COLD AND SNOW

It has been cold here in New Jersey and this little snow person is feeling right at home. I created her some time ago but just never got around to sharing her with you. She is right at home in my studio and ofter helps to hold down the freezer paper that I use under my wet and messy pieces as I create them.

The holidays are upon us and once again I realize that I have not spent nearly enough time in the studio and not shared nearly as much asI have wanted to on my blog. No resolutions this New Year....just more doing that which I love.

Have a blessed and happy holiday season.

STENCIL FUN

Autumn has been very busy without much time in the studio. Mom's 80th birthday was celebrated in Santa Fe, New Mexico and what a fun time we had. I really enjoyed the art world that inhabits that place....everything from fine art to architectural art. What a feast for the eyes!!!

Back here in New Jersey, I have been playing with stencils. I have been taking Mary Ann Moss' Stitched and Stenciled online class. These beautiful clear autumn days are perfect for stenciling since I use spray paint and need to be working outside.I am working on several pieces in both paper and fiber and using stencils as the background. The one above started with paper doilies as a base and the stencils were layered on top.

This page started with a base coat of paint and a large swirling pattern as the base.

This page started with lace and sequin waste. I am finding that I love sequin waste but it is difficult to work with...it wants to curl and I haven't found an adhesive that will hold it flat to the paper but still the dots seem to come out ok. Now that the stenciled part is done, I need to add the stitched part!!

SCHOOL DAYS

I love shopping for school supplies. Markers, notebooks, crayons and folders grab my attention by mid-summer and I am ready to hit those well- laden isles of any and every store that carries such delights. I no longer have anyone who needs that last-minute run to the store for that special 3 ringed binder that a particular teacher requires but that we forgot to get on the last trip to the store but I still think of September as a "new year" with new beginnings and unlimited potential.
With that in mind, I decided there was no better time to post a few "notebooks" that have found their way out of the studio notebook and into existence.

This is the first notebook I created. It is a stamped, piano-hinged beauty created on card stock. I haven't decided what I will use it for yet but the possibilities are endless.

When I became fascinated with polymer clay, I decided that a notebook cover might prove an interesting challenge and so this second notebook was born. It, too, has yet to find a purpose.
I found wooden rulers in a collection of school supplies left behind as my children moved onto college and not wanting them to go to waste, I decided to try a tag book with a ruler hinge. It has that industrial look that I find appealing.
And finally, a book that reminds me of a very special trip to Cape May, NJ complete with shells collected from that adventure.
May those of you who have loved ones heading off to classes or are heading off to classes yourselves have a blessed and fulfilling school year!

WOOL FELT AND SUMMER PERFECT TOGETHER?

Sometimes inspiration hits at the most inconvenient times...like working with wool felt on the hottest days of summer (at least so far!!!) A bundle of wool felt arrived on my doorstep a few days ago and I just had to work with it right away. Now, if you haven't yet discovered it, I LOVE autumn and so what better motif to explore than pumpkins?

Scissors Case

There was just enough black felt to make a project pocket, scissors case and a needle book. The body of the pumpkin was made with wood felt and the center of the pumpkin and stem were made with Wonder Under lined wool.

Project Pocket

The motifs were enclosed with buttonhole stitches and the raw edges were also finished with buttonhole stitches.

Flap on Project Pocket

The detail on the flap of the project pocket is beaded feather stitches and french knots.

Needle Book

The needle book has pages that are also made from wool felt. Each is labeled with the type of needle that can be stored there. The labels are made from muslin that have been stamped with the needle type. All the pieces are lined with printed cotton.

Needle Book

Needle Book

Wool Felt Stitching Necessities

This project was really fun and I am ready to start another one...maybe with a summer motif!!!

ART SHOW!!!!!

I am entering my very first art show. Atlantic Health holds a yearly art show of work created by employees and their families and this year I decided to enter. "The Birdhouse" is my entry. It is a mixed media art quilt made from hand painted fabric, commercial fabric, paper fabric, wire, yarn and copper foil. I am excited/anxious about entering my work in such a venue but we shall see...oh, and we are allowed to sell the pieces should we choose so, of course, this piece is for sale.

Life here is finally getting back to normal after having the bathroom renovated. Seven weeks of deconstruction/construction most of which we had no shower or bathtub facilities has made things interesting. At least the toilet was working for all but a few days....since this is our one and only bathroom, we moved out for a few days, borrowed a friend's shower on most days (thanks so very much, Wanda) and punted the rest of the time. The new bathroom is beautiful and I am very glad it is finished.

LIFE'S LITTLE TREASURES

So I haven't posted in awhile....sometimes the weeks just seem to fly by. There are plenty of excuses for not posting but mostly it is finding the time to sit and download the photos and then write. The problem lately has been that we are in the midst of a bathroom renovation...our only bathroom....which has meant total upheaval as we try to live without certain facilities. The renovators have kept the toilet functional as much as possible but other than that we have had to rely on my BFF for showers and other necessities...so needless to say, the very act of survival has left little time in the studio.

Some time ago I created this little quilt. The flower is my first experiment with my embellisher. I have found it fun to see what I can create from bits and pieces of flotsam and jetsam from the studio. The bee is a stamped image on teabag paper ( yes, you can reuse the teabag after making tea...just let the teabag dry then carefully open it along the seams, brush away the tealeaves and then create). Another gem for my art quilt "book".

