Three finished projects to start off the new year!

Project #1:  Hilde Morin workshop - January 16 & 17

Six of us - Marti, Janet, Ann, MJ, Hiromi and I - gathered at Hilde Morin's beautiful studio in her home in the Portland area for Hilde's "Curves & More" workshop. 

Lunch break on Day 2

This shows only about 1/3 of Hilde's studio space.  We all left with "studio envy".

 Over the two days Hilde skillfully shared her design and construction techniques for creating her curved pieces. (Thanks to Hiromi for the photos!)

Getting ready to cut a curve through my piece

Hilde suggested using yarn to layout the curve

Starting the cut

The finished curve. Now what should I put in there?

By the end of the two days each of us had produced the top for a small wall art quilt. Here are the results of our efforts prior to quilting.

Ann

MJ

Hiromi

Janet

Marti

Here is my piece after quilting and facing. Thanks to Janet and Hiromi for giving me the perfect fabrics to finish my piece.

Finished size: 21" x 26-1/2"

Quilting detail

The pieced little ladder

Hilde showed us a great method for making the facing.

Project #2: Rainbow Trout

In an earlier post I shared the fabric collaged fish that I created in Susan Carlson's workshop in September 2013. I had it mounted on a collaged background but just wasn't happy with it.  After Hilde's workshop it got me thinking I could piece together a curved background that would help add some movement to the piece.

Before

After - Finished size: 29 1/4" x 17 1/2"

The border is from some batik fabric that Marti found at Fabric Depot - thanks Marti! This piece will eventually be hung in our Sisters house.

Detail 1

Detail 2 

Project #3: 'Painted Hills Units'

The third completed project was from Jean Wells "Journey to Inspired Art Quilting" workshop in September 2013. The colors in the piece were inspired by a photograph I had seen of the Painted Hills in the John Day Fossil Bed Monument in Eastern Oregon. After the workshop, Mark and I visited the John Day area where I took lots of photos in hopes of getting inspiration for another piece or two.

Finished size: 18 1/2" x 27 1/4"

Detail 1 - Added some hand stitching here and there

Detail 2 - quilted in a metasequoia - the state fossil of Oregon

Detail 3

I think this piece will eventually end up in our front hall entry as it is best viewed close up.

Next up? Currently I am in the process of finishing baby quilt # 6 for baby Roberto due in early March. The top is all pieced - just trying to figure out the quilting. Need to get that done before March travels to California and Kauai.