Category Archives: Whip Shock Hill #2

Diva Meetings, Label Blocks, Name Game, Patti, Running Red, Whip Shock Hill #2

Spring Effects

 

Spring flowers  Hello,

I will admit that the weather and the sight of spring flowers does effect me.    I have been on real “start new” push of late.  I have also been a little upset with one of my pieces- but more on that later.  This week was the Diva Alice's Pellicansmeeting and I was very excited as I have not been to one sense Oct.  The winter has been a bad one and it really kept me home.     But before the meeting  Cheri, Noel and I went to see Alice’s show of her  accordion fabric books in down town Ithaca.  They looked wonderful on the walls.  There were several I had never seen and so I am glad we made the effort to go and check the show out.          There was  lots and lots of new work at the Diva meeting too .IMG_3451Alice is getting ready for the Spring Art Trail and so she had this pillow among other things to share.    This one along with several others that will be for sale on the trail.Lorries work

One of the things that Lorrie does, is deep layered hand work and this is the one she is currently working on.    She builds so many stitches on top of organza and other fabrics to create great depth.  A different sort of collage fabric effect.

CheriCheri is doing wonderful canvas work  were she starts with freezer paper masks and builds paint layers on top and then stitches by hand and machine on top.   The layering isIMG_3446_thumb.jpg amazing to me.   Like me, she always has many things going at the same time and this spider ( in progress) is and example of her  3-D work.   I had given her the fabric that she used for the legs and body and I think that is why she brought it along.  IMG_3444Liese did this soft “Island Garden “ as her entry for a garden completion.  The plants that she stitched are ones that could grow under the sea/ tide/ wet conditions of the area.   Quilting can expand your horizons in unusual ways. Anne

Anne had this specular work to share too.    I really enjoy how she cuts up her photo graphics  to use as strong jumping off points for her work.   I find this piece wonderful!

IMG_3449Noel showed us several works and among them were these two quilts for the Rainbow Challenge for the Tow Path Quilt Guild.  These two along with 22 others will be on display next week end at the guild show in  the Manilas  Library.    Ruth has finished her quiltIMG_3461_thumb.jpg about Kemo Treatment and it is wonderful.  I am sorry that my photo of the full work is not sharp enough to post- but this close up shows how powerful her stitching is.  She has such strong skills.

IMG_3464Then Wednesday, I went and spent the day playing at Batik  with my friend Ethel.   We had a grand time and I now have six new pieces that will be starting off places for more work.  She has  a wonderful IMG_3462piece on the pin wall and I took a shot of it too.  She uses her hand dyes so very well.   I have been watching this one develop over the course of this year.  She keeps moving the pieces about as she develops the idea.

IMG_3471Progress Report:  Whip Shock Hill II  This work has given me a mix of emotions this week.   I had worked so carefully on mimicking  the photo and I liked that portion of the work.   I am done with the stitch workDetail form Whit Shock II and all the textures are down.    But- it does not work for me at all!    So I roll it up on Friday and  decided to take it to the Diva meeting and ask for help.   I am so very glad I did! One can easily get  trapped in there own head and not “see” how to get out ad solve a problem.  When I put this work on the wall next to Whip Shock Hill I    the group could see it was not working too.  But they helped with an easy suggestion.  Flip the  new Full shot of Whit Shock Hillpiece and add it to the other side.     I love the results and I can now add the sleeve and complete the set.

IMG_3418New Start   All the frustration  I was feeling about Whip Shock Hill and the effects of spring pushed me to pull materials for a new work.  I think all of these fabrics play well together and will make a nice piece.   It will be my next project.

  New Start Running Red IMG_3419        I pulled these fabrics at the same time.     I created the red and white fabric in the Deconstructed  Screen Class last fall and I really wanted to use it so I IMG_3421started with that stack.   There is some silk kimono  and taffeta in this work too.   I think  the frustration I was feeling also effected me a bit so I wanted to do something that I felt sure about.   It is coming along nicely  now.

