Charlotte's Shadow III, Daily's, Foundations VII Fragments, Maya's Tee Shirt quilt, Shaving Cream Printing, Tee Shirt Quilts

January 23, 2014

January 23, 2014 admin 1 Comment

Hello,

It is cold here in the north east and that has kept me indoors more than normal. I really enjoy the ice crystals on the storm door and I tried to take a photo- but they are not at all satisfactory. So I will use the old fashion method and just keep the selected sections of the patterns in my memory. Staying inside means I worked a lot in the studio however.

Charlotte's Shadow III 19 " X 30" NFS — Charlotte’s Shadow III
19 ” X 30″
NFS

Progress Report: Charlotte’s Shadow III This is the last of the quilts made with Charlotte’s fabrics. I even used her stuff on the backs. These quilts are not for sale as I intend to give them as gifts to the three gals who were her sweet mates at Quilting By the Lake for many years. I feel I got better and better at doing free motion flowers by the time I reached this third piece too. One does hope that is what happens at any rate. I did start out copying the printed image and then progressed to creating my own flowers and leaves to fill the rest of the quilt. I did take creative linces and created some of my own flowers near the end too- mostly due to the space limitations and I did not want to compete with the images too much. I also did lots of swirl and free curves in the quilting to cross over areas and pull things together. The whole process was pleasant and I enjoyed myself.

III Foundations VII- Fragments

Foundations VII-Fragments 38" X 40" $535.00 — Foundations VII-Fragments
38″ X 40″
$535.00

I am happy with how this quilt looks. The full shot does not show how it flows for me but the color patterns are very visable. This quilt has yarn, silk paper, organza and nylon netting on the top of a base built with cottons, parts of a wool jacket, a section of one of my husbands shirts and some very old taffeta. I really enjoyed mixing all these fabrics to get the colors and textures I was seeking with this piece. The back has been dry brush painted to seal the threads created by all the free motion work. I did the free motions work with nylon threads and cotton ones to get the colors I wanted in this area too. The more I practice sewing with the free motion the easier it becomes. I am espically happy with the ability I am building sewing down the yarn without trapping it under organza first. It means that I must move very slowly- but it is worth the effort.

I also did some used some colored pencils in different areas of this top to add more texture and detail to some sections. There is a little paint on the surface too. This new direction makes me I feel like I can employ any tool to create the texture and colors I want with these work. Very Freeing!

Maya’s Tee Shirt Quilt I am starting to build the units for this quilt. Yellow – for Yellow Jackets- is the main color. I have various patterns and shades. Then for interest I have inserted narrow bits of black patterned fabric at random locations. The process is very slow- but I think it will be worth the effort.

Stenciling with Shaving Cream I spent a few hours on Monday afternoon using my stencils to create some new images on fabric. I created these and several other screens in October. I like to do the printing of them in the winter when things slow down a bit at this time of year. I am espically pleased with the white print on the dark fabric of these thisel inspired images. I mix ink with shaving cream and push the mixture through the thermo fax with a credit card. I like the slender lines of branches in the gold on the white fabric on the left too. That image is older- but I always find it very useful in my stash. I will print a second color on top of some of the images in a day or two.

New Work I decided to do another collage quilt. I started out with a drawing based on a photo of fungus growing on a rock wall. Then is the source of the colors. I also decided to work smaller this time and the work is only 18″ X 24″. The fabric is somewhat pinned to the burckrum and I will start free motion work to tack it down tomorrow. The fungus will be added at a later date.

Daily’s I was surprised to realize that I was at the end of my fifth mouth of creating Daily’s. Well perhaps it is more accurate to say my fifth set of thirty blocks. I finished the last red circle with a black L last eve and the next series is a half red circle and two black strips. New challenges await me.

Keep Creating

Carol

Charlottes Shadow 2, Daily's, Foundations VII Fragments, I'd Reconsider, Pomegranate

Moon Light January 16, 2014

January 16, 2014 admin

Hello,

Tonight is the full moon, but last evenings moon light was beautiful too. The light was so silvery white through the sky light that I had to go to the window and look out. Most of the snow had melted, but there was still one drift in the back yard. The tree limbs cast beautiful blue gray shadows across the snow and my mind catalogued the colors and patterns for a new work. This morning I did a sketch of the idea so I would not lose the feeling. I can hardly wait until I have time to begin this new project.

