Our New Family Project!

Here she is, our latest addition! She is a 9-week-old golden retriever. I never thought I would ever get a dog, but knew if I did, it would be a golden retriever, and luckily, all family members agreed, especially our middle girl who has really been campaigning for a puppy for a long time. Hey, you only live once, right? She has a wonderful temperament, calm, friendly, and quiet yet also playful, and not too nippy. Of course, they do not come house broken the way cats do (have I mentioned I'm really a cat person at heart?), and we are now doing the arduous task of training her to let us know when she needs to go. Luckily, she will not mess in several key locations in the house and we are crate training her at night and when we are out, but when she is inside and not sleeping, a family member needs to be assigned to following her around and making sure she does not have an accident. This is our first full week of puppy care and my husband is away on business (have I mentioned he's the dog person?), making me the primary puppy trainer. This is exhausting and time consuming, but I am hoping it will be gratifying in the end, when we can take her for walks on the bike trail and hiking nearby. She will surely (eventually) be a fun and reliable companion for all of us.

Meanwhile, between chauffering the girls to and from camp, my busy summer work schedule, and my husband traveling, there has not been a lot of excess time or energy for creativity. Earlier this month I made three more charm bracelets using real metal chains instead of macrame`, but unfortuately I gave two of them away as gifts before I photographed them! I hope to post pictures of them at a later date. I am also continuing to produce the little 4x4 swap pieces. I am about halfway through that project (we need to make about 30 - hope I can get the rest done next month! My schedule should be a lot lighter in August...)

Where have I been?

May and June seem to be almost as busy for me as November and December, with many end-of-school activities, ceremonies, field trips, and commitments. I continued to work on those little 4x4 pieces, but cannot post more due to swap rules! They are fun to do and can be squeezed in whenever I find myself with a few free minutes in the afternoon or evening. I now have 12 completed - the original paper-fabric is all cut up and I am gearing up to make a new piece. Last time I had made my quilt sandwich and done some preliminary quilting before I realized I wanted to try adding texture by rubbing Shiva paintstiks over a textured surface, but of course I couldn't because of the layers, so this time, I may try adding that additional step.

Despite a busy spring, we were able to get away for a few days at the end of June to our family "country house" in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. I had the opportunity to canoe on the lake there with my Dad - it was a beautiful morning and so uplifting to be gliding over the water, with only the swish of the paddles and the singing of birds to accompany us.

While I was there, I also took some photos for a possible larger wall hanging (requested by my mother-in-law - how can I refuse?), similar to the "lakeside irises" piece shown on a previous entry. I would be setting myself up for comparisons to Monet and his waterlilies, but who can compare to Monet? I haven't the foggiest idea how I would approach this...I am considering using the torn paper technique I explored last month or even painting something on a whole piece of cloth and using stitching and embellishments for detail work. I'll have to think about it some more...

Experimenting!

Here is something I've been playing with lately. In Cloth Paper Scissors and Quilting Arts magazines, they have printed directions for making "paper cloth." Basically, you lay out a piece of freezer paper shiny side up and cover it with muslin or another plain cloth. Then you paint it with diluted white craft glue and cover it with various papers like pieces of old maps, fabric patterns, tissue paper, newspaper etc. When it dries, you peel it off the freezer paper, iron it, and use is as fabric - stitch it, stamp it, paint it, write on it, whatever. I've never tried it before, and I've always loved the effect of tissue paper torn, layered and glued in that way, so I decided to try it. The result is to the right. I still have a thing for that gorgeous aqua color, especially contrasted with peach and yellow. I am hoping it brings to mind caribbean beaches!

The FiberArts Northeast group I meet with monthly is planning a swap in September. I started cutting up the "paper cloth" at right into 4"x4" pieces for the swap. I embellished and finished three of them, below. I added metallic copper thread, as well as copper wire and finished the edges with copper acrylic paint. Right now I am calling the series "aquamarine dreams." I've added a few words here and there, something I don't often do, but am trying to do more. Some were written in black ink, others calligraphed on in a peacock blue ink that blends in better with the background and maintains the watery feel of the pieces. As I said, I'm experimenting! I like the freedom of not having to try too hard to make it look like something: whatever it is, it is!

Take time to...

...Stop and smell the roses... and the poppies, and the irises! Here are some of the flowers in bloom in our garden right now. I value these particularly because they take little or no work, but bloom faithfully every year and bring us great color and enjoyment. I am also including a photo of one of my first art quilts, completed in 2005, of the large purple irises in the photo. I don't think I've ever posted that quilt, which is also one of the biggest and most challenging quilts I've ever done. I enjoyed adding fabrics like velvet and flannel to give the petals that soft texture, using a sheer polyester to make the swan's reflection, and stitching on sequins and beads to make the water sparkle. It is still one of my favorite pieces and guests always comment on it.

These smaller irises

are particularly special because I did not plant them! I have no idea where they came from - they look like they've been growing there a while, hiding out among the day lillies, and I didn't notice them until they started to grow flower stalks. How nice is that!

April Showers...

Here is my mini fabric book! It is created out of one piece of fabric divided into eight pages, as seen below. When it is cut in the middle and folded a particular way, it becomes a book. I used these mini alphabet stamps (I got for 1$!) to spell out the words. I also used lots of sheer and shiny fabrics and fibers, including tulle and netting, dryer sheets, and angelina fibers. It was a lot of fun to create!

April showers...have miraculous powers. The earth is blessed...
...as robins nest, seedlings sprout, and daffodils shout, crowds of crocuses cheer -
Spring is here!

The finished size is 4"x6". What do you think?

Preview begins today!

Fiberart for a Cause has raised over $170,000 for the American Cancer Society. Virginia Spiegel has been the driving force behind this online art auction and the 2009 art can be previewed starting today. The auction takes place next week (May 5-7) so check it out. (My piece is listed on page 4 of the preview, or you can click here.) Pick up an original, inspirational piece of fiber art and make a donation to a worthy cause at the same time!

Colors of Spring

Another busy week has past. Last week we had rain and sleet, with temperatures almost to freezing at night, and this weekend it was in the mid 80s- hot! Now everything is in bloom and these are some of the shots I took as I was doing some gardening. What colors! After a long gray winter, I want to drink them in!

I am continuing work on my little spring book and I may incorporate some photos into it.