Category Archives: FAD (Fiber Art Dames)

Moving into Fall

Hello,

Fall is really filling our air. The nights are crisp and cool and the days have been sunny and warm with a little rain every now and then.   I have been busy raking leaves and finishing up with the garden cleanups.

 

 

Last Friday Liz ,Victoria and I went to Rochester to the Memorial Art Gallery to look at the art.  We all were epically interested in seeing the “Infinity  Room” .   It is a room of mirrors and reflective balls.

 

 

 

 

All of it a bit over whelm inly beautiful!   The rest of the art was good too and we had a good day.

 

My Joyous Embroidery Class is now over, But I still have projects to finish.  I will post them in progress report.

The Pixies also meant and  We got to talking about Halloween and costumes.  I will post about that next week.

FAD had a meeting yesterday as well.   Sharon shared a  beautiful new piece with wonderful depth. .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Nine Play     This work is 43″ X 43″.    I still need to add the labels  on the back, but I am posting it as complete anyway.  It does seem to have nice movement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nine Two    This work is the sister to Nine Play.   I just started quilting it this morning so I am not very far along.    It is stable as I did stitch in the ditch on the edges of the nine blocks that are the start of this work.

 Lap # 18   I just enjoy playing with the process some times and that is what this project is all about.  I am playing with the colors a bit too.

 

 

 

 

 

Lap ## 19   I have pulled the fabric I want to use in the next Lap quilt and that is about all I can say about this one.   Quite a contrast form the mono chromatic one I did this week!

 

 

 

 

 

Sea Floor      This is a rework project from my rock series about six years ago.  ( I will attach a before image)

 

 

I have been adding to this as a part of the Joyous Embroidery class assignment.    I really enjoyed the process and the new found freedom to embellish with lots of extra’s.   An antique belt bucket here for example.

 

Blue Sea  I have not put in much time on this work as I have been concentrating on other had work instead, but the trumpo is going well.

 

Light Florals   This work is also a result of my class with Flur Woods.  The Lace is mostly from my friend Judy.   There is still lots of work to do however.   It needs some colored embroidery work,   but I am pleased with how it is going.

I hope everyone has the type of Halloween that they enjoy.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

 

 

End of September

Hello,

I can’t quite believe we are at the end of this month.  The time seems to be flying by.    Fall mushrooms are appearing in yard now.  I so enjoy coming across these little treasures.  This one, although not colorful as the many orange yellow ones or the white puff balls I see scattered across my lawn, I find specially dear.   Perhaps that is because of the splits that are signs of ageing and growth or because of the scale changes in color.  I am not sure, but I am enchanted.   It’s like a faded flower in some way too.

This week was busy with a FAD  and Pixie meetings.   Judy is busy working away on small quilts to use up her fabric stash.

 

 

 

 

I also made progress on my work for the Joyous Embroidery class.    Fleur Woods gave us lots of ways to add texture to our work this week.     Making Pompons was one of them.  I tried doing it with out the tool first and that is were the big ones came from.  Then yesterday I got the tool at Michaels  and those pompons are much better.     she also suggested that we do some free crochet  to make little mounds or tuffs.   I think I need to keep playing with that idea.   She is inspiring me a lot however.

Progress Report: Imagine    This quilt is 32″ w X 53″ t.      It is the last of the split compliment pieces.  I have some other ideas of projects using the many yards of solids that Liz gave me, but not with color study being the emphasis.   I have learned a lot about color doing these exercises.  And I have learned a bit about quilting too.

 

 

 

 

Ethel Scrap project   I just keep working away on these bits and pieces building more and more 5″ squares.

 

 

Basket    I joined the SAQA Strolling along challenge again and so I am putting in an hour every other day on this project.  It takes me about 40 min for every trip around the out side at this point.  I am on row three of the build up of the sides.

 

 

 

Lap #15  I alternating  the  work  on  the  basket  with  work  on  a lap  quilt.  This  one  is  extra  long   because  I  making it for my cosine  Mike who is over  6 ft tall.     It is pin basted now and I will start to quilt it later today.

 

 

 

Lap # 17    Seeing that I will soon finish # 15, I pulled these fabrics for the next one this week.

 

 

 

Blue Sea- Felt  I made seahorses I made last week were too dark for this work so I made new ones.    They are still dark, but they do work  on the surface  of the project.