Pomegranate 33" X 46" $535.00 — Pomegranate
33″ X 46″
$535.00

Progress Report: Pomegranate I am quite pleased with how this quilt ended up. All the shadow quilting around the fruit did have a pull on the seams- but I minimized it as much as possible by sewing in one direction all the way around and then doing the next pass in the opposite direction. All this action made for very slow work. I also added a spike every now and then to the pattern so there were some strait sewing lines too. I also tried a little experiment with the paint on this project. To give the fruit a little more “punch” I painted clear fingernail polish over some of the red seeds. I really like the transparency of the paint on this piece. It adds to the interest of this work for me. The paint is fabric paint.

I'd Reconsider 16" X 25.5" $145.00 — I’d Reconsider
16″ X 25.5″
$145.00

I’d Reconsider I spent a lot of time looking at this quilt before I started quilting on it. Titles are always a difficult thing for me. I had been calling this work Sunshine and Rust- but looking carefully at the surface-working out the quilt pattern- I noticed the eye shapes in the printed fabric. I decided to use those shapes as a starting place for the quilting. The shape was so easy to quilt and just seemed to flow across the surface of the work. Then when I started altering the size of the eyes to fill in the space it was even an easier process for me. It took on a life of its own and I went with that feeling. When it was all done the title of Sunshine and Rust seemed to be a major miss fit. “I’d Reconsider” seems to work a lot better for me. I have learned that I will not title a work until it is totally finished from this point forward.

Charlotte’s Shadow II I am to the quilting stage of this work now too. It is going to be more in the nature of the fabric that is the main material for this series. I have started adding leaves and finishing flowers on the top at this point. I will keep working away in this type of style until I have completed the work.

Charlotte’s Shadow III This is the third and final quilt in this series. As this shot shows I have only begun to pin some parts to the wall. I will shuffle them a bit before I begin to put it together.

Foundations VII- Fragments I am still quilting away on this work. It was pinned to the pin wall and when I came into the room before I turned on the lights yesterday morning I looked at the piece. With all the color washed to darks and lights by the laque of light I suddenly saw a section of the quilt that was not working at all. I had created a whole in the upper left hand side by surrounding a section with darks. When I turned the light on it was still there. My eye is still drawn to that flaw so I will begin the correction today. That is one really paint/college like quality of this construction method. I will build over the area that I find offensive a with layers of organza so I can keep the texture. This shot shows how I am building texture with yarn in one of the areas of this quilt.

Tee Shirt I have a new commission piece. It is a tee shirt quilt. All the images have been mounted on inner facing so they will remain square when they are seamed together. Sewing on double knit fabric is always tricky. I am now ready to lay them out and add the sassing to them so they are uniform in size- like building a log cabin block. That step will make assembly easy and simple.

Quilt Daily’s I believe the daily’s are getting more complex with time.

Keep your eyes open to the beauty around you.

Hugs

Carol

Anastasie Ruin, Charlottes Shadow 2, Daily's, Pomegranate, Sun Shine and Rust

Were Do Ideas Come From? January 9, 2014

January 9, 2014 admin

Anastasi Ruins 18" X 24" $ 110.00 — Anastasi Ruins
18″ X 24″
$ 110.00

Hello-

The New Year is starting off cold in this part of the country- A feeling that makes me want to hibernate. But I have just stay indoors and worked away instead. Last week I said that I was going to choose a word to be my guide for this year. The word I selected is “EXPLOIT”. I intend to fully “exploit” my materials, stash and potential for new directions. Like so many others I have a lot of gadgets and stuff that I have saved for just the write project- but I will not be doing that anymore. I plan to go ahead and use them now- with out fear or worry. That is not to say everything will be a big success, but that idea is an illusion anyway, I have given myself permission to “exploit” what I have and enjoy every bit of it. Saying that I was asked by a friend were do my ideas come from? After careful thought I decided there are many sources for me.

First Pay attention to what interests you. When one is interested in something they look at it and think about it more then other items. When I was teaching middle school every September when the students all had their new sketchbooks I would ask them to make a list of all the things that they liked in the front. My lists change and grow from sketchbook to sketchbook as my interests change. Together my students and I would use the list as a starting off place for new projects when we needed it. I still use this practice.

I love to travel and pictures from my adventures can be starting points for work. Like the quilt above.

