Designed and created by Marlene Brown Woodfield. 194

Marlene shares this story about My Mother, My Friend:

“Ruth Viola Ludders Brown was born in Chicago on March 15, 1909. This quilt was made in celebration of this very special woman’s 85th birthday.

Sometime in advance of Mother’s 85th birthday, I asked her what she wanted for her birthday. She thought about it for a second or two and responded, “a quilt.”

The birthday party was a big event at her apartment. When she opened my package, she looked at it and just said, “Oh.” Later it came to me that it was such a surprise that she didn’t know how to respond as she was expecting a full sized bed quilt!

After it was hung in her entry way, she brought many of her friends up to her apartment to see “her” and her beautiful hydrangea hair. She really loved it!”

Lovingly designed and quilted by Marlene Woodfield. 2012.

Marlene describes her quilt this way:

“Kayla is the youngest of our three granddaughters. She was a senior in high school when I did this portrait of her.

I used 5 different fabrics in her facial imagery plus one absolutely marvelous fabric in the background.

Originally, I made a portrait of her for our son as he had transferred to a job that was quite a distance from his family. But then I thought, “I have plenty of fabric left–I can make one for us to enjoy also.”

I used a fusible to adhere the pieces and then I lightly quilted it. After all, when you quilt something, you get wrinkles and you don’t have wrinkles at 17!

I enjoyed making both the portrait for our son and the one for us, as when I was working on them, I was thinking of her.”

Designed and created by Marlene Woodfield.

Marlene offers this description of Canyon Sentinel:

“A vacation hike around the North Rim of the Grand Canyon provided many spectacular signts,, but none more beautiful than this weathered tree watching over the misty canyon.

For years, I have enjoyed making quilt pictures from scraps of fabric that I have in my collection. This quilt is an example of such a scrap quilt (although some pieces wwere purchased specifically to complete this scrappy look). It was the beginning of my using “thread painting” on the pine trees. I use that techniue a lot now and it always enhances whatever I am working on.

This is a two-sided quilt. I put a silhouette of (my husband) Ted and I looking out over the edge of the canyon on the back. This is always an engineering feat to get the quilting from the front to match up with the back scene. I have solved this problem by using wash away thread (a starch product) on the top and a colored thread in the bobbin. I then applique up to the colored thread on the back. When I wash the quilt, the wash away thread disappears, and I can just pull the colored thread off! It is like magic. I do not have a long arm sewing machine, but sewed this with a regular sewing machine!”

Designed and created with love by Marlene Woodfield.

Marlene describes this quilt:

“This is a portrait of our middle granddaughter, Leah, and the American Girl doll that we gave her for her birthday. I began the quilt when I took a facial imagery, dye painting class from Hollis Chatalain. We were to bring a picture of someone or something that we wanted to use to learn this process. The picture I chose was only the upper torso of Leah.

After the class, the painting “germinated” for a number of years before I decided to tackle making it into a quilt. I had just planned to put it into a quilted frame and be done with it! But no!

Building the quilt scene around the painted portion from the class was not as easy as I thought it would be. I usually completely plan my quilt before starting. A design roller was used to apply the design in the wallpaper, and the bed skirt was made by stenciling over some paper doilys to make the lace.

A drawing that Leah had made for us was reproduced in Tsukeneko Inks in the upper right hand corner.”

Designed and quilted by Marlene Woodfield.

Marlene provides this background on Easter Morn:

“This quilt is vibrant because of teh glorious background fabric that was dyed by a friend of mine.

The lilies were a challenge as every commercial white fabric showed a shadow of the background through the white. So, I looked through my antique linens and found enough napkins from my deceased mother-in-law’s collection to make the lilies. The napkins were part of a set of table linens that she and her young groom received for their wedding in 1927. The fabric was still strong and well preserved so I cut the napkins up, piece by piece, to make the lilies. I used Tsukineko ink to shade in the green on the lilies.

The Easter meaning of this quilt, the dynamic background fabric, and the fabric in the lilies make this quilt very special to me.”

Created: Easter 2011.

Quilt by Marlene Brown Woodfield.

Marlene shares this background on the process of creating this and simlar quilts: “The projects that I do with ‘sun painting’ using light sensitive fabric paints can only be done in the Summer months. Otherwise the light is not concentrated enough to make a great print. I absolutely love doing this process as you never know how it will turn out and if there is a goof up somewhere, how you will turn that into the most beautiful part of the quilt. It also challenges your creativity in how to quilt the piece and whether to border it or not.

You start with leaves collected and put in a phone book to absorb some of the moisture while you mix the paints that you will use. I use Seta Color transparent paint.

Stretch some prepared for dye (PFD) white fabric over foam board. Spritz the fabric with water and paint the background. Then lay the leaves in the arrangement or design you wish and then add some more paint. To get the little starbursts, you sprinkle on a little coarse salt.

Then you put it in the sun and wait until it dries. After you remove the leaves you will see your fabric masterpiece!”

Designed and created by Marlene Brown Woodfield. A moda wool vest has wool roving forming the coneflowers. Wool yarn was felted on to add interest. A matching turquoise blue zipper was used, and a polymer clay zipper pull with leaf imprint was made by Marlene finishes the garment. She made a matching turquoise necklace and bracelet to wear with the vest.

Marlene shares, “I enjoy crafts in addition to quilting. Polymer clay tops the listt of crafts. Jewelry making is also a hobby.” Marlene participated in 4-H when younger and credits that group with starting her love for sewing.

Designed and created by Marlene Brown Woodfield.

Description by Marlene: “A sun-painted piece of cotton fabrics in greens and bllue with ferns and other plants from my yard was heavily uilted in rayon verigated Sulki thread. Self-piped fabric outlines the perimeter of the vest. Royal blue lining fabric was used.” Ceramic buttons from a vendor at the AQS Show in Paducah completes the garment. A green bracelet made by Marlene is worn with the vest.

History:

String-A-Long quilt Guild Biennial Show, Valparaiso, IN, June 12-13, 2004, 1st place wearables.

Designed and created by Marlene Brown Woodfield. Completed in February 2003. This quilt was a commission piece for the Friday Night Bible Study at the First United Methodist Church in celebration of their 30 years of fellowship.

Size: 72″ x 36″.

Year completed: 2003.

Fabric: commercial cottons.

Batt: Hobbs Heirloom, 80%, 20%.

Construction techniques: machine appliue, machine piecing, machine quilted.

In celebration of thirty years of Christian Fellowship:

Friday Night Bible Study, September 1972 – September 2002. Members: Gene and Yvonne Bancroft*, Jim and Maryann Cross, Larry and Joyce Dalton*, Verne and Sandra Hixon, Glenn and Phyllis Patterson*, and Lewis and Joan Thomas Timberlake*.

* Denotes charter members.

Designed and created by Marlene Brown Woodfield. Given in thanks for Pastor Greg’s leadership and humor at First United Methodist Church, Michigan City, Indiana.

Given: May 2003

Made: April 2003

Size: approximately 18″ x 24″.

Fabrics: cotton.

Batt: Hobb’s Heirloom 80%/20%.

Construction techniques: handpainted background, commercial fabrics for the flower and leaves, with machine embroidery center bracts.