 

I will add eyes and stretch it and move on I hope.    There is another work down the road using the seahorses that did not work for this project too.

 

 

 

Drawing.    I did not do a collage this week , but I did draw these dragon flies and frog instead.

Enjoy the cooling  weather and changing color.

 

Carol

Moving Along

Hello,

Fall seems to be a time of lots of action. I continue to be in my clean the nest mode and I finally got to the fabric stash this week.    I sure have a lot of raw material.   I have been putting in and hour  plus  every day  this week and I am a long way from done.   It is good to put all the like stuff together and I am sure I will be glad when the job is done.  It is just that progress is slow at this point.    The desk is totally covered, so there is not turning back until the job is done.

      I helped hang the Associated Artists Show on Saturday .    My good buddy  Barbara won Best of Show this year for this dramatic piece of pastel work.

Carol  A was also a part of this show  with a new metal piece.

 

 

 

One of the newer members,  is doing this wonderful high relief fabric sculpture too.   She told me there is no thread work involved   just ticking the self designed  and printed fabric into a sold backing.     I need to consider this process a bit.

 

 

 

I entered Wildfire in Whisky Hallow for this show.   Liz add two great little drawings, but my shot of them is blurry.

 

 

 

 

FAB meant this week as did the Pixies.  I did a Mud Dobber for my insect this time.

 

 

 

I did the Joyful Embroidery class this week too.  We painted fabric for a color base as the assignment this week.

 

 

 

 

Progress Report  Scrap assembly   I will add another strip to all the little parts later today and cut more squares from them tomorrow.  It is just at the building stage now.

Split Compliment Green  I am building away on this project.  It  is proving to be a challenge and although the progress is slow, I do enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

Handwork   I worked away on this project through the many zoom meetings I had this week as well as at the FAD meeting.  I  seem to need to keep my hands busy.

I hope everyone is enjoying cooler weather as fall builds strength.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

 

 

Art, Garden and Sustainability Trail

Hello,

Our neiborhood had its first be event on Sat.  The weather was beautiful and the day stayed cool.  I set up my booth  and my first action was a trade with a fellow crafter.  I got a beautiful piece of pottery and she got a quilt.

I had a very successful day I think as I sold 19 little works.

 

 

 

I had a FAD meeting yesterday  and we spent the whole time out of doors enjoying Patti’s garden and all the birds at her feeder.

 

 

 

 

 

I also had a Pixie meeting yesterday.    For that I had completed a Celtic R for Robert’s pillow.   All the pillows went into the mail yesterday too.

 

 

Progress Report: After Effects  I finished this 34″ w X 42″t piece yesterday. I stared this at QBL and  I added more trees after I got home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt # 11 I am almost done using fabrics that I printed for the SAQA 100 Day Challenge.

 

The big orange on tan are the prints I did for that project.

 

 

 

 

Pillow.     This pillow got completed this week.  It too is a whole cloth print I did on the 100 Day Challenge.

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt # 12  I stated a new lap quilt as soon as I moved to the quilting step this week.

 

 

 

Collage – insect  The Pixies have an assignment for the month of Aug and it is to use Insects in your art.  I did my first collage in a few weeks and I drew my insect on top.

 

 

 

 

Handwork    Amada suggested in class that we apply some hand work to the surfaces we created.  I did start this the last day of class. I think the handwork is done now.  I think I will apply it to a surface to feature it on a bag or something.

 

 

Jeans   I also purchased some of Amanda McCarvour’s   machine drawn flowers  and decided to apply them to a pair of my favorite jeans that are starting to show wear.  I have added some blue jean patches too.

 

Home from Maine

Hello,

I had a great time in Maine visiting with old friends.     This is a shot of the view from our lunch table on the first day of summer.    Elizabeth was a great hostess and both Marty and I enjoyed talking old times with her.

She generously gave me a quilt to take to QBL to sell to raise funds for the Scholarship Fund.    It is a real beauty I think.     We also had lunch with an old friend in Portland on our way home.  The final stop of the trip was at The Clark museum to view the Edvard Munch show there.  It was great!   It was a show of his landscapes and most of the work was new to me.  We spent two and a half hours in the exbibit.   We then went off to look at the perinate show.  We walked in and then looked at each other and declared we were visually “full”.     So we got in the car and drove west.  We talked of the show on the way home and I am so glad we had a chance to view it.

