Category Archives: NEW

Childhood Memories, Daily Practice, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Lap Quilts, Mayan- Bone Dancer, NEW, Pixies Group, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Scrap Happy Quilts, Sisterhood of the Scissors

Technical Difficulties

Hello,

For me it has been a strange week. We suffered a technical miss hap.   Two trips to the store,  playing with cable connections and a bit of crawling around on the floor and now we are back in working order.    One forgets how much we have come to depend on this machine for so many things. I was able to make my Zoom meetings through my phone- but I am sure I used lots of Data to do that and I will pay later. There were four Zoom meetings this week. The QuEG’s group meant before the modem failure so it went well although there were not a lot of folks in attendance. FAB meant on Wed and they were my first challenge with doing the zoom on my phone. Wed eve was the Pixies and it took 20 min for us all to get in aliment and able to talk. Susan suggested that we try a create a While Voodoo character to push positive energy into the world. This is my start.

 

Sisterhood
of the Scissors meeting went well because I was at Liz’s and we just tacked it on the end of our class with Rosalie Dace from Stitching Post. It was the last class and I am feeling a bit let down about that.

I also had a new assignment with Textile Artist Stitch Club this week. The new teacher is Valerie Goodwin. I have had classes with her at QBL so that was quiet enjoyable. I can not do the assignment because that had to do  with printing out a map, and the printer is wireless. I did finish my piece from last week however.

My other big event was to hang my solo show at the Life Force Studio. It consisted of the 13 Mayan pieces. I will add them at the bottom of this blog. We also did a video but it was too long so I do not know were that stands. Learning lots of things every day as far as technology is concerned.

Progress Report: Captured This piece is 32″ w X 42″ l. It came out stronger then I expected and I think I will try some more work in this vain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bone Dancer – Mayan Series This is the last of the series and it is 20″ w X 24″ l. I only had to add the binding, sleeve and label to complete this quilt this week. I will not show it in the lineup at the end of the post, but it is there too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gold Lap Quilt This is the newest finished lap quilt for the nursing home. I am using these as a chance to put together different fabrics and play a bit.

 

 

 

 

Orange Lap Quilt This is a second lap quilt that only needs the binding and it will be complete.   This quilt is also made up of mostly hand dyed and altered fabrics.

 

 

 

 

Twin Scrap Quilt This quilt is the commission I have been working on and it only needs to have its binding attached and it too will be complete. I am all excited about doing some more scarp quilts in the near future.

 

 

 

New work – Big Leaves This is the beginning of my use of the big Labrador that did not work on the pieces that became High Anxiety.

 

 

 

 

Raven I got busy and drew in crayon and colored pencil on a bit of fabric this week. He is a bit menacing, but I like him. Not sure were I am going here, but I like a challenge

 

 

 

 

Daily Handwork I continue to applique down old lace and stitch with wool on this piece.

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Muncie Neighborhood

The Neighborhood in Muncie was like all the other neighborhoods in some respects. My parents seemed to always select locations on the out skirts of town with farmland near bye. In this case it was just across Petty road at the north side of the house and across the creek to the west. Dad did dig a garden in the back south corner of the yard as usual. He had a nice strawberry bed and corn every year along with tomatoes and other vegetables. The creek that ran along the back of our lot was a steep five foot drop to the water from our yard. Although the water did get high in spring it never flooded over those banks. I can’t say I ever climbed down to the water even under the bridge over Petty Road. I did explore the lands on those two farm though. The area directly behind the house across the creek was a field  that was going back to nature. There were lots of adolescent trees and brambles in that area. There was also a pond that I visited many time to watch birds and dragon flies as well as listen to frogs. Beyond the that field was a field stone house . The farm widow lived there. I only saw her once . The rest of her farm was across the road and it too was going back to nature as well. There was a great old gray barn that I looked at a time or two. One day it caught fire and the arrival of the fire trucks alerted everyone to the event. We were held at bay and that was a good thing as the metal sheets exploded off the roof of the barn in the middle of the fire and flew in many directions. That was also the day I saw the widow on the stone poach as she watched along with many others as the barn burned to the ground. Across the road on the east side of the creek was another active farm. That property had five different wind breaks/ wooded areas with plowed and planted areas in between. The wooded strips were all about seventy feet wide and supported a mixture of pines and hard woods . I explored them all of course. Two had little interest for me but the other three had elements that I returned to many times. One had a section of white pines that I would visit when I want to be calm. I would lie down on the many years of pin needles and enjoy the smells and look up through the branches at the sky and just day dream. Another section closer our house had two wonderful trees for climbing and I visited that area the most. The third are was on the far east side of the land and there was a great old willow tree there . I went there several times and tried to weave willow baskets. I was not real successful with those attempts, but that did not stop me from trying.
Dad had discourages me from playing football with the boys and although Gene would let he help his when no one else was available, but Steven would not tolerate my participation at all. It was lonely. In early October walking home form school I did meet another older girl in the neighborhood. Ann Pazel was in seventh grade and she lived six blocks from my house. Her parents owned the fanciest Jewelry store downtown. Her parents tightly structured Ann’s live with lessons and such  the only day of the week that we could play together was Tuesday. She had a Parakeet and I was fascinated. Mom disliked birds because a rooster had flown into her face when she was young. So having birds around was out of the question for me. Ann was a avid stamp collector and we all spent hours sorting, examining and sharing those wonderful little images. I still have my original stamp album and continue to save every different stamp that arrives on mail sent to me. Someone will have a treasure trove to sort and enjoy some time in the future.

