Category Archives: Word Forms

Collections, Comfort, Daily Practice, Forest Fire, JIG, Kindness, Label Cards, Memory Map Quilts, Mulberry Memories, Word Forms

Summer

 

Hello,

The summer is in full bloom in this area.   Lots of flowers and vegetables are available in the farmers market.   It is a great time of the year.    The weather has been so pleasant that Liz and I enjoyed dyeing   yesterday.   Now I have three layers   of color and pattern on my fabrics.  That was my goal for this summer.  I only need to do the time consuming wash out now.

I also went on a trip to the Fenimore Museum with a couple of my buddies.      The museum has a great Native American  collection.  I enjoyed it very much .  This mask is only one of many  beautiful works of indian art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Mulberry Memories  I am moving alone on this project and now I am adding in the landscape and foliage to fill many areas.   It is the fun detail stage now.IMG_1754

 

JIG    All the text is raw edge appliqued down now.    I am beginning to do the reflective quilting now.

IMG_1755When the quilting is done I am going to run this work through the washer and dryer to get even more fraying of the edges of the words.

 

Collection 3   I am  now  to the hand step  of the work on this piece .  I enjoy  adding in little found objects as well IMG_1749 to add even more texture.

 

 

Wild Fire   This is the third in the elements series.   I am also distressed by the Wild Fires in the west so this seems like a good way to think about natures power of destruction as well as creation.   I am using Angelina to add the sparkle of fire light to this  work.

 

 

  Daily Practice I am nearing the end of the hand work on this piece I think.  Adding the embellishment of the metal and beads seems like a good place to stop I think.

 

Cards: Kindness    This is a wonderful concept.   I agree that Kindness is underrated.

Comfort  There are times when it is necessary   to be still and consider our  citation.  Then are  also time to move forward.  Most of us do not spend enough time contemplating and just act.

Keep Creating

Carol

Collections, Daily Practice, JIG, Label Cards, Memory Map Quilts, Mulberry Memories, Never too Late, Surface, Word Forms

Second Visit

Hello,

I enjoyed the Kimono Exhibit at Munson Williams Proctor so much I went back with Liz and Barb this week.     I am so glad I did as I was once again floored by the work.  I even saw a whole wall of kimonos that did not register in my consciousness at the end of the exhibit because my mind was so full of work.   Winter Mt Komona   I saw and paid attention to different details too.  It was a good experience.   Liz also had to pick up the wood block print that she had purchased  so the trip did double duty.    This bee print is a second pull that was on display  in the museum.

Liz and I also dyed this week.  I want to add one more layer of color on the fabric before I start to was it out so there are no images this week.

 

 

 

 

 

I have exciting news too.   My Label Quilt III was accepted for the Quilts= Art = Quilts show at the Auburn  Center for the Arts.   I am thrilled.

 

Progress Report:   JIG

IMG_1718   I am to the point  where I am stitching down the words on this piece.

IMG_1719The work is slow as there are so many sharp changes in direction.

Mulberry Memories    I am adding the images on the surface now.   This shot shows that the spokes of the bike need to be done in black as the silver does not show up.   I also need to add a lot of hand stitching to the work.

Collections 3      I started another one of these little works that  use bits and pieces of items in the  studio.   It too needs lots of hand work now.

Collections 4 IMG_1730   Then in my clean up I discovered another collections piece so I will try not  to bury it  and work away on this one as well.      In my future I  can see lots of setting on the patio and enjoying the summer in my future while I  do handwork.

IMG_1733New Work : Fire   I am a bit distressed by the fires in the west so I am going to do a piece with a forest burning.   I have pulled out these possible fabrics to think study on while I ponder this subject.

Daily Practice IMG_1727  This work gets it attention during the news every night so it is coming along nicely.   Cards: Surface    I just love texture and this card is a collection of many of them.

 

 

 

 

Never Too Late to Learn This little fortune is a powerful message for procrastinators I think.

 

Keep Creating

Carol

Civilation, Diva Meetings, JIG, Label Cards, Memory Map Quilts, Mulberry Memories, Nature, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Word Forms

Busy Summer Time

Hello,
We are enjoying summer, with lots of rain. I can’t grow Black-eyed Susans, there are from my neighbors yard, but I can grow fairy rings (

They only last a day though. There were so many things going on this week I did not do much work. I just seemed to collect ideas and memories to use later an reflect on all the experiences that I have been going through. One needs to take stock every now and then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went with Liz to Percilla’s sale last Friday. We both purchased jackets.   It was fun and we are both delighted to have our one of a kind works to wear this fall.

