Thursday, March 26, 2009

I'm soooo Jazzed!

I just got the promo cards last night for our 7th annual Recycled Art Exhibition, and much to my delight, one of my entries for last year was on the front! It's the picture under the left leg of the 'A' in 'Art'

I'm very excited about this year's exhibit. I am on the committee, I'm participating in the 'take in' next week, and including my entry, there are almost 200 entries this year! If you will be in the Flagstaff area between April 7th and May 7th, you should try to see the exhibit. It's at 2300 N Fort Valley Rd at the Coconino Center for the Arts. Gallery hours: Tue-Sat, 11am - 5pm. The Opening Reception will be Saturday, April 4 from 6-9pm. Last year we packed the house! We are also having workshops and demos Saturdays during the exhibit. Check www.culturalpartners.org for more details.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Free Motion Quilting class

Saturday, I took a class at our local fabric store, Odegaard's. The class was Free Motion Quilting, taught by Wendy Wetzel, one of our board members at the Coconino Quilters' Guild. Wendy teaches this class about 4 times a year, but this was the first time I could fit it into my schedule. There were 14 of us in a small classroom, but we managed to squeeze in! I meant to take a picture, but by the time I got a chance, many of the students had scattered for breaks. At any rate, Wendy knows her stuff, and we learned a bunch of different patterns. Here are my 'quilt sandwich' samplers:
I enjoyed the class, and learned some really neat patterns, which I hope to put to use soon! One thing that Wendy emphasized was to practice, practice, practice! And maybe now I will get myself to actually doodle... repeating the patterns over and over will train my brain and hands. So today, when I pick up my sewing machine after it's first clean/service, it's going to get a workout!


Monday, March 23, 2009

Mountain series

Awhile back I made a small art piece with 3 images: Mountains, Pine Cone and Aspen Leaf. I gave it to my friend Melanie who recently moved from Flagstaff, but I love the design, so I decided to do a series of them yesterday. My sewing machine is in the shop for it's annual cleaning and servicing, but I figured I could get the fabrics cut and fused. Here's where it's at so far:


The next step will be to add decorative stitching, then separate them and add the final edging.


Here is a picture of the first one I completed:
Two changes I made on the series: 1) I am using batik fabric with a pine cone motif instead of creating my own 2) I cut out the aspen leaf and fused it to the background instead of stamping the design. The original leaf didn't show well, so I ended up stitching over it, but I wanted it to stand out more on the new ones. I also altered the background color for the pine cones. I may also modify the division lines between the sections this time. I'm leaning toward maybe fusing ribbon instead of stitching, to give it a cleaner line. Stay tuned...





Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Prickly Pear Cactus

This project still has a ways to go before completion, but I thought I would share what I have done so far:
This is based on a photo I took several years ago at the Arboretum in Arcadia, Ca. It's a cactus planted in front of a wall, with foliage in the background. There were some palm tree trunks on the right side, but I opted to leave them out of the composition. I used hand dyed fabrics and fused the pieces to a foundation using wonder under. I am currently hand-stitching the stickers, and I am using copper colored beads for the raised areas that form at the base of the stickers. As you can see, I have a ways to go before I will be done with this step. Then I need to decide if I want to mount this on a canvas, finish with a binding, or use another method to finish it... undetermined at this time. At any rate, I have had to squeeze this project in when I had a moment or two... I have been busy moving my tie-dye business to ArtFire.com, and believe it or not, I have about 153 pieces in the new shop, and probably have at least that much left before I am done! Whew! Come by and visit when you have a moment... at www.tiedyejudy.artfire.com. Later...

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Catching up

I haven't had a lot of time to post lately, because I am setting up my new shop on ArtFire.com! I decided that I want to move everything from my old website over there to see if I can get more business, then I signed on to create a 'Stuck in the 60's ' guild, and I'm busily stocking my virtual shelves, making new business contacts, and generally having fun! That doesn't mean I am abandoning my art quilt ventures, just giving them a little rest while I take care of the other biz! So bear with me for a little longer... oh, yes. And I am launching yet another blog, hippiewear.blogspot.com, to post articles by myself and other guild members about our businesses, articles about dyeing, etc. So I'm not sitting around, eating bon-bons and scratching my derriere!
Back soon...

Blog Award, catching up

I just got a blogger award from Connie Rose! She is one of my favorite fiber artists, and I am honored that she would pass this on to me! Thanks, Connie.

So, if I remember correctly, this award needs to be passed on to six of my favorite bloggers:
1. Melanie Testa who is a great inspiration, friend and teacher to me
2. Cynthia St. Charles, whose work constantly inspires me
3. Deb Lacativa, she makes me laugh, and I love her work!
4. Melody Johnson - I look forward every day to her posts about quilting, gardening, life!
5. Jude Hill - she has a magic way with fiber, thread, and philosophy that constantly inspires
6. Jane LaFazio - what a wonderfully inspiring lady this is, and she knows how to enjoy life!

These are only 6 talented artists whose blogs I follow regularly... there are many more out there! Thank you all for constantly inspiring me to follow my muse!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Me and Melly



My friend and teacher Melly, on the left, and I met for coffee this morning at Macy's Coffee house in Flagstaff. Melly is getting ready to enter the next chapter of her life, as she and her hubby pack up to move to Brooklyn. Melly is one of those people who come into your life and make a change, and in this case, it was a change for the better for me. She instructed a class in surface design techniques that I attended in July of 2005, and set me on my ear! I haven't been the same since, and that's all to the good! So I figure my Creator brought her to Flagstaff just to give me a creative jolt, and now there is someone in Brooklyn who needs her. At any rate, physical distance will not change the fact that I love this gal! She is so very talented, and extremely generous with her knowledge and skills, and she's also a lot of fun to be around! So if you're in the New York area, pining away for someone to teach you all the wonderful things you can do with fabric, click on the link to her blog above and drop her an e-mail! Tell her Judy sent you, and she'll treat you right! Love ya, Mels!