Labor of Love!

Merry Christmas Eve! We got a dusting of snow this morning....so we're going to have a white Christmas after all! 

Paul was gifted this colorful star made from the old church stained glass windows from the Blue Point Congregational Church.

It's was labor of love....and a wonderful symbol of the season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Roseanne sent me this article from The New York Times: How Babies Teach us to be Human. It's about babies and advent...and it's about LOVE...and it's worth a read!

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/23/opinion/christmas-story-child-born.html?unlocked_article_code=1.j04.qUX9.37s4TWhfxxyW&smid=em-share

4's and 5's

The 4th project in the Creative Circle class was to make a round stained glass piece inspired by stars made starting with the number 4.  We were also encouraged to add circles/berries made using the number 5. 

I added the gold dots with a paint pen.....and had to photograph it at an angle so the dots would catch the light.

Using numbers as a starting place has been so interesting.  It forces us to be a bit wonky....and less predictable. No two stars turn out the same. 

I hooked all the 5's to the stars....and added a little green triangle to give a nod to a little leaf on the berries.  Then I just kept adding lines to connect all the stained glass pieces. It was a lot of fun to paint.

A few days ago after writing about the project going on my dining room table....I got an email from Susan from Scotland with what she's been doing on her table. Susan belongs to a textile group and they have been exploring birds.

Susan also signed up for the Creative Circle class....and this is her stencil wreath using the #3...which she used to frame her cross-stitched bird.

And we both signed up for the same little mini course on making Beautiful Books by Gina Ferrari (I haven't started yet) and Susan made a little book to house all her birds.  Her cover fabric even features a duck.

Here are a couple more birds in her book. Well done Susan!!! Thanks for sharing what was on YOUR dining room table!

I also just got a fabulous card and gift in the mail all the way from England.  After expressing interest in my torn paper flowers I sent a set of directions and a little pile of painted papers to Kate.

She...in turn sent me this lovely JOY card.....  

....and a fun selection of momigami papers she made. Momigami paper is paper that has been kneaded with starch making it soft....and almost fabric like.  It feels incredible. The colors are bright....but muted....and will be fun to find a way to incorporate into an art piece. Thanks Kate!  I love them.

Stained Glass Shuffle

It always takes me a while to get back into my groove after being away....transitions are a challenge for me.  And when I immerse myself in a project like I did in Colorado....it stays with me for a while.

So for those who might be interested....I thought I would give a few perspective shots of Liz's place....and take you on a little tour.  And....I also wanted to share about the Shupe stained glass shuffle.  

(Warning....I had a Condo Board workshop tonight....so I'm finishing up this post very late for me....so the editing will be worse than usual.)

Liz's bedroom is off on it's own at one end of the condo to the left as you enter the front door....and the kitchen is to the right.  We only did a few things in the kitchen.....so I didn't take any photos...and you've already seen the bedroom.  

The kitchen is open to Liz's den/TV room....a warm and inviting space with a fireplace and sliding doors out to one end of her lani.  Do you see the stained glass panels there on the left above the bookcase?  They've done a bit of a shuffle.

Years ago I made stained glass pieces for all of Paul's family....Margie and Dave, Liz, and Alyson.  These three panels were originally made for Alyson's first home.  They fit perfectly in the passthrough between the kitchen and living room and softened the glare of the kitchen light.  She took them with her when she moved....but never had a place for them. So they recently got shuffled to Liz's and they fit perfectly in this spot above the bookcase.....it's like they were custom made for this spot.

This is what they look like from the other side.

And the piece I made for Margie and Dave's Colorado home has gotten shuffled to Alyson's lanai.  

I told the story of Margie and Dave's Mountain View here in this post: http://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-mountain-view.html

But this is the photo I love of it in the late afternoon light in their Greeley home during one of my visits.

And I already shared the piece I originally made for Liz....which she has shuffled to her new bedroom.

Now back to Liz's tour.

As you leave the den and kitchen area you enter the dining room and library area....and most importantly the puzzle area in the middle.  Liz always has a puzzle going....just like Margie and me. The table was a staging area for a while....so she can finally get one going again.

With the dining room finally finished....there is a nice flow and balance between the dining room and the library. It's now warm and cozy and tells a full story of the many layers of Liz's life and loves.

At the far end of the condo is another large bedroom and bath. Her husband Chuck  built this beautiful cabinet that you see through the doorway....which now holds Liz's puzzles. Chuck is missed.....he passed away a few years ago after a long illness.

Liz is using this as her project room/office and it's still a work in progress.  There will eventually be some sort of a fold out guest bed here....and for now it's the staging area and catch all room.  Everyone needs a room like this.  Liz has a desk and a nice long table near the window for her card making and other projects. It's a pleasant space with lots of potential. 

Friends Helping Friends

"It's easier to build up confidence that to tear down arrogance. The people with the most potential are the ones who know they have a lot to learn."  Adam Grant

The daffodils are blooming in some of the sunny spots on our walking routes....there's always something new to see this time of year.

Like this sweet blue striped beauty. My app says it's "striped squill."