 

Felted Landscapes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday I went to the Northeast Felt Makers Association as Angela’s guest. We took a workshop on making small felted cards. Angelas’s cards. I have not done any wet felting in a while and I had forgotten how much the roving can move and change with the felting process. I did two small cards. Now we both need to add needle felting for detail and some embroidery to further that process. It was fun and I have joined the group and hope this helps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tue was meeting day for me. I went to the QuEG’s meeting in the morning. We did not meet in July so folks had lots to share. Sally has been working on this beautiful blue and white piece. She is a master of machine embroidery.

 

 

 

 

 

Sue Ellen went to QBL but she was not a t all happy with her piece so I did not take a photo. She did have this delightful little work to share with us though.

 

Liz showed the piece she did in Rosalie’s class on Matisse. It sure captures his love of color and simplicity of shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angela had been printing on fabric with dye. She is staying true to her tapa cloth symbols although the colors are her own. I love what she is doing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to Susan’s for the afternoon and we did some plant printing. I had fun and I am sure some great stuff will grow from this bit of raw material building along with my other stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Diva meeting was stimulating as usual.  Noel showed us her entry for Quilts = Art =Quilts and her latest Collaged Lady.
Susan shared her shelf garden pieces that she has been painting. They are so soft and light like the real flowers.
Donna had great works in progress for her solo show in Oct , but I did not take nay good photos of that work. It was a good meeting as usual and I went home inspired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Yak This is a project from my class with Jeannette Newberryi from QBL. It is 13″w X 15.5″ t. I really like the effects and will transfer the ideas to my own work in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jig This work goes forward. I still want to cut out about six more copies of the word and place them on the surface. I think I will raw edge applique them down as I like this material that Jennet gave me frays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mulberry Memories I mostly work on the trees and grass on this work this week. I am ready to paint and add more imagery to the surface now too.

Cards: Nature   I believe this quote because I know I can always take a short walk our of doors to put things back in perspective for myself.  It really works.

Culture

 

 

We stand on the shoulders of past cultures and for the most part we are totally unaware of their impact on us.

Keep Creating

Carol

PS-  I am still working on getting last weeks post so it can be viewed.   Thanks for your patients.

Baby Quilts, Dad's Barn, Daily Practice, Label Cards, Landscapes, Persuasion, Under teh Sun, Word Forms

Summer Solstice

Hello,

We have reached the longest light day of the  year.   I enjoy setting out of doors in the evening at this time of year to witness the fading light.   I will continue to pursue this even though I do really notice the  time differences  for quite  a while.    I just like how the color and crisp edges of the world fade as the light diminishes.

I also went to the Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute with a couple of friends this week.     The show we went to see was the Kimono show of  Itichiku Kubota’s work.   It was a  beautiful presentation of the  rich  Komona’s  in  five rooms.  Many works were presented as a continuous flow of a scean or idea.  The Komona’s were all hand dye painted with great detail and many subtle color changes.

One room was full of works that move through the seasons in one continuous flow of landscape.    I loved the single hair bush painted trees on one of the Kominas.  Those trees were only about two inches tall.      Some of the works took over  a year to complete.  He did lots of shibori in his work too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a s room that had Mt Fuji as its theme and all the works related to that idea.  The skies on some of those fascinated me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One room was a creation story and it was so long that I could not capture it all it one shot.   The color was amazing and there was a wealth of texture and pattern in the works.

I just could not look enough.

I did go to Liz’s this week and we mixed new dye to begin our summer dyeing.  It has been too cold to begin before this point.

Progress Report:  Persuasion  

This work is 34.75” w X  74.5” l.   It is another one of the Text series.   I also did a wiggle cut background for this work.IMG_1398  I pebble quilted the words and reflective quilted the background.IMG_1399

Perception 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am done with the quilting on this work now and only need to do the facings.   I like how flat it is.

