Green and Blue for Emmy

My Fiber Art Friends swap partner for March is Emmy. We are making a fabric page for each other and when the swap is over, all those participating will have several pages to put together into a fabric book. Emmy's theme is blue and green. I know for me it isn't officially March yet, but I had a brain storm and had to go with it. So I'm really ahead of the game on this one.

The focal point on this piece is a paper landscape. I used a glue stick to adhere the paper to a stiff backing (peltex). I did a little free motion stitching on the paper. I then used some different fabrics for the background layers. The light blue layer is a piece from the silk fusion I posted about yesterday.

I hope you like your page Emmy!

Okay, I'm a CopyKitty

Lately while browsing around and checking out what all you crafty bloggers have been doing, I've been seeing where some of you have been creating silk fusion. Sue has another class going on at Joggles and I'm seeing the results from those of you who are taking the class. Well I started getting the fever and just had to make a sheet of silk fusion today.

I did this one different from what I've done before. And mind you, I've only done one before, so, yes, this is only my second time making silk fusion. I started out with a layer of natural silk, I believe the label called it tussah silk. For the second layer, I used some soy silk I had purchased from Joggles. I carefully spread a couple colors of the soy silk so the colors were well distributed. I then used some silk throwster's waste, also from Joggles, and put little bits here and there. Don't know if you can actually see those little bits here and there in the photo, but they are there. Trust me!

Well here is the colorful side:


And here is the natural side. The color from the other side is really showing through and I also think some of the color bled and probably dyed the natural silk somewhat. Now that this is done, I think I like the natural side better. Oye!


I also had to run a few errands today. One of those errands was a stop at Super Walmart. While at Walmart I almost always make time to cruise through the pitiful little craft section. I always check out the remnant bin and the clearance areas. Well today I didn't find anything in those bins, but I did come across some wool yarn in colors I don't have. And I also picked up a few sheets of kunin felt.



Thanks everyone for your suggestions on what to do with my "not so successful experiment piece". I had a suggestion from Lynda (Hi Lynda!) to zap it with the heat gun. Well I tried it and it didn't work so hot (pun intended). I wonder if the acrylic paint is too thick. Well I guess I'll just chalk that piece up to a failure and try, try, try to remember to use a different paint next time.

Experimenting

In my previous post, I showed you a piece I worked on with meltable fabrics. I forgot to mention that after I had free motion stitched the piece I then applied heat with my heat gun and melted away some of the layers.

Anyway...I wasn't too happy with it. So I cut it into four pieces and did stuff. I was feeling a little bit wreckless. I actually thought of Lynda (Hi Lynda!) while doing this. She is always doing some really interesting things and I tried to think like she would while approaching ways to alter this piece.

In this first photo, I used a glue/water mixture and brushed quite a bit over the layered piece. I then took two sheets of scrunched up, then reflattened tissue paper and spread it over. I added more glue/water. Then I added about three colors of Dye-na-flow and spread that around. Left it to dry. Once it was dry you couldn't see any of the original piece, but I got these cool textury areas on the tissue. It almost looks like some embroidered stitches. The tissue ended up coming off the original piece quite easily. I think the glue soaked into the lower layers too much and didn't adhere well to the tissue. But I can still experiment further with the layered piece. And I have a cool tissue sample to do something with.


For the next sample...I used about 4 colors of textile paints and put it here and there until most of the original fabric color was gone. I like how this turned out because I like this color much better and you can still see all the textures from the stitching and layering underneath.


The last sample I did was to use regular craft type acrylics and painted a piece of wonder under (fusible web). Let it dry. Then fused it to the layered piece. I don't like how this turned out at all. You cannot see any of the original piece through the wonder under layer. Perhaps I used the wrong type of paint for this technique. Any suggestions?


So there you have it. Since February's technique challenge in the Fiber Art Friends groups was to explore texture, I think I can include this.

Here is a felted pouch update: Five are lined and zippered. Five left!


Vicki asked in the comments from the last post, what am I going to do with all those pouches? Well, I think it's looking like I have a really good start on next year's Christmas gifts. Also, I'm just having so much fun knitting them.

Micki asked if I add the embellishments to the pouches before or after washing/felting. The embellishments are novelty yarns that are knitted right into the pouch...so they are added before.

Journal Quilt #8

I felt like gardening again. I guess I would have to say that gardening is my second favorite hobby after crafting. Perhaps I've told you that before. I can't remember.


Yesterday was a play day for me. I had been wanting to try this technique that I had seen in a past issue of Quilting Arts. You layer lots of bits of man-made type fabrics on top of a piece of wool felt. You need to use man-made fabrics that are meltable. Like polyester. Then after all your layered bits are on you cover the entire thing with a piece of tulle or organiza. Pin well, then free motion all over the surface. Here is my results.


I'm not too happy with my results. I realize I should have used lots more bits of stuff as there are several areas where you can see the bottom felt layer (light pink). Also I don't like the colors. Note for next try....use more stuff! Since I'm not happy with the results, I plan to alter it. I have a few ideas, not sure how any of them will work, but I will post my experiments when they are done.

