The world shifted just a bit when we went back to standard time. I always have a time of adjustment doing that shift. I am not real happy to find the sun going down at 4:30. It is beautiful none the less.
On Saturday I went to the opening of the Quilts=Art= Quilts show at the Schweinfurth.
This show is a real winner! I was so overwhelmed by the work and the many people I new and talked with that, I did not even enter two of the galleries. Good thing I will be going back for the Fall Retreat and two trunk shows by friends. This work is by Michelle Browne and called The Landscape Becomes her. I like how she used and old quilt that almost gets lost in the work on top.
Roger Blum did this work called Greenfield. His use of transparence makes it look like a painting to me.
This work is by Valerie Goodwin, my old teacher. She is really exploring the use of the cut machine work a lot in her art.
Laurie Paquin, my friend from QBL entered this strong piece called Composition 4. It is also on the front of the Schewinfurth mailer this month.
I was fascinated by this work by Sheree Rasmussen called The Landscape Within. I found all the bits and pieces really drew me into the work.
But thinking on the title I can see how one could picture that world in this fashion.
There was also a Pixie meeting this week.
Progress Report: Lap #5 I got busy and finished this one this week. The stack of lap quilts is getting big, so I will make a run to a nursing home sometime soon.
Lap #6 This top is all pin based now and I have done a little quilting on it . I am getting to the bottom of the stuff I printed for the 100 days project from last year at this point.
Bleaching Coral I am making progress on this project as I have put in a little time every day. The roving with machine work is a little disappointing as it really sinks into the background. But things are bound to come out less then satisfactory when you are experimenting .
Scrap Happy I got busy on this project this week and all the rows are stitched to the backing. I even put two pieces of boarder on it.
Autumn Cuts I just keep stitching away on this one. Sometimes it only gets a little attention at the end of the news.
Tutti Frutti Collage I kept self promise to myself and did a collage this week. The catalog’s for Christmas fruits were on the desk and many parts of pages ended up in this work.
Printing I finally printed the foam stamps that I made in June. I am not sure if they are done or need a second stamping over the top. I need to live with them a bit longer to know the answer to that one.
We are to the longest day of the year today . It is also very hot in this part of the world. It will be a while before I really notice the shorting days. I do enjoy the sunlight though. We also have the Strawberry Moon this evening. I hope it stays clear and I get to view it.
This week was a busy one for me. Friday, Liz and I went to Marcia’s for a sewing day. Joyce worked on her Bog Coat as did I.
They help on hemming was what I needed and mine is finished now.
Deb enjoyed Zoie.
Marcia showed off one of her jackets.
We had a good productive time.
I had a Sisterhood Zoom meeting and the Pixies meant too.
The Naturally Inspired class got my attention as I did a group of Gelli prints for that class.
The teacher also suggested that one cut their stencil shapes from Yupo paper. It really works well and holds up nicely. I will use it in the future.
Progress Report: Swoop II This work is 37″ w X 46″ l. It is made from leftover blocks from the first Swoop piece.
I had more fun with the quilting on this one than the first.
Lavender Floor This work is 31″ X 24″. I was playing with the free motion work and the roving again here. The fish and the starfish both have this technique as a part of them.
The sea grass is made from nylon netting and two different ribbons that I gathered to get the ripple effect.
Lap 10 The top is all pieced together and it is pin based now. I will move forward on it this week.
Glove Blocks I have just pinned this piece together and started to stitch the handkerchief down. In my sorting this week I found some more of aunt Shirley’s and grandmothers handkerchiefs too. The gloves here are from Liz.,
Floral Garden I have stitched down all the sunflowers and most of the leaves on this project. I am just about ready to add more blossoms. These flowers and the one I plan to add are made with the roving and free motion technique that I learned in the QBL class last summer.
9X9X9 I added a boarder to this work and it is pin based. Now I need to wait for the last portrait before I can go forward.
Envelopes I always save my papers from painting and turn them into envelopes. I realized that there were quit a few of them rolled up in the corner so I pulled them out and made a new batch of envelopes. It is my personal way of recycling.
Please stay safe and cool as you can at this time.
Hello, This week I seem to have finished up lots of things. Clearing the decks is always a good thing in my mind. It is like the raking I have done this week to clear out the gardens for new growth. One needs to move on.
Yesterday Liz ands I went to “Sew What”, a recycle sewing supplies shop in Auburn NY . It felt great spending my money to up cycle materials that other sewers no longer needed. I know that as a society we are generating far too much material that can easily end up on land fills or polluting the water. That is really only a poor solution for our planet. This resel/recycle shop is so much better! Liz purchase two quilting hoops as they were so inexpensive and she did not know what would work best for her. She also sorted through there button bin to find some 50’s buttons to make a bracelet for herself. As you can see I made a bigger purchase- but it is all stuff that I can and will use. I used the pre wrapped bobbin thread today in my machine when I did the illustration for Childhood. They had a wide selection of sewing related materials, yarns and books. It is a good resource and I will donate to it as I sort through my studio and support it by stopping and purchasing materials that I will use in my work. We all need to take care of this world and recycling is one of the best ways we can all do our small part.
