All posts by admin

New York City

December 2, 2016 admin

Hello-

I am just home form a three day trip to the big Apple. Nancy, Patti and had a grand time. (yes the sculpture is made of Lego’s.) We spent a day shopping in the Garment District. The array of wonderful fabrics was a bit overwhelming. I did come home with a wonderful piece from Mood and lots of samples that I am sure I will use in a rock piece at some time. I learned that Mood runs a sewing school in the store too. Open sewing class was just starting when I looked in.

We went to The Museum of Arts and Design yesterday. What a great space. It is always full of exciting stuff. I was most taken by the Crochet Coral Reef Toxic Seas show by Margaret and Chrustine Wertheim. The sisters took crochet to a whole new level with this one. Their piece on coral bleaching was made primarily out of recycled plastics. Some of the beautiful little works made from beads were displayed on “plastic sands collected from Hawaii. There was lots of vidio tap used to create the crochet work on some of the parts.

I found myself looking very closely at the works and trying to see what plastic objects they used to create the wonderful works. The ear phones here look like some sort of strange sea growth. I had wanted to see this work sense I had read about it in the American Craft Magazine several years ago. It was wonderful! I came away all excited to try some sea life of my own.

The jewelry display was wild. The gold leaves- about the size of ones hands- were so powerful the jewelry was almost lost.

I took about six photos of just the light on those leaves that I think will be great jumping off places for new work.

New Your City was all decked out for Christmas- even the Lego store. There were lights and trees every where. We had a great time and walked over 9,900 steps two of the three days. I wore a whole in the bottom of my shoes too. ( they were older- but supportive)

Progress Report; Awakened by Black Birds Being away for three days cut down on work time so I made little progress. I am adding birds in flight to this work at this point.

Collage based work The work is all pinned and I have started the free motion work on it.

Wool #1 I am still building on this work, but I have stitched down all the darks that I had added last week.

Label Block No blocks got completed this week. I thought I could work on it on the bus coming home from NYC. But the lights on the bus did not function. I will finish two this week.

Keep Creating

Carol

Approach, Awakened by Black Birds, Circle Challenge, First Fall, Label Blocks

Systems Failure

November 25, 2016 admin

Hello-

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my family, friends and health. This week I had a little bit of a break down with my projects system. I try to keep the fabric for each project in a separate little plastic bin. There is a bookshelf on in the corner were they are stacked. Well I have been so harried these last few weeks I had not been using my system- hurrying too much meant I did not put things back and sometimes threw things in the wrong bin. The bins themselves were piled up on the cutting table instead of the shelves so it was a real mess. I was spending far too much time looking for what I needed and I was frustrated. I had to stop work for a morning and put everything to writes again. It was worth it as I was so very relived the next day when I walked back into the studio and things were tidy again. I hope I have learned my lesson and will do a better job of taking the time at the end of each work period to do the clean up correctly. Last Saturday was the first year anniversary of the mixed group meetings. ( all the gals pictured are from that meeting) It was good to get together again and talk even thought there were only 8 of us.

Progress report: Approach This piece is 18 ” high by 13″ wide. I do so enjoy doing these free motion drawing works. This one like many is based on a rock image that I shot. I try to sty true to the lights and darks on the rocks surfaces but I do not feel I must stay with the colors that I see in my photo. I enjoy building up the textures.

First Fall This work too is based on a rock shot. It is 26″ long by 20″ wide. It was formerly referred to as Wool 2. I added the single maple leaf to the surface to give the work a focus. Building the veins added more to this part of the image too. Again my love of texture is a strong part of this work.

Awakened by Black Birds This project grew out of my experience at the dye workshop the weekend before. Sense our room was on the third floor we were even with the tops of the trees and the crows roosting there. They awakened us early in the morning and flew off as the sun came up. I want to remember the wonder I felt as we watched them. There where so many! I need to darken the bottom section of the work and add more birds to the sky and it will be complete.

New Work This is a work based on a drawing I did based on a dream image. I have changed it and modified it as I enlarged it. There is some of the dyed fabric ( the yellow ) that I did at the dye workshop.

