ThreadStory

Wind dancing

2012-01-30T17:54:00.000-06:00

February almost. Our winter weather has been so mild it feels as if spring is here all ready. But it is really a black and white world still. the grass has yet to green up. The trees are stark and bare against the sky.
Oh but that sky can be so blue! On the sunny days. The sunny days are also the colder days. So very deceiving! Yet, cold is not so very cold this winter. I am happy for that.

I am stitching away on the last of my Pay it Forward pieces. Once all that is finished and they are on the way to new homes I am turning my sights towards the stack of unfinished works.
Not to say that I will be finishing some or any of them.
Some will be altered. Some tossed aside.
I am just itching to try some new things out.
Some people start the new year off with a resolution.
Or a word for inspirations.
A word I can live with.
Resolutions will be revolutions.
Rebellions.
I am going to
FORGET ALL THE RULES.
Now there are some who would say that should be easy for me...
shhhhhhh.
I hear rules in my head when it comes to art.
to quilting.
to fibers.
So I am going to turn a deaf ear to them all.
and do what ever my heart wants.
frayed edges? Oh hell yeah!
big stitches? you betcha!
weird stuff that doesn't belong attached to fabric? yessirree.
Paints inks threads beads crayons will come out to play.
I am going to experiment, branch out, play play play!
So that pile of unfinished fiber objects will grow. That much I am sure of.
I am going to be like a feather in the wind.
land wherever I land.
and dance right there
until a wind sends me
elsewhere...

Finished!

2012-01-19T05:44:00.000-06:00

ahhh finished! Baby Shelby now has her quilt. A twinkle twinkle star quilt. Her big sister can sing the song to her because she knows it all by heart now.
With this finished I have pulled out some other unfinished works and will be trying to get them all done.
If I did resolutions at all, and I don't, this years would have to be to finish up unfinished works...
I have set the pile up on the work table where I can see it. I have finished one of them all ready and will be sending it off to a new home this week.
Also finishing up the pay it forwards... nearly done there.
It feels good to clear up the odds and ends.

january

2012-01-07T08:09:00.000-06:00

This is January!?

It has been in the 50s' all week. No snow. Not a blizzard in sight. Climate change for sure. I do know that the long term look of this is not good , however I am really enjoying this warm winter.

A trip to the beach this weekend for some photo ops resulted in a calm lake and tons of people and dogs about.

No snowy beach, smashing waves of ice, no drama...sigh.

just very

serene.

so nice.

2011-12-24T05:41:00.000-06:00

May your holidays be filled with laughter, love, and all the joys that life can bring.
Dance until the sun comes up!
Enjoy!

Holidays!!

2011-12-18T20:46:00.000-06:00

                                                        Tis the season!
   It's here and I am not ready.
       Not a surprise. Really. Yet somehow I underestimate my holiday energy.
Imagine that! Each and every year. I know, I know, I of all people know how trying the holidays are. After playing Santa all month delivering packages and cards and even more packages I head home from work with grand intentions ( really big grand intentions! ) of getting the house all holiday spiffy etc. Then I actually walk in the door - sit down and just - whew! Tired! I need to redo Christmas around here and reschedule it. Say, like sometime in oh I don't know, JULY!?
Actually I really do love the Christmas holiday. To drive past the beautiful decorations and lights. A glimpse of a tree all done up in a window. The general good cheer of people out and about. It is like one big love fest of color and lights!
So in spite of all the sapped energies our tree is up and decorated lights and all ( thanks in a very large part to the boy!)
One of my favorite parts of decorating the tree is pulling out some ornament and remembering what made it special.
The angel made of felt and yarn that was carried around by daughter and left on a city bus..she cried buckets..I bought a new one...I smile each year at the memory now. The joy of the Santa and the teddy bear ornaments. the girls singing Christmas and Hanukkah songs. Each one trying to be loudest.
I get pretty nostalgic around this time.. But I really love Christmas! And of course it would not be the same in July...

2011-12-09T05:42:00.000-06:00

Some time ago I entered into a pay it forward pledge.

I am to make and give away 5 things I made in response to receiving an artwork form someone.

I have made two...

not counting birds and baskets

I am not at all sure what I will end up sending to the recipients.

baskets?

or one of these...

Not to mention that I have to go through my notes and find the names of the ones I am supposed to send to!
If you know your one of my PIF people then let me know which kind of thing you would want! I am really truly really hoping to get this done before January.

a hat tale

2011-12-02T19:54:00.000-06:00

thinking

about the many different hats we doff during our years.

from childhood play

magical and curious

to our grownup selves

with our many hats

How many hats have we unraveled in our times?

I once thought I had it figured out

( OK so really, more then once, especially during my teen years )

Now I know I never will

and that's fine.

I think that life is full of hats that need to be

unraveled...

GIving Thanks

2011-11-24T14:32:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving.

I am so grateful for everything.

for every day.

for family

and friends

for wonder and beauty

for serenity

for sunshine

and surprises.

and for you my blog readers.

                                                 sending you thanks and wishes that all come true!
                                                Have a very happy day!

11 -11 -11

2011-11-11T19:10:00.000-06:00

the first snow came yesterday. fast and furious wet flurries. melting moments after hitting the ground. thankfully it came in short bursts and did not last long at all. The deer took it all in stride it seems.
I have been trying to finish up the quilt for the - due any day now - granddaughter and have managed to misplace one of the sewn blocks. OR maybe I never actually made the so called missing block...sigh. I think it is the latter. So hopefully I will get that last block sewn this weekend! No pictures until it is finished and gifted to baby. I did manage to make a little bird though.

a bit smaller version of the others from Terry Grants pattern. I still need to make a basket/nest for this one. Though I am thinking of making more and turning them into a mobile..

just a gratuitous photo of a beautiful buck before the snow.

A Murder of Crows revisited

2011-10-16T20:27:00.000-05:00

Crows and Ravens have always fascinated me.

A social and intelligent bird that features in myth and art throughout history.

I have made two quilts that feature Crows.

The Watcher

and this one

A Murder of Crows

I have however done numerous drawings, sketches and doodles of my favorite corvids.

this turned into the Murder of Crows quilt.

Here a pair developed extra large bills as I doodled away.

This drawing played with the mystical idea of crows and humanity's connections.

a quick sketch of a young crow cawing for attention

Here I made a drawing that would be so much fun to embroider and quilt.

this was going to be a crow not a dove - sometimes a drawing has a mind of its own...

and lastly this one that represented freedom and could be any bird at all.

Soooo, what prompted all this Crow thinking you ask?

I just watched A Murder of crows on PBS.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/a-murder-of-crows/introduction/5838/

It was fascinating and informative. I recommend it highly.

Daydreamers delight

2011-10-12T17:14:00.000-05:00

Early mornings. Just a bit of a nip in the air. Sun an hour over the horizon, not warm enough to burn off the early fog. October. It just doesn't get much better then this.

A holiday weekend off. Waiting until Monday to avoid the crowds. The town has such a quaint look about it this time of year.

The gulls have made this boat into an island. Certainly a mess for the owners to clean up later.

The trees are beginning to turn colors. A pretty as a post card day.

Deep blue sky and glorious gold leaves.