I took a field trip to Cotton Weeds Quilt shop in Freeport this morning to watch Jane quilt my colorful quilt for a little while. It's kind of mesmerizing.....and she's amazing.

The backing is purple....and the quilting pattern is kind of retro geometric.

How am I so lucky to have such a good friend willing to do this for me!

For those of you new to the blog....here's something I did for Jane three years ago....a stained glass privacy window for her bathroom.  

Here's a post with a glimpse into my process: 
http://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/08/thinking-outside.html

It was hard to see the textures in the clear glass in the photo above...so here's another shot before it was installed.  Lots of patterns in the glass....just like my quilt.  Friends helping friends....how lucky are we!

Love

The last week of Advent began today....the week of Love.  

I've had this image sitting on the desktop of my computer for quite a while....and it seems like the perfect day to share it.  

All these things are hugely important: hope, joy, compassion, empathy, understanding and unity....but maybe the most important is love.

The artist is Lynn Giunta and I love her inspiring words in happy colors and chunky lettering.  You can check out her Instagram page here.

Amy sent me a photo of the fabric stained glass piece all framed and hanging in place. I think it looks wonderful in the frame and coordinates really well with the other pieces in the corner. You can read more about my process making this piece here in this post.

Amy used an online company that custom makes frames to any size. 

This type is called a floating frame and the canvas piece drops right in.  There's nothing like a good frame to elevate a craft project to a piece of art and I am grateful to Amy and Lisle for taking me on this colorful journey with them.

Another one of Lynn's pieces:

 

Delivered

I delivered the commission fabric stained glass piece today!  I'm relieved that it's done....and even more relieved that Amy and Lisle seem to love it.  Phew!

Amy and Lisle are going to order a simple edged wooden frame that it will drop into...that's been the plan all along.  It will coordinate well with the other art in this corner of their family room and make it a bit larger to better fit the space.  We were pleased that the bright colors of the large painting were balanced by the vivid batiks in the fabric piece with the softer, smaller pieces in between. And I personally love that right now they have stained glass lamp sitting on the table...and I secretly hope it stays.

I mounted it on a deep edge canvas...and the black binding that almost seamlessly wraps around elevates it to an art piece rather than an art quilt. Kudos to Colorways by Vick Welsh. Vicki's black hand dyed fabric is so nice to work with...it almost looks like suede.  And I'm certain that most of the solids that are interspersed with the batiks are her hand dyed fabrics too.

Here's just a little glimpse into the journey.

Once again I worked on stiff interfacing making drawing the pattern and fusing much easier.  This time I drew the longer branches in red.  I wanted to make sure they were evenly distributed and to remember to use a little bit wider black strips to cover them.  The red marks really helped.

Using a sliver of soap for marking and a good pair of scissors I started puzzling in the pieces. 

I only lightly fused the pieces and once I had them all tacked on I just kept looking at it for few weeks trading colors here and there. It's so hard to tell without the black...but at some point you just have to go with it. 

Once I was satisfied I gave it a good hot pressing...with a pressing cloth of course....to really fuse the pieces in place

Then I started adding the black....small branches first...

...then the large branches and landscape, and finally the tree trunks. I numbered the trees at the bottom because I wanted #1, which were the closest trees, wider....#2 next and #3 in the distant being the skinniest.

It's always a bit nerve racking to trim it....but it has to be done.  I cut it exactly the size of the large 15 x 30 deep canvas. I cut the binding and added an inch or so of fusible webbing to the edge.

Once the binding was sewn on I glued the piece to the canvas using soft gel medium....another part that's a little nerve racking.  I have to work quickly....so no photos. Then I stretched the binding around the piece and fused it to the back.

I finished it late in the day last week....and brought it down stairs to photograph on the floor but it was already too dark.  But you do get a glimpse of our undecorated Christmas tree with one row of lights out....I need to work on that. Then again, maybe it's fitting to have some missing lights for this odd 2020 Christmas.  I thought the fabric actually kind of glowed in the low lighting...especially the row of sunshine yellows.

Thank you Amy and Lisle for trusting me with this piece and supporting my art.

Just Getting Started

Every once in a while I'm compelled to buy a little fabric.

I saw this Alison Glass assortment of bright and colorful plaids online....and I couldn't resist.  It's going to be a while before I can do something with it...but in the meantime I'm just going to bask in the glow!

I'm just getting started on my commission fabric stained glass piece.  I've had the basic sketch done for quite some time....but life has take me in a few different directions as of late.  And...because it's a commission it seemed more important than ever to get it right so I was hesitant to even start. If I didn't start....I couldn't screw it up. 

I'm pretty much modeling it after this last one I made....with just a few tweaks.  The biggest change is eliminating the straight green horizon line...the whole lower landscape part is going to be more curvy. 

For anyone new to the blog...you can read more about this piece here:

http://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2020/08/in-studio.html

Since it's a commission piece I want Amy and Lisle to see the finished product before I write too much about it here....but I wanted to let you know one of the things I'll be up to in the studio for the the next few weeks. I've already worked my way into the reds and oranges so I'm making progress....but this all I'm going to share for now. It feels good that I'm finally getting started.