Category Archives: Felt Work

Childhood Memories, Creative Assistants, Felt Work, Finger Lakes Fiber Artists, High Priest, Raw Edge Applique, Wool Rounds

November Chill

Hello,
Fall is disappearing here and we are cold with snow in the air. Good time to quilt.           This week has been full. I went to the Quilts=Art=-Quilts show on Sunday. It is powerful and I know I need to make at least one more trip to see and absorb it all. This shot is of “Crickets”, the work that won the Finger Lakes Fiber Artist Award.

My friend Joyce did a trunk show. This is a shot of her in front of her newest piece. The talk was fun. She also showed her books.

 

 

 

 

 

QuEG’s ,meant this week too. Susan shared one of the pieces she did as a result of her class at QBL with Ellen Nobel.

 

 

 

 

 

Angela made this quilt top from her father’s old shirts. She plans to do a second for her brother for Christmas.

 

 

 

Corrine continues to make great books. She had seven to share with us.  This cover is marbleized paper.

Liz spent two week in Ohio with Clair Bends and did lots of dyeing. This is dye painting with sticks.

This is a silk scree she did. I love it.

 

 

 

Progress Report: High Priests I am really enjoying do the black outlining on this work. It really emphasizes the forms and adds detail.

 

 

 

 

Wool Rounds I am stitching the circles down now. I had 55 more to stitch down  at the last count.

 

 

 

Creative Assistants I finished up these 20 little fellows this week. Now I need to start the faces on a new batch.   I like to have plenty to give away at QBL every year.

 

 

 

Coral Sea I just keep doing little bits on this project. The fancy button eyes really help define the fish I think.

 

 

 

Jumping Off Place Sense I try to work on this project every evening, it really has become my daily practice. I am still looking for a big project to fill that goal.

 

Felt project Before the leaves were all striped from the trees I pulled out all these fall colors and laid out this felt piece. A good base.

 

Scarp Happy Blocks After putting together all those scraps I just felt I had to start a new scrap happy quilt. There are 60 birth tree blocks , but only 55 of the blue ones. I will have to add to the blue stack to make the top.

Childhood Memories – Mom and the Operetta
Mom was a constant presence when I was young. One time she saved Tide box tops until we had six of them that she then sent off to for a 2 little dolls that were issued in commemoration for the crowing of Queen Elizabeth. The dolls were both alike. One I got to play with the other was set aside in its beautiful box to be saved. I do not know what eventually happened to the second- but I enjoyed playing with the one I had for several years.
My Mother had a beautiful voice and she sang all of her life. She was in the church choir until I was 14 doing many solos. I remember when she was in a Operetta at the High School in Columbus Junction. I got to go and be a part of it too. Mom wore a beautiful gold brocade dress that eventually ended up in the “George Washington Collection” at Onondaga Hill forty years later. For my part I did not sing or even have a line in the operetta , but I made daisy chines on stage every night when she sang a solo. I was thrilled. I got to wear a blue skirt and pantaloons like the pictures of Little Bo Peep. They were made from  peddle pushers that had a white cuff on the bottom with lace rows added on top. It was my fist experience being on stage and how one could alter existing clothing to create costumes.   That idea really is  something that  helped me when I did the many costumes for my students while I was teaching middle school. One never knows how experiences can and will influence one.

I am off to Australia and will miss the next two Thursdays.  The  following one is Thanksgiving.   I will be back in Dec with lots to share.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

Autumn Leaves, Childhood Memories, Jumping Off Place, QBL- Quilting By the Lake, Three Sea Horses, Topographical, Two Trees

October Cooling

1 Comment

Hello,
There is a real feeling of fall now as it has turned quite cold around here. The hardy Zinnia are still doing well and we have not had a frost yet. But if is in the air. I did some house/studio cleaning too. It seems I need to get my “nest” in order for winter. I have eliminated three boxes and a bag of stuff to pass forward for others to use. It makes me feel good to do that sort of thing.
There seems to be another thing in the air too,  because three of the groups I meet with cancelled meetings this week. Two due to low audience.   Perhaps everyone is busy hankering down for fall and winter too.