I had a Pixie meeting and a FAD meeting this week too.  It has been a busy two weeks for me.

Progress Report:   Conflict     The work is 43″ w X  32″ t.     This  work is finally complete.  I struggled with the orientation of this work.    With the help of my FAD friends I finally settled on what you see here. It is not the way I constructed the quilt, but I too like this direction.

 

 

 

 

Hands All Around This work is 60.5″ w X 38″t.   I am delighted with how this work finally  came out.   I ended up quilting only the negative spaces of white in a reflective manner. I am thankful for the use of many of my quilting friends hands to do this work.        I am off to get a professional shots of it on Sat.

 

 

 

 

Lap quilt #10    I also managed to put together this new lap quilt in the last two weeks.   I am building a steady pile of them to pass forward in the fall.   I still have a few pieces of fabric that I printed for the 100 Day Challenge to use  so there will be a few more in the future.

 

 

Collages    I did my play with paper on Tue this week.   These pieces are more exploring  with silhouetted figures.  I also attached some of the paper with the sewing machine for extra texture here.

 

 

 

Sense I am working on my own without instruction I am really free to do what I want in this area.

 

 

 

 

Scrap Work   When I helped  empte Ethel Whittemore’s studio, ten years ago, I brought home a big box of pre made squares and many strips  that were one to three inches  wide that she had cut and not used.   I have already created five queen sized quilts from that box .  Earlier this season I pulled the box out and I am now putting forth and effort to assemble all that remains in the box.   I may be at it a few more weeks , but I can see the bottom now.

Felting   I did put in a little work on this project this week.  I am now sorry that it is so large, but I will keep working away.

 

 

 

 

 Blue Beach  I am feeling like I am nearing the end of this project.   As I see it now only a few more hours remain here.

 

 

 

 

New work   This is the next work in the split compliment series.   I also added a second challenge to myself by trying to use as may of   Liz’s the precut arches and curves  as possible.    I am enjoying the process.

 

 

I hope all my readers enjoy the 4th in ways they see fit.

Carol

Warming Up

Hello,

It has gone from a chilly spring to full hot summer here in just a few days.  We walked at 7:30 because it is set to go to 90 degrees here later today.     It was a quiet week for me this week and my only events were yesterday.  The FAD group meant here in the morning and we sat out on the patio and had a good time. 

Sharon is making great progress on the hand work she is adding to this piece.

 

The Pixies had our regular zoom meeting too.  It is always so enjoyable to talk with them as they all have such a different point of view and emphasis.

Progress Report:   Hands   I have now completed the free motion work in all the black of this piece.     I got a little help yesterday on what type of quilting to do in the white areas.   They really confirmed what I was thinking, but self doubt had me a bit frozen as to how to move forward.

Conflict I started and just about finished the construction of this work this week.  It is the fourth in the split compliment series using yellow, blue violet and red violet.

 

 

 

Pony Boy  This is the next in the SAQA 100 day pieces.  It has a lot of old bits of altered and printed fabrics in it.   It is a lap quilt that I will pass forward in the fall.    I only have two more of the pony’s to do shadow quilting on and the quilting step will be done.

Blue Beach  I just keep adding buttons and looking at this work.  It still feels like it needs a bit more so I keep at it.

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Works  This work got lost as the title suggests.  I was organizing and discovered this work I had started as a part of a on line assignment.     Too much stuff in my space I guess.

It got completed this week any way.

 

 

 

 

 

Collage   I had a good time on Tuesday afternoon  this week.  I am feeling more confident about building up the surfaces and things sort of fell together this time so I did two.  “Lost in Thought”  is this blue one with lots of layers of transparency.

 

 

 

“Confused Thinking” is the second.  I used the same figure on both of these.   I am learning that I really like building on a heavy paper base even if that makes the work a little deep some times.

Creative Assistants  I completed nineteen more of these little guys this week.  I am happy to be using up lots of little bits and treasures that I seem to collect with out even realizing I am doing it.

I am enjoying working away on all my projects and for that I am grateful.

