Thursday, October 30, 2008

Latest Round Robin piece

Last spring, I started a Round Robin with 6 other people, and we have been slowly circulating fabrics to each other and adding layers of color and pattern to each. Recently, I received a piece that challenged my imagination... I wasn't sure what to do to add to it, and I couldn't decide what color to add. It came to me with blues, greens, yellow and white(silver), and it "felt" cold to my eye. I studied it off and on while working on other projects, auditioning ideas for techniques, designs, colors, etc. Finally, it occurred to me that I needed to come up with something that would add warm tones to the piece. I discarded the idea of using dyes, because anything at this point that I could add would most likely muddy the piece. I decided to try Lumiere fabric paint, although I had never used it before. I still wasn't sure how I would apply it, and also wasn't sure which of two colors I would decide on. I ended up with Halo Pink Gold, because it added warmth, and at the last minute I created a 'squiggle' stencil, and used a foam brush to dab the paint thru the stencil. Here is the result:


I stencilled the squiggle in blank areas over the entire piece of fabric:
They don't show up well in this picture unless you click to see a larger image. I'm pleased because the Lumiere did what I wanted it to do, and it was easy to work with. I have learned a lot so far in this Round Robin!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Sedona Craft Show

Yesterday I was in Sedona for a craft show at the Sedona Historical Museum. What a beautiful setting! And the weather was beautiful, although a little warmer than I'm used to these days. This is my booth, which was situated on a side porch to the museum:
This is a picture of the red rocks behind the museum:

I could look at these all day and never get tired of them!
There is a lovely garden surrounding the museum, and I'm a sucker for cacti:

I can see some sketches, and maybe art quilts coming from the 2 images above, can't you?
This is a picture of Anne Marston, who had her booth next to mine:


Among her many artistic accomplishments, Anne is a weaver, and also spins her own yarn. She had this fabulous electric spinning wheel with her, and was spinning 'pencil roving' into delicious variegated yarn! She had beautiful hand woven scarves, many made from hand-dyed yarns. We had a great time chatting, although we both ended up a little warm when the sun hit our side of the Museum!

Finally, here I am by my booth:

Sales were a little slow, but we had a nice crowd, and I hope to hear back from some with custom orders!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Quilt update

I finally began quilting my 'Girl at the Beach' quilt yesterday, after much struggle to get the bobbin tension just right! I ended up loosening the adjustment screw so much, it fell out and immediately hid from view in the carpet. I was thinking I would need to go to the yardage store to get a replacement, when it occurred to me that I had a magnet, and might be able to find the screw that way. Yup! The minute I put that little magnet down in the area where the screw disappeared, it came right to the magnet! Once I got it screwed in and gave my stitching another try, the tension was just right! So here's a picture of the beginning of the quilting:

I seem to go through 'quilt-phobia' each time I start to free-motion quilt... I wonder if anyone else has that problem? It's like.... OOOOOOH, NOOOOOO! I ruined it! Well, after quilting the sand, I decided to use a satin stitch to highlight the clouds, and after doing one section, I said... OOOH, NOOOO! It's too dark and heavy! So, I got to spend lots of time picking out the stitches, and now there are 2 sets of holes where the stitching went in:

I'm hoping they won't show up too much! I'm going to use grey thread to stitch over the lines this time....

Friday, October 17, 2008

Art Journalling

I have been trying to find a good journal to to art journalling for months now. I live in a smallish town, and the resources are limited. But I have been seeing posts on other blogs recently for Black Cover, a Moleskine Alternative, and they are having a contest and will be giving away 5 sets of notebooks to the lucky winners! So I'm hoping to be one of them, and you can too! Just follow the link...

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Work in progress...

Time has flown since my last post! First, I will be showing 4 of my art quilts at the new Artists' Coalition Gallery on November 7th, at the First Friday Art walk! We just got the gallery, and are very excited to be opening!

Second, I have been working more on a commission quilt for a friend. I posted a picture of the background awhile back, but it has changed quite a bit, so I figured it was time for an update:

I am now ready to begin the decorative stitching and quilting process, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun!

Monday, October 6, 2008

What Tarot card are you?

I saw this test on another blog and decided to take it... not surprising that the Sun would be my card, since I have been a sun-worshiper as long as I can remember! I collect sunbursts, have used them in my art, and love the warmth and light the sun gives us...


You are The Sun


Happiness, Content, Joy.


The meanings for the Sun are fairly simple and consistent.


Young, healthy, new, fresh. The brain is working, things that were muddled come clear, everything falls into place, and everything seems to go your way.


The Sun is ruled by the Sun, of course. This is the light that comes after the long dark night, Apollo to the Moon's Diana. A positive card, it promises you your day in the sun. Glory, gain, triumph, pleasure, truth, success. As the moon symbolized inspiration from the unconscious, from dreams, this card symbolizes discoveries made fully consciousness and wide awake. You have an understanding and enjoyment of science and math, beautifully constructed music, carefully reasoned philosophy. It is a card of intellect, clarity of mind, and feelings of youthful energy.


What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Bluebirds

This year, we have been visited a lot by a flock of blue colored birds... not sure if they are Arizona's version of Blue Jays or just bluebirds. Anyway, they swoop down in large numbers about twice a day to feed at the bird feeders I have put up. What a beautiful sight!
They're a pretty noisy bunch, and tend to push aside the smaller birds. But they only stay a short while, then they are off on another adventure! We get a flock of smaller black birds that are fun to watch too, but I haven't been able to get their picture yet. It's almost time to switch from loose seed to the seed blocks for snowy weather! We actually got some snow on the peaks yesterday... and I turned on the furnace this morning for the first time since about May!
I spent some time working on a commission quilt this weekend, as well as finishing up some shirts for a client. Then I used up a bunch of dye on some long-sleeve T-shirts. I have a craft show next weekend, and figured it won't hurt to have a few extras. Now I'm all out of my hangers, so guess it's time to wait until I've sold some of my existing stock, which has grown a lot this year!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Look what I got!

Okay, so.... for my birthday I decided to by me a present... a compost bin! Now that I'm RETIRED I have time to putter, which has always been one of my favorite things, especially in the yard! Here's my new bin:

It was a little tricky to assemble, but with the help of my hubby, we got it done and I started putting stuff into it. I printed out a really neat guide to get me started, and I had already begun to amass coffee grounds, peelings, egg shells, etc. Of course, the yard has so many things I can add. The guide is great for identifying whether the items to be composted add carbon or nitrogen to the mix (chemistry was never my strong suit!), and gives recommendations on the order you should layer the matter. I'm really excited, and can't wait to be able to use the compost next spring! So now, I have eliminated a whole bunch of stuff from the landfill, and added nurishment to the garden, all for a very reasonable cost... wow! Putter... putter....