Progress Report: Three Sea Horses This work is 22″w X 16″t. Noel talked of this method of laying down roving and then putting netting over the top so one could  machine stitch on it. I tried that method on this project. The sea horses are cut from felt so there are sharp edges and then I added roving on top too. I like this technique. It is very soft, but  I think I need to work on contrast more the next time I try it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two Trees The work is 18″ w X 18″ t. I started it in the Rock On Class With Cynthia Corbin at QBL this summer. This week I got busy and did machine drawing of two trees from a photo of them on Dad’d farm. It sure has the gray feeling I was having about the day.

 

 

 

 

 

Topographical I had a good time working away on this piece this week. I think two more hours of couching will complete the process. I feel there is lots of potential in this process and plan to explore it more in the future.

Past My Window- Autumn Leaves

I stared working away on this piece this week and it just seemed to take on a life of it’s own.     I started pinning the leaves I had created to supplement the ones I had made in Betty’s class on the final day.  Then I found a package of silk leaves that someone had passed my way and they just seemed to go together so I was off and pinning like a fool. It will take a long time to do all the free motion applique I think. But it is enjoyable for me.

Jumping Off Place        Angela gave me a packet called Through the Looking glass. It contained some great textured yarns and fabrics. I pulled it out yesterday and read the instructions. It is not my thing any more then it was Angel’s, but it turned out to be a good starting place. Only the organza, and little blue sequined square are from the kit. The rest I pulled from my collections. I will use the wonderful threads and supplement then with my own as the project was designed for a 12 “ square and I have gone way beyond that.

Coral Sea This work did not get much attention this week. But I did find some more felt that has misty fuse on it already so I am off and running again.

 

 

Wool Rounds I keep my hand in this project and finished three circles this week. My process is to fill in  one circle  at a  toime and every time when I finish with one stitch on a round, I have thread on the needle. I use that  thread  to do the blanket stitch on a new wool unit to tack it down. When all the units are tacked down I will move onto the next ring of stitches in the circles while still finishing off one fully.

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories Depot

My parents built their first house in Ainsworth Iowa. Mom saved the check for the lumber yard for the construction and it was $180. In thinking about the houses I lived in I realized that three of my childhood homes were built into hills with a walk in door at that level.  Two of the them had garages . The Ainsworth house faced south with a gully on the west side that slopped up to the high school where dad taught high school. When we lived there we  two trips to the train depot in town. One time it was to get a great big box that contained parts for a rocking chair with an  apple green plastic on it. I got to play in the box while dad did the assembly. That  process was mostly one of  adding the arms and legs. I love rocking in it . The second time we went to the depot, it was to pick up a shipment of 100 live baby chicks. We took them home and checked them before we drove the m to Grandmother Esters house. I remember setting next to the box in the dark in the back of the car listening to the little peeps. I think I fell asleep. Because my next memory of the chicks was in Grandmother’s basement behind a 2″x 12″ that made a short wall next to the corner furnace. They all ended up in the brooder house and later in the hen house. I’m sure I must have gather eggs from some of them in later years. and  had some of them for Sunday dinner too.

I hope everyone is enjoying fall and creating great work.

Carol

Childhood Memories, Coral Sea, Curvie Cuts, Felt Work, Hand work, Machine Drawing, Night Fire, Wool Rounds

Fall

Hello,

The world keeps tilting back toward the north and as we passed the Autumnal  Equinox this week , the light of our days is diminishing every 24 hours.  The trees are showing color now as well.
This week has been a quiet one with lots of studio time for me. I did go to Liz’s house on Friday and we dyed. She is getting ready to go to the Barn and work for two weeks so she did some pre -work with green.
I just made yardage and after washing it out, we both agree the dye is getting old and is very pale.

Progress Report: Night Fire This work is 39.5″w X 34″t. I am quite happy with this work. The high contrast in color adds to the drama of fire. Judy gave me a photo of fire burning at night and that was the inspiration. I used lots of silk paper, and organza in this work as well as the traditional cotton.

 

 

 

 

Topographical I continue to do the couching on this work. I would say it is about half done at this point.

