Category Archives: Raw Edge Applique

Explorations, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Hand work, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Raw Edge Applique, Re Work

New Year 2024

January 4, 2024 admin

Hello,

As 2024 begins some have asked me what are my resolutions. I am not into doing resolutions. I do like to set little goals for myself, but all the emphasis at this time seem to imply something is wrong with one. I am just not convinced that is so and as a result I don’t do the resolution thing. The time we are living in is stressful enough without adding personal guilt to the mix. So I am starting a fresh calendrer with the same attitude that I start any new month. And I plan to fill each day in happy pursuits of my own choosing.

The FAD group meant for lunch this week instead of a regular meeting. It was a nice change. The Pixies were reunited again yesterday too. They are such a diverse and stimulating group, that I had a good time as usual.

I finally got back to work on Finding Fragments this week. She had exercises that mixed drawing and painting of fabric for us to do. I plan to keep moving forward with the assignments at this point.

Progress Report: Tide Pool II I finished off this work this week and I am so inspired that I plunged directly into the next one. I love all the textures and found objects. I did not get it done in time for the show of the class work, but that is not the real impotent thing for me. I used the pompoms she encouraged us to create and the frapped work as well on this project.

Orange Peelings This work is 53″ X 35″. It is built on a split nine patch but that is totally lost in all the fabric that I fused down on top.

I really enjoyed making the rime of the orange peels using the zig zag stitch in the free motion mode.

Ethel 1 I got going on Saturday on this project. I am starting the boarders now and liking how it looks.

Lap 1- 24 I am quilting away on this project at this point. I have decided that I will use the remaining prints from 100 days of last year as my starting point for the next lap projects.

6X6 I finished up two of the little works for the Rochester gallery sale this week. One more to go.

Tidewater pool This is the base for the next in this one going tide pool series. It is really big and all the beads add a lot of weight. I think I will cut it down and make two bases from it.

I also started the punch needle work for it this week.

New Nine – Age of Elegance I have cut nine solid squares in pastel colors that I want to use as bases for a bit of hand work. I have some beautiful old hand made lace and a box full of gloves gloves. Both represent a by gone area. So I decided to put them together and honor them with this project.

Branching Out I did a bunch of drawings at the Sisterhood Retreat in November and one of the gals was quite taken by one of them. So I used it as a jumping off place for this new project. I drew the subject on the solid burgundy and cut it out. As I did so I realized that I liked the cut away negative pieces too. so I found a simpler background in similar colors to the one I was using and pinned the cut ways to it. Now when I get them both all sew down I am thinking of ways I want to combine the two pieces into one unit.

I hope you are enjoying the New Year in ways that suit you

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

Collage, Hand work, Machine Drawing, Pixies Group, Raw Edge Applique

Enjoying Quiet

September 1, 2023 admin

Hello,

I have been home and doing my own thing this week. I seem to be getting ready for the seasonal change too and doing lots of house things. Even got busy and washed windows this week.

My collage for this week is of Thornbugs. I did have a Pixie meeting on Wed and I am happy to say my Florida friends were mostly south of the hurricane and although Susan did evacuate, she suffered no real damage.

I stated my Joyous Embroidery class with Fleur Woods this week. I will be starting my second project for that class this week end.

Progress Report: Lap # 14 I need to finish the binding on this project and move on.

I did enjoy using this fabric.

Earth Works I have added more layers on this project . Now the cream will be the last one on top. I do intend to add some lines as well.

Scrap work I just keep building with these pieces and the scrap box gets smaller too. This is four blocks of four.

Pillows I seem to be on a run with doing pillows and I finished up this one were I featured one of Percale’s perches.

Then I put together this black and white one yesterday. It is made from the free motion machine drawing class stuff of two years ago at QBL.

Handwork I uncovered this bit of handwork this week and put some time in on it. It may turn into a pillow too.

Enjoy the changing weather and stay safe.

