Jacquard paint – Daily Fiber

SAHRR Challenge 6: Monkey Business

Posted on March 1, 2026March 2, 2026 by Laura Kate

This week is the final challenge for the Stay at Home Round Robin 2026 quilt along. Anja Quilts is our host today. She most generously and kindly suggested that we each choose a block for ourselves. That’s right, it’s Quilter’s Choice. This makes me happy, because now I can monkey around.

One afternoon, our little group was hanging around the villa in Costa Rica when we heard lots of rustling noises in the forest. Dashing outside (with cameras in hand) we were greeted by a gang of spider monkeys, working their way noisily across our view. Specifically, they were squirrel monkeys. Bill got some good images. He shared several, and I chose three to use in my “Monkey Round.”

It took me three days to come to a conclusion about a block to use. I will need three blocks for my row, each featuring one photograph. The centerpiece was easy – it will be an applique block of the brave monkey climbing out on a limb. But what about the others?

I started to think about monkeys in the context of quilting. In researching several standard quilt blocks, I learned that the Churn Dash block is sometimes called the Monkey Wrench – Eureka!

I traced the photos to produce a pattern for each “side monkey.” They will look like portraits in the center square of the churn dash blocks. My backgrounds will be left-over hand painted fabrics. After fusing and stitching down the cut pieces, I compared my two blocks to the photographs.

This should come out just fine. Next, I took a little time to prepare the center panel. I will have to paint a background for this one (no more leftover painted fabric.) But I did prepare the applique of the monkey.

He is standing on a pattern I traced for the palm fronds.

Putting the center panel aside, I got busy painting details on the other two monkeys. My textile paint of choice is Jacquard Textile. The paint dried quickly, allowing me to sew up the churn dash blocks using pieces I had cut yesterday. They finish at 7 inches.

Here they are side-by-side.

Finishing the center block will have to wait a while.

To see what other quilters selected for their sixth round, visit Anja Quilts.

We now have until March 25 to do all the finishing work in time to add our quilts to the quilt parade. That round will be hosted by Kathleen McMusing. I invite you to check back then to see how my Costa Rica quilt turns out.

drawing, quilting

Progress on latest quilt

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Laura Kate

Almost two weeks ago, I started work on a baby quilt that will be a gift for my niece who lives in Oregon. Her baby is due in August.

I have no title for this project, so for now I will call it the Oregon Baby quilt. In my first project post, I shared sketches under consideration as subject matter. They focus on animals and plants native to Oregon. This week I added two more:

Having received a lovely bundle of fabrics from Connecting Threads, I have proceeded to cutting and sewing. Here are a couple of images of strips. They are not cut precisely, but range from 1 1/4 to 2 inches in width.

After cutting, I shoved the strips into four baggies: Solids, lights, mediums and darks. My plan is to alternate the strips, not so much by color as by value. Forging ahead, I completed the first block, which is assembled from four strip-pieced squares.

The solid 2 inch strips (In this block, the pink strips) will be placed consistently at the widest point on each square. I chose a brightly colored floral fabric to act as a mini focus point for the block. These two elements should serve to unify the multitude of fabrics that will be used in this quilt.

Moving on to the first feature block: I chose the rufous hummingbird. After making a pattern from my sketch onto tracing paper, I cut out the parts to be appliqued and fused them in place onto background fabric.

Eventually, shading and details will be painted on, the applique edges will be machine stitched and hand embroidery will create finishing touches. That’s secret code for I don’t know for sure what I will do next.

For now, I am waiting to receive more Jacquard Textile paint.

I’m so relieved that I’m back into action at my new address.

What are you working on this month?

hand embroidery

WIP Wednesday – The Final Panel

Posted on January 15, 2025January 15, 2025 by Laura Kate

Today I stitched the last stitch in the final panel of “Here Be Dragons” art quilt. In looking back through my photography files, I discovered that I had painted the panel way back in June of 2023. Here is how it looked at that point.

Reference photography for the two dragonflies came from Bill. They were part of the 100 day project, along with all the other dragonflies that made their way to this quilt. The background was painted with Dye-Na-Flo fabric paint first, with masking used to reserve white where the insect’s bodies would be.

I then used the thicker Jacquard Textile acrylici paint to render the dragonflies, finishing up the fine details with Micron pens.

Here is the panel today.

A combination of stem stitch and rice stitch outlined the subjects and enhanced the shapes in the background.

Close-up of the two dragonflies.

I believe that I will meet my deadline for getting this work ready to show in February. Some straight line sashiko sewing in the sashing, then mounting the quilt to stretchers is all that is left to do.

painting

100-Day Project: Days 36,37,38

Posted on June 21, 2023June 21, 2023 by Laura Kate

I could have called this post Wednesday WIP. But since I worked from three of Bill’s photographs to create this panel of the dragonfly art quilt, I prefer to focus on the inspiration.

As noted above, I am still working with dragonfly photographs. In this installment, I selected two images of the same dragonfly……….

…….plus one photo of some bougainvillea blooms.

The three images will be combined in a horizontal panel measuring 12 x 24 inches.

On the first day I painted the background. I dipped the scrunched white cotton into two different pigment baths, wringing it out in between soaks. After smoothing the fabric onto my dry erase board, I placed two dragonfly shaped masks, several sprigs of dried leaves, and a sprinkling of dried peas. Next, I dropped on a little bit of purple and magenta paint, then set the board outside in the sun to dried.

It didn’t take long.

I took my time painting the dragonflies. Today I finished up by drawing the delicate wing veins. Next the background got more attention. I enhanced the leaf shapes with color, then painted a long line across the panel – my interpretation of the wire plant support seen in the photos.

A closer look…………

another…….

Again I used Micron pens, watercolor pencils and a little white Gelli pen for the finishing touches.

painting

WIP Wednesday: Dragonfly Art Quilt

Posted on June 14, 2023June 13, 2023 by Laura Kate

I have been busy painting dragonflies on my hand-painted backgrounds. The process is really fun! I have also been researching dragonflies. They are amazing animals.

Did you know that some dragonflies can live for six years? That is pretty good for an insect. Granted, up to four years are spent as naiads, in water. They look kind of like shrimp. Adult dragonflies have six legs, yet they cannot walk. They use their legs to snatch prey in flight, which they then tear apart and eat while still flying. If you were the size of a fly, you would find dragonflies terrifying.

So far, five of my panels have dragonflies on them.

**I cut a stencil to make these two panels**

In addition to Jacquard textile paint, I am using watercolor pencils and Micron pens. The paint is thinned with FolkArt floating medium, which permits better blending and lengthens the drying time.

Here is a mock-up of the quilt layout I’m considering.