Art Spirals

Earlier in the month, I had a wild hair, or is that hare? (insert grin), that I would plan, start, complete and submit a journal quilt to be juried into the International Quilt Festival show in Houston this fall. The theme is the elements, I worked out an idea in my sketchbook, full blown, fit the theme, reasonable size (17x22 inches), the only kicker is that it's due August 1st. With my life, work, kids, etc. I finally realized that I wasn't going to make this goal...or if I did, it would be to the detriment of something ELSE in my life, and everything else is much more important. BUT I do still love the idea, and a deadline is good for me, so I considered it. in the end, I'm doing it for me, and we'll see if I want to submit it anywhere. And this way, I get to talk about it on my blog and show pictures.

The quilt is about our trip in June to Carlsbad Caverns, which is an amazing place, if you haven't been. Here are some photos I took, and I"m using them as inspiration.

I just love the texture and possibilities here. So I gathered all my fabrics that I thought would work, graded them light to dark, took black and white photos, just to double check, and started out. I cut a snippet of each, stapled it to a board, and used it to shop for varigated thread. Great idea! Found this purse at a garage sale for $1, washed it, thinking it might fall apart, which it started to, but that's ok. the bulk is great rock texture, the threads will be wonderful to couch on for embroidery.

So here's the start of the top 1/3 of the piece, the background for spires of columns/stalagmites in front, and a path down. I can see how doing this on an embellisher would be a great technique, but I'm managing to incorporate and integrate snips of other fabrics into the stitching to show variations and veins in the rock. it's a start. you can see the left section has a piece of fabric that's not stitched down yet. It'll require many layers, just as mother nature required to make it the showcase it is!

Then, the other day I was playing with Shiva paintsticks and got a lovely russet brown color and thought...this might work for the detailing of the rock. I pulled out a piece of what I think is interfacing, with neat ridges already on it, and made a iron on ripped stencil from freezer paper and I think it'll be a good start for the base to mimic the very first picture above. With FME to do the shadows and crevices on top of the paint...hmmm....might work.

And silhouettes of the kids will be in there somewhere too, my little explorers.

Here's what I made from my first silk fusion lessonWendy gave me this spring. I stitched it onto a piece of yellow suede, covered it with water soluble fabric to not get my sewing foot trapped in the fuzzy layers, without thinking. So I tried to use a brush with water to dissolve the fabric, but I wasn't happy with it, so I dunked it. It dried, of course, the silk paper isn't as soft and wonderful as it was, but that's ok. I then cut up squares from the lime green dyed tablecloth used to make the postcard, shown yesterday, stitched it on with beads and sequins, through a copper metal lace ribbon. Then stitched it onto the blank, and glued the ultrasuede backing onto the inside. Fiddly work, but I like the outcome...although, it may be too hot to wear it here in the summer!

I"m pretty proud of these porch steps. This is a study for a quilt I'm doing, and may end up being one of the pieces of it. I'm following along the lines of Beryl Taylor's Mixed Media, making small items in the same colorways/themes and then experiencing the unknown joy of how they will go together. So, these steps are from three different values of recycled fabrics, the pale highlights are actually from the distressed creases near the pocket of a pair of stretch jeans, cut using paper template from my drawing, temporarily sprayed in place and then free motion embroidered. now on to peaches....

I sent away for an envelope of cool sheer fabrics from Cynthia St. Charles. She's hosting a Salvaged Threads juried art quilt exhibition and the deadline to enter a small quilt is in January 2009. See the link for more info. She's gotten a whole BUNCH of sheer fabrics donated and for $2, you can get an envelope of random pieces and you use those in a quilt submitted to the exhibition. Here's what I received this week. Some fun stuff in it! The wheels are turning in my brain.... LOVE the lime green one!

I had an idea for layering fabrics, FMEing, and slitting open layers thinking it would be cool. I didn't like it when I finished, so I cut out other areas to make the ATCs for the Clothpaperstudio Fiber ATC swap using french knots.

So here are the fabrics:

Here are the layers, FME'd together, painted with lumiere paint, and some places slit open and stitched. I'm not happy with the slashing technique...could have picked better layer fabrics.

Here's my favorite ATC from the project:

I like this one a bunch too. Galaxy ATC:

This one is ok too. Flower Shadow:

I had fun painting over FME lines and then FMEing OVER the paint to create another layer. This is influenced by reading this wonderful book: The Painted Quilt: Paint and print techniques for color on quilts by the mother/daugheter team Linda and Laura Kemshall.

The main thing I’ve learned in doing these is how to slow down the machine, almost zen like, and make larger more uniform stitches doing free motion embroidery. And THAT is a lesson worth learning!

This one has an ocean theme, and yes, it was made for the swap on CPS, and by golly, it'll get there too! as I was finishing it, I thought...hmmm...don't know if I want to give this one up either! but I will and I am.

The front view. Strata pieced from strips of commercial, handyed, and salvaged silks and cottons. Free motion embroidered and I used some quilting stitches on my new machine. I stitched patterns FME that resembled seaweed flowing around.

Back view with various sea items and charms captured behind netting. The curved edge along the top is part of a vintage embossed hanky with swiss dots on it, charming, and raised roses...they're pretty much covered up with FME and the netting, but *I* know they're there in the layers. and that makes all the difference!

Closeups, you can see the FME seaweed stitching and that's a real lure that I stitched into and under the netting. I love the lime green.

Front hand stitching to hold it together. Sailboat is from an earring.

I'm loving doing these so much, I may do up a bunch in various themes, all different of course, and keep them in reserve for selling at fairs or art days, or giving away.

From Wall Pocket i...

We're having a May Basket swap on Clothpaperstudio group loosely based on the article on making Fabric Cones by Ruth Rae in the Quilting Arts Gifts issue from last Christmas. Mine isn't as ethereal and lacy/vintagy...I went for vibrant colors. And I like it so much, I've decided to keep it! This week has been a total PTA weekend for me, no time for art, but next week I hope to make another cone for the swap. Here's a slideshow of my cone, which I"m calling a wallpocket. I decided to let the flap hang over and decorated it with vintage bead trim found a couple of weeks ago at an estate sale. The body of the pocket is made of dyed disposable paper tablecloth from the UK which has a fabric feel. Decorated it with tons of newly learned FME, rickrack, ribbons, gauzy glittery weave stuff, squares of painted watercolor paper and beads. I made the cord by zigzagging three rattail cords together and then twining it with another ribbon and tacking it at various places. It makes me smile looking at it hanging on my wall. Here's a slideshow of it AND the next wallpocket I made.