Fire Storm Completed

It feels great to be creative again. I hoping that all the aches and pains are gone for good. I just finished quilting a wholecloth piece that I painted a while ago. I think it turned out really great. I really didn't plan on painting a fire scene, but when I stood back and looked at it, it reminded me of the Santa Barbara wildfire that burned for months. There are two fabric trees appliqued to the foreground and tulle, organza added to the top section to resemble the flames and smoke. Here's a photo of the finished quilt.

I've added a binding that has a very narrow piped edge along the inside, in this case it is purple. It's a technique that Ricky Timms features on his Grand Finale DVD. This little flash of color (it's about 1/32" wide) provide a big impact. I have to say that it isn't easy and wouldn't recommend it to people that get frustrated easily. It took more hours than I want to admit, but I'm in love with the look and the fact that it is completely done by machine is a bonus. This is the second time I've done a binding using this technique. I'm guessing that after doing it 5 or 6 times, it will become quicker and easier.

I bought this really fun package of paper clips and thought I could use them for rubbings but the hand is the only design that works well. The others have too many 3-D parts. They made me smile . . . so they had to come home with me.