Category Archives: Label Blocks

Along the Shore, Blue Stone, Collage Based Work, Diva Meetings, Ice on Vincent, Label Blocks, Lion King- Cherrywood Challenge, Machine Drawing, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Wine and Cheese

May Days

May 5, 2016 admin

Hello,

This wonderful little blue flower filled in the neighbors front lawn and made me smile on my walk yesterday. They are so small only about a fourth on an inch across and so plentiful. I wore a smile for a long way down the street were it was refreshed several times as I came across several more mini fields of the little blue bundles.

I have had a full week with three days of Quilting Retreat at the Schweinfurth and the meetings of both QuIG’s and Divas. The retreat was great stimulation. It was good to see old friends and to see all that folks were doing. Norma was making hostess gifts. One of the five she did is in the background of this shot. Susan was quilting away at pieces that needed that to be completed. Great colors here.

Sally was piecing and assembling a one block wonder that was based on a fish print fabric. Watching her do the arranging of the blocks was wonderful because every time I looked up the work looked different.

Nancy G. did hand work on one of the row by row projects and this little quilt of NYC.

Linda L used the retreat to add boarders and based a big quilt of 110”x 110” that her sister had asked her to finish. She had to crawl around on the top of the tables to do all the basing in the center. The work is wonderfully complex and will look great on the bed when it is complete.

Victoria worked with the fabric she had created in Pat Paulie’s class in the fall. This shot is of one of the early layouts. She made lots of changes before the retreat was over. I love the bright colors.

Seated behind me was a gal named Janet W. She made her fist quilt at the retreat. I sure enjoyed working with her too. I think she is hooked.

Lots of wonderful things were going on at the QuIG’s meeting too. Both Linda and Angela were showing off pictures that are going to be inspirations for new work. Liz is still working away on the Splendid Simple Blocks project. Getting a new pattern every three of four days, is that is only a 8” block is very doable she says. She also is working away on big projects too. I just love this whole silk cloth work that she intends to start quilting soon.

Most of the Diva meeting went to talk about the up coming show that will open on June 3. Ruth did a great job with the post card.

Noel is doing service project quilts for the Tow Path guild. They are beautifully colored.

It is really great when folks bring works in progress. That is what Anne did. This is a Water quilt she shared with us . She asked for suggestions on how to quilt it. Now how she quilts chooses to do this will be interesting to see.

Lori also brought a project that is in an early stage. She has felted, fused and already added paint to the surface. All this before she begins to stitch on top. I am looking forward to watching it grow over time because I already love all the texture.

Progress Report: Ice on Vincent This quilt is in the stretching/flattening stage. I got help from Nancy Bales at the retreat on how to get it flat and now it is drying after a lot of steam ironing. Hopefully I will get a back on it this week.

Blue Stone I am still building up the surface with stitching on this work. I like this process,but it is very slow and tiring. Only about three more hours of work until I am done…… I think.

Along the Shore This is another of Ethel’s UFO’s I am completing. This is also my hand work project for the time being.

Wine and Cheese

I stared this project to relieve the pressure that all the free motion work on Ice and Blue Stone were creating in me this week. I did use a lot of the fabric that I had altered in this project. Most of the commercial orange is Ethel’s material.

Memory Map- Columbus Junction I did not do a lot of work on this project this week. I did add the spring flowers however. I like the Jack in the Pulpit the most. The Dutchman’s Britches are well shaped, but I wish they were a bit whiter. Perhaps I will add some paint to the surface.

Lion King –Cherrywood Challenge At the retreat I started this project. I had purchased the kit at the Chicago Quilt Festival when I was visiting with Sharron. First I did a little research and some drawing.

Then I stated building up the background. One of the limits on this challenge is to use only the Cherrywood fabrics. The pack was two shades of gold and dark brown fabric. Most of the piece is to be from these fabrics. The background is one of the gold’s. But it is not the full 20” that is required on a side, so I added the gray at the bottom.That is were I will put the masks when they are done. At the end of day one I did the loin’s body. I was tired and it was made backward. Fixing that was the first job of day two. I then made the main and stopped working on the project because I want to do the face with embroidery work. The whole thing is not due until July so I can take my time.

