I’m sorry to say my Shop is now closed. Many pieces are still for sale. If you are interested in buying my art or have other questions regarding the art, please use the Contact form on this site. Thank you.

I’ve decided to suspend posting on my blog for now. My website will still be up, but I will be posting my art on Instagram and on my YouTube channel (tap the bell on YouTube to get notifications). I’m also working to get my Etsy shop open in hopes of finding new homes for some of my art.

If we aren’t already connected on Instagram and/or your own blog, please let me know so I can follow you and see what quilting and art you’ve been up to. I’m not on Facebook.

Below is my short video showing how I painted the background photo paper print painted fabric for the fish piece. I’m still thinking about how I will finish it, I’ll post to IG when it is finished. The fabric on photo printer paper technique was fun, and as long as I have the paper I will continue to explore ways to use it.

Take good care and make something that makes you happy every chance you get!

I made several pieces that didn’t make it into my new videos (below). The camera was on for some of them but I’m not sure if I’ll ever edit and publish them. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and I could have painted fabric and paper for hours, just to see what would happen if…

Here are a few of the pieces.

I love the paper piece (below) from this flower piece more than the fabric. It could be stitched on, added to collage, or framed just as it is. There’s a lot that could be done with the fabric too… I think I’ll probably hand embroider on it.

I used different tools to get different outcomes. For the flower piece I used a tiny metal tip on the paint bottle and painted/printed the green. Then I used a dot tool and added first the violet color to the paper and printed/painted the fabric a second time. Then lifted it and added orange to the paper and laid the fabric on the paper for the last time.

These are just more exploring with different tools and layering. I used the tiny tip again, a mist bottle, a cheap bristle brush, an eyedropper, just poured from a little container, and of course, my fingers! I still need to heat set, maybe rinse, and press them.

I have two new videos, one shows how I painted the fabric using this technique, the other I showed in my previous post. Not my best videos but they do go through the How-to of it.

I left an area in the center of the canvas unpainted (it was an already gesso primed canvas) and I applied artist gel medium over the entire canvas front and added some to the quilt back, then with the quilt face down on the table, lined the two up and I added some weight for awhile. When it was set but not completely dry I removed the weights and flipped it face up to dry completely. I hope that is clear. Next time I use that method I’ll try to take some photos.

I finished editing the video for the new way I painted fabric (that I mention in my last post), but decided I had to make the second part (applying the fish to the fabric and quilting) a separate video, so hopefully next week I’ll share at least the first if not both. Here is the piece quilted, it’s small and I have an idea for finishing it that’s not binding or facing it, but we’ll see.

Giveaway Winner of the five little hearts is Gayle C. Congratulations! Please email your mailing info to me at fiberdesignsbyann@gmail.com and I’ll send the hearts ASAP.

Stay safe and thanks for stopping by.

Three Hearts is mounted on a 8″ x 10″ canvas that I painted. I hadn’t planned to mount the piece but it fit perfectly on the canvas just at the edge of the binding so that’s what I did.

Cloth, Paper, Fiber – I really like this piece, it was a fun one to make. The frame (not wooden) had damaged glass, which I removed, and some scratches on it; I fixed that and I’m working on a video showing what I did… Editing it is on the to-do list too!

Below is the teaser for another small piece I’m working on. I paint printed fabric using an unusual method (for me anyway). I drew a simple fish on paper, scanned and then manipulated it in photoshop. I’ll be applying the fish to the fabric using a water soluble stabilizer and quilting it.

Have you used fish in your quilts or other art?

Reminder: In the next blog post I’ll announce the winner of the Five Little Hearts.

Until then, I hope we all find time to make art!

I’m not a cutesy heart kind of person usually, but still I found several hearts in my work so I’m sharing some of them here.

The little ring around the neck on the altered jar below, was a piece of tatting one of my grandmothers made. This was a gift for my cousin who loves hearts.

I recently finished Three (grungy) Hearts below, but I’m still going to mount it onto a painted canvas for hanging. It’s just a little larger than a 8″ x 10″ canvas.

If you like to color or know someone who does the below hearts “frame” can be printed out. Go to my website menu, click on “Pattern freebies” and find the PDF link. The designs would be fun to embroider too!

I make and sell MeAnndered fabric panels that can be finished in many ways. They are MeAnndered first on paper, then I laser print them on fabric.

Sometimes I print them on painted fabric…

Now the giveaway/sweepstakes…

These five little fabric hearts, all the same design, were the examples for some of the ways the fabric panel pieces (above) could be finished. After using them in a sales booth display I cut them apart and satin stitched around them. I’m sure there are many ways these little hearts could be used but I’ll leave that up to the one who ends up with them. See all three images below and the rules for entering.

February 2 – 16 Giveaway/sweepstakes – Five little fabric hearts.

