August 27, 2014

Chocolate Memories

Posted in Embellishment, Silk Ribbon Embroidery tagged , , , , , , , , , at 8:22 AM by Shelley Swanland

Chocolate Memories W“Chocolate Memories” is another example of the blocks used in the Embellishment Sampler. Each of the nine blocks use a batik square zig zag stitched to  a piece of felt. I added a piece of lace, doily or hankie. Trims, silk ribbon and embroidery were added next. It was finished up with beads and found objects. The squares were then added to a quilted piece with beads. The entire piece measures approximately 20″ square.

Chocolate Block 5I love doing these little pieces. Block 5 features a photo on fabric of my sweet cat Myke who died a few months ago at the age of 19. A theme can be applied to the whole set or a single small square can be used on a card, a magnet or a book cover.

Chocolate Block 7All of my collections of beads, lace, threads and ribbons can be mined for the current block that I am working on. I have so many ideas for my next block that I have a hard time choosing the next one to start.

I hope you enjoy them.

May 28, 2014

Embellishment Sampler

Posted in Classes. Workshops & Lectures, Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Twitter Quilts...Twilts tagged , , , , , , , , , , at 7:21 AM by Shelley Swanland

Embellishment Sampler for emailBy special request I put together this Embellishment Sampler for a workshop I will be doing in July. I have included many of my favorite embellishment elements. Just as Inchies, Post Cards and Tags have become a popular format for small artwork, I thought that these Tiny Twilts” would be a fun and versatile way of learning new embroidery and embellishment techniques. Each of the nine Tiny Twilts are only 3 1/2″.

Embellishment Sampler Block 6This little pieces are a lot of fun and would make great Motifs on cards books and needle cases. They are also a great way to experiment with new stitches and techniques.

Just a few included techniques: Gathered Wire Edge Ribbon flowers, Basic Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Silk Ribbon Spider Web Roses, Bead Leaf Flowers and Folded Gathered Flowers.

Click on the picture of the Sampler and it will take you to a High Res picture on Flickr.com

 

April 14, 2014

Early Spring

Posted in 12 x 12s, Twitter Quilts...Twilts tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , at 1:14 PM by Shelley Swanland

Early Spring WI know there is cold weather out there but Spring is coming in with a vengeance here in Southern California. It’s almost 90 degrees outside. This is my newest Twilt, “Early Spring”. Techniques include Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Folded Gathered Roses. raveled linen Tiny Twilts with bits of vintage lace and a doily corner. There’s a vintage button, lots of beads and my favorite French Knot Roses.

For more info on the Twilts: Twitter quilts…….Twilts or see all my Twilts :Flickr Twilts Page. Click on the image of the Twilt to go directly to it’s high resolution image.

February 10, 2013

Tranquil Flora

Posted in Machine Felting, Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Twitter Quilts...Twilts tagged , , , , , , , , , , at 6:55 PM by Shelley Swanland

Tranquil Flora WAnother felted piece, “Tranquil Flora” is my latest Twilt. I’ve been working on the embroidery and beading for a while. Strips of various silks, a little rayon ,cotton organdy and wool yarn with just a touch of metallic mesh were felted onto a piece of white felt with my felting machine.  I then added two painted lace motifs with a ribbon and some trim. Silk Ribbon embroidered flowers with additional embroidery and feather stitch in pearl cotton and silk  were used to fill in. I finished it off with lots of beads.

Click on the image to go to Flickr.

For more info on the Twilts: Twitter quilts…….Twilts or see all my Twilts :Flickr Twilts Page. Click on the image of the Twilt to go directly to it’s high resolution image.

 

 

December 2, 2012

Felted Sampler

Posted in Machine Felting, Silk Ribbon Embroidery tagged , , , , , , at 3:28 PM by Shelley Swanland

Felted Sampler with Embroidery WI have been experimenting with machine felting and this is my first piece. I felted dyed silk strips, metallic silk, netting and wool roving onto a white felted wool base. Embroidery, silk ribbon and trim were added. This piece is only 9″ x 4 1/2″. The machine I am using for the felting is the Simplicity with 12 needles. It’s alot of fun.