 

 

 

 

 

Sea Horses

I got excited about felting again and worked hard on this piece. I plan to add roving to the felt sea horses too. The brain coral is yarn felted with roving.

 

Coral Sea. As one can see this work was influenced by the felting project. I have not done much work here as the Topographical piece has taken most of my handwork energy this week.

 

 

Autumn Leaves    I The season dose have an impact on my work.   So I did print another collection of leaves for this work. I am still building parts here.

 

 

New Work    I pulled a work that I started at QBL in the Rock class out and sewed down the parts this week .  I then found one of my favorite pictures from Dad’d farm of trees and started  some to add to the work.    The trees are on wash away and when I have built them enough I will then add them to the base.

Wool Rounds I finished this panel this week completing 16 of the circles. I pulled out one more pair of old blue jeans to do more rounds. I still do not know exactly were I am going with this piece, but I am enjoying the process.

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Stories

Memory is a strange thing.   Some things are all linked together in day units and some things I remember like beads on a string.    In doing this project I have learned that geographic and physical location  is a strong element for me to tie my memories together.    I am calling this panel Stories because I know these things happened to me,  but I think they were told or explained more than true events that I recall.  For example, I have a faded scar in a grid pattern on my left arm.   I was told by Mother that when I was very young and we were living in the trailer in Ainsworth that I fell against a heater and that is the source of that scar.  I remember a gold sweater that Mom gave me for a doll to wear.  The source she said was from the time Dad was a girls basketball coach.     It seems she knitted the sweater and added the A for Ainsworth to the front.  When she took me to the ball game the cheerleaders insisted that I set with the ball in the center circle during half time cheers.  I was a mascot of sorts.      A third event that was recorded as a photo that Mom took at  the time that I had wondered out to the barn behind the house.  I crawled over the gate and got into the pig pen and was playing in the mud with the 200 pound hogs when Mom found me.   She was horrified, and amazed that  I  did not get hurt by the animals.   I  got a good spanking , and a hot bath to remove the excessive mud- but she had to take a photo non the less.    Every time we looked at the photo album she would retell the story.     Even though I have these memoirs they are not really mine in the same way most of the things I talk about are.   They remain a part of my past that this exercise is suppose to cover.

Keep Creating

Carol

3X3, Auction pieces 12 " X 12", Label Cards, Mom VI, Puck, WAVE

Inching Toward Spring

Hello,

It has been a quiet week for me.   Sometimes we need fallow times to catch up with ones self.   I did spring clean out of the closets and that sort of thing with a big run to the Rescue Mission and I am feeling  being a little lighter.  The weather is improving too.   On my walk today I heard lots of different bird songs and noted four different flocks of Canadian Geese in migration flights north.   These things plus lengthening days of sun light mean spring is coming.

Progress Report: Shore Line This work is 16” w X 32” l.   I did a lot of hand work on this piece and it is my solution to Cris’s challenge.    The white is like the egg sack that we picked up on the beach that was the basis of the challenge.IMG_2963Then I added a little challenge for my self.  Angela gave me a box of items and I tried to use a lot of the trims and items from that box  on this piece .   The white bead like items came from her box as well as  the ribbons and shells.IMG_2964The starfish too.

Starfish II   This work is 12” X 12” and my entry for the  QSDA auction for next year.   IMG_2975I just seem to get going on theme and keep at it.IMG_2976   I used the  big  starfish that was too big for the fist work and added two smaller ones  on this piece.

 

6 X 6   These three works are my entry for the 6X6 fund raiser for the Rochester Arts Center.   I had fun playing with these small works and experimenting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 X 3 C-1   This blocks location is  the upper right hand corner  of the piece.   IMG_2993I am enjoying to process and it is going smoothly.

3 X 3 B-1 This is the next block in the series.  It is the for the center of the top row.     I am enjoying this daily practice project.

IMG_2989 Here is  a shot of all of the blocks so far.   There are two blocks that have not even been started.   They are the top and middle block of the far left row.( white here)

 Wave    This is the new background for the wave word.    The contrast is much better.   Here is a shot of the old background. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Icarus Because I cannot waste  a single thing- the old background for wave  will become the background for my   Icarus quilt.  I am taking the Aloft challenge   from QSDA and this is what I want to play with.   I am working on a drawing for the figure at this time.