Pixies was the only group that meant this week. Susan challenged us to draw last week and these two are my answer to that. The Woman is my Mom.
These are my favorite red shoes.
Progress Report: Coral Sea II This work is 16 X 18. I enjoyed embellishing this work. The fish are made from fancy ribbons so they will not fray.
Twilight Crows This work is 40″ X 48″. I cut all the stencils in the past and just used them together in a different arrangement this time. Most of the other fabric are altered as well.
Lap Quilt # 10 This work is 37″ X 51″. I so enjoy just putting fabrics together to create a new unit. I always seem to make extra filler and I am challenging myself to use that as the starting off point for then next one.
Scrap Happy. I finished this scrap happy this week. I plan to pass it on to my granddaughter.
Poppy Fields I was frustrated by this work and Liz suggested that I stamp on it to build up the contrast. I am much happier with it now. I plan to push forward now.
New base I built this base of all silks. It proved to be a challenge to get them all strait. I plan to use it for a base for my next leaf exploration piece.
Horsetails This quilt is a result of a dream I had this week. I have no idea where it came from, but I am enjoying the process. I have not tried couching poplr fleece before.
Daily Practice I am done stitching all the units down now and moving on to the background. I am about one forth done with that step on this section.
Stencils I cut and printed some new and stencils that I mixed with some other ones. A fun way to build more complexity in my work.
Childhood Memories – Sophomore Year II
I was always good at sports and loved the gym class that meant alternate days with the Health class. Indiana is a big basketball state and Muncie Central was a real sports power house .They had won the state Basketball championship several times and for two years in a row before I attended. I was looking forward to playing basketball in high school, so when the school morning announcement made no mention of girls basketball try-outs, Iwas baffled. After the second day announcement of boys try-outs, I went to the Principal’S office and asked. The Vice Principal told me that” We don’t do that, because its not “ Lady-Like”. When I asked Dad about this, because I knew he had coached girls ball, he just laughed. “ Carol,” Dad said, “ There is only one gym and if there is a girls team, that would cut the practice time for boys in half.” That realization made me quite angry. I also realized that the cards were stacked against me and there was little I could do. I sort of worked on the issue of girls sports with Miss Anderson and by the time I was a senior there was a girls Track team and I was on it. No threat to the boys with that sport. We had the hand me down uniforms from the boys team. I was the base for the relay team and we won several races. I do have one ribbon from that activity. I took synchronized S swimming at the YMCA as my fall Junior year physical ed class and joined that team. I was glad that having straight hair was popular as the class was just before lunch and my hair was dry by the time my first class started. There was no travel for the swimming team and we did only two performances . Despite the lack of outside support, I did have fun. I can still do all the fun moves we learned like the clam shell and star fish.
> Lunch was a full hour and I often at in the Cafeteria . Sometimes I spent some of my lunch hours playing Chess with the Chess Club that met in one corner of the big room. We were also allowed to leave campus at noon to eat in the community. I got in trouble financially with that in October . I went with a couple of other gals to the Woolworths counter and where we ate lunch. The cost of one Woolwoth lunch was more then a whole weeks work of lunch from the school lunch room. I should have realized early on – but the social aspect of it captured me. The last week of Oct I had only 15 cents in my pocket. Just enough to purchase milk at school at three cents a box for the week. So I stopped going to lunch with the “in crowd” and carried peanut butter sandwiches that week. I needed to learn that lesson. Being downtown also presented other temptations. There were three bookstores in the downtown area and I used them to purchase many paper back books. I know I spent money on every copy of an Edger Rice Burrows book I could find. Charm bracelets were all the rage at this time and I often checked out jewelry stores for charms for my self and gifts for friends Birthdays. My friend Ann’s parents owned a jewelry store there too. I did go several times and looked at charms there, but found they were just a little bit more expensive than the other stores, so they did not get much business from me. I still have my three bracelets that include charms from all the states I had lived in and some of my interests, another bracelet that is all gifts , and a third , witch was the last one I built and it is very eclectic with a small Opal, a cowboy, a part of scissors and a graduation hat , among other things.
We are in a time when the fall has finally hit us. For six days we had beautiful Indian Summer weather and it was glorious. The sun was bright and the leaves were colorful although drifting down. I worked in the yard as did many others. Then yesterday it rained and today it is cold an gray as we return to real fall like weather. The city has cleaned up most of the leaves in the streets, so walking is back to being a silent activity. With most of the leaves gone one can see great distances again. The bare trees also ravel lots of leave ball squirrel nests as they too have prepared for the change of season. I feel fortunate to live were the environment shows great change with the seasons.
I had several ZOOM meetings this week. This is my project for the Pixies using Roberts crows to make stencils and them applying them to the surface of fabric. I plan to build up the surface more too.
There was also a DIVA meeting on Tuesday . It is always so stimulating to talk to fellow fiber Artists. Then I topped off the week by going to the Quilts = Art = Quilts show at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn. Liz and I wearing out masks meant three other fellow Finger Lakes Fiber Artist there and it was delightful. The show is amazing. This work is by Candace Hackett Shively is called Unsafe, Unseen, Unheard 2018 is her response to the children that were separated from their parents at the boarder and are still in captivity, with no hope of being united with their parents. What a shameful citation for our country!
