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Holiday Cactus

I seized upon the QuiltArt Christmas Cactus Challenge as an opportunity to experiment with my new Janome Xpressions felting machine.  My design is original, drawn from my own (rather flagging) Christmas Cactus.  Felted and threadpainted leaves are collaged onto a cotton quilted background.  Cotton velvet hand-dyed petals are appliquéd with free motion machine stitching.  I will be adding beads to the ribbons and making stamens from beads and wire.  I'm happy with my results and have enjoyed this challenge which pushed me beyond my previous quilting and artistic experience. 

Debbie Bein
Poughkeepsie, New York, USA

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Pink Delight

I signed up for this challenge and made it my own personal challenge to use only materials and embellishments I had. I`m always inspired by nature.  This was so easy with so many pictures by Jim Thode to choose from. The Swarovsky crystals bring life to the piece from any angle and sparkle even in the dark. The machine quilting is done in two colors and compliments the shapes of the Background.

Rita Cruz
Milford, Kansas, USA

Learning to use value to depict natural objects.

Jessie Gettliffe
Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA

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it is not Christmas without a bloomin' cactus

Being inspired by the real thing, I used actual Christmas Cactus cuttings for my silk screen images.  I realize I could do no better than the REAL thing & GOD does not have a copyright issue

The cards are 4" x 6" and will be used as my holiday cards next Christmas. If I start now, I should have them ready!   LOL
The buds are the most fun as a smudge of color is then defined by the thread.  Too much fun.

patsy monk
Parrish, Florida, USA

 

When the idea was forming on the QuiltArt list of a challenge about Christmas cactus',  "" I thought, where is my pattern I ad drafted way back in the early eighties??""   So I decided if I could find my pattern to join the challenge.  I had made one wall hanging from the pattern and gave that to my sister for a Christmas gift one year.  So trying to remember how I had laid out the 1st wall hanging I decided to do a different lay out.   But this time instead of all cotton, I have used cotton/poly's along with 3-D effects for the blooms.  I also did  free motion  machine quilting. Even thought I have added beads to the blooms they are not showing in the picture and will add some more so that they will pop. 

I am very pleased with what I designed this time and will get a picture of the 1st wall hanging to have for comparison.

Thank you for whoever stated the challenge.

Cindy Simms
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA

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Cactus Greenhouse

I chose to do the Christmas Cactus Challenge because I have two large Christmas Cactus that sometimes bloom...(once thru my lace curtains...but, that's another quilt!!)

The leaves are double-faced and attached to my quilt by hand leaving the tails on the leaves (just as the root system on the cactus).

We all occasionally find a thread on our quilts...what fun to do this on purpose. I used silk flowers and beads to make similar cactus flowers and buds.

The background fabric...hanging "cactus"... I found in my stash when looking for green for my leaves

Janice Simpson
Marquette, Michigan, USA