Category Archives: Fish

Applique, Cut/ Print, Fish, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Rough Cut, Scissors, Uncategorized

Working Away

October 3, 2024 admin

Hello,

Mother Nature is starting to paint our trees with color around where. I love the daily changes even though I know that raking will soon be a big part of my days.

It has been a very quiet week for me with only the Textile Talk yesterday and the Pixie meeting.

Tomorrow I depart for a five day quilt retreat so I have put a lot of time into preparing for that event.

Progress Report: Rough Cut This work is 40″ w X 37.5″ t. All the scissors are cut form wool this time.

Some have frayed out more than others. And several just felted when I washed them.

Tropical Floor This work is 27.5″w X 21″t. I sure had a good time building this project. The fish are all free motion thread drawings on roving done with neon threads.

I am sure I will do even more of this work in the future.

Lap # 4 I now have four of these done. I want to do a couple more before I drop them off at a nursing home. These are always play events for me.

Lap #5 Yesterday I pinned out out these blocks as starting points for the next lap project.

Drawing Now that Susan has reminded me how much I like to draw I am trying to put that idea back into my routine.

Line Shirt I saw a shirt for $179.0 in a catalogue this week and I love it. But not the price. So I decided to try something similar myself. I had also come across a new technique were on stitched across a squire to give the stitch some texture. So I am trying that on this project too.

Cut and Print I took the Gelli Prints form last week and printed scissors on top . Angela suggested that one could make stencils with Tyvek, so I tried that too. I was trying to work out a new Scissors project -but the print that is pinned to the left just dose not work for me. At m\least not with the prints. So I will try to work the piece out at the retreat.

Roundies I realized I had not done any hand applique in a while , so got busy and tried my hand at a little of it. I am pleased with these little guys. I will keep playing until I run out of gas on this one.

Enjoy the changing season and keep Creating

Carol

Applique, Drawing, Fish, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Rough Cut, Scissors, Scrap Happy Quilts

Cooler Days

September 26, 2024 admin

Hello,

I am experiencing the cooler days and nights that come with fall. It is raining here today too, so all I want to do is cruel up with a book.

It has been a quiet week. Victoria, Liz and I did go to Angelia’s house a play in her studio one day. We were doing a second day of Gelli Plate printing fun. She showed us how she printed these colorful cards.

I spent the time printing on fabric for a new Scissors quilt.

I did the Textile Talk this week and Zoomed with the Pixies too.

Progress Report: Scrap Happy I finished this queen sized quilt for my daughter this week. I still have enough squares to make a second so I did the row line up work for that and I am working on a new backing.

Rough Cut I am quilting away on this scissors piece now . The wool is fraying out like I had hoped too. I m sure I will finish it soon.

Tropical Floor I can see the end of this project too. I sure enjoyed doing the bead work here. The piece has lots of textures that I love.

Lap #4 series 2 I cut the 2.5″ and 4.5″ filler strips yesterday . I will sew them together and then begin the building of this project.

Drawings I did a drawing of my last Geranium blossoms this week . I hope I can keep it going over the winter tis year.

Sometimes it is difficult to stop drawing when I get started.

Keep Creating

Carol

Drawing, Finger Lakes Fiber Artists, Fish, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Rough Cut, Scissors, Scrap Happy Quilts, Stretched Works

Sky Light

September 19, 2024 admin

Hello,

We have a sky light in our bathroom and this morning when I was there , I saw a squirrel on top of the space. He stopped to check his front paw and I admired at his soft white fur in contrast with his black feet. He did not stay long and my eye then moved to the branches of the oak above. It has grown from a small finger sized twig that we planted over thirty years ago to a wonderful tall full tree that nearly crossed that sky light that in near the center of the back of the house. That thought lead me to think of the many trees that we have planted in our yard over our long lives here. We have so many now that a vegetable garden is impossible. I did have one in the back for many years and the tomatoes were so plentiful, I had to give them away to the neighbors. Over time I have traded that for hours of shade and lots of raking. I love the trees so I would not trade any of them and the squirrel that they attract.

Last Saturday was the Flinger Lakes Fiber Artist meeting and although we were a small group, folks had lots to share.

Victoria has finished her box project and it is wonderful.

Anne is still working with her challenge piece, and making progress.

Maureen dusted off her watercolor paintings shills .

And because it was there I had to take a third look at the wonderful show at the Schweinfurth. It is so powerful!

There was the opening of the Assiated Artist show on Sunday and I was handed a nice prized along with the promise of s solo show in June.

