More explorations

One of the things on my "Try this" list has been silk fiber vessels... something I have seen on Pinterest which really intrigued me.  So I finally gave it a try recently, using a square of hand dyed silk draped around a glass vase:

I put an LED tea light inside, and have since bought some votives which are a little larger.  Makes a nice glow, and the vase can also be used for floral displays.  Here's another one I made, using a fish-bowl shape:

The one below combined hand dyed silk with various fibers, and I removed the glass bowl after the vessel was dry.

I have ideas for more of these, and may even try making some with silk fibers, instead of the silk fabric.  

On another note, I recently saw a video by Liz Kettle, artist, on 15 minute stitch meditations and it caught my fancy.  The idea is to just stitch, with no outcome in mind, to just relax and enjoy the process.  I have done a few 4" x 4" squares so far, using scraps of fabric and various threads... I love making these!

I have wanted to get back into doing hand work for quite awhile, and just never seemed to be able to transition into it... kind of like a block.  Now I have a daily exercise to get me to put needle to thread and play, and it's helping me find my voice again, stitch-wise!

On the gallery front, sales have been brisk this month... the hot pads and mug rugs have all sold, most of my Pine Cone ornaments are gone and several bowls are going to new homes, along with some shirts & tops.  I have 2 more shifts at the gallery for the year, then the slow-down period will be here and I plan to bring my stitch meditation squares with me to while away the hours in the next month or so.

Happy Holidays to all, and hope you find time to feed your creative muse during the winter days ahead!

I've been busy!

Nothing new there, but I have had lots to do this past month, and I feel like I'm breaking new ground for me again! 
Of course, there's been the push to make items for the gallery... holiday shoppers have been making the rounds ever since Black Friday, and items are being scooped up, leaving gaps in my inventory to fill.

     

  

In addition to creating more inventory, I have been starting to learn wet felting techniques.  I have found some tutorials on line, but also signed up for an on-line course from UK fiber artist Jackie Cardy, who makes fabulous wet felted work, and has created a 12 lesson course that is very informative and easy to follow.  In addition to wet felting techniques, she demonstrates how she uses machine embroidery and hand embroidery to create her beautiful work...  here's an example of her lovely work:

Isn't this amazing?

I'm in the process of working on a small wet felted piece that has been machine embroidered, and is now in the process of being hand embroidered.  I'm sure at some point, I will be adding some beads, but for now I'm working to highlight areas with hand stitching, something that has been on my list of things to get back into:

While I have been following her course, I have also been trying my hand at wet felted vessels, something I really want to learn.  I won't show the first 2 attempts... totally learning pieces, but the third one came out pretty nice:

It's pretty small, only about 3 1/2" high by 5" wide, but it is a good start, I think.  Again, I found a great tutorial by a gal at Living Felt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm6qmoxSgis&t=906s.  It's actually a 2-part video, well worth the view for anyone wanting to learn how to make these.

And that's been what has been keeping me busy this past month!