IMG_2974Collection VI Mom  I was pawing through  my tins when I was looking for stuff for the 6X6 cards and came across  items that my Mon had   made and given me.   The little dog and sail boat were the bib parts on some rompers that I wore as a toddler.   So I am honoring her with this collection piece.

Puck IMG_2967   I also came across this piece and due to some more recent purchases of roving I had the colors I needed to finish up the felting step of this piece.   I intend to add some stitches to it to add detail.

Cards  The Brain I have been thinking

about the brain and how it functions of late.  Sometimes my thoughts seem as confused as this image and other times it is like one picture laid over another with no real connection.  It is  really a complex item!

IMG_2998  This card is the representation of the scattered  working of ones mind.

I will be away for the next two weeks so the next post will be  April 4.

Keep creating,

Carol

3X3, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Killdeer

Valentines Day

 

IMG_2804Happy Valentine’s Day,

I hope it turns out just the way you want it.   I received these three valentines.  One from Judy, one from  Tanya  and one form Marilyn.   I set out a parcel of them myself.  I always have fun playing IMG_2772with this shape and trying some new form of using bits and pieces of things  to create them.   I had a FAD  meeting this week and folks had stuff to share.  Nancy is getting ready to stretch this wonderful bit of stitchery that she brought back from Cuba a few years ago.     It is so very colorful.   IMG_2776Patti is knitting away on a scarf that she will give away to some homeless person.    Judy is pulling out old projects and completing them.   I love the antique fabrics she used here.     We had a good time as always.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Killdeer    This piece is 18” X  13”.    The Killdeer  were   machine drawn and then attached to the felted IMG_2809background and stretched.

IMG_2810

3 X 3- block  3-C I keep doing my daily practice on this  project.   I think this block in almost complete. Just a few more rows around some of the circles and I  will move on to the next block.

IMG_2782Nylon net scarves   I am off to visit my friend Chris at the end of March.  She sells my capture scarves  and so I cut the nylon netting to begin making some to take with me on that trip.   This shows ten  of the   cut starts and there are five more.

Scrap Happy IMG_2800I  visited Angelia a few weeks ago and she gave me a box of fabric that she no longer wanted in her stash.  I pulled these two out of the collection and cut them to be the centers of  the next scrap happy quilt.  The are in 4.5” strips now and I will add 2.5” strips of scarps to both sides and then cut them into 8.5” blocks to create the rows of the quilt.

IMG_2798Beaded Bag   I found this old project in my cleaning this week and it only needs the neck unit to finish it so that will be another of the projects that I work on this week.

Label Cards- Red      In this time of gray and while, I am thinking about color.   So I did a red card.

           

 

 

 

Beauty Awakens   I like the idea of this message.

Keep Creating

Carol

Cockle Burs- Noogoora, Dickcissels, Label Cards, Linnen Jacket, Shows, Solo Blue Jay, Totem Fox

Quiet Days

IMG_2194  Hello,

We are in a quiet winter week at the moment.     Snow and Christmas prep keep one in the house and busy.    I had several days at home working and I enjoyed them a lot.    Sat afternoon was the opening of the 12X 12  show at the Broad Street Gallery in Hamilton.

IMG_2409Sharon and I went out together and we had a good time.  Several pieces were sold but not our work.

IMG_2410 This piece is in the show along with two more  bird pieces.   I was told by one of my Social art friends that she really liked this one.

Progress Report:    Dickcissels  This felted work is 12” X 12”.    I am having a good time doing little birds.IMG_2430   The felting portion is fun too.   Then adding all the details on the birds as I build them with the stitching is a real learning process.

Solo Blue Jay   This bird work is also 12” X 12”.   ( I have backgrounds built for two more)   I tried to make the background more interesting by putting him in a tree.   The Dickcissels   are found only in meadow settings so building trees for this background was especially enjoyable. IMG_2426 I have been experimenting with putting two treads through the eye of the needle and that makes for a more complex  color mix with the feathers.IMG_2427

 IMG_2422Totem Fox    The fox its self is all appliqued down now and I am to the quilting stage.  I am trying to follow the dye lines and create grass with them.

