Landscapes

My friend Els, from the Netherlands, came over for a two and a half week visit.  We had a great time together.  She is also an avid quilter so never a dull moment here.  We spent lots of time in the sewing room together or hand stitching over cups of tea and enjoying chocolate chip cookies :-).  

While Els was here, Pat Palmer was guest instructor for my students in my sewing room.  She taught a class on landscapes.  She originally learned it at Heather Bell's studio in West Lorne, ON.  We used 1/2" bias strips of batiks and did a sample to learn the technique.  They actually turn out very nicely once they are put in a frame. (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

This is Els' first one with a mat pinned in front of it

This is the first one I did in my first class in June

I found a frame and lighter mat for it - amazing how it changes the look! (White flecks are reflections from the glass.)

Els enjoyed her sample very much and we decided to try another one together.  We found a great photo in a calendar that our Church did this year as a fundraiser. We tossed batik fabrics onto the photo that would work and cut the 1/2" bias strips and then started putting together our version of the landscape. We asked Lisa Bishop for a .jpg of the photo she submitted for this calendar so we could share it here on the blog.

This is the original photo taken by Lisa when she was in New Zealand.  We loved the colours and the challenge of trying to get that island in the quilt and that grass in front of the water in the foreground.

This is Els' version with a very curved island and strip piecing for the water/grass.

I used the bias strips for the water/grass section as well as the island.  Totally different look, but both cool. That white fleck in the top right is reflection off the glass.  I'm a quilter, not a photographer :-).

We used photo frames that we found at our local thrift shop! It is amazing how the bias strips curve so much without puckering.  I'm sure we'll have a few more landscapes in our future.