Nearly hidden in the grass was this interesting mushroom with fairy tendrils along its cap.
Yes, October is my favorite month. And this year we are having the nicest weather - Perfect for walks and bonfires, birdwatching and daydreaming.
Tomorrow I will be back to stitching. To turning my sewing space into utter chaos as I put together the quilt for the granddaughter due to arrive in November. But today, I will procrastinate just a bit longer...

Its October so it is time for Pumpkins!

2011-10-10T16:50:00.000-05:00

Off to the pumpkin patch to pick up a couple of pumpkins for Halloween.

So Many!!!

No, not this one. This one is home to some small critter. No I did not go for a closer look!

ohhh look! A pretty flower! But I am here for the great pumpkin, not flowers.

Shortly we came across a great tragedy! A crime! Murder! Yes, murder in the pumpkin patch.

the victim was such a happy go lucky pumpkin. Always smiling...

here he lies with the murder weapon still beside his head.

The detectives are puzzled as to who would want to harm smiley.

Sad as we were to hear of Smileys demise we were still able to gather our pumpkins.

Just one or two we said.

really.

That's all we wanted.

Two would be good, a big one and a medium one.

Yes, two. we would settle on two good ones.

As you can see we found two good ones ( and about 15 great ones! ).

October

2011-10-02T07:35:00.000-05:00

Every time I am sure that I will do better by the blog something happens and the days (weeks ) slip by. Well here we are in October now and I am finally setting in to post something! In spite of working on several things I have not taken photographs of them. I did manage to grab a couple of pictures of the jean jacket I embroidered on for my granddaughters 2nd birthday. Two all ready! Like I said, time just flies by.

This is a detail of the stitching I did around the collar of the OshGosh jacket.

The same stitching around the seams and a purple butterfly on the back.

The two year old sweetie!

2011-09-12T22:25:00.000-05:00

a moon so bright it begs to be wished upon
like a star
a harvest moon tonight

2011-09-09T20:49:00.000-05:00

It is September all ready. The air is so much cooler. Finally! I have been stitching away on the denim scraps I salvaged from old jeans. Here is a bit of one of them. The bird was appliqued on but was so undefined that I felt it needed the blanket stitches to give it that bit of oomph. Still working on the flowers and leaves around it and who knows where it will all end! This may be a pillow or a tote bag or ?

The leaves on some of the trees are beginning to show fall colors. It seems too early! This summer has been so full of odd weather. It was much too hot for most of it. The garden suffered from the heat, but we managed to get a good yield of tomatoes and peppers. The cucumbers didn't fare as well. And my gourd plants flowered like crazy only to offer up three tiny gourds ( one of which has all ready fallen off and withered ). It is now cool enough to enjoy sitting out doors again and watch the birds in the back yard while I sew a bit.

August cools

2011-08-15T00:11:00.000-05:00

sunshine today. and not a hot humid sunshine. but a cool breezy sunshine day.
finally! No rain. No blast furnace heat. My kind of a Sunday!
So, what did I manage to do with this beautiful of days?
Ha!! I really just spent the day doing nothing.
A day to recoup and re-energize.
sometimes that is the very best way to spend a day.
But there are things in the works and as they become more finished I will post photos.
The garden is producing mass amounts of tomatoes and green peppers and some cucumbers. My gourd plants are giving up lots of blossoms but no gourds. ah well. maybe next year!
For now I am going to continue working on the denim things and I will be stitching up a feather or two for this
http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/spirit_cloth/the-magic-feather-project.html

August afternoon

2011-08-05T20:06:00.000-05:00

another hot afternoon

even the deer were hiding out in the shade.

just look at those beautiful velvet antlers!

Not everyone was being lazy though.

This goldfinch was very busy pulling at the thistle for seeds

I did a bit more stitching on this upcycled denim here

and here.

on to august

2011-07-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

July ends....

clouds paint day dreams across the summer skies

it has been a long hot summer and it aint over!

2011-07-25T09:04:00.001-05:00

time has been so hard to come by. Free time. Time coupled with energy, with creative energy. Finally a reprieve, so here I am again.

The pillow. The embroidery is thisclose to done. I noticed a few spots that need a bit of finishing as I photographed it. The denimn is upcycled boys jeans. soft. worn but not threadbare. sunbleached . Next it will get a back and maybe a bordered edge, be stuffed with a king size bed pillow and finished.

This corner is my favorite. I really enjoyed making this. Playing with ideas and colors. Some worked better then others but in the end I am happy with the top.

I am whittling through my stash of old jeans and made this a while ago. it holds my little tablet nicely.

As long as I am on a roll I have started this as well. early stages. more to come.

A special thanks to all of you who have e-mailed me inquiring if I am o.k. I was surprised and flattered to be thought of! I am glad you stop in here ! Thank you all!

2011-06-07T05:53:00.000-05:00

we had massive amounts of rain
flooding low areas

blooms abounded
fragrant and beautiful
though fleeting

sparrows have now left the nest

now the sun is HOT and the leaves are now filled in and giving some much needed shade.
I am nearly finished with a stitching that is to be sent off.
Once done with that I am going to revisit some older works that seem to be calling for some changes.
will post photos soon....

2011-05-13T18:31:00.000-05:00

Oh Blogger has been bad! But, I have been worse. Has it really been so long between postings? Yep. Long time. And here I am without photos of anything I can show! But stitching has been going on. Lots of hand stitching. The weather has been horrible. First it was too cold, dark days, raining all the time. Then it was too too hot and humid! Complaints! Oh I am just so full of complaining. Now it is back to cold and rainy. Can not win!!
I have made one more coiled bowl and it is awaiting some added whatnots...maybe some of the fabric beads, or nuggets of semiprecious stones...no pics yet.
I have finished two of the pay it forwards and need to do two more, that is on hold for a bit. Once that is done then I have to figure out who gets what! Guess I will just pull names for each one. But still - There are 2 more to get started let alone finish!
The does in the forest are scarce, they are hiding in the deepest parts with newly born fawns. Will see them in a bit as they become more rambunctious and wander a bit further from moms.
I will try and get some photos for the next blog. Mean time Thank you all for stopping in now and again!

Little bits

2011-04-06T16:15:00.000-05:00

Dabbling a bit with scraps of fabrics. Made a coiled basket and a handful of fabric beads. Just little snippets. Some of which are pictured with the basket. Once the weather warms up ( oh, soon - I hope! ) I will take the beads out doors and give them a coat of some varnish like substance to firm them up. Perhaps give them a bit of shine as well. I cut up some more strips of fabrics and have a basket or two more to make. The batik fabrics are becoming my favorite basket materials. A jewel like look.

I am stitching along at a good clip on the Pay it Forward work I have committed to do this year. The first two are just about done. Two more to go! Here is a little peek at them.

I am keeping the size small. No larger then 5 x 7 inches so that I can get detailed enough with the work and still manage to make four this year! Knowing that I will be sending these off as part of the pay it forward makes them all the more special to me. Those who are receiving these are also making several works to send off - and on and on it will go. I like that!

Take a spring walk with me

2011-03-30T20:05:00.000-05:00

Though the season is supposed to be spring it is still very cold here. Cold like February temperatures.

Still, I decided to take a spring walk around the Lagoons.

The sun was bright and cheerful. Leaving diamonds on the waters surface.