Jacket IMG_2420The hand work on this jacket continues.    I am still feeling the inspirations from the Slow  Stitch class  I took at the Schweinfurth last month.

Cockle burs- Noogoora’s     The bur heads are all stitched down now and I am ready to do the finish work on this piece.

 

 

 

Jean’s Project

IMG_2417This is the early stage of building this box quilt.   All the little white tags are the centers of the rows and they are labeled so I don’t accidently put them on the   wall upside down when I walk back to the pin wall.  I seem to only be able to add one  or two patches at a time on this work.   Then I must look and decide what to do next.

 

Waterfall    The tree’s crown is attached to the background.   I am now ready to begin doing the rocks and water in this piece.

 

 

Label Cards -Laughter IMG_2414  This is almost a cheat as I did so little in creating this card.   But when I saw this quote I could not stop myself from using it.

Line of Sight    I enjoy how the eye is lead up and away in this  sculpture.    Lines are strong directors for our eyes.

Keep Creating

Carol

Collage Based Work, Creative Assistants, Diva Meetings, Felt Work, Label Cards, Pods, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Two Chickadees

English

IMG_2374Hello,

This is a bit different way to begin my post, but it is where I am so here goes.   I did this card in response to the   weekly card challenge and I was struck  by how what a big part of the English  language is mixed with body terms.  When we usually hear someone say ” Body Language” we are   talking about how our physical body can send signals of thought or actions, but there is another side too.   We often use body terms to   describe the world as well.    One can use the face to raise and eyebrow, eye the competition, look through shuttered lids, roll the eye,   give a fellow the evil eye or have looks that  could kill.    One can put their nose to the grindstone, or use a sharp wit, be a loud mouth,  have a sharp thong , voice an anger, or say or do something that is jaw dropping.      One can shrug things off,  or carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.    One uses the gray matter, or brain power,  can have a pea brain, be scattered brained or hair brained.     A person can laugh things off,  but heads with a fellow , be tickled in the funny bone ,  nod off or have a  stiff  spine, stiff upper lip   and some times get kicked in the  seat of the pants.      A person can get side swiped, man handled , and piss his fellows off.      Or you can give your right arm, put you toe in, split a hair, have spring in your step or a belly laugh, get hip checked, or  even  hop to work.    My mind is reeling with the whole idea.     It is a pleasant activity to think on and I am sure you will come up with things I forgot.

Corrines workThe first Tues of the month was this week so I had my meetings with  QuEGs and Divas.    Corrine shared her leather work.  Dori's  Dori   showed us her new raw edged applique quilt.   Shabby sheek is my style she told us.

Angela's hot pads   Angela has been busy too.   This project from childhood made us all smile.

She is doing  hand work on her deconstructed piece from two summers ago.    I like the colors she used.       Then I went off to Divas.

IMG_2370This is Regina’s newest thing.    She does love that Indigo- even her shirt  is dyed.

IMG_2376I also meant with my friend Tanya this week.   She makes silk scarves to sell and this is just one of her new beauties.   She had about six that were natural elements works too.   All were beautiful.

  Progress Report:   Southern Crows  This work is 45”w X 56” l.    I did the stenciling with Susan in March.   I finally put it together and did the quilting.IMG_2380I did reflective quilting around the birds and leaves and then did parallel  quilting on the rest of the work.IMG_2381

Two Chickadees This work is 12”X 12” square.      I did the birds on wash away  with machine drawing.IMG_2385   Then I added them to the surface with machine stitching.IMG_2386   I am enjoying exploring this technique  and have learned a lot about bird plumage in the process.

Creative Assistants IMG_2383   I continue to build faces with found objects and make up these little guys.   It is fun for me.

IMG_2377Cockle Burs  All the cockle bur( Noogoora) heads are all done now and they have padding behind them.   I am ready to build the branch to cross the surface and begin adding the burs now.

