Spirit Dolls In the Prairie Flowers

This past week my spirit doll returned home after making the rounds of SMQ Guild's Thursday bee members participating in this project.
So I've been working on her a bit. I stitched her hands together so she can hold the acorn gift that Susan Lenz gave me when I met her in South Carolina last January.

She gained breasts and a derriere made in the "yo yo" technique ... the gathered side placed up and decorated with wood beads for her top while they're placed down to give her a smooth bottom. I also lengthened her tutu skirt by dropping it down and suspending it with lengths of yarn from her waist. A layer of leaves cut from the piece I made for this quilt is sewn to her wings.
The other spirit doll with lovely hair is the last one passed to me. One of my additions was to lengthen her tutu by stitching silk flower petals to the hem. While I was at it, silk blossoms with silk ribbon centers were added for decoration.
She, too, gained a yo-yo derriere. Her skirt is parted to give you a better view.
I couldn't resist posing them in front of the two latest prairie flower mini quilts.

All the spirit dolls will be brought to bee next Thursday. Come back then to see pictures taken of all these beauties at the "spirit" party.

More Mini Prairie Flowers

More mini quilts made with the pieced together cut-offs from "Prairie Performance" as their foundation have been created.
I position the main elements, such as the blossom, stems, leaves, and of course Elvis on the background first so I can determine a "point of view" or perspective. Those get removed so the background can be filled in with more scraps of thread and fabric. A layer of netting is laid over that and then it gets quilted.
Most of the flowers and leaves that are the focal point or in the foreground are machine appliqued onto the surface so they're dimensional.






That makes 12 of the 20 I intend to make. Five of my friends who've contributed scraps that were used in the prairie flower installation received their quilts after our SMQ Guild meeting last evening. One got hers last weekend when we were in the mountains. Tomorrow several more will get their's at Thursday Bee. Only 8 more to make.

PS: Did you find Elvis in each of those?

Stitching In the Smoky Mountains

Every fall we spend a long weekend up in the Smoky Mountains with a group of friends.
Last year Judy and I transferred some of the colorful fall leaves to fabric. That can be read about here.
After that weekend last fall my piece of muslin imprinted with those leaves ended up in this art quilt. Go here to read about its creation.
It's what I took up there this year to work on
while enjoying the fall colors in that expansive view of the Smoky Mountains from the big porch that wraps around two sides of the house.

2 More Mini Prairie Flower Quilts

Featuring just a blossom or two was my initial plan for these 20 mini quilts that measure 8"x 10".
All the Violets leftover from those I made for "Prairie Performance" made it into this one . I consider it's a "bug's eye-view" perspective.
The scale of flowers that I chose for the first two mini's featured in my last post dictated big patches of Daisies and Cone Flowers in the foreground. They started out with just a few blossoms. More ... and more ... were added to each until they looked "right". My not knowing how each small quilt is going to turn out is what keeps me from getting bored ... the biggest factor that ensures all 20 will get finished.

Of course, you've spotted Elvis hiding in the backgrounds of the 2 new ones.

Mini Prairie Flower Quilts

I found a project. Making mini quilts that feature prairie flowers. I figured that I might as well do this while all the supplies from making "Prairie Performance" are not yet put away and I'm in the groove of working with them. It surprises me that I'm not sick to death of this theme. I guess those flowers are not yet out of my system.

Their foundations are made from the pieces cut off the 25 panels when I squared and trimmed them to their finished size of 23"x 24". Whatever else would I do with those trimmings? At any rate, I just cannot discard them.
Here are five sets laid out. The bottom one's strips are sewn together with a zig-zag stitch.
And here's the stack of twenty foundations cut from those stripped together pieces.
The first one I made features daisies. I was disappointed this favorite flower of mine was not indigenous to the prairies of northern Illinois. Consequently, there are none in the installation piece.

foundation strips finished piece

I'm making these as thank you gifts for my friends who've contributed scraps that most likely ended up in the BIG prairie flower quilt. I think they'll appreciate having these small quilts made of scraps and leftovers from "Prairie Performance".

"Cone Flowers" 8"x 10"

As you recall, Elvis was tucked in a number of places on the big quilt. Each of the mini ones will have an Elvis cut from this chiffon scarf hiding among the flowers.
Here's one. Can you find the other in the field of daisies?