is the bound and finished piece.  I am thinking about making a slit in the back and stuffing that wrinkled chest with more batting, then sewing it closed like the trapunto of yesteryear.  

I dunno, it was a fun project, but I think I'll move on to something else.  I have an idea for a new art challenge: Threads of resistance challenge    I don't get too worked up about politics in general, but I am concerned about some environmental issues.  If you want to talk politics with someone, look elsewhere, I just hate that sort of thing.  So I will have my little say with art in this challenge.  I will keep you updated.  

“I realized something on the ride. I realized if I wait until I'm not scared to try new things, then I'll never get to try them at all.” 
― Marie Sexton, Between Sinners and Saints

Have a great day, karen Lambdin, proud to be a quilter

Evy's quilt

I have a new one to show today.  This is for my niece Evelyn, who recently graduated high school and is starting college at Appalachian State in August.  I purchased this as a kit.  All of the applique is fused and machine stitched.

  

I used a layer of Mountain Mist cream rose and a half layer of wool to make a thin comfy quilt that still has a little puffiness for the quilting designs.  The thread is Glide.

Those radiating lines were made with a Gadget Gals ruler, Linda Mae's rays.  Love that ruler, I got the 12 inch one.

I used the border fabric as markings for the beadboard quilting.  I quilted a straight line in the center of the loop motif, then one a quarter inch away on each side.  I used my straight line ruler to do this with no marking!

The sashing design is from Kim Stotzenberg's Angel wings tutorial.  I love it!

I marked an inner frame design and filled it with curlicues which looks like lace to me.  I hope she loves it and that it looks good on that dorm bed!

Last week, I took a fun class at a new retreat house in McQueeny Texas, called The Queen's Rustic Retreat.  It was a lovely place and the hostess, Doris Rice is very sweet and we had a lovely time painting a barn quilt.  It is very simple, but will look great on my fence.  

It's about 2 feet wide.  I will spray it with a coat of varnish before I hang it up.  And I plan to make more of these - so fun...

I have a friend who is selling her Innova longarm and I think I want it.  I have tried many longarms, but really didn't think I wanted to go that route.  I have been fine doing my sitdown machine quilting.  However, this is my favorite part of the quiltmaking process - fun and intricate machine quilting.  I don't even make quilts that don't have open space for a quilting design, that doesn't appeal to me.  I love the extra dimension that quilting brings.  Soooo, maybe it's just the thing for me to expand to a longarm.  But it has to be a machine that I can do little tiny quilting designs with.  

So I have tried many different longarms and I had decided that the Innova is the one that will work best FOR ME.  I have watched Gina Perkes, Mary Olson and Renee Haddadin quilt on the Innova and I would love to be as proficient as these ladies.  I tried the Innova at two different quilt shows and decided that is the machine that I will get IF I ever get a longarm.

Last week, I looked at Longarm University to see if there were any used Innovas.  There was one, and it was about 5 miles away and owned by one of my guild acquaintances.  So I checked it out yesterday and after sleeping on it, I think I will get it.  So, I will be transitioning to a longarm in the next few months.  It's going to be a scary journey for me, but hopefully a fun one.