At the beginning of July Visions Art Museum presented another member challenge from Marty Ornish, this time Marty challenged us to make buntings.
I’ve wanted to make something special for our front porch and this was the perfect prompt, though I call mine a triangles banner instead of a bunting.
We were having this done… so I had to wait until all the work was finished to hang it.
After the first couple of days I noticed the solidarity fist triangle kept flipping up on itself. What to do about that?
Well, I feed a family of three crows and when I give them an especially good treat (scrambled eggs, e.g.) they drop small marbles in our yard. So I made a little slit in the backside of the triangle and dropped in a few of those marbles. Worked perfectly to hold it down.
This banner is to honor those I love and those I don’t even know. I’m very happy with the way it turned out especially considering I didn’t think to measure the space between the posts before I had all the triangles made!
Sometimes things get heavy and I just need a little escape. That’s the time here right now. So I drew a little open wreath in my MeAnndering tablet (actual paper!)…
…and then decided to use it as inspiration for a little free-motion quilting. My first thought was to just quilt the open wreath and then to paint the flowers and leaves but now I think I’ll just keep quilting and make it a wholecloth quilt.
It’s looking pretty traditional which is not what I do much anymore but free-motion quilting, for me is pure joy, at least it is when the thread doesn’t break!
I hope you are safe and well and masking when going out.
For a moment there my design work table was cleaned off, but no more.
Making cards and masks just seems to generate more scraps. I have been able to share small pieces of fabric with a few other people and that feels good – To move it out while giving to someone who may have no other way to get fabric right now.
Because I primarily work small I don’t have many long yards of fabric but I have a lot in smaller pieces. In fact I didn’t realize how much until I started picking pieces for friends.
Speaking of pieces here are my sample/suggestion pieces for the Visions Art Museum member challenge week three. My theme: Special Delivery, you are the chef, what would you plate up?
I made one piece in fabric and the other in paper. If I ever make paper collage again I’ll be cutting the pieces with scissors. I did discover if I use a cotton swab to dampen the paper it tears much easier, but still I think cutting would be more fun and would for sure be easier on the fingers.
Using pieces from magazines was much more limiting (and challenging!) for me than fabric. That’s one reason the plate in the paper collage is made from my – fabric painting mop-up paper towels; much easier to tear.
I had to let go of the shadows and light not being quite right… It’s not a master piece, it’s just for fun and I hope encouraging for the participants. I’m pretty happy with the results.
I hope you are staying safe and healthy. From a distance – thanks for stopping by.
As I mentioned in the previous post the Visions Art Museum member challenge for this week is special. Marty Ornish, a very talented garment (and more) artist, developed the challenge for this week. If you get a chance visit Marty’s website and take a look at her incredible creations.
Members were challenged to make cards with what they have. There were some specific guidelines. The plan is that the cards will go to Care facilities, willing to accept the cards for their residents, who at this time, aren’t able to have visitors.
This has been a fun challenge and diversion for me. Here are some of the cards I’ve made and a how-to video lesson for a mini fabric landscape card.
Continuing to shelter in place here, though we are able to walk in the neighborhood, keeping our distance, of course.
Visions Art Museum‘s first member challenge, I mentioned in my previous post, will be over soon though member may continue to make Five Fiber Tags and post them.
These are the sample tags I prompted the members with.
Here is the how-to demo for a fourth tag. I enjoyed making these tags but usually couldn’t stop at five fibers!
I understand that many members may have been busy making masks and may not have had time to take on this challenge. The next VAM challenge will be developed by someone else and as I understand will be extra special, so I hope to participate and will share more about it when I can.
In developing these projects/challenges, we must remember that they are created with the understanding that the participants will be using what they have on hand, which I think, makes it even more fun seeing what they come up with.
I’ve finished the samples for the project that may be announced April. Here is a tease for that one…
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you stay healthy and safe.
We all are living in challenging times. I hope you are safe and healthy and following the recommendations of the smartest people in charge.
I’ve often heard or read that artists should not hold up in their studios but instead be out there sharing, showing, mingling. I have never been very good at the latter. I see now that we are under quarantine, this will be easier for me than many others because I have had the privilege of hiding out in my studio!
