Embellished Holiday Sweater Craft

Embellished Holiday Sweater Craft

here is my tutorial on glitzing up a Christmas sweater with silk flowers, beads and glitter

14 BANDANNAS & A BROWN CORDUROY SKIRT WITH GIANT FOLK ART SUN FOR ERIKA'S MEMORY QUILT-Part 2

So, back to the 14 bandannas and brown corduroy skirt for a memory quilt of Erika requested by her friend, Angela, as per part 1:http://carolynscanvas.blogspot.com/2016/08/14-bandannas-brown-corduroy-skirt-with.html. More fabrics have been pulled to be auditioned for suitability-a batik, a purple metallic print, a couple of butterfly prints, a blue for water plus a piece to cut water from for interest, a beige print in case we go to the beach. 

From our messaging on Friday night Erika loved the ocean so that was decided on and with that we need a beach and palm trees, don't we?

Yesterday I played around with some of the bandannas and the folk art sun cut from Erika's brown corduroy skirt. That is the only thing that has been cut so far, till I'm sure how everything will be used. This looks close to the beach scene I have in mind:

The big brown blob is the skirt rolled up just to get the effect, am liking the sun, Angela's suggestion of the light blue bandanna for sky and the water effect from some fussy cutting I did. The sun is half of the piece cut from the skirt [see above photo]. It is folded in half. To create the two quilts, the sun will be cut in half so the 2nd quilt center block will be in reverse. The purple metallic on the left may be the frame around this block or the batik on the top, just trying them out. The center blocks will be about 25"-30" then the quilts built to size by adding the remaining bandannas-one will be queen size and the other a lap quilt.

Now patterns are being created for the palm trees, a beach chair and umbrella. If it were my quilt the tree trunks would just be free hand cut but since it is for someone else the background and other pieces are being finessed and all sizing has to be accurate to get the highest and best use of the bandannas.

It's back to the drawing board, ok, clicking of the mouse to finish the patterns. I'm so not capable of creating as a lot of computer savvy designers. Graph paper is still sometimes my fave design mode but so appreciate being able to search for images to go by. 

I'm going to have to break down and cut into something pretty soon, decisions, decisions.

May the joy of creating be upon you

Carolyn Wainscott

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I design quilts, children's wear, AG doll clothing, crafts, home decor. My patterns are available in PDF format

 @

~http://www.craftsy.com/user/pattern/store/43851

~https://www.etsy.com/shop/QuiltingCarolyn   

http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/sewing/clothing/charlotte-anns-newborn-mermaid-pattern/144175


http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/other/loveseat--chair-pvc-pattern-for-ag-doll/205552

14 BANDANNAS & A BROWN CORDUROY SKIRT WITH GIANT FOLK ART SUN FOR ERIKA'S MEMORY QUILT-Part 1

Last Friday my niece, Michelle, tagged me on facebook with a request of her friend, Angela. Angela wanted a memory quilt made with clothing from her dear friend, Erika, who had passed away recently. 

When Angela and I touched base, she said she had some bandannas and a skirt that had a large sun on it that Erika had loved and worn a lot. Erika's mother had allowed her to choose some things and these were very personal to Erika. She had a condition called Alopecia that caused her to loose all her hair so she wore the bandannas a lot.

My first thought was, "Oh, boy, this is going to be a piece of cake. Bandannas are large and can be sewn together quickly. I can get this done in no time"

Friday night Angela brought the things over and told me a little bit about Erika. She had the Alopecia since childhood, she was a wonderful friend, she loved and missed her very much and Erika loved purple and butterflies, had the heart of a hippy, the soul of a gypsy and the spirit of a fairy.  Here's a photo Angela sent me yesterday of her and Erika-Erika, of course is the one wearing the fairy wings:

I looked at the bandannas and skirt spread out on the dining room table with new eyes-maybe cut that large sun from the skirt and create a peaceful scene with it coming up over a mountain or something and Angela suggested maybe the light blue ones could be the sky-WELL-there went that piece of cake right out the window. So much for just piecing a bunch of large squares together! But, hey, I love a good challenge.

Just WHAT do you do with a pile of 14 bandannas and a brown corduroy skirt with a great big patched sun on it???????:

These aren't the usual fabrics I create my landscapes from.

I took Angela on a tour through my quilting area in the garage that looks like a total disaster area. Showed  her my long arm quilter Erika's quilt would be quilted on. She looked through my fabrics-I told her I love batiks, it seems Erika did also. She saw a couple of butterfly prints and she is trusting me to create this special quilt. Well, as it turns out-2 quilts. Could I possibly squeak another quilt from the 14 bandannas and the skirt for their friend, Kelly? OK-I did say I liked a good challenge, didn't I?

Before Angela got home that night I had cut the folk art sun from the skirt and had pretty well decided that, yes, it could come up over a mountain and maybe a pond and a tree.

Then that changed with a message from Angela when she got home:
 "I forgot to tell you but Erika really loved the ocean so if we could incorporate that into the scene that would be great" 

Me: "I've already cut out the sun, was thinking of it rising over water instead of a mountain"
"also can use the brown skirt as a trunk of tree but that can be a palm to give an island feel-what do you think?"

Angela: "we went to Mexico together on vaca so that would be cool"

Me: "would you mind if I split the sun and make two of the medallion centers, one for you and one for Kelly, I think it will work"

And so it went last Friday, a whole new adventure into making a memory quilt from plain old bandannas and a brown corduroy skirt and I am almost completely engrossed in this process.

I hope you enjoy creating as much as I do, may the joy of crafting be upon you.
Carolyn Wainscott
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I design quilts, children's wear, AG doll clothing, crafts, home decor. My patterns are available in PDF format

 @

~http://www.craftsy.com/user/pattern/store/43851

~https://www.etsy.com/shop/QuiltingCarolyn