A... quilt?

I was saying the other day that I gave up (just temporary!) quilt making, when a thought suddenly crossed my mind (yeah, yeah, laugh all you want, but in the dark hole from my head from time to time thoughts are passing by :PPP). And that though is that I FORGOT to show you the most quilt of my quilts so far!

I made something I've never made before, I've used techniques and gadgets not used before at all, or just very little, I worked my ass out, and the result was completely satisfactory: the recipient was left speachless when she received it.

The idea was to give a gift with a mark of every colleague that worked together with the one that was leaving, because this was a good by collective gift. So I gave everyone a piece of fabric and some textile markers, and asked to write a text/make a small drawing etc. I received back all the patches, and then I started the real work.

The "written" patches were all various shades of yellow, I wanted to make the the centers of flowers, and the whole quilt to be a huge bouquet of flowers.

So I draw every single flower in real dimension, calculating angles and shapes, then I cut them out in vliesofix. I've added that to the fabrics that were ment to be the petals, then cut them and fixed them all to another piece of background fabric.

Here you can see the flowers in their individual form, laid out to see how they will get together on the quilt.

  Then I started sewing the flowers prepared to the big background, one by one, free-motioning around each of them. The layout changed a bit while working, I didn't manage till the end to have the same placement as in the original, but hey, who's perfect?

This phase being done, I've put together the quilt sandwich and started quilting... around the flowers middles. 

Then I had another big question: shall I make the border square, as a frame to a painting, or shall I make a rounded border? This was going to be a wall hanging after all... The rounded border idea won the argument, so I started making yet another new-to-me thing.

To make a long story short, I will just say that I've quilted three echo-lines around the same round border, added some sleeves to the back, and gave it off to a person that was enchanted, thrilled, completely surprised and totally amazed to receive this.

 Some flower details.. I forgot to mention that all applique was raw edges.

 And, as a nice story ends, they lived together happily ever after :)
The end!

Christmas... again?!?

So soon, there comes Christmas again! Right after finishing the long summer "run for fairs", it started the x-mas frenzy. Can you believe I have orders more than I can handle? And that I have tons of ideas, but notime to put them into real life?

All my little felt ornaments.... all my little triangle toys.... my leather necklaces (tempting story involving black lace and pearls and chains...), even my quilts! my beloved quilts! are postponed till further notice.

In the mean time, I keep myself busy with pins, trims, ribbons and patches, all fitted onto acryl or foam.

Here, take a look!

I owe a great deal of thank you to my mother: she's done the crochet part. Well... she has more time than I do :)))))

Now, I have to leave you with these wonders, and go make some more (day job first) Christmas items. If I will find the time, I'll make more photos.

But, before leaving, I have one question to you: how do you like them? I appreciate every response :)