#38 Elephants and Lions...do you See A Zebra? Janice Simpson

Elephants and Lions...Do You see a Zebra?





I did reverse applique on the beige Lions and the grey Elephants...and cut the scraps into 2 1/2 inch squares sewed blocks 5x5 squares and cut the squares into circles...also cut circles in background using Cheryl Philips Cut Around tool


sewing the patch circles into the background.


I finished the top on time....my hang up was what to bind with and how should I quilt this...I put it altogether and did my old stand by surpintine stitches vertical and horizontal...(use this a lot).We then went out of town for a few days and I finished the binding in the car....

Taking A Little Trip....How did the bears get to the lower Peninsula of Michigan...
Animal Kingdom...I do have a finished quilt that falls into the #38 FFFC. I have posted it in our photo's section. "Taking A Little Trip"(55 1/2x 47 1/2). This quilt shows about 40 ways for the Bear to cross from upperMi to lower Mi. (the yellow brick road (across the Big Mac Bridge), motor cycles, trucks, sail boats and swimming are just a few of the ways for the bear to get to lower Mi) For those of you not familiar with Michigan...I live in the Upper Peninsula and the Mackinaw Bridge connects us to lower Mi. One day the DNR on a radio show talked about the UP bears crossing to lowerMi... well creative minds of my Art group decided we needed to have a challenge showing how the bears crossed over to lower MIchigan.These quilts have been in MCQA (my guild show), Marquette Public Library,andMichigan Quilt Network show this Sept. I've not been good at FFFC deadlines I will try hard to make this one!! Janice

FFFC #37 Outer Space/ "Did You See This?/ Meet Me in 60,000 years...2287"

Outer Space ...I posted Malacandra(Mars quilt description from CL Lewis book
Perelandra)an already finished quilt & fit the theme. My plan was to finish a
new FFFC...well it's almost finished after a few distractions....I thought I
would have it finished before the new FFFC #38 came out... very soon..The name
is "Did You See This?" or "Meet You in 2287" (60,000Years). The name alone
should get some interest going!!

The idea for this FFFC came from an e-mail telling me to watch the sky's for the month of August. On August 27th Mars will be close to the Moon and we could see it ...well we had a cloudy night. Well I did see this very bright "Star" Mars next to the Moon during August evenings. This will not happen again for 60,000 years...

I printed the words from my computer onto fabric and next cut the large circles..the Moon and Mars...the Earth much smaller(only 34,649,589 miles from Mars) has a sketch of the United States..these were attached to the background fabric with an iron-on and various fringed yarn. The MilkyWay across the quilt is angelina fibers attached with Misty Fuse.A few silver stars attached with beads and quilted stars with silver metalic thread.I wrapped the front fabric to the back for the edge finish...edges not too streight...OK for the universe!!!

