I LOVE Circles

Circles appear in my work more than any other shape. I'm not sure why, but it definitely seems to be my symbol. So when the challenge for my "Blockheads" mini group came due, I looked through my vast selection of photos for inspiration. This photo of circles spoke to me the loudest, so this is what I added to my envelope. The exchange was random, but Jean and I ended up choosing each others envelope. Jean's inspiration is beautiful lily pads (looks a lot like photos in my personal collection). Jean and I share the same birthday (except I'm 20 years older), we also share many of the same ideas and interests: quilting, photography & computers. The only rule for this challenge is no barbed wire! It's going to be fun to see what comes out of this.

The painted fabric from a couple of weeks ago finally cured, so I rinsed the salt out and dried it. I stretched two panels today and added another layer of paint. The paint is transparent, so it will add more color and depth. I'm taking photos of the progress and will post on Monday. Tomorrow, I going to Road to California quilt show in Ontario with some friends. I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun.

My silk piece is almost done, I'll should finish it tomorrow. I'm loving it more with every stitch.

Work in Progress

I'm working on a new silk piece that was inspired by a poem my son, Sean, wrote. It is still in progress so I won't show the quilt yet, but I thought I would tease you a little with a close up of one small area. Lots of texture and stitching will be added. I really enjoy working with silk, I'm going to have to buy more when I go to the garment district!Here is a sampling of the January Artist Trading Cards. I am amazed that we used such similar colors. I swear it wasn't planned! My book of ATC's is very full, I really have to get a larger one.

More Painted Fabric

Here are the results of another painting session with Setacolor and salt. The first photo shows the newly painted surface, the second photo shows the dry fabric 4 hours later. I am still experimenting but really like what is happening so far. It's pretty amazing how much variety you can get from four colors of paint!This super bright combination uses Vermillon, Light Green and Buttercup. This piece is approximately 20 x 20".This combination is Light Green, Buttercup and Parma Violet. This measures 22 x 36".This combination is Cobalt Blue, Parma Violet and Vermillon. This piece also measures 22 x 36". My husband and I have designed a super quick and easy technique to stretch the fabric on frames (no more thumb tacks for me). So now I have 2 large frames and 2 small frames. That should keep me out of trouble for a while!

Make My Day Award

Vicki W gave me this You Make My Day Award. Thanks Vicki, it was quite a surprise. When I started my blog I thought it would be a good way to track my progress as an artist, a journal of sorts. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy the whole process and how many friends I would make throughout the world. It has been a great experience and I appreciate all my visitors and their notes. Keep them coming!

I am giving this award to ten blogs that inspire me and/or make me laugh. I hope you enjoy them as well. Ladies, it is up to you whether or not you would like to pass the award on.
Susan
Rayna
Elizabeth
Joanna
Elis
Liz
Dawn
Sue B
Val
Denise
Jeanne

Celebrate Your Wins

For the past year, I've been enjoying a newsletter from ArtBizCoach, Alyson Stanfield. Two newsletters ago, Alyson presented the questions below as a way to help you review your accomplishments. I won't bore you with my answers, but I feel that it was time well spent. It's way too easy to forget all the small accomplishments throughout the year!

How did you promote your art?
What did you do to enhance your online presence?
What technological skills did you learn or improve?
How many people did you add to your mailing list?
Who were the top ten cool or influential people you met?
Did you create a new business card, portfolio, or other marketing piece?
What medium or skill did you attempt or master?
What did you try that was completely new?
What did you try that was uncomfortable, but helped you grow?
What new art events, galleries, and museums did you visit?
What resources did you discover?
How did you improve your studio habits?
What books did you read to help your career?
What seminars/workshops/lectures did you attend?
What organizations were you involved with?
What grants/honors/awards did you receive?
What articles were written about your work?
What submissions did you make?
Where did you save a wad of money?
What was the single best thing that happened to your art career in 2007?

Jewelry Pouch
I gave my daughter some jewelry for Christmas and then realized that she was dumping it into a plastic bag. So the day after Christmas she picked out three different fabrics from my stash and I made her this jewelry pouch.I've made quite a few of these over the years, so it went together pretty quickly.Here you can see that there are eight individual spaces to keep your jewelry separate so you don't end up with a giant jewelry ball. You can also store larger pieces in the base of the pouch.

Setacolor Transformation

Today my Fibervision buddy, Lora Martin, showed me a new painting technique that she learned from Phil Beaver. I saw some of Lora's beautiful painted fabric at our Fibervision Christmas Exchange and my inquiring mind had to know how. The technique involves stretched fabric, lots of water, Setacolor paint and salt. It is so much fun watching the transformation. Thanks Lora, I LOVE IT!
These composites will show the transformation over 4 hours. The white splotches are rock salt.This is Lora's beautiful painted fabric. We think the fabric is Kona Cotton. Water sat on the surface for much longer and it reacted differently than mine.

I painted both of my pieces at the same time, using the same color palette. The colors are more saturated in this one. This piece looks like flames.My paint was diluted with more water for this one. As you can see the final effect is lighter. I used Kaufman Pinatex for both pieces. For some reason, both of my pieces look like the shapes have been outlined with a dark marker. I certainly don't know why, but it's very cool.

The fabric and salt will remain untouched until it is completely dry. I believe the transformation is complete, however, there may be more surprises awaiting me in the garage!

