this is the second version of my new “shalom” collage quilt pattern, from the shalom pattern, this time using aqua green, purple, and ocean blues, with pops of pink and whites. this sweet girl is now hanging up in the quilt away shop in great falls.
once again, i designed it to use a gorgeous background of hand dyed fabric, my favorite “signature” style. while i’ve had this piece of fabric for a few years, it was just the right colorway, with hints of purple and a beautiful depth of blues. this time, i collaged the girl first, choosing lighter florals, and then chose the background for the design. i wish i knew which dyer made this beautiful fabric… but it is likely from my friend chris daly, who operates woodland ridge retreat; a quilting retreat business as well. {you can like her facebook page, and a blog to follow too}. she doesn’t have as much time these days to dye, so it was a special treat to find this piece in my stash, purchased several years ago ~ and perfect for this little lady’s floral dress.
vicki welsh also creates similar gorgeous hand-dyed fabrics and lists them in her etsy store… so i know you will find exactly what you need!
and i kept the quilting muted, using a thread that blended, but applied my free motion quilting with lots of textural interest, changing it up a bit in styles, but also adding … once again, my signature bobbin play. a bit of free motion mctavishing-style, with bubbles, and large big flowers that i picked up from the style of the large white flowers in her dress. it’s always fun to draw inspiration from the beautiful florals…
below, the flower is seen without a third row of stitching, which will come inside the bobbin/thick thread… as you will see further below…
i love the half flower as the bow on her dress, and i didn’t quilt it as heavily so it would remain dimensional, as seen in the photo below:
the photo below depicts the third row of stitching on the outside edges of the flower. i did not quilt them in the order you see them… i always do the bobbin play first, and then i add other rows of echo-type stitching ~ inside and outside ~ the flower motif. i wanted them to be puffy… but not empty.
i love the lacey look the orange ruffled floral adds to the underlay of the skirt, adding lots of dimension, and realism, too. notice that i deliberately placed her so that skirt flows a bit to the right, as i like this angle as a more creative flow with her walking away. and i love to tuck in a few flowers in the hair, too!
and His peace:
“peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you.
let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.”
{John 14:27}
thanks for coming by!
Comments 12
so beautiful!
Happiness shows in your design and stitching!
The flowers ruffle at the bottom caught my eye right away. Absolutely Wonderful quilting and I enjoy that you explain why you quilted it the way you did. It's like a mini school !
She's gorgeous. The colors remind me of a beach sunrise.
She's gorgeous. The colors remind me of a beach sunrise.
She's gorgeous. The colors remind me of a beach sunrise.
Absolutely beautiful!
Great design, the ruffle adds movement and the dress canting to the right keeps your eye moving. It is a lovely piece of hand dyed fabric, artfully enhanced by your superb quilting.
Hoping this comment gets thru….wow your collage is so amazing and incredible. You pour your heart and the love of God into every one of your pieces; no wonder they are so stunning, peaceful, and full of love! Thank you for always sharing your artwotk and a little bit of your life!
Just beautiful……your quilting is stunning !
So nice and totally romantic!!!!! Love all your stitching……su-weet!
I am again playing catch up on my blog reading and love the new table runners you have made. The collage areas add so much visual interest to your pieces. Also my husband and I enjoy looking at your nature photos (aka beautiful Montana)