Another Catalog Experiement

Using the squares and circles technique in this post....I played around with more pages from the Gudrun's World catalog.

This experiment was done over several days so there's a lot here....read on if you're interested.

Again I worked on stabilizer this time adhering it with matte medium.  I put a sheet of waxed paper under my work and kept picking up the piece so it wouldn't stick. For those of you who aren't familiar with stabilizer it's lightweight fabric or interfacing used for adding stability to clothing items and craft projects. It comes in all kinds of weights and stiffness. Some of it is even fusible.

The next morning I was excited  to find that it almost felt like fabric when it was dry.  So why not just use fabric you might ask?  Because it's interesting and fun to repurpose catalogs....and it's unexpected. 

Next I went to the sewing machine and added some border stitching.

I liked it pretty well....and when I auditioned some buttons I knew I wanted to take it further. I should have planned the size a little better.....oh well....next time.

I cut it to fit the top of the 4 x 4 deep canvas frame I found in my stash and started thinking of ways to deal with the sides.

Using a second piece of lightweight stabilizer I used the same technique to add catalog strips that would wrap around each side. 

Once it was dry I added stitching.

Next I stitched on the top piece using a blanket stitch.

This stitch line will perforate a line so it will fold easily to wrap around the canvas.

Since this was just an experiment...I did just a little bit of hand stitching before I adhered it to the canvas. I used heavy gel medium which is really thick like paste....it held everything in place while I wrapped it.  

I think there's potential with this technique and and I love repurposing the catalogs. I learned a few things along the way such as hand stitching is tricky....if your needle comes up in the wrong spot it leaves a hole in the paper. (doesn't happen on fabric) And with all the layers of paper and medium it's kind of hard on the wrist to pull the needle through.  If I do this again I think I'll stick with machine stitching....maybe use some of the decorative stitches and some free motion quilting.

Words

Storypeople.com

Catalogs

In addition to the quilt series for my art show I also hope to make a few pieces using recycled pages from the beautiful catalogs I've been collecting.  

The last couple of weeks I've been playing around with different techniques using pages from this Gudrun's World....a beautiful catalog filled with colorful clothes and home textiles.  I do own one of their striped shirts.

Gudrun is a flamboyant Swedish artist/entrepreneur  who gets her inspiration from nature. Her watercolors are often featured in the catalogs and certainly on the clothes. She's not afraid of color!

"Landscapes, fruit and flowers are my true basic materials: fruit for its various shapes, flowers for their magnificence, beauty and variety, and landscapes for their freedom, view and grandeur. Influences and inspiration that are constantly transformed into new patterns in a never-ending flow..."  

One of the problems with catalogs pages is that they're a little flimsy and when you punch them the edge is sometimes a little raggedy. One of the ways to solve both problems is to fold the paper. It hides the edges and gives you a nice sturdy square or strip to work with.

The pages in this particular catalog have a nice matte finish which I like.  I also love that some of the product descriptions have colored backgrounds....and some of the pages have wonderful borders.

I played around with a few pieces randomly stitching them onto a piece of stabilizer.  I like the technique....now I just need more of a plan for a piece. 

Snow Drops

My sweet little snow drops from my sister Marilyn are blooming by my back door in Lexington.

Just a week ago they were covered with snow and a few days after that it was 70 degrees. Thank goodness they're pretty rugged and don't seem to mind the crazy back and forth. I'm certain there's more winter to come but they're the first sign that spring is coming.

Short Cut

I mentioned I wanted to make that little blue wonky star into a pincushion and I really needed one in Maine.  So I finished it up quickly a few days ago....taking a little short cut.

Rather than leaving an opening in the side for stuffing I cut a slit in the back and covered it with a piece of fused fabric.  No hand stitching required.   I agree....I could have picked better fabric....but this is what I had on hand and it's the back of a pincushion so it didn't really matter. 

After I stuffed it I just smooshed it with a hot iron to adhere the prefused fabric.                                                                    

 

And...I was so excited to get an e-mail today from my friend Anne who was inspired to make a wonky star for a shared journal page. I love it!  Thanks for sharing Anne! The world needs more wonky stars!