I will add a separate post of all of the pieces in the show.

Stay safe and keep Creating,
Carol

Childhood Memories, Diva Meetings, Drawing, Lap Quilts, Mayan - Lead Dancer, Mayan- Bone Dancer, NEW, Pixies Group, Scrap Happy Quilts

Winter work

Hello,

Now that the holidays are over and all the decorations are put away I can really concentrate on the studio clean up and sort.   It is a good time to do this sort of thing as there are few  distractions.      I am nearly done with the fabrics. For the most part I have put like colors and fabric types together. I did make some selections of things that I can pass forward  to give away. The only material  left is  my hand altered fabrics and then I will call that step done. My plan is to tackle the remaining book shelves next.
I had a Zoom meetings this week with the Diva’s and the Pixies. It is always good to talk with fellow artists. Textile Artist Stitch Club gave us a new assignment too. This is my drawing. I will use a view finder to select a small portion and begin the  stitch work.

 

 

Progress Report: Lead Dancer Mayan Series # 13 This work is 20″ w X 24.5″ l. With  this finished up, there is only one more in the series. It has been and enjoyable one for me. I am looking forward to the show next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wind Blown 3 X 3 Challenge This work is 38.5″ X 38.5″. All the Gingko leaves are raw edged appliqued to the surface thought the batting. The leaves are all silks of various types.

 

 

 

 

 

Scrap Happy I was commissioned to do one of these in a twin size. All the rows are done and I am working on the backing now.

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt. In my cleaning I found this top all done with out the batting and backing.   I added those two part and  I am   doing stitch in the ditch quilting it now.

 

 

 

Captured Threads I started this project three years ago at Fall Retreat at the Schweinfurth and it too got buried. I am doing the binding on it now and so I will finish it shortly.

Bone Dancer- Mayan Series # 14 This is the last planned work in this series. I am to the quilting stage of this work now as I have a show of all 14 coming next week at the Life Force Studios. Nothing like a dead line to push one forward.

New Work I had cut these squares and pinned them down before I found the other lap quilt, but I will build it none the less. I know I can always find a home for them.

 

 

 

