Easy Gifts

Small Inspirational Simple Gifts

These are some small quilted and appliqued panels that I worked on for a prezzie. Each depicts a season and was hand quilted and embroidered along with the addition of beads and buttons and embroidery. I  joined them together and made a four-season panel for a friend. (In fact I was so pleased with their simplicity that I also made two more for my family). I pinched the idea from a beautiful old book entitled "Material Obsessions" by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke. Do look at their beautiful work and be inspired! 

Material Obsessions - Book 1 - Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke

Sadly the pics were taken with my old camera and I seem unable to re-size them. Blogger is just not behaving itself!

I so enjoyed making these small panels - each is about 10in x 9in  -  and depicting the seasons with beads and buttons and embroidery.
 
'Spring' has daffodil shaped lemon buttons, pale green leaves, dark green beads and buds.
'Summer' is hot reds with spotty fruits and flowers and red crystal beads. 
I so enjoyed using my stash of browns and orange for the 'Autumn' panel and using brown 'conker like' buttons, orange beads and some simple embroidery.
'Winter' is all about snow and ice with crystal beads, silver sequins and a shivering ginger cat and snowdrops in the foreground.

Each of the background trees are made up of fabric strips in an appropriate seasonal colour with a dark brown tree appliqued to the fabric. The backgrounds are all shades of blue and grey spotty materials and the whole is framed in a black fabric with tiny silver stars.