Stay safe

Carol

 

Temperature Change

Hello,

   It is that crazy time of year when the cold just doesn’t want to let go.  I had to bring in my plants last night due to the chance of a freeze.   so here they set on the studio floor to greet me this morning.  It was so warm earlier this week I worked in only a tee shirt in the yard and still sweated a bit.   I still feel fortunate when  I hear of the forest fires in western Canada and the storms in the west.      For me this week was busy with meetings.  The Sisterhood of the Scissors meant as did the Pixies.  I also went off to a FAD meeting yesterday.   I like the outside stimulation.

Progress Report: Take Off  This work is 39.5″ X 37″.     I did enjoy the applique of the birds this week.  I have learned a lot about Terns sense I started this piece.

 

 

 

 

Ferdiand  This is the newest piece that uses prints form the 100 Day Challenge.  I also added a lot of  other altered fabrics to this one.   I am now ready to layer and quilt it.

 

Hands  I only did the stitch in the dich work on this pieces this week.  It is a bit awkward to move under the needle.

 

 

Equal Voice   This piece is for the Diva challenge as a part of the Together We Rise  project.   I am happy with the lay out and the little bit of stitching I have done.   I will keep moving on this as I want it completed by the next Diva meeting.

 

 

 

Blue Beach  I worked away on this at the Pixie meeting this week. Every button put me closer to the completion.

 

 

   Collage- Concern   I  become interested in doing collage during the 100 Day Challenge as there were folks doing such wonderful things.  Now that it is complete I got myself together and  did one this week.  I think it is strongly influenced by what Cheri is doing with printing.  I had many false starts and I am not sure if this is complete.  But it is a beginning.   I think I will try to do one a week for a while.

 

I am hoping spring smooths out a bit and not too many blossoms were destroyed by the frost last night.

Stay safe and keep Creating

Carol

Warmer Weather

Hello,

We are really feeling the warmer temperatures here in the north east.  I even left the window open all night last night.  Very refreshing.   It has been a fast change as last weekend  I did not remove the electric blanket when I change the sheets because I had needed it the night before.  I sure have not needed it for the last three nights.  The buds are popping out on the trees and there are lots of small  tender green leaves on things as we walk.  The birds of all sorts serenade us  as well.  It is a glorious time of year.

I have been busy with lots of meetings.   The Pixies meant on Wed. and   the FAD group meant here this week too.  We spent the whole time out on the patio  enjoying that wonderful temperatures.  Sharon shared two of her newest winder field pieces with us.    Yesterday I went off to Marty’s new digs and spent the day with her.   She  is playing with fabric to make landscapes.  I think they are wonderful.

 

I am ready to begin a new piece for the SAQA 100 day challenge.   We are on day 90 already.  I sure have enjoyed doing the work.

 

 

 

Progress Report:  Titers in the Ring   This work is 40″ w X 50″ t.   It is #6 in the SAQA 100 Day Challenge pieces.   The tigers are the stamp and I also hand dyed the green lace that I used here.

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Beach  I am enjoying adding the buttons to this work.  I think I am beyond the half way point now.

 

 

 

 

 

Circus Parade  This work is also part of the SAQA 100 Day challenge.   I used all the Chinese Zodiac creatures that I made in this one.  I started free motion quilting  on this this morning.    This is quilt # 7 in this series.

 New Series- Split Complements #1 Blue- Yellow Orange- Red Orange   Titled:  Analyzed Appearance        I felt I needed to keep up the color exploration so I moved on to Split Complements.  I think I will do one primary and the two variations on its complement for this series.  I started with Blue and used four shades of  that base  color with this piece plus white for contrast.

Nebula   I did this felted piece as a response to the demonstration at the  Associated Artist meeting two weeks ago.  The demonstrator was going to toss the colorful material she had peeled away from the surface of her work.  I picked it up and felted it into this piece.  I finished the beading yesterday.  Only need to frame it now.

Take Off    I have put so much of my time into abstract work of late that I thought I would start a piece with subject matter.  So I built this curvy cut background.  I plan to add sea guls taking off on top.

I hope you are enjoying pleasant weather were you are .

Keep Creating

Carol

 

 

 

Spring Forward

  Hello,

We had a big snow storm this week that out lined the trees in white and made for lots of shoveling.  Those gray cold days did not help me adjust to the springing forward of day light savings time, but I like the everyone else am adjusting.   I went off to the Schweinfurth on Monday and helped take down the Both Ends of the Rainbow show along with the staff.

