Southwest New Mexico Sunrise

The sunrises and sunsets here in New Mexico are some of the best. They are so full of color and shapes and so fun to watch as they change. Mother nature is fueling my need/want to learn landscape quilting. So, while looking and waiting for some sort of formal training, I thought I would jump in and see what I could do.

To purchase a windmill applique template, click here...

I have been collecting pictures of my sunrises and sunsets, hoping they could inspire me to create.. I wasn't wanting to overwhelm myself with tackling a large task on my first try, I thought to make a small wall hanging.

Sunrise, Silver City New Mexico

Sunrise, Silver City New Mexico

Sunset, Alamogordo New Mexico

Sunset, Cotton City New Mexico

I started by pulling all the colors out of my fabric stash, any fabric I thought might go with. Also used my son's help. :)

I sorted through the fabrics I picked and left some behind. Some just were too different and didn't blend as well. I cut strips of fabric measuring 1 1/4" wide.

Drew out my windmill and scanned it into the computer so that I could enlarge it to the size I wanted it to be. It also makes it easier to transfer the image onto my heat n bond light.

I knew I wanted a bright center for my sun and for my radiant to darken as it traveled and for it turn into shades of blue/purple as it went out. I really tried hard to be random in my strip lenght, but I think the majority of the pieces ended up being cut at 2 1/2".

I arranged each piece as I cut, and cut until I thought I had enough.

I started sewing at one corner, getting excited as I went along, because it was really shaping up to be a cool sunrise.

Slightly before I reached the halfway point, I realized my piecing was starting to take the shape of a diamond and not the square like I had originally intended.

I cut up more pieces, used the seam ripper to take out a couple of stitches on the beginnings and ends of my rows, added more strips to each row that was short.

Once it was all pieced, I squared it up with my black piece laying on top. Sewed a curved line to piece the sunrise and black foreground together.

I appliquèd my windmill onto the top, used a satin stitch on my machine to hold it down.

Once sandwiched, I tried a little thread painting for the 'weeds' and used some varagated thread to quilt the sunrise.

Bound in black and added corners on the back so that I could stick a dowel rod in and hang it up.

Really like the way it turned out.

Since I made the above windmill, I've made a couple of other windmill layouts that I just absolutely love also. This little runner was made for a dear friend who donated to our Cotton City Area Rocketry Club so that we may have facilities available to us while we watch the rockets launch. It was such a simple project. The windmills were my design, leftover laser cut outs from Row by Row Experience 2016 Home Sweet Home. (Purchase the laser cut outs here - approximately 2.5" wide by 5.5" tall ...)

 I did my best to capture the Animas Mountains, since they had made their home in the Animas Valley for many years. Her late husband spent his career building windmills all over the state.

Made for a cute basket!!

Another use of the windmill was to make a wall hanging for my friend who just loves WINDMILLS and PURPLE.

I happened to have a fat quarter of this purple/pink wash fabric that I used in my Row by Row 2017 quilt and it was just perfect to use as a skyline for the windmill.

My friend often goes on a wander and takes photos of the unique finds she comes across. I thought it was the PERFECT addition when I saw she took a picture of a lonely fence post... it was perfect to go with her windmill.