 

 

 

Dad’s Barn    I am doing the hand work on this piece now.  I have added a bit of shadow to the barn.  I also hand stitched in some more weeds to make it feel unified.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ravens In doing some re evaluating  I thought this work needed some additional quilting.  So I am stitching in all the blocks and doing reflective quilting in the raven squares.

IMG_1386Collections 1    This work got a bit of a rework too.  I am adding a ribbon edge to both of the collections pieces.  It will make them look more finished I think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Practice IV   I continue to add to this work with hand applique of ribbons and such.

 

Baby Quilt    A friends daughter just had a child and I have done a sketch for the baby quilt.   The fabric is pulled now to  get it together.

 

IMG_1385New Work   I am ready to begin a next Text piece and I am auditioning fabric there.   This picture makes be realize there is not enough contrast at this point.

Label Cards: Under the Sun   We live on the blue marble and as it is solstice it is a good time to celebrate the sun and our universe.

Card 2  This work is pure play.  IMG_1384Sometimes one does’t  need a reason  to play.

Keep Creating

Carol

Collage, Dad's Barn, Daily Practice, Dreams, Persuasion, Ravens, Trinkets

June Day trip

 

Hello,

I love to do little short day trips in the summer.  This last week end I went with my daughter  to Sonnenburg Gardens  and to the Out Door Expo.  We had a good time an enjoyed the our excursion.There was a little animal show at the Expo and  this tortious  was one of the animals there.     His  textures are wonderful to my eye.     One needs to follow  ones interests as  you never know where they may lead.

IMG_1317Progress Report:  Ravens   I am redoing this piece with reflective quilting now.   The process is slow but the end results make for a better work.

Linda’s Luck    Working away on line quilting on this piece.   The  Progress is  time consuming.

Dad’s Barn   Being unsure of just what I want to do with this piece I am doing a lot of studying  at this point.

Persuasion IMG_1315 I am to the reflective step in quilting on this piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Practice   I am just starting this new work.     I am stitching down little brass flowers that my friend Carol gave to me as my first step.

Collage   I am doing collage again and this is my work for this week.     I could not resist playing with these strong graphic patterns.

Cards: TrinketIMG_1309 It seems like my drawers fill with little trinkets of so many items from various sources.   One dose like to keep these tiny memory  things.

 

Dreams    Everyone is unique and all our dreams are too.    One has got to love the diversity!

Keep Creating

Carol

One  last picture of one of the orkids from the gardens.

Carrol Iowa, Dad's Barn, Daily Practice, Diva Meetings, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), IV, Modern, Perception, Persuasion, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Ravens, Self Knowledge, Word Forms

Taking stock

 

Hello,

We are beginning to enjoy the wonders of summer.   These poppies are in Susan’s garden and look wonderful.    This was the first full week of June and I had three meetings.   QuEG’s meant on Tuesday morning.  It was a small group but folks had lots to share.IMG_1191Linda  C  is working on a baby quilt for her niece.   Elephants are the nursery theme.  Liz is working on her transparency piece and it is looking good.   IMG_1199Sue Ellen is playing with her collection on non cotton fabrics. IMG_1192 And there is a row by row project in the works too.

I went from the meeting to Moravia and spent a wonderful afternoon working with Susan.  We then went off to the Diva meeting where more things were cooking. IMG_1207Donna has a new batch of mirrors that she has completed.  She sure knows how to use Fimo effectively.     IMG_1209Lori is creating portraits with her needle now.     Noel is doing portraits too- but with quilt a different bent.   Her fabric faces are stretch and very whimsical.

IMG_1216Yesterday I went off to the FAB meeting.  Judy and Patti are knitting like crazy and Sharon has finished her Relative quilt now.

Because of all these meetings I spent a lot of time in the car alone.   This plus sorting through work looking for a specific piece brought up some issues.     Susan wisely said of reworking pieces one is “playing with your younger self.”   What a grand way to look at the process of redoing works that do not quite make the grade.       Time away from work allows one to look with new eyes at the pieces and I often see things I wish I had done differently.    I can spot the problems in some cases too.   In my sorting and musing I have decided I will return to some works in the hope of making them stronger.