I also doodle and that can be the beginning of work for me. I used this doodle as a starting place for a stamp that I created and printed this week. It is not a quilt yet, but I think the graphic is good and I am sure I will use it in the furture. I find myself searching out items that I have interests in and the list helps me remember. Pomergranates are one of the things on my list. So when I saw this shampoo bottle it caught my eye. I then purchased the fruit when I saw it again the grocery and I did a little sketch to make myself more filmier with it before I cut a series of stencils of this subject. I am enjoying using the stamped fabric that I created using this idea. So those are three sources of ideas for me. I will try to pay attention over the next few weeks and mouths and note were the ideas come from and point them out.

Progress Report : Pomegranate I This work is still at the quilting step. I have learned that I do best if I only work for about an hour before I stop and go to something else. That way I do not hurry and mess up. I am nearing the end, but I am not there yet.

Charlottes Shadow 2 I had just pinned this to the wall last week. I am building away on the top now. The quilt is taking shape. I use the tape measure to help me keep my sizes what I have in mind when I am working. I want all the pieces in this series to be the same size and this method really helps me do that.

Sun Shine and Rust I really love the print fabric that is in this top. That is the real starting place for this work. I also wanted to work with a sunny color this week when the sky was so gray and it was so cold. This project did help me feel more cheerful.

Foundations VII I still have not settled on a title for this piece, but I am enjoying the process. There is so much wonderful texture here and the free motion work is so very calming to me now that I have done so much. This close up shows the use of waded green organza, wool fabric and wool yarn. There is also a little bit of colored pencil drawing in the lower left hand corner here. I am exploiting all my knowledge and talents on this work!

Daily’s I am still going strong on this project.

Stay worm and keep creating.

Carol

Charlottes Shadow 2, Charlotts Shadow 1, Daily's, Pomegranate

January 2, 2014

January 2, 2014 admin

Charlotte's Shadow 1 18" X 27" — Charlotte’s Shadow 1
18″ X 27″

Happy New Year. I am having a difficult time wrapping my mind around the idea that it is 2014. Time seems to be flying along. I am going to try to choose a word of the year for myself. I want a unifying idea to hold/guide myself along through 2014. I read about his idea somewhere and I like the concept- now to decide on a word to be the guide. I am still toying with several, but I will have a final selection by next week.

Like most folks in the north east I am dealing with snow and cold at the moment. I am fine for the most part, but I feel for the birds and beasts out there. I see lots of crows, but not many other animals.

Progress Report: Charlottes Shadow 1 This quilt came together quickly for me. One of my quilting friends died last year and at Quilting by the Lake there was a show of her work that two of her dear friends put up. They had also emptied her studio and they gave me some of her fabric. This quilt grew out of that gift. I only added the white and the hand dyed pink to the fabrics to create this quilt. My plan is to create two more little quilts using more of her fabrics and then passing the works back to the gals who were her roommates. I am going to keep using the big florial material as my starting point. I did hand work in the center of the flowers. Then I did free motion quilting around the flowers and learned a lot doing this. All the circular motion sure distorted the seam lines. I have done shadow quilting before. But I had always gone to the edge of the quilt after two rounds so there were some on grain quilting lines. I did not realize how important those strait lines were to the stability of the quilt until now. The next quilt will be different as there is not more of the second pale florial print fabric left.

Charlottes Shadow 2 I am enjoying this process and I like this little challenge of using colors that someone else has selected. It is a good way for me to honor the memory of Charlotte.

Foundations VII I am still doing free motions work on this piece. All the base units are down now and I am building the textures with yarn, torn satin, and various shades of nylon netting. I like all the shading this allows me to add to the surface, sort of like cross hatching when one is using a pencil on a drawing.

Pomegranate I am continuing to work on this piece too. I will apply the lesson I learned about doing strait quilting lines as a part of the design on this one. So far I have only out lined the fruits and done one row of shadow quilting on this work. I am always surprised by how long it takes me to work in a circle as I have to keep stopping and turning the quilt- but I think it is worth the effort.

Daily’s I am finding that it is difficult for me not to see the red circle as a flower center or a sun. Hopefully that will diminish with the work over the course of the thirty squares.

Keep worm and keep creating

Carol

Daily's, Pomegranate, Red Nebula, Splits

Winter Wonder Dec 26, 2013

December 26, 2013 admin

Hello,

I hope the holidays are treating you well. I am enjoying all the beauties of winter. We have had lots of little snow storms that seem to out line the trees in dramatic fashion. It has been cold though and I have cut my walks short on several occasions. I am still enjoying my new camera and learning how to use it correctly. I hope everyone is enjoying their new toys too. Everyone seems to be very busy with family and so I have not had any meetings or art related events this week.