Sharon, Victoria and I meant to do some planning for the La Moyne show in Jan . Sharon is working on this piece to be a part of that event.

The Sisterhood of the Scissors and the Pixies had on line meetings as well.

Progress Report: Stream Bed This piece is 24″ wild X 20″ t. I finally decided what way was up on this piece and added the wire to the back. I sure enjoy ding these hand pieces and I pulled out the stuff to start another this morning.

These works really play to my strong interest in textures.

Rough Cut I have moved on to the next scissors project. I sure hope the wool frays a lot when I wash it so there is even more texture here.

Tropical Floor I did the free motion drawing on the roving and Angelina to create the fish and stitched them down. The sea weed is made from some of the dyed wipes I did earlier this year.

Scrap Happy I am doing the hand stitching on the binding of this work now. I am sure I will finish it this week.

Lap quilt I got this work all assembled this week and I am working on the quilting here.

Drawing I did this with ball point pen, my favorite tool. Susan of the Pixies challenged us to draw plants. Not sure what I will try next.

Take good care of yourself.

Carol

FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Fish, Hand work, Nine Play, Pixies Group, Plants, SAQA

Spring Closing

June 13, 2024 admin

Hello,

We have slipped into a real summer like feel here in central NY, even though summer does not officially begin until next week. Most of the early flowers are gone and the spring ones that are still around are looking a bit shabby. The seasons move so very quickly. We have moved our walks to early morning as it is cooler too. The beginning of the walk course is were the hills are and at the middle we start down. Then this last stretch is about 14 blocks on mostly level ground. I always fins it a great meditative time.

I had three events this week. The FAD gals meant on Monday and Sharon shared her completed blossom work. I have enjoyed watching this one grow.

I made it to the SAQA lecture on Wed and there was a Pixie meeting too.

Progress Report: Stamps I finally got going on cutting the new stamps this week. Now to do some printing.

Lavender Level I made lots of progress on this little sea piece. I am using lots of the free motion and wool roving techniques from my class last summer.

Flower Garden I built some additional thread work to make more flowers.

This is picture shows the roving before I do the thread work to hold it all together. This will become some sun flowers- I hope. The base is built so making the actual garden will be gin soon.

Dragon Fly I continue to work on this hand project in the evenings. It is progressing slowly.

Pillows I was doing some more spring cleaning and found a few unfinished pieces so I decided to complete them. I have now made two into pillow cases. I will stuff them and then sew them up.

Asha”s quilt I am all ready to quilt this project. The heart print around the out side is polar fleece that will be a the back of this work.

Nine by Nine by Nine This top of 81 little one inch squares in neutral colors will be the base for some free motion portrait work I want to do. I was inspired by the Genesee Valley Quilt show for this project.

I hope you are enjoying the pleasant days and nights.

Keep Creating

Carol

Collage, Color Study, Drawing, Felt Work, Fish, Hand work, Pixies Group, Raw Edge Applique, Split Compliments, Uncategorized

Beginning Fall

September 8, 2023 admin

Hello,

The moon was full last week and already it is waning to less then half- the time is flying. Because I spent 32 years of my life teaching School and fifteen years before that attending school, I always see Labor Day as the start of fall and new beginnings. My life is full of everchanging patters as are most folks.

It has been a busy week for me starting with the opening of the Members’ show at the Schweinfurth last Friday evening. It was glorious and full of the work of many friends.

The Quilt Divas were well represented with this work by Thresa as a starter.

Mary presented one of her African pieces.

My old fellow art teacher, Carol, entered one of her metal sculptures. I love the shadows here too.

Victoria showed a wonderful new conglomerate sculptures . She always dose such delicate work.

Liz was proud of her quilt too and was asked to explain her process by a passing visitor.

There was also a Diva meeting this week were Barb shared her hand dyed pieces from QBL.

Alice showed off her newest quilt too.

I am at week three of the Joyful Embroidery Class. We were introduced to the teachers favorite stitches this week. Because I like to work big I did two a samplers along with the class.

The pixies also got together on Zoom this week. They all survived the hurricane with mostly downed frons and small branches. The storm came a shore north of them. This is my newest collage with a Katydid as my insect. We seem to be staying with the insect thee for a while longer.

Progress Report: Earth Works I think I am done with this work, but I can’t decide what way is up so I can’t add a sleeve. I did tap Sharon’s brain as to how to get a good frayed edge on the piece, but I had already done the quilting so I could not use her method. But it is good to know there is more than one way to do it.

