Gee's Bend and Nature printing

Traveling with 3 fiber friends to Orlando certainly made the trip go fast! We had a ball. The Gee's Bend exhibit was grand. The quilts were nicely displayed. Old, old ones as well as some newer ones. I especially liked the older ones - the designs, the colors, the energy. There was a good documentary with many of the quilters using their own words. The old photographs helped tell their story. They quilt because they have too. Sounds, oh, so familiar. After lunch, we headed to a couple of fabric stores. I think we entertained the staff and customers. We were a little punchy. We did have fun!

The second tree quilt, on the right, is a sample - raw edged appliqued trunk on my own hand-dyed fabric. The leaves were rubber stamped on. Then free motion quilting. I plan to add the following quote printed on ExtravOrganza: "working in the spirit of the tree can bring us renewed energy, powerful inspiration and deep communion." Philip Carr-Gomm. I, then, printed ivy leaves still on their stem, and stenciled the tree trunk. Free motion quilting followed. A few loose leaves were added to add dimension. I'm not sure I'm enamored with the leaves on the stem printing not the stenciled trunk. I'm going to try a larger piece: raw edged appliqued trunk and single leaf printing.