Our kitten, Sylvester. Helping with our bucket list! ;)

These sunflowers would look great on any table, anytime throughout the year. Made from cotton
fabrics & flowers are appliqued.

My Rail Fence quilt top finished

Rail Fence flower with yo-yo

Now I just need to quilt it & it's ready for sale!!!

                                                                                                                  

Well we have a new member to our family. This is Buster, a 6 wk. old kitten. He ran up to me in my
front yard & meowed. I just couldn't leave him. He was so skinny & needed help. Soooo we have a
new member! He's a sweetie & my other kitty cats are not happy but they will have to deal.

Well took a break from my bowls, which I need to get back to, and decided to work on my
art dolls. This is Isabella. She's made of Wool-Felt & is about the size of an American
Girl doll. Her outfit is a authentic Mexican outfit & I added jewelry & beads.
I'm working on changing her shoes to sandals & I'm adding a shawl. What do U think?
She was fun to make & I plan on making more, of different sizes.

 

So here are the first pics of my Silk Cap Bowls. I've centered my cap in the spring hoop & did a swirl first in light green & then went over it in dark green circles. It was a little difficult getting it centered in the spring hoop but with a little

patience it did go in. It's not perfectly centered but that's OK, it makes the bowls interesting later.

NOW, I want to reposition the hoop & add flower stems, leaves & petals. I might  need to add more

stabilizer but that's ok, it all washes out. I will post my results but need a little more practice with the free motion quilting. I am practicing the leaves, & flowers mostly. Organic is great to start with, nature is never perfect! Stay tuned!!



Delayed

I'm still trying to get to work on my silk bowls. Have had the flu the last week & a half. It just
won't let go. Hope to get back to it soon. Will try & post pics of my process.

Silk Caps

I'm still working on my free motion quilting. I'd like to be able to free motion quilt these caps. You
don't need a special sewing machine. Just so the feed dogs can be lowered, that's all you need.
Here's the materials list for these bowls:

*One pre-dyed silk cap (layers of silk cocoons that have been stretched out & flattened into a bell shape.

* A suitable selection of machine embroidery threads

* A spring-clip embroidery frame with a platic outer hoop & a metal inner hoop.

* Lightweight, transparent water-soluble stabilizer, enough to cover both sides of the cap. (I use Sulky Solvy)

* Fusible polyester fibers, such as Angelina or fantasy fibers

* A selection of beads & sequins

* Fabric Stiffening Spray

* Sewing Machine

* Beading needle & suitable thread

* A cling film-covered vessel for shaping the bowl

Some of these are optional, like the beads, but add interest. This technique & the materials list is
from an article I read in my favorite magazine, Quilting Arts written by Kath Danswan.

You start by cutting 2 pieces of water-soluble stabilize big enough to cover the cap.
Lay the silk cap onto the stabilizer & add any additional fibers you may want at this stage.

Cover the silk with the second piece of stabilizer to make a sandwich. Place the layered cap centrally into the embroidery frame, gently easing it until it lies flat.

Start working from the center. This  is where the free-motion embroidery comes in. If you are a
beginner, it's good to choose an organic type of theme. Nature is never perfect, so if you make a mistake it doesn't matter. My theme is flowers.
Work your way out from the center.

Once the machine embroidery is completed, remove the bowl from the hoop & carefully wash away most of the stabilizer.
Place the bowl over the covered form that you are using to shape it. Prop up the form so the edges of
the bowl don't touch the worktable.

Leave it preferable overnight. Once it's dry, completely spray it with the fabric stiffening spray & let
dry.

Remove the bowl from the form & add any beads or embellishments you might like. I'm planning
on adding beads & Angelina Fibers to add interest.

Stay tuned for my finished bowl. I haven't finished yet but I'm planning on making several.
 

Life in Georgia: Back in business

Life in Georgia: Back in business

Found these silk caps on Etsy. Fiber Charmer has great threads & silks on Etsy.

Back in business

These Silk Bell Caps will be changed into bowls. I'm working on adding a tutorial explaining how to turn these caps into bowls. They are embroidered, beaded & will shape up & be stiff enough to keep their shape. Stay tuned as I learn along with you to turn these beautiful silk caps into wonderful, decorative bowls.