Daily Handwork I started this last week and I am adding yarns and ribbon to the surface at this point. I am keeping the colors simple and closely related. It is meditative to work on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories – Moving to Muncie Indiana
The move to Muncie was a big change for all of the family. Gene and I did not help with the actual packing up of the household. That job was carried out my Mom and Dad with the help of uncle Paul. They drove our stuff to Muncie and unloaded it. Gene, Russell and I came in Grandpa Howard’s truck. In the late afternoon one day, Grandmother and Grandpa loaded us up and we started driving east form Grandview. The three of us had a good time raising our selves above the cab and yelling into the wind for a while. But as the sun went down it became colder and colder. I remember Grandmother rotating us into the cab to warm up before we all fell asleep in the sleeping bags in the bed of the truck. The new house was in a housing development at the end of Brook Drive. It was a yellow brick ranch style house with a garage on the far south side at the end of the drive. There was one other competed house diagonally across the street where the Baloue’s lived. The adults  both worked at Ball State too and their was a son, Steven,  was Gene’s age. Many lots were not developed, but a few had craw spaces dug. There were no girls over 4 for five or more blocks in all directions. There was a big old Shingle Oak in the front yard on the west end and behind the house was a brook. Our street T-ed int Petty Road and beyond that road were fields. Across the brook was a abandon field that was going back to nature and beyond that a stone field house. From the  drive way one would walk up one step  between floor to ceiling windows on the left and a yellow brick flower box on the right , to arrive at the front door. Opening the front door one entered into a short landing with three exits. To the right was a wide opening to the living room that ran along the front of the house. If one went strait ahead there was a phone on the wall to the right and a door way to the kitchen. On turning left one went down the hall to the bath on the right across from Gene’s room. Strait down the the hall brought  one to my room, with Mom and Dad’s bedroom door just to the right. Their sweet had a small bathroom with a shower, stool and sink. I loved my new all white room. I had two windows that faced east and a third that faced north. The big old yellow typing desk, that was in my room in Carroll, did not make the trip, but most of the furniture that my parents had built did. They built desks for both Gene and myself out of doors that were used as the writhing surface. Four screw in legs were the corners, and Dad built slides for the drawers. The drawers themselves were brown plastic wash tubs that slid in on the slide tracks. I also had great bulletin board on that was on that wall. In the corner at the east side was my newly inherited chest of drawers with a large mirror over it. Mom and Dad got a new bedroom set and I got the old blond wavy cut one with big X drawer pulls. I thought it was so “Hollywood”. In the front north east corner was my new bed. Gene and I both got new three quarter beds. That was a fashion that did not last long and Mom grew to dislike as she could not purchase sheets to fit. She had to cut down and re sew doubles to fit. Later that fist fall I got a blue swivel rocker that lived at the end of my bed in front of the closet. My book shelf lived inside the closet at one end and the play cupboard that Grandfather Howard had built me was at the other. Back down the hall was the kitchen/dinning area was behind the living room on the west side of the house. There were double sliding glass doors at the far end of that are and they opened onto a poured cement patio. At that far end was a set of folding doors on the right that opened to the living room. Beyond those doors on the right was a door to the garage. Opposite that door was on to the laundry room that included a sink and a stool too. At the end of the short hall was a door to the den. There was a door to the patio from there as well. Mom and Dad both had desks in that room. The house served us well and I enjoyed it until I moved away my senior year in college to live in a house with seven other girls.

 

Childhood Memories, Crows, Drawing, Mayan- Turtle Dancer, NEW, Pixies Group, Series, Squares a Dancing

Equinox

Hello,

I hope that the equinox was noted by folks this week. I sure am seeing evidence of the shorter day light. For a  few days every year  the sun lines up directly with my east facing door to the studio.  Those days  are now past and the sun is rising and setting at  about 7.
This week the Textile Artist Stitch Club teacher Carissa Caiksen, suggested and then showed us how to add found objects to the surface of our stuff shapes. I added some rusted washers and nuts that I had collected.

I added stitches to the surface of the shapes   as she suggested as well.

This was a fun challenge I think.

 

 

 

 

 

The Pixies had there third online meeting this week. We are getting better and better at working through the connections. There are two challenges this time. One was to do a group drawing that we can connect together into one image. I did my hand and I have sent it off to be married with the others. Can’t wait to see how this project goes. The second was more explorations with Crows. I did this little 12″ X 12″ piece this time. The crows are drawn in crayon on interfacing that I got two years ago in Mexico when I was visiting Susan. The wax in the crayons does make the crows shinny and it also makes it a bit difficult to free motion stitch over.
I did Dye with Liz again this week.

Progress Report: Green on Green This work s 32.5″ X 47.5″. It is all stitch in the ditch quilting. This work will also go to the nursing home for folks confined to wheel chairs.

 

 

This project has lots of hand dyed and hand manipulated fabrics too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turtle Dancer I am doing the outline and applique stitching on this work now. I can see the end of that process and I will move onto the quilting. I drew a new subject this week as well.

 

 

Sweet Peas I started this work when I was in Mexico   visiting with Susan. It finally made it to the top of the pile so I free motion quilted it this week. I will add facings and finish it.

 

 

 

 

New Work I spent and afternoon making silk paper this week. My main goal was to make material for the fire project that is on my mind. I also made these clouds to use in my next crow pieces as well. Yesterday I cut stencils of 8 crow forms to use with the clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

Squares a Dancing The collection of squares grew by seven more this week. I now have 175 and I am working on the next batch.