Wool 1 I am to the fabric addition stage with this work. No machine work yet. It still needs more fabric on top too.

Circle Challenge 1 I have added the extra circles to the surface and I am now ready to do the quilting step on this project. There are beads in the upper left hand corner that I plan to add by hand.

Label Block #95 I just keep at it one little square at a time.

Keep Creating

Carol

PS: There will be no blog post until Friday next week as well as I will be away in NYC until Thursday evening.

Uncategorized

Holiday

November 24, 2016 admin

Hello-

I am thankful for this wonderful day when we all take a few min. to thinks on all the wonders in our lives. I hope your day is filled with joy and happiness.

I will post tomorrow.

Hugs

Carol

FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Felt Work, Label Blocks, Landscapes

Golden Carpet

November 17, 2016 admin

Hello,

Mother Nature has now stripped the trees of all there golden leaves and put down a carpet of gold and cream on the lawn. I sure like the quiet colors. But, I need to rake yet again. This week was a retreat at the Schweinfurth. I along with 11 other gals took advantages of the open wet studio to dye and print fabric.

We all made messes and wonderful fabric too. The wash room line quickly filled with a colorful collection of fabrics that were batching.

Liz and Susan took advantage of the big sinks that are in the wet studio to wash out dyes before putting them in the washers. Penny and I along with other retreaters, did visit the Quilts= Art = Quilts show up stairs at lunch time and enjoyed it.

Not everyone worked with dye. Cheri painted this wonderful piece for her circle challenge. It was all very exciting and I am still washing out the dye from the stuff that I tried. But here are some of the final pieces. I have a lot of raw material for some future work.

There was a FAB meeting this week too. Judy has made great progress on the quilt she started in Augest when we were up at her camp. I really love the colors she is using on this piece.

Progress Report: Wool Works 1 This work has the felted part done and a bit of fabric pinned to the surface. Last week it was only a line drawing on the black felt. This is just a beginning.

Wool 2 I put in a lot of time on this work this week. I added the yellow leaf to the top of the rock yesterday as I though it needed a more focused point of interest. It is not stitched down yet and I keep moving it about as I am not sure about were I want it to “fall”. When it is just right I will stitch it down.

Wool work 3 This wool work is now ready for lots of machine work. I have started that process- but just in small areas.

Self Challenge I did not do much on this work as I was away. I am also unsure about what I want to do with it so it sets were I can look up and see it very now and then. I hope that will lead to inspiration.

Felted Landscape Regina and I shared a room at the retreat. We were awakened on Sat morning at 5 am by the call of crows. Our room was on the third floor so when we looked out we were in the tree tops along with the crows. There were so many in the predawn that it looked like the trees had leaves on them. As the sun came up the birds flew away a few at a time. It was a wonderful experience. We watched until most of them had left for their foraging for the day. It was amazing. I am going to use my felted landscape from last week as a place to add this memory to a new work. So far I have only gotten the tree to add to the top.

Label Block # 94 Being away I only got one block completed this week.

Keep Creating

Carol

Creative Assistants, Felt Work, Hand Bags, Hand work, Label Blocks, Pond Water

Falling Back

November 10, 2016 admin

Hello-

The winds of autumn are stripping the trees of their golden bounty now. I have been out raking for two days. It is cold and soon days will be spent inside. This last week has been a busy one out side the studio for me. I spent Friday mixing dye with my friend Liz. We will be a part of open studio at the Schweinfurth during the up coming weekend. Play is in my future.

Then this week end I was part of and Exhibition and Sale at John Doweling’s studio for two days. I sold three little framed works and I am very happy about that. The work is still hanging there although I am not in attendance. It will be there until the middle of Dec.

Progress Report: Hand Bag I did put together a hand bag this week so I guess I did finish one thing.

Pond Waters Because I was away so much there is not a lot of progress to report. I continue to work away on this project in the evenings and it is building. Hand work is just slowbut very calming.

Circle Play This is my self challenge to play with faced circles in a creative way. I have a lot to learn with this process. I have challenged myself to do seven works using this striped circle as the main unit.

Wool works 1 2 3 I started these works last week but did not put too much time into them yet. This work is # 2 only because I numbered my sketches as I did them. I am sure it will get a better name with time. This one is just about ready for some machine stitching.

#3 This one is ready for fabric and machine work. It really is not much different than last week.

#1 is still at the prep for wool stage.I have drawn the areas our for the color changes but that is all. I will get to that later today I hope as the felting machine is out on the desk and waiting.

Felted Landscape I did make progress on one wool piece though. This too is in an early stage. I will keep you posted.

New Work I did pull fabric for a new pieced work too. This one will be a lot simpler then the pieced work I have been doing of late. I hope I can stick with that attitude.

Label Blocks # 92 & # 93 I can see the end of this project. There are only 27 more blocks to complete.

Keep Creating

Carol

Bird Land, Diva Meetings, Fabric Collage Constructions, Fall Fires, Felt Work, Label Blocks, Natural Elements, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs)

Deep in Fall

November 3, 2016 admin

Hello-

I am finding the fall color all around me now. And there is a lot on the ground. I raked big piles to the street yesterday. The leaf piles are deep . This week was the beginning of the month and so I had meetings with both QuEGs and Divas on Tuesday. Sally started us off with a warm and fuzzy baby quilt for her grand child. Linda showed

us the project she had completed from her class at QBL this summer. Liz was just home from Nancy Crow’s Barn and she had some great work to share too. She is mixing her drawing skills with her fabric work.

Sue Ellen is playing with line. It was a good meeting. The I went off to the Diva meeting in the evening. There again folks have been busy with projects and events.

Regina is doing great free motion machine drawing. I like her use of layers of fabric for this too. Anne and Ruth both took a Shobori class at the Schweinfurth and the results are wonderful. I look forward to seeing these wonderful fabrics in new works.

Maureen showed her finished Shobori quilt. She will be teaching these techniques in the spring.

Maureen also shared some antique quilt blocks she picked up on her trip to Maine. I really like the wonderful stitches.

Alice showed us the progress she is making on “The Bed” quilt. She had such a strong style!

Lliesa has finished her village piece. “The Tracks Divide Us” the title.

Progress Report: Bird Land This quilt is 50” lone and 49” wide. I started this quilt in Class with Rosalie Dace and the assignment was to choose a shape and repeat it against a patterned background. I also added to the challenge by using the negative space too. I did reflective quilting on this surface to fill it in.

Fall Fires This stretch work is 30” X 22”. This work is my second attempt to use my collage build up technique and try to pull away from the “rock” imagery that is where I usually go. I enjoyed mixing the wool, organza and silks to build up this work.

New work 1, 2, 3 When I finish a work I usually get going on a new piece. I have drawn out three new layouts for work that use the collage build up technique. This one had the felt base built in. With this one I a building up with bits and scraps of fabric fist. There is a third but it is just lines on the black wool.

Self Challenge I stated this self challenge this week too. I want to do seven little works that are all the same size using a strip section and a circle cut from that strip unit. I did not know how to cut away the circle and maintain the strip unit so I could rotate the circle and re insert it. But the folks at the Diva meeting gave me two possible ways to do that. I think I am ready to go forward now.

Label Blocks # 90 & 91 I continue to do the work. I am going to hunt up a stitch book this week to make some more exciting stitches though.

Keep Crating

Carol

Bird Land, Curvie Cuts, Fall Fires, Felt Work, Label Blocks, Leaving the Land, Natural Elements

Time

October 27, 2016 admin

Hello,

This week has been the usual one full of events and I did not get as much time in the studio as I usually do. That realization has made me think about how I am not guarding my time as I really should. I need to say “No Thank you” to protect that studio time. Not and easy task as I so enjoy the company of others. But as I grow older I realize there is not an infinite amount of time and one must choose how it is spent.

This shot is of Patti teaching Nancy how to use the loom. We all did a little weaving at the FAB meeting this week. It was fun and now I have a new “Mug Rug” as Patti calls it.

Progress Report: Leaving the Land This work is 20”l X 26” w, got it stretched this week. When I showed it to my friend Diane she said it looked like an air view of lakes and mountains. So I knew I was successful in what I was shooting for. I do enjoy working with the fleece and silk paper in combinations with yarns and threads to build up the surface. The surfaces become so very deep and rich.

Bird Land I am to the machine quilting stage with this work now. It is going smoothly and I am a little beyond half way done at this point. It is enjoyable.

Fall Fires This work is ready for stretching at this point. Hopfully the ripples will pull out when that is done. I had to make a run to the Art Store to purchase additional stretchers. I could have used what I had and lost a lot of the surface, but I decided that this piece deserved as much of the surface showing as possible. I have to keep telling myself I will not do this again and there fore it is worth the effort to do the job properly.

New Work The curvy cut work I started last week got some hand work attention this week. I pulled out all the fibers and threads that I thought might work on the surface and started working. The big size of this piece means I will be at it a long while.

Label Blocks # 88 and # 89 Two more done. This new effort to do two a week is good as I see the pile building.

Keep Creating

Carol

Bird Land, Curvie Cuts, Fall Fires, Label Blocks, Leaving the Land, Queen Anne's Lace

Fall Color

October 20, 2016 admin

Hello-

On my walks this week I have been enjoying the fall colors. There is such a wide range. I love the oranges and reds as they contrast with the greens, but the browns and rusts have a beauty of their own. I was stopped by the deep purple\ blue I found on the ground here. So many colors! There are also lots of mushrooms in various colors out now as well. I have taken a lot of photos of the trees and bark too. I am sure I will have a good supply to begin some new work with. So keep your eyes open and while you are enjoying the season and perhaps you too may become inspired to start a new project.

Progress Report: Ethel’s Nine Patch I

finished the double bed quilt this week. I sure enjoyed working on this project and thought of Ethel every step along the way. The back is all done in her black and white scraps too and the quilt is reversiable. I think this side will be the winter side.

Queen Anne’s Lace This quilt is

26” l X 18” wide. It is one of my works that is built on the curvy cut system. I quilted in lines of the wind with the same curvy feel.I enjoy the hand work that I put into the surface of this work.

Fall Fires I am still working away on this piece. I am just about ready to begin to build in the smoke around the flames. The bottom area is not done either.

Leaving the Land I put in time on this felt based work this week too. It is much closer to being complete then Fall Fires. There are only islands of spaces were I need to do the free motion work. The dark area on the far left about half way up is an example of a space where I need to add stitching.

Bird Land I have assembled the top for this work at this time. It sort of got out of my control as far as size is concerned. I do not usually work quite this big on art quilts. I will do a little drawing of possible free motion quilt patterns that have a bird motif this week before I begin that step.

Curvy Cut As I finished the last curvy cut piece, Queen Anne’s Lace, I thought I should begin a new work in that vain. Again I used Randy’s deconstructed screen printed fabric as my starting place. It is about 41” l X 37” w a little big for this type of project.( Is there a theme here?) I have pulled a pile of fibers and threads that I might use to embellish this project.

Label Blocks # 86 #87

I am working away on this project too. Only 69 more blocks to go.

Keep your eyes open in this time of wonderful fall color and enjoy creating

Carol

Ethel's Nine Patch, Felt Work, Label Blocks, Queen Ann's Lace

Leaves Change

October 13, 2016 admin

Hello-

It is really starting to be colorful here in central New York. I have seen all shades of green, yellow, orange and red this week. Mother Nature has been busy. I went off to a Fiber Arts show on Sat. There was lots of weaving, spinning and roving. I came home with a back pack full of new colors to work with. The yarns were beautiful as well. It almost made me want to knit…. then I remembered all the yarn I already have so I walked away. I also went off to the Rock Garden Art Group Show. Two Fiber arts friends had work in the show Cheri and Terri. It was great. I so enjoy seeing the work of my fellow fiber Artists in gallery settings.

Progress Report: Ethel’s Nine Patch I got all of the quilt put together with week. I am working on the binding and that is about one third done. I am sure it will be completed this week.

Birds I am making progress on this work too. I have not put much of it together but the layout is getting more and more complete.