Carol

Black Roses, Childhood Memories, Daily Practice, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Felt Work, Pixies Group, Quiet, Raw Edge Applique, Scrap Happy Quilts, Textile Artist Stitch Club

Gifts

February 18, 2021 admin

Hello,
I feel so very fortunate to have such kind and generous friends. Last week I got a surprise package in the mail from my friend Patti. It was a paint brush organizer. So very handy and I put my brushed in strait away. I feel so flattered that she would share her time and effort to make and send me such a nice gift. People can be so very kind and it is doubly wonderful when it comes for no reason. It touches the heart. Such a small act can really lift the soul and raise one’s sprites. I will try to do the same in the future.
I had four Zoom meetings this week. The QuEG’s meant on Tue with the FAB and Pixies meeting yesterday. It so good to stay connected. The Textile Artists Stitch Club started a new project with Jude Kilgshott. I am still not done with the handwork on my leaf print, but I went a head with the new assignment anyway. Jude asked us to collage a bit with fabric pieces and then stitch them down. I am half done with that as there are suppose to be 8 pages. She was trying to help us see the beauty of the back of the stitch work as well as the front and the transparency of Organdy really does allow that. I will keep working and hopefully get back to the old project too.

Progress Report: Murder II This work is 36″ X 46″. I discovered that I had on older piece named Murder of Crows so I had to rename this work.

I did stitch in the ditch in the seams and around the crows. But I felt that was not enough so I added what I call “ wind lines” of quilting that run horizontally across the quilt in a wavy pattern. It works and the piece is stable now.

Scrap Happy I made a trip to the Dr on Monday and he said I was healing nicely and could go back to normal activity. That meant that I could lift things without fear of breaking the stitches on the back of my hand. So the first thing I did was quilt this queen sized quilt. It was hard to rustle about under the machine but I did it. Then I did the binding and it is done now.

Quiet- Daily Practice One of the other things I could not do with the hand , was stretch this piece. So I did that this week now that I have full use of my hands.

Black Roses The work is 38″ X 36″ . This is a rescue piece. The base was the original background for Three Sisters. I removed the figures and had the old background piece on the table. Next to it was black and white rose fabric . It was a gift from my friend Tanya. She often passes me interesting fabrics to play with. It just seemed to go together. And I had a chance to use my cording foot tht I had purchased for the machine.

I enjoyed this project.

Three Sisters So this piece got a new base and some additional build up. I think I am now ready to stitch the parts down.

After the Fall This work too had to be put on hold until I got the OK form the Dr. It takes about 10 min to stitch down each leaf and I find that I can only work for about half and hour before I begin to tire. All the stopping and truing the whole quilt to sew half and quarter inch sections is slow work.

Felted Backs I built these backgrounds for the machine drawn birds. I will get out the Felter and do the felt work this week so I can put it all together.

Daily Practice I am working away on the daily practice too. This is the new one with a week’s work of effort on it.

Childhood Memories- Dr Kunkel and Sailing
Moving to Muncie changed the lives of all of the family in different ways. Gene seemed to have had the most difficulty adjusting to a new bigger school. Dad said a new place was a great chance for a fresh start and I took it that way. One of the changes Dad did was he started using his real first name. When Dad was born one of his cousin’s was born across the county a day after Dad. Both boys were named James McElhinney. To keep them strait in the community, Dad went by his middle name of Howard. When we moved to Muncie and his diploma said “James” , he decided to go by that name. In October, I was really feeling my oats and that nearly lead to disaster. I was comfortably reading away in my room one afternoon when the phone rang. I go up and went down the hall to our only phone and answered.
“Is Jim there?” asked the voice. I said “No” and hung up the phone. I had just gotten settled when the phone rang again. This time it was the same question and same answer. I returned to my room and the phone rang yet again. As I walked down the hall I though, “ I ‘ll play a joke on this guy.”
“Is Jim there ? ” the caller asked for a third time.
“Yes,” I said. “But he is too drunk to come to the phone.”
“Is this Jim McElhinney’s home?” the caller asked.
I was not smart enough to just hang up, but said. “ Oh! I am so sorry. He is here and I will got to the garden and get him for you.”
After Dad got off the phone he gave me a bit of a dress down for being such a smart-allic.
“What if that had been one of my bosses?” he asked. I never did anything like that again. As it turned out the man thought the whole thing was quit funny. He was Dad’s office partner, Dr Kunkle. He and Dad got to be great friends and traveled all over Indiana working with teachers to develop curriculum programs. The two of them also went to Alaska to do the same thing with the Klincket Native American tribes off the coast. I also developed a connection with Dr Kunkle when I went to Ball State. He was the sponsor of the sailing club there. That is were I learned to sail and I became proficient enough to be a Captain. My friend Margaret and I went out in one of the club’s Windmill lots of times. On one trip with her I even swamped the boat and had to haul it back to the dock myself. It was a cold event. I only had one more experience with sailing when I was much older. I spent afternoon trying to learn to sail surf on Cazenovia Lake. I could not “come about” so I could “tack” north. I kept losing control and falling off the board. So I was slowly “sailing” farther and farther down the lake. Finally the owner came with his son and rescued me . The son sailed the board home and I rode in the cab back to the house. Gene got to be good friend with Dr Kunkle too and also learned to sail with him. Gene was a good sailor and the two of them went to lots of sail boat races on weekends. They eve won some cups.

