Finally, this one is finished. I called it "A Narrow Sea" for obvious reasons.
For the gulls, I printed pictures unto fabric and then needle-turned them, which was much easier than I expected. These birds are about 1-2" from wingtip to wingtip. A friend gave me that marvelous piece of sky fabric!
The water has beads, some yarn that looks like seaweed, lace to look like foam, and some lamé peeking out in a couple of places. I also put tulle over the darker part after deciding it was too dark.
The sand also has tulle to give it varying shades. I only used one fabric for the three sand parts. It has small beads that look like shells, plus shells that really are shells, a little piece of driftwood, plus more beads and a fence with some of the same sea-weed looking yarn hanging on it as I put in the water. I outlined the shadow thinking a darker shadow would be too busy.
I really liked making this one. The label is also long and skinny, with a background photo of the beach in Florida outside a place we sometimes go to for vacations, and where I picked up the shells and other embellishments.
Next I hope to get the skinny mountain one done. It requires lots of threadplay, which I don't like doing. I keep telling myself to bite the bullet because it will be worth it.
Sue asked how I am constructing these skinny landscapes. The ocean one from the book "Skinny Quilts & Table Runners" is sewn right to the batting. You cut all the strips first, get them organized the way you want, and press the edges... from the horizon down about halfway, you press the top of the strips under and stitch them close to the edge. About halfway down, you start working from the sand and press the bottom edge under and topstitch. One strip in the middle is pressed on both edges. It goes together very quickly once the decisions are made.
The fence is made with edges turned under and stitched down, and the wire and grass is just drawn on with thread. It needs more quilting lines in the sky, water and clouds, and some shells added, maybe some birds too.
I've also decided the water layers on the horizon are too dark so am putting tulle over it. I'm amazed at that... it modifies the color but is almost invisible. It is not on in this picture... next time you can see the difference.
I started the mountain one first, but after reading the directions for the ocean quilt. I don't like raw-edge applique or satin stitch. So I made a freezer paper pattern and cut each section from it, allowing 1/4" all around. Then I used my little iron (or my big one) and pressed under a seam allowance where it was needed. I left it unpressed wherever something else would overlap. Then I used matching thread and sewed close to the folded edge, again sewing the pieces right on to the batting. I started with the sky and the farthest away objects.
I know, this all sounds like a lot of work, but it gives me the look I want. I use a Bernina 1630 which makes thread-swapping very quick, and had my Babylock Quilter's Choice Professional threaded up too and in free-motion mode. Then whatever one had the best thread color already in it was the machine I used. If a change was needed, I used the Bernina.
I did stick the large tree in the mountain quilt on raw edge because the edges of a fir tree look better that way. I've been doing some thread "drawing" and will post a closeup when my mountains start looking like rocks.
The mountain quilt is coming along. I moved the tree I'd planned for the left side to the right, and may put another smaller one on the left into that lighter patch where it will show better.
This other one is basically the quilt in that book "Skinny Quilts an
d Table Runners" but my version needs more sand... so I am putting a lighter sand dune at the bottom and some fence, sort of like the picture pinned at the bottom of this picture, only a bit larger. This one will also have some glimpses of gold lame on the edges of some of the 'waves' along with beads, etc. and lace for the foam at the waterline on the shore.
This one is quick (but I'm not - notice it still has pins holding it together instead of thread) and anyone could make it. Five of us did this much on Monday evening, and a few actually sewed down the strips in the water. I talked too much, but it will be finished soon.
Sorry, the photos are small. I pulled them a bit bigger, but that made them blurry too. When they are finished, I'll post bigger, clearer pictures. Right now, I'm Scottish with the alloted space - grin!
Finally, this one is finished. I called it "A Narrow Sea" for obvious reasons.
I really liked making this one. The label is also long and skinny, with a background photo of the beach in Florida outside a place we sometimes go to for vacations, and where I picked up the shells and other embellishments.
Next I hope to get the skinny mountain one done. It requires lots of threadplay, which I don't like doing. I keep telling myself to bite the bullet because it will be worth it.
