A mushroom story, and class with Mary Diamond

 When I was a little girl, my Grampa told me that if I would sit very quietly in the evening before the dew fell, I could watch the fairies play under the toadstools in the back yard of their house.  I spent many an hour waiting for them to appear- and stayed out if his hair in the process.  (wasn't I a gullible child?)

      So when I created my perennial bed, I had a thought in the back of my mind to find a big toadstool of some kind and  some fairies to play under it.    I have finally done it.  The mushroom/ toadstool (I wonder if there's a difference?) is made from an old version of our satellite dish and a length of chimney tile.  The top is the  non-woven "utility" fabric they sell at Joann.  I stitched a few layers together in the hope it will survive more than one summer out there. 

 The Museum Quilt Guild welcomed Mary Diamond to our meeting on Saturday! What beautiful work she does!!!  I had seen a couple of her pieces previously in  Lancaster, but I got to hold them and inspect them up close this time!






After the meeting, some of us stayed for a thread painting class.  These are the samples of what she teaches.  You actually make your own composition using floral print fabric- so no 2 are alike!

Some of Mary's fluorescent thread collection.  I have GOT to get some of these!

My piece as of the end of class.  It's only pinned to the stretcher, since I'm thinking it might need some greens and maybe some beads in those open areas.














A small thing you can do to make a difference to the planet is to recycle those tubes from your toilet paper!  Add it up some time to see how many you are throwing away.  Just toss them in with the cardboard and cereal boxes.  ( NOT in the abitibi paper bins!)

I am grateful for:
The weeds in the garden, which allow me to be in my happy place, watch birds using the water dishes I have set out for them, and enjoying the summer mornings before the sun gets so hot!
A really good book I don't want to put down.
A big job behind me!
Getting away for a day to play with friends.
28 more days until I see Guy!

Painting with thread over painted fabric.

At the workshop I attended with Barbara Murak last month, she showed us all how to paint a floral bouquet, insisting it was something we could all do. I think she brings much joy to people she visits in hospitals by doing this, and she is very good at it. My painting was more a few blobs of color, implying a bouquet only I could see. So I decided to enhance it with thread, rather than trying to add more paint.
I posted pictures from the class, but here is the before picture.








First, I added some definition and shading with colored pencils. I used iron on interfacing and one layer of tear away stabilizer - a papery kind I will not use again!












I used Sulky Rayon thread in the top, and the Coats and Clark fine polyester in the bobbin. I would recommend this thread to anyone who likes "the Bottom Line", as I feel it performed in a similar way.









It is machine quilted with invisible thread. The edges are finished with a facing. I tried doing a mitered facing this time, a technique I need to practice, as it is not as neat as I would like on the back.













I added a few beads here and there to imply the flower center and the pattern of dots on the petals. I took it outside to take the final picture, thinking I would get nice clear colors, but the sun was already turning everything yellow, I guess. ( It has been unbearably hot here this week).



















I am grateful for:
Having unscheduled time which allowed me to play in the sewing room.
The air conditioner hubby finally talked me into for the bedroom.
The rare pleasure of having my son home for dinner.
Chai spiced tea- so refreshing! (thanks, Liz!)
The chipmunks have stopped digging up my garden- for now.