New Work Before I left home I had pulled out all my purples to do a new project using this collage as my starting point. It is early in the building of this work but I feel I am staying with the feel of it at this point.

Label Block # 50 I will take help were ever I can get it. The label at the top “ worker pant” is from my grandson.

Keep Creating

Carol

Blue Stone, Columbus Junction, Ice on Vincent, Label Blocks, Machine Drawing, Memory Map Quilts, One for Me, Two for You

Spring Changes

April 28, 2016 admin

Hello,

This week has been a quiet one with not a lot of activates. I have done a lot of work on the computer and getting ready for shows and such and put in alot of time in the studio. But beyond on that I have mostly enjoyed the rapid transformation that Mother Nature is doing to the plants. The grass is so much greener. As the leaves unfurl the long views of the neighborhood are cutting down. There is a wonderful feeling of being surrounded/ hugged by the natural world around me. Every day there are more buds opening and green things sprouting. I love it.

Progress Report: Two for You, One fore Me

I pulled out this work started by Ethel and worked away on it this week. The two trees; center and right were created by Ethel and I added the one on the left for balance. They were all bare trees at the beginning of the week and as the outside world added foliage so too did I.

Ice on Vincent I put in a lot of time on this work this week. Thread painting is a very slow process but I so like how it looks. It is another form of texture to me. I only started adding the ice yesterday. Fortunately I have several types of organza to build with so I can make the surface look similar to the photo I am working from.

Blue Stone This work also involves lots of thread work so it too is still in the building stage. Again I am adding lots of ribbon, nylon netting, organza and thread texture to the surface of the piece.

Memory Map: Columbus Junction This work also got attention this week. It is also a slow process as I do the machine drawing of specific events and things on this project. I tried drawing myself as a six year old on tissue paper and then following that lines on the sewing machine. It took several tries to get a image I am half way happy with. I added the nylon netting on the ballet skirt because I remember how very scratchy it was. The little matching skirt on my doll is lost in all the netting though. I had better luck drawing directly on the organza and then stitching on the lines like on the child climbing the slide. This morning I did drawing and painting on the organza to create the wild flowers I remember being so abundant around that house. I will stitch them down using black thread and they will be a lot easier to see I think. I am sure I am not the first to try to adding this type of detail to my work. I just am inventing as I do not know of any other way to find out what works.

Scrap Happy I did work on this project to balance out the careful intense work of the first three mentioned here. I have made so many of these quilts that I do not even need to think much when I am working on them. Some times I need that type of work.

Along the Shore When I finished the tree project I went back into the UFO Ethel box and pulled out this photo she had transferred to fabric. The I read an article in the April May issue of Quilting Arts about a way to Make a Mixed-Media Landscape , and thought I would try that technique with the photo.This is what I have so far. I need to do some hand work on the surface now.

New Project A possible title for this work is Wine and Cheese as the colors suggest that to me. It is in the very early stage. Again it is a process that I know well and I needed to begin this to help balance off all the machine drawing that Ice and Blue Stone require.

Label Block #49 They just seem to keep getting there little bits of attention and in doing so get completed.

Keep Creating

Carol

One last spring thing. May Apples

Blue Stone, Canyon de Chilly, Collage Based Work, Columbus Junction, Creative Assistants, Green Grass of Home, Ice on Vincent, Label Blocks, Memory Map Quilts

