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Beaded Leaves

I hope everyone is healthy and safe.

I have painted the fabric and taught the class and I still love making my painted fabric leaves. I have stitched and beaded several and I’m offering a few for sale. I will be posting them to my Instagram page but decide to post them here first.

Each leaf has the painted fabric top that is raw edge, a Timtex center layer (which may be showing through the beads), and a felt back.

Unfortunately, I still don’t have the store open on my website but if you’re interested in purchasing here are the details…

Please leave a comment with the leaf/leaves # you would like to purchase and I will contact you via email to let you know if it is still available. After payment is received I’ll ask if you would like a pin or magnet on the back. Price $18 each, free shipping, payment accepted via PayPal only, and no international sales.

Coordinating felt back waiting for pin or magnet.

I’ve been going through cupboards and drawers finding all kinds of treasures (one person’s treasure…) and have come to the reality that I don’t need to keep a lot of what I have rediscovered. So I plan to have some giveaways in the future.

Thanks for stopping by and warm wishes to you where ever you are!

Made it to November

This is a full post, feel free to share it with anyone you think would enjoy the project videos and artwork.

October was crazy around here. My husband went in for his second procedure only to find out all was corrected during the first, so happy about that…cycling can commence!

Our daughter is finally back from Russia and we made it through quarantine.

Our old cat was diagnosed with kidney disease so I have learned how to give injections. I could stick a needle in things all day long but could never watch needles going into skin. It still makes me queasy but we do what we have to do, right?

And still we are more fortunate that so many.

During the past two months I have made a few videos and have been thankful to be able to work on more projects for Visions Art Museum member challenges. There is another new project coming later this month. I’m posting the video projects below.

And now I have started a November challenge – #Needlevember, everyday this month I’ll be posting a stitched piece (think Inktober-ish). Here are the first five days; I’ll be adding day 6 to my Instagram page later today. Would love for others to take part in this November challenge just use #Needlevember and post on Instagram and Facebook.

As always I appreciate you stopping by.

Before the Rabbit Hole

I’ve been dealing with self induced website problems. If you are seeing this it may mean all has recovered. It’s sort of a test post.

This is another stir crazy project for Visions Art Museum member challenge.

Fabric Care Cards

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.

Thanks for stopping by and stay safe.

Time Passes

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.

Taking it all in

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.

Thanks for stopping by and please take care.

Painted Leaves

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.

Fabric Play

I was thinking about making some winter cards so I was playing, with sun-printing (again) using leatherleaf ferns and Setasilk and then painting with Neo Color wax pastels. The first three are from the same large piece, I’m floating a card stock “window” over it to find an area I like.

I’m not sure where I’m going with those but I know the Neo Color pastel poinsettia is crying for some thread play. The pine cone was really an experiment and it’s just okay. I may have to fix the stem because the branch looks like a stem shadow (more pine needles?). I should have done a wash around it too; I don’t like the white area on the right. Maybe that would be a place for some white (tone on tone) embroidery or maybe free motion quilting.

      

And below is a poinsettia card I made for my aunt. I posted a card similar to this in the past but this one is a little different in that the leave/petals hang beyond the edge. I like this one better and I think my fabric quilled beads with French Knots make the perfect flowers.

As I was writing this post my daughter gave a little holler saying “Sky!” and if you know anything about my family you know that is the signal to go upstairs and out on our bedroom deck. It was to see this…

Always makes me want to paint fabric!

Taking a walk…

One of my “kids” had an appointment and the other was going to the zoo to take photographs so I tagged along. I walked through Balboa Park which is where our world famous zoo is, stopping at the reflecting pond, it was nice to see this artist painting.

It was a beautiful day and the flowers were blooming pretty.

Looking back toward the artist

Speaking of flowers; here is a detail peek of my painted quilt (lighting not so good, sorry). See a reminder of what it looked like before it was a painted quilt.

Snow and Art Quilts

The Mister and I recently took a road trip to visit family in Reno, Nevada. We have driven through heavy falling snow a couple times in the past; this was much more enjoyable. We were traveling after a storm, the hwy had been mostly plowed and was only a little icy. There was very little traffic and sky was gorgeous. These photos were taken using my cell phone, through the window while moving pretty fast, please excuse any blur. 

The smooth white land, sprinkled with black cows, horses, and odd old structures was spectacular. I must have said “It’s beautiful” one hundred times! It’s a nice place to visit but I don’t think I could live there. If you do, you are most certainly hardier than I!

At the side of the road the plow left a cut wall that, to me, looked like a slab of marble… miles and miles of marble!

Even though snow isn’t usually a part of my life, snowy scenes have found their way into some of my art quilts (with much artistic liberty ;<))