 

 

New Top   I pulled out these fabrics and I am considering using them together for my next top.  I always like to have something in the background waiting my attention

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories: Farm Yard continued
A little ways from the sheep shed on the southwest side of the barn yard was the Machine Shed. It was a corrugated metal shed that was open on the north side. The tractor- “Big Red”, the disk, the cultivator, the seeder, the mower, the plow, several hay wagons and various other big tools and wagons lived in that space. On the back wall were the old harness sets. Grandfather loved horses and I do remember the last team. They were both white and called Sugar and Salt. Dad use to tell stories about how he and Grandpa would go to the Chicago Stock yards and get wild horses that were brought in from the western plains by train. Grandfather had a good eye for selecting two horses that were similar in size and color to make good looking teams. They would then purchase the horses and bring them back to the farm. It was Dad’s job to break them to ride, harness and pull the farm machinery. When he was growing up there were always four teams on the farm. One older and more experienced team, two in training and a third that was “ green”. Grandfather would sell the oldest team when he was ready to go again to Chicago and get a new team. Horses usually live twenty to thirty years, so it was a good system to make additional money.
There was a narrow lane that lead to a field between the machine shed and the hog house, the next building on the south side of the farm yard. The hog house was a long one story red building with windows and a cement floor. As kids we did not go in there much as hog are unpredictable and dangerous however, I do recall one visit just after piglets were born. They were cute and squealed a lot.  At the eastern end of the hog house was a red stock loading ramp. Using fences and gates, Grandpa could load all his animals into trucks with that ramp. East and north of the hog house was the mud lot. This area connected four barns, was in constant use and was always muddy. The windmill with a connecting stock tank to hold the water that the wind driven pump brought up form the well, was next to the gate on the west side. It was the main gate from the farm yard and it was metal and always closed unless in use. There was a cement pad there that extended along the big barn to help machinery make the transition from the dry are to the muddy lot. In the south east corner of the mud lot was the big gray barn. Dad told me that was were they used to house the horses in the lower level.  I only remember the barn being used to store hay. The loft was a great place to play in the mornings, but often became too hot in the afternoons. The cats liked to have their kittens there and on occasion we found them.  In the center of the mud lot was the corn crib. Having it here meant it was easy to shovel out the corn for the animals. There was also a metal silo behind the crib.  At the back of the mud lot was a gate that went to the big meadow pasture with the creek. On the south west corner of the mud lot was the big red main barn. It had big sliding doors on the west and east sides so you could drive through it. In the front and to the left was the corn cob elevator. That piece of machinery also was used to raise bales of hay to the lofts. It was on wheels and could easily be moved. In the back of the barn, on both sides of the pull through, were “ tight rooms”. One was used for oats and the other for shelled corn. Gene and I loved to enter and climb to the tops of the grain piles and slide down.

Keep Creating  and stay safe

Carol

 

 

 

 

Agitated Aggie, Childhood Memories, Curvie Cuts, Drawing, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Granite, Hand work, NEW, Pomegranate, Re Work, SAQA Blocks, Scrap Happy Quilts, Sisterhood of the Scissors, Snow Dyeing

Getting Warmer

Hello,
Spring is winning the battle for the weather. I see more and more evidence of new growth every day. My Blood root for example is doing beautifully and Betty’s flowers are also blooming.

 

 

 

 

 

I continue to work away on the Textile Artist stitching challenges. This is my applique piece. It is not at all the assignment – I could not get logged on until Friday so I will do it later.

 

This weeks is folk art and I am started as this shot shows. Again I am stretching the piece to fit what I wish to accomplish.    I will incorporate as much of the instruction as I can.
My Fad group meant on Zoom again this week and it was good to talk with them.

 

Progress Report: Agitated Aggie This work is 38″ w X 41″ l. It is my solution to the Sisterhood of the Scissors Canada challenge. Many of us purchased the print fabric and the challenge was to use it. I have only seen one other work doing the challenge.


 When I was in Florida I came across more material by the same artist so I added a second piece of material to my piece. It’s the same artist and meant to go with the first. It is the colored background piece here.

Granite I keep doing the hand work on this project during the news.   This is a close up.

 

 

 

 

 

Re Work Self Challenge I was cleaning and came across this piece in the process and although it is okay, I decided to use it as a base for a new work. Stay tuned.

 

 

 

Popcorn I spent an afternoon this week playing and decided to paint giant kernels of Popcorn. They came out fine so I built a curvy cut base to applique them on. It is pin basted and ready for quilting now.