The blue lines on top are adapted from the tangle of power cords on the floor of my class room at QBL.

Ethel Scrap I came across the box full of scraps that Ethel had started. I think most of the strips she originally cut have be incorporated by now and I am working with mostly my own narrow units, but I have decided to push forward and complete several more bed quilts with her stuff. These are the Mini squares that I completed this week.

Felted project I started working on the top layer of this project this week. First I made some thread painted/roving fish in the method we explored in Amanda’s class at QBL. ( the little blue ones at the bottom) After cutting them out, I cut some bigger ones from some of the metallic fabric that Noel gave me. I am so lucky to have such generous friends. Then I made the sea weed from some metallic yarn in the stash. It is ready for some stitch down and additions I think.

New Split Compliment Marty kindly gave me the beautiful red yellow fabric I was looking for to start this last of the Split Compliment projects. I though I would try some additional shapes with it too. In the past I have used the precut curves as my start, but there were none of them among the colors I am using this time.

Linen Shirt I am still working away on adding handwork to this shirt. It got lost and the time to wear it is almost over. So I am pushing forward on the area around the neck.

Handwork I listed to the SAQA lecture on Wed and worked on finishing up this bit of hand work at that time.

As the days grow shorter and the weather cools I am sure I will put in more time on my art.

Keep Creating

Carol

Annalise, Blue Monday, Creative Strength Training, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Finger Lakes Fiber Artist Group, Meandering Mind- Examine, Pixies Group, Sea Dreams

Dec 16, 2022

December 16, 2022 admin

Hello,

I am deep into the holiday season now. I have packages under the tree and dates almost every day with various friends and groups. Saturday was the Finger Lakes Fiber Artists group meeting. There were only nine of us but we had a good time. Pat Pauly showed us her newest Creations.

Maureen is doing lots of printing.

Joyce has finished up her forest doll series. Cute solution.

Ann is having fun mixing charts with this work.

Susan took a drawing class and shared her work too.

The last Creative Strength Slow Stitch group meeting was this week too. I will miss those gals. I enjoyed our little challenges. This is my last 6″ challenge. I have set ups to do two more to fill the book. There was also a FAD meeting and Pixies too. Mix all that in with a few parties and such and that has been my life of late. I do enjoy all the movement of the season.

Progress Report: Explore This work is 32″ X 37″ and the second in the complementarity/tint and shade self challenge.

I am enjoying mixing machine and hand work with this group.

Sea Dreams I have been working hard on this one this week and now need to add eyes to the fish and do the binding. I am sure I will finish it quickly. Working with the taffeta has added to my holiday spirit too.

Forbidden Fruit I seem to be moving very slowly with this project. there are lots of decisions to be made along the way here.

Blue Monday Finished this hand work piece this yesterday. I did take three Witches off to the framer yesterday too. It will be a Christmas gift for my husband as he likes Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”

Stay safe and enjoy the season.

Keep Creating

Carol

Creative Assistants, Creative Strength Training, Explore, Fish, Hand work, Sea Dreams

Busy Times

December 9, 2022 admin

Hello,

The season of rushing around is here. It seems like I spend all my time at luncheons and gatherings. I do enjoy it however. I went the Open Studios in Rochester with Noel on Friday. We were impressed with lots of work and visited Pat Pauley studio and had a wonderful time.

On Sunday I went off to the Schweinfurth and went to the Trunk talk with Daisy Aschehoug. She is part of the Modern Quilt movement and has a work in the show. The talk was strong and we enjoyed it.

Then on Tue, Liz and I went off to visit with our good friend Angela. We ate Christmas Cookies and got to see her new studio.

Associated Artists had their Christmas luncheon this week as well. As a result of all the running around I did not get a lot done in the studio, but I am enjoying the season.

Progress Report: Examine I am to the handwork step with this project now. All the quilting is done and I will add binding later.

Forbidden Fruit I am still building on this project. I am enjoying the slipping in the slender lines of metallic fabric.

Sun Shine- Slow Stitch This is the last little project for the Slow Stitch sub group of Creative Strength Training. I have enjoyed the little challenges and will miss the folks, but I think I will not join this program a second year at this time.

Sea Dreams I put a lot of time in on this project this week. I built the back and added the sea weed to that unit. All three of these fish got water marked satin inserted into them. I have cut four more fish in a different paid that I want to add to the mix.

Creative Assistants I spent time watching basketball and football games this week too so I did a little hand work to finish up that step of these fellows.

