Relaxing Hawaiin-style




Some of my Mom's orchids and the inspiration for my latest designs!

Are you ready for something easy- or at least mindless?  I know I am!!  Especially, after a grueling week at the office, NOTHING fits the bill like Hawaiian-style needle turn appliqué!  Easy and relaxing with rewarding results. 





Original designs ready to be basted

I had some gorgeous fabric my husband  hand dyed that I was 'dyeing' to tryout.  

For the two tone, matching fabric - he's calling them Tropical Twins- I wanted to design something very simple that would showcase the color- in other words let the color do all the work.  The design itself is really EASY appliqué.  All large shapes and gentle curves perfect for practicing points.




Basted and ready to start applique

Very easy applique

For the mottled purple I knew I could design something a little more intricate.  My Mom's orchids where my inspiration. I chose a simple Kona white background because that is the classic Hawaiian choice and because I wanted to showcase the beautiful texture of the purple fabric.


My original design inspired by my Mom's orchids

Closeup of my Orchid design cut out of my husband's hand dyed fabric

More closeups of my quilt top

I prepped and basted the quilts last weekend.  These two plus one I have been stitching on and off for about a year now should keep me busy for quite a while :)

Until next time... 

Best stitches from Mercy in Miami

How Long Does Something Like this Take?

Hello dear blog readers!
Some of you may know that I have been working on a donation block for the Baltimore Applique Society online auction - Bits of Baltimore. It's fair to say that apart from my gainful employment, I have been working on this project exclusively - and enjoying every minute of it. 



Discovered that my cubicle wall at work
makes an excellent design wall!

Well, yesterday I went back to the organizer for the second time and begged for more time to complete this project. By the way - THANK YOU for the extension Cathy!  
In the email exchange, Cathy mentioned that she had put in well over 80 hour of work into her donation block.  That got me thinking, just how long have I been working on this wall hanging?  Most of the time I have Netflix running in the background while I hand stitch.  So I went back to my Netflix history and was shocked to that since I started work on this block - late February this year - I have watched well over 112 hour programming.  That does not include the time I stitched riding in the car or listening to books on tape.

I am very happy to report that I have enjoyed every minute and every stitch!  And will continue to enjoy it for several dozen hours more because I still have to quilt the piece.  Currently I am marking the quilting design and expect to start hand quilting tomorrow.  Yes - hand quilting.  Even though I am a reasonably accomplished machine quilter, this block screams at me to be hand quilted.

So how long does it something like this take?  The answer is lots and lots of joy-filled hours!

Woven Ribbon quilting pattern in the borders

Radiating quilting design to emphasize the Peahen's tail feathers

Until next time...

Best stitches,
Mercy in Miami

Exciting TKDAA Update for Hand and Machine Enthusiast

Fanciful Free Form Feathers Class Sample

Preparing this blog I was amazed that it has been almost 4 years since I taught my most popular class - Fanciful Free Form Feathers.  Time flies!  Part of the reason is that it takes a lot of planning and the generous backing of a sewing machine company to host a machine class.  Well, Kathy was able to pull it off and Bernina will be a sponsor of the TKDAA event in February 2015.  That means that I will be able to offer my one day machine quilting class.  This is a wonderful class because it's packed with machine quilting information that applies to more than feathers.  And the best part, is that I share all my tips including how to free motion quilt with NO MARKING - including the feather bouquet in the photo above!  

 

Tropical Portal



Kathy has also been hugely successful in pulling in needle artist with differing styles and techniques from very traditional to very cutting edge.  Therefore, in an effort to round out the class offerings and give the event participants more choices, I will not be teaching a block class.  Instead I will be teaching a project class; Tropical Portal.  That means that the kit and class are designed to help you start a complete project - and with the luxury of a three day class you will get a wonderful head start! 

 
You will receive all the materials (except backing, binding, and batting) and instructions to finish the project at home.

Tropical Portal in its natural habitat

As always, my kits will feature mostly hand-dyed fabrics and all the needles, threads, etc. to participate in class.  The supply list for both classes has three items or less! 

 

Yes, it's a change from what I shared earlier and means I will not be able to teach my Basket of Roses or Esperanza Rose block classes.  If anyone had their heart set on either blocks, I will have the patterns and fabric kits available at TKDAA event and fabrics will all coordinate beautifully with the Santa Maria - New World Rose block and include the same background fabric.  Hopefully, I will have another opportunity in the future to teach the complete New World project.  In the meantime, I hope you all like the Tropical Portal project and will consider coming to TDKAA!

Until next time,
Best stitches from Miami
Mercy

Blocks in their Natural Habitat

Waterlily at Fairchild Tropical Garden

Jim and I spent the morning at Fairchild Tropical Garden; one of our favorite places to walk, talk, relax and feed our creative souls.  This is also where I get inspiration for my Tropical Botanical series of blocks that I have been working on for years. 



My interpretation of Waterlilies

Typically, Jim takes the photos and I take notes on color, texture, design and the rest happens in the studio. 

Heliconia and my Tropical Portal wall hanging

Yesterday, Jim had the idea to photograph my blocks in their "natural habitat" to see how the fabric version compared to the natural version.  Of course, everything pales in comparison to God's creations.



