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.

BEADFEST BLAST

Beadfest was a blast. I took a polymer clay/wire class with Donna Ray-Kocun and stepped out of my conservative artist mode to make the bracelet pictured above. We used Donna Kato clay which is non-toxic and has a sheen to it when baked. I found the clay hard to work with at first because it tends to crumble but the finished product makes the frustrations of the early clay manipulation well worth it. The class also had us using a Coiling Gizmo. The wire beads are made with this contraption and it is so much fun. I am eager to try other wire works on it.
I was able to shop to my heart's content at the vendors' market and got some incredible deals. The seed beads in all colors made it hard to select a few. As you can see I bought a variety for all the projects that are still in the planning stages.
I also found these fun cabochons and matching beads. I think they will make a wonderful cuff. But then I can imagine them in one of my art quilts as well. We shall see!!
Wire came in all kinds of colors. The above is aluminum and is the base for the polymer clay/wire bracelet I made. It is very pliable. I wonder if it will work on the Coiling Gizmo? Hum.....
This wire is used on the Coiling Gizmo. The colors are outstanding. I already have an art quilt planned using some of the wire, the Coiling Gizmo and, of course, beads.

I wish I could share the excitement and enthusiasm that Beadfest generated. There were so many knowledgeable people willing to share, there were so many ideas taken from the displays, there was so much shopping to do and most of all there was the passion for all types of beading.