My how time flies when you are busy

which I have been and no, I am NOT complaining.
     I am off to NJ next Monday.    I will be speaking to the Garden State Quilter's Guild on Monday evening and teaching a one day workshop on Tuesday.  Tried to get a non-stop out of Newark on Tuesday evening, but no go.  But will get out on Wednesday before noon, so that's not too bad.
    Then it is back to work in the studio.  I am still  beefing up my supply of small quilt works.  I will be making a list and ordering in some supplies for my vendor booth at Quiltfest in Jacksonville, Fl.  This will be my first time vending there, so stop by to see me if you are coming to the show.
     The pattern has always been a popular one at the quilt show and for me to teach.  I also can not keep my class sample because I someone buys them. Again, not complaining.  To be prepared,  I made three more.  That makes  6th, 7th & 8th version of the same quilt.  Over the last week as I was constructing this piece I took lots of pictures of it in progress and wrote and e-book that I hope to see with the pattern at upcoming quilt show and online.  The online thing I'll tackle in a couple of weeks.

this is the image of the 6th one.

 

Ii used this simple flower pattern that I sell in my beginning silk painting kits and workshops to make it up as an applique sample for my booth so customers will understand my patterns are not just for painting.  In this case the applique was faster than the painting.

     I've found two locale sources for dupioni.  I brought 1-1/2 yards of 54" wide from one place.  And  1 yard of 44" wide from the other.   



    

This what I painted today.  Am doing this post while it is drying.  At tis stage I am always wondering, pondering and critiquing myself so I will live with a day or so before I begin to quilt it.  Not sure if I will get it done before I leave next week.  If I do I will show it to you.  If not I will when it is finished.  It still needs additional shadows, highlights and stamens.

Working with Silk Dupioni continues

This is what I did with the largest piece of silk I got from Tee.  It was beige more so than ecru so I thought it would be best to create something with a colored background.  Here is what I did and the steps I took to get it to its current stage.  I have blocked it, trimmed it down so it is ready for the facing, sleeve and label which I plan to get started on to today and finish it up  on Monday.
      I'll take it along with me on Tuesday to be part of my trunk show/presentation when I speak to an  art quilt group in Tampa.  Will more likely than not I will spend the night and drive home on Wednesday.    My old eyes do not like driving long distances on unfamiliar roads  any more.

     Along with trying silk dupioni I have been using Invis-a-fil thread by Wonderfil .  It is a 100 wt polyester thread that comes in 60 colors.  The good thing is you don't need every color of the thread they make so you can match every color of fabric you use.  Or in my case every color I can mix to paint with, rather the good thing is the thread tends to take on the color of what it is sewn on as long as the value is close.  Mind you after trying several spools and quilting three pieces with the thread I am not ready to discord my Isocord yet. 
     I found this thread to be finicky and frustrating.  It tended to break when I was speeding along using my HQ Sweet Sixteen to free motion.   I had no trouble with it when using the walking foot for straight line quilting on the Janome Horizon 7700. 
     When it didn't break ever five square inches or so I loved that it went over an area with two or three values changes without one being able to tell that there hadn't been a thread color change.