Quilt Quiz

I had to chuckle a few days ago when a friend (who will remain nameless) tried to read what was on the wall of my studio in this post. In her defense....the top line does look like "adobe."

It took a little while before the lightbulb came on that it was the ABC's and not some foreign language or secret code.  She was amused too and thanked me for helping her exercise her brain.  I actually think this piece is pretty amazing....it's cut out of one piece of wood.  I have a modest collection of ABC books....so am quite fond of this ABC wall art.

Today I'm offering a visual quilt quiz.

I stopped in at Jane's this afternoon to help her lay out a log cabin quilt she's been working on. It was a bit of a visual challenge....but I think we finally got it.

But when I got home and I looked at this picture I noticed one block was turned the wrong way breaking up the diagonal line the darker fabrics create. Can you spot it?

Hint...it's in the lower left area.

And it so happens that Jane lives at "Jane's Beach"...ha ha.....AKA Ocean Park, so we said hello to the ocean. It's a good day when it involve friends, quilts, and the ocean.

Found Joy

My friend Janet is walking beaches in Hawaii and found a little coral "JOY."  I love it!  Thanks for sending it to me Janet!

She claims I've inspired her to make arrangements with her beach collections and that makes me pretty happy. These photos are compliments of her facebook page....aren't they fun!  LOVE the bottle caps!

Quilt Progress

I've made some progress on the little pair of quilts. There's still more to do...more quilting and embellishments like buttons and maybe some hand stitching. 

I think the green might look better if I add horizontal wavy lines so it's more of a grid...it feels a little unfinished. And...there needs to be some sort of quilting on the polka dots.                                                                                                        

I only could find a few buttons around the house in Lexington....I've taken them all to Maine so these are just to get an idea.  I did end up using the burnt orange fabric which looks darker in the photo than it actually is.  I used variegated thread for that topstitching and only the lighter stitches show up in this photo. I'm still deciding on the tree for the orange one....keep it straight? curve it a bit?....add a branch?  

They're not glued onto the canvases yet....so letting them sit a bit is always good.

Balance.....

....without symmetry.

Ever since I hung my 1/2 cathedral window quilt in the studio in Maine I knew I wanted a high shelf on the opposite wall. I wanted to balance the size and scale of the quilt without being too symmetrical...and I'm a big fan of shelves.

So another one of my tasks last week was painting and installing the shelf. I randomly plopped a few things on it....so rest assured it will change and evolve. Styling shelves is one of my favorite puttering pass times.  I love that I have a special place for Connie's watercolor palette in the lower left. And...the little circular needle punch piece was one of the first things I brought to the studio and now has a featured spot too.

I'm quite fond of this felt ball mobile...I love how it plays off the colors and shapes in the needle punch. 

My goal is form and function.  I want to be surrounded by things I love....but I also want my supplies organized and accessible. 

Balance without symmetry....a studio space still very much in progress.

Stitching Time

Took a little time to stitch today.  

Pure and Simple Joy

We got several inches of fresh snow overnight and it made for a gorgeous morning.

As I walked to church I was quite taken with the pristine blanket of snow on the Lexington Battle Green.

I tapped into my inner child thinking how much fun it would be to walk through the snow...not around it....and I meandered a bit.

I had a few more minutes before the service started....so spread a little love.

After church I headed home....again through the snow.

This time I added a little joy....actually it's a pretty big joy....just because I could.

Pure and simple joy. 

Nice Little Pair

I'm looking forward to working on and hopefully finishing these two little quilts in the next couple of days.  I just shared the plan for the second one with the star...and here is the basic plan for the third one. They actually make a nice little pair and will hang together like this.  I'm still wondering if the dark orange in the bottom one is too strong....but it leads so nicely to the next one which will be oranges and reds. We'll see.

I was away in Maine for a full week and surprised to see absolutely no snow in the yard in Lexington....but more on the way tonight.  I took a little walk...and this was my "found object" for the day....gotta love a bright red reflector. It's time for a bigger jar.    

I loved seeing the rainbow flag flapping in the wind as I walked by the Unitarian Church on the Green. This church is just so pretty.