Stay safe

Carol

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

November Chill

November 7, 2019 admin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keep Creating

Carol

Childhood Memories, Diva Meetings, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Feathers, Night Fire, QBL- Quilting By the Lake, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Tee Shirt Quilts, Wildfire

Cool Fall Weather

September 12, 2019 admin

Sept 12

Hello,
Today is cool and rainy. A good day to do work. Tomorrow is Friday the 13 and the moon will be full. Be sure to check it out at those two things will not happen together again until 2048.

There was a QuEG’s meeting this week. It was good to see folks. Liz brought her project form the Silk class. It looks good.

Sue Ellen is finishing up projects and this is one.

Corrine was at the Red Thread workshop at Ghost Ranch. This was one of her projects

This is one of the projects that Angel has just completed. She is taking an on line class.

She also experimented with some direct eco printing. These cards are the result.

There was also a Diva meeting this week.

Maureen shared her knowledge of Spoon Flower with Susan and the rest of us.

Cheri had new work to share too. This is one of her pieces from QBL.

Noel also had work from QBL to share with us.

Lots of nice hand work here.

Liesi did some dyeing with her grandchildren this summer and she shared it with us.

Both meetings were lively and enjoyable.

Associated Artist is having its Members show this week. This is Barbara’s piece from that show.

This is my work at the show.

Progress Report: Seven Feathers This quilt is 28″ w X 48″ l. I finished the reflective quilting this week. I am glad to have learned the processes that Betty Busby teaches.

I made the marbleized fabric at QBL about 30 years ago. The batik is from the day we made it at Regina’s earlier this spring.

Tee Shirt Quilt 2 I finished up this work yesterday too. I am glad to have completed the project. Now I need to get it to my daughter and onto the family.

Night Fires I have finished all the free motion work on the orange and yellow sections of this quilt. I want to add some hot spots with red. I think I will do the work on the dark parts of the forest first though.

Apples ans Chickadees I have started to do the machine quilting on this project.

Coral Sea This is just the beginning of this project. It has been a long time sense I have done a sea floor piece and I thought I would like the stretch again.

New Project- old lace I need a hand work project for my trip to Chicago in Oct. So I am beginning by building this back ground.

Topographical I am still couching down the blue yarn on the brown sections of this work.

Wool Rounds I have button whole stitch around all the wool circles but one. It is relaxing.

Childhood Memories; The Bell Visit
When we were in the Tetons my aunt Marce and uncle Paul brought my cousin Russell out for a visit. Uncle Paul was a man who loved to play practical jokes. While they were visiting he spent one afternoon in the ranger station setting on the floor chipping out arrow heads. Then when he got home to the farm in Iowa he dropped them around the barn lot and had a good time rediscovering them when ever a sales man showed up. After picking up an arrow head he would make little disparaging statements like” Oh no another one” and preparing to toss it aside. The sales man always offered him money of the “find” from the “ old Indian encampment.”