Seagulls soared overhead.

As did a Heron.

someone left a little bit of themselves behind for me to find.

as well as evidence of a ring tailed creature who left tracks on its way to the waters edge.

A loud rat-a-tat-tat-tat sounding above me was a very industrious woodpecker.

on the Lagoons water there was a party gathering. Waterfowl of all kinds floating and enjoying the sunny day.

As I watched a lone Loon swam within range of my camera. A treat for me.

Nearby a group gathered to sun themselves on a fallen tree.

a chorus of red-wing blackbirds could be heard among the cattails.

The day was beautiful. Peaceful. Inspiring. I left feeling quite refreshed.

2011-03-18T22:49:00.000-05:00

with all that is going on in our world right now....

things to do - commitments to keep

2011-03-03T17:10:00.000-06:00

Now that Forest Muse is finished I am going to move on to other works!

But, instead of getting back to working on my re-purposed denim pillow top

Or reconnecting with the nearly finished crazy cat...

I am going to get at least 2 of the Pay it Forward works done! Today I settled in with paper, pencils and ideas to come up with the first 2 plans. I have four to do in total. So 2 is a great start! I am working smallish. Most likely in the postcard size range. These are to be finished this year so I can not dilly-dally about with larger works. I was thinking along the lines of this postcard that I did for Cyber Fyber.

So the sketches have been finished and transferred to fabric. I have picked out threads and loaded everything up into my bag to work on at lunch. I have not settled on the size for certain. I know they will be somewhere between the 4 x 6 inch post card size and a 5 x 7 inch size.

I hope that the recipients will be happy with the finished work!

So for now, there will be no photos. I want it to be a surprise to those who are getting them.

Forest Muse

2011-02-24T01:17:00.001-06:00

she is finished and hanging on my wall. ( well, o.k. the sleeve is not yet attached but will be soon ) I love the irregular shape, not too far off but a bit organic in feel. The chenille yarn edges add a wonderful softness to this. I am very happy with this one.

Perfect Edges!

2011-02-23T15:17:00.000-06:00

What you see above are the wonderful yarns that Nellie sent to me. These are the perfect finish for the edges of the Forest Muse. The backing fabric is attached and the chenille yarns are being couched to the edges. Tomorrow is the reveal!

spring signs

2011-02-22T05:47:00.000-06:00

I know spring is coming. Even as the snow keeps falling.

I know because this is what I am seeing in the forest...

Young bucks with one antler. As spring approaches they drop the antlers. I have yet to find any of the shed antlers in all these years! I think the squirrels get to them quickly.

And there are plenty of squirrels... More then enough to gather together all the shed antlers and still have empty handed ( pawed?) squirrels.

Also in the great Chicago tradition, the chairs that mark dibs on shoveled out spaces are now all lined up curbside as the snow has melted. Of course it is replaced with more snow but nowhere near the 25 inches that dropped all at once! This photo was taken only a day or so before the thaw. We now have clear streets and much easier parking. At least until the next snowfall.

nearing the finish

2011-02-19T23:56:00.001-06:00

finale stitching on leaves...nearly done...

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T01:00:00.001-06:00

Crazy Love
16x 16 inches

Joyful gifts

2011-02-13T19:03:00.001-06:00

This was a big surprise for me from my daughter at Christmas. I had mentioned on facebook that these vases would make a wonderful Christmas present. My dear daughter saw that and ordered up a pair for me from Paula . Let me tell you how wonderful these are. they are heavy,made from repurposed pipes. They are nearly impossible to knock over so they make a wonderful addition to my work table where they hold brushes and pencils etc. I love how they look with a delicate flower in them. A contrast of delicate and substantial. She makes these in various sizes and colors from small votive to tall vases. A real joy!

stitching up my own spring

2011-02-10T05:16:00.000-06:00

stitching up spring. All these wonderful greens and purples. Colors of springtime. hills and valleys as it lays in my hands. the texture just calls for a brush with fingertips.

I stitch while I watch the snow. Willing it to melt. knowing it is not yet warm enough.

every stitch bringing me that much closer to spring. soon enough...soon enough I say. But no, it is not nearly soon enough.

gifts from the heart

2011-02-04T14:42:00.000-06:00

My brother recently got married. And he has uprooted himself and his wife to move across country to take care of our ailing father.

I decided that I wanted to make something nice for them.

Something functional.

I knew that for Sylvia I wanted to use a Ginkgo leaf design. I had been playing around with the idea of using a real leaf and stamping it onto fabric with fabric paints.

But for heavens sake it was January in Chicago...lots a luck right?

Well...Coming out of a store with my husband on a cold day with a light snow falling what do I see at our feet?

Yep. A real honest to goodness Ginkgo leaf. Just one. Right there. At our feet.

Oh Yeah.

This is the leaf now. That is the test print. Photos will be taken later of what I did with it. I just love the way it looks now all gold and gleaming. It has become a treasure that I will keep here on my wall by my work space. A reminder how sometimes things are just amazing. Amazing.

For my brother Asante, I have embroidered this bird on some sky dyed fabric. Made into something useful - again whole photos later. I do love making gifts!

snowed in

2011-02-03T23:00:00.000-06:00

yes, we got snow. deep snow. The kind of snow that strands you. Wind sending the 23 inches of snow fall into 4 - 6 foot drifts. My car sits stuck in the alley. Waiting on the plows to clear a path so I can go to work. Though from what I am hearing, not much mail is getting through. I have a clear path from front porch to sidewalk but there is no way a letter carrier is getting to most of the mailboxes here! I get tired just looking at all this snow let alone trying to actually trudge through it.

this is the view down my alley...

storm warnings

2011-02-01T05:34:00.000-06:00

A big bad snow storm, or really a blizzard as they are calling it, is going to hit us today. It has been a long time since we have had one this bad. Hoping that the forecast is all wrong but the radar looks nasty! Days like this one I wonder why I choose to have an outside job!! I would love to huddle down and wait it all out in the comfort of my living room. The deer on the other hand are hunkering down under the trees and out of the storm. This weather just has to be so difficult for the wild animals survival...

cant see the forest for the leaves

2011-01-28T21:05:00.000-06:00

Can you stand more leaves?? I am stitching a forest full after all...

Experimenting

2011-01-27T20:51:00.000-06:00

What you see here is a tiny bit of play. I love reading Jude Hills blog Spirit Cloth. There are so many wonderful what ifs' that she explores. I have long admired her work. This small bit made up of pieces of old jeans(scavenged from a trash bin )cut up and woven together was inspired by Judes' work. It is a piece that I will go back to time and again. One that I will put through a wash cycle to fray up the edges - to soften the lines... While it is not really a piece in my comfort zone it is one I have really enjoyed playing with. To try a new thing. To learn something new.To explore and experiment and expand my own works.

Learning, always learning.

