Judy W's: Cellular World

Several ideas came to mind with this theme but part of my goal in whatever I make is trying to use supplies and leftovers from my studio.  The focal point of Cellular World began as a screen print about 5 years ago when Kathy and I were experimenting with fabric art and surface design methods.  I hand dyed a white recycled bed sheet and Dover Publications provided the copyright free clip art from which I made a thermofax screen to print from.  It was some time ago but I believe I used bronze Lumiere fabric paint to silkscreen the image.

Wonder Under fusible was ironed to the backside of the dyed/screen printed fabric, then with pinking shears, the smaller circles were cut from the left over border surrounding the large circle.  Finding a suitable batik background was far easier than laying out a pleasing arrangement of cells.  Thanks to fusibles, the decision was permanent!

Using black monofilament for both top and bottom threads, I free motion stitched all the circles including the dotted batik background.  Overall, I am very pleased with the result, especially since my brain cells seemed to be entirely focused on golf this summer and my dismantled studio has not progressed toward my intended remodel since spring!

Judy W. "South Bound"

"South Bound" by Judy Wedemeyer

After looking at the previous postings for this theme, I was surprised how many similar renderings of flying geese were depicted.  Originally I'd been focusing on spirals and staircases due to their downward 'southerly' direction.  Heading south kept coming to mind, probably because as a lifetime Alaskan, heading south is a  term we Northerners deem for resident 'snow birds' desiring to escape the long, dark, cold winters here.

Alaska has glorious sunsets and my neighborhood is within honking distance of Potter Marsh bird sanctuary where I can hear the geese and Trumpeter Swans call as they flock to rest at night during their migratory Fall conditioning exercises.

Southern view from my back deck.

Trumpeter Swans at Potter Marsh, South Anchorage

I Googled flying geese images to determine which Sillouette shapes I preferred for my design.  After drafting a diminishing, curved flying geese pattern, which migrated in a southerly direction, I quickly chose the background batik fabric I felt best suited the environment and subject matter.  I'd never drafted a curving pattern for foundation piecing and was a bit apprehensive, but thankfully, it came out remarkably well.  The subtle striped fabric was intended to reinforce the directional pattern.  I used an iron on stabilizer as the foundation and chose not to remove it after the piecing in order to avoid fabric stretching.

Hand stitched reverse applique enabled me to insert the geese pathway onto my background with the most precision. Once inset, I trimmed the path to within a quarter inch of the seam.  Fusible applique using WonderUnder adhered the geese Sillouette's (including the white accents on the geese) to the quilt top.

My chosen finishing technique was to layer the batting, backing (face up), and then the quilt top (face down) in a sandwich, before stitching entirely around the quilt on the pre-marked seam line. I carefully cut a slit through the batting and backing to pull the quilt right sides out.  This is not how I normally do it but I needed to stitch on the tops seam line for proper alignment.  I placed the opening where my label would cover the slit, and adhered a finished label over the slit with fusible web before I quilted.  I choose this method when I don't want a binding and know I will be quilting in an all over pattern.

Preferring not to individually stitch around the shapes to permanently anchor them to the fabric, I machine quilted a simple echo pattern using a variegated Isacord thread (Saffron color) that would subtly blend with the background while simultaneously securing the shapes and echo the flying geese pathway for an added sense of motion.  I enjoyed my first Maven's challenge and look forward to our next one.