Cowboys and Celtic Banding

This week I had two installations which could not have been more diverse. 

The first installation was a small (24 wide by 13 tall) inside mounted valance for an entryway powder room.  Newly wallpapered in soft cream, bronze and light gold tones, we opted for a shaped cream silk valance accented with bronze microcording, tassel and Celtic banding in an undulating oval shape.

This motif was selected from The Great Book of Celtic Patterns by Lora S. Irish.  This book has wonderful and creative design ideas and is my favorite go-to book for Celtic inspiration. 

While I most often use 1/2" bias banding for Celtic applique', this petite project called for a more delicate 1/4" banding, which curved beautifully and easily around the many curves in the project.

Our next installation of the day was for a friend and neighbor whose projects have been featured previously on this blog. 

I am happy to add that her home will be featured on our upcoming neighborhood home tour and I know the attendees will love her collections and creative style.

This project was for the "Cowboy" guest bedroom.  As always, she provided a challenge for this project:  utilize her grandmother's tropical-patterned barkcloth drapery panels in this western-themed bedroom.  Due to the age of the barkcloth, there were some condition problems which required planning and creative cutting to work around, while making sure the pattern repeats on the overlays matched each other.

The photo above shows the smaller side window, along with some of the numerous cowboy/western collectibles featured in the room.

The larger window above the bed also showcased the faux-leather embossed cornice which was the backdrop to the barkcloth overlays.  The overlays were accented with leather and bead conchos, which can be seen more closely in the photo below.

Hope you enjoyed the latest blog post - and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends!

Susan

Ingenuity from the International Quilt Festival

Yesterday I visited the exhibit hall at the International Quilt Festival - it truly deserves HOURS of time and I had only about an hour to spare, but I wanted to share some of the photos from the gorgeous displays.

The quilt shown below in several photos was one of the major award winners at the Festival...it was so gorgeous and I was mesmerized by the lattice work that the quilter made using bias turned tubes. She was displaying and discussing her stunning work; she did mention how many hours she spent just TURNING the tubes, not including sewing them into the quilt.  It was so beautiful!  There was a crowd surrounding her, admiring her work and design.

Below, the quilter shows the back of the quilt - gorgeously finished!  You can clearly see through the undulating latticework design here, can't you?

Below is a much closer photograph of her exacting handiwork!  Amazing!

Look at the little thread scrollwork accents at the bottom of the photo - so whimsical and fun.

Some of you may know that we have seen an armadillo lately in our backyard - I thought this quilt was appropriate for Texas.  The colors in the sky are so lovely and soft.

The quilt is a wonderful scene showcasing outdoor Texas.  The field and sky is so pretty, that you almost don't see the little armadillo in the corner!  The detailed stitching is amazing to me.  Here's a closeup of Mr. Armadillo and his stitching:

Below is a stitching sample that one of the Quilt Festival instructors had on display.  It was about 14 x 14 and looks pretty here...but wait until you see the close up photo below.

 Such intricacy in the flowing stitching and the soft color choices.

There were some lovely examples which included Swarovski crystals - ooh la la!

Here is a zoom photo of some of the sparkly embellishment.

And some more innovative ideas for using the Swarovski crystals - don't we all need more bling in our lives?

This memerizing quilt was another award winner - and rightfully so.  The Asian inspired quilt shows so much detail and skill.

Look at the detail on the border edges!

And the watered background, completed with dragonflies and feathery birds - I am amazed at the planning and skill that went into this (and other) projects.



I hope you enjoyed this little mini-tour of skill and talent - I will post more photos soon!

Susan