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.

Hark!!!

Here is the newest completed project from my studio. This little angel is made from Tyvek, organza and a little polymer clay and wire. She is ready to take flight. I would love to make a few more of these with fabric faces and am wondering what skills it would take to do so. Faces baffle me. I have never been able to draw a decent one so I do worry about creating a fabric one. I also like the dimensional aspect of the face and wire. I love the feel of different textures so I run my hands over all my creations to "see" what they feel like....would fabric make it all feel too similar? Any advice from my readers would be appreciated.

We had S-N-O-W yesterday. It has created a winter wonderland of sparkling trees that look like they have twinkling white lights in their branches and as the wind blows, spun sugar falls from them. The sky is so blue today that I feel if I looked hard enough I could even see the stars. This has inspired me to get on with another winter project so I had better be heading back to the studio.

Fabric Beads

A while back, I wrote about some fabric beads that I had made. I wasn't sure what to do with them but loved the way they turned out. Well, I decided to learn a bit more about beading and made this beautiful necklace and earrings. I keep looking at my stash to see what else would make wonderful beads.

If you love Beryl Taylor's work, Interweave Press has a new DVD out called Layer by Layer. Beryl shares her techniques as well as some of her artwork. I enjoyed the DVD and watching what Beryl can do with what others might discard. Her ideas made me want to get to the dollar store!!

This week I am starting a class called Alter Fabrics offered through Joggles.com. I am really looking forward to it. The class was postponed this summer and is being offered now. I had nearly forgotten about it until the supply list came out. Now I am pumped!!!!

IT ALL STARTED WITH A SWEATSHIRT....

My adventure in this project started with a trip to the sewing machine store where I had taken my machine for its yearly checkup. And hanging there was a beautiful embellished jacket. I knew I HAD to have one and, sure enough, a class was being offered. I immediately signed up and so the journey began. It all started with a sweatshirt and 16 fat quarters that complimented each other. I chose greens and purples with a splash of red and coral.

These fabrics were cut into various rectangles and then sewn onto a deconstructed sweatshirt. Then the fun began...I decided to stipple the whole thing. Others in the class used fancy machine stitching around the rectangles. The point was to not have the sweatshirt show.

The final step was to add embellishments (ribbons, yarns, laces etc) and binding. Below is the finished product, front and back. It was a lot of work and there are some steps that I would change but overall I am pleased with the results.

I am now working on a couple of projects that don't involve the sewing machine. After spending hours stippling the sweatshirt jacket, I am ready for something much less involved.

BEAD EMBROIDERY

I have always been fascinated with beads. I love the feel of glass beads dribbling through my fingers. The ping of the glass as it hits the bowl and the light the beads catch as they bounce off the bowl are only the beginnings of the joy I find in beads. BUT then the DH says "So are you taking up another craft? More stuff to put in your craft room?" And then the guilt sets in...should I really venture into another realm? And the answer is a definitive YES!!!! So I am now working on my first major beaded embroidery piece. It is a cuff. The beads above are what I have selected to go with some wonderful cabochons.
The pictures don't do the cabochons justice. There is a beautiful olive green running through each of the stones as well as a hint of purple and of course, browns and beiges. I am not very far along and find that my wrist doesn't allow me to do hours and hours of work on it but I sure am enjoying the process and, for me, that is what it is all about.