FFFC #37 Outer Space

"Date: Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:00 am
Subject: GSP


Hello to all, My name is Janice Simpson and I live in Marquette Mi.
I've been a member of FFC since it started and am guilty of not always doing
the challenges and even doing one and not posting...The past year and a half
Fraser (my husband) was in and out of the hospital with many health issues...He
is doing better but still has a few issues with his health. I became his
"nurse"...not much quilting here. I think many of you might remember Fraser he
has been a doorman at the IQA shows in Houston and Chicago. We missed last
Oct.in Houston and the Spring show in Chicago and will not be in Houston this
Oct.
I have been sewing since I was a child and always wanted to quilt,and began
quilting in the late 70's..mostly traditional and all hand quilted. Not sure
when the Art Designs hit me but I love designing my own quilts. I love the
challenges on fastfriday group and hope to get more involved this year.
In Marquette I belong to Marquette County Quilters Association (MCQA),Superior
Quilters (12 members meet in each others homes)and Explorers a group of Art
Quilters.Other groups are Michigan Quilt Network, Michigan Quilt Invitaional,
American Quilter's Society,Paducah, International Quilt
Association,Postmarkd'art, and FastfridayChallenge.
Ribbons? At the Fair's I get lots of Blue Ribbons and even a Gold medalion for
Best of show.and a few ribbons from MCQA over the years.
I have shown my work in IQA in Special Exibits Chicago & Houston:
Traditional Quilts,Hoffman Doll& quilts that traveled, Gypsy Dolls,PostCards for
a Cure,
Fabled Fibers and Journal Quilts all but the first year...was not chosen for the
book.
Exhibits of my work in Marquette:
Women's Health Associates of upper Michigan...My quilts are in
the lobby, in the hallways and in the examination rooms some
are on the ceiling above the exam table.Dr said they relax the
paients. I change the quilts occasionally for holidays or add a
new quilt.One day My daughter was in to see the Dr, she said,
these look like my mother's quilts..they said they were Janice
Simpson's quilts. Lori said, that's my mother!!!
Upper Peninsula Medical Center..in the Atrium, the quilts are
exhibited for one month.My quilts were there for February and
March two different exhibits this year; and other quilts once
last year.
Marquette Public Library: Exhibits with Explorers and Michigan
Quilt Invitional.
Published: My first Fabric Postcard was published in Franki
Kolher's Post card book. My Cinderella quilt from Fabled Fibers
is in Anne Copeland's Pumpkin Cookbook.Both are Great books.
Well,this GSP has got me going and I want to update and add to
my Blog Pictures and more about some of my groups. Not too many entries since I
started my Blog Creative Art on Friday 13 October 2006.
I have been reading all the GSP posts and have enjoyed hearing
about what everyone is doing.
Janice Simpson Marquette Mi
http://janicedesigns.blogspot.com/

Snow Dyeing

You have to scroll a long way to get to the snow dyeing post....sorry

Snow Dyeing February 2008

My experiments after reading about Kelly Hendrikson's Snow Dyeing.

Unduleted paint squirted into snow in plastic containers...set outside over night to freeze.

Snow & paint melted on cotton fabric..you can almost see the circles from the plastic containers the paint did not move.



We had a "Heat Waive" and the snow melted outside...I covered a pannel with this melted snow & paint(more liquid to move the paints around and cover more of the pannel.

This photo shows a plastic garbage bag & old towels to catch melting snow & paint.The paint washed out of the towels. All my snow dyed fabrics were dried and heat set with my iron.

Beige on beige fabric folded-double...Same piece of fabric dyed twice.(first on top/second on side). I cut this fabric for outside border & binding for the pannel.

Pannel cut and pieced together with snow dyed boarders...Close-up above.

I received the pannel from a friend at a Quilt Friendship Meeting ...it was offered to all at the meeting...no-one wanted it..someone said give it to Jan and she will do something with it...

Well, it had the four-pannels and six Valentine Post-cards....I copied the valentines and printed 6 more on fabric....Embelished the Valentines and sent one to each member in our group. Telling them the small Quilt would be finished and unveiled when the "Snow-Birds" returned from Fl. I did show the unfinished top at our next meeting...they said they liked it....???? not sure as most of my group are Traditional Quilters......

This was my last Snow dyeing experiment ......Silver on white (2000 fabric)..I added water to my paints before it was frozen over-night...next spread on double folded fabric to melt.The first photo was on top & is darker.....second photo more pastel....bottom photo opened to see both sides.

#11 In the Style of the Masters Five Wooden Buttons

Challenge #11 In the Style of the Masters

Five Wooden Buttons 15 1/2 x 17 1/2
Materials used...Cotton discharged fabric for background, fused on shapes,
hand painted wooden buttons,found in collection at antique show.


I chose Wassily Kandinsky (Russian) 1866-1944, Composition VII, 1913.
Kandinsky uses a varity of lines,shapes and colors. He used a large black

circle for the focal point. I used five wooden buttons. And many lines,shapes and colors with my fused fabrics,stitching and discharged background.

Tiny Tools #10 Project Runway

Tiny Tools#10 Project Runway

Tiny Tools # 10 Project Runway

dimensions...W15 1/2 x 17 1/2

materials used...cotton fabrics, twine,tiny metal tools


Using something not from a fabric store but was found in my stash...little metal tools from the dollar store ($1.00).
I bought them they were so cute...what would I ever do with them? Twine( $1.29 ) from a hardware store and only
used a small amount couched around the tools.