2011-01-22T20:23:00.000-06:00

The last of the Interpret This! quilts are done. This last photo would have been right up my alley! I love what they all did with it.
I pulled out of the group after the August challenge. I really needed to do that. I did not do it easily. Hemmed and hawed about it. The camaraderie within the group was wonderful. Everyone was so supportive. There was just too much going on in my life at the time. I could not have been able to pull it together and finish a piece within the months time.
There were valuable lessons learned from participating in this challenge. I learned how to focus in on an idea quickly. Sometimes it worked right off the bat. The times it didn't proved to be a real struggle for me. I now know that if I am really inspired by an idea things will just fall together and mesh well from the get-go.
I also know that I need much more time then a month to put together something I like. My choice of hand stitch is a slow process. Often I was rushing the piece to get it finished on schedule. Size had to be cut down as well. I find that I don't like compromise very much.
With the pressure of completing a work from photo to finish gone, I went back to some of my unfinished works. Most notably the Forest Muse. No rush, no need to work on it if I was tired or stressed. I fell into a pace that was comfortable again. I became a bit bolder with my stitches. Meditative peace of needle and thread. This is the joy of art for me. No thoughts as to what it needs to be - just that it is. A very valuable lesson. To be true to my own path. To embrace the possiblities of experimentations.
With all that I am moving forward. I want to explore some of the ideas that I touched on from the challenge. I think it is important to keep evolving. I know that being a part of this group has given me that. Reach a bit further - explore- expand horizons. A very good lesson indeed!

Valentines

2011-01-21T05:17:00.001-06:00

I recently won a fistfull of threads from Laura Wasilowski at Artfabrik. I had plans in the works for my Valentines cards and her threads were just the crowning touch!

These are done by drawing the hearts and background colors onto fabric with the Ink-tense pencils. A wash with water and a medium width brush to blend and set the inks. The hearts are embroidered with a varity of embroidery stitches and lots of french knots for a really textured finish. I have one more to make. That one is for my Husband. Valentines day will be our anniversary.

A few more leaves

2011-01-19T05:14:00.000-06:00

still here...

stitching, stitching and stitching...

new page

2011-01-03T08:17:00.000-06:00

I have added a page of Art quilts and other things I have done. Just click on the page link right up top here and have a look.

2010-12-25T07:04:00.000-06:00

MAY YOUR DAYS BE FILLED WITH LOVE, JOY, AND HAPPINESS. HAPPY HOLIDAYS !

winters pause

2010-12-20T20:20:00.000-06:00

As I write this the snow is falling outside. Tonights total eclipse of the moon will be hidden behind snow clouds. So no moon shots today. Instead here are a few from my favorite forest this afternoon.

A tender moment between yearling and mom

Nature has colored all the forest to match the deer.

It is easy to miss them unless they move about.

While I watched the deer I also found time to add more stitching to the leaves on the Forest Muse.

forest muse

2010-12-04T05:12:00.000-06:00

The leaves are such joy to stitch on. I am loving the dimension, the texture of this. Running my fingertips over the surface often. The muse just keeps on evolving..

birthday

2010-12-03T05:37:00.000-06:00

seasons changing.

the cold is here. really here. snow is on its way.

today is my birthday.

another year marked off. another year to look ahead towards.

life is good.

Autumn leaves

2010-11-18T04:45:00.000-06:00

I watch the last bits of Autumns beauty succumb to winters advancing chill. Here is where they have landed into place on Forest Muse..

going buggy

2010-11-15T15:39:00.001-06:00

Bug 1 is just about finished. The background is quilted with leaves and flower shapes. It will get just a tad more quilting yet. I am leaving the edges unfinished for now until I complete the next Bug. I will then decide what finish they will get. Border or facing or ? will be for later.

Bug 2 has been drawn onto a muslin fabric with the ink-tense pencils. See what I mean about being just so blah? The legs will get embroidered later so I did not draw them in now. All the detail will be done with hand embroidery and possibly some beads.

All those detail decisions will be made as I go. I will start it with a vague idea of what I intend but that will evolve once it gets underway. A very intuitive process for me. This is going to have to sit and stew for a bit so in the meantime I pulled this next one out of the works in progress pile ( a pretty good sized grouping ) I actually forgot about it and when I went looking for batting for Bug 2 came across it. Since I had no batting ( which is why bug is stewing ) I figured it is a good time for more work on this one.

I also could have done more work on the denim pillow top. However, with fall upon us I just wasn't feeling like embroidering flowers. This one is a good fit for this time of year. It is one of those works that could just go on and on.. Stitching on this is a pleasure for me and may be just totally encrusted with stitches when it is called done. So for the next few weeks this one will be going with me everywhere. Pictures will be posted as it goes. As always thanks for stopping by. Comments and thoughts are always welcom!

Bug 1

2010-11-06T09:18:00.000-05:00

I have shared this drawing through Tammy Vitales' blog and facebook pages. It is a freebie for anyone who wants to use it for coloring in as a part of her Wylde Women posts. It is really just a doodle. Done pretty quickly and with no thoughts of making it into a fabric piece. I didn't even think to name it or sign it! I most likely should have put signature to it but ah well, It's done. I do hope that those who use it post a pic back to me of how they have finished it. But it is not a requirement. The main idea is to just have fun with it.
The Bug is almost done! Just a bit more quilting of the background and a minor touch up that will fix things that probably only I see. I have had fun with this one and am working on Bug 2's drawing stage now. Thinking that in the end there will be 4. But that is a tentative thought as only this one is near the finish stage and I might lose interest before then!

It is still in the hoop as I finish the background quilting.

You can see the quilting here. I am doing a leaf shape pattern to tie into the garden idea. You can also see the beads that line the edge of the wings. I added beads to the head as well. These are glass seed beads and what you can't see in the photo is how they shine! I wanted to add a bit of shine and shimmer like actual beetles sometimes have!

Though this is in no way a depiction of any actual beetle. And that is why it has been so much fun to play with! Next up is giving this bug a proper title and then a binding of some kind (or maybe just a facing ). The final idea of having four works all the same size but different colors and of course, different bugs!

A celebration full of wishes

2010-11-03T18:09:00.000-05:00

I have been blogging for some years now. And in that time I have come to know some fellow bloggers. Most of whom I have never actually met in the non virtual world. But through their art, their words. And photos. And stories. Debi Is one of those people. Her Emma Tree blog has always inspired me with her beautiful photographs. But don't stop there. The words...so full of emotions, of pictures you can see in your mind. Recently she has been featured in Stampingtons Artful Blogging. Browse through her blog and you will see why. So here I am wishing Debi continued features everywhere!

Inktense pens and other tools

2010-10-31T10:09:00.000-05:00

These are the Inktense pencils I wrote about in the previous post. These are easy to use. They work like the watercolor pencils when used with a wet brush to blend the colors together and smooth the hard lines. The difference is that these are not water colors but ink. Once dry they are permament. The dried ink without using heat setting didn't run once dry. You can draw out an entire work and go back to it later for finishing, But once it has been brushed/blended with water and dried there is no going back. In that respect is is very much like ink. You can also wet the pencil tip and use it for drawing a fine line like you would with a pen but be aware that when wet the sharpened tip will blunt quickly! I used these on fabric as well as paper with fine results on both.

These are the water soluble oil pastels I use. Made by Crayola ( yes the crayon people ). Inexpensive and available in different sized sets. Not as easy to use on fabric as fabric paints or the Inktense pencils. These need to be heat set and will sometimes still bleed out even after setting. I would only use these on work that will never see a washer! My favorite way of using these is to cover a small piece of waste fabric with color and then dip the color filled fabric into water and smoosh,stipple and otherwise work it into the piece I am working on. Kind of like using a sponge for printing - stamping work. Not to mention the 'waste' fabric is a wonderful work in and of itself! I also use these to highlight or shade an area of a work. You can use the pastel as is or by dabbing a stiff brush with the pastel. I do both. These will also work wonderfully well for rubbing on fabric over a textured surface like I did with this leaf.