Felting: IMG_2392    I’ve spent a lot of time using the felting machine this week.       Built several backgrounds with little direction of where I want to go with them.    This is one    IMG_2396 is an example of this.   I believe I can find more birds  that I would like to explore and this with work may be the answer.  These Dickcissels for example.   They are ready to be washed out  now. 

 IMG_2395   I built this felted piece with a Blue Jay  in mind.      I have only just started with the machine drawing here.

Sisterhood Challenge:   Totem Fox    I have cut out the pieces and they are required to the background fabric.  ( a Judy Roberts piece)    I am ready to zig-zag around all the parts at this point.

 

 

 

Sisterhood Challenge:   Nine Patch  This challenge has proved to be a difficult one for me.   But after several weeks to struggling I have devised a way to go forward,IMG_2402 The challenge is to make nine units that go together and are independently created.   This collage of Mentos will be my soft guide for how to build my units.  IMG_2406The block are all 18” square in my case, and they all must have back and white somewhere in the square.     I have cut by bases  ( the blue)and decided  to use this black and white print as my unifying  unit.   I also pulled two other pieces of fabric that I want to use on more than one square.      It’s a good challenge for me as I am in uncharted ground as far as I am concerned.    A good stretch and  that is what challenges are suppose to do.

Card Closed MindsIMG_2372It is good to be reminded to keep the mind open – no matter where one is.

Keep Creating

Carol

Creative Assistants, Daily Practice, Experiments, Felt Work, Fundations XIX Mossy Stone, Label Cards, Rain Puddle, Southern Crows

Winter Whites

 

Hello,

After three days of wet snow, I have  been thinking a lot about white.   In this  photo the door that is painted white and that is different then the white siding and the snow created a third white.      Snow quickly becomes a dirty white with age and light can also effect snow  making it appear blue at times.   This is a good time of year to look closely at this color.

This is the second snow with more than 4 “ so I snow dyed again this morning.IMG_2335   This shot of the pot makes it look like it is red and black- but the dark color is labeled navy blue……. only time will tell what I get.   IMG_2322This shot is of the first snow dye that I did two weeks ago with yellow and blue.       I have been home a lot between events the last two weeks  and I have worked away in the studio.    There is a lot  to show for that effort.

Progress Report: Rain Puddle  This work is 18” X 24”  stretched.    It is a rework piece.   Rock 19I started with this Mossy Rock  that I created in my   Foundations   series.  I did  27 of those and very few are of any interest to anyone but me.   So in recalling what my good friend Ethel said “Carol,  you make good backgrounds”  I thought what a better background then  a rock for a puddle.     So I looked at puddles on my walks and noted how they appeared to darken the leaves and thought I could use organza and nylon net to create that depth.   IMG_2357I also noticed how the oak leaves were all so uniformly cream and brown so I used them as my  subjects for this work.IMG_2358

 

Daily Practice V  This work is also  18” X 24” .       It takes about 7 weeks for me to complete one of these works.   IMG_2353   I enjoy all the hand work that is a part of the process.IMG_2351   This one also used  a great hand dyed that I did last year with a piece of upholstery  fabric that Regina gave me.      This is the last one this series as I have a new challenge to do for my daily work that involves a lot of hand work.

 

Scrap Happy   This is a queen sized quilt that I  created for my granddaughter Alexis for Christmas.    It is made from the box of scraps from Ethel. This is the fifth one using up her scraps.Many of the little units were created by her.

 IMG_2362Southern Crows    I am to the quilting stage on this work now .      I am doing reflective work  around the bird square and   just building around the squares out side of that.

Butterfly Wing   This work is nearly done and I really like some parts of this experiment.   Others – not so much.   I may just cut this up and use sections separately as it is a bit much all together.IMG_2347    Little areas work so much better.

 

 

Earth – Waterfall   This work is building up.   IMG_2323I built this tree( on the left)  and then added foliage to create the crown.       I am ready to build up the stones and add the water now.

Noogoora Pods I just finished quilting stitch in the ditch on this piece.   I am now ready to build the steams and add the pods to the surface.    Hopefully it will not need additional quilting after that point.

Felts 1   I am building backgrounds for the machine drawn birds that I have been creating.       This is an early stage  but a start

Felt- 2 IMG_2338  Because I have to give up part of my desk when I use the felting machine I like to build more than one background at a time.   This is the second and it is even rougher than  the first.