Next I made some more fabric paper. One in blues, and one in greens.


And I had a few, nine to be exact, knitted pouches that needed to be felted, so I threw all of them into the washer and got these. I need to get going on putting linings and zippers in them, but that's my least favorite part and they seem to just sit there and make me feel quilty that I keep putting it off. My favorite part is the knitting. Can you tell, since there are so many?


By the way, the bottom row pouches are not bigger in real life. They are all about the same size. I just combined two photos into one and evidently I was standing closer to them in the second photo.

Aren't These Fabulous?

My mom is a decorative painter. She does the most awesome work. The other day she sent me this photo to show what she's been working on. I love the gourd birdhouses she does. I am the proud owner of one already. I should show it to you one day. These are fabulous mom! "Whatchya gonna do with them?" hint..hint..hint.

My Contribution

I'm joining a group of artists who are donating a piece of artwork to benefit Greenpeace. See the description below. To see the fabulous work that's been donated so far, please go here.

Details of Auction

In honor of Earth Day, we will be contributing to
Greenpeace (website Greenpeace.org). The main purpose
of this organization is protecting the environment
(forests, oceans, global warming etc.). This is your
chance to give back to "mother earth".

We will be using ebay as our auction with the proceeds
going directly to Greenpeace. We welcome any
fiber/paper creation. This will also be listed on our
blog at http://2007earthdayauction.blogspot.com/. So,
please bookmark this site and look to it for exciting
artists and their contributions.

If you are an artist and would like to donate something, check out the blog above for details. If you are a "mother earth" supporter, perhaps there is an art piece that excites you. If so, be sure to keep checking the 2007 Earth Day Auction blog above so you can keep track of when the auctions begins in April. Here is what I'm donating.

Go Girl Handbag - cotton duck, commercial batiks, hand drawn & painted girl art,
applique, free motion quilting, stamped designs, fully lined, 3 interior pockets,
magnetic snap closure, measures approximately 15" wide across the top, 9" tall, 4" deep.

Journal Quilt #7

This piece is a bit abstract, for me anyway. I love abstract work, but for some reason find it difficult to create. I started this with laying out blue strips in a light to dark fashion. I fused these to a stiff inner layer. I then took a piece of partially felted wool and layed it in the middle (purple piece). Over this I layed on some paper petals that I found in the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby. I think these paper petals are similar to what Sue calls fairy wings. In fact, Sue used fairy wings in her journal quilt this week too. I grouped the petals in groups of three, thinking of a flower. But now that I look at them, they remind me more of butterflies. Next I sprinkled in some angelina for some shimmer. I put over the top of all this a chiffon scarf that I had found one day at the thrift store. The scarf is a blue color and has a leafy print on it. I then free motion quilted around the butterflies and created some stitched leaves and swirls.

WIP Wednesday

Happy WIP Wednesday! Today I was busy. I painted some girl faces. I did some straightening in my studio. I knitted. I prepared some fabric sheets in Bubblejet Set in order to try out this method of printing on fabric. And....I made these two postcards.



The postcards are for Helen. We are partners in a texture swap. We sent each other materials for the other to make a postcard with. Here is a photo of what Helen sent me.


She sent some very interesting supplies. Some I had never used before, such as the silk carrier rods and the silk cocoons. It was fun getting to see and touch them, and play with them. The materials that Helen sent were very plentiful, so I decided to make two cards for her. And I still have a ton left over. Helen, I hope you enjoy your postcards.

Page for Mags

For the FAF group fabric page swap, I am swapping with Mags in February. Mags chose for her theme, curves, in the color scheme of red, orange, and yellow on a black background. Here's your page Mags, I sure hope you like it.

Spot of Tea?

Today I was again surprised by a box in the mail. This box contained the fabulous teapot that Sue created. Did you know I have a teapot collection? Well it's a small collection, which is good, because I don't have much room for any more. The collection I have is mostly teapots with cats on them. And maybe a couple or so with some other design that caught my fancy. Well I'm thinking I'm going to have to start a fabric teapot collection. Don't you? Thanks Sue, I feel honored to have your first teapot in my collection.


Here is a photo showing the before and after of the felted pouches. I'm getting a bit of variation in the afters. Some are bigger and some are smaller and the shapes vary also. Don't know exactly what is causing this, maybe my tension, maybe a few extra rows of knitting. Oh well...I guess they each have their own personality this way. I've got three more drying right now. I need to get the linings and zippers put into them. I've also got more planned for knitting.

Christmas Again

I received the most wonderful gift in the mail yesterday. I had no idea I was going to receive it and am still baffled as to why, buy hey, it was kind of like Christmas. This lovely journal book was made by Carol Straus. Thank you so much Carol, you have a kind and generous soul.



Today I finished up this little doo dad. It started out as wool yarn. I then knit it. Then I threw it into the washer with hot water and this is what came out. A little felted pouch. It measures just under 6" across the top. You could use it for a coin purse, some make up, or anything. I put a lining in it and a zipper closure. I had lots of fun making it and am in the process of making more. Stay tuned.

