I love reading Deb Sposa's Artisun blog and was delighted beyond words by this post:
As a result, I tried making my own teabag mini-quilt. And thinking the deadline was December 14, I got it done yesterday. Of course, now I see the deadline is actually December 22, but with the holiday mail rush, it's probably a good thing I'm getting it out early.
So, for the record (so I can remember it), here's the completed piece, front ...
and back ...
It was a true learning sampler, created by finding a trio of scallop shells that would fit inside a used tea bag ...
inserting them and then spritzing the bag with water so I could mold it onto the shells with a brush ...
Then lightly stroking Inktense pencil over each shell ...
and using the resulting design to guide my stitches.
At first I was afraid the tea bag would tear, so I spaced my stitches far apart ...
Seen from the back, it looks like I used a running stitch and a detached back stitch ...
I soon realized the tea bag was stronger than I expected, so I made the stitches closer on the second shell ...
using more tension to get more defined ridges with stacked running stitch ...
Then I went all out on the final shell ...
successfully piling on tons of split back stitches ...
The "batting" was a bit of cotton flannel that I tea-dyed. To create a hanger, I wrapped the end of the flannel over a bit of beachcombed twig from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. If you look closely you can see one of the barbs ...
The bottom edge I worried with a pin, succeeding in getting a look like tangled flotsam ...
Then I made a memory patch of teabag over flannel stitched in the same variegated floss as the mini-quilt. I know the tea bag will tear and fall away eventually. Indeed, it already has started to let go ...
which seems a proper metaphor.
beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mo!
ReplyDeleteIt really is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you ... I didn't really intend it to be the final piece, but once I got going I couldn't stop.
ReplyDeleteLove this Liz! I brought back some tiny shells from an antique mall shop in FL - I doubt they are all from FL, but, that is ok. Tiny shells (not Tiny Bubbles!)...just might be sweet for a mini mini tea bag quilt.
ReplyDeleteSue - I have more shells than I could ever use, but I still pick them up whenever I'm on a beach. I'm still waiting to discover the perfect way to use them ... except, as my very wise, 12 year old granddaughter told me, "Shells lose their shelliness when you take them away from the sea."
ReplyDeleteso sweet! and thanks for sharing the process with us, very useful info
ReplyDeleteThanks Saskia ... I love reading process posts myself, so I figure reciprocating makes sense
ReplyDeleteLiz...I kinda get what Logan is saying about the shelliness. Still, its that bit of sea we need to hold sometimes.
ReplyDeleteOh I agree ... my latest effort involved coating shells with Liquitex Gloss Gel Medium ... now if I can just convince Don to drill umpteen-gumjillion holes for me I'll be all set to go
ReplyDeleteOh Liz, I couldn't have picked a more perfect day to sit down, relax after all my students left for the Holidays, and catch up on my blog reading. I went to yours first because it's been so long. And what a wonderful surprise I found, the artisun post about your tea bag quilt. I am so overwhelmed with emotion that you made a patch for us here at artisun. It brings me so much joy that this blog I love doing is reaching out to others the way it has. I'm thrilled you are including me in that glorious piece you are making! And what a coincidence, I saved your package that came in the mail a couple of days ago, to open with my kids today as their Xmas gift goodbye for the Holidays. They gathered round and you should have heard the ooh's and aahh's as I opened the cloth as we saw the most delicate and lovely tea bag quilt, plus all the other stitched treasures you included as well as the sweet shell. And that you printed out the booklet that I will be able to teach with. So many gifts for the eye and the heart. I'm shocked at our strong the tea bag quilt is, and I love all the kantha stitching you put in, swirling it around the shells. And a super cool mount with the beach-combed twig. I can't wait to show it off to the other student who wasn't in class today who is participating in this challenge. Can I keep the Quilt till after the holidays? I'd like to display it on my wall for all my other students to see as well. Thank you again Liz for participating with us, for your daily comments that my students live for now, and for your generosity in sending all these treasures my way. I hope you have a beautiful holiday filled with loved ones and delicious food. Much love always, Deb
ReplyDeleteDeb - I'm so delighted that you saved the quilt to open as the gift that it is ... it is yours to keep always!
ReplyDelete