Empty Space Filled

Here's my tree with the little inner border. I still need to decide how big to make the outer border. I'm trying to decide how I want to quilt it, that will determine how big I cut it. I'm not 100% sure I like it, but I wanted something different with this tree (my 3rd). It was fun seeing your predictions for my empty space, but I guess I'm too predictable. It is indeed a kitty :)!!
But this is a special kitty. Sitting there like this, he has the exact same profile as Rodger. And I made him light grey, just like Rodger. It's always hard to lose a pet, but it's been especially hard since I don't know what happened to him. But now, he will always be on guard, sitting in my tree.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Until next time,
-Karen

Full Bloom

My tree is in full bloom. I've moved these leaves until I'm pleased with the layout. Unless something really bothers me in the next few days, I'm going to leave well enough alone.
Here's a close-up of the fabric I used for the tree. It has some blue in it which I thought might bother me, but from a distance you don't notice. Up close I like the dimension it gives. Hopefully my quilting will add and not detract from this. Not sure what I'm going to do yet.

There are still several elements left as you probably noticed the hole on the right side. Guess what's going in there?? Plus I'm going to add a border this time.

Hope your Saturday is productive and fun.

Until next time,

-Karen

Another Tree Grows in Pensacola

I have been seriously sidetracked for the last few days. I decided I needed another tree for my office. I started with a beautiful piece of batik I got for my birthday last year. Then I decided to use a piece of fabric I got off the share table at Guild. It's probably a rayon blend, but it's nubby and wonderful texture. I made this tree a little more substantial and decided to hand applique the whole thing.
I know, it takes more time, but I just love to applique, especially on a fairly small project. By the time I would have prepped all the fused pieces and machine appliqued everything, I feel like I pretty much had the tree done! Here's my bare tree ready for leaves.

I've had so much fun going thru my batik scraps and finding just the right pieces. Since I can't really draw, I'm so glad this doesn't have to look realistic :).

The tree is growing and it's looking more like a tree with every leaf!!

Until next time,

-Karen

A Happy Mistake

Here is my latest office quilt. (I have had quite a bit of trouble with the lighting, but I think you'll get the idea - I think they changed the bulbs in my office - grrr). The colors vary somewhat, but here is my spring version of my original tree that I made last year. While they are the same size and composition, they look really different.

My new quilt reminds me of cherry blossoms. As I child I attended the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC and this quilt reminds me of that happy memory. Using a blue background and the pink leaves does not create as much contrast.

I quilted the same curly design in the background, which I love.

I added a small piping which is very subtle, but created some edge definition. I couldn't find a binding that didn't detract from the overall quilt, so I just used the same fabric.

The color of the quilt is somewhere between these two pictures - you can see I'm having camera issues.

My happy mistake is the bird. After I was completely finished with this quilt, I realized there was no kitty in it. Since I don't have any pink cat fabric, I ripped out one of the leaves and added a bird using red fabric. It really stands out and makes the quilt much more fun. It's kind of hard to see the kitty but trust me, he's there.

Until next time,

-Karen