This piece is by Denise Labadie and is also in the show. It is called Bonamary Friday. She hand painted all the rocks.
The Textile Artist Stitch Club also presented me with an new artist and challenge. Ali Ferguson is the teacher and she walked us through how to make a seven signature book. This is my cover.
Then she challenged us to add stitch work inside. Here is a start.
Progress Report: Rabbit Dancer – Mayan Series This quilt is 20″w X 25″ l. I am excitedly looking forward to a show show of all of these works when the last one is done.
The rabbit head was especially fun to stitch.
Fire Dancer -Mayan Series I am making great progress on cutting the parts for this next work in the series. I am anxious to begin stitching on it too.
Squares A Dancing Seven more completed and only two more weeks worht of squares cut. I need to start to think about how I want to assemble the pieces of this work.
I now have 231 squares done.
Mexican Morning I painted this in Mexico when I visited Susan in January 2018. I added color to the background this week and will begin to stitch it soon.
Lap Quilt This work is all pin basted and ready for stitch in the ditch quilting soon. I think its colorful pieces will cheer some wheel chair bound person.
Now I only have two more to build before I take them off the nursing home.
3 X 3 Challenge All the units plus on extra are pieced now. I need to do the quilting and finish the units next. The squares are going to be 15″ square.
Burn I got going again on the free motion work on this piece. I really love my new Phaff as it cuts the tread at the end of the stitching work and that really speeds me along.
Ethel Scrap work When the Fall Retreat got cancelled I decided to put in and hour everyday assembling the strips that Ethel had cut. Tue was day 21 of that activity and Wed I would have started the retreat had it still be a reality. Instead I started cutting 5″ squares from the assembled units. The box is overflowing and I still have units to cut. When they are all cut I will begin to build blocks for more then one quilt I hope.
Black Rocks I am doing handwork on this black project. So far – so good.
Childhood Memories- The Nearby Wild
When I look back on those years in Carroll , I feel Gene and I were given great freedoms to explore beyond where Mom could keep an eye on us. We spent a lot of time building forts. One of the early ones was at the end of Adams street where the pavement ended in T to connect to a gravel road. Across the gravel road was a fenced farmers field. We built that first fort in the run off gully that was there by pilling limbs and brush against the fence to create a lean-to type of thing. Then we wove cat tails into the fencing to block off that side. It was a nice enclosed tunnel-like thing.
We also walked east up the gravel road, crossed the fence and walked across the farmers field to a raised portion of the land that was not cultivated. It was a big area that was where the farmer dumped debris. There were rocks from the plowing, and lots of old limbs and dead trees. There were live trees too, wild grasses and weeds and a rather steep but short gully. We called the area “ Dead Horse Canyon” even though the few bones that where there were from a cow. We were influenced by Cowboy shows and movies I’d guess. All the natural debris provided lots of building materials for forts and we usually had two or three going at the same time. We played lots of “Cowboy and Indian” out there. In the winter after a big snow storm we would walk out there too. The wind often blew the snow across the fields and piled it up in the gully. We would spend hours digging out forts and tunnels in the snow bank. Many was the time when we would stay a little too long and the walk home was very cold and uncomfortable with snow encrusted pants and coats. We went directly into the basement and shed our wet clothing, then run up stairs and quickly get into a hot bath to avoid frost bite.
If we walked farther to the east down the gravel road we would arrive at a new housing development. Most of the houses were going up at the north end of that area and we did not pay much attention to them at first . When other kids moved into the finished houses that story changed. For a few years we only went to the creek at the far east end of the area to fool around. We caught frogs, and snakes along there. We would take them home to Mom who took them to school and put them in her classroom. At the far east end of the territory where another gravel road bridged the creek was a pond. Gene threw lots of rocks into that pond. It was fun to go under the bridge and yell as the cement tunnel distorted the sound. One winter after an especially long cold spell, Lee, Gene and I visited there. We ventured out on the ice as the pond was frozen solid. As kids we tried to break the ice by jumping on it. There was not even a crack. The Gene and Lee “dared” me to jump off the bridge and break the ice. I foolishly took the dare and on my way down after the jump – I thought to myself “ I’ll never do anything this stupid again!” I didn’t hit the ice square, so my feet flew out form under me and I hit hard on my behind. My heels did hurt a bit but not bad- and I did not crack the ice. We all realized how dangerous it was and didn’t tell anyone until much later. I was in my mid forties when I did tell Mom of my foolishness and she was appalled. I never took any more dares either.
I so enjoy fall, not just the color- and this year it it wonderful, but one of the best things is the sound of walking through the fallen leaves. The crunch, the swish, the crackel, all those sounds and the earthy smell always seems to bring me warm feeling of golden days and slowing down. A heightened feel of awareness of the wonder of the world we live in. I love it.
These beautiful flowers are a gift from my friend Noel. They sure bring the colors and feel of the season into my dinning room.
This was meeting week for me. Tuesday QuEG’s meant at noon. Everyone had lots to share. This shot is of some electron microscope images that Linda thinks she may use as starting points for some work. All of these are various liquors.
Liz is just home from a two week trip to Ohio to Nancy Crow’s barn and a workshop in using Graffiti and Lettering. She had a pile of altered fabrics that she has created that will keep her busy working all winter on just this topic. This one is called “Art Boys”. It sounds like she had fun.
Barb continues to work on her crazy quilts. I really like the Victorian feel this one has. She will have some great family remembrances when she is done and what a great way to collect and display the little bits one seems to collect from family members- like pins and such.
Angela is busy dying again. I love how she uses her abilities to get such wonderful work. This work has several layers of dye on it. These scarves are for the hostesses who are doing a baby shower for her grandson later this fall. She is so wonderfully generous with her work.
Sally is back at her embroidery machine creating wonderful cards for Christmas and fun family gifts. This strawberry is her own design and a family gift. She always give the kids $ presented in a unique way. This year the cash is wrapped inside the layers of the toilet paper inside the berry. She also went so far as to machine embroider the family’s name on the first sheet of each roll. Too much!
Sue Ellen and Corrine are both doing finish up work. Something about fall I think, we want to tidy up a bit before the confinement of winter. Corrine had three wedge cut baby quilts that she was finishing.
Sue Ellen had three distinct, but traditional quilts she had finished and this wonderfully fun Sea Horse piece she created. Each panel in the horse body is a different print and they are all connected with metallic cord that has been zig zaged in place.
Then I went off to the Diva meeting. Cheri and several others of us had spent a few days felting last month. Using materials she produced at that time, Cheri has finished a felted vest for her grand daughter. She used one of her jelly roll slices to create a pin too- its on the right. What fun!
Marty went along with me to the meetings and she showed one of her wonderful Nebula quilts. Everyone is amazed, myself included, in all the bead work and her tiny button whole stitching. She told us she used over 400 beads on one of the nebula pieces. I enjoy how she uses hand dyed fabrics too. wonderful images.
Liesa is working on her Map quilt. All the trees and buildings are in place now. She says there will be more quilts like this one of different locations.
Anne had lots of work to show- four pieces I think. She is getting ready for the Ithaca Art Trail that happens this weekend and next. I like this little whimsical piece the most. So much freedom and action here.
Noel had a wonderful little work that again displayed her techinque. She makes all the blocks and then can try out several arrangements before she puts them together. I like this layout myself.
Susan is getting ready to fly south for the winter. She sold one of her unique little birds that she showed us at the last meeting. Because she wanted to commemorate that event she did these four little paintings of the birds saying good bye. They sure project the happy smiling feeling that Susan always brings to every situation.
Then there was a FAB meeting yesterday morning. Nancy is making great progress on her Flower Bed quilt. She uses big prints and strong colors so very well. This is about one fourth of the top. I can hardly wait to see the full effect.
Patti is doing beading. I love this wonderfully designed small bead- it is only about one fourth inch long( that is the grid of a cutting matt it is setting on) This is the first for a bracelet that will have at least eight unique beads similar to this one .
Chrysanthemum 39″ X 48″ $675.00
Progress Report: Chrysanthemum I am very happy with this work. I used lots of the wonderful silk that I had pruchased from Ginny – most of the reds and purples are her fabrics- and I used the fabrics I had printed on as well. I am still playing with the off square cutting and piecing with this work. It creates challenges when one is quilting and putting sections together, but I am enjoying the process.
I had a good time with the free motion quilting on this work as too. I started with the center most blossom and sort of followed the shapes and forms of the flower to unite the layers of the work. This photos shows how I extended the quilt lines out to finish the petals were need be too. I did total free designing of the flowers in various sizes to fill in all the spaces that remained. I enjoyed this project, but I will admit that I will back my silks with interfacing the next time I use them so I do not get quite so much uncontrolled movement of the seam lines.
Golden Weeds This quilt is having a second life- a sort of face lift. I thought it was done three years ago- and it was OK- but when I was considering work for the Man In the Moon show and I had pulled it out- I thought this just is a good background. Then it hung on the wall for a few weeks. While on a walk, I was taken by the beauty of the Tessel weeds along the road side and thought they were strong enough to stand on top of the old work. First I machine drew in the heads and stems of the plants in a variegated thread. Then I looked for a stronger unit to place on top of that work to make it appear as though some of the plants were even closer to the viewer. I found this copper colored woven ribbon in my stash and felt it would do the job. By adding folded satin ribbon for stems the job was complete. The work is a lot stronger now and I just added a second label to give info about the additions and name change on the back.
Alpine Lake I started playing with the idea of creating a landscape of a mountain setting with a lake. It is all created on top of buckram- so it will not wrinkle up on me – in what I am starting to think of as my college style of construction. I am not gluing anything down, but building from the sky forward with the image. I attach all the parts with machine drawing that adds texture and detail to the work. It is a process that I am enjoying.
New Work blue This is just a background- done this time on purpose- that I want to play on top of. I have some vague ideas about where I am going, but I am still in the sketching stage.