Land Fall I did work on this piece this week but this is the slow stage were not a lot seem to be happening in the over all image.

Orange Wool This work is like the other wool based piece. Lots of time but little difference on the surface. I am pushing myself to go more toward a fire like image. Time will tell if I can make this work.

Queen Ann’s Lace I did work on the heads of the steams on this project. I have been so busy doing hand work on other things that I have not really spent much time on this project.

Thread Painting At the QuEG’s meeting Angela talked about doing thread painting on wash away. Well I tried it this week. I like the concept, but I need to plan more carefully with the grid I put down to build on. I also marked the pattern were I wanted the white in red washable marker. I turned the thread pink. Not my plan at all. Mistakes are what we need to move forward. Then today I re read the instructions and it said to do the machine drawing on both sides. A second mistake.

Label Blocks # 83 and # 84

I just keep working at the little daily blocks.

Keep Creating

Carol

Diva Meetings, Ethel's Scarp Nine Patch, Label Blocks, Land Fall, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Scrap Happy Quilts, Water Run

First Week in October

October 6, 2016 admin 1 Comment

Hello-

It is the first full week of October and I went to my group meetings on Tuesday. At QuEG’s, Angela started us out with a baby quilt top she has finished for her yet to be born grand daughter. She is excited about it. She also showed us some of her work from an on line class she took. I really like the idea of making your sketch life sized before beginning work. A simple idea that had never occurred to me. I have always done a thumb nail sketch- but I can see value in doing it life sized. She also had her books from her class at QBL to share. It looks like she learned a lot and had a good time.

Linda shared her workings with her new felter. This is a great start and I think she will do more on it and do several other projects.

Linda also created this wonderful forest quilt. It has so much depth.

Sue Ellen is busy getting ready for Christmas at the shop so she was trying out new ideas and this tree was one of them. There were only five of us at the meeting, but we still managed to fill the two hours with sharing and talk.

Then it was off to the Diva meeting. Lliesa started us out with a new map quilt. Unlike her one from last year that was based on a real location, this one is all imagined. I like how it is growing.

Ruth is doing a series of works based on Dinosaur tracks. I like the way she is working . The irregular shapes really look like chunks of rock to me.

Lorrie made this little quilt for the sale at the quilt show next week end. It is a happy little thing.

Donna is doing rust dyeing now and has achieved some great effects. I always go home for the meetings with a real high on things to think about and try Like the rust dyeing……. It is great to meet with folks of a like mind.

Progress Report: Water Run This work is 24” X 20” wide. I sure enjoyed working away on this work. When I stretched it I really got going on the next ones too. I like doing the free motion work as the fibers sometimes move as I work.

That movement makes it feel more organic to me.

Land Fall This work was designed on a vertical layout, but is has turned to become a landscape type of work. I try to pay attention when the work directs me and go with that flow. It has about four hours of work in it so far. Slow but enjoyable for me.

Felting I am still adding roving and fabric to the surface of this work. I found some wonderful organza in one of my boxes when I was looking for something else. I know it will blend well in this work. No stitching yet. It is starting to look a bit like a flame to me.

Ethel’s Nine Patch This is the back of Ethel’s Nine patch. Again I am using her fabric and I though I would add some solids in primary colors to it- but I like the effect so I have just built it this way. There are lots of scraps left in the box, so I know there will be more work like this in my furture.

Queen Anne’s Lace

I am working on the hand stitching on this work. There are only two more flower heads to do and that step will be complete. My fried Tanya gave me some Eamu feathers a few weeks ago and I think I may use them in this work. The gray feather pinned to the center area is one of the feathers.

Bird Land This work is on the bottom of the stack so it does not get much attention. I did finish all the cutting of the birds this week though. Now to stitch things down.

Label Block # 83

I keep working away on these blocks and they keep getting completed. No rush and no pressure really is a nice thing.

Keep Creating

Carol

Cre-8

All posts by admin

New York City

Systems Failure

Holiday

Golden Carpet

Falling Back

Deep in Fall

Time

Fall Color

Leaves Change

First Week in October

Creative Fiber Collage Artist Carol Boyer