On Marks

April 21, 2016 admin 1 Comment

Hello,

The sky was so full of contrails – man made marks and I felt I must comment on my focus subject of this year. Marks seem to be every were when you start to look for them. There are marks left by animals like these deer and raccoon tracks are that show marks of passing. But there is a difference between the mark left behind by nature and the marks made by mankind. Man made marks are a conscious decision. There for my con trails are not really marks on the sky as I have defended it. Because I live in an urban setting I seem to find most marks on my walks. I saw these marks of love in the sand when I was visiting Susan in Florida. Then I found these marks scratched in cement on a sidewalk. I observe many spray painted marks. I talked with a man replacing a stop sign that had been grifittied spray painted yesterday on my walk. Then I found these two in the stair well of the art building. They all point to the fact that folks seem to be driven to make marks on surfaces when the opportunity arises. Think about all the silly doodles around the note pad by the telephone or look at a students note book at the end of the school year. Both are covered with marks. We all seem to have a driving need to leave evidence of our passing in the world. Even this strange sculpture is a mark of sorts of some folks existence. I can’t begin to explain why we leave behind the marks. I just know we do and I find it fascinating.

About a month ago I wrote about the “ surFACE” show where artists were given the plastic masks that Cancer patents used as a part of their treatment . I went to the opening/sale of the art works that came out of that Challenge and was amazed by the transformation that the artists did with the masks. This roman fighter was one. Some artists cut up and distorted the masks like this flat work that became and elegant type of painting. I was amazed by this wonderful grass hopper were the artist mixed the plastic with corrugated cardboard. There were several courageous lions. lots of butterflies and angles among the altered masks. Over 90 wonderful creations came out of this powerful challenge.

Progress Report: Green Grass of Home This quilt is 22.5” X 45” and a part of the self challenge project. The collage that I started this work with is in a whole different color pallet- and it morphed as it grew, but I am quilt happy with the final results. When one enlarges from 4” X 6” to a bigger size one does need to break up things a bit differently. I had a good time with the quilting on this work and it is very flat even though I did sew at 45 degree angles in some places.

Memory Map- Canyon De Chelly This quilt is 18 “ X 20”. It has been missing for several months. Some how in my frustration with what to do next it got buried in a pile of fabric and only surfaced this week when I was putting away fabric form my trip to Chicago. I am so glad it got lost because I was so frustrated with it I was ready to throw it away the last time I saw it. But with fresh eyes I saw what it needed and now I am pleased with the work. It mostly needed more definition and needle work. It got both this week.

Memory Map- Columbus Junction Finding Canyon De Chelly also got me going on this work that was at a stall too. I have added more detail to the map section and I am in the process of doing the drawing of the figure for this work now.

Creative Assistants I got busy and finished up 21 more of these little fellows this week. I was pushed forward on this project by unearthing a small box of necklaces with wonderful beads for face parts- but I told myself I could not begin to play with them until I had finished all the started pins. There will be more.

Ice on Vincent I am building up the texture on this work now. It is the slow step were it seems like not much is happening. But I love all the thread play and the tacking down of fabric bits and yarns.

Blue Rock This work is just a little behind the Ice piece. I am still filling in the base layer for it. I like selecting the fabrics and filling in the gaps .

Label Block # 48 The building of the blocks keeps on coming.

Keep Creating

Carol

FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Foundations XII, Label Blocks, Out the Window, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs)

My Travels

April 14, 2016 admin

Hello,

It is really spring when the dandelions begin to bloom. I see more and more every day. I have enjoyed my last two weeks and my mind is full of all sorts of ideas and happy memories. On the Tuesday before I left I went to a FAB meeting at Judy’s house. Everyone was full of news and even though there were no new projects we had a good time. Then that same day I ran off to a QuIG’s meeting in Sue Ellen’s studio. Sue Ellen is still working on her tree theme series. I really like all the hand work she put into this work. Linda is experimenting with Yupo Paper and ink. She sure got some fine results. I think I purchased some of this stuff a while back, I wonder what I did with it. Sally took a class from Noel were she made this wonderful rose and then built a great evening bag with the knowledge. We had a good time.