To enter: You must live in the US only (no international entries). One entry per person. Sweepstakes/giveaway begins February 2, 2022 and ends at 9pm (Pacific Time) February 14, 2022.

Leave a comment/reply on this blog post that you would like to be entered for a chance to win the five little fabric hearts and include your first and last name (or last initial).

On February 14, 2022 I’ll use a random drawer and announce the winner on my next blog post.

Winner will email me their mailing information and I will mail the five little fabric hearts ASAP. If I don’t hear from the winner within five days of drawing date, I will run another random draw. Good luck!

Ina’s January 2022 #4core challenge was to use a book as the substrate and include texture, metal, and give the piece a “winter vibe.” After the deadline she posts a video showing everyone’s finished projects. The January challenge video should be posted on her channel in early February.

I decided to participate again and here is my piece; a candle backdrop featuring a fabric landscape.

I bought the used book at the local library. The original hardcover was red and had some globs of glue under the paper part of the cover… so I scraped and tried to cover it with snowflakes. I tried a few different things to add texture to the snowflakes but in the end just painted them with a pearl white acrylic paint.

Here are few photos of the process.

I had the painted sky fabric in my stash, the white/gray fabrics are commercial, and the foreground snow is thin white batting. The fence is cut-up (used) craft sticks (tongue depressor size) that I painted, and the wire is just coated wire. I added a few little frays of silk fabric for the grass. The “snow” on the fence and wire is sawdust (for texture) mixed with gesso and some acrylic paint.

It was fun to quickly stitch up a very simple, little fabric landscape for this project.

The fluffy border is a beautiful soft yarn and I think it worked perfectly!

The things I love about Ina’s challenges – She encourages artists to really make it their own, she offers loads of ideas, and there’s no pressure (though there is a finish-by date). I enjoyed every minute of making this project… well, all but the waiting time for materials to dry!

Winner! Thank you to those of you who entered the appliqued miniature landscape top sweepstakes/giveaway. Congratulations to the winner – Deborah F (Please email your mailing information to me at fiberdesignsbyann@gmail.com).

2022 – Many unfinished pieces have been weighing on me for far too long, so I’m going to work on actually finishing as many pieces as I can this year. I hope you’ll come by to see what I’ve done, maybe get more ideas and be inspired. There will probably be a few giveaways along the way.

Stay safe and make art that makes you happy.

Some if not all of you know making and teaching miniature fabric landscapes was how my business really began. My landscapes were featured on Lap Quilting with Georgia Bonesteel, long ago. In many ways I have wandered far from miniature landscapes but they are still a passion for me. If we were in a different (safer) time I would happily teach mini landscapes again. I loved seeing how the students would make my pattern their own little scape just by the fabrics they selected. For example – the two below are the same pattern but have totally different look and feel.

I recently rediscovered this poppy foreground fabric landscape and thought it would make a nice giveaway item. See rules below. It is a top only ( 11 1/4″ x 9″) but could be finished as a quilt or faced and framed, maybe added to a tote bag or larger project.

It is an older piece and it must have had a border attached that I removed (no memory of that!), because there are stitching holes along the outside edge. These photos are from my phone and photoshopped, so that’s why they may look slightly distorted.

One reason I know it is older is because the sky isn’t as good as it should be. Also, I wasn’t using silk thread and I tied knots instead of back-stitching.

Landscape back…

Some fabric landscape making tips – Whenever possible press the landscape on the back/face down because the iron can leave shiny marks and I think, the edges of each piece just look better not hard pressed from the front. Also, check for shadow through as each piece is appliqued and BEFORE adding borders, binding, or facing.

To enter: You must live in the US only (no international entries). One entry per person. Sweepstakes/giveaway begins January 19, 2022 and ends at 9pm (Pacific Time) January 24, 2022.

Leave a comment/reply on this blog post that you would like to be entered for a chance to win the Miniature Landscape (top only) and include your first and last name (or last initial).

On January 25, 2022 I’ll use a random drawer and announce the winner on my next blog post.

Winner will email me their mailing information and I will mail the ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Miniature Landscape (top only) ASAP. If I don’t hear from the winner within five days of drawing date, I will run another random draw. Good luck!

This free motion palm tree on painted sky fabric was from my Needlevember a while back. Now it’s matted and framed.

Mixed media – Stained and painted cheesecloth, dyed silk, stamped dragonfly on silk organza, felt cups, grape wreath vine, and some embroidery.

Below is a piece of fabric I stamped, painted, and printed real and faux leaves, and I’ve have had it for years. Now I will be able to get more than one little piece from it. The one below (wip) has a paper clay leaves (rubbed painted) and beads are from gifted (for altered art) jewelry, silk, and embroidery floss stitching.

You may recognize the painted burlap in this last piece from a previous post and the metallic paper too. I’ve also added fabric coils held on by French knots, and more floss stitches, all on black cotton.