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Archive for the ‘handstitching’ Category

Oops! I’m Back

Monday, March 13th, 2017

Well, I haven’t been anywhere, but I have been busy, busy. We had a visit from our California peeps at the end of February. We had lots of fun family time together. Here is Paige at OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry).

I also got wrapped up in getting my resist piece done. First, I made the letters, using some snow dyed fabric in my stash.

Then I cut up a whole bunch of my pink and fuschia fabric to make one of my collaged backgrounds.

I used some of my own photos and found other copyright free photos on Flicker of the Women’s March in January. I printed these on Jacquard ExravOrganza sheets.

I collaged and fused them to the pink background. It is now ready to be trimmed and backed and quilted! I am quite happy with it. I am going to tweak the colors in the resist a bit with some paint or color pencil.

Here is a detail shot with a photo of Mr C and I.

As you know, I share studio space with my daughter. She is amassing quite a body of work.

The other thing I have done is finish samples for my wool stitching class at Trinity Cathedral.

The first class was last Wednesday. I have two young boys, 8 and 10, a teen-age girl, 3 guys, and several women. My assistant got sick so it was a bit daunting to work with everyone by myself. They had a bit of a problem getting the idea of making a freezer paper pattern for each part of their chosen object even though I demonstrated it with the piece I am making along with them!! It was fun and time flew by.

 

 

 

Been Stitching!

Thursday, February 16th, 2017

Time flies when you are busy stitching. I finished the silk stitch along. Here is the practice piece.

They both turned out quite well. If someone had shown me the finished piece, I would never have believed that I could do this, but little by little, it was done. The edges are turned under and it is backed with a piece of felