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Showing posts from June, 2019

Slow Stitching Talisman

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Oh bear, I love you!  I am quite pleased with myself!  This bear is full of nature.  Bugs, flowers, leaves and a tree fill her up.  They fill me up!  I don't need to camp in the wilderness, like my husband to be filled up with nature.  I am so glad that he could get away this long weekend to camp.  I enjoy having the house to myself and not having to cook!  Chick flicks and stitching for me.  Of course, there a bit of soaking up the beautiful sunshine as well. I am linking to https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/

Water

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This water project is great for using up the tiniest of scraps.  I had done a monoprint onto deli paper that was not terribly successful so I used it for the base and adhered the tiny bits and threads.  Once all dry I added some hand stitching.  Each water piece is not super interesting on its own but I think when they all come together it could be an interesting large piece.  I am linking to https://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

Journal Page

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I made a colour copy of a mandala I had created a while back.  I wanted to take it further and added some white highlights and darkened some dark areas.  Making the colour copy is a safe way to take something further without ruining the original.  I added it to my journal and some found poetry.

Work in Progress Wednesday

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I just realized I haven't posted about my bead journal for June at all.  I am still working on my circle/mandala series.  I was thinking this was finished but maybe it could use some more beads.  I do have to be careful about how stitching I add as the pink and mauve part is paper.  It can become too perforated and fall apart.  Not good. I am linking to https://www.quiltfabrication.com/ http://www.esthersquiltblog.com/ https://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/

Water

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This piece feels rather dark to me.  I don't generally gravitate towards dark colours so I am not overly loving this one.  Still, it was a good experiment.  I sandwiched yarns, threads and fibres between two sheets of tissue paper and adhered it all together with some watered down white glue.  I also add a bit of paint to the top of it.  My water experiments are wide open for me.  I am allowing myself to work with anything that appeals to me at the moment.  I am linking to https://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com

Work in Progress Wednesday

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I have been bringing an art program to seniors for years.  A few weeks ago I had the brilliant idea to have them do a quilt block.  One of the marvellous volunteers agreed to sew/quilt them all together.  We will then raffle off the quilt.  It has taken me a bit to figure out what we could do for the quilt block. Pictured above is what I have come up with.  We will be using fabric paint and stamping/designing our own flowers.  My seniors have varying abilities so I could not ask them to stitch.  I have different foam shapes that they can use to create their flowers.  Each flower will be unique but they will all be working with the same background fabric so that it is cohesive.  They are pretty excited to be contributing to a quilt and so am I! I am linking to https://www.quiltfabrication.com/ http://www.esthersquiltblog.com/ https://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/

Slow stitching Sunday

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Earlier this spring I signed up for the Talisman challenge with San Fransisco School of Needlework.  I honestly didn't know what a talisman is but I was drawn to the challenge.  Here is the definition tal·is·man /ˈtalÉ™smÉ™n,ˈtalizmÉ™n/ Learn to pronounce noun an object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck. I have more faith in hard work than luck so I choose the bear as my symbol.  For me the momma bear is powerful and that is the way I like to think of myself.  I am filling the image with things of nature, mostly flowers.   Every 13th person that signed up for the challenge was offered some Swarovski crystals to use.  If you accept them you must send your challenge piece to the school to be in the show by Aug. 15.  I was a 13th and agreed to work with the crystals.  I was surprised the crystals were so large.  They are used on the tree at the back of the bear.  I received th

Water

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This was a good way to use up some tiny scraps.  I trapped them under some organza and then machine stitched over it all.  My machine was giving me trouble yesterday.  The thread kept breaking.  The tension was wrong and was pulling the bobbin thread to the top.  It was rather frustrating but I persisted.  I won't pick out those stitches as this piece is not that important to me.  I have better things to do with my time. I am linking to http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

Journal Page

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Feeling hot, hot, hot.  Or at least wishing to.  I must be working with warm colours to combat the long, cool, grey spring we have been having.  At least I don't have to water my flowers.

Work in Progress Wednesday

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A few weeks ago I bumped into someone who had been at one of my trunk shows.  It turns out I had inspired her to try crazy quilting.  Yay!  She showed me her work and it was beautiful.  Her stitching was very fine and delicate.  Since seeing her stitching I have felt a little bad about my own.  My stitching is big and bold and this piece really emphasizes that.  I love this crazy quilt block.  The colours are cheerful and it makes me happy.  Why do I feel bad that my stitches are not fine and delicate?  I need to learn to admire someone else's beautiful stitching without allowing it to make me feel that mine is inadequate.  After all, I want to be the best me and if that is big and bold, so be it. I am linking to https://www.quiltfabrication.com/ http://www.esthersquiltblog.com/ https://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/

A little different

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Ideas for creating my mandalas just keep coming.  This is the start of a new one.  I have cut a circle of wool felt and then needle felted some silk scraps into it.  It doesn't look like much yet.  I haven't started any of the beading and stitching as I have other projects to work on first.  I think stitching through this will be a dream.

Water

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I am still playing with my water series.  Here I have used a rubbing template and oil sticks on silk.  That is the first layer.  Second, I used a shell slice and oil stick to create another layer.  I am not sure if this one is finished.  It may need another layer. I am linking to http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

Junk Journal

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How many journals does one person need?  I have at least 10 on the go at the moment.  How crazy is that?  It actually isn't surprising given my penchant for excess.  Whatever, I have fun!  This page was done in my junk journal.  The base page is braille from an old book.  Love the texture!  You probably recognize the tree from yesterday.  I had made a colour copy of the fabric piece to test out my idea.  I figured there was no point in wasting it and added it to my journal.

Work in Progress Wednesday

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Rarely, if ever am I happy with what I create in a workshop.  I took a curved piecing workshop oh so many years ago.  In that workshop, a very kind lady gave me a piece of pink floral fabric because the colours went so well with the colours I was using.  True, the colours matched but the style of that fabric was so wrong.  Over the years I have returned to that piece to try to make it right and had no success, see the top photo.  I have wanted to throw it out but just couldn't bring myself to do that.  This week I decided to cut it up to see what would happen.  I used my favourite tree shape as it always makes me happy.  I then applied some gold transfer foil and some gold fabric paint (an ode to Klimt).  I quite like these trees!  I think I have enough to create one more of them.  I am not exactly sure what I will do with these trees but it will come to me. On another note, I do an art program with seniors.  Yesterday while teaching I chatted with one of the volunteers.  She

Kaleidoscope

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Creativity is a lot like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. You look at a set of elements, the same ones everyone else sees, but then reassemble those floating bits and pieces into an enticing new possibility. Rosabeth Moss Kanter I am linking to http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com

Water

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This is my weekly water experiment.  I adhered transfer foil to the fabric base.  I stitched some sari silk strips to the top of that.  So simple but it works. I am linking to http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/