Click on the image to see it on Flickr.

July 19, 2011

Silk Ribbon Sampler

Posted in Classes. Workshops & Lectures, Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Twitter Quilts...Twilts tagged , , , , , , , , at 10:00 AM by Shelley Swanland

Last Saturday I taught my first silk ribbon embroidery class in at least 15 years. It felt good. I needed a sample to work from for the class so I put this together. Why not let it double as a Twilt.

For more info on the Twilts: Twitter quilts…….Twilts or see all my Twilts : Flickr Twilts Page.

June 14, 2011

Crazy Quilt Twilt

Posted in Classes. Workshops & Lectures, Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Twitter Quilts...Twilts tagged , , , , , , , , , at 2:57 PM by Shelley Swanland

It’s been a while since I posted and I thought it was about time to get started again. Alot has been going on. Although Cathedral Window Quilting has been my passion I have missed Silk Ribbon Embroidery. I bet you would never have guessing looking at some of my Twilts. 🙂 I have been doing quite a bit of that recently as well as more dyeing of ribbon and rayon trim and Crazy Quilting. What a fabulous opportunity to use all the stuff I have been collecting.

So, my re-entry into blogging is a Crazy Quilt Twilt. I belong to a group of ladies that have totally inspired me so you’re going to be seeing even more crazy quilting and embellishing.

About a year and a half ago I started doing Quilt Shows with Georgia Puga from Georgia’s Quilting Obsession. It has been quite an adventure traveling all around. We ask ourselves frequently why we work this hard but we’re having a blast. Last month I helped move Georgia’s shop to a new location in Beaumont, California. She can now be found at 709 Beaumont Avenue. There’s lots more room and I have classes scheduled there. Check out her website: http://www.georgiasquiltingobsession.com/index.html

Happy Quilting and Twilting!!

For more info on the Twilts: Twitter quilts…….Twilts or see all my Twilts : Flickr Twilts Page.

August 17, 2010

A Basket of Silk Flowers

Posted in Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Twitter Quilts...Twilts tagged , , , , , , , , , at 9:00 AM by Shelley Swanland

It’s hot and muggy here in So Cal and I am looking forward to Spring. I found this block in my UFO pile. These flowers won’t wilt in this heat. I thought it would make a wonderful Twilt, “A Basket of Silk Flowers”.

I used a handkerchief for the basket and lots of silk ribbon with pearl cotton for the roses, fuchsias, iris and other flowers. I hand dyed the varigated silk ribbon in the roses and iris.

I think the border fabric might be from the 80’s. Does that date me?

Enjoy!

For more info on the Twilts: Twitter quilts…….Twilts or see all my Twilts : Flickr Twilts Page.

June 30, 2009

Twist and Twilt

Posted in Twitter Quilts...Twilts tagged , , , , , , , at 9:15 AM by Shelley Swanland

Twist and TwiltSilk and Linen are the focus for this Tuesday’s Twitter Quilt, “Twist and Twilt”. The ribbons and the twisted blocks are made from silk ribbons and silk fabric that was scrunch painted. The painted fabric was also used for the flower. The blocks are folded and basted to a backing fabric before the top was pieced. After the quilting was finished, I mostly stitched in the ditch, the ribbons were laid out and twisted as I applied them to the Linen block with a running stitch of #8 pearl cotton. Each petal and leaf of the flower was shaped using a candle to burn the edges.Twist and Twilt Detail The shapes were than applied using a running stitch with pearl cotton and embroidery was added to the leaves and flower center.

Credit goes to Yvonne Porcella who introduced me to the techniques through her books. She is a fabulous artist.

For more info: Twitter quilts…….Twilts or see all my Twilts : Flickr Twilts Page.

New this week: You can now subscribe to this Blog by Email through Feedburner. Or you can subscribe to the feed through Bloglines or using RSS feed. Just click one of the buttons on the right.