Seeing Sunflowers

Here are two new quilts I made with a sunflower theme. They are made in a similar mannor, but have very different looks.

I enjoy the realistic bright sunny sunflower faces in Field of Sunflowers. They make me happy shining on my wall, especially during this rather dreary summer we are having in the Pacific Northwest. When I was laying out the petals my 4 year old daughter kept telling me I was doing it wrong -- they should only be yellow, not have bits of color poking through. Little did she know what was to come next.

I wanted to try using the compliments to the colors typically seen in nature. I named the piece "Contrary Sunflower" since the colors are so contrary to one's expectations. My husband says the colors remind him of my great-grandmother. I think they look sweet like a lollypop.

To make the quilts, I first quilted the fabric and then painted the backgrounds. I appliqued fabric paper for the petals and leaves. The enters are yarn felted onto circles of wool felt with the needle felting machine. I used ribbon for the stems. Finally, I finished the edges by couching yarn around the edge. I having a lot of fun experimenting with combining fabric, paper and anything else that seems to fit.