Tickled Pink

I was tickled pink (does anyone say that anymore?) when Dr. Adams told me that the piece on the left called "Over the Rainbow" was purchased by a mom....talked into it by her 10ish year old son for his room.  When I made it I thought it would be great for a kids room....and knowing that's where it's going makes me smile.

The top piece in the middle called "Summer Day" is sold...and I got an order for another one...which I finished this morning. Luckily I had sewn a wide strip of the rainbow spectrum so it was fairly doable to remake it. I appropriately called it "Another Summer Day."




This close up looks a little wrinkly...but it's really OK in the frame. If I do more of these matted quilt pieces...I should do a little research on the best technique.  I am just making it up as I go along. The matte window is just 5 inches...so it's a sweet little quilt. I do love the little cloud loopy stitching. I got the idea from a quilter on Pinterest.

New Photo Art

I neglected to take a picture of these pieces in the space...but here is the new photo art I've added to my show...as seen on my kitchen floor.  I shared a couple up close already...here...and here.

 My original "Serenity" was popular and I have two orders. For one of them the buyer has provided her own photo. There is something very different...but really nice about the mixture of fabric and photo. I will probably work on a few more with other photos.

For the first one I used a piece of gold ribbon between the photo and the quilt. But per usual...I couldn't lay my hands on the ribbon spool. So I used gold lame fabric that I fused into a fold creating my own ribbon. Sometimes "making it work"...really WORKS!

This one is called "Diamond in the Rough."

This was an experiment.  I forgot to take a picture of it up close...so I zoomed in on it from the group picture...so it's a little fuzzy.  I used larger punched squares of blue skies....many of them with branches. I glued them down then stitched grid lines on all four sides of the squares. I'm calling it "Patchwork Skies."                                                                                                             

And finally...a second version of the umbrellas and flowers.  I called the first one "Color Story"....so this one is "Another Color Story."

Once I finish the special orders...I will start playing with fabric again...including the mix of fabric and photos. 

Unexpected "Happy" Horizons

As I was finishing putting things up this morning patients were coming in and out of the office...one word I kept hearing was "happy."

This bouquet sold today...as did one of the mobiles. There are several mobiles hanging in other rooms.



I learned a lot during this process....what worked and what I would have done differently. I will probably reflect a bit more....but for now it's up...and apparently it's happy.

My write up on one of the walls.

Now It's Done!

If you're a Project Runway fan you will understand this...if not...sorry. I am always puzzled by the fact that the finalist have 3 months to make their collections for fashion week....but they generally end up racing around at the last minute tweaking, reworking...or even making whole pieces.  But now I understand. 

I put up my little show tomorrow morning.  I've had a couple of months to prepare...but....I saved too much for today including another little tweak on "The Piece." 

After seeing the photo in the last post....I realized the white buttons were wrong...these are better....NOW it's done. Thanks Joan for helping me mount it on the canvas....it worked out well and I am pretty happy with "The Piece." Tomorrow it will be hanging on a purple wall in the office....and eventually it will look nice in either of my houses.

I wan't kidding...this is what's on the back.

This little piece I called "Serenity" I started it a while back...but forgot about it....so I basically made the whole thing tonight.  It's a photo of a sunset on the coast of Maine...with a little bit of gold ribbon and a tiny little quilt block.  The window  of the matt is only about 4 inches.  This is the kind of thing I want to do more of. I like mixing photos in with collages papers and fabric. 

Playing With Photos

A couple of 70 degree days helped my mini daffodils pop open.  Yesterday they were closed up tight.                                                                                          

While I was up in Maine a few weeks ago....I played around with photos....and today this one got framed.

I punched a bunch of photos squares and edged them all with a black sharpie. I like to cover the white edges...and the black gives each square a nice little frame.

This is how it looked at the beginning of the day...but I ended up trimming it down for framing...partly because I thought it was too busy...and partly because I already had a really nice matt with a black bevel that was just perfect. 

My matt was 9 by 11...not a standard size...so I opted for a black metal frame.  I bought sets of the lengths I needed and put it together today. Sometimes the sliver edge shows...but you can solve that problem by covering them with a black sharpie.

"That Piece"

I was talking with a a friend earlier this week and she said she hoped I had "that piece" in my show that said "I'm a serious artist"...and price to say that.  Yikes! I'm not even sure I AM a serious artist....but I was hearing what she was saying.  It was similar to the focal point Becky was talking about a while back. I thought I had a focal point...it was fun...but it wasn't really "that piece." And I thought my paper tube mirror was pretty cool...it wasn't "that piece" either.

I mulled it over all day long....woke up in the middle of the night and realized I could still make "that piece"....and I had some of the parts and all of the supplies. So Tuesday morning I got busy....and as of a few minutes ago it's almost done.  (10:00 p.m. Thursday)

It's 12" by 36" and will be mounted on a black canvas. It's been quite a process over the last three days. I took a few pictures along the way and I want to share some of what I learned...but that will be another day because I'm tired. This was a good thing for me to do...and I will probably even call it "That Piece." 

"Nice change"

It was a beautiful 70 degree day today.  I took a walk with Clarke ending at the Lexington Battle Green sitting on a bench enjoying the sunshine and scenery. And it was warm enough to have dinner on the back patio....it was a nice change.  

My friend Becky sent me a quote today from a novel she just finished called Where'd You Go Bernadette?

