First One Done!

My first chain for FANE's Fiber Fall exhibit is finally finished!  Even though I only had two more 5" squares to make, I had a hard time coming up with a combination of fabrics that I liked.   I played around with a lot of different ideas, including incorporating a pinwheel block somehow.  I'm not very experienced with traditional piecing techniques but I found a great tutorial for a shortcut way to make them by the Missouri Star Quilt Company on YouTube (see it here).  I actually made a few in different sizes as you see below, but I still wasn't thrilled with it.  I just wasn't sure that it belonged with the other more improvisational-type raw-edge applique` squares I already made.

I was starting to get impatient about how long these two measly squares were taking me!  I kept going through my stash and going through my stash until I finally came up with this combination:

There was enough texture, contrast, sparkle, and visual interest to make a nice looking square.  Here's the result below:

 I chained them by size: 3", 4", 5", 4", 3", 4", 5" etc so there are only the three 5-inch squares but lots of 3- and 4-inch ones.  Even so, I had a lot leftover of the materials I created for them.  I'm sure I'll find another use for them sometime...  

I'm really liking the way the chain hangs and twirls in the air.  I'm glad I hung them on the diagonal. And I'm happy to be using up my stash!  A few years ago, my sister gave me a nice portion of the fabric stash of a relative of her husband's who passed away suddenly.  I promised myself I would make every effort to use up my stash before I kick the bucket, and I've kept that in mind even as I browse the aisles at JoAnn's Fabrics  ("Use what you have, use what you have...").  I've already got some ideas for the next chain that I'll create with the theme of "water" in mind.  I have tons of water-like fabrics, so it'll be another way to help use up more of my stash!

Shopping Spree!

Thursday evening was FANE's monthly meeting and some members brought the pieces they've started for the Fiber Fall group exhibit.  Needless to say, they were suitably awesome and inspiring, so I went home and jazzed up the surface designs I'd started on my discarded placemats.  I fused on scraps of various sheers and prints, giving it a lot more interest and color.  I still need to stitch everything down, and I'm almost out of one of my favorite variegated metallic threads (it mixes pastel hues of blue and pink with a little gold) so today I took a trip down to JoAnn's Fabrics with all my coupons. 

I went straight to the thread section and picked up what I needed there, plus a few extra colors I might need (all at 50% off).  But I'm in fabric stores so infrequently, I had to wander around and see what they had!  For the most part, I repeated my mantra "Use what you have, use what you have," over and over again in my head, but I did make a few unplanned purchases.  Now that Christmas is over, the stores have already started to feature items with spring colors.  Sometimes I wander around the home decor sections of various stores, wishing I could trash everything I own and start all over with fresh new linens, pretty print canvas storage containers, and other tabletop items like these springy birdcages.

I also had fun looking at the display of miniature elf and fairy homes and yard furniture and accessories for them.  Even though winter hasn't even gotten warmed up yet, it's nice to begin thinking about spring!

On a hook nearby, I saw this cheerful floral print gardening apron.  I've been wanting something like this to carry my clippers, trowel, and other tools in - isn't it great?  It would probably make a nice Mother's Day gift, but rather than wait, I decided to go ahead and pick it up.  Can't wait to wear it!

 As you probably know by now, I love the texture of burlap and its rustic, country-garden appeal.  I came across this pretty printed burlap, below.  The subtle shades of mint green, cream, and yellow in the print are so refreshing!  I was trying to dream up a way I could put it to use in my studio - maybe as a curtain, or chair cover.  Even though I'm not sure what I'll do with it, I had to bring home a yard!

 I stopped at the grocery store on the way home, and look what was waiting for me on my way out!  This spectacular double rainbow stretched completely across the sky, with colors so vibrant, they just glowed!

 Now maybe I can use some of my color and home-decor inspiration to spruce up (and clean up!) my workspace a bit!  It's definitely time for a clear-out and overhaul.  It would be great if we'd get a snow day soon.  I'd stay in and get it all done in one day!

Where does the time go?

I haven't posted on my blog in about a month!  It's hard to believe that summer is long gone and the  fall weather is here!  So where has the time gone?  We managed to get away for an extended weekend in mid-September (to Utah to visit family), the preschool and elementary programming at the library is in full swing, and the girls are back at school, so I guess all the busyness has made time fly.  Since I finished "Bamboo Grove" last month, my creative projects have been on the back burner, and I am just starting to get back in the groove lately.