The second day of their visit we went to visit Craters of the Moon. That meant a drive across the continental divide. Gene, Russell and I were in the back section of the station wagon. The boys started daring one another to eat the play dough. I did not get into that. As we climbed higher and higher with all the switchbacks the two to them got sick- we had to stop the car and they both exited quickly and threw up over the side of the mountain. I never told anyone why they got ill. They were fine when we got to the park. I do remember that although we stayed mostly on the paths with our running and exploring, the sharp lava glass nearly shredded the soles of our shoes. It was a good exhausting day.

Keep Creating

Carol

Childhood Memories, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Feathers, Mom VI, Old and New - Purple and Blue, Tee Shirt Quilts, Uncategorized, Wool Rounds

Busy Week

August 30, 2019 admin 2 Comments

Hello
I have enjoyed a very active week. Last Friday I went to a silk painting workshop in Rochester with lots of creative gals. Liz did a great piece with flowers.

Joyce worked from a photo from her yard.

Regina explored a drawing.
I worked from the sketch I had drawn last week.

Karen did a great job from one of her photos of grapes.

The class was great and I learned a lot. I will add thread painting and quilting to finish this up in the next week or so.

The Michelle the teacher from Australia, did a wonderful trunk show at the end of the day. This is her use of the techniques she was teaching us.

Then on Sunday I went off to Moravia and visited with Susan and Sally. We talked of may things and I got some great feed back on this piece- Old and New.

Tues I picked up Patti and the two of us drove north to Mill Sight Lake and Judy’s Camp for three days. Judy shared this colorful quilt that Judy made and a Amish gal had quilted for her.

Patti and I worked with our machines while Nancy and Judy went out on the lake and platted around the island. We had a good time and made a few plans for the fall.

And just to let you know I make mistakes too. I was not paying full attention while I was working on my scarp quilt and I accidentally ran the sewing machine into my finger nail. I only caught the tip on my nail and a bit of skin. So please be careful!

Progress Report: Tee Shirt Quilt

I have now finished the assembly of the top of this work. I have pulled flannel to make some base blocks that I will surround in the log cabin style for the back.

Feathers I am half way done adding the feathers to this quilt. I plan to do reflective quilting around the outside.

Wool Rounds

I just keep building on these wool units. It is calming work.

Scrap I worked on these at Mill Site. I am pleased to say I only have one more box of scraps to work from. Over the weekend I finished up nine more units.

Memories of Mom

I did a little hand work on this piece this week that is made from things that Mom had in her home.

Sketching I just keep my fingers in the drawing game by doing a new one every now and then

Childhood Memories – Lessons
The summer I was ten and Dad was a temporary Ranger in Tetons was a great one for me. We went to many ranger talks and sat on logs looking at the lake with the mountains beyond and learning fun facts while the sky darkened and the stars came out. Because all rangers need to be able to rescue hikers from the mountains Dad learned to repel. He took us along for his practice with a second ranger named Jim. Gene and I also got to take a hand a repelling and I loved it. It was great fun to jump away from the vertical rock face and sour down with the rope to help one land safely back on land.
We rode across Jackson Lake to the undeveloped side and bushwhacked up the mountain one day. Saw a heard of wild goats and got lots of scratches on that adventure. Dad also taught us that if we ever got lost in the wilderness to do two things. Always go down hill and when you find water follow it down too. It will always lead you to civilization eventually and you will have a vital life saving source close at hand. I am glad to say I have never had to apply that knowledge. At the end of the summer there was a range’s picnic. Gene and I were the only kids. Lots of great food. The only things to drink were water and beer. So I thought I would try the beer. Just as I opened the can Dad came around the cabin. He was not happy with me. But he insisted that sense I had opened the can that I drink the whole thing. Then I promptly emptied my stomach on the grass. I was never tempted as a teen- and even later I never learned to drink beer. The lesson was learned.

Keep Creating

Carol

PS this is a shot of the sun set over the St Lawrence River.