 

 

 

 


New Sea Floor A long time ago I painted some fusible inner facing. In my cleaning this week I uncovered it. I thought it looked like something I could use as a abase for a small underwater piece. Pulled some shells and found a bag of yarns and ribbons. More play in my future.

Queen Anne’s Lace When I was painting I also did this little piece. I had reread an article in Quilting Arts from Oct/Nov 2007 and it got me thinking about a tiling technique of quilting. This may or may not work. But Experimenting is always just taking a chance.

 

 

Mini’s    I cut up one of the quilts that I discovered in my cleaning and made these little starts for use on cards.   Only the one on the bottom right is done.

 

 

 

Scrap Happy   I finished the first of the pieces that I started at the beginning of the isolation.   It is a queen sized piece.

 

 

Drawing I was influenced by the Sketchbook Revival class and so I did some clean the brush painting on a few pages of the sketchbook. This is what the page suggested to me.

 

 

I went back to my herb book and while I was on the phone I drew this Dill. It may have influenced the Queen Anne’s Lace I did later too.

 

 

 

 

Popcorn- well we have eaten a lot of that of late and it too was on the desk when I was waiting on the phone.    It grew into the later work.

 

Then I just opened the sketchbook in the middle of eating my orange and did this drawing.   I see know that it needs strengthening  the green was too intense for this subject sense I did not draw with a strong enough pen.

 

 

 

Snow Dyeing  I actually did this last week but was in the process of washing it out last Friday.  The two dark pieces are from this summer and were in the bottom of the bucket.

 

Childhood Grandfather Howard

Grandfather Howard was a wonder filled inquisitive person. He often went to Auctions and other places and purchased boxes of books. Then he read most of them. One of the other things he collected was coins. He build a wonderful display that hung in the Den for many years. It held a pounded metal curved blade, brass collars, strings of shells and beads, strange little stamped metal pieces as well as many other odd items that were used as currency and trade goods in Africa.
I remember one summer asking Grandmother Ruth for some dress up clothes and she went to the attic to look. I was allowed to climb the stairs and wait near the top. I spent the time slipping my hands into the space between the flooring and the ceiling were lots of small stuff had be placed. I explored and I pulled out a heave cigar box. It was filled with three rows of silver dollars lain end to end. I called to grandmother “ Look what I found.” “Where did you find them she asked ?” I pointed as she took them form my hands. She carried them up into the attic and they were never seen again as far as I know.
Grandfather collected rocks all his life. He built shelves in the basement from floor to ceiling and displayed his collection there. He also fronted the fire place there and at the cabin with wonderful rocks and geodes. Uncle Paul even carved a pink sand stone dinosaur with a green stone eye, that was featured as part of that fireplace. There was also a part of the basement that was a workshop. There was a rock tumbler that was always running and as a result there were baskets full of Michigan Agates all over the place. The space had a lot of cutting and grinding tools as well as buffer and polishes. He kindly showed me how to use all of those tools and I spent many happy hours working away at carving and creating little works of my own. I still have a stone rabbit and tiger eye “arrow head “ I made.
There was lots of new highway construction in the 50’s and 60’s. We did lots of traveling by car as did lots of Americans. When Grandfather was along , one could count on many stops at the raw cuts along the road side for a bit of exploration. I recall one time when we stopped and collected about 100 petrified Hor Coral. They polished up beautifully and two of them ended up in that fireplace I mentioned.
Grandfather won ribbons for his rock creations . He designed and built three swag lamps that had shades made from sliced beautiful rocks that he suspended in fiber glass. When the light passed thou the stones it was beautiful. Of his two big hobbies, he said that Rock Hounds were much more fun. At Grandfather Howard’s death his collection was given to the University of Iowa and they were glad to have it. My cousin Tracy also took some of the stones to use in her classroom as she was a Science teacher.
Mom too became a Rock Hound and many was the time we carried rocks home in the car. When Mom retied to Tucson, I would visit every February break and we would go to the Gem and Mineral show. I purchased stone beads and she bought more rocks of course.

Stay safe and keep Creating

Carol

Carrol Iowa, Children, Collections, Daily Practice, Memory Map Quilts, Riotous Romp, Word Forms

Spring flowers

IMG_1079Hello,

We are still here in Central New York due to the fact that Eric has been very sick with a bad cold.    He is mending now.   I have been walking and enjoying all the wonderful flowers that have burst into bloom  this week.     The May Apples look like they will bloom in the next few days.  The red buds on the tree down the street look beautiful too. The tree leaves  are filling in the sky line and soon one will feel all surrounded by them and the views will be limited again.    I enjoy the changes.