Then on Wed. I flew off to Chicago to see my friend Sharron and go to the Quilt Festival. She picked me up and we drove around the city in her wonderful new 2015 Mustang. I was stopped cold when I opened the door and this logo appeared at my feet. Techknowledgy is every where. The Festival was wonderful. The quilts were amazing. Such strong use of color and texture as well as wonderful patterning and breath taking images. I do not feel like I can post any of them on this sight –just believe me. We did go to the dedication and delivery of Quilts of Valor. It was so moving I found myself with tears running down my cheeks. Later Sharron and I spent time at that booth working on blocks and we both finished six for some future Veteran’s quilt. We came home with tired feet and a pile of goodies. This is only my pile. Sharron had one as big. She has a wonderful studio with a full wall of fabric. Her own Quilt store I would say. She is still working away on her six “ Dear Jane “ quilts. She has all the centers doneand is a little beyond a third of the way around all six with the triangles in the boarders. I am sure she will finish this year and they will be amazing! Again I am not going to show them here as she has a show in mind that needs to keep the images off the net until they are shown there. Sharron also has a second passion and that is her Christmas Village. It is set up in a space that was once a dinning room. It is electrified and has a train that moves through the display. Most of the building have lights inside as well. I just kept looking and looking .She told me she has been collecting parts for over 30 years. I sure can believe that . What a delight for the kid in all of us.

On Monday I went to Ithaca and took down my solo show at the Briar Patch. The staff did not want to see it go, but all things must end . Anne has someone else lined up for the next two months now.

Progress Report: Ethel’s Quilt This quilt was designed cut and partially assembled by my quilting buddy Ethel Whittamore. She asked me to finish it and then pass it on to Quilting By The Lake for there raffle in July. The Raffle money goes to the scholarship fund for the classes at QBL the following summer. I did finish the assembly and started doing the hand quilting like Ethel always did on her quilts. But I was unsatisfied with my work so I sent it off to an Amish woman I know who does beautiful handwork. The results came back and I was delight and she got the cash for a new calf. I was so excited when it came home that I took it to a Diva meeting were Cheri asked if she could take it to be shown at the YMCA Central New York Quilt show April 8 /9. I said yes and now it it home with me in all its glory. I will enjoy it for a few months before it goes off to QBL and its new home.

Riverwood This work is 31” X 49”. It meets all three of my monthly challenges. The orange and yellow fabric is some I hand dyed in a class last fall. The silk and the browns are from Ethel’s stash. The design is based on a collage I created. There are always alterations when one goes

from 3” x5” to a larger from. I liked using a limited pallet working with a the bold print against a smaller scaled area. I am also enjoying using the faced shapes to add another detention to the surface.

Out My Window This quilt is 38” X 41”. I hand painted the big white sections. They are all views of things that I saw out different windows in my life time. This shot is of the barn yard I could see from my bed room in Iowa. All the dark purple blocks are machine drawn trees and most of the other areas are leaves or clouds.

New Work -Ice on Vincent As I mentioned before the quilt show was inspiring and so I started this work based on a photo I took earlier this spring of ice along Vincent St. It is a close up and I have already done some major altering of it as I have put down the fabrics.

New Work This is an early shot of the beginning of a new piece. I want to do another stretched work, so this piece is 26” X 50” . It is based on a shot I took in Washington State on a trip with Marty. I am doing it all in shades of blue instead of gray.

Label Blocks # 46 and # 47

Two weeks- two blocks. I did a lot of the work in the airport waiting for the plane. The beat goes on….

Keep Creating

Carol

Columbus Junction, Ethel's Trees, Green Grass of Spring, Label Blocks, Memory Map Quilts, Out the Window, Second Wall, Stretch Works, Stretched Works, Truquoise Street Studio, Uncategorized, Watakoo Wall

Spring get away

March 31, 2016 admin 1 Comment

Hello,

Before I left for Florida I was a part of a second show at Turquoise Street Studio on the week end. I even sold a piece and I am thrilled by that. Barbara is so kind to share her studio with us and help us all benefit from that experience.