Some good news… My Reclinaconda piece that has been on exhibit at Visions Art Museum sold!
Also, because Visions Art Museum will be closed during the pandemic, they will be having online activities for their members. I’m happy to say I’ll be apart of designing the online activities. Sunday the first activity will begin, here is a sneak peek of one of my challenge project samples.
Lots of fiber goodness!
It has been interesting thinking up challenges/activities because it’s not like teaching; when you can just say “You will need these supplies and materials” and know participants can usually just run out to get them. These are short run activities and there wouldn’t be time to order and wait for delivery (maybe if they can afford to pay for speedy delivery). I have to think what someone may have on hand and not all members are quilters or artists.
It does help me feel that, in a small way, I’m helping some people get through. The challenge runs for one week, I’ll share more after this first one ends.
Painting leaves on fabric using actual paint. I usually teach and paint my leaves using NeoColor two wax pastels but because these were going on an apron that will be washed I decided to use Jacquard Textile Color painted.
Please realize this is an abstract, simple, and I think fun painting project, no fine art here!
I stiffened the fabric with Terial Magic but ironing the fabric onto freezer paper could also work for stabilizing it.
The apron is black which made it difficult to see but I hope I added enough explanation and close-ups to make what I was demonstrated understandable. Needless to say my next project won’t be on black fabric.
I finally have a camera set up at my Handi Quilter Sweet Sixteen quilting machine so hopefully more free motion videos will be coming to my YouTube channel.
Here are the two most recent. One quilting a simple carrot and another painting a border after free motion quilting it. Enjoy!
A while back Visions Art Museum had challenge call to their members with the theme being Wild Comfort. I immediately came up with an idea; feet in slippers up on an ottoman with curtain backdrop, all animal prints.
Then time passed, holidays, leaky roof, extending a fence, my sewing machine started *ghost sewing, and more, which all got in the way of me starting the quilt. It had to be just 14″ square and I’m sure many could finish it in a day but I often have this problem with over thinking and of having an idea but no plan as to how to execute it in fabric.
Anyway, about a week before the deadline I decide to just move forward and if it didn’t turn out or it ended badly, I just wouldn’t submit it. I ended up finishing before the deadline and I liked my little art quilt.
I painted zebra stripes for the curtain and added yarn trim to the lower edge. I painted the wooden floor and quilted grain lines.
Later vetoed the black socks
I was using actual black socks but in the end decided they were too heavy in appearance. The lounge pants are made from a pair of pajama bottoms.
Because I’m still very comfortable with handwork and knew I wouldn’t be able to get the best results using the machine I decided to do a hand blanket stitch (on two layers of felt), and while I was at it I hand appliqued the slipper on the right before I machine quilted it. That was so I could stuff it with wool batting, something I hadn’t planned to do… cuz, you know, no plan.
Instead of the black socks I used some sweet flannel with soft pink poke-a-dots that was leftover from the last baby quilt I made butI painted over the dots using bright pink and made paw prints.
The piping on the ottoman was just black fabric covered cord and adding it to the fleece was not fun. It caused me to think the title should have been – What was I thinking, that fleece will never block! But for this little art quilt and the theme, my daughter came up with the perfect title: Reclinaconda
Reclinaconda part of the Member Challenge exhibit at Visions Art Museum Jan.18 – April 5, 2020
*Ghost sewing (according to me) is when the sewing machine just goes, on it’s own, and fast! It may just be a sensor thing. After cleaning the foot pedal and the bobbin, thankfully I was able to get rid of the ghost and finish this quilt!
Working with fabric or fiber most of her life Ann continues to explore the possibilities. Ann’s art quilts have been published and have traveled Internationally. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows. Ann has presented lectures/talks and trunk shows, has taught and on occasion still teaches live classes. She enjoys making videos lessons and demos for her YouTube channel in hopes of encouraging others to give quilting, fiber art, and mixed media a try. Ann admires knitting and crochet, and though she can’t knit and can only crochet a chain stitch, she’s discovered other ways to use yarn!