Handwork I am working away on this piece of handwork when I am at zoom meetings. It is fun to keep my hands busy.

I hope that everyone is enjoying the wonders of the season.

Keep Crating

Carol

Blue and Gray, Creative Assistants, Creative Strength Training, Machine Drawing, Meandering Mind- Examine, Poem Tree, Sea Dreams, Three Witches

New Month

December 1, 2022 admin 1 Comment

Hello,

I hope you all enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday. We had the whole family for the feast, enjoyed each others company and ate too much. My Husband and I had the last last of the turkey leftovers yesterday.

At this time of year my only meeting was with the Creative Strength Training group. I did the suggested assignment of six little works for abstract and here is my result.

The class is drawing to a close and I am working to finish up the work for the Slow Stitch sub group too. I did one more little work using paper this time. The photos is of my mom who passed away 11 years ago now.

Then for my final 3D project I bound the hand work projects into this book.

Progress Report: Poem Tree This work is 39″ X 38″. I started it at the Schewinfurth Retreat in early November and finished it on the 30th. There is lots of free motion machine drawing in the leaves and flowers.

I machine wrote all the words to the poem by Joyce Kilmer around the out side of the the tree .

Meandering Mind Series -Examine This work is all most done as I only need to finish tacking down the binding on ones side so I am calling it complete for this week. I need to do the pressing too so it is flat. I am now doing the quilting on Explore.

Hands I have been working away on this now that I have lots of shots of hands to work on. I took most of the photos at the same retreat and it was good to have lots of subjects. I try to do the positive and negative of each set of hands on the same day.

Three Witches I think I am done with this work now. I will be taking it to the framer later this week I hope.

Blue and Gray I seem to always need a hand work project so I started this project. I am exploring using the Strait Stitch, Chain Stitch the Fly Stitch and French Knots together here to unify the leftover fused pieces from some old projects.

Forbidden Fruit It seems that I am fascinated by pomegranates again. So I started this piece yesterday at the end of the day and I can hardly wait to get back to it.

Sea Dreams I did think I was done with the fish theme and then I had this dream of Angel Fish and so I am off and running again. I am using this plaid that I was given by the daughter of a friend. Sally Fellows passed away in early Oct and I helped her daughter empty out the house.

Creative Assistants I have been watching lots of football so I have been making these little guy again. I always find it fun to see how they come together.

6X6 I know that there will be a call for the little 6X6″ squares for the Rochester Center in the up coming year so I started this one last week. It still needs a boarder.

Enjoy the season and keep creating,

Carol

Annalise, Creative Strength Training, Explore, Fish, Hand work, Koi Joy, Leaf Pile, Machine Drawing, Meandering Mind- Examine, Poem Tree, Sisterhood of the Scissors

Back to the Studio

November 18, 2022 admin

Hello,

I am glad to finally home for after a lot of activity. I am also delighted to say that the little Christmas Cactus cutting that Liz gave me in Aug is blooming. This fall has been a full and exciting time for me.

I went to the opening of the Quilts=Art=Quilts show on the 29 of Oct and it was a delightful show. I was just so happy to be in again and could not believe it when I won the Judges Choice Award for my piece Action. My friend Ellen won Best of show and friend

Pat Pauly won the Finger Lakes Fiber Artist award for Best Embellishment. I was floating on air all the way home and still can’t quite believe it.

There was a Diva meeting at the beginning of November and we added a new member to the group, Denise Cooperman. She is a feltier and I love what she dose.

Barbara also had some wonderful new stuff to share with us. She had a great sale as a part of the Ithaca Art Trail.

Then I went off to a five day Sisterhood of the Scissors retreat. The event the year before involved a lot of “give aways” of raw materials- yarn and beads. So this year we got finished work back. I gave folks cowls and Ann gave us neck scarves. There were also necklaces. We did show and tell as well as lots of work.

Joyce made all three of these dolls and the basket during our time there. She takes the prize for being the most productive.

Ann did hand work all five days and made great progress on this beautiful landscape. I worked on the next three tops of the Meandering Mind Series.

Marcia created a new jacket form some of her Perilla fabric.

Then last weekend I went off to a three day Fall Retreat at the Schweinfurth Art Center. It is such a fun and stimulating event for all of us. Most of the same folks were there again.

Ann had been inspired by what I was doing at the Sisterhood Retreat so she tried it. This is her start.

Sharon was working away on a piece from one of her photos from her late summer trip to Montana.