New Work- wavy cuts This top is the same as the one above it. No plan other than to see if I could use wavy cuts in this piece. This too is pure experiment.
I am having a good fall and enjoying walking in the leaves, keeping my eyes open for ideas and just soaking in the sun shine.
Spring is really here! I went for my walk today with out a coat. I even ate my lunch on the patio today. It was around seventy and the sun was shinning. It made me feel glorious.
I had a busy week end as I took at three day workshop with Carol Soderlund( www.carolsoderlund.com) called Waxing Eloquent. It was about how to use soy wax and build up layers of dye on fabric to create great depth. We had a grand time and the three days flew by. In this first shot the teacher is holding my experimental piece. I had tried this before several years ago and I am more excited about it on this second attempt. I sewed the prepared fabric with to two layers of batting and normal thread on the top and a wash away( water soluble ) thread in the bobbin. Then I painted the soy wax on the “mountains” of the project and painted the dye in the valley’s. ( the work is at that stage in this first photo.) We all brought along a big supply of tools to apply the soy wax to the fabric. I enjoyed the old calulator plastic and the empty spool a lot. After the wax was dry we applied the dye to the fabric . This shot is of Linda who was setting across the table from me. We worked all afternoon at adding wax and color to the pieces we had started. This shot is of my pin wall in the middle of the afternoon. By the end of that first day the floor of the room looked like a magic carpet shop where the pieces “batched” all night long. We then added more soy wax to the surface. Things were really getting lucious at this point. This piece is by a new friend, Peg. The big circles in the wax were created with a sponge that had a hole cut in the middle. To fully use the dye, Carol had us layer the fabric in two and three stacks. I folded over several of my pieces and so I had softer second pieces and there was much less dye to mop up when the pieces were picked up off the plastic sheets.
There is a little problem with the water soluable thread- the dye also causes the thread to disolve. So before I put on the second layer of wax I had to cover the valley area of the surface to keep the white.
There are several ways to remove the soy wax from the fabrics. One is to iron the fabric between two pieces of newspaper and this should always be done first. This process was done with my work and then it was placed in a boiling kettle of water. All the milky color is the soy wax in the pot rising to the top. The water is then carefully poured out of the pot and the fabric is ready for a hot was in the machine. It is OK to pore the water soy mixture down the drain because the soy wax is a natural product and will bio degrade. I was surprised by the color change. This photo shows some fabric( at the top that did not have the color washed out and the thread is still attached) and the bottom is the final color of the washed and ironed fabric. The green color came from the blue dye added over the yellow dye of the day before. It will still be a fun piece to do hand stitching work on top of.
This shot shows several of the fabrics that I washed out at home on Monday.
Then on Wed I went off to visit my friend Ethel and we did more soy wax work. She has a wonderful electric Jaunting tool and I used it on just about all the pieces I worked on yesterday. I wrote several bits of poetry as well as drew with the tool. Great fun! They are still batching and will be on the blog next week. Ethel is working on a wonderful piece on her pin wall. It is about 50″ wide and 60″ long at this point. I love the intense colors she is playing with here.
Then the FAB group meant at my house this morning. Patti is doing this wonderful portrait of her mom. She is still in the building stage without any of the pieces stitched down, but I am impressed. She told us she is using the front and back of some of her fabric to get the tones and shades to match her photo.
Then we did a little work with the silk screen so the gals could get the hang of using acrylic that was thinned with GAC 900. ( a Golden product especially made for use with fabric.) It was also a chance to play with a deconstruced screen as I had used Elmer’ s school jell on the screen to create a pattern. These are Nancy’s prints. I will continue to print with the screen until the image is mostly gone and I can show the others the effect at our next meeting.
Electric 19.5 ” X 31.5″ $215.00
Progress Report: Electric I finished this quilt last evening. All the stopping, changing direction and starting sewing quilting patters made this project take a lot longer to quilt then I expected. I used the images I had created with the silkscreen print as my inspiration. I started quilting around them first to get a feel for the shapes. After I had done this it was a bit easier to create similar shapes on my own in the other areas of the quilt. The fact that my machine as a needle down position for the stop helped with this process. But there still is a lot of quilt were the printed images is not avaiable for a guide.
Out the Window This is my solution to
Out the Window 16.5″ X 21.5″ $125.00
the quilt that I cut in half two weeks ago. Last week I had decided to add the tree and I tried it in several locations before I decided on this final resting place. After I had stitched the wool tree to the quilt I loaded my bobbin with black embrodery thread, and drew in smaller branches from the back. The whole picture makes me think of looking out my friends window in Brookline where the next building was so close there was hardly any space between the two. But a young tree had grown up there anyway. The nine patch from the origional quilt looks like a near by window too, so it adds to that feel.
Foundations XV- New Directions I have been struggeling with this work for a while. When I took it to the Diva meeting last week Alice asked ” Why are you keeping these Foundations pieces square?” After considering that idea I have decided to try to alter the shape. Hense the new name on the end. Here is the process I am now trying to see if I can grow from an existing rectangle format.