Progress Report: Splits I am delighted with how this quilt came together. I did not have a firm idea about how I wanted to quilt it when it was finally peaced together. I spent some time looking at the quilt and decided to emphasize the gray triangles. I used silver thread and filled in the shapes. When that was complete I decided that I did not want to use the silver thread through- but still wanted a little sparkle. So I switched to gray thread for the next reflective outline of the gray units. I did this action around the shapes twice and then switched back to the silver thread for the next pass. I did this same pattern of thread color all the way to the end of the quilting process.This first close up shows some of the white silk with a gold pen line on it. This section also shows the rose print with the quilt patters crossing them.

This second close up shows one corner of a silk and gray block that started this project. On the left is some of the ground cloth material that I also used in this quilt.

Red Nebula

This is my second felted piece. I have been adding beads to it for the last few weeks and it is now complete. I want to frame this one just like I did the first one. Now that the holidays are over I may get them both done. This first close up shows the center of the piece. I used glass and metal seed beads and bugle beads as well as a few squiens to decorate this one. I felted in some metallic red threads too to add more sparkle.

I enjoyed working with all the add-ons and the many different threads that I used here. I also added some hand work stitches too.

Pomegranate I continue to work on this piece. I think I started out with too many pieces of fabric and took some out this week. I am not worried about using them, as I have a second piece in this series and I can use the extras there.

Foundations VII I started a new piece in this series this week. I laid out the buckram in the size I wanted then placed several shades of blue on top. Then I added a parts of an old wool jacket, old silk shirt and one of my husband’s old shirts to the surface. I do not let the type of fabric make any difference if the color is what I am after. I look forward to starting the free motion work on this one tomorrow. When that is done I will build on top with more layers of fabric and yarn.

Daily’s

The last five squares with red triangles and black circles were done this week. Then I started the red circles and black L’s. I cannot believe I have been doing them for three mouths. I sure enjoy the challenge.

Enjoy the cold and snow.

Keep Creating

Carol

Cascading; Foundations VI, Daily's, Ebb Tide; Foundations V, Splits

New Camera Dec 19, 2013

December 19, 2013 admin 1 Comment

Hello,

As this picture shows I got a new camera. When it took the broken one to the only shop in town, I was told it would be $25.00 just to look at it before the repair started. What with the cost of new ones be as cheap as they are now days, I decided to go that route. It is a Cannon Power shot and I am quite pleased with it. I would have gone for the same type of camera as my old one, but as the local photo store did not carry Sony’s, I did my research and selected this one instead. There is only one camera store in town now and I am sorry about that. When I was teaching photography there were four shops as well as all those funny little booths in parking lots were you could take film to be developed and get yur pictures in an hour. Times have changed.

I did a few house hold things in the studio this week. I covered my rolling chair back and seat as it was looking a bit shabby. Then I got busy and made a hanging waste/pin cushion unit for next to my machine. It is made from the scraps of the chair- the other side of the fabric. The pin cushion part is filled with sand to give the unit the weight it needs to stay on the desk top while I stuff the thread and fabric bits in it as I sew. The sand helps keep the pins sharp too. There is a hand bag handle in the front of the bag to hold it open. That is also why the shape of the unit on the desk top is arched; it fits over the opening if I need to close and transport it. This is not my idea- I saw it some were and made up my own version.

The third bit of housekeeping was a altered box. I needed a place to store the Daily’s. I took a substantial corrugated cardboard boot box I had and glued it all over with bits of old lace. Then I painted it with black gesso on the out side and white gesso on the inside . When that was dry I applied green Lumiar paint to the surface to highlight the lace. I now have a very attractive box for the storage of the Daily’s.

Progress Report: Ebb Tide- Foundations V As the new title suggests I now have a name for this work. I am having a delightful time with this piece. I have tried lots of ways to add texture to this top. The first shot shows roving and yarns that I stitched to the surface. Then I tried using a course sort of thread(the sea green). There is also some chennelle yarn (gray) that I chrocheted to add more texture in this close-up. By using the buckram as a foundation there seems to be no limit to how much sewing machine work one can add on top and I really love that.

The third close-up shows organza that is wadded as well as old lace. Some is captured under the organza and some is free.

There is also some orange trim that I cut and added to the surface shown here. All the textures come from the images I saw in a second photo of a tide pool that I took in Maine last summer. This piece will surely be finished by next week.

Cascading -Foundations VI This little piece is also near completion. I mixed silk paper and an old silk shirt and a failed silk scarf in this work. I think is needs only a little more free motion work and then I can paint the back.

