I’m going to share with you how I create a portrait…. This is the pen drawing I made for this portrait. There is much more to it and I won’t reveal the real picture until the portrait is completed. I have traced the image from a photo onto a good quality tracing paper. As you…

Small hands so precious.They hold so much hope and anticipation.Grand daughter Tilly made cakes with play dough this morning.

Part of the process of designing is the right to change your mind… This morning I decided to cut the dark borders smaller and add a border to allow the central image to "float"…. I’ve used the same McKenna Ryan fabric that I used for the background. I’s graduated and creates interest.

I put the borders on this quilt in the same manner as used in the the cactus quilt.Each border is actually appliquéd down…. The scaly border was cut around each outside scale and stitched with monofilnament, the final border was appliquéd on with a blanket stitch.

I added the checkered border first..It reminds me of the mosaic tiles I saw in Mexico. However, lets make it more interesting.,.I cut a 1” strip of fusible web and ironed it to the top of the strip of check fabric.I cut along the edge of the pattern tin the fabric to give me an…

"Being creative is seeing the same thing as everybody else, but thinking of something different."

I went to the stash, pulled the fabrics that blended with the colors in the picture… disguarded some to avoid confusion… To make the pattern, you need to reverse the tracing paper.Put your name at the top, when it’s backwards you know you have the pattern the right way to make the fusible web pattern….

It’s getting there, but still a blank canvas.

This is one of the photos I took in Mexico… simple clean, but really interesting. I love the colors. So I raided the stash for the background fabric. I also want that to be simple and understated. I had a few batiks that were a similar color, however, the movement in the fabric detracted from…