Progress Report: Perception Daily    This work is 30” w X 46” l.   It is a part of the text series .     One of the challenges that Liz and I made for our selves this year was to use some of the fabric that we hand dyed.   All the material except the dark turquoise fabric in the background is something that I altered.    IMG_1255   I did reflective quilting around all the words after I had raw edge appliqued down the words. IMG_1258

Daily Practice I   I finally stretched all the finished Daily Practice work  this week.   This piece is 18″ w X 24″ l. IMG_1238   The base of this one is a piece of fabric that was a wipe  up cloth at one of my print sessions last summer.   The lace is from grandmothers collection and I hand dyed it last summer as well.IMG_1239

 

 

Daily  Practice II       This piece is 16″ w X 18″ l.      The base for this work is several  trimmed tans that  looked good together.    IMG_1232  This piece has lots of buttons on it for textural contrast.IMG_1233

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Daily Practice III      This work is 18″ w X 24″ l.   The purple background is a commercial fabric and all the other material added on top is some I have altered.   They are also scraps left over from other projects.    IMG_1247  I have always been fascinated by negative space and in using those negatives this way they become positive spaces.   Stitches and pompoms are the textural elements of this piece. IMG_1246

Daily Practice IV 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The  orange part  base of the  background isone of the  shibori projects Liz and I tried last summer.   The metal flowers are from Carol.

Rocky Shore I worked forward on Water – the class assignments this week.   The hand painted   sky and  water have been stitched down and the three different types of foam have also been applied.IMG_1227    One foam is made from Angelina, a second is florist plastic that was painted with opalescent paint and the third was a textured plastic ribbon that I ironed.     I will move on to the next element next week and finish all the elements at the end of the class.

 

IMG_1261Mulberry Memories    This work has become a problem for me.  I tried to put too much into the top for the size of the piece.     It has become impossible for the viewer to “read”.     Therefore I have decided to scarp this  particular  work and start again using the same ideas plus a few others and create two or perhaps  a  three units  to represent this time and geography  of my life.     We lived in this location for 5 years and there are lots of memories.

Ravens  I thought that this work was finished last week and I presented it as such.  But a  second study this week as convinced me that it needs more quilting.   The gals at QuEGs pushed this idea too.   So I am taking the time to make these additions.

IMG_1251Persuasion I have been busy doing pebble quilting on this  text piece.   I am ready to start reflective quilting on it now.

Dad’s Barn  I came across the orange and yellow base in one of my boxes from  Ethel.  I pinned it to the pin wall and it hung there for several weeks.  In thumbing through a sketchbook I came across of the old barn on Dad’s Farm and though I would like to do a work about that.  The two came together.  I also wanted to do some more thread painting  so I drew our some swallows on wash away and started them.IMG_1185   After the backs were done I added the chest and beaks.IMG_1187   I have learned that I do not need to do the legs as they are so slender that they do not hold up well after washing and they seldom are in the position I want so I add them when I put the work together.     The birds are washed and dried and ready for mounting on the image.  I need to decide how I am going to add one of them to the work now.

 

 

 

New Work IMG_1225I am trying to pay attention to shape and contrast with this work.  It is made up of mostly the cut-away’s  of several  older pieces.    Again my love of the negative spaces.

Label Cards Modern    I became weary of the word Modern when I was about 10.  I was helping Mom and Aunt Marci clean grandfather’s cabin.  We were taking  The books off the shelf sorting and dusting them.     I came a pone  one called “ Modern Science” and I flipped it open.  It revealed a drawing of  all of the parts of atom with the Neutrons, Protons and Electrons labeled.   Knowing there were more I decided to always  be wary of things labeled as “Modern”.

Self Knowledge     One develops an understanding that they are unique entities separate from others at a  young age.    But the real development of self acceptance takes years and for some never occurs.

Keep Crating Friends

Carol

Balance, Carrol Iowa, Collections II Grandmother Mc, Daily Practice, Label Cards, Memory Map Quilts, Perception, Persuasion, Rocky Shore

Post 300

1 Comment

 

Hello,

We have a house guest, our daughter’s dog Riley.  He is a good husky, but requires three walks a day.  That sure is eating into my work time.    I am enjoying myself .