Journal Quilt #6

Well I'm not totally happy with this week's journal quilt. I think it's because I felt rushed and I really hadn't thought it out. I'm not sure exactly what I would have done different, but it's done and I'm going to live with it and move on from here.


I got the chance to finish up some items last night. Among those items was last week's journal quilt. I free motioned in some hair and finished up the edging.


And I finished up these postcards. I attached a shrink plastic charm to each one and then finished the edges.

Yummy Goodies

I've got lots of goodies to show you...okay, they aren't goodies that I've made, but they will be something someday. The first photo shows what I received early this week from Angelcat. She and I both share a love for cats. She has an extremely large (in my opinion) cat fabric collection and we tease each other about stealing each other's cat goodies. The only problem is, Angela lives in the UK, so it would be a long haul for her to come here and sneak into my kitty stash. Well Angela was very sneaky and sent me a package with a sampling of every single piece of her kitty cat fabrics. What a sweetheart she is. Most of these pieces are 4" square and you aren't even seeing half of them. It probably would have taken me an hour to lay them all out in a single layer. Thanks Angela, you rock!


The next photo shows some batiks I received today from Debra. Over on the Trader's Village blog I had listed a couple of things for trade and she sent me some batik fabrics for some wedding ring templates. Thanks Debra, these are great, I don't have any of these same designs.


And all the rest of the photos here are what came in a package from Joggles. Lots of yummy colors. I ordered the warm colored wool sampler, some silk throwsters waste, some Stef Francis threads, and Etal.




Oh, and the bestest, greatest, happiest news of all today....I got my sewing machine back. Yipppeeeeee!

You Gotta See This!

Do you remember the girl faces a few posts back, located here? Well you can see what happened to them if you go here. Sue did a fantastic job with them. I'm just in awe of her creations. Thanks Sue!

There have been a few questions from last post's comments. First of all, I'd like to comment that the wall I created is a display wall and not a design wall.

Joanna asked "How do you get things to stick to it"?
Lori (aka Elkhoundmom) asked "Is it a fully quilted quilt?"
Helen in the uk asked "Is it a quilt you are pinning things to or a painted area of wall?"

I made the display wall from a 1" thick piece of construction (insulation) foam. We cut it to the correct size. Then we put a layer of batting on it. Then I put on the fabric layer. The batting and fabric layer were wrapped around to the back and taped with duct tape. Bob then attached it to the wall with screws, making sure he was screwing into wall studs for better support. The fabric layer is not quilted. The art I've put on display is held up with small applique pins that are less than 1" long so that I can push them all the way in and not worry about hitting the wall. Hope this answers a few questions.

I Confess

I do have another sewing machine. But I hate it and don't like to admit I even have it. It's a cheapo Singer that I bought early in my sewing life. You know, why invest in an expensive machine if you don't know if you'll sew more than 5 inches. I've been trying to sell/get rid of this machine for a couple of years now, but have had no luck. But anyway, I drug it out and finished up my display wall. Bob has to leave again for a job out of town and I really, really wanted to get this thing done or else I'd have to wait for possibly 4 weeks to get this up on the wall.

This first photo shows it before I put any artwork on it.

Here is what it looks like with some art on it...these are some 6" square quilties and fabric postcards from swaps I've been in. Dead center is a cat I painted...it was my take on an idea I had seen on an HGTV craft show. Along the bottom I lined up my first 5 journal quilts. So....whatchya think of it?

Here is something new I tried....watercolor painting on watercolor paper. Up to this point I had only watercolor painted on fabric and thought I'd try this.

And here is my ever-so-helpful painting assistant. She likes to get right in there with me and most of the time lays right on top of what I'm trying to paint.

I had several comments on my last post about my journal quilt looking like me and if it was a self portrait. Well I certainly didn't plan it like that but looking at it right next to my profile picture over there on the right, it almost appears like it could have been a self portrait. Noooo, I just went and looked again....it's not me.

Journal Quilt #5

Here is my weekly journal quilt. It's not done yet as I need to finish around the edges and I want to do some free motion stitching on it. But alas, that'll have to wait. I'm starting to see a pile up of things waiting to be finished when the machine comes home. I think I'll be busy playing catch up for a day or two. I guess that depends on how much longer I have to wait till my sewing machine is done and home.

There have been some comments from first-time visitors to my blog recently, or maybe you lurked here for some time before commenting. They are: Denim Doll, Granny Fran, Suzanne Earley, Doreen G, zaz, Chriss, wabbit, and arlee. Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving comments. I love it when there are comments from someone who's been lurking or have just found me. And thanks to all of you who visit regularly and comment also.

In a past comment, Arlee asked "If you're using watercolours, how do you "fix" them so they don't bleed and fade or wash out?" While painting with watercolors on fabric, I don't always have the control I want and sometimes get too much bleeding into other areas. I do sometimes end up throwing a piece in the trash because it went way out of my control. I don't mind a little bleeding of colors, as I think this adds to the charm of watercolor painting. On most items, I use a spray fixative after I've completed the piece. They do seem to be waterproof after this.