Asters, Black-capped Chickadee, Collections, Diva Meetings, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), NEW, Odyssey, Raw Edge Applique, Riotous Romp

Spring Has Come

May 3, 2018 admin 1 Comment

Hello,

Spring has come to central New York with a burst of color and warmth. This Bloodroot blossomed this week after several cold days when I could see the buds tightly furled. It is wonderful. I am rally enjoying my walks now. May day was the first Tuesday of the month and I had meetings. The QuEG’s meant and we had a good talk. Liz showed off her sketchbook where she had altered some of the pages that she printed at Regina’s last week. Linda wowed us with her wonderful jewelry. It is good to have her back in central NY.

Then I went off to the Diva meeting . Again I got lots of stimulation. Lliese did this work during the gray days of April. Tulips are always cheerful. It is painted silk. Noel is making baby quilts as her brood expands. This one is created from Liberty of London fabrics. Anne is also dealing with the transition from winter to spring with this work. The weather sure effects lots of us. Cheri continues to develop her stencil/layers of painting style. I like what she is doing and know she is challenging herself. She is also exploring uses of the wash away from our fall class. The Lavender in the center of this work is machine thread drawing.

Alice has this opening this week. I will not make it to the opening, but I will pay a visit some time this summer.

This is also a work by Alice. She does great work with crows as so many of us do who live here in central NY where they are abundant. Lori, Christen and Ruth all took a workshop on the use of fusibles and did some wonderful flower work. Lori is working on her embroidery on a woven background too.

Maureen showed off more of the work she did at the spring retreat.

She created this resist with a potato masher.

Sharon also shared some of her work with us. It was a lively meeting with lots wonderful ideas.

Yesterday was a FAB meeting and sense we had not gotten together sense March we had a lot to share too. This is a new piece by Judy and she is hand quilting it now. She also finished her the topthat she started at camp last fall. We too had a lively conversation. Judy was given a top that she passed on to Sharon who fell in love with it. I am so fortunate to have so many great folks to support me.

Progress Report: Asters This work is 33” w X 33.5”l. It is all raw edge appliqued down. The center’s of the flowers are hand appliqued circles. Some of the leaves are hand painted fabrics. The vein’s of the leaves are all stitched down with two threads in the same needle on the sewing machine.

Collection This work is 17”w X 27”l. One of the little challenges that I put up for myself this year was to create a work that is based on a article from Quilting Arts. This is one from last month. I had a good time layering up the stacks of fabric and objects to create this work.

Black-capped Chickadee This work is 12” X 12” and stretched. I am working on backgrounds for the other birds too.

NEW This is a new exploration using text as my starting point. The word is “NEW” and far too visible and poor in composition for this to be the final lay out – but it is a start.

Riotous Romp This is also a text based start. The word is New- done in a cursive curvy style. ( check last week for the shape) I have zig-zag appliqued down the letters and I have started to reflective quilt the central part of this work. It has a curvy cut background.

New I built this background this week too. Again I have no direction as to what I want to do with this surface. I thought I could use the cut-ways from Riotous Romp as a start- but that idea was awful…..

Blue scarf I made another scarf from silk paper and yarns that I had in my stash. I love the textures

Card: Odyssey I am still making little cards and enjoying the collaging process. The moon is in constant change and watching the constant change of mankind’s history unfold too.

Keep Creating

Carol

Asters, Daily Practice, Discover, Fiddlehead Ferns, Layers, Raw Edge Applique, Relax, SAQA Blocks

Still winter

April 19, 2018 admin 1 Comment

Hello,

The weather here continues to be cold and filled with snow flurries. I dream of spring and hope next week will find us warmer. Done a bit more drawing this week too. I have been watching a video , “Interpertations ” by Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn, that Angela lent me and hope by following some of their suggestions I will build some better compositions and avoid the struggle I am still feeling with my Frozen piece. I have been reworking the ice lines.

I went south with Liz to visit Regina yesterday to do some printing. Regina always has beautiful treasures that this shot shows. I like the patterns of these two beaded add onus. Regina is also doing finishing hand work on this big print she made of the Tree of Life.