I discovered this is my 300th post.    I never envisioned that I would still be writing and creating this work   this far into the future when I started it.   The first one was Sept. 1, 2011 and I have come a long way.   That first blog only had three pictures.   Now I see photos as one of the strongest parts of my posts. I was so tentative about   what to write in the beginning.  Now I am surprised and proud  of this work.  I look forward to the  postings and think about what I want to cover over the week.  It makes me pay more attention to my peers, what I am doing  and my environment.     I look forward to noting things every week.   I do not plan to end any time soon as I just renewed my domain name for the next three years.

Progress Report: Collection 2- Grandmother Mc    This work is 18” w X 31” l.  I started out with some lace that grandmother Ester had created and built up the surface with more items that where hers and represented her.

IMG_1181  She had button tin and I spent many hours stringing them for her.  Three  different ones from the collection are shown here.  IMG_1180

Perception IMG_1174  I am done adding the text  to the background with metallic threads  on this work.    Now I am doing reflective quilting around all the words.

IMG_1177Persuasion   I am still doing pebble quilting of the words for this quilt.   I seem to only  be able to quilt three words in an hour.      I have seven words remaining.

 

Rocky Shores    I am doing a Quilt University  class by Linda Schmidt.   The first lesson is on water.  I painted the sky and water and them I followed the instructions on how to make the  rocks and foam.   I am making up my own shore line.    It is all  pinned in place now and I will begin stitching next.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mulberry Memories  This week I worked on the winter memories for this quilt.    Ice skating, and sledding were two of the things we did lots of those years.  Gene had a flexible  flyer and it was a wonderful sled.  We even built snow jumps for it.

 Old Barn    I just started this work based on a photo of the old barn on Dad’s farm.  It fell down before he moved from there and the lumber was burnt in the stove in that house.

 

 

Daily PracticeIMG_1184  I am now adding some lace flowers to the surface of this project.   I hand dyed the lace last summer with Liz.     This project continues my effort to use materials that I have altered with dye this year.

 

Card  It is hard some times to keep things balanced.  I often go to excess on some things.  I am trying to pay attention to this as I get older and think about the need to keep my many interests in line.

IMG_1167  I just could not seem to stop working on collage this week.   Collection,  sifting, placing  and creating a new image from scraps- it is a wonderful process in my eyes.

Keep Creating

Carol

Birds, Birds, Carrol Iowa, Collections II Grandmother Mc, Daily Practice, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Memory Map Quilts, Perception, Persuasion, Ravens, Spring Spin, Summer Family - Cardinals, Thread Painting

Great Weather

 

Hello,

After several days of spring rains, we are enjoying wonderful weather.   I now need to do some yard jobs.    But any excuse to be out doors will due.    It is so wonderful with pleasant temperatures  and   almost daily changes in the environment.   There was only one meeting this week and it was of the FAB group.  I forgot my camera so there are no new images.

 Progress Report:   Ravens   This work is  38”w X 49” l.    It really came together with ease.  I made a drawing and then  added a Raven’s head to the big white areas.

IMG_1153  I enjoyed working with the limited palet.

IMG_1156

Summer Family- Cardinals Texture is one of my main interests, and this work has a lot of them.  IMG_1146   This mother Cardinal has the most variation in thread colors of the three.   Her position is more animated then the males.

  I do seem to be in a bird phase at the moment.

 

Persuasion I was all ready to add the words on top of this work and then I realized that the value of the text was too close to the background.  So I took them off and made some darker words( navy blue ) and brighter greens.

IMG_1142I am raw edge appliqueing them down with silver and pale blue metallic threads.    There are two threads in one needle of the sewing machine.

Perception   I could not bring myself to toss the pale purple words so I made a new background for them.   The fuchsia and pink really high lights the words that were lost on the first work..   Then I added some of the leftover navy words too.   I think that  they add interest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New  Collection II  Grandmother Mc    This work is moving along.   I am enjoying going through the  old button collections and adding them to the surface.

IMG_1137

Daily Practice IMG_1130  This work just keeps building.

New      I seem to be fascinated by the purple and apple green colors of late.   This is a  new combination for me and I guess I am not done exploring it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mulberry Memories- Carroll   This work is moving slowly.     IMG_1149I am adding the images I painted last week on the surface.    As a child, I  lived in this house five years and there are so many memories  that I am having a hard time deciding what to use.IMG_1150

Card- Spin    Spring seems bring on a dramatic change in the outside world and  those changes  push me in a new directions.   I find that my mind is full of a wide variety of ideas.

 

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