Name Game  III- PattiIMG_3415  This is how this work looks before I started to cut it up.    A little planning will help the next time I do this technique.     And that planning is in the size of the work.    I was so concerned with getting the letters to fit that I was not careful with the size of the base.     In the last two pieces I  stared with  22” squares  and made 5.5” squares when I cut up the two layers.    This time I  made the  base   24 “  and had to make 4.5” squares and I lost some of the image from each row because it did not cut down to even units.      One needs to make the mistakes to grow.    I then pinned the  blocks to the pin wallIMG_3424 And IMG_3425.jpgstated arranging them.  That step took a while and I took many photos of the many  layouts as I went along.   This is the one I settled on. Now I will join them and quilt them together.

Ribbon Work    This work isIMG_3466_thumb.jpg growing slowly.  This is a case were not having a per plan may get me in lots of trouble as I go forward.  I have been just adding one hour’s worth of work on at a time.   But at this point I have no feeling for were I need to go next.  So I am just looking at the work.

Label BolckLabel Block 3
The hand work goes on with  my evening TV work.

Keep Creating

Carol

Foundations Series, Heart of Gold, Label Blocks, Patti, Relaxed Energy, Scrap Happy Quilts, Vernal Equinox, Whip Shock Hill #2

Spring

 

Tree againt skyHello,

The trees are still bare, but the sun is shinning and I have spotted several Robins while I have been out of doors, and   I even ate my lunch out side today.   This shot not only shows the tree but is also shows an aspect of line.  A line can change its thickness as well as it’s direction.   The more I pay attention to lines the more I am aware of how vestal they are.   Lines can be used to express a wide array of emotions.    They can be sad, nervous , silly angry, graceful, calm, excited  and dancing to name a few.   Our culture  uses them  to communicate with words and images.      They are every were when one starts to look for them.

I made Easter Cards Easter cArdsone day this week.  I took a heavy card stock and on top of that I placed ribbons, yarn and plastic twist.  I kept the pallet limited to light spring like colors and  then stitched in many directions across the surface to attached the materials.  When I felt that the surface was  strong enough I cut out the egg shapes.  I added pipe cleaner ears and a pome-pome tail  to create little rabbits.  Then I glued them down to the cards were I had drawn some grass with a green marker.  I did leave some of the eggs as just eggs    and   glued them into nests so I had two different cards.  I had a good time and I hope  my friends enjoyed my spring fling.IMG_3414.jpg

Progress Report: Whip Shock Hill II   I am still working away on this piece.  I like adding all the texture to the surface of the work.  It makes for nice soft color changes is some areas.  I am sure I will complete this piece this week.

 

Scrap Happy  6 &7   Scarp Happy 6 The only thing I needed to do to complete this quilt this week was add the binding.  That takes me about an hour.  This one has center blocks that are all in grays and black and whites, with a few center blocks that have browns in them.

Scarp Happy 7

 

I also completed  Scarp Happy # 7.   This one  has deep red center blocks and gray center blocks.  The scale of the prints is much smaller than # 6 so it is not nearly as busy.

 

Vernal EquanoxVerna Equinox This is the newest piece using the Fabric Collage technique.    I am trying to add lots of different fabric textures along with the wrinkle and wad stuff that I have been working on.  This piece has cotton, valure, taffeta, silk, double knit,  organza,  grow grain ribbon,   and wide whale corduroy  in it.  The fabrics alone are lots of textures.   I hope I can make it work. Patti

Name Game  III – Patti   This shot shows the first  cut  from the brown and gray fabric.   The top image is the negative in brown and the bottom image is the positive in brown.   I have been very careful in my documentation of this process this time and I will put up a tutorial of the process this next week.  Hopefully I will be finished with the work too.

 

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Ribbon Work      I stared this new piece trying to play with the same ribbon application technique that  was on a piece of  red fabric that  Susan gave me.   Susan's scrap The process is slow and I cannot seem to work  with the closeness the example has– but I do like the effect.    My ribbon is much  wider then the example.  I am still trying to stay true to my New Years resolution of not purchasing any thing new so I will continue to work with the ribbons I have here.

heart of gold

 

 

Flags:    Heart of Gold     I am continuing on the  Susan’s   Flag Challenge.  This week I tackled the purple stencils.  Susan did  the rib cage that is on this work.  I  added more color with various fabric markers. The heart is a small bit of gold fabric that was remaindered from some other project as it was just pinned to the wall.