I think is it a strong piece and I love the high contrast. We sure had fun and I made progress too.

Progress Report: Koi Joy This work is 39″ w X 43.5″ t. This is the last of the koi series I think. I have enjoyed doing them and playing with the metallic fabrics sure has been a learning experience.

They tend to fray out very quickly and I had to do fray check along many edges . There is leather behind the button eyes.

Leaf Pile I am working away on this project and being away from it has helped me see that it needs more color contrast to really build a center of interest. Perhaps a yellow leaf instead of the red one that I have pinned there now. It’s value is too close to the greens.

Meandering Mind Series -Examine This is one of the three tops that I created at the Sisterhood Retreat. With this phase of the series I am using tints and shades of the complementary colors without any naturals. I pin based all three of them this week and I am now ready to quilt away.

Meandering Mind Series -Annalise This is a second exploration in this series using the Orange /Blue commentary combination.

Meandering Mind Series- Explore And this is the third. I am having fun using solids in this new construction method. I also have another idea for several more exploitations along this line.

Three Witches I have started to add a branch to the background of this work while I think through how I want to complete it.

Play I was not ready to quilt on the Meandering Mind series last week so I looked again at the Paula Kovarik work from last summer. One of her challenges was to cut up an old work and reassemble it. I played at that idea for an afternoon. Great fun.

I also took four of her exercise and put them together to create some new pillows.

Poem Tree This is one of the works I started at the Fall Retreat. I was still feeling connected to the free motion work for Paula’s class and this thought came to mind. I am liking how it is coming along so far.

New Hands At both retreats I took lots of photos of people’s hands to start a new work like the Action project. It is a different type of challenge as the bigger format creates a new way of thinking. I have already learned that open hands read a lot better in black and white then closed ones.

Susan’s Doll The emphasis last month for Creative Strength Training was form so I used that idea as my push to finish off this doll that Susan started .

I am looking forward to getting back into a studio work routine that will help me move forward through the holidays.

Keep Creating,

Carol

Creative Strength Training, Curvie Cuts, Deconstruction, Idaho, Koi Joy, Maneuver Series, Sisterhood of the Scissors

Home Again

October 28, 2022 admin

Hello,

I am back in Syracuse after my wonderful adventure with Marty from Sandpoint Idaho home.

I stayed in this wonderful tower room in her son’s house and enjoyed their company before our dive began.

We drove south along the Wind River range the first day. I love how the trees are so distorted by the wind .

Then up into Tetons to look at the park. Both Jenny Lake and Jackson Lake were as smooth as glass and reflected the Mountains beautifully. I was a little distressed to see the low water level marks as global warming shows it impact on the planet.

We crossed the continental divide and stopped to enjoy the view east across the up coming great plains.

We drove across Montana and Nebraska and noted the changes in vegetation. We did see a Bald Eagle, Buffalo and lots of Prong Horn Antilope among the sage brush. Crossing Indiana, we stopped at Nappanee at a Dairy Queen for ice cream and enjoyed the sights . Inside were a group of older Amish women all dressed in blacks and browns with little white hats. The weather was so beautiful we went out side to eat on the patio were we came across some teenagers, also Amish. Three girls in pastel dresses were seated at one table and three boys in pastel shirts and brown pants at another. The women left the Dairy Queen and got into a dark car and drove away. A little later as we ate our ice cream the teens also departed. One girl got on her bike and peddled west. Then two boys got on their bikes and went east. The third boy also on a bike crossed the high way and went north. Then the last two girls got into the buggy and went east. Marty and I finished and we too got into the her car and went east. We did not see the kids again.

We notice that as we went east it seemed like there were lots of beautiful trees with lots of color in Ohio and Pennsylvania. New York also had color. But what we noticed most in New York was the large number of gray and silver cars we saw.

Progress report: Koi in the Kelp This work is 39″w X 35″ t. I enjoyed adding all the button eyes and sequins to the surface to embellish this work.

Koi Joy I started this work with a curvy cut system that I enjoy as a background.

Deconstruct ( Maneuver series)

This top is all assembled now and I am thinking about how I want to quilt it.

Maneuver Series- New

I now am deciding if I want to do blue and orange tints and shades next or red and green.

I think now I will take both sets of colors with me on the Sisterhood Retreat next week and work on them.

Book For Creative Strength Training the element is form. So in the Slow Stitch group it was suggested that we might make a book as our 3-D example. The inside pages are made with interfacing and I have mounted some of my 6″ blocks on some of the pages.