The photos tells the story of how I started many of my days when I visited Susan and Carolyn in Florida. The sun rises were wonderful. The light was truly “golden” as Barbara says. A big reason for my trip was to see their show. I went through the door and was stopped short by the visual impact. There was so very much to see I could not get myself started. I think I was fortunate to have seem some of the work before or I think I could have been truly overwhelmed. In trying to decide my favorite I was struck by the variety and the powerful use of color. I really like this altered Barbie that has become a god. Carolyn’s Swing Clocks with the moving feet made me smile too. This picture is only two of seven different variations that were presented. Some works were small and intimate and others were bigger than life size like this red dress. I liked Susan’s piece that was based on Little Red Riding Hood too because it had so many parts that were all fascinating all by them selves and also worked together. It was a full and delightful experience for me. We went to the building next to the gallery and saw a second exhibit of the works of the collage faculty and staff. I was taken by this wonderful small weaving. Susan told my it was by the director of the gallery were their work was on display.

Susan and I worked in the studio every day too. This shot is of Susan painting on Tyveck for her project for the Diva 15 Show. We worked with wood and fabric as well and had a lot of fun. We went for a morning at the beach as our way of celebrating Easter. The day was a perfect one for our ramble with a clear blue sky, white sands, crisp ocean smells and a cool breeze.

I found so many fascinating patterns and textures that I took over 75 pictures. But I decided that this shot of Cyprus stumps is my favorite. They almost look like they could walk the shore them selves. I had a great visit.

Progress Report: Watakoo Wall This is another in my stretch works. I am getting better at trimming back the corners enough that they lay flat now. It seems I learn a new trick with every one of these projects. I put lots of fabric bits on the surface as I build up the effect I am after. This one even has some “plastic twist” on it to give it a bit of a punch. It has silk paper as a part of the texture and color as well.

Second Wall This work is a partner to Watakoo Wall. Both are from the same photo, but a very different part of the rock face. This is a very early stage and I am sure it will grow and change as I work on the surface. It seems to cry out for some light at the moment.

Out My Windows I am to the fun stage of the work on this piece. I am doing the free motion drawing part and I always enjoy that step. I did all the dark purple squares yesterday afternoon. They are all night views across the roof tops showing the bare trees.

Green Grass of Spring This work is another of the pieces that is based on a collage. It grew and changed a lot as I enlarged it from the 5”X7” card I did the collage on. I did try to keep the tones of light medium and dark in the same areas however. I have it layered together and it is ready for the quilting. I am just looking and thinking about that step at the moment as I have no real clear idea of how I want to do that.

Memory Maps:Columbus Junction I started this work after talking with Susan before I went off to Florida. She mentioned how much she liked one of the other Memory Map works and I realized that I had not done all the pieces I wanted to do in that series. So after checking my list of possible subjects I selected Columbus Junction the home that I lived in from Kindergarten to the end of third grade. Then I did a list of possible subjects and began some drawings. I built my base and then started working on top. This shot is of the map section with our house being the square with the blue roof. This shot is of the upper right hand corner of the work.

Ethel’s Trees I inherited lots of Ethel’s unfinished work and this is one. I am sure I will not not put my stamp on all of her pieces, but using it as a starting point is a good challenge for me. This started out as only the brown tree painted on the white cloth. I added the gray painted “wonder under” to build up the land and then found this second Ethel cut tree yesterday. I need to live with this work to know were to go from here. The gray tree is not stitched down so it may move before I fuse it down.

Label Block # 45 I worked on this as I waited for the connections flying back and forth. I did not want to get behind while I was away and the activity does not require a lot of attention and its small so it travels well. Susan gave me a new batch of labels so I have more to work with.

I am going off to Chicago to the Quilt Festival and a visit with my Friend Sharron Evens on Wed next week so there will be no posting for April 7. It will be another double shot when I get back.

