Hand Quilting

Art Piece 96: Around and Around

| Cindy Anderson

May, 2019 I participated in a class taught by Susan Lenz at Woodland Ridge. The subject of the class was the manipulation of polyester stretch velvet using heat. The impact of the heat created unusual transformations.

One of the items I created during the class is a piece I call Around and Around.

Art Piece 96: Around and Around

Trying new techniques can bring about surprising outcomes; often times with less than desirable results. This particular project initially fell into that crevice. With the added bead embellishments and hand stitching I was able to evolve my first project into something much more interesting.

To complete my first polyester stretch velvet experiment I surrounded it with a border of black cotton fabric as well as a geometric themed stitch pattern. Rather than adding the typical binding used on most quilts I chose to secure the raw edges with facings. Around and Around, Art Piece # 96 measures 7 3/4” x 9 3/4”.

This special addition to my portfolio is among thirteen other specimens. The other members of the grouping will be introduced to you soon.

I’m honored to have shared this time with you! With warm wishes for a pleasant and fruitful day I say farewell for now.

Morning In The Garden, AP # 89

| Cindy Anderson

Who doesn’t enjoy the loveliness of a morning in the garden with the sunshine dancing on the dew drops. I know I do! It is my favorite time of day.

I have always loved flowers. In my younger days my yard was filled with gardens overflowing with their beauty. Their colorful faces added a delight to my yard that thrilled me immensely.

Now that I’ve experienced more years that I have left my huge garden days are over. I still enjoy the beauty of flowers and their wonderful scent but I have adjusted my expectations. Rather that spending hours tending to my gardens, inhaling the many fragrances, feeling the soil between my fingers, soaking in the eye-popping colors and the warmth of the sun’s rays I experience those joys through my portfolio of photos and my occasional plantings.

With my days of prolific gardening behind me I have made attempts to recreate my love of flowers through my art and my surroundings. The art piece I am about to share with you today is the second addition to my layered quilt portfolio. My most recent completion is titled Morning In The Garden, AP # 89. Let’s explore it’s beauty through photographs. Click on the photos, in each grouping, to see them in greater detail

  • Label for Morning In The Garden
  • Sun Rising Over Morning In The Garden
  • Western Corner of Morning In The Garden
  • Southwest Corner of Morning In the Garden
  • More Flowers In The Southwest Corner of The Garden
  • Northern Area of The Garden
  • Northeast Corner of the Garden
  • Another Northeast Section of the Garden
  • Southeast Corner of the Garden
  • A Three Dimensional View Of A Flower
Morning In The Garden

Photos say more than words can. I hope that you have enjoyed this tour and that you have the opportunity to click on and explore the photos in detail.

Thank you so much for visiting!

Wild Flowers, AP # 73

| Cindy Anderson

2018 was the year I first took Heidi Parke’s class Layered Quilt. What is a layered quilt you might ask?

A layered quilt has four layers

  • a bottom layer of muslin
  • batting for the second layer
  • miscellaneous fabrics for the third layer and
  • a top layer of a transparent material such as silk organza.

The two most important layers are

  • layer three because that’s where your design resides and
  • layer four because it’s degree of transparency determines how visible your design layer will be.

Once the four layers have been assembled it is time to begin stitching.

I can’t tell you how much fun I had making my first layered quilt. After sandwiching my muslin and batting I pulled out my bags of fabric scraps and discarded threads. From the bags of scraps I pulled handfuls of fabric and began dumping them on top of the batting. No special effort was made to arrange them in a particular order. Also added were leftover scraps of thread. To top that all off I added a few strategically placed floral shaped remnants. This is how my layered quilt looked when I was finished.

Wild Flowers Ready For Stitching

With my four layers all in place it was time to start stitching. I gathered together my stockpile of decorative threads, my needles and my stitchery books and began the explorative process of adding the quilting. This was a great opportunity to try stitches that I had never used before. Learning the new stitches and watching them take shape was so amazing. The more I stitched the more I enjoyed the process.

Part of the joy was documenting my daily progress through photographs and now that my art piece is finished I am so glad that I did. While I would love to share all of the photos with you I’ve decided to share just a few.

Wild Flower Stitch Beginnings
Wild Flowers, A Closeup
Wild Flowers All Finished
Wild Flowers All Finished

The journey to create and finish this art quilt was one that I will always remember. I am so pleased with the final outcome and so happy to be able to share it with you.

Thank You for spending this time with me!