Tag Archives: art

A Fix and Giveaway

This little piece has been on my design wall unfinished for a while. It was a cut of a larger piece of hand painted fabric that I free motion quilted just for fun. I can’t even remember if I filmed while I was quilting it. I couldn’t figure out how to finish it, to fix it until a few days ago.

I’m happy to say I fixed it and you can see what I did here…

The November giveaway, sweepstakes item is this little leaf decorated box. It’s hard pressed paper and only the top is decorated. I used painted (mop-up) fabric leaves, a couple papers, burned matches, grave vine, and gold paint spatters. It measures 6 1/2″ x 4″ x 2 5/8″ tall. It could be used as is or it could be painted, papered, or embellished in a multitude of other ways. But there’s more… I’ll be putting a little something extra inside the box.

If you are interested in a chance to win the leaf box with surprise inside just follow the rules below. The winner’s name will be announced on my December 1, 2021 blog post.

Sweepstakes/giveaway begins November 10, 2021 and ends at 9pm (Pacific Time) November 28, 2021.

To enter: You must live in the US only (no international entries). One entry per person. Leave a comment that you would like to win the leaf box with surprise, and include your first and last name (or last initial).

I’ll use a random drawer and announce the winner on my Dec 1 blog post. Winner will email me their mailing information and I will mail the leaf box with surprise ASAP. If I don’t hear from the winner within five days of drawing date, I will run another random draw. Good luck!

Brown Paper Bonus

A little glitch has caused my Printed, Painted Background Fabric video, that I mentioned in my previous post, to be delayed. In the video I will demonstrate how I achieved these fabrics and papers. Here are a few ways I’m using the backgrounds. I call them backgrounds but they aren’t only that.

I think this is calling for free motion quilting.

I cut a stencil for the flowers. It’s hard to see but there is part of an unryu paper vase, this piece will be collaged, I think I’ll add some embroidery to the flowers too.

I thought I wanted a purple pumpkin but embroidered the body lines using orange floss so changed the plan. I will be posting a second video for how I painted this work in progress (wip) pumpkin.

This final piece is the brown paper bonus – it had been used to print/paint the trees trunks above. This piece is still a wip and is on a canvas, the moon is a painted coffee filter, and the large rock isn’t glued down yet. It is titled She Rocked Beneath the Full Moon. In honor of the rock climbing women I know.

the large rock and the cliff were from the same piece of brown paper.

I hope these pieces piqued your curiosity and that I’ll be able to actually share a video next time. Maybe you’ll have ideas for pieces that could be made with the printed, painted fabric and the paper too.

Sweepstakes – Giveaway Winner

Thanks to those of you who commented on the giveaway post to be included in the postcard sweepstakes. The random drawing winner is…

Congratulations, Joanna! Please email your mailing address to me within a week and I’ll mail the postcards to you as soon as possible.

I’m looking forward to the next giveaway in the New Year (a piece of hand painted fabric perhaps).

Warm Wishes to all, have a happy and safe holiday season.

Another VAM Challenge

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!

‘Tis the Season…

… for leaky roofs! We don’t get a lot of rain here but when we do there are always surprises, but that’s another story, I’ll spare you.

Last post I mentioned Susan Lenz because we each had pieces in the Visions Art Museum Day of the Dead exhibit. Not too long ago I sent Susan some vintage pieces that came to me via VAM. She has already used them in one of her art quilt pieces. Not only a talented artist, Susan is a wonderful writer and story telling. If you haven’t visited her blog, I would highly recommend it.

It’s always the season for creating art whether there’s rain, shine or snow! Yesterday I had the pleasure of teaching my Fabric and Fiber Collage class at VAM. The participants were a fun group and their collage pieces were inspiring to me! I seem to always learn something from the students. Here is a bit from the class…

Sometimes a loop can make all the difference.

The Director of VAM, Laura Mitchell, as she put it, “…in her happy place!”

The flower center for one person may make great petal tips for another.

One dragonfly or more? It’s up to each participant to decide for their piece.

It’s fun to share thoughts and ideas with each other.