Now for the answers to the frequent emailed questions I have gotten lately.

1. Do you draw the designs yourself or use copy right free ones?

Answer - The work is all mine. From design concept to finished piece. I usually draw out the work and go from there.

2. Is that hand embroidery or machine embroidery?

Answer- Hand embroidery. I love the slow process of working on a piece. It feels very intimate to me and I am sure that is why it is so hard to part with them once done.

3.Are any of these for sale and if so where?

Answer - I don't actively sell them but have considered it from time to time. I suppose the best answer to this one is to e mail me about a piece. I have sold some in the past this way .

If you have any other questions please feel free to e-mail me or comment here.As always I am very grateful to all who pop in to see whats up!!

garden bug

2010-10-22T05:07:00.000-05:00

where does the time go!!!? I have not been idle. Working on three different pieces. The Cat Dreams is hanging on the wall while I try to figure out where it wants to go next. Sorry no photos yet..The wildflower pillow top is resting for a bit as I have picked up this one.

This little bugger just wanted to be made. I used the Ink-tense pencils for the basic drawing and did a wash with them for the color. Originally I was just going to make this a simple quilted piece. But to my eyes it was just so plain. So, blah. I did a running stitch out line. Still pretty blah. Added the yellow triangles. and french knots. It was starting to get better. The flowers and vines happened when I was thinking about the garden and all the bugs that thrive there.

So here it is as it looks today. More to follow.

Playing Around with bits

2010-10-04T11:10:00.001-05:00

While I was making Wiggly I thought that it was a good time to play.

using up scraps and pieces to make a fun nest and bird.

This bird is from Terry Grants' pattern with only a few changes.

(no legs and no separate beak fabric)

All told I made three. One is gone to another home.

these two live here happily.

Using up scraps has its drawbacks though. I ran out of rope for this basket so it is a bit smaller but the bird still fits nicely in the little nest.

And here is Wiggly 2. Still working out the kinks but I like this one better. Wiggly 3 should be the final prototype I hope! I call it Wiggly because when you hold it or move it all those little tabs flutter and the toy seems to wiggle!

Now I have toys on hand for the grandchild!

2010-10-02T23:11:00.001-05:00

winters coming

hear it in the rustle of leaves

feel it in the air

a sting against skin

trees swaying in a wind dance

yesterdays mud wasp home blown down

laying in a heap of paper thin layers with the leaves

a summers toil gone in a gust of wind

a lone leaf

blush of color

clinging to a barren branch

shaken from the trees

the sky fills with birds

flocking before the long trek south

night falls

winds calm

someone took a bite out of the moon tonight...

2010-09-27T18:12:00.000-05:00

It's time to pop on over to Interpret This! and see what everyone has done with Septembers photo!!
Although I am no longer a part of this talented group ( too many time constraints here ) I am enjoying seeing what they come up with. And this months examples are fantastic!!

thoughts on previous post

2010-09-23T22:50:00.000-05:00

...Just sit there and look pretty....
When Emma Tree runs a give away I knew it was going to be special. What I didn't know was how much it would linger in my head. Browse through her responses and you will see what I mean.
just sit there and look pretty
Debi invited us to take those words and show something that it brought to us.
I spent some time going through the many blog posts her give away inspired.
I was surprised ( and really how could I have been surprised ) by how many of us had felt the
belittling and oppressive power of that group of words.
I feel lucky that for the most part I just did what ever it was I wanted to do. Sit pretty my ass!
To that end I owe my mother a good deal of thanks. A whole world was out there for me to explore!
My brothers grew up to believe that women and men are of equal value. She showed us by example and much hard work on her part. The women who went to college in the 50's and early 60's who were supposed to get a little education, marry and have children ( and just sit there and look pretty ) had a rough road if they wanted more.
Today I read the anger, the sadness and the power invoked by those six little words. I nodded YES to so many and felt the emotions that ran the gamut from highs to lows. It made me remember that words, be they one or six, hold so much power. and a simple little phrase is never simple.

Emma Tree Fun

2010-09-23T01:00:00.017-05:00

Over at Emma tree blog Debi is having a give away, She posted a fun idea to take the saying 'just sit there and look pretty' and post something about it. There are lots of bloggers in the mix all posting today!
I thought this would be great fun and joined in. here is my take on the phrase. A little sketch made using Microsoft paint. Pop over to Emma tree for more!!

when I was a child I lived in a wonderful neighborhood full of kids my age... all of them boys. I had two brothers one older and one younger with only a year or so between us.

The boys would all gather together to play some kind of ball game be it football or baseball . If not a sports game then it was a game they referred to as WAR and sure, girls could play...but only as a nurse.

Being a nurse sucked. Really. If someone was killed they would just miraculously recover and go on shooting, No one needed a nurse. And no one needed a girl on the team.

So, I guess girls were just supposed to

JUST SIT THERE AND LOOK PRETTY

well...we all know how long that lasted....

2010-09-22T21:34:00.000-05:00

Days are getting shorter. Lights are turned on earlier. It is dark now when I leave for work. Now I see the green leaves of summer changing to yellows and golds. The maple trees always seem to be the first.

After all the sticky hot and humid days of summer I look forward to the cooler days of early fall. I wish these would last long into winter for I do dread the slush and snow that is sure to find us here.

So before that happens I took a walk along a favorite path where I can drink in these last days of summer. .

Summers leaves have begun to fall on the path.

Above me I see the beginnings of the rusty gold among the greens.

On the pond this years brood are hard to distinguish from the parents as they prepare to head south.

At days end there is a magnificent full moon above.

A beautiful beginning of the day

2010-09-18T21:39:00.000-05:00

Up early on my day off to get some sunrise photos at the beach. This is what it looked like when I got there, no sun just the golden orange glow from the lights by the boathouse.

As the sun neared the horizon the sky was a beautiful deep turquoise blue.

such a tranquil color in spite of the storm clouds and lightening flashes as a storm was nearing.

The sun begins a dramatic rise.

Beautiful, with only the sound of waves hitting shore .

This was my beautiful morning.

Inspirations abound here.

I have since made a major mess in my basement studio.

Trying to create a fun toy for a soon to be 1 year old.

Can't show it yet.

but soon.

searching for elusive time

2010-09-14T23:41:00.000-05:00

trying to find time.

free time.

time uncluttered.

time to spare.

time to breathe.

stitching in golds

2010-09-08T20:28:00.000-05:00

The leaves are turning to warm golds. The air is decidedly cooler in the early mornings. The light has changed. Dark when I leave for work now. Seasons slip by so quickly.

I have been stitching in between watching the leaves flutter in the wind.

The lion-cat mane is getting more involved. The coming colors of fall seem to have inspired me.

August Reveals are up at Interpret This

2010-08-30T19:29:00.000-05:00

My reveal post was moved up a day and is now posted over at Interpret This!

I zoomed in on the tower of one of the buildings and went with

Rapunzel!

hop on over to the IT blog and see the rest as well as the others wonderful takes on the photo for August.