Keep Creating,

Carol

Briar Patch, Creative Assistants, Label Blocks, Out the Window, Riverwood, Watakoo Wall

Green Day

March 17, 2016 admin 1 Comment

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. It is sunny and bright today and I am really feeling the wonders of spring. Notice the bee in the center of the wind flower on the left. So many trees have big fat buds I am sure they will open soon. I had no meetings this week so I got a lot done. I do have stuff coming up however. This Sat and Sunday I will be apart of the Spring Thing at the Turquoise Street Gallery. I will be there on Sunday afternoon from 1 to 4Come along and have so goodies if you can. My other news is I am off to visit Susan on Tues and I will not be back until the following Tuesday . So there will be no post next week. I am sure I will have lots to share when I get home as she already has lots of plans for activates for the two of us.

Progress Report: Briar Patch I have completed this work, but I do not feel like it is really done. It is OK- but it has no life for me. I will take it to the Associated Artists meeting this week end and get some feed from other artists on it. I do like all the textures and colors that the patch contains but it seems fall short .

Ribbon Rose Pillow When I went to visit Susan last spring I fell in love with a wonderful piece of red fabric that she had. It was topped with these wonderful ribbon patterns. It has taken me a year to study and then adapt the technique to my collection of techniques. I am quit pleased with this typeof embellishing. I will admit that it is not a surface that is comfortable to press against however. But the texture is wonderful!

Out the Window I have finished all the stitch in the ditch work on this piece. It is now stable enough to start the free motion drawing part. I Think I will make each block a different view. I plan to leave some of the “windows’ blank and all the white ones with purple blocks printed on them will be curtained windows. I am thinking that the deep purple blocks will be night scenes. This is a big challenge and I may change my mind as I go along. But that is my plan.

Riverwood This work fits all three of my monthly challenge criteria. It is based on a collage, has my altered fabric and some of Ethel’s fabric too. I changed the color when I went to fabric from red to oranges and from grays to browns. I am showing one of the early pin up steps of this work because I have realized that as I enlarge the work from the 4”X 6” collage to a larger size it takes on a life of its own and I alter the work accordingly. ( note the additional half circles. ) I have finished all the stitch in the ditch work on this piece too and I am now ready to add the free motion work. I am not sure what to do so I am living with it.

Watakoo Wall I started some new work based on photos of rock formations. This is the beginning. I always try to lay the wool out in a pattern that follows the lights and darks of the start, but it too takes on a life of its own when I change mediums. Is this what is meant by abstraction?

This is a second work from a different section of the same photo before I add any fabrics on top. It to has morphed from the photo to this point.

Creative Assistants I have been inspired again this week to get back into doing faces for my creative assistants. I have done about two dozen and I will keep at it for a bit longer. Then move on to the next step.

New work Here is another work that is fits the monthly challenge work. And it too seems to have pulled away from the collage with enlargement. I have broken things up and altered the sizes of color blocks as I have gone along. I guess I will just have to face that the changes are a natural part of my process. It is all a part of learning and creating as I go along. A natural part of the process for me.

Label Block #44 I like the label form my Minion sculpture Christmas gift ( upper left hand corner ) the best in this block.

Keep Creating

Carol

Briar Patch, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Foggy Dawn, Label Blocks, Out the Window, Parts, Silver Growth

Purple Touches

March 11, 2016 admin

Hello,

It is really feeling like spring here and this wonderful shot of Nancy’s quilt in progress really expresses this feeling. I love all the flowers and the bright colors. She is amazing with her use of more and more pattern. This shot is only about one eights of her quilt. It was all we could show on the small space of my studio at the FAB meeting yesterday. Judy is working away on her sweater. She got some of the yarns from Patti . Judy is such a good knitter she does not even need a pattern to do all these fancy stitches. We had a good time yesterday.

I finished up my entry for the SAQA auction this week. I had a good time creating this little twelve inch square piece. I enjoy and support this organization.

Progress Report: Parts This work is finally complete. I sure enjoyed doing hand stitches all over the surface. I think I will give this work to the local camera shop were I purchased the camera that the parts are from. I got the new camera from them too when I dropped this one an broke it.

Foggy Dawn This work is the second half of older work. I took Corrine’s ‘s advice and did the quilting in a spiral patterns.

The glitter that is on this work was on the fabric when I purchased it. Lots of us like glitz.

