Tag Archives: leaves

Potato Patato and the Winner

Do you say poyn·seh·tee·uh or poin-sed-uh? Apparently either way is okay, depending on who you ask!

It would be an understatement to say I love flowers and have used them a few times in my artwork. Winter always makes me think of the poinsettia plant and so it’s probably no surprise that once again, I’ve made a poinsettia project.

Here are my new pieces; a notecard and tag, and the video showing how the card was made. I think it would be fun to use this idea for an art quilt too or to change it up with any other type of flower. Ideas, always more ideas.

If you watch the video, thanks, and I hope you enjoy it.

And The Winner of the Leaf decorated box with a surprise inside is – Sylvia Wallace! Congratulations, Sylvia, please email your mailing address to me at fiberdesignsbyann@gmail.com

I understand the end of the year can be a busy time but I’ll have one more sweepstakes/giveaway, and of course more art in December, so if you’re up to it I hope you’ll stop by again.

Stay safe and be good to yourself.

Falling into October

For the past few days the temperatures here have been around 90°F, we don’t have AC but my studio stays cool. Today looks to be finally cooling off a bit.

The coming of fall had me working on another Stir Crazy Member Challenge for Visions Art Museum, which will be published for members the first week in October. VAM offer so much inspiration and because we have had to spend more time in our homes, they have added a great deal to their online menu. I have “attended” wonderful artist’s talks with shows of their work, as well as, Q&A after. The online quilt shows are fun to go through at your own pace. VAM is changing their name to address better what they are about – it will become VMOTA/Visions Museum of Textile Art. I think it is a great museum to support. I’m not paid to create these challenges, and as far as I know none of the other artist are either.

When I make the video public, I’ll share it in an October post, until then here is a sneak peek of the project.

I’m also scheduled to teach at Visions on October 3rd. My first live class in some time (We were planning to hold this class before you-know-what struck). Hopefully enough people will sign-up to make the class happen. Masked and distancing, we’ll be using fabric, fiber, and a little paint to make a set of hummingbird note cards. They were so much fun to design and I love that the makers can make them their own as they construct each of their cards.

Example – fabric & fiber Hummingbird notecard

Our old house kitty, Kona, has finally figured out that she can come and go “outside,” into her little resort. During the daytime it’s attached to my studio and now I can stay in the studio playing/working instead of stopping to take her out onto the kitchen deck FOR HOURS. We’ll see if I actually get more done!

When it get too hot she comes back to her inside hammock. Hashtag – veryspoiledcat

Right now I’m using some of the background fabrics I painted last week and will share more about them next time.

Challenges

I was scrolling through Instagram recently and noticed several people taking part in different time sensitive or daily challenges. Back in November 2020 I challenged myself, and anyone interested in joining me, to Needlevember. Each day in November I/we would share something we stitched. I enjoyed the stitching but having something to show every day felt like pressure rather than pleasure. I know challenges are more fun when more people share their pieces too, but I went solo.

I’ve enjoyed creating challenge projects for Visions Art Museum Stir Crazy member challenge, I especially like that there’s no time frame for getting any of them finished. A few other artists have created project too. The idea of these projects, during the pandemic, was to find and use materials and objects you may already have around the house. VAM asked me to come up with another project for May.

The May project is mixed media but doesn’t include stitching, though I do show how I made one simple white fabric flower; these same flowers I used in my Unmaking the Soul piece…

Unmasking the Soul detail of the fabric flowers that have been colored with Neocolor ll wax pastels.

Here is the May Spring Wreaths project.

If you know anyone who may like to try a project like these Spring Wreaths, I hope you’ll share this post or the video. Thanks!

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!

When the Wind Blows

We have had some Santa Ana winds recently, which are always scary because we are so prone to wildfires. Our Redbud tree has been wind stripped of most of her leaves. I walked out the other day and on the patio next to the tree saw this circle of leaves and asked my husband if he wanted me to put them in the greens recycle can and he said “I don’t know what circle of leaves you are talking about.” He thought I made it, I thought he made it, we knew our adult kids hadn’t made it, and so it has been determined that the wind made it…that or there are some leaf elves hiding out in our garden!

I’m not a trained painter but enjoy trying my hand at it on fabric, which I believe is even more challenging than painting on paper. I see a lot that is not “correct” about this leaf but the shadow area, at least, will go under my quilting machine needle and hopefully I’ll be happier about it then. One thing I know but too often forget – Painting a drying leaf, in little bits of time, over a few days is not a good idea. Drying leaves change!

I think I work better in the abstract… it is more forgiving (or is it that I’m more accepting?!) and I find it much more relaxing. The below leaf was painted using Neo-Color II Wax Pastels and water and will have more quilting around it. Both of these leaves were painted on a scrap from my A Clear Necessity quilt (which is scheduled to be exhibited at the New England Quilt Museum in 2017).

I don’t know why it is but I just have a thing for leaves! How about you?

Loving Leaves

If you were to look around my home you would see that I love leaves. I have leaves on curtains, knobs, light fixtures, vessels, and beautiful lacy copper leaves hanging on the wall. Using leaves as inspiration, here is one of my most recent designs and tutorials for a simple to make fabric Leaf Napkin Ring. For the printable pattern and instructions see the Patterns & Supply Lists tab here on my blog.

5 press pattern to center line on fabric

Here are a couple variations. Place the seam up if using a color fabric and jazz another up with rhinestones! A straight blade rotary cutter may be used instead and free motion veins could be added too. Do you have any other ideas?

Fiber Designs by Ann

Fiber art Design, Instruction, Sales