 

Progress Report: Riotous  Romp This work is 38”w X 34”l.     It is built with a curvy cut background and four copies of a cursive  word- New.     I am glad this  IMG_1109spring like work is finally finished and I am glad I re did the facings when I discovered it was now square.  I do not feel so joyous about the work as I did before I had to re do it, but feel the positive feelings will return with time.

IMG_1110

Mulberry Memories I keep working on  this project.  IMG_1117This week I free motion drew the  around the house and the street layout .  I also did sketchbook work of the other items and scenes  I want to use.   It is starting to come together I think.

Collection II   I am doing the add on and detail IMG_1125work on this piece now.  I like how I can mix old little bits of memorabilia with old bits of lace and ribbon from my mom and grandmothers collections.  A nice remembrance sort of work.

IMG_1111Cardinals    In working on this piece I made a tree.  But after I placed it on the background I discovered it was far to powerful in its self to work on this project.   Even lots of stitching would not diminish it enough.  So I went for simpler and added the tulip leaves to the surface.   The leaves are made from silk paper.   I will add the birds and trim next.   This is one time when my little rule about only working for  about and hour on a project helped me see a problem.  If I just pushed forward I would be taking out the first tree now.

  Two Ravens  IMG_1101  Several years ago I went to Canada with Marty.  We visited the Native Peoples Museum  in Montreal.   There I purchased a beautiful hand printed towel.  Due to the fact that Eric and I  did not travel this week,  I had more time in the studio then normal and I pulled towel( the birds) out and cut it in two.   Now I am building a top.

New WordIMG_1122  This background has now been quilted with a stitch in the ditch technique.   I will  add text on top next.     This is the cursive version of  the word “WIP” .   The letters are overlaid and graffiti like.     I do not like what the word means and the connotations that go with it, but the shape is wonderful.  I will not mention the word again as I present the work.

New Water Sky and Rocks   I painted out doors yesterday and created these fabrics.  I want to do a piece on the shore line.  I did sky, water and rocks.

Daily PracticeIMG_1120I just keep  putting in the stitches here.  I am not happy yet as seems to have no center of interest.

Label Card   On Sunday we celebrated Mother’s day.  I  do my cards on Sunday afternoon and I was thinking about my  Mom at the time.  I realized that not all women are Moms, but all women were once little girls and that is what this card celebrates.

Keep Creating

Carol

Carrol Iowa, Daily Practice, Finger Lakes Fiber Artist Group, Memory Map Quilts, Riotous Romp, Thread, Two New

Active time

Hello,

It is great to be able to really get out of doors and enjoy our wonderful area.  Nick and Wendy took me for my Birthday outing to Buttermilk Falls state park.  We had a great time and I took  lots of pictures.   We walked up to the top falls past Pinnacle  Rock along the George trail.   Thn back north on the Rim trail.  I  found myself a little disgusted with my fellow man as I picked up tossed take out cups and other trash along the trail.    We all need to be responsible       for our world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made a trip to the Schweinfurth  to check out the Made in New York show.  I loved this work by Pat Pauly.   She really used her  own hand made fabric to her advantage.

 

IMG_1003There was a Flinger Lakes Fiber  Artists meeting this last week too.  We had a good discussion and folks showed there work as usual.   This piece is by Ruth.

Lori keeps working away too.  She told us this in not complete.  I sure like all the layers she has built up.

IMG_1006Joyce is painting on fabirc and then stitching over the work with her sewing machine.   There is lots of movement here.

Regina is building up this Blue Loon pieces with lots of hand stitches.

IMG_1011Noel showed off her “Painted Ladies.”   They all have so much personality.

Yesterday I went to the art show at St David’s Celebration of the Arts.   I have so many friends who are in this show and I had a good time.   This is Sharon’s newest work.   I find it very peaceful.   IMG_1052  Angela’s silk painted piece fit in with the feeling of spring for the day too.  This pastel by Barbara was one I had never seen before.   It is so joyous!      And lastly my friend Carol’s piece sold!IMG_1055I’m so happy for her.   It is a good art show and I enjoyed it.     I have had busy week.