    We were quiet for a while, and then I said, "I think my favorite part of Antarctica is just looking out."
     "You know why?" Dad asked. "When your eyes are softly focused on the horizon for sustained periods, your brain releases endorphins. It's the same as a runner's high. These days, we all spend our lives staring at the screens twelve inches in front of us. It's a nice change."

I did spend some time "looking out" today....but I also spent some time looking down at my sewing machine focused on this horizon.

Experiment...Part 2

Well...here's where I ended with my Portland horizon collage experiment....or at least where I'm stopping for now. 

There are things about this I like...and things I would do differently.  I actually am anxious to try another one...I think there is potential for some fun and funky stuff! I do like the collage as an extension of the photo. Next time I will use more scraps from handmade papers....I like those elements the best.  I see collaged farm fields in my future!

Did you recognize the frame? In the collage world it's called a "support." I used the paint panel I had made up for the wool beach umbrella piece.  I think it needs something different...don't know what yet...but I'll figure it out.

I always intend to take more pictures of my process...but I get so wrapped up in the project that I forget.  

The last post shows a few beginning steps and I did take this picture when it was a little further along. Once I cropped the photo a bit...I adhered it to the panel with matte medium...including a top coat to knock down the gloss of the photo.  I made the bottom piece as a separate unit, trimmed it up and then adhered that. The swirls on the left are from a calendar...and they got a little wonky after I attached it...so I had to do some "cover up" with my embellishments. I definitely want to try this again and work on my technique!

Fall Horizon

In case you missed some posts....I am currently working on several pieces for a little art show in April. I am using the theme "unexpected horizons" to tie my pieces together and fabric is just one medium I will be using.  The show will be in my chiropractor, Dr. Adam's office gallery in Lexington and she invites any local artist to display their work for a month. Know anyone? Check out her website for more about her practice. Dr. Adams is also a stone sculptor...check her amazing work out here.

I made this little quilt from batiks and beautiful hand dyed fabric from Cherry Wood Fabrics. This one is inspired by fall horizons and fields on the farm.

As usual I'm still still mulling over the framing...but will probably go with this.  I thought I measured so carefully...but it ended up just a hair smaller than I would have liked....I wanted just a hint of the stripe showing. Staining the outer frame will help tie it all together.

I just realized as I see it on the screen that the little yellow square of the batik looks like a candle next to the navy one above it.

I'm also still deciding on the floss accents....I had some french knots but wasn't sure I like them so took them out.  I kind of sweat the details....so once again...I will set it aside.  It's far enough along to know it will work out in the end.

I found these chunky frames at Michaels...they were 40% off and another 20% my whole purchase....so they were literally less than $5 each. A chunky canvas that fits into the wooden frame that I edged with striped fabric using matt medium.                                                                           

The cover of this planner I made for Connie was also done with hand dyed fabric from Cherrywood. Their colors are so rich! These fabrics came in a set called "Tropicana." I have enough for lots of projects! I'm seeing some horizons in these colors!

Mulling It Over

I often have a hard time figuring out framing....and I'm mulling over what to do with my little felt piece inspired by the beach umbrella horizon.

I did some loopy free motion stitching at the top...just to suggest water and sky and a blanket stitch along the edge. Per usual I may have gone a little overboard with the orbs....but it's too late now.  And for the sake of not overdoing even more...I opted not do add any embellishments on the bottom....although I have a few ideas.....

I stained a 6x8 paint panel and edged the top with strips of blue and white striped card stock....for interest and a nautical nod to striped beach umbrellas.  I haven't glued it down yet...because I'm still mulling it over.

Commets? Suggestions?

Sometimes it's good to put it aside for a while...I've got several other things brewing.

Horizon On The Farm

This horizon is an eastern view from the farm I grew up on in Wisconsin. This field was across the driveway from the house...sometimes it was planted with corn, sometimes with wheat or soybeans.  

When darker clouds were coming in from the east...and the west was clear with the setting sun behind us...the sun would shine on the back of the field and the front would be in the shadow creating this incredible glowing stripe on the horizon line.

I always loved it when that happened!

I showed this little piece before but since then I added a little sequence and beads at the bottom and settled on a shell button for the moon. It's still not attached to the chunky canvas...I'm still mulling that over.

I made it before I landed on my horizon theme. But it works...and reminds me of the glowing fields. I guess horizons were rattling around in my head all along.

I will likely make a set of four little scenes like this for the show...inspired by the horizons on the farm.

Here is the same field with soybeans....and the sun and shadow line starting to narrow.

And....just for fun...here are my boys years ago in the same field when it was wheat.  

Unexpected Horizons

I've been thinking, sketching and perusing my inspiration spaces and places thinking about my little office show....sometimes wondering "WHAT WAS I THINKING!" 

I kept drawing lines....horizontally and vertically...speckled with buttons and beads, felt and fabric. But I needed a focus...a theme...something to inspire what I make and pull it together. Then it hit me a few days ago....horizons...."unexpected horizons!"

About the same time this quote came across my Pinterst feed...and that clinched it.

I have taken hundreds of photos....and have hundreds more memories of beautiful and changing horizons. So many colors...so many textures.

"You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore. " William Faulkner

This photo was taken by my friend Gail....her photos turned out better than mine. 

I've gathered wool, felt and buttons to make an unexpected horizon inspired by this color...full photo from Martha's Vineyard.  I love a rainbow spectrum....so this will be fun. Stay tuned.