Poinsettias – I love ’em!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

While stationed in Hawaii in the 1970s, it wasn’t unusual to see poinsettias growing as bushes or whole fields ready to be harvested.  In addition to its holiday colors, it is the birthday flower for both my daughter and me, so I always try to find a large poinsettia to decorate the house.  To my disappointment, the leaves begin to dry up and fall off  before the holidays arrive and eventually, it is too sad to keep.

My holiday project this year involved making a poinsettia wall hanging that would not wilt, dry to a crisp and fall apart.  It will be my permanent poinsettia!  I used a variety of Christmas fabrics from my stash as well as recycled white drapery fabric.  I finally mixed opaque seta color paints to get the correct color for the “white” flowers.  The leaves were cut from pellon 810 and then painted with opaque seta colors also in order to get the deep green that I wanted.

I am still enjoying the process and have arrived at the quilting stage… always my favorite part of the project because adding the texture of the quilted stitches brings the piece to life.

Once the quilted background is complete, each poinsettia blossom will have additional floral layers attached.  I completed the appliqué poinsettias before I started quilting the background, so it will be time to add those soon.  First… finish the quilting and add the embroidery detail to the leaves.  Still a joy!  The space on the wall is calling… and I’ll leave it there until March once it is hung.