First I add some additional Buckram in the shape I think I want to add. (I put the brown fabric behind so to allow the Buckram to show up.) Then I build up the fabrics on top being sure some crosses over the original surface and i sew it down as I normally do. I like the fact that this method allows me to change my mind a lot as I work. I already know I want to change the left hand side and the top edge. I will know better what the piece needs as I look at the progress.
Grove I did not do a lot of work on this project this week. There has been too many other things demanding my time. But one more unit was completed. It is also at the back of the stack of work pinned to the pin wall so I run out of time before I unearth it many a day. I only have one more tree to create here before I need to move onto the next step
New Work
I have pinned the fabric to the buckram for this new work. I have the detail to show that when I begin the stitching down of the piece I start near the center and do not totally finish even that area until later. That allows the work to change as I progress through the work. I had cut the buckram before I decided to try the new shape, so I will at least start out with is as it is and let the piece grow with the work.
Daily’s I seem to be doing more stitch work with the Daily’s as time goes along. It is still enjoyable and something that I look forward to every evening.
One problem I often face when I paint is not knowing when to stop work on a painting. So I often go too far and add that extra tree or bit of red and then ruining a work because I am not be able to repair the problem…… I usually do not face that with my fiber work because I can pin things up and nothing is permanente until I make the final decision ans sew then down. This week I seem to be filled with lots of doubt about this completion “thing”. I can not seem to decide if I am finished with either of the two Foundations pieces that I am currently working on. So I pinned then backward to the wall and have not looked at the surface for several days. I hope when I face them with fresh eyes early next week the absence will help me make the decision about rather to go forward or stop. There is one other little quirk in my mental state as I discovered a work I had folded up last fall with a similar problem. (This blue and purple work) Now it is easy to see that the there are really two haves to this work and they do not go together. So I think I will slice then apart and try to solve each half independently of the other. After I slice them in two I will be able to work with each half to see if I can save all or any portion of the work. I may still need to rotate the sections but as seperate units I think my chances of success are much better.
Progress Report: Scarp Happy I have been working on this bed quilt for a few weeks. It is done and has gone from my life. The woman from Prevention Net Work came yesterday and picked it up for their Spring Fund Raiser. This organization works to keep teen off drugs by providing alternate activites for them to work on. My grandson worked on a play with/for this organization a few years ago. I am glad to support groups that deal with teens.
Scrap Happy I also passed this quilt to a second auction. This Scarp Happy has a diagonal block lay out. It is going to the Meals on Wheels of North Syracuse for there benefit. I was assured that it will sell well and add to their coffers. Again I am happy to support this organization.
Electric This top really went together quickly when I finally got to it this week. I am now in the process of adding the quilting. I am using the silk screen printed fabric that I made as the inspiration for that quilting. It is fun- but very slow as I have to stop so often and change the direction of the stitches at sharp angles. No stitching line thus far is longer than an inch and a half and most are under a half an inch.
It is quite a slow process.
Green Grow the Grasses I am having a good time doing the free motion drawing of the flowers on this quilt. Some of the machine drawing is just on top of the print on the fabric and some is just my own creation. I have also added some leaves to the surface to add interest and varity.
Smoke I am still working away on this piece. Every time I think I am done with it I pin it on the wall at the end of the day and then look at it first thing in the morning before I turn the lights on. That is when I can see what the quilt needs and thus far that has been more hand quilting. One cannot rush the process.
New Work Then of course when I do not know what else to do I start a new piece. Seriously, I was not done exploring the slender inserts idea and this thing popped into my head just as I awoke the on Tueseday morning. So I am off and running with a new thing.
Daily’s These little works seem to be one of the constants in my life at the moment. Thank goodness for routine.
I hope holiday preparation and events are just what you want and need. At this time of year it is so very easy to get drawn in to doing too much. As I looked at my calendar for this week I realized there was an event of one type or another every day. I also knew I could not keep that pace up and enjoy the season so I really have cut back. Next week is much simpler and I am sure I will fill it none the less with little things that make the holiday a wondrous one- but this time I will choose with care what I do.
Last Friday I helped Cheri put up a new show in her shop Imaginings Art and Antiques. It was a delightful way to spend a winter day. This first picture is of Alice Grant’s curtain frame fiber work. Cheri put it around a mirror and yes that is me behind the camera in the reflection. Most of my work hung together. For this event I am displaying only work that in a stretched or framed fashion. The show will be up in Cortland on Maine Street until the middle of January. It was an honor to be asked.
A second event this week was the FAB meeting. FAB is a mini group of fiber artists- and although we have agreed on the title there is still dicussion as to just what FAB stands for… could be Fiber Art Bunch, could be Fantastic Artistic Babes or any other set of words that can be plugged in. I am not going to worry about that too much, I am just glad we are getting together to grow and support one another. Nancy was the big winner this time as she has finally completed her quilt for her daughter. It is chinnal and flannel with a post card type message in the center to her daughter. She even found a fabric with a stamp on it for the corner of the post card. Nancy and the quilt are off to India for Christmas.