IMG_2340Felt-3   This one is hardly tacked at all.  I have only layer in the base and will build color over the top before I do much felting on this one.

Creative Assistants  IMG_2364  I have watched some sports on TV lately so I am creating little faces on my assistants.   I just packed away 30 of them that were totally done on Tue  and did not pull them out for a photo.

IMG_2336Totem – Fox   The Sisterhood of the Scissors has a challenge.   It is to create ones totem and this is my enlarged sketch for that project.   I plan not to use the traditional color scheme, but  limit it  none the less.

Label Cards: Marriage  As a part of my thinking about what I  was thankful for over the last holiday I realized how very important my marriage is to me.    So I made this card.

Saving.   At the other end of what is happening is all the pressure to Shop!   Black Friday , Small  Business Saturdays,   Cyber Monday…….. and for what?   Do we really need more things?    I going to give experiences, Theater tickets, and trips to the Zoo.   That way I can save MEMORIEs instead of spend money of things that really do not matter.

Keep Creating,

Carol

Cedar Wax Wings, Daily Practice, Diva Meetings, Finger Lakes Fiber Artists, QBL- Quilting By the Lake, Re Work

Busy Week

 

Hello,

This week was full of fiber art  meetings.     Saturday was the   FLFA meeting at the Schweinfurth.

IMG_2189Pat  shared her latest work with us at the Finger Lakes Fiber Artist meeting on Sat.     She hand dyed all the fabric  in this work.  There where lots of folks present  as we had to cancel the Sept meeting.   These works are by Joyce.   She really puts a lot of motion in her work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marcia shared this dynamic  piece with us.   She creates movement in a different way.

IMG_2196  Bev is working in a much quieter pallet than Pat and Marcia.   I like the irregular   bottom edge too.

IMG_2197Sharon had a whole pile of little works that she is going to sell at the 12X12 show at the Broad Street Gallery in Hamilton.   This one was my favorite.

Angela is still exploring with Polynesian  tapa cloth  symbols.   She made the screens and printed all of these by hand. IMG_2201 Julia is exploring in a new direction too.   I really like the text like shapes she is using.   IMG_2202Liz went off to the  Barn and took a class with Clair Bends and this is just one of the dye pieces that she created.   He is fun.

The QuEG’s also meant this week.   Liz shared these three pieces again from    Clair’s class.

Corrinenes BookCorinne had been to the Red Thread workshop and shared this wonderful book that she made.  It is full of different types of experimenting that they did.  This photo shows work with a copper plate and  a Gellie plate print.

Sue ellen's catsSue Ellen made a top using a cool Cat Pannell that she had purchased.     She is planning on giving it to the service project at  Tow Path.    I think that is very kind of her.

After four I went  south with Noel to go to the Diva meeting.    Cindy shared this beautiful work with us.

Diva meeting  This quilt will be a part of the Diva show  Earth Song,  at the Unitarian Church in Ithaca  from Nov 30 to Jan 10.

It has been a full week and I am excited about moving forward.

 

Progress Report:  Cedar Wax Wings   This work is 12” X 12”.  It is my entry for the Off the Wall Show/Sale for Associated Artist in the Manlius Library.  It opens on  Sunday.  IMG_2226   I am so enjoying doing thread painting that I can add on top of the felt.IMG_2227

Black Capped Chickadee  n the same vain as the Cedar Wax Wings,  I am doing a Chickadee.IMG_2213I built this background in felt.   I drew my birds and I have just started to do the free motion work here.IMG_2215

 IMG_2209Consider  This is   a rework of an old quilt that I cut up and used as a base for some hand work.

 

 

Noogoora    I am doing the hand work on my seed heads  now.   The white side shows the  my out lines that I am attempting to stay within with my stitches.