Jacaranda

 I was however, very pleasantly surprised at how I was able to capture the tone, mood, and color of the tropics.  And now that I have our own hand-dyed fabrics to work with I am so excited to start the next batch of blocks.


Until next time,
Best stitches from Mercy and Jim in Miami

The Perfect Fabric

Color Inspiration

There is a saying in Spanish "Para los gustos se hicieron los colores."  It loosely translates to "Colors were invented to satisfy different tastes."  Well, I love color; all colors.  In fact, I am hard pressed to name a favorite color. So, you would think that with all the fabric choices quilters have today, I could just select something off the bolt and be happy.  Wrong! Maybe it's the curse of a creative soul.  Regardless, I feel the need to create the perfect fabric - not just color - but also weight and weave. 



Home of Shady Tree Hand Dyed Fabrics

This is the first time I am dyeing fabric on a larger scale because I need enough fabric to make several dozen kits for The Kathy Dunigan Academy of Applique (February 3-8, 2015 - click on this link for info).  Fortunately, we have a huge avocado tree in the backyard that not only produces excellent fruit, but also provides a large shady area for us to work. 

Yes, us!  I had to rope Jim into helping me because fabric dyeing is a ton a work and definitely a labor of love.  Well, wouldn't you know it - Jim fell in love with the fabric dyeing process!!  I pick the colors/formulas and the weight/weave and he does all the work.  The first couple of dyeing sessions were so successful that Shady Tree Hand Dyes was born.  Right now, I have Jim busy creating the fabrics and embellishments I need for the TKDAA kits.  However, he is planning to continue to produce fabrics and ribbon and add colors and make them available for purchase.  Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.   

 Best stitches,

Mercy in sunny Miami sitting under the Shady Tree

First Batch for TKDAA kits

Yellows

Purples, Peaches, Neutrals



Pinks

Various Cottons

Silk Ribbons and Cording

High Candy Roses

Extra Large Applique Shapes the Template Free Method

My Mom's front yard

Happy Friday everyone! 



Large basted shape - front

In honor of National Quilting Day tomorrow, March 15th, 2014, I would like to share one of my all time favorite tips for back basting very large applique shapes.


Large basted shape - back

Basically, the tip is that you baste the entire shape as usual.  Then, you snip a basting thread every 4 - 5 inches.  This relaxes the tension on the basting thread and allows the large applique shape fabric and the background to move and shrink together in your hand at the same rate as you needle turn.  Otherwise, as you needle turn you may notice that the background fabric shrinks a little more than the applique fabric as you stitch. 

 

I use my hand to gauge where to clip to relax the basting

close up of where I have clipped the basting stitches

Best stitches!  And, Happy National Quilting Day!!

Mercy in Miami

Priceless

My Artist Studio space at TESAA

TESAA Tuition - $975
Lodging - $1850
Travel - $475
One Perfect Berry - Priceless
One Perfect Experience - Beyond Priceless






Closeup of Santa Maria block
drafted and stitched by Mercy Savage

I just returned from the19th Annual Elly Sienkiewicz Applique Academy in Williamsburg, VA where I was honored to serve as Guest Artist.  This honor included the privilege of teaching a one day class for a large group of enthusiastic needle artist.




Me teaching on 2/20/2014
My Aqua Album in progress in the background

I was also given a beautiful space in the center of all the activities to display my work and chat with Academy attendees as they strolled from class to class and vendor to vendor.



My perfect berry in Sandra Leichner's class

As if this honor was not special enough, I also had another dream come true when took a 3 day class from Sandra Leichner.  That is where I was able to stitch my PERFECT BERRY.  I loved Sandra's class.  It is just you, the fabric, the needle, and the thread.  Yes, there are freezer paper templates and an overlay but no glue, no starch, no burned finger tips, no kindergarten craft-type work, etc.  My favorite prep method is still Template Free (Back Basting) but we share the love of needle turn and her instructions and generosity of spirit were, again, priceless!


My Main Conference Class was with Elly Sienkiewicz. As always, Elly was delightful. In a few minutes, as she lectured on the class topic, she twisted a yard of silk ribbon into this beautiful rose.  Elly wrote the book - both literally and figuratively - on manipulating silk and cotton into gorgeous bouquets and is responsible for this Golden Age of high style applique that we are now enjoying.  She is currently working on book number 21.





From left to right, Faye Labanaris, Elly Sienkiewicz, Mercy Savage
A chance meeting in Faye's room and captured by my husband on his iPhone.

Here I am on the right, Elly is in the center, and Faye Labanaris is on the left.  Faye, a vendor and teacher at the event, is a talented, award-winning needle artist known for 3-D flowers fashioned from silk and Ultrasuede that can be applied to quilted projects or clothing. The fact that she has been my dear friend for many years, is once more, priceless.





I was able to spend one afternoon at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum visiting the Quilts in the Baltimore Manner show.  I feel a powerful connection to these quilts and they has invaded by artistic sensibilities.  I can see their influence in everything I am currently stitching and sketching.  Here are a few of my favorites from the show.

Stay tuned for more quilts and photos in coming blog entries.

Until next time,
best stitches from sunny, warm Miami, Florida
Mercy