Category Archives: Circling Circles

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

Creative Power

 

Hello,IMG_5147.jpg

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!IMG_5150

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.6X6

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.

IMG_5166 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.

Coastal color IIIProgress 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.IMG_5157  The work seems to grow under the needle as I work on it.  I like the textures too.IMG_5160.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TrickleTrickle    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. IMG_5170  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. IMG_5171

Circling CirclesIMG_5151  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.

IMG_5172.jpgParts    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.

 

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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. IMG_5153  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.    TBriare Patchhe 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.

 

 

 

IMG_5132.jpgLabel 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

 

IMG_5116  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.  Alieen                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 IMG_5131was 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.

PartsProgress 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.

IMG_5129Scrap 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 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 IMG_5120    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 feltNew 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.

IMG_5121.jpgLabel Block 40  Hurray- this block makes me one third through this process.

Keep Creating

Carol