These are the prints that I made.

Progress Report: Fiddlehead Ferns This stretched work is 24” X 18”. I built up the forest floor with bits and pieces of fabric and yarn before adding the ferns on top.I used silk paper, fused backed hand dyed cotton for the leaves and frapped chenille cleaners for the steams of the fiddleheads.

Layers This is my entry for the SAQA auction. It is 12” X 12” and is a work built to show how one just keeps adding more and more experiences layers on top of one another as we age.

Parts I have been building little units to work together for the last few weeks. Now I am beginning to add them together as a whole. Another example of how I feel we are many small things added together.

Asters I am building the flowers on the surface of this piece now. The petals are raw edge applique and the centers are hand stitched on top.

Felting This is just the start of the background for one of the Black Capped Chickadees that I did in tread painting at the spring retreat two weeks ago.

Daily Practice This work just keeps steadily building up with stitches.

Cards: Relax Time just keeps rushing forward in this day and age. I find I often feel a bit overwhelmed so I need to remind myself to slow down and breath.

Discover One is forever changing, but unlike butterflies that graduate from a caterpillar to a butterfly our changes are often much less dramatic and slower.

Keep Creating

Carol

Asters, Daily Practice, Dill, Fiddle Head Ferns, Layers, Talk

Spring Retreat 2018

April 12, 2018 admin

Hello,

The big event for last week was the Schweinfurth Spring Retreat. This time I was in the dry studio as I seem to have a lot to catch up on and I did not feel I needed to work wet again. As is the point of these little retreats we all worked away on our own challenges. This first shot is of Linda quilting a piece for her self. She finished it and pin basted seven more baby quilts that she had waiting. Liz spent the time doing a mystery quilt that the guild is doing. She was weeks behind and did accomplish a lot. Nancy spent the week end building a quilt for one of grandkids. Linda S. worked thread painting/quilting on this owl and a hand painted sea shell. She does such beautiful work. And so detailed!Kitsy worked away on these two projects.

One of our usual participants is fighting cancer so we all make blocks to put into a quilt to encourage her to wellness. Each block is to have a W on it. Liz went a bit crazy and did five. I brought mine block all finished.

Maureen was in the wet studio and she did some beautiful shobori work.

I worked on more thread painting and use of wash away techniques that I learned from the class I had last fall.T he branch is from the class and made thread painted birds to be a part of that project. The intensity of doing the tight work with the sewing machine , made me tense. So I did two scarves as a

a way to relieve that tension.This green one has silk paper along with yarn ribbon and sequins on it The brown one has lots of ribbons and yarns only. I also did drawings for several other birds.

Monday I went back to the Schweinfurth to help take down the “Both Ends of the Rainbow” show. I picked up and returned several of Sharon’s pieces too It has been a busy week.

Progress Report: Dill This work is 12 “ X 12 “. The seed heads are beads that were stitched on top of the thread painted dill plants, that were stitched onto a wool and fabric background. Then I stretched the piece to finish it. I enjoyed the process.

Asters I am to the stage where I am ready to add the flowers on to this work. I am doing the petal’s now and will add the faced flower centers on top of the 1/2” petals next. All is done with raw edge applique.

Fiddle Head Ferns The fiddle heads are all done and the background is ready for the addition of actual open fern leaves now I think.

12” X 12” I am starting work on my entry for the SAQA 12X12 auction. At this time it is only tacked up.

Altered garment After purchasing a great jacket in Florida with lace applied to it – I wanted to alter a jacket of my own. I am auditioning lace on this coat now. I have a great collection of old lace and tatting that my grandmother and aunts did. I will give these works a new life with this project. Again things are just pinned down and nothing is stitched.

Daily Practice I just keep adding stitch work to this top. They are adding up but not to the degree that I want yet. But that is to be expected as this is only the second week.

Necklaces I stopped at Jo Ann’s this week and because I was tempted and the beads were 50% off I purchased some. I told myself I would make at least one necklace with them using beads from my stash. These two necklaces are the result.