Posts

Showing posts from March, 2010

Take a stitch Tuesday

Image
Last week Sharon B. http://www.pintangle.com/journal/2010/3/23/tast-2010-week-4-portuguese-border-stitch.html showed the Portuguese Border stitch for Take a Stitch Tuesday.  I really liked the stitch and started experimenting with it right away but haven't had a chance to post about it until now.  I stitched on paper as I found a really cool tool that would poke the holes into the paper evenly for me.

book with painted lace cover

Image
So, I finished the book with the painted lace.  Here it is.  I don't know if you can see the rolled paper and fabric beads that I created but I think they make a good addition to the spine.

handmade book

Image
I like the way this book turned out.  I think it is rather pretty.  It's kind of hard to believe the cover started out life as a humble paper towel! 

paper/fabric and free motion quilting book cover

Image
I am still practicing my free motion quilting.  This is a paper towel that I used to clean up spilled paint.  I adhered it to fabric and then quilted it.  I am going to use it for a wrap around book cover.  I hope to have it completed by the end of the week.

free motion quilting and melting fabric

Image
I am really loving that I can free motion quilt now.  I need to practice so I have been just experimenting with some different fabric.  This piece is two different sheer fabrics stitched and then heated with a heat gun.  I love the holes and that you get a lacy affect.  Just playing!

another play day with my friends

Image
Nancy and Mary Lynn came over today for an art play day!  Fun!  It is so good to get together with friends.  Here we are playing with watercolor paints. We also played with making silk paper.  It was fun to experiment with adding different things.   We added some metallic threads and some metallic confetti.

Lace

Image
Here's the lace I promised I would show.  It's adhered to a light blue fabric and free motion quilted.  Yes!!!!  I have finally got my sewing machine to free motion quilt.  I am so happy about that.  I didn't know that you had to set the stitch length to zero.  My friend Carol shared that bit of info with me, thanks Carol!  I will make this lace/fabric into a book/journal cover.

Inspired by Sue Bleiweiss

Image
I love when inspiration hits!  Sue Bleiweiss published this really interesting technique here  http://threecreativestudios.com/freeprojects/tom/paintedlace_TOM.pdf It is really hard for me to read about a technique and not start thinking of a way to put my own spin on it.  It's just the way my mind works.  So when she suggested painting lace after it was adhered to some fabric I thought wait. What if I paint the lace or doily first?  So I laid out a piece of each on journals pages and then spray painted them.  I love that the paint covers over some of the writing on the page.  I don't really want people to read my journaling.  I think it makes for a really interesting background.  I would not call these journal pages complete but a really good start. You'll have to stay tuned to see what I do with the lace!

unusual materials to make into a book

Image
A while ago, even years, I received some counter top samples.  I had them stored in my stash not totally sure what I would do with them.  Today on went the light bulb!  I would use them as a book covers.  I had some paint sample chips that were the perfect width so I would just have to trim them to the right length and punch a hole in them.  The counter top samples were a dull grey color so I added some alcohol inks and acrylic paint to make them a more pleasing color.  I used ball chain that I also colored with alcohol ink to hold the book together.  I added a few doodads to the cover and it's done.

silk paper with needle felting

Image
I had a horrible time trying to get a good picture of this.  This was the best I could do and it is not very good.  It is so much prettier  in real life.  I'm taking a chance showing this picture as it does look rather ugly.  I don't know why the camera wouldn't cooperate with me! I made silk paper and then added some needle felting, stitching and beading.  You'll have to trust me that it really is pretty.

Small book

Image
I love belonging to the Royal City Calligraphy Guild.  There are so many talented artists in the group and   they are always willing to share their talents.  I especially love when Karen Hewson teaches a class.  She always amazes me.  She is so very creative and clever. Last night she taught us how to make this simple little book.  She also taught us to make paper beads.    I think it could use some fibres to hang off the spine with the paper beads.    Unfortunately, I smudged the paint on the cover of my little book.  Drag. Karen brought in the book Embroidered Books by Isobell Hall.  I had thought that I did not need any more books about making books but I was wrong.  I really must get this one!

last journal page for AJS

Image
I really enjoyed working through Lynne Perrella's book with the Artists of the Round Table on Yahoo groups.  I'm a little sad that it is finished.  I learned a lot.  This is my last journal page for the study.  I attached an envelop that has a tag with journaling inside it.  I added some stitching on the opposite page as well as a found word.  I found my camera so here is a shot of the beautiful shell necklace my friend Nancy gave me.  It is so gorgeous!  This picture doesn't  really do it justice.  The blues and greens are so much prettier in real life. 

A post without a picture

Weird.  I always have pictures but not of my day yesterday.  I was out with my friends Lois, Mary Lynn and Nancy.  We have the best time together.  We went for lunch and then shopping.  We were supposed to go to an art show as well but we ran out of time.  I guess we'll have to plan another day out to see the show.  Time flies when you're having fun and shopping for art supplies.  Nancy just got back from a wonderful trip.  She brought us each a necklace made from a beautiful shell.  I wish I could remember the name of it.  I would take a picture of it if I could find my camera. Have a sparkly day!

a journal page without words

Image
The book study is coming to a close.  There is only one more study to do actually.  For this lesson we were to create a journal page that tells a story without words.  I'm not sure that this tells much of a story but here it is. 

bead journal project for March

Image
I had a lot of fun making this journal page.  I did a lot of needle felting and some beading.  You really must click on the picture to see the details better.  I enjoyed the needle felting and will likely do more of it.  The beading is minimal but it seems right for this page. This also works for my Artist Journals and Sketchbooks study.  The lesson was to journal on something other than a journal.  Think outside of the box. I love two for one.

explorations of attachment techniques

Image
I am happy with the way these elements turned out.  Studying the Artist Journals and Sketchbooks has been good.  I have to say that the attachments mostly concentrated on eyelets.  I think there are a lot more ways to attach things.  I should do some experimenting and post what I find.