Elements Challenge

 These few days between Christmas and New Year's

is my time to play!

Yesterday

I showed a free motion quilting play piece I'm working on...

Today,

let me show you a challenge I'm working on.

This challenge is 

The Elements.

Earth,

Air,

Fire,

Water.

Each is a separate challenge,

and each is to finish at 12x12.

FUN sized!

The Earth and Air challenges should have already  been done...

But I just didn't have the inspiration 

of what to do.

My husband and I went on vacation to 

St. George Island, Florida last month!

YEP!

I got my inspiration!

Earth - beach

Water - ocean

Fire - sun

Air - sky

AND...

Here's the BEST part!

They will hang in order to create a beach scene!

So, the Air will hang on top,

then Fire underneath it,

then Water under that,

and Earth on the bottom.

I can't wait!

While we took our daily walks on the beach

we would pick up shells...

we found some beautiful ones!

Once I had my inspiration, 

I started picking up the small and tiny little shells!

Here's all we gathered...

 And these are the tiny ones for my Earth!

All bleached and washed and ready to sew!

The beach is darker at the water area,

this is the fabric for that.

(It's a scrap of linen from an alteration...

you can see the seam!  LOL!)

The sandy part of the beach has ridges on it from the wind,

I tried to create some of that...

The sand also has a shiny element to it,

and I was trying to give that illusion.

I don't like the shells inside this mesh because you can't see them.

Here's a close up.

You simply can't see the shells!

So,

I did what you would have done...

I took it all out!

YEP!

UGH!

BUT...

it was worth it!

Here it is ready to quilt!

I found a beige tulle to put the shells under so they stay in place.

Cool, huh!?

It's really not upside down...

it will hang this way because the water will be coming 

up to the beach on top of it!

How do you like the beach?

This is FUN playtime!!!

Go play!

It's good for your creativity!

Sew the pieces of life together!

They make a BEAUTIFUL quilt!

Nina