Progress Report: Flight
Flight 35.5″ X 37.5″
I feel this quilt really flows across the surface. The quilting was especially enjoyable on this work as I added extra swallows that are in just the quilting. I tried adding eyes on the birds with embroidery thread, but somehow that looked to flat to me so I added black glass beads instead. Their sparkel adds a feel of life to the work.
There are some quilting lines that are just flow lines that could be interrupted as wind or flight lines.
This last shot shows the center of the quilt and also shows how I did not use a pure brown for the birds in some cases, but added a modeled brown to the work.
Transversing- Foundations Series IV
Transversing Foundation Series IV 34″ X 39″
I am so very happy with how this quilt finally turned out. There are lots of different materials represented in this piece. I showed the painted back last week. I used some rust dyed fabric, lots of apolistory fabric, silk paper, wool and eye lash yarn on this top. It is fun for me to play with all the textures.
I did lots of free motion work on this one too. I think that adds to the flow of the work as well as holding all the fabric to the surface.
There are lots of little units on this work and I feel it is one I can look at a long time.
Foundations Series V This new member of the Foundations series still does not have a name of its own. The images I am using has water flowing between the rocks so I think a title will come out of that the more I work with the top. This one also has some rice paper in it. What a different texture that adds.
Foundations Series VI For this one I wanted to work a little smaller- its 28″ X 23″. My friend Tanya gave me some small fabric bits last week and I really like them. So I used them as the jumping off point for this. The fabrics plus a second section of the water and rocks photo work well togehter. I also used part of a silk shirt she gave me at the same time( the cream green fabric at the bottom). This is still in the pin up stage without any stitching so it may change a lot before I get to that step.
Swallows Last week the shot showed the quilt still in the construction stage. I took this close up of one of the sections as I have started to quilt it. I am out lining the birds first and will build the rest of the quilting out from those points. There is not full shot of this work because I dropped my camera and it landed on the barrel of the lense. Now the shutter will not work. I had not put the wrist unit on and for that I am paying dearly. I am not at all happy with this new development, but have no one to blame but myself. I will not post next week unless I get the camera repaired. If the cost is prohibitive I will have to ask for a new camera for Christmas. Please keep watching.
Daily’sAs this shot shows I am still working away on the Daily’s. It is good to have a little daily required to work at this time of year. That keep me on track so when I can get back into the studio is is easier to get going again.
My hope is that all find the joy and peace this season has to offer.
Thanksgiving is really the beginning of holiday season for me. The QuEG’s group started the week off with a Holiday Potluck as a part of our meeting. We also added to the craziness by having a cookie exchange too. This first shot is of Liz and our hostess Linda with the gift that Liz brought her. We all were in top sprits and the food was great as were the cookies.
Friends always make my life full and this day was no exception. We did the ususal show and tell and there was lots of both. Linda started us off with her beautiful Baltimore album squares that she had unearthed when she moved. They show excellently exicuted hand applique’ work on this old project that she now feels she is ready to complete. She suggests that doing a UFO is a good way to get back into the creative process in her new space.
Angela was the next power house to show her work. She is framing her felted works now and they look wonderful. Her Hawaiian dased petrogliphits are wonderful. She is also experimenting with felting, hand stitching and dyeing. Sometimes in that orderis her order. She then goes back in and stitches even more .
I really like the color combinations she is using too. This work is also based on her petrogliphic series.
Sally continues to blow me away with her thread drawn Computer / Quilt work. She mixed and manipulated five different programs to create this holiday quilt. She also had some stunning little works that she had made into cards- her other specialty. What a gal!
I then went off to the Quilt Diva meeting the same evening. Alice was a busy this last mouth and she shared four finished and one work in progress. The work in this photo is called Guardians.
Ruth is continuing her work with on blocks that are based on Guyana symbols. This symbol is used to purmote Versatility, Intensity and Dynamism. She asked for ideas about how to quilt this work. What a strong graphic! I am impressed with her work.
Donna’s busy getting ready for her solo show. She is using found wood pieces and found objects as starting points for her new spirited figures series. She says she needs to make 27 by February. So she will be one busy gal to meet that self created challenge.
Elsie had been busy creating new bird blocks for Christmas. I enjoy her cardinals. They are so chipper and bright. They really make me smile.
After spending a day with all these intense creative folks all working in their own directions, I always go home with a mind full of new ideas and images from these two wonderful groups of gals.
Progress Report: Transversing Foundations #4 Because I am not a real fan of numbering art works I now have added to the title of this quilt. I added lots of machine drawing on this quilt this week and now feel it is complete. This morning I painted the back and so that is the image presented here. I will add the sleeve this week and the piece will be done. Using the bobbin thread colors as my guide I tried to paint in similare color and patters as the front. I know this is a lot difference, but it still works for me.
Foundations #5 I continue to work away on this piece. Everything here is quite fluid because so much work needs to be done on this piece before it is were I want it to be. I did try adding paper to the surface of this piece to get the color and effect I wanted. I will do almost anything for the sake of texture.