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DSC00693.jpg Flags:  Relaxed Energy    This is my purple stencil.  I selected this pose from Susan’s book because I was surprised that many of the exercises that the physical therapist gave me for my back are also Yoga poses.    I added a beautiful glittered nylon net that Susan had purchased in Mexico and given me as a part of this flag.    I was also thinking about negative space when I made the stencil and when I cut away some of the netting.

 

 

Label Blocks 1 &2    Blocks  I need to have a hand work project for my evenings.  So I stated doing these label blocks again.    I did my last label quilt in 1988.     Some of the labels I am using are left overs form those works.  But I will soon be using only current labels.  They are much harder to find now because many IMG_3411.jpglabels are printed on the fabric as apposed to added units.  If you have any you can send them my way.

Enjoy the days as they get longer and warmer.

Keep Creating ,

Carol

Flag Challenge, Lexi, Magic, Name Game, Spring Onion, Whip Shock Hill #2

Mud Puddle Luscious

ClownsHello,

My world is headed toward spring.  I heard and then saw   geese flying north yesterday on my walk.  Today it is raining and I am reminded of a line from an e e cummings poem were he described spring rain  as creating a world that is “ mud puddle luscious  and the goat footedNoel balloon man wanders far and wee” .   I will  not be walking today for that reason- too much mud in every direction.   This week has been as full  Saturday I went to a play day were all sorts of things were going on.  Noel and I worked on making puppet heads out of paper Mache’.   Some folks painted like Annie while  others sew  on Anniequilt projects and dolls.

 

 

 

 

 

At noon we had a little show and tellJune were June showed off this fun doll.  She was working on it the last time we got together.  I like the use of the antique wood block as the front of the body.   The hair is cool too.

 

 

 

 

 

Group quiltThis quilt is a group challenge project by the Modern Quilters.  Each person go the same colors and the background fabric.  They all made a row that they then assembled.   Marie showed us what she has started last time too from the online class she is taking called 100 Sheets of Cheep Paper.   This is one of the works she did.Marie's paintings

DSC00655The Social Art Club had a art  show this week and the work was  wonderful.  This piece is a fiber work by Kathleen  Simpson.     I  displayed my chickens as a part of the table decorations for that affair.    Chicken

 

 

 

 

I gave two quilts to my local Public TV Station this morning.  One was one of those  Scrap Happy Golden Weedsthat I  have been working on sense January and the second was      Golden Weeds.  I will be watching the auction and hoping to see the sales of both works.

 

 

This is also the time of year that

Quilt Surface Design Association  calls for donations for their auction so I did a work for that too. DSC00659.jpg

This work is a small 12″ X 12 “.   Easy Flow is ready in the box for shipping and I will go to the post tomorrow and send it off.

Name GameII - Lexi Progress Report: Name Game  II – Lexi,     For this quilt  I used my Grand Daughter’s nick name  as my starting point.  I used the same sew and cut method that I employed last week with Carol.  The big change this time was that Close up 1 lexibackground fabric was a plaid taffeta and that added a different design problem.     I did the quilting on the background just like before with silver thread.      This time I also made the work bigger  before I cut it into blocks.   As a result I have  squares that I did not use for Close up 2this quilt so there may be a smaller one later. I want  to try this type of construction  one more time  so I can try for a writing text instead of a printed letter form.

 

Whip Shock Hill II    This workWhip Shock Hill cl 1 is to be a partner with the first Whip Shock Hill and is based on a second shot of the same rock face just further north.   This images is a close up as I do not think the full work is very interesting at this point.

 

Susan’s Flag Challenge: Spring Onion   Susan and I both have  a DSC00664.jpgdozen flags with the same images on them.  How we choose to finish the works will be a fun comparison study when we get together again in June.   There is crayon drawing on this work and some beads were added to represent soil under the plants.   I learned that one can not add stamped letters over a seam and get a smooth image with this project.   The word onion had to be stamped on  a second cloth and added on top.   Experimenting with new materials and methods is one of the goals of this challenge.   The stamped letters on fabric  is a new thing for me.

MagicFlag Challenge-   Magic   This flag uses my stencil of hands .   I added the crayon drawing of the  swirls and stars then pressed the fabric.  I then washed the whole thing in the blue.     My test this time was done with magic marker.