The Final Girlfriends page!!

2010-08-28T16:53:00.001-05:00

It has been a loooonnnggg time in getting to me but I finally received Kate's book! This is the last page and the last book for the Girlfriends traveling sketchbook round robin. Kate started this what seems like a year ago! Truly I had thought it was finished. Not so! Until now at last. This will be on its way to Kate's come Monday or Tuesday finally!

Kate's book is a folded six inch block. This is the front painted using the Inktense pencils. Some running stitches with cotton floss and a few glass beads.

Kate set Believe as the theme for her book so I inked in a line among the swirls to

'Believe in your Dreams.'

Then on the back there is much writing about believing, something to fill up the spaces.

Hope you like it Kate!!

August little peek

2010-08-25T15:49:00.000-05:00

I have been busy finishing up my Interpret This! August piece. For now this is all you get to see... Tune in to the IT blog starting on the 27th for all the reveals. Mine is set for the 31st.

I have been playing in my basement studio with a set of Inktense pencils. These are wonderful! Very much like a watercolor pencil except that these use ink. I have nothing I want to show as yet. Just experimenting with how they work. I can do fine lines and wonderful washes, smooth out scribbles and blend colors together easily. Once dry the ink is permanent. OOOOHH such FUN!!

august

2010-08-02T05:45:00.000-05:00

August all ready! Wow, where does the time go?

No new stitching photos just yet. I am moving along with my IT piece fairly quickly. Just really need a few days in a row of energy and time combined to finish it.

Meanwhile in the garden we are growing this HUGE heirloom tomato! It is still green and getting bigger every time I look at it! The last heirloom tomatoes we grew were bumpy and pinkish and oh so good to eat, hope this one will be as tasty!

It has been hot here as of late. Too humid to really enjoy sitting outside in the evenings. As well as being too buggy from the mosquitoes. During the day we hear a chorus of cicadas first from one tree then the next. Loud loud and louder! There are lots of these casings hanging on the branches.

Sunday in the mall

2010-07-27T05:56:00.000-05:00

Sunday was the annual art fair in the mall. The weather was beautiful for this. Not too hot for a change.

I did see some nice pottery and beautiful glass work. Doing these shows is very expensive for the artists, they are required to have a booth such as those pictured above. I don't know what the cost for a space is in this juried show is now but a few years ago it was around $250. I was a bit disappointed to see so few paintings and no fiber art. The majority of work was in the jewelry field. A few potters and sculptors. I imagine that a part of that has to do with our economy, people only buying functional art works...

I just couldn't resist a photo of an artist parking lot sign. A very special place to park just for artists...ha!

Hot July

2010-07-05T13:46:00.000-05:00

July all ready. Summer is here today and with a vengeance, it is 90 degrees and sunny out. Hot very hot.

I have started on my Interpret This piece for August. We are by passing July as it is a month full of activities for most of us. Whew! I have time to explore this one! So here is the beginning. I am tea dying some fabric. And that is all you get to see of this until August! Ha!

Meanwhile I have managed to do a bit more on my denim pillow top. The recycled jeans are a dream to embroider on. Nice firm fabric that doesn't fight the needle at all. This is evolving into a field of wild flowers.

With butterflies and grasses. I am not really too thrilled with the pink butterfly at the top right but it will stay as it is.

I much prefer the tiny violets and Queen Anne's lace.

The pink/rose flowers and cobalt blues just called for a butterfly to hover over them.

here it is as it looks now. this is half of the width it will be when finished. a large rectangle. I think it will finish up at 16" x 26".

Right now I am really enjoying working on this and No ones jeans are safe!!

summer dragons

2010-06-30T04:58:00.000-05:00

dragons in my backyard

I am loving summer!!

Soon, soon I will post some stitching pictures.

I am always stitching away on something . Just need to remember to grab a photo or two now and then!!

2010-06-26T06:30:00.001-05:00

This is the photo for the June challenge at Interept This! June was my month to pick the photo. I took this one at a Chicago area forest preserve. We had been having a cold spring after a much too long and cold winter. Finally the weather turned warm and everything became green and lush very quickly. I am sure this butterfly was as happy to have a summery day as I was!

Today starts the reveal of our efforts. Lucky me I get to go first!!

Pop on over to Interpret This! to see what I managed to make of it despite my butterfly mistake as told in previous post!

2010-06-13T19:44:00.000-05:00

hoo boy. When I mess up I do it so well! I have been working away on my IT piece and went to double check the colors of the butterfly from the photo and something did not look quite right. Yep. The colors were just fine. It was the butterfly that was not. WTF. I know just what I did. I was in the basement ( my 'studio' ) and the computer is upstairs where the photo could be found on it. I drew the butterfly out. Did that right in front of the computer. I took said drawing with me downstairs and laid it down on the desk with all the other sketches of stuff and well, I picked up the wrong one and commited it to the cloth. Did I double check it? Um, noooo. Soooo, I now have a nearly finished IT piece with a butterfly that is not quite right. Not only that but the photo is mine! Embarassing isn't it? Ah well. I will finish this, mistake and all, as time will not permit a new start. Sheesh. I will now go back downstairs and organize my drawings....right after I finish the IT piece. ( see how easy it is to get organized! Ha! ).

2010-06-05T22:55:00.000-05:00

Just so beautiful to watch.

no one around

just me and the mosquitoes

sharing lunch

( stinking little buzzing vampires! )

I still had to stay and watch untill he wandered off..

Junes IT photo

2010-05-31T20:52:00.000-05:00

This months challenge photo for Interpret This! is one I took last June. Our spring weather was very slow in getting here. It was cold and dreary with lots of rain every day. After getting through a snowy cold winter All I wanted was some sunshine and a thermometer that hit at least 60 degrees F!. Finally the day came where the sun shone and the temps were on the rise. I snapped this shot while eating lunch outside. Both the butterfly and I were happily soaking up the sun.

2010-05-25T12:08:00.001-05:00

Pop on over to the Interpret This! blog for this months reveals. I posted mine today. The photo of a cherry tree in full bloom had me seeing pink. Lots and lots of pink! Right off I knew I wanted to try my hand at something a bit more abstracted. Cherry blossoms bring to mind an oriental feel and my first idea was to use a fabric folding, ala oragami , for flowers. I spent a day or two folding and fussing with fabrics trying to come up with a nice flower. I finally did but the amount of fabric it would take had me changing my mind! I wanted to have lots of blooms! So next idea was to make a New York beauty block. Lots of NY blocks...um..I only have a month to finish this...You guessed it, too time consuming for my bits of free time. I liked my New York beauty block and decided to build from there. Doing some less time involved straight points paper pieced.. Next, fusing petal shapes onto the green batik. I had this green/blue batik for a long time. It is one of my favorite fabrics. On my screen it shows a bit bluer then it actually is. The swirls made me think of the shadows moving as the sun hits breeze blown leaves and flowers.

9 x 17 inches

In the pink.

2010-05-13T18:03:00.000-05:00

These are the fabrics for my Interpret This piece. Just two fabrics.

Upon seeing this months photo my first thought was that it was a lot of pink.

A Whole lot of pink.

Pink is not one of my favorite colors.

There was no getting around it. This would be a pink piece.