Silver Growth I am almost finished with this project. I did all the free motion silver thread work earlier this week and I only need to add the facings now.

Briar Patch I am to the stage where I am adding the leaves and black berries to this quilt. I added most of the black berries first. I did not realize how many leaves I cut until I had them all pinned to the surface . It sure makes it pricklier at the moment.

Out the Window I was having so much fun with the turquoise and purple combination that I did a second quilt using this color combination. I lightened it up and did not go for much of the deep green of summer here. It is a lot closer to the colors of spring and windflowers and snow. Something that I saw on my walks this week.

Label Block #43 Slow and steady get’s the job done on this one.

Looking back over this blog I see lots of spring purple here. I sure am influenced by the season.

Keep Creating

Carol

Briar Patch, Diva Meetings, Foggy Dawn, Label Blocks, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Scrap Happy Quilts, Silver Growth, Trickle

Ice Cycles

March 3, 2016 admin

Hello,

Long ice cycles are one of the sure signs of spring to me. The weather keeps shifting from cold to warm here and that means melt and thaw and melt again.

I had lots of meetings this week. Sat was a meeting of the Mixed Group. It is always very stimulation and enjoyable to see the work of other artists and get their feed back on one’s own work. Tuesday the first of March so both QuIG’s and the Divas meant. Liz found a weekly offer by Moda on Their web sight were they publish two new blocks ever week. She has a note book already and four blocks are completed.

Corinne shared her print work from our last play day at Angle’s.

At the DIva meeting Kristen shared her shop entry for the “Row by Row “ show at

quilters corner. Donna shared her Bernie Sanders doll.

Noel showed off her piece for the “ 15” show that the Divas will have this summer. It was inspiration to see what everyone is doing. I am so very lucky to have such wonderfully creative friends.

Progress Report: Trickle This is the forth stretched quilt that I felted first. For this one I did not add any thing to the back of my woven wool fabric before I felted it. This meant that it all stretch at the same rate and so it ended up much flatter. Now I need to get the corners of the work to be smooth and flat. It seems there is always something to learn.

Foggy Dawn I have taken the advice of my fellow quilters from Tuesday’s meetings on how to quilt this work and did it all in swirling patterns. It is now ready for the facings.

Briar Patch I am having fun doing free motion raw edge applique of the leaves on this work. I will also do free motion to add the black berries .

Silver Growth I started this work because of the gift of a beautiful top that my friend Regina gave me. The deep purple with the silver work on it at the bottom. Now I need to figure out how to ingrate this work.

New Work I have enjoyed laying out the balance of this work. Now I am ready to begin the sewing step. I will fill in the white areas with narrow strips of fabric as I always do.

Scrap Happy I am to the step in this quilt where I have put the blocks in rows. I need to stop now and make a back for this project before I can go forward. It will make a good quilt to pass on.

Label Block # 42 I just keep working away on these little pieces.

Keep Creating

Carol

#3, Briar Patch, Briare Patch, Circling Circles, Coastal Color, Felt Work, Label Blocks, Machine Drawing, Parts, Trickle

Creative Power

February 25, 2016 admin

Hello,

This photo is an example of the marks of wear and tear on the local pavement that winter seems to inflict. The pot wholes this year are big ones.

Why should we all use our creative power? Because there is nothing that makes people so generous, joyful, lively, bold and compass ate , so indifferent to fighting and the accumulation of objects and money . Brenda Upland

I find this quote a very powerful one and I really believe it to be true. Creating takes us out of ourselves in a way and makes one feel more alive. I know I lose track of time when I am working and I have heard others say similar things. When one is building something the mind will not allow you to consider destruction. What a different world we would be living in if everyone was creating!

FAB meant this week and we all enjoyed each others company. Patti showed off her die cutting press this time. She gave me these three little fabric birds. Judy was working on yet another sweater. This one is red with great patterns on it.

I finished my entries for the 6X6 show in Rochester and I mailed them out on Tuesday. I always have such fun doing these little works that the gallery sells for $20.00 each as there fund raiser every spring.