DSC00656 New work    This work is the next one in the fabric collage series .  There is not a stitch on this one yet- just lots and lots of pins.  It will morph and change as the stitching  and addition of ribbon, yarn and paper goes forward.    I look forward to working on this one.

Keep Creating

Carol

Canyon de Chilly, Carol, Flag Challenge, Hand work, Lexi, Memory Map Quilts, Nail Castings, Name Game Quilts, Whip Shock Hill #2

Warming up

IMG_2696.jpg  Hello,

We are starting to see the melting of the snow  around here.  It is beautiful in its own way.  But it can become very dirty and discolored before its gone.    With the longer days I find myself spending more time cleaning and sorting.  I seem to have the  clutter rule  of  “ One   thing in one thing out” well under control in my closet and dresser drawers.   But that is not the case in my studio.     I have piles of stuff all around and I need to do some serious culling.   I know that a clean and clear space helps one get going on the creative work and I do love to walk into that sort of setting.  But I have been traveling and working with IMG_2701_thumb.jpgothers so much of late, that I have let the materials pile as I rush from one play date to another.    I have done a good job a voiding going out and spending money on new supplies and materials however.   I have kept my spending sense January at less then $35.   Not bad for two and a half month I think.  But   it is the gifting of stuff from those friends that is getting me into trouble.      I did spent yesterday with my friend Ethel doing screen dye printing.   It was great to play with the rich colors.  Now I have all the rinsing andIMG_2699_thumb.jpg washing to do today.  She also gave me a couple of yards of white duck…… I am hopeless!

I did work a little on the  Challenge Project Susan and I started in   Florida.  I added a blue wash to this piece and think I have decided on the text that I want to add.  I can  already see that the word part of this challenge will be the most difficult for me.    I plan to add some beads tomorrow when I go to see my friends at Turquoise Street studio.

IMG_2706.jpgProgress Report:  Nail Castings   This project started as a  result of  finding the white  plastic units that hold nails in electronic nail guns.  I was fascinated by the shapesIMG_2710_thumb.jpg of the things.  I have enjoyed working away  with thread out of Grandmother Ruth’s needle  basket  and exploring differentIMG_2711types of stitches.

Name Game 1-Carol IMG_2713.jpg Now I know I say that words are not my strong suit- but I do love the shapes of letters and the spaces around them.    To build this top I first printedClose up of Name game out my name in very large letters.  22″ tall  and 22” wide in fact.  Then I stitched around the letters and cut away the negative space.  I stitched the negative spaces shapes to a second pieces of light blue that was also 22” X  22”.    I found that the letters them selves  created  units of the turquoise  that were too big. So I cut just inside the stitch lines close up 2and  then added those new shapes to the negative space piece on the second fabric.  Next I cut both pieces of fabric into 5.5”  squares and began playing with the blocks.  Some I turned side ways or even upside down, always paying attention to the relationships of one square to the ones next to it.   This play part took me a long time and several days.   When I was happy with it I sewed the blocks together.  This is such a fun and challenging design project I started a second as soon as I had the top  all assembled.

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Name Game II – Lexi    This  second   top went a lot faster as I knew were I thought I was going.  I made this one more complex by using a plaid taffeta for the background fabric.     I also made more blocks and will not use all of them in this project.    I think this will create a stronger piece in the end.   In this shot some of the blocks are sewn to one  another.  

Memory Map- Canyon de Chilly  cose up of spider woman I added the Spider Women’s Towers to this project.  I really enjoy working on these Memory Map projects, but they as all very slow in there development.    The ruins are  also attached now too.IMG_2705I am still trying to decide what other elements I want to add to the work.

Whip Shock Hill II      I wantclose up of Wip shock hill  to enter a show where one needs two quilts that relate to one another.    I have been thinking about how much I enjoyed the work on Whip Shock Hill.  The first project shows less then half of the hill so I though I would use this challenge to do the second half.    This is just the roughed out

Whipshock Hill Foundations XXI 44" X 35"
Whipshock Hill Foundations XXI
44″ X 35″

stage.   But I do not think I have shown this step before when it comes to these type of  collage projects that I do.   The base  fabric is only pinned to the buckrum at this point and no stitching has been applied.   This second shot is of the first piece.

I am keeping myself busy as the Spring season gets going.

Keep Creating,

Carol