Nicky Claus

For those that celebrate, hope you had a Merry Christmas. My neighbor and her poodle, Nicky, stopped by to wish us a Merry Christmas and give us some home baked goodies. This is what I saw when I opened the door.Nicky Claus! I cracked up and ran to get my camera. Nicky is the sweetest poodle I ever met. He had special training so he can visit people in hospitals and nursing homes. I'm sure this little Santa suit made many people smile!

Here are some of the ATC's I received during this months trading session. As always they are much nicer in person.

Happy Dance!

Yippee, my studio is compete! Here is a photo of my Viking Designer I in its new home. It's amazing how comfortable it is to sew at this height. The first thing I sewed was the hem on my husbands shorts because he threatened to leave a nasty comment on my blog if I didn't fix them soon. Then I made a postcard out of the leftover coaster fabric.
I am extremely happy with the way my studio turned out. This is by far the most functional layout yet and I expect it to stay like this for a long time. The room is approximately 10' x 12' and every space is utilized. Unfortunately, I can't get back far enough to get a good photo of the full room. Here is a side shot of the new sewing table. Each end has a stack of drawers like the one you see here. The space directly above the first drawer is a pull out shelf which is going to be extremely useful.

My sewing table backs up to an L shaped table, so I will have a huge working surface for large projects. I think I could have 3 people working fairly comfortable in this space. I'll have to test that theory out soon.This shows the L shaped table from the opposite direction. You can see my laptop in the forground, this is where I do all my blogging, photo & computer work.Here's the other end of the L shaped desk. There is a ton of storage underneath and behind this area.I found some fabric that I won't use and will donate it to a local group. After organizing everything I have one empty shelf that will hold a large bin for leftover scraps. Thanks to my interior decorator friend, Nancy, I still need to find a way to store approximately 25 pounds of upholstery fabric.

Photoshop Manipulated Coasters

I started with a photo of some foamy ocean water, adjusted the saturation and color balance quite a bit and twisted the whole image. This is what it looked like after I printed it on treated cotton fabric.

I added a layer of Timtex to the back and couched yarn along the contours and free motion stitched in the blue areas with rayon thread. I added foiled circles to top. I cut four circles from the piece and stitched around the perimeter of each.

I popped the circles into the center of these acrylic coasters and sealed the back and Ta-da, I have a unique Christmas present!
Here's a photo of my lonely chair and lamp waiting for it's new sewing table! It has arrived and I'm hard at work filling up all the drawers. I really, really love the new layout. Photos to come shortly.

Studio Remodel

Yeah, I'm getting a new sewing table on Friday. I currently have my sewing machine on top of a desk. The storage in this desk is wonderful but my shoulders and neck get pretty tense when sewing/quilting for for an extended period of time. I'm hoping that having the sewing surface flush with the cabinet will help this problem.

It's never as simple as replacing one piece of furniture, is it? Of course not! I measured everything, drew a floor plan and rearranged until I had the perfect layout. It took me most of the weekend to move everything out, organize, and move it back in.

My space is more open and friendly and best of all . . . my back is not to the door. I tend to get really involved while I'm working and don't hear people coming in, so I get scared a lot. Not any more, or at least not as much (I hope).

I know I have a lot of stuff and I really Love all my stuff, well, most of it anyways. I've purchased some really ugly fabric over the years and have no idea why. What was I thinking? Well, I'm going to clear all of that out of here. I'm sure somebody, somewhere will LOVE it!

You can see most of the fabric wall in this photo, each rolled up piece is at least one yard. The larger pieces are in the closet, which are also being rolled up. This was taken before everything was put away. It's much neater now.Here's a close up of my fabric wall. The fabric is rolled up, jelly roll style, tied and stored on end. This wall of fabric always makes a BIG impression with visitors.The oak unit is packed with one-half yard pieces of fabric. Each drawer holds a different color and the large drawer on the bottom has a lot of hand painted/dyed/discharged fabric. The plastic drawer unit also has fabric and stabilizers and there are more bins under the table!
As you can probably tell I have a lot of stuff! After my trip to the LA garment district in January, I'm going to stay out of stores that sell fabric, beads or yarn, as much as possible. I can't fit any more in here and I certainly can't use it all in my lifetime.

Take It Further Challenge

I signed up for a challenge that will be starting in January called "Take it Further". I often find that a challenge forces me think differently and try new ideas that I may not have tried otherwise. I really like challenges!
Susan B will be the administrator for this monthly technique challenge. On the 1st of each month she will post a concept and/or color challenge (your choice). The challenge is to take the idea, develop it and push it towards a resolved design during that month. You can work in any medium and size that you chose. Post your progress throughout the month on your blog.
Sound interesting? You're not alone . . . there are already over 200 artists from all backgrounds signed up.

The Cat is Out of the Bag!!

I have some very exciting news and I was sworn to secrecy for the past nine months! But now, faithful readers, I've been told that I can let the cat out of the bag.

C & T is publishing a book by Rayna Gillman and my quilt "Branching Out" is in it. I'm sure this is going to be a fantastic book and I can't wait to get my hands on it. I love the cover Rayna, it would surely make me pick it up. It will be available for sale in June of 2008, but Rayna is taking orders in advance for an autographed copy.

Rayna is a wonderful teacher and I highly recommend taking a workshop with her. She makes surface design very fun and easy.