Progress Report:Two New This work is 22.5” w X 37.5” long.   It is the second work using the word NEW.   The words are  done as strait lines and turned on the work was  turned on its  side.  I like the final look that way better.IMG_1062One word is made for the blue and the other ( upside down ) in rick rack.   IMG_1063It is all raw edged appliqued.

 

Riotous Romp    I am nearly done with this work as I am to the reflective quilting step now.  I only need to square it and add the facings and sleeve.

newIMG_1068This work is all assembled and now I am working out what I want to build on top.   I will do some stitch in the ditch quilting while I play with different ideas.   All most all the fabric in this work is hand painted and stamped by me.

Collection II I had such an enjoyable time with the first collection piece that I decided to do another using some of the lace that did not make it into the altered jacket project.   I only started pinning on parts yesterday so I know it will change a lot .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carroll- Mulberry Memories This work has been in incubation for a while and only this week did I get the  inspiration to move forward on it.  I remember climbing the mulberry tree so many times that I now see it as the  unifying element in this piece.  We lived in Carroll from the time I was in third grade until  when I was in seventh.   A time of great change in a child’s life  so my memories  seem a bit disjointed.     I hope the tree will give me the  base to hold all the thoughts together.

 IMG_1065Landscape    I built this landscape as a background for the three cardinals.   I am free motion quilting down the parts.  The plan is to build a tree this week and add it on top and then add the birds into the composition.

Daily Practice The hand work goes forward here and the textures are building up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Card  I like to think of my life as a single thread that ties together all my learning and experiences.   The fabric of my life as you will.

Keep Creating

Carol

PS – Eric and I are suppose to go traveling next week- so  there will not be a posting.

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

Spring Has Come

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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.  Liz's drawingMay 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's JewerlyLinda 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.   IMG_0935  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.IMG_0941  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.

IMG_0931IMG_0932Alice 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. IMG_0952IMG_0953  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.IMG_0957

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  topIMG_0968that 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.IMG_0969 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.  IMG_0993The center’s of the flowers are  hand appliqued  circles.   Some of the leaves are hand painted fabrics. IMG_0994The 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.  IMG_0982  I had a good time layering up the stacks of fabric and objects to create this work.IMG_0984

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

 

NEWIMG_0977 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.

NewIMG_0975   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…..

 

 IMG_0989Blue scarf    I made another scarf from silk paper and yarns that I had in my stash.   I love the texturesIMG_0990

 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

Birds, Clutter, Daily Practice, Felt Work, Label Cards, NEW, Thread Painting

Warming up

 

IMG_0930Hello,

We are starting to see evidence of spring.  I am happy with the few changes that are appearing as the temperature rises.

I went to the Associated Artist Meeting on Saturday where we had a little show and tell.  This is a pastel by my friend Barbara.  I really like the m,movement she created.

Progress Report:    SAQA entry -Layers of Life    12” X 12” .   I did some additions on this piece this week and then shipped it off to the folks at SAQA for their auction.

 

NEW IMG_0911 The \blue paper pattern is my  next word work.    The word is NEW.  I am auditioning fabrics for this project here on my pin wall.

IMG_0914Altered Jacket   I am adding lace and such to doll up this black jacket.IMG_0915I stole the idea from Chico’s- the idea of embellishing a jacket in this fashion  I mean.   I need to get some of the lace and such out of the suit case where I have is stored and out into the world.

Collection   I keep adding more and more items and layers to this work.     I like where it is going .   It’s like existence- made up of may small moments.

 

IMG_0912Thread Painting   I finished the last two Titmice that  I started at the spring retreat.   I have learned that a nice balck bead eye really helps them come to life.

 

   New ScarfIMG_0920Along the same line as the ones I  made at the retreat  this   new scarf uses  wash away  and free motion stitching.   I always get nice compliments on the others when I wear them.

 

Felt Backgrounds   Now that I have all the birds done I need to build backgrounds to put them on.  So I  spent a day with Liz teaching her   how to use her felting machine and I worked on backgrounds.   I will add the branch and birds on this one.

IMG_0924   This second one is just play and I do not have a plan for it.  I was just having fun.

IMG_0926This one is the least developed.  It too will be used for the birds I think as it is also a landscape.

Daily Practice   I keep stitching away on this project.    It has a long way to go.

Card   Clutter.  It seems that more and more stuff gets thrown at us each day  and it is hard to keep the clutter under control.   Perhaps accepting that will help a bit.

Keep Creating

Carol