Last summer my husband grew a little container garden on our roof in downtown Sidney, NE. There were peppers, onions, tomatoes, herbs and flowers. I watched big containers of zinnias and heliotrope grow and blossom.
I'm always looking for ways to make drawings or prints on solid fabrics so I experimented with Pentel Arts Fabric Fun pastel-looking dye sticks, and Artistro fabric markers. I drew zinnias with pencil first from my photos from the roof, and added in some blue birds and butterflies on a pre-washed light gray cotton fabric. The dye sticks are set with an iron and can be added to and reset again and again. The setting instructions for the markers are similar and you an also use a blow dryer instead of an iron and then let it sit for 24 hours - or let the project sit for 5 days. The fabric can then be washed after the conditions are met. When I was satisfied with the drawings and colors, I ironed, washed and dried the fabric. The panels faded a little so I know these these will continue to fade even more if washed.
I have enjoyed adding Lori Holt houses to some of my quilts and I'm slowly adding a border of them and some trees. The HFTs I put in between the panels came from previous quilt remnants of mostly Kaffe shot cottons and prints. It's been a fun experiment that I'm hoping to finish by the end of the month.
I am enjoying the newly planted and expanded garden as it grows and flourishes while I soak in some vitamin D.