When I started this monthly challenge I was determined to use only the materials and fabrics I have on hand.

I tried.

I had only a bit of some pink fabric. With tiny little hearts on it.

Left over from the quilt I made for my Granddaughter.

A bit too sweet for my IT piece...

So I bought some wonderful PINK batik. And went to work .

This one went really fast. I mean really fast!

I tried something new for me.

It is an abstract.

without hand stitches.

yep, really. It didn't seem to need more.

You will just have to wait for the reveal on the 25th.

See you there!

Interpret This!

Happy

2010-05-13T17:45:00.000-05:00

Raining with thunder and lightning last night and today. The power was out for a bit last night and this morning the streets were flooded here and there. The sun finally came out and with it came the warm and heavy humid air.

. A welcome change from the dank and cold.

The bushes sent out sparkles of white blooms.

The Dogwood blossoms opened wide before falling petal by petal to the ground.

The pillow top continues to grow slowly.

My Interpret this piece is done and well befor deadline too. I am a happy woman!

April blooms

2010-04-29T04:40:00.000-05:00

The lilacs are in bloom. Guess its true about the April showers bringing May flowers.
My Interpret This reveal is today. Pop on over for a look at what everyone has made of Nellie's photograph.

This one was a fun one for me. Here is just a peek. hit the badge on the right to see the rest!

Greening up

2010-04-16T05:57:00.000-05:00

The forest is getting very green!

Stitching on my Interpret This piece so not much else getting done. The weather has been wonderful! Warm, hot even. A welcome change from this time last year.
Since I can't show the IT piece here are some pictures of the re-purposed denimn now pillow top in progress

Playing

2010-04-11T10:13:00.001-05:00

playing when I should be sewing. Thanks to Terry Grant of and Sew It Goes who posted this web site on her blog. It is really a fun waste of time! But ENOUGH! I am heading down to the basement to start on my Interpret This piece. I am a bit behind but I think I can finish it in time for the reveal date.

http://www.zefrank.com/scribbler/scribblertoo/

for those of you who want to play click the above link. But be warned, it is addictive!

2010-04-06T20:39:00.001-05:00

The weather has been just perfect during the day here. We may actually have a real spring.

The evening skies are full of thunder heads.

The night sky sparked by lightning.

Thunder so loud and near it sets car alarms off.

!!!!Spring!!!!

The April photo is up at Interpret This!. A wonderful landscape from Nellie. I started to play with ideas and have some in mind.

a lesson for me

2010-03-29T07:46:00.001-05:00

Today is the reveal day for my Interpret This work. I found this months challenge to be the hardest one so far. Most likely due to the fact that I really did not like the chosen photograph. After coming up with the initial sketches and discarding them pretty quickly, I set about with a very loose plan. Keeping the work small enough to finish within the months time. About a third of the way finished I decided I did not like it at all.! I found myself losing focus and trying too hard to make it work! There was no way to start another one now. So, I kept on and it is finished. I look at it and see so many things I might have done differently. A real lesson in planning for me! I usually work out a drawing and then go from there. This time I didn't, and I think it shows. Unfocused. Too loose. In the end this is an important lesson learned for me. Looking back at the photograph there are things there I should have centered on. Parts that I might have felt I liked better! Taking more time to find the right fit for me.

detail of March challenge. For the whole look go to Interpret This!

march

2010-03-26T05:36:00.000-05:00

Spring. A bit of rain

A bit of snow.

loads of wind.

I have no other photographs to show. I am finishing up on my Interpret This piece. The reveals start on Saturday. My reveal will be on Monday,29th.

Sometimes I think I have bit off more then I can chew with this challenge group. Keeping up with my other pieces and finishing a completed work each month has been a real challenge! I am keeping the IT work small so that it has been manageable. However with a full time job and working overtime as well I find my creative time spaces to be limited. Thankfully the weather is warming up ( though yesterday and today's 25 degree temps push that idea ) and the sun stays up longer. I am working on my lion-cat and adding more embroidery to the denim pillow top. Not enough progress there to make a very noticeable difference.

This last challenge for IT was a rough one. I started on an idea and then hated it. Restarted and then went in a different direction then I thought I was headed. Actually felt as if this one had a mind of its own! Any one relate to that?

2010-03-11T05:36:00.001-06:00

the snows are melting.

with the warmer temperatures we are getting some low laying fog.

I am working on the march piece for the Interpret This blog.

It is slow going and I had better get a move on! more to come...

foggy morning drives.

longer days

2010-03-07T13:16:00.000-06:00

There are daffodiles in the house.

Spring is calling

Transistioning colors,

leaving the cold colbalts of winter to the snows.

bringing forth the bright hot colors of the sun.

free time and my indigo cravings

2010-02-28T12:14:00.002-06:00

Now that my Interpret This challenge is done I have some time to play. At least untill Monday when the new photo will be posted! I worked more on this...

His 'mane' is nearly done now.

I have been looking over the beautiful indigo that Jude Hill of Spirit Cloth has been working with and while I would love to dye some myself it just isnt something I will be doing. Glennis Dolce does it beautifully and I do so covet those moons.

Lacking funds to purchase the beautiful indigos I instead took sissors to all the old, torn, outgrown, and shabby denim I could get my hands on. While modern denim is not dyed from natural indigo it would have to do for me now. What I have now is a wonderful sewn together yardage of indigo colored fabric in shades that vary from deep blue to a medium blue. I was hoping for some of that wonderful ice blue that comes from aged jeans but alas, none to be had here.

So, what will become of this refigured denim? It has a good weight for something that would get a good deal of use. I thought tote-bag. But, no. I am giving it a round of embroidery and then it will be a wonderful pillow. Here is my test piece of embroidery on some of the fabric. I needed to see how it would work up and if I liked my initial design enough to go on.

And yes. I do like this. So I took my little embroidered patch and put it together with a part of the short pieces of fabric and made a mini bag...

I am guessing that this is about 5 x 10 inches. I gave it a velcro closure and it holds a collection of threads I will be using for the larger pillow. The benefits of having the colors I want in one place and portable, while also having a reference to the sort of design work I want on the pillow top.

Shanghai Circle

2010-02-26T12:02:00.003-06:00

The reveals are in. From Rians' plate of Chinese food...

to this. Shanghai Circle.

Pop on over to Interpret This! to read all about how this one came to be. All comments are welcomed and greatly appreciated.

a tale to be told

2010-02-25T17:20:00.000-06:00

It's the beginning ot reveals at Interept This! Now as soon as you finish reading here then head on over there to see what Rian and Debra have made of it!
I have just today finished up my piece and will reveal it on Friday at noon. Cutting it pretty close this time.
                                   So here is my tale of the Feb. challenge....
First week:
      Photo is of a plate of Chinese food. O.K. Pad of paper and pencil I sketch a quick fairly literal drawing of the plate etc. Nope, not that. Again pencil to paper..and yet again..you get the drift. A pile of crumpled attempts fills my waste basket.
     Day 2. I go about a different direction with the drawing. more piles of waste. I draw on both sides of the paper, go over previous drawings....arrrgh.
     work is busy. I am tired and don't get back to drawing for a few days. It is now week 2.
A fresh start and I have it finally! I go through fabrics and cut and paint and stitch. I pull out the beautiful satin and take the iron to it and scorch it badly.........My oops is really a great opportunity and my whole idea is changed now!!
Again a few days go by and I finally find a bit of time to work on this. I fiddle abit and it is well underway now. Then ( dramatic pause and somber music ) I am hit with one hell of a bad virus. I go home early from work and am sick sick sick. I sleep for two days. Weak and unsteady but feeling much better I do a bit more and scale back some of the original idea. Then husband gets sick too. then the boy gets sick...
Finally we are all back to healthy and I had just enough time to finish this!!!!!
Tune in tomorow at Interept this to see what I finally finished.