Yesterday I created this Halloween door decoration (it's technically not a wreath) out of what I think is a felt placemat, some cute sticky-backed felt spooky shapes, a few laser-cut painted wood phrases, a pipe-cleaner spider, and some sheer orange ribbon.  I got most of the supplies at Michael's yesterday, and I'm pleased with the colorful and fun result!  I try to hang something seasonal on the door every month and I have used, re-used and maybe abused my previous October/November wreath over and over.  It was time for an update.  But I do continue to rehang this felt banner the girls and I created years ago.  We traced cookie cutter shapes onto felt for some of the ghosts, bats, and cats, then cut them out with scissors.  I think it's retained its charm and whimsy (although it certainly could use a pressing!).

A short article in the April-May issue of Quilting Arts magazine titled "Stitch and Discharge" by Mary Ruzich inspired me to try discharging with Softscrub with bleach.  At first, I tried regular bleach out of the bottle, but it's so watery and thin that there is very little control.  I actually painted the Softscrub directly onto this piece of denim with a paintbrush in this design and look at the results! (Now my daughters are getting all kinds of ideas about decorating their jeans!)  In the article, the fabric is layered and quilted first, then she discharges the raised quilted area.  I experimented with stamps, with okay results - not great, but not totally ineffective.  Probably larger, less detailed stamps would work best.  I haven't tried stencils, but I bet they would have great results.

I'll have to play with this technique some more.  It would make a nice addition to my "Summer Blues" WIP which is still hanging out on my design wall.  The other day, I revisited it and actually stitched a few pieces together.  It was originally going to be 18"x36" to fit into the FANE group show currently at The View in Old Forge, NY, but now I can make it any size I like, which is changing my thought process and throwing me off a bit.  Maybe I should just continue to think of the 18"x36" size.

I'm not as motivated to work on this as I was in the summer (seeing as there's now no deadline!) but I'm trying to stick to "showing up at the page" at least a few times a week, if I can't do it daily.  It's so much easier and more relaxing to just crack open a book!

Anyway, that's where the time's gone! 

Seeking Inspiration

 As I've been going about the busy-ness of daily life (senior prom, end of school exams, prep for summer library programs, graduation, fourth of July, keeping up with the house and garden), I've been mulling over ideas for my next piece.  The only requirements are that it measure 18"x36" hung vertically, it can be considered "innovative fiber" (the title of FANE's next show), and it must be finished and photographed by Sept. 4th.  So the sky is pretty much the limit as far as subject matter, materials, color choices etc.  Maybe it's too wide open and without a hook to hang anything on, I find myself searching for inspiration.

Spending so much time outdoors and being a nature lover, I usually look there first.  My DH and I have been building these stone steps through the fern hill in our backyard (well truthfully, he's been doing most of the work... those rocks are heavy!) and they might make a nice subject rendered in fiber.  It would fit the vertical format as well.  I could put some inspirational words in there as well, something about climbing, working toward a goal... hmmm, a possibility...

Plants and their infinite variety are always inspiring.  I love the bright fuchsia of this astilbe

 and the rich deep reds and pinks of this coleus.  But for some reason, these colors don't resonate with me enough.

Greens are more my style.  Maybe something in the fern family?  Ferns are so graceful...

I looked through back copies of Quilting Arts magazine to get ideas, (lots of great inspiration there, and suggestions to make my work more innovative)

 and I visited the blogs of several inspirational artists, including Jane Lofazio and Jamie Fingal.  Very inspirational!

Of course, I also went through my stash to see what jumped out at me.  As usual, I was drawn to the blues.  That bright daisy print in the lower right of the photo just looked so happy and summer-y.

I finally settled on making my next piece convey the happy, carefree feeling of summer, with a palette inspired by the sky and the daisies!

Now that I have a little to go on, I can start working a few minutes a day, even if it's just to place some fabrics on my design board and move them around, paint or write something on fabric, or take a few stitches.  The fun can begin!

New Year Exercises

In addition to getting back to the gym for the new year, I've been doing a little artistic exercise as well.  The FANE group is experimenting with 3-D art in the form of blocks (apparently, the people who created the gelli plate are now selling similar but larger blocks).  At our meeting last month, our inspiring and always-on-the-cutting-edge leader Jane Davila brought a bunch of these blocks she made by slicing up a piece of lumber 1 3/4 inches square.  We each took one or two to decorate in some creative mixed-media way.  