Some were artists when they entered the gallery, everyone was when they left.

Not shy, just letting her lovely layers take front and center.

There were some wonderful surprises – This flower center for example.

Teaching, the prep, and all, can be exhausting, but seeing results like these makes it worth it! Thank you to each of the participants.

Reindeer?

This photo is from the great Redwood Forest. I took it because it had fibery bits and I saw the head of a reindeer, sans the antlers, in it. Can you see it?

I hope you have Happy Holidays and a Peaceful and creative New Year!

Harvest Art

Still waiting for Fall after the 90° Thanksgiving and realizing December is almost here!

This turkey was created for my grandnieces (7 and 6) who had a good time coloring them during our Thanksgiving family gathering.

I gave them each a plain turkey sheet along with one with this MeAnndered turkey below. It was interesting to me that they both (on their own) selected the plain one to color-in. These are very active little people and it warmed this great-aunt’s heart that they wanted to sit and color on them at all! I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, ours was wonderful.

Printable versions of these turkeys are available on my Patterns tab here on my blog.

Bloggers Moving On

I have been a follower of a wonderful blog, I have mentioned in the past, And Then We Set It On Fire… Today it was announced that the contributors will no longer be posting new posts. I’m sad but totally understand. I will miss the inspiration and great techniques that have been shared by the many artists over the years. The site will be up for now and at least through June, so if you aren’t familiar with it I hope you will go check it out and from there you may find links to the individual artists and much more inspiration and eye candy.

My own blogging has been sporadic to say the least! There are personal reasons and reasons I’ll blame of the political climate. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope you enjoy what I have to say but mostly the fiber art I share. Thank you!

Here is my most recent piece…

I painted over the raw edged patchwork and quilting and was pleasantly surprised that some of the fabric print showed through; it added another visual layer. This piece didn’t make it to where I had hoped but I really like it. I may offer it for sale at the San Diego Quilt Show in the Quilt Sales booth, where I’ll be chairperson again.

I Don’t Do Hearts…

Well, I should say I didn’t do hearts! I’m not much of a heart person though I got married in February (38 years ago and not on Valentine’s Day) but I have a dear one who loves hearts and asked me to make her a small textile heart art piece for her newly renovated home.

Batik hearts on silk background (sorry it’s a little blurred)

So that got me creating hearts. Up in the Patterns and Supply Lists tab is a free printable hearts MeAnnder for you and/or someone you know to color in. I print mine on card stock because I like the smoothness under the markers I use. I think it could make a nice frame for a photograph, a sentiment or even a quilt label. Do you have other ideas?

And as always, if you color my MeAnnder hearts doodle in let me know by sending me a photo and with your permission, I’ll share it here on my blog.

Fabric and Gunpowder!

I really enjoy the blog …And Then We Set It On Fire… The contributors are individual fiber artists who work in and explore a multitude of surface design techniques and more; sometimes working together. I once had the pleasure of being a guest artist on FIRE!

One of their recent blog posts did more than catch my eye. My interest was really sparked when I read that Kelly Hendrickson and Wil Opio Oguta, the two artists posting on FIRE this month, had been exploring the use of GUNPOWDER on fabric!

I have tried many different techniques over the years, here are some…

shibori opening detail — Shibori pole wrapped straight, using Jacquard Textile Color paints

anns shibori painted — Shibori pole wrapped on diagonal using Jacquard Textile Color paints

tube shibori — Shibori rope wrapped using dye

stamping, dripping, splattering, flour resist, stencil made on the sewing machine; painted and stenciled onto fabric made on a plastic tarp, rubbings with wax pastels, painted cheesecloth, melted Lutradur, burnt silk, just painting, and lots and lots of hand painted sky and landscape fabric… but never gunpowder!

Kelly and Wil have publish an e-book the explores their gunpowder techniques (I just bought it!), I hope you will visit “…And Then We Set It On Fire…” and each of their websites – I think you’ll have a blast!

Thanks to Kelly and Wil for letting me share their gunpowder post!

Fiber Designs by Ann

Fiber art Design, Instruction, Sales