I headed for Blue Door Beads — I just love the name and, yes, they have a blue door — this morning to find something special for the closure on the notebook cover just completed. I think I found just the right thing (click on image for larger view): I had fun choosing the fabric […]
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French Knots and Finger Cots
I’ve completed the on-line course at Craftsy with Carol Waugh. I have thoroughly enjoyed working through her methods, constructing my own machine stitch reference and doing some needle work I haven’t done in many years — embroidery. I used a fat quarter of fabric to create my surface design. There is extensive machine work in […]
Stitch Reference Done
Done! Fun! And I’ve already used it. There are 135 different utility and decorative stitches in this reference guide for the Janome 6500. My Janome 11000 has 419 stitches and symbols. Time to start stitching! See the start of this project here.
Back to Basics
When concentration eludes, it’s time to dig into some basics. Lucky for me, I’ve just begun an on-line class through Craftsy with Carol Ann Waugh. Stupendous Stitching focuses on using the decorative and utility stitches on your home machine to create your own personal surface design. It’s not surprising then, that the first assignment is […]
1000 Quilt Inspirations
I’ll be at least one in a thousand — that’s the news from Quarry Books, the publisher releasing 1000 Quilt Inspirations, a new book to be released in the near future. Dr. Sandra Sider, a New York quilt artist and independent curator, will be selecting the winning designs. The Call for Entries states, in part, […]
Getting It Right
Not always an easy thing, this ‘getting it right.’ Sometimes it takes days, weeks, even years. I’m just speaking for myself, of course, though the thought of such masters as Beethoven, Mendelssohn, van Gogh — and more — leap to mind when it comes to revisiting earlier works for a bit of tweaking. Some of […]
Another Notebook
My calendar said “Continue Sunflower piece” but my time was used for unexpected things — what most of us call “Life.” When I walked back into the studio I knew I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to produce quality thread work. Fortunately, I had supplies for a notebook cover nearby and a very […]
Olive Hyde Gallery Exhibit
Seven of my pieces have been accepted for the 46th Annual Textile Exhibition at the Olive Hyde Gallery in Fremont, California. I’ve had my work at this gallery in the past, but not with so few artists — six artists have work in this exhibit. My five Sunflower Scrap pieces, Woodwardia Wonder and Oakleaf Hydrangea […]
Cyanotype Experiment
Blue Prints on Fabric, my source for fabrics treated for creating prints, has a new product. Hand-dyed cotton fabrics — available in medium pink, turquoise blue, bright orange, chartreuse green and medium yellow — are then treated with cyanotype solution. These fabrics provide a new twist on the classic blue and white of the historical […]
Large Quilting Designs
The first stage of quilting on Sunflower Scrap VI is done. Here the fabric is still moist from the spritz I gave it to eliminate the blue marking pen guidelines. The moisture makes the fabric appear to be slightly darker than it actually is. I will let the quilt dry on my design wall. If […]
Sunflower Scrap VI Progress
Once I’ve made design decisions and have the large elements marked, I have a sense of accomplishment. Of course, there is accomplishment in getting that far, but actually the work has just begun. So here I am making some progress on quilting the sunflowers and vines. When the large designs have been quilted, I will […]
Love is in the Air
Love . . . we each express it in our own unique way. Manuel loves Dolores and shows her publicly on Lover’s Bridge. How do you show your love? Happy Valentine’s Day!
Sunflowers Under Construction
I so thoroughly enjoyed the series of foot-square sunflower quilts begun in 2012 that you can imagine my delight in learning that the common sunflower is native to California. I’ve launched into a new piece featuring the sunflower but this one will be much larger — I’m envisioning at least 5′ x 2′. I enjoy […]
Nature’s Fractal Added to Del Thomas Collection
I’m thrilled to announce that Nature’s Fractal has become part of the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection (TCQC). Del Thomas has collected over 250 art quilts since 1985. In addition to enjoying them in her home, she shares curated groups of her collection and promotes the art quilt through exhibits. It’s wonderful to know that my […]
Wordless Wednesday
Click on image for larger view.
Distracted by a Notebook
Taking classes is a good thing. The object of the class is of interest and one always learns something new, no matter how packed your tool kit is when you enter. I took a class earlier this week whose focus was using an embroidery machine. The project for the class was a notebook cover. I […]
Wordless Wednesday
White on White Done
The four designs I chose for the White-on-White theme with Postmark’d Art are done. Ta da! This has been especially satisfying for me because the inspiration for the 4 designs was immediate and all are completed before the official start date for the trade has begun. Believe me, it doesn’t always happen that way so […]
White on White 4
This is the final design I’ve created for the White-on-White trade with Postmark’d Art. For this design I pulled out my needle-felting machine. I felted the roving directly onto fast2fuse: the first layer of roving is a very light cream-colored wool; the second layer is a scrumptious Angora roving. The Angora is very white and […]
White on White III
Inspiration comes from the darndest places. My friend Jenny Lyon pays attention to paper products and that’s where I found the design used here. Who knew that a box of tissues could fire the imagination? Even simplified, this design has plenty of detail. I tried new lighting to take this photograph and had some success, […]
Consilience of Art & Science Reception
I attended the opening reception for the Consilience of Art & Science exhibit at the Pence Gallery in Davis on Friday, January 10. Davis is home to a large University of CA campus and a thriving art community, so openings during Art Walk are vibrant and fun. This exhibit is a partnership between the gallery […]
More White on White
The background fabric here is white with some hints of cream. I used metallic white thread for the leaves of the sunflower — though you cannot tell that from this photograph. And the beads are pearl finish, so they have a sparkle as well. The background fabric is fused to fast2fuse™, always my first choice […]
Fabric Postcards – White on White
The new round of trading has not yet begun for Postmark’d Art but the theme ideas that are being voted on are inspirational — particularly White on White. The trade (our 19th round!) will officially begin February 1 so I have time to play with some ideas that are bubbling up. I couldn’t resist pulling […]
Holidays and Hats
Why is it that many of us feel compelled to put hats on our pets during the holidays? A mystery, really. Here’s what Taylor really thinks: Make no mistake about it — Mendelssohn would rather have a nap than a hat. They are both happy Christmas is over! Now, do I still have the black […]
Peace
Woodwardia Wonder accepted for The Consilience of Art & Science
I am happy to announce that Woodwardia Wonder has been accepted for The Consilience of Art & Science, a Pence Gallery and UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Juried Exhibition opening at the Pence Gallery January 10 and running through February 28, 2014. All mediums were considered for this exhibit. (Hover cursor over images for more details.) […]
Arts Guild of Sonoma
I went to the Artist Reception at the Arts Guild of Sonoma but there were so many art lovers there that one could not get photographs of the work. A nice problem to have! And I must add that it was raining and parking is limited — even more reason to be impressed by the […]
Vintage Hawaiian Postcard
My friend Heather was in Hawaii for the Thanksgiving holiday and she mailed me a postcard made of wood with a vintage design. Click on image for a larger view. The design side: And the address side: The card is about 1/4″ thick so had no problem withstanding whatever the postal […]
Wordless Wednesday
More Watercolor Painting
There is just one more meeting for the watercolor class I’m taking at Merritt College so I’m especially pleased to have completed this painting on Friday. The painting began with the background using a wet-on-wet technique — the reverse of other paintings we’ve done — then the shadow, the reflection and the eggplant. The last […]