I needed a theme to help me approach this and went with "color opposites" using fabric.  I went through my stash and pulled out scraps that I thought would work, then painted, fused, stitched and cut to get pieces that looked like this:

In doing this exercise, I discovered a few things.  First, I don't often choose color opposites in my work.  I find the contrast to be too jarring - I like analogous and blended colors.  But using opposite colors definitely makes things stand out, as you can see from the squares above.  I tend to use variations on red and green a lot, including shades from deep jewel tones of ruby and emerald all the way to pale spring greens and pinks.  But I also really liked the yellow and purple combinations here - they really said "spring" to me.  The most challenging color combo for me to work with was orange and blue.  Another thing I discovered - I don't like working with squares!  Especially in such a small size, the rigid sides seemed so unnatural to me.  I definitely prefer more organic shapes.  But one thing that was nice about the cube idea is that it got me thinking how the sides all relate to each other, almost like a series in miniature.

Here are the finished cubes:

I'll keep one for myself and swap one at the meeting tonight.  How have you started off the new year?

P.S.:  Want to see more really cool cubes?  Go to the FANE blog.  You'll be amazed!

Quick Holiday Project

I love projects that are quick, cheap, and useful, don't you?   The last few years, I've kept all the Christmas cards we received in basket on top of the piano - they're contained, but not really easy to see or read.  I've been wanting one of those wire card holders you hang on a wall, but didn't want to spring for the $25 or more (plus shipping).  I recently saw something in a catalog to display cards or photos made from old barn wood criss-crossed with twine.  I came across some birch branches in the backyard and decided to modify the idea.  This is what I came up with:

 After cutting the branches to size, I tied them together at the corners with florist's wire.  Then I strung some ribbon back and forth between the side branches and added some bows and clips.  Couldn't be easier!  It makes a nice display on the back of the front door and all the cards and photos are easy to see and read.   I can take it apart for easy storage to reuse next year... And it cost nothing!  I love it!

"Here to stay is a New Bird..."

Don't you just love seeing the cardinals in winter?  That bright spot of red among the winter grays, whites and dark greens is so cheery, I just love it.  And they are so perfect for a Christmas tree!  A whole tree decorated just with a vast variety of cardinals would be really stunning, wouldn't it?

In my bird-stitching experiments this fall, I didn't attempt to make a cardinal because I couldn't figure out how to get the crest into the folded circle pattern.  But I recently came across this website, with lots of free downloadable patterns for bird ornaments stitched out of felt, which I love. I'll probably make a bunch of these for Christmas.  However, most of her patterns are kind of flat, with just wings added and a little bit of stuffing.  I wanted the cardinal to have a bit more dimension so I found another one here.  No free pattern, but I went to the drawing board and came up with a prototype.  I decided to make his wings out of plaid flannel, and also added a stripe of it to his tail.  Isn't he cute?  I was going to give him away, but I like him so much and I have the perfect spot for him:  Here, in the middle of my ivy topiary near the kitchen window!  I have two of these wreath topiaries, so I'll have to make another one for myself.  I love these quick, satisfying projects!

Are You Ready?

Spider webs and eerie lights on the railing...

Check!

 Cute little ghost hanging near the front door...

Check!

Bags of candy in a bowl near the door for easy access...

 Check!

Whimsical Halloween banner hanging in the entryway...

Check!

 Fake jack-o-lantern glowing in the front window...

Check!

Miscellaneous horns, ears, tails, wigs and hats just in case...

Check!

Some orange and black cupcakes, just because...

 Check!

Halloween, bring it on!

Three Little Birds

One of the blogs I've been reading pretty regularly for several years now is "Attic 24," written by a lovely British mom.  She used to create fabric pictures,which is why I started following her, but now she's heavily into crochet (something that's never really clicked with me).  She has a way of choosing and combining colors that is very inspiring, as well as a funny, witty way of writing (you can just hear her accent coming through), so I always enjoy stopping by to see what's new with her.  A while back, she posted some birds she had made using a round crochet pattern that was simply folded in half and stuffed, with a beak and wings added later.  Then she altered the pattern to include a tail.  She has many samples of these on her blog (see them here and here).