I see doing that as my community service to the  Art Center as it gives me so much joy and so many opportunities to explore and grow.  The talk was good and we emptied all the galleries but one by the time I had to go home.

The snow cancelled the FAD and Social Arts meetings , but the on line zoom meeting of the Pixies went on as normal.   I feel so very fortunate to have so many groups that connect me with so many wonderful people.

The 100 Day SAQA challenge is at day 61 now and I am doing well.   I am ready to begin project # 5 using my stamped and stenciled fabrics in conjunction with commercial stuff.

 

 

 

Project Report: Wolf Mountain Petroglyph   This piece is 35″w X20.5″ t.   It is the made from stamps that I had created before, but had not printed until I was working on the 100 day project.

  I then started doing free motion quilting creating circular shapes to add around the figures.  It was fun and went quickly so the project is now to the point were I only need to add the sleeve this evening and it well be complete.

Spiraling Out   This work is # 4 from the SAQA  100 Day Challenge.   I am done quilting now and only need to add the binding and sleeve.

The printed block of ferns is an old work of mine.

 

 

 

Imagine Purple  I am still doing the running stitches to connect all the metallic inserts on this project.  I only have 15 more to connect  to the edges or each other to finish this step.

 

 

 

Wool Woods  I stitched down the mushrooms this week and now I need to purchase some stretcher bars to stretch it on.   I did a little painting on the white mushrooms with watered down acrylic as was suggested in the Material Matters lecture two weeks ago.   I want to try more ” painting” on wool  too.

Creative Assistants  I got busy and added hair arms and backs to 20 more assistants that had faces.  Now I need to move on with the stuffing and addition of pin backs to complete this little tribe.

 

Blue Beach  Work continues on this project.  I love all the textures of the buttons.   I have learned more about controlling tyvec sense I made these sections.  I will try some now work soon in that area too.          So glad that I had really quilted heavily on this background to support the weight.

Stay safe

Carol

 

 

March Tiger

Hello

Our weather man said that March came in like a “tiger” this year.  It was cold and light snow so I guess it was a tiger instead of a lion.   There was no rawer.    For me that  description  sure congers up a different image.  I find it festinating   how we use animal imagery for so many things.    We might say, quiet as a mouse,  brave as an eagle or strong as a bull  to describe our fellows.   Or we could describe others actions as slippery as an eel or jumpy as a frog.  All those descriptions do add color and visuals to our minds.     Well, I will wisely as the owl let, that be the end of this observation.

It has been a quiet week with only two meetings for me.  The pixies meant yesterday and FAD had a meeting here on Monday.    Sharon has finished up her work from the Bett’s demo  and showed us at the meeting.    I like the fence she added to the work.

 

 

 

I did the SAQA Material Matters lecture yesterday and it was on Silk this week.  I have now pulled out my silk roving and plan to do  a little work with that material next.

Today is day 46 of the 100 Day SAQA Challenge.   I selected the next two prints to start the next work.  I am having fun mixing them printed materials with what is already on my shelves.

 

 

 

 

Progress Report:   Lavender Fields Forever  This work is 21″ w X 26.5″.   This is the second of the pieces using fabric I printed  for the SAQA  100 Day challenge.    I did the quilting shapes using the same shapes as the printed image.

 

 

The white is a paper pattern that I stitched around to do that quilting  job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Understanding Orange  I just keep adding seed stitching to the surface to fill in the rounded shapes.  I only have five left to fill in and then I will be ready to do the machine quilting.

Year of the Rabbit    This project is also a result of the SAQA 100 day print series.  I will finish this and it will also serve as my SAQA entry for the benefit Auction in Sept.   I need to stitch down the binding.

Wool/Felting   I have built up some additional felting on this work sense last week.  I think I will add spring flowers or mushrooms to this to complete it.

 

Slogan for 2023    During Interlude in January   with Jane Dewald, she  challenged us to come up with a word or idea to emphasis over the course of the year.     I tried several things but not until this week did I find the best idea for me.  So to keep it on my mind and emphasis it  I took the other felted piece I had done and made this sign for my studio.     It says  Be Curious, Be Humble, Be Brave.    Good goals for me.

Creative Assistants   I finished up these eleven creative assistants this week along with several others that are in various stages.    I just keep plugging away here.

Stay safe and be Creative

Carol