Splits I started this top this week. It really flew together under my fingers- almost had a life of its own. I had premade the diagonal cut blocks before and have tried twice to lay out an effective arrangement. I am delighted with how this finally came together. I will need to think carefully about how to quilt this one.

Daily’s I can not believe I have nearly finished my fourth mouth of Daily’s. There are only a few more pieces with black circles and red triangles in the box. I will need to plan my next layout this week.

Keep Creating

Carol

Daily's, Flight, Swallows, Transversing - Foundations #4

Dec 13, 2013

December 13, 2013 admin

Hello,

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" — 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" — 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’s As 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.

Keep Creating

Hugs

Carol

Daily's, Diva Meetings, Flight, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Swallows, Transversing - Foundations #4

Dec 6, Holiday Happenings

December 5, 2013 admin 1 Comment

Hello,

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.

Hugs

Carol

Creatibve Assistants, Creative Assistants

Tutorial- Creative Assistants

December 4, 2013 admin

Hello,

Every fall I try to add a tutorial to my blog. This year I am adding how I create my little Creative Assistants that I give away at the conferences I attend. The little pins make folks smile and create great a great way to connect with fellow creative souls. They are also a great way to use up all the bits and pieces that seem to find there way to the bottom of sewing baskets and drawers. Have fun.

Materials list: Scraps, card stock, thin batting or polar fleece scraps, pin backs . Materials for faces: buttons, beads, little plastic or metal found objects- like paper clips, safty pins, cap liners, plastic rings, old broken bits of jewelry. ect. For hair, yarn bits, old fur cut offs, ribbons, lace ends, scarps of leather- all of these can be used for arms too if they are a bit bigger.

Sewing kit( scissors, needles, thread ect) Sewing machine

Creative Assistants Tutorial

Base: To being this project you will need your scarps.

I try to cut them down to strips that are two and a half to three inches tall –and some that are two to one and a half tall, plus a third one that is one to a half inch units. I do not worry about being precise about this. Then I sew all the pieces in the same size range together. The result is three long strips of the three different sizes. I then sew the smalls strip to one of the others and trim off the excess as necessary. The next action is to sew the two unit strip to the last strip with the slender unit in the middle.

2.Sizing: The next job is to cut the long colored strip into base units. This is a vertical cut across the seams into three inch units.

3. Embellishment 1: I then go to my trim and short yarn box and attach a bit of color to each unit. I usually do two units with each trim and then change the trim so there is lots of variety. I sew one bit of trim vertically on a base. I look at the base unit and decide what will be the face area- I sew the trim below the narrow strip or across as horizontal embellishment. Sometimes I also sew a strip vertically for a different look.

4. Faces: The next actions are done by hand:

Mouth: The next step is to add the faces in the top or lightest area of the base strip. One Button, bead, heart shape, bit of straw, cap, small spring, or washer can become a mouth if it is added in the lower center of the face.

Nose: Any longish object placed on the vertical can become the nose: hair pins, pen parts, bugle beads, pipe cleaner, paper clip, plastic strip, ect

c. Eyes: Here you need two- one on each side of the nose. I like to put two items together to make it more fun sometimes, but that is not always the case.

Eyebrows are optional- they can add a lot of expression though.

5. Embellishment 2: I sometimes add old bits of jewelry or small toys to the bottom sections of some of the dolls. I let the work guide me on this step

6. Hair: Back to the machine. Bits of yarn, string, ribbon, thread tangles, fur, ect is added to the top of the head area. I loop the yarn about my fingers a few times before I sew it down.

7. Arms: Leather scraps, cording, heavy yarns, pipe cleaners, holiday ribbon and other heavier materials become arms. I tie a knot in the end to give the feel of hands. I pin the arms in place and sew them just above or near the middle of the body.

8. Back: To create a back I cut six to eight inch long strips to serve as my backs. I place the finished body unit face down on the good side of the strip and cut it so that it is the same leanth. Then I fold up the bottom of both the back and front of the doll one fourth inch and pin. I pin the body together and them sew around to connect the two units leaving the bottom open.

9. Body: Clip and turn the body unit right side out.

10. Stuffing: I cut long two inch strips of card stock. Then I cut batting, polar Fleece scraps or felt scraps two inches wide. I create a sandwitch with the card stock in the middle and the scarps on the out sides – I zig zag down the center of the strips.