2010-02-19T18:12:00.000-06:00

I can't show the Interpret This piece I am working on but I can show a bit of this one.

This is just a bit. He is slow going. I am growing quite fond of him however!

2010-02-18T08:49:00.000-06:00

To answer the questions about the oil pastels I use. Nothing fancy. Crayola makes these. Wonderfully creamy and easy to blend with water. Portfolio by Crayola.

Kantha stitches

2010-02-15T10:53:00.000-06:00

I have been pouring over this wonderful book!

Mistakes that become magic!

2010-02-14T15:22:00.000-06:00

Over on Interept this! our February challenge is underway. The subject photo is a plate of Chinese food.

After many false starts and design ideas crumpled and filling the trash bin I came up with the final design. This lovely gold satin would work perfectly.

I pulled out the iron and went to press out the wrinkles...I neglected to double check the heat setting...It was set on High...oops.

BUT. I loved what happened!! The design has been modified and the fabric scorched to an inch of it's life and well under way now. I am loving this 'mistake'!

2010-02-03T18:42:00.000-06:00

I just love the way the cardinal is looking at the squirrel. As if wondering who invited that creature to dine with him.

We have a new challenge at Interpret This! Rian has taken a photo of food from a Chinese dinner.I have been working out the ideas and now have a wonderful pile of crumpled paper sketches...BUT, I think I am thisclose to a design now. There is great potential for ideas in that photo!

winters hold

2010-01-31T15:16:00.000-06:00

The brightest moon of the year. The Wolf Moon. It hung stark and alone in the sky. sending shadows all through the neighborhood. It was aptly cold out. Winter is holding on to us with its icy grip.

It is Feb. That means another cold month to get through. Just four weeks...Then March. The last month of winter...unless you count last year when winter hung around until..um..well, June.

maybe

just maybe

this year we will have

summer.

My hands, a self portrait

2010-01-29T20:45:00.000-06:00

The self portrait challenge for Interept This was a tough one for me. I am the one behind the camera. I shy away from having my photo taken. AND, I really didnt want to post my photo on the web.Soooo, what was I to do? Think outside the box I told myself. And that is how this came about. I am an artist who chooses to work primarily in fabric. With paints and floss. I love embroidery. My hands stitching away would be my self portrait.

Using a photo of my hands stitching on something I did a quick sketch on fabric. using oil pastels I added a bit of color. Floss filled in the feather...I only had a month to do this...I wanted to fill this with leaves and color but with limited time I needed to work on a scale I could manage. The eight inch square would allow me to add details I wanted and yet finish in time. I have been looking at Kantha stitched quilts and knew these simple running stitches were my answer!

The feather was very time consuming. I added some colbalt stitches to bring about a bit of the blue black that one sees in a crows feathers in sunshine. It is hard to get this to show up in a photo but it is effective.

Adding some fabric petals within the hoop. Using squares of folded bits with a french knot to secure them as buds and a colorful butterfly near to my hand were the final bits. For more self portrait reveals stop in at Interept this!

Challenge posting

2010-01-29T05:31:00.000-06:00

Teaser. A tiny peek at my challenge piece for Interept This! Photo taken while it was still in progress. Nellie will be posting her work this morning and mine will appear after noon.

Interept this challenge

2010-01-27T18:38:00.000-06:00

What are you doing here??? Leap-frog on over to Interept This! Libby and Rian have posted the first challenge pieces today. Click now!

postcard for Nellie

2010-01-25T14:53:00.002-06:00

Stitching stitching and still stitching. This is Nellie's post card. I am calling it Midnight Butterfly. Yes, it is still here...It will be in the mail to Nellie hopefully by the end of the week.
AND, I have very nearly finished my piece for my Interept this reveal on the 29th. I am in the process of stitching on the sleeve. If you know me you know that is a truly amazing thing. Sometimes the stitching on of sleeves can take years to get added!
lastly, what happened to bloggers spell check?? Do they not understand that I MUST have spell checking? Did it really go away or am I somehow missing it? That said, please ignore and forgive any and all spelling mistakes...it is all bloggers fault after all...

The sneak peek link.

2010-01-14T20:35:00.002-06:00

Time for a sneak peek of the piece I am working on for 'Interpret This !' Blog. Go to the blog for the pic that sheds a bit of light on my self portrait. click me !
And a very Happy Birthday to my mom!!

On paths that find me

2010-01-13T05:13:00.000-06:00

Remember these?

No, I have not made any more lately. The ones here were all spoken for. Sent off. Used here for holding lots of stuff. I will make more when I find time. Now, why am I posting this again? Well, as of the last few weeks my stat counter has gone through the roof. Why...I wondered. Looking at the paths I see that many, and I mean LOADS of them have found me from this link >
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art54060.asp
So I sent of a thank you e mail to Tamara Bostwick, sewing editor for Bellaonline. And for those of you who found your way here, Welcome! These baskets are easy to make and have been much sought after by friends and family. You can never have too many it seems!
Paths. I find such a wonderous asortment of places to visit via the links on blogs I read regularly. Sometimes from following a side bar link and often times from clicking on the commenters link.
Paths will be explored. I like that.

cloth visions

2010-01-09T21:22:00.003-06:00

Being just a week or so away from the sneak peek at my 'Interpret This' work I have nothing to show of my stitchings. So this is a post about what is going on in my head. Looking ahead. Daydreaming that seeps into my night dreams. Visions full of cloth with stitches and paint washes. Drawings from the sketchbook transformed onto cloth. Texture added subtly with stitch and batting. Even while I stitch on my current work I am thinking thinking thinking, of these works to be..

Three or even four drawings vie for my attention. Flora and fauna with faces. Bits of color.

leaves,berries and feathers.

sun rays and dew driplets

I still have not really decided on a quilting method for these. Initially I was going to do machine quilting in a free motion method. Now lately, as this one hangs on my wall, As I live with it day by day. I am thinking of doing hand stitches with floss. A Kantha varity of running stitch. Tone on tone so as not to distract..Still very much undecided. Still letting the dreams turn it this way and that. Letting it grow and evolve in the background of my days and nights.

Judy Martin said it all

2010-01-05T16:37:00.000-06:00

Go here read this I could not have said it as well.

Girlfriends page done!

2010-01-03T18:11:00.001-06:00

Another Girlfriends page done ! This one for Joss of Soulbrush. And in the same package that this arrived in I also got back my Girlfriend book. Thank you all for each page! I am not sure exactly how these will be bound and am actually just thinking of hanging them on the studio wall so I can always see them.

And here is a wonderful link to a site with some of the most amazing work to please your eyes! Love this online magazine! Handeye magazine Enjoy yourselves!!