Friday, December 24, 2010

Update on Taos

I can't believe how long it has been since I did any work on my Taos art quilt! Time has a way of flying! But now that all the shows are done for the year, and I have finished the Christmas shopping/mailing, sent out the Christmas cards, and caught up with some household chores, I finally found time to get some more work done on it:
Here is the top next to a copy of the photo I am working from
Here is a close-up of the grassy area I just got some work done on. My biggest challenge has been to find a good selection of thread colors to use on this project! I used hand-dyed fabrics, but I don't (yet!) dye my own thread... that may change soon! In the meantime, I haven't decided if I am going to finish this as a quilted wall hanging, or perhaps mount it in a frame. All the stitching is being done to just the foundation piece. I hope to have the stitching done before the end of the year. I love how it's coming along, and I'm anxious to see the finished piece!
Other than that, I have been building up my wholesale shop and looking for retailers to contact... if you know anyplace in your neck of the woods that might want to buy hand-dyed clothing and accessories, let me know, okay? Meanwhile, you can check out my new shop at www.tiedyejudy.trunkt.com. Let me know what you think of it, okay? Feedback is always welcome! Happy holidays to all!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Winding down for the holidays

Well, the grandkids' presents are in the mail, most of the Christmas cards are on their way, Cookies are ready to be dropped at various locations, reservations made for Christmas Day dinner... yes, for the first time ever, we are going out for Christmas dinner! The weather outside is frightful (windy, cold, but no rain/snow yet!)... and I'm ready to take a little break! I started knitting a new pattern yesterday for a triangle kerchief... slowly adding a new stitch to my repertoire (kbf to increase), and I have opened up a new website for wholesale buyers! I have a few new items I created:
This is the rope-wrap shibori I usually do in cool colors... I call this one 'Fire'.
This is the 'Bamboo' pattern in camel and black... I also have two other color combos for this one.
I'm hoping to get back to my 'latest' Art Quilt over the next few days... I haven't had time to work on it for awhile, and would really like to finish it up over the holidays!
So to all who read this, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and may 2011 bring us all hope, peace of mind, joy, love and laughter!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Art of Adire

Yesterday, I got my newsletter from Dharma Trading. They always feature new artists, and I was introduced to Ife Franklin, who is an Adire artist. You can see her on youtube, demonstrating the art form. I was particularly interested in the large wood block stamps she used for waxing the items before dyeing... I have been looking for stamps of this kind for some time, and sent her an e-mail to see if she could tell me where she got hers. Meanwhile, I did a little web searching myself, and found Zanzibar Trading co, where I ordered the last 2 Adinkra Gourd stamps they had available on their website:
I'm also working on ideas for how to create some wood block stamps without having to do a lot of carving! Attaching small pieces of wood to a larger block with wood glue comes to mind, although if I use them for batik, I'm not sure if the wood glue will stand up to the heat of the melted wax. I do have a dremmel, so I could do some blocks using that to chew away the wood around the designs... I also have carving tools, but I think they are designed to be used on linoleum blocks. All I know is my direction is taking shape for 2011! I also know I will not be using the waxes or dyes used by Ife... my back was hurting just watching her video where she is bending over to rinse her dyed pieces, and stirring them in the boiling water to remove the wax! Nope, soy wax and cold water dyes for me! But I truly love the shapes and designs of African tribal fiber arts, and hope to capture that feeling with these, and other stamps either purchased or created by my efforts! More to come...

Thursday, December 2, 2010

In his chair


Shrekkie has spent the last two nights outside again, as the weather has warmed up from the cold snap we had over the weekend. But he is right there first thing every morning to come inside, have a nice breakfast, and let me give him a warming rubdown. He has adopted this chair in the living room as his napping spot... neither of the other two cats use it, so it is officially his now! He is such a beauty... just wish I could get his picture without the 'glowing eyes'!