bunches o'stuff

The February Daily Art Challenge really spurred me on to working on some different things as we rolled into March.  I had dyed a few cuts of silk with men's silk ties and worked those in with sheer scarves and a few bits of crochet (something else I've been puttering a lot with, as evident in recent blog posts!) I am really happy with how it turned out. I am still trying to decide how to finish it, so for now it's in the sewing studio waiting for my decision.

I also wrapped up the model for the newest cross stitched quilt block design, another deconstructed block pattern that I've finally settled on naming Trail Mix.  Stitched over two threads on 28ct. Dense Fog hand dyed Jobelan from Wichelt Imports using DMC threads.  Finished size 108w x 108h. 

Next in the Q-Snaps, another quilt block inspired piece called Farmer's Daughter, a design based on the farmer's daughter quilts.  Really excited about this next one. Lots of color and variation.  Also have a few mixed media pieces started, so more on that as things develop!

fun!

While I don't have any images to share, I have stumbled upon a few fun places to visit!

Social Fabric: The Textile Museum of Canada  (Looky looky Auntie S!)

Past Imperfect  (The art of inventive repair)

Indian Heritage

While in Fargo, we stopped at a shop (that I cannot recall the name of just right now!) that had the most colorful and interesting jewelry and textiles, most of which were fair trade. Some of the pillow covers, bags and throw blankets were made in the style of boro cloth, and were amazing. When we move Nate in August, I think I will make another stop and a few purchases! I will be sure and photograph and share the eye candy.

We also stopped at a few thrift shops, and I found a new bag that is big enough for my "purse" stuff, my notebook, sketch pad and pencils too.  I also nabbed this beautiful scarf in cream, I think it is linen, no tag on it so I have to give it another feeling up to see if I am right. A few other textile tidbits, someloosely woven and worn through napkins colored indigo , a single cream cloth napkin that has a very interesting smocking pattern in it. And, finally, I found four gently used summer tops. 


Now its time to hop back into the stitching! I hope to have Walking Zack wrapped up and out by the weekend, and then I'm not sure what I'm moving on to. I see another bird in my head, but I've yet to stitch him up! 

gifts from my mama

In the spirit of storytelling with cloth, mending and patchwork and slow stitching, my mom recently brought me a box of things that she found in various drawers in numerous hutches and chests in her home.  Linens edged by hand, flour sack towels, embroidered bits of this and that, some needing mending and other pieces stained during times when she made strawberry rhubarb jam or some other sweet treat.

Tomorrow we leave for Fargo, North Dakota and NDSU for my son't college orientation. Well, he'll be orientating. We will be shopping! I've already mapped the thrift shops. Hopefully I will bring home some goodies. I need something to distract me from the fact that in a few short weeks my darling boy will be leaving my home for his own adventures. 

upcycle & recycle

I spent some time stitching today, but then ran out of the Kreinik braid I am using in the new tree design...so I sorted through my fabrics and  clothing I had intended to take to the thrift shops today. Of course a few items were pulled back out again as those ever-spinning wheels in my over-active head started their telltale "have I got an idea for you!" squeaking. 

I behaved myself, however, and tucked them back away...for now. There are, after all, other projects I need to finish first!

While I have always been one who has looked for ways to bring new life to old things, (and many of my cross stitch designs include a variety of embellishments I have found, rescued, collected and lovingly snipped off of clothing with patches on their patches.) I had not thought about clothing as medium for art. While digging around and wandering through a variety of images I found a few that I thought were intriguing.

Derick Melander  "Flesh of my Flesh" (2008) 

by artist Guerra De La Paz

http://inhabitat.com/rememberme-chairs-made-from-recycled-clothes-are-really-stylin/

I do not intend to do anything like this myself, but I always find it interesting just how many different ways clothing and other textiles can be used, even after it might seem to some that they are worn out!

Terrific Tuesday

It has been a wonderful day and it is only half-way finished!

I learned some things about textile design and received some encouragement to keep working on concepts I have been developing. It was a much needed spark to my creativity. I had been feeling pretty frustrated lately as I tried to get a break or even just an evaluation of my artwork as it applied to fabric design. I have a direction again and I am very excited to see what I can put together with the suggestions I received!

Blight, Broomhilda & Booz has been released by Hoffman Distributing, and our wobbly pile of Halloween pals seems to be popular so far. Good to see as I love doing Halloween projects. I did not have time to knock out another one and get it out there for stitchers before Halloween would be upon us, so I am currently stitching the first of the new Snowman line. I don't have a name for them yet, but stay tuned. I'm sure something will come to me soon enough!

I have also come across a HUGE lot of pretty little buttons in a variety of colors. I found them at the thrift store and I immediately envisioned this flower bed with catepillars crawling about on the stems.  I know we're heading into fall and winter, (shhhh, I know, don't mention the end of summer!) but I think I will sneak this design into the rotation over the winter months.

A few pretty petals to break up the stark white of winter (at least here in Minnesota!) are always welcomed.

Mixed Media Monday Challenge: Vintage Ads and Labels

My piece this week for the MMM Challenge of Vintage Ads and Labels is a small  wall piece of layered fabrics. The starch ad is pinned to the fabric, and the small embellishment is acutally a Singer Sewing Machine tin emblem which unfortunately did not photograph very well!

I've sort of continued on with the organic, heavily textured pieces that I have done the last few weeks with the MMM Challenges.

This was a fun challenge! Thanks, Rosie!

It is another rainy day here in Minnesota, and so I am planning a full afternoon of stitching.  I am almost done with Fall Meditation of the miniature mandala group, and I think this my favorite so far. Might be due to the fact that Fall is my favorite season!

Nature's Textures

I have been taking a lot of creative inspiration from nature as of late.  Yesterday I was in the studio for awhile in the afternoon sorting through some new-old fabric that I had found at the thrift stores, and I ran across some photos I took some time ago of the bark of old trees.  My original intent was to try and recreate those textures with fabric, or to digitally manipulate the images and print them to fabric. 

This morning my daughter and I went for a walk in the woods with cameras in hand and I took a few more pictures as different natural textures caught my eye.  These were stone and bark primarily, but I also snapped a few of the greener things we came across.

Now for a weekend amidst heaps of fabric and fibers and these pictures to see if I can put down what I am seeing in my head!

The Color of Emotion

After charting a few new Little Snowballz patterns last night, I opened up Photoshop and started playing with color and texture. With everything that is going on with my dad and after my post yesterday, I wanted to put color to those emotions I was feeling.

Right now of course there is a lot of black and a range of greys, but color working its way to the surface. Those brighter memories trying to find space.

I hope to work further with this image and incorporate the elements in textile form, and maybe even do something with the acrylics that have sat for too long.