In the spring I thought I might try to make a similar bird out of fabric and finally got around to playing around with a few designs last month.  The first is shown at the top, made out of a lovely scrap of quilted brocade I had in my stash (above).  As Bugs Bunny would say, "he's a little inny-skay in the elly-bay" so I tried again, going for a halloween crow this time.

 Better, but still too skinny.   I did enjoy spending a little extra time doing some hand embroidery on the wings, though.  

At this point, I altered the pattern to make the body really round and full.  Here it is below.

For this one, I used some happy Christmas flannel and red burlap.  He's looking much plumper, now and will make a cute tree decoration.

I decided to make one more, this time piecing a third fabric for the breast and making the tail match the wings.  I added some lavender with the polyfil stuffing, so he even smells nice.  Maybe I'll put hanging strings on them, like Lucy did, so I can hang them here and there around the house.  The girls are already claiming them for their bedrooms.

I was having so much fun pulling out a oodles of fabrics and ribbons (on top of a table that was already messy) so until today, my creative space looked like this!:

 There were still summer remnants here, including beach-tumbled rocks and sweet 16 party leftovers!  I spent the morning in here tidying up, and now there are only a few remaining piles left to deal with.

Now maybe I'll be more motivated to work on something inspired by our vacation on Cape Cod Bay.  I like the fabrics I selected for the water here, and have a seashell fragment and piece of driftwood that will stand in as a sailboat, but I'm not thrilled with the way the sand looks.  I'm not happy with my fabric choices but don't really want to buy any more fabric!  I'll have to see what I can come up with...

Swap Results

Last Thursday at the September FANE meeting, all participating members brought their swap art to trade. Before we swapped, we each had a chance to describe what we had in our given bag of goodies and what we did with them.  Most people were really challenged to make art out of things from someone else's stash.  Some people changed things completely by painting over them.  One member photographed all the things in her bag and used the photo to make her pieces.  Another used the large paperclips in her bag to make a stamp and used it to print on fabric.  It was really fun to listen to everyone's stories and see the results.

The person who received my bag of goodies was unable to attend the meeting due to a family emergency, so next month I get to see what she made.  Something to look forward to!  I'm not sure if I'll make these into a book or some kind of wall hanging.  They are certainly too beautiful to be stuck in a drawer somewhere, don't you agree?

Fun Summer Project

Jane Davila, the facilitator of the FANE group I meet with monthly, had an idea for a fun summer swap project.  All the participants put some craft items into a brown lunch bag and then we all swapped bags.  I won't show you what I put in my bag, but above is a photo of the supplies I received: some stamps, some glass beads, and some soft paper flower embellishments.

The next step is to create 20 small pieces (4"x4 1/2") which we will bring to the September meeting.  We'll swap them so we each have 20 different small pieces, each made by a different artist, to put into a book or wall hanging.  Even though I have other larger projects to work on, I thought it would be fun to jump right into this so I'd have the whole summer to work on the pieces one at a time.

When I saw that big flower stamp, I immediately thought of yellow-centered daisies on a blue background (I love the summery freshness of a blue, yellow and white color scheme, don't you?).  I scrounged up some plain PFD fabric and cut two small pieces, enough for the swap.  To keep the daisies white, I decided to start with Batik-EZ, which is a resist.  I sponged it on and stamped away!

Here is the white fabric with the flowers stamped on:

After the Batik-EZ was dry, I mixed some Setacolor transparent paints with water and painted it all over.  I splashed on some yellow and a little fuschia, then painted in some bright green lines and swirls. Finally, I painted all the background blue.  Here's what it looked like after it dried and I washed out the Batik-EZ:

 I decided to add some more white by stamping some additional daisies over the top.  I used some real daisies as stamps, as well as the large daisy stamp and another from my stash.

This is what the final fabric looked like.  Isn't it pretty?  The batiked daisies really look like a real batik!

I ironed some of the fabric onto some heavy fusible interfacing (like Timtex) and cut up a few squares.  I even did a little free motion stitching and added the words "be happy" with some stamps.  I'll spend the rest of the summer stitching on some of the beads and paper flowers from the bag to individualize each one.  I think they will make nice pieces to swap!  And I'll have something small to take with me on vacation, or when I have a few free minutes here and there.