SPRING!!!! Is it really coming? Last weekend we had a few days of warmth but today is cold and threatening to rain....again.....I thought I would share an older art quilt/mixed media piece I made that makes me feel like warmer weather is on the way.

My working environment has changed...we moved from one ward of the hospital to a brand-spankin' new facility in a building next to the hospital. The move happened on Friday and we are supposed to be up and running, seeing patients tomorrow...we shall see how it goes. I am still achy from hauling our stuff into place.

I have been working on a sweet art quilt and hoped to have it ready to post today but that just didn't happen so look for it in the future. Anyway, enjoy the spring....summer will be here before you know it.

The Sampler

My BFF and I exchanged our Christmas gifts last Sunday. As I shared previously, she had challenged me to do a beach project to remind us of a weekend where things went so wrong and yet we had so much fun. I had to focus on the fun so I created this sampler. It's various components are attached to hand dyed felt. That doesn't show up all that well in the photo but it is pastel in blues and greens to remind one of the ocean.

The main focal point is a lighthouse stitched with gold thread on batik fabric and then attached to the sampler with buttons. My love of fabric and the fun of using my sewing machine made this part really fun. I didn't have too much trouble drawing the lighthouse...but then, it is all straight lines and a ruler helped!!! Each of the little tags to the right of the lighthouse features a shell or a stone fish. The tags are also wrapped with organza ribbon.

My friend is really into beading so no piece for her would be complete without the beads. These star shapes did the trick. They are placed on fabric squares that are stitched around the edges in gold......oops this picture is sideways but you get the idea. The shells are stamped on fabric paper and then attached to the ground cloth with beads and gold thread.

I found these shell beads at a shop in Tom's River, New Jersey. Wanda and I had taken a day trip there recently and I couldn't resist them for the sampler. They, too, are mounted on fabric paper. A bit of lace fills in nicely.

And finally, one of my favorite parts to work on...fabric paper with shells stenciled on with modeling paste. Then painted gold and stitched to the sampler with, you guessed it.....more beads. If you have never tried modeling paste with stencils, it is fun and easy. You just spread the paste over the stencil in a thin even layer, carefully lift the stencil from your paper and then let it dry. It can then be painted. It gives the stenciled design a slightly raised feel. The hardest part for me is waiting for it to dry. I was afraid to use my heat gun because I didn't want to set the fabric paper on fire.

The whole sampler was then placed in a driftwood shadow box. This was a really fun project. Working on smaller pieces to make a whole sampler was delightful. I had forgotten how much fun samplers can be and will be starting another one very soon.

EXPERIMENTATION

I never make New Year's Resolutions....ever....because I am too impulsive to keep them and then get frustrated at my inability to "keep on track". This year is no exception but I do have a couple of long term projects that I want to work on. First is a "book" of art quilts. I have been devouring a book called Stitch Dissolve Distort by Valerie Campbell-Harding and Maggie Grey. The book explains how to use your sewing machine as an art tool and on taking fabrics to new limits. So my plan is to work through the book by creating an art quilt each month...(Yes I know, I am already a month behind....see why I never make resolutions!) These mini art pieces are going to be approximately 8 inches x 11 inches. Here is the first one.

It is made of organza, used dryer sheets, cheese cloth and netting laid on a bed of muslin...all this has been painted or dyed. It is then stitched and a heat gun is applied to make the organza, netting and dryer sheets distort. Below is a close up of the organza flowers...they are made by passing circles of organza through a heat source.

The second experiment is keeping an art journal. I have kept a studio journal for a couple of years. It is filled with ideas for future projects. As well as plans for things I am currently working on with samples of materials I might use. And techniques....things I would like to try, things that worked and those things that didn't quite work out the way I wanted. I have always admired the artists who have kept art journals and shared them. So I am going to try and see what I can come up with. Here is my first attempt. "Moving On" is about getting over the hurt and moving to a place of healing.

SAMPLERS

I love samplers of all kinds. I also love to keep my hands busy when I am watching TV. So when I was cleaning out one of my "stitching" bags", I found a few mini samplers that had been stitched and left because I wasn't sure what to do with them. I decided to create a larger sampler using the stitched piece as my starting point. I wanted lots of different textures and yet wanted a simple look as to not overwhelm the cross-stitched piece. The purple background is only for photographing purposes. The base is an uneven weave linen topped with burlap.
The detached button hole flower and the uneven algerian eye are stitched directly onto the burlap. The rest of the fabrics are cottons torn from fat quarters that are in my stash...and of course there are buttons....pearl ones on the pink cotton ribbon and pink ones on the original card.
I have a couple more mini samplers and I think I am going to do something similar with them.

HAPPY NEW YEAR A FEW DAYS LATE!

The New Year has started and this is my first blog of 2010. I have been busy working in the studio finishing up a surprise challenge for my best friend. Last spring we were at the Jersey shore and she challenged me to a beach project gift for each other that we would exchange at Christmas time....mine was completed by Christmas but alas, her's was not due to family visiting and a very busy holiday season. I would LOVE to publish the pictures of this project but must wait until she opens her package. So in the meantime, I have cleaned the studio and organized my threads and started on two new projects. I love the waves of color that are displayed on my thread racks.