11. I trim the padded strips to be just a bit shorter then the body and trim the corners that will be the top. Then I slide the padded strips into the body and stitch the bottom closed and add a pin back to the Creative Assistant.

12. I then look at the dolls. I add a bit of squeezie paint if some is needed. For eyebrows; a extra bit of color in the mouth area; or more decoration on the bottom. When they are dry they are done except for the signing. Pass out to your friends and enjoy the smiles they bring to their faces.

Hugs

CAROL

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Thanksgiving November 28, 2013

November 28, 2013 admin

Hello,

This is the time of year when we stop and give thanks. I am so thankful for my family and friends, my good health and my chance to create art. Life could not be better for me then it is and for that I am truly grateful.

The open studio on Thursday evening went well and I sold one piece with a chance to sell a second. The shop owner at Eureka talked us into being open on Saturday as well, because she says lots of folks stop on their way to the Syracuse University Ball games. So Barbara got busy and put out a sign on Saturday. She did really well selling over $ 400.oo worth of work. I am happy for her. I got a lot of button whole units created for the Blooming Bacteria quilt although I did not sell anything on Saturday.

Blue Yonder 42.5" X 36" $375.00 — Blue Yonder
42.5″ X 36″
$375.00

Progress Report: Blue Yonder This quilt is full of experiments. I hand printed the blue images on the white last winter. I made the screen from the curlers mom had used when she gave me a home perm when I was a kid. I printed the blue fabric paint on top of a white fabric that I had done a little blue crayon rubbing on first. I also spent a day with Barbara last winter using stencils and modeling paste on fabric. I did not know if I could stitch through it when I tried that experiment, and it worked. I also added turquoise and blue paint on some of the fabric so it was not so stark. I did some bleach discharging on the royal blue fabrics that I used on this work. The fifth exeriment that is part of this quilt is the dark blue and light aqua square. I found one old piece of light sensitive fabric in the package and exposed it to sun light with one of my stencils on it last summer. That created the indigo and pale blue part of the block. Then I used the same stencil a second time only I used the aqua oil crayon on the stencil this time. This piece of fabric is also were I got my idea for the quilting pattern. The swirling pattern is not the same but very similar.

Sun Shine 20.5" X 35" $180.00 — Sun Shine
20.5″ X 35″
$180.00

Sun Shine This quilt is also an experimental project. It is based on one of the techniques that Katie Pasquini Masopust teaches in her classes. After adding scraps of fabric on top and giving the canvas a second paint job, I stated slicing and then zig zagging the pieces back together. It is a scary and fun technique. When I was happy with the composition then I free motion quilted the work and bound it. I enjoyed the porcress so I think I will try it a second time. The slicing sure adds a freedom that is not typical of the usual quilting process.

Foundations# 4 This is my newest highly textured piece. It is based on a rock formation picture that I took last summer in Maine. I have decided to change the title of the series to Foundations because no one but me sees “rocks” in the work. It is too abstract and I am OK with that idea. I so enjoy the process of building up the wrinkles and adding the textures of the silk paper and yarns. I just let the fabric tell me what to do after I get the basic lay out pinned down. It seems to become alive and change under my finger tips. Building up layers of stitching lines and fabric bits is fun! I can hardly wait from one day to the next to get back to these pieces.

Foundations #5

This one is even less defined than #4. I am still auditioning fabrics that I might use here. ( the pinned fabric on the right and left) I do know that I want the leaf print to become totally lost before I am done here, so you can see there is a lot to build up on this one.

Swallows A few weeks ago I made a background for Oak Leaves that did not work. The colors of the blues cashed with the greens so I made a second background and this one is the first attempt. I was watching birds on my walk one day this week and thought that I could create a stencil and use it on this extra sky. So when I got home I cut a swallow stencil and printed it on a bit of fabric. It worked, so I did it on the sky. After I have lived with it bit longer and I am sure that is does not need any more birds I will start to quilt it.

Daily’s I am finding that I am having fun exploring new stitches as I continue to work with these little pieces. My stitches are far from uniform, but they are fun.

I hope that the holiday was a pleasant one for all and that the turkey was delicious.

Keep Creating.

Carol

Cre-8

January 23, 2014

Moon Light January 16, 2014

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January 2, 2014

Winter Wonder Dec 26, 2013

New Camera Dec 19, 2013

Dec 13, 2013

Dec 6, Holiday Happenings

Tutorial- Creative Assistants

Thanksgiving November 28, 2013

Creative Fiber Collage Artist Carol Boyer