Monday, October 10, 2011

#13 is all well and good!

Whew!  There for awhile I thought my #13 lady wouldn't make it.  It seemed like an age since I sent it, but it FINALLY arrived and now I may show you all.

The lovely Kat, from here (in Australia...thus the long postal trip) asked me to do a portrait of her.  She told me to do what I wanted, but there definitely had to be a butterfly somewhere on the quilt since it was her trademark.  Kat was the lady who was my swap partner in DQS10, so I got to know her pretty well.  She sent me three or four pictures, but the finished product is usually different.  (Probably since I don't quilt teeth.  LOL)

#13 - Kat - the drawing

Note the hair difference.  When I first drew it, I thought her hair was shorter than it was so I had to lengthen it a bit...thus the double line.  (Perhaps I should have made it longer yet.  Although it probably grew while the quilt was traveling since it took almost a month for her to get.  :D)

Kat's most gorgeous eyes

#13 in my Ladies Series - Kat

And here's a picture of Kat with her quilt:

Me & my new fabric portrait

For sure you can see the resemblance, right?  Even though the real Kat doesn't have a butterfly in her own hair?

I do a have a few other ladies to make, but I'm taking a well deserved break from them for a week or so to recharge my batteries, so to speak.  I'm kinda "ladied" out and need a breather doing some other stuff for a bit.  (Don't worry all you who spoke to me about yourselves......I haven't forgotten you, really!!!)

In the meantime, I made these two blocks to go to a Flickr friend who is going through some wicked cancer treatments.  A bunch of us decided to send her blocks of a certain size and design so that she gets some "mail love" for a month or two, and when this horror in her life is over, she will have time to put them all together and remember all the love and prayers that were sent to her.

A block for someone special

Is your name, Maria?

Can you tell that we're doing birds and windmills?  Duh!

Lastly, I joined this swap and I have been wracking my brain to come up with something marvelous.  Last year I went through the same crisis, so I'm thinking this might be it.  I hate it when something stresses me out to the point where I even dream about it.  Ornaments aren't as simple as you might think. (Especially when you're a high achiever, like me!)  UGH!  I did do a prototype of this mouse, but it needs tons of tweaking yet.  (Don't look at the messy stitching.  I didn't have any grey pearle cotton.)

Prototype mousy ornament

Poor thing couldn't even stand on his own, although he is fully jointed.  I think I have it figured out though, so stay tuned.  This and other cute felt things will be my main project this week.  I am having such fun doing hand work for a change!  Perhaps I will even make more than my required 3.  Who knows?

14 comments:

Jean(ie) said...

I love Maria's block. the bird and colorful fabrics will be sure to make her smile.

And speaking of smile, the portrait really captured Kat! Love it!!!!!!!!

Your portraits are so fun!

Susan said...

Love this lady - like all the rest - and that mouse sure has some character - if that is the prototype - the final one will be a masterpiece!

Sharon said...

I think #13 lady looks just like Kat! And the butterfly just gives it that extra bit of whimsy that makes looking at it so much fun. Maria's blocks are wonderful. It brings a smile to my face when I look at them. They are so bright and cheerful. Beautiful work Carol!

Anonymous said...

LOL that's so funny about my hair - you were actually probably right about the length the first time you drew me, but it's just that my hair grows like a weed and right now I need a haircut. But it's never the same length twice in any case because it does grow so fast, and up until a few months ago I had really REALLY long hair, so it's perfect the middle length you have done it! :)

Love those blocks for Maria and the little mousey. Poor Maria - sending positive thoughts & prayers her way!!

Sheila said...

Such creativity! Love Kat's quilt, her eyes are amazing.

Lesley said...

Amazing quilt...and right on the mark! Your blocks for Maria are so special...what a lovely gesture that you are all doing...go girl!

Unknown said...

How sweet! very thoughtful of you and your other flickr friends to do something so kind for a friend in need. It is people like you who make this online community rock!

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

Every post of yours Carol is so much fun. Maybe I'll learn from just soaking in everything you do!

Annie said...

Kat turned out wonderful and as usual, there is a resemblance. The blocks for Maria will be nothing short of a God send! You're a blessed bunch. And that little mouse is adorable!

Mary said...

So glad it finally made it all the way down under. I like seeing the ladies with their quilts! I think you do great and I agree teeth would be harder to quilt... Rest as long as you need to.

charlotte said...

I love your ladies series. How tough are they to sew? Could you give pointers to someone who wanted to try something like that? They are awesome.

Anonymous said...

More than any other blog, yours always makes me smile. Your colors and your creativity are very happy.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

That is too cool!!! What an artist you are!

Beezus said...

Carol, I just wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU -- your package arrived on my doorstep last Friday, and I got it when I got home from my second chemo treatment. What a way to end a rough day! And I will give a little shout out to all the other ladies as well. Every time I open one of these packages I feel like crying a little because you are all so generous and caring. This has been my bad week, and every day I have gotten a little something in the mail to make it a little bit better. Thank you so much! You have made something ugly a little bit easier to take! :)