I tried ice dyeing with ice cubes out of the freezer this week. I had heard about this and it means one can work all year long. I will do my own comparison study.

Progress Report:Coastal Colors III This work is 20” X 16” .I am enjoying the building process that goeson with these pieces. In this case I felted to begin with and then I built up layers of yarn, silk paper ribbon and fabric bits on top. I added a layer of batting before I started the stitching on this one to help it stay flat before the stretching.

The stitching adds even more dimension to the surface. The work seems to grow under the needle as I work on it. I like the textures too.

Trickle This work is also a felt built up piece. It is only 12” X 12”. I used a heavy wool for the base of this one and built up the felting on top again. There is no extra batting in this work and I think that because of the heavy wool. It stretched out nice and flat. I plan to do two more using this technique and size. Then I want to experiment with cotton fabric for the base of the felting and see how much distortion I get using that fabric as my base.

Circling Circles I am to the quilting stage of this project. I have finished all the circle quilting and I am now working on the wavy part. It is a nice contrast to the open circles.

Parts I can see the end of this project now too. I have all of the camera parts stitched to the surface and I am now doing the embellishment part of this project.

New Work This is not really new work as it is the second half of a piece I cut up. I thought I had an idea for how to finish it. So after studying it for a while I started working by building up a bit of Angelina to use with it. The Angelina suggested black berries to me. My mind went off on that direction. I made some vines to put on top and then I would add the black berries…….. But it was too much of a good thing and so I have dropped this top back to the unfinished pile and started a new work.

Briare Patch This is the result. The vines are the arched units. They are stitched to wash away now. The new base is not completed yet and it is under the vine unit. I have learned to go with the flow of the work , so this will grow from the idea. Next week there will be more.

Label Block 41 One more block is complete and I am just pushing forward on this project.

Keep Creating

Carol

Circling Circles, Hand work, Label Blocks, Parts

Deep Winter

February 19, 2016 admin

Hello-

We are in the deep cold of winter here in central New York. Ice storms and then snow on top. I was fascinated by the ice marks on the tree yesterday when I went out for my walk. There was melting water running down the trunk under the ice too so it added to the textures. My aunt Aileen gave me a wonderful gift this week. She presented me with a quilt that my great Grandmother Todd had made for my grandmother Ester as a gift for the birth of her third child, Leonard McElhinney in 1928. I was so very surprised and honored by the gift. All the little hand stitches are wonderfully done. As a child I remember sleeping under quilts made by this great grand mother and how I felt like I was protected by a layer of armor that no dream monsters could penetrate.

Progress Report: Parts This work is getting a lot of attention at the moment. I have just about stitched down all the camera parts now and I am filling in all the hand stitches for interest.

Scrap Happy This work is ready for binding and the quilting now. Both of those steps take about an hour a piece on the machine. That work will get tackled this week. Then when the folks who want them for fundraisers come calling there will be at least two to choose from.

Circling Circles I did collages last week and so I was ready for a new project. This one fills all three on my monthly challenges. The red shobori is Ethel’s fabric. The blue with the purple print is some fabric I silk screened last year. I also used (the pink) some of the fabric I snow dyed in this one.

New Work I visited with my friend Beth this week and she was working in curvier cuts. So I got inspired and started one using that technique again too. I put a part of one of the bodices that Regina gave me in this one. I am having fun.

New Felted Work I have built up the base for another abstract work here. This time I did not back the wool that I felted into and although this is much heavier wool than I used before when I tried this technique, I do not seem to have and much warping as I had with the first ones. Doing the machine build up on top will be the real test.

Label Block 40 Hurray- this block makes me one third through this process.

Keep Creating

Carol

Cre-8

Category Archives: Label Blocks

May Days

Spring Changes

On Marks

My Travels

Spring get away

Green Day

Purple Touches

Ice Cycles

Creative Power

Deep Winter

Creative Fiber Collage Artist Carol Boyer