Flight: This quilt was called Swallows last week. I do not think that is accurate any more so I changed it. I am going to use that title on another piece where I used the swallow stencil on a more traditional piece. I worked on the quilting portion of this work this week. I am going to try to add some shadow(only machine drawn) swallows into the flight pattern to add interest and more texture. There is one small one drawn in the lower center of the flock at the moment. Can you find it?
New Swallows: Here is the new work that will carry the Swallows title from now on. I am still in the construction stage, but that is almost done. I find that I really like this stencil and may even do some more work with it.
Daily’s – This project continues. I have two more weeks of squares with red circles and black triangles to work with before I change the beginning lay out units.
The season is full of visual images and lots of action. Keep Creating.
The flowers really seem to brighten my days so I am sharing them with you too. Daffodil’s really are so bright! The sun shine we have been enjoying the last few days really pulls my spirits up. The buds on the trees are starting to get really fat too so I am sure the young leaves will pop out in the near future. This last week has been as full as they all seam to be for me. Friday I went to the Turquoise Studio- that seems to have become a bit of a habit that I do enjoy. I shaving cream printed a second layer on some of the work from earlier in the week. Every thing is all pressed and sorted in my “starter basket” now- ready to server as a jumping off point for a new quilt. The same problem is still a part of me- more ideas then time. But I will keep trying to master that. Both Pat and Beth were at the studio this week. They are both working on pastels for a show that is coming at the beginning of next mouth. Beth was working on her project upside down so she could really see the colors and shapes she needed to add to her work- that is why she ended up on the floor.
Progress Report: Baby Quilt This work is also coming along nicely. I have not done a baby quilt in such a long time I sort of got carried away with the creatures. I think it will fit the jungle theme of the nursery. I enjoyed doing all the zig zag work even though it is very slow. I did the machine binding step yesterday and it will take about an hour plus to do all the hand work to attach it to the back. Then only the sleeve will remain and the off to wrapping and a new home.
West Window Quilt This quilt is all done now. I enjoy using up some of the extra blocks that remain from Scrap Happy quilts in these projects. Matching color is not an issue for me either so when I start the next one I will only keep the blocks and strips as unifying factors. One down and three to go and this project will be complete.
Blue BugsThis project is the result of two playful experiments. I had read about putting paper on fabric with matt medium. So I did that with a torn dictionary page. The text was too strong so I painted color on top to obscure the words. The second experiment was the blue turquoise and purple fabric- that has the bugs on it. ( More about that step later.) That fabric was created from whipping up after other work and then scrunching the fabric into a cup were I poured a mixture of turquoise and water on top of the fabric and into the cup. That is why there are darks and lights in it. Both fabrics have been shuffling from one pile to another for weeks when they ended up one on top of another. They looked like they could work together so I started pulling fabric to go with them. I ended up seeing that it need more light and my eye fell on some of the stamp printed fabric from earlier this year, so it got put into the mix as well. When I started putting the bindings on I realized that the two big units needed some embellishing. The work hung on the wall for several days until I was tiding up and one of my stencil notebooks fell out on the floor. The book was open to the insect. Problem solved! I got excited by the insect stencil and drew two more- both too large to use here. They will appear in another work.
Three Pooka This is the last work played with this week. It grew out of that Starter Basket that I mentioned before. I had spilled it and was putting things back. I selected figures for this piece first. I stenciled them about four years ago. I had been to a Donna’s Creativity Retreat and I was experimenting. All the others that I had created had long gone into pieces. These three were weak by comparison until I got out the squeezie paint and added hand drawing detail to them. The canvas- the two big blue green rectangles, are also very old-from a class I took with Elizabeth Bush over ten years ago. They seemed to go together too- so I was off and running in a new direction. It is spray basted and all ready for quilting. I will start with stitch in the ditch and then do free motion around the pooka’s. The last bit of quilting will be to “draw” pooka in the canvas areas in thread.
Hello,
This show is a real winner! I was so overwhelmed by the work and the many people I new and talked with that, I did not even enter two of the galleries. Good thing I will be going back for the Fall Retreat and two trunk shows by friends. This work is by Michelle Browne and called The Landscape Becomes her. I like how she used and old quilt that almost gets lost in the work on top.
Laurie Paquin, my friend from QBL entered this strong piece called Composition 4. It is also on the front of the Schewinfurth mailer this month.
I was fascinated by this work by Sheree Rasmussen called The Landscape Within. I found all the bits and pieces really drew me into the work.
But thinking on the title I can see how one could picture that world in this fashion.
Progress Report: Lap #5 I got busy and finished this one this week. The stack of lap quilts is getting big, so I will make a run to a nursing home sometime soon.
Bleaching Coral I am making progress on this project as I have put in a little time every day. The roving with machine work is a little disappointing as it really sinks into the background. But things are bound to come out less then satisfactory when you are experimenting .
Scrap Happy I got busy on this project this week and all the rows are stitched to the backing. I even put two pieces of boarder on it.
Autumn Cuts I just keep stitching away on this one. Sometimes it only gets a little attention at the end of the news.
Printing I finally printed the foam stamps that I made in June. I am not sure if they are done or need a second stamping over the top. I need to live with them a bit longer to know the answer to that one.
