I’m happy to say a great group of enthusiastic students worked on their own hummingbird notecards in my class, at Visions Art Museum, this past Sunday. Here are some of their works in progress. I thank them for allowing me to share…
In keeping with the hummingbird theme the giveaway for October is one set of four fabric/fiber hummingbird notecards. They will be new, not ones that I have posted anywhere. Here are examples of some of my original hummingbird notecards.
If you haven’t already, you may want to subscribe to my blog email list so you won’t miss the giveaway winner announcement.
Rules and how to enter –
Sweepstakes/giveaway begins October 6, 2021 and ends at 9pm (Pacific Time) Oct. 23, 2021. You must live in the US only (no international entries). One entry per person.
Leave a comment that you would like to win the hummingbird notecard set, and include your first and last name (or last initial).
I’ll use a random drawer and announce the winner/s on my October 25 blog post. Winner/s will email me their mailing information and I will mail the hummingbird notecard set ASAP. If I don’t hear from the winner within five days of drawing date, I will run another random draw. Good luck!
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.
Visions Art Museum had a Call for Entries with the theme First Responders. This exhibit will be online only and I haven’t heard yet if my piece has been selected, I’m sharing it here.
I had many ideas but I got a late start so I went with the simplest one. It’s only about 15″ square, which was doable for me even though I’m rusty. The first image I shared on my previous post, it is fused without the vessel. If you follow me on Instagram you may already know what the surprise vessel is.
The quilt sandwiched and the vessel being auditioned in this quick shot with poor lighting.
I had the idea of using a mask for the vase/vessel long before the main design. In making the vessel I discovered that a (too) hot iron would melt the mask more than I had anticipated. Thankfully, I had it sandwiched between parchment paper. I actually like the “aged” look it gave the mask. I removed one ear strap and used the other as the bottom edge and feet. I used embroidery floss with a close blanket stitch around it for a bit more interest.
I free motion quilted/thread played, echoing the flowers and greens, and wrote “Thank you First Responders.” The writing is subtle, I didn’t want it to be the first thing the viewer noticed. I quilted green in the center of the yellow flowers later.
I make tiny double layered binding with butted corners, it’s not fast but it is still my favorite way to finish any quilt. Knowing that my hand is not 100% yet I didn’t want to try to stitch through my usual painted fabric so I used a softer, thinner fabric (white muslin, I think) and painted two pieces.
Wet binding fabrics.
Another favorite thing is to “break” the binding where the quilt design has an obvious break – in this quilt it is between the table top and the main design. I got the fabric wet and used an old vinyl shower curtain under it. I laid and smoothed the fabric out and then painted it; one to contrast with the main area piece and the other to mostly match the wood-look table top. Then I crunched the wet fabrics lengthwise to give some added interest.
I rush dried this pieces, which means I let them be for a short time and then heat set before rinsing them out with water to remove any paint, then squeezed as much moisture out and ironed them completely dry. They really lightened up.
Dry and ready to be made into binding.
The vessel was stitched on after the binding was finished.
I always add side binding first then leave a one inch hang over on the top and bottom binding edges, which gets trimmed down. The already cut fabric pieces I painted were almost too short, so in this photo I was just checking by laying them in place… Machine stitched the side bindings first. I love those clips, they hold the binding for the hand stitching with no more pin stabs!
I’m please with the finished piece which I’ve titled – Mask for Them. The exhibit should be online beginning May 3, 2021, with or without my piece I’m sure it will be a great exhibit. VAM has wonderful online shows, events, and activities.
Thanks to those of you who entered for a chance to win the Painted Tree fabric… Congratulations to Karen G, you are the winner! Please email your mailing information.
I hope you’ll stop by again for more fiber/mixed media art and a May giveaway.
Not too long ago after spending some time (quality time!) walking through the wonderful exhibits at Visions Art Museum, I went for a stroll through the verandas at Liberty Station and noticed a light and airy shop that had yarn, beautiful yarn. I walked in and was greeted by Sara, the owner of Apricot Yarn. I told her I had just been down the walkway to VAM, she asked if I was a quilter and I said that is where I started but then I had to confess; I’m a fiber artist who can’t knit and can only crochet a chain! Then I asked Sara if she carried roving. She said “No, but maybe they would in the future.” As I was drooling over a skein of thick, rich multi-colored wool and a beautiful knitted cowl neck warmer made from it, she added… “Some people use that to do felting.” I said “I do felting!” I’m now the happy owner of that gorgeous skein and YES, it can be used for felting!
I’m remembering that my grandparent had spinning wheels and probably card brushes as well, but I never thought anything about it when I was growing up. I think my cousins have the spinning wheels now.
Anyway, it occurred to me that in my dusty dancing shoe box there was a suede brush… So I cut several, approximately, 8″ lengths of the yarn in the colors I wanted. Laying them on my design table, I raked the suede brush over the yarn. Combing one piece at a time worked best because there wasn’t a card brush or carding surface underneath. Now you may be thinking that’s a lot of work when a person could just buy roving, but I enjoyed every second of touching the yarn.
I must note here that, of course, this project is not for anyone with wool allergies. Also, using the proper carding brushes would be a plus because I think there would be fewer tiny fibers escaping and proper carding would have made the fibers felt together even better. I made one felted soap and love how it turned out. They make a very fast project and nice gift and if you are planning an art bazaar type sale they may be a good item for that. When I have the proper equipment I plan to make more and try some needle felting too. If you’re a yarn lover I would encourage you to check out the Apricot Yarn shop; Oh, and if you are or will be in San Diego, they have classes too!
I walk every morning and take quick shots with my phone. I’m happy when I catch a bit of nature in a neat composition. I spotted this face down, soft yellow flower and didn’t really see anything else at the time but after viewing the photo on the PC I noticed the texture of the walkway and the stress crack that has collected tiny bit of plants and dirt. All that texture sends me to a happy, inspired place!
And sometimes the inspiration is right in my own garden as with this Golden Dewdrop/Duranta erecta, flowing through our fence.
I’m participating in the most recent Visions Art Museum Member Challenge and I can’t help but think that the cascading Duranta erecta inspired my composition. The theme is “Surface Design” which, to me, could mean so many things, unfortunately I didn’t have enough time to create a new fabric. Since I have been the fabric coiling queen lately I decided to make an art quilt using some of the coils… It is titled Fiber Flow and it will be on display at VAM from July 16 – October 2, 2016, along with many awesome art quilts and textile pieces.
I have a love-hate relationship with deadlines. If not for deadlines I probably wouldn’t have finished many of the art quilts I have started. But I also (gently) kick myself when I don’t get a piece finished by a deadline. Today I’m kicking…
This was going to Visions Art Museum Members’ Challenge – Curves. Deadline today!
To be continued!
The worst part is that I started an earlier piece for the challenge only to be so unhappy with it that I started over. So now I have not one but two little pieces that I need to finish… someday!
I look forward to seeing all the other members’ challenge pieces, they are always spectacular!