IMG_2205Experiments:   I try to use the books and magazines I have on my shelves and this little experiment grew out of one of them. I had tried tacking yarn down on top of felt like suggested earlier.    This process is done under wash away and is suggested in …………..msdmf   I moved on.   I have a great photo close up of a butterfly wing showing all the little “scales” of color.       I wanted to try adding bits of color – fabric or yarn in little pieces to get this type of effect.   I thought that if I scattered the bits on felt- then might stick enough to remain on the surface until I could stitch them down.   That did not work.   But adding a bit of nylon netting over the top did.    Now I want to try that idea on a bigger scale.   IMG_2211  In the book Layers of Stitch by by Valerie Campbell-Harding and Maggie Gray in chapter 6 Cutting out the Patch talk about stitching on felt and cutting it away.   My mind jumped to the wash away and I built my net using that  instead.  ( I never could follow directions)      Not sure where any of these ideas will go, but I really am not to worried about that part.

 

 

  Rework- new  I decided I would take a second look at the old rock pieces.  I did them just for myself and some are a lot stronger than others.  I was talking with Liz about this and she suggested that I build a new ice piece over the rock surface.   I like that idea and I will try that as well.    I cut this piece so a near square piece so I can stretch it when I am done.    When I was on my walk I noticed how the leaves were floating in little pools  and I thought I could do that on the rocks too.  This is my first attempt.   IMG_2222I picked up some oak and Gingko leaves on that walk and IMG_2223I made stencils out of my tracings of the leaves.     I will add paint to some fabric using the stencils and add them on top of the rock.

Daily Practice   I just keep stitching away on this piece.     It is very calming work.

Keep Creating

Carol

Blue Jays, Collage, Daily Practice, Killdeer, Scrap Happy Quilts, Shows

Opening of Quilts=Art =Quilts

 

IMG_2159Hello

Color is filling the leaves of our area now.   Lots of gold and red around here.      This week has been a full one for me.   The QAQ show opened on Sat at the Schweinfurth and I got to see my quilt in all its glory.   IMG_2133Julia was one of the folks in this show too.   She also came to the opening.   I made a connection with a quilter from California- Viviana Lombrozo .   Her work was in the same gallery as mine and we went to the banquet together  and had a grand time talking and sharing ideas.  Then we meant again at the Gallery Walk About on Sunday afternoon.     I am still flying high from the experience.

Over this same weekend I was taking a class called Mindful Stitching Practice with Christine Mauersberger.   She is a great teacher with lots to share.IMG_2169   She gave us various prompts to stitch.  This is my piece from day one showing circles and my breath patterns.   IMG_2174We did responses to music and other prompts on Sat.    There were so many directions that I did not get to all of them.IMG_2172   This is my response to taking a walk with my thread.    There were 13 other gals in the class responding to her guidance too. Lots f different solution to all the different ideas that were offered up.          IMG_2141And down stairs they where doing Indigo dye work.    This is a shot of two of Regina’s pieces  from that class.      There was so much going on that I still have not processes it all.

Progress Report: Blue Jays I finally got going on the 12”X12” pieces for the next show at the Broad Street Gallery in Hamilton.      The Blue Jays were fun to do  and putting on the stretch felt really was enjoyable too.IMG_2183I think I will do more jays a s they are so active in this area. IMG_2184

 

Killdeer     This too will be part of the Broad Street Gallery show.   Their distinctive calls have made these birds a long time favorite of mine.IMG_2179

 

 

Cedar Wax Wings IMG_2165 I have three of these little fellows done now and I will build a background to use them on next.  I enjoy the thread painting and I have ideas for some butterflies as well as more weeds too.

Daily Practice  IMG_2168I am doing the button whole stitch alone the chain work now and I am about half way done with that process.

IMG_2185New work- Noogoora/cocklebur  This shot shows the fusible inner facing that is on the back of the fabric to make it more stable  for hand stitching .   I can also draw the shape of the prickly seed heads on the back so I can see what shape I am going for with the stitching.   The seed is enlarged about 500 times .         I hope this works.

New WorkIMG_2161I am auditioning fabrics for my next piece.  It is to be an earth piece  in the elements series.    I am trying to decide if I will build on browns greens or grays.

Label card- Include All   In this time of conflict I wanted to think beyond the division and remind us all that there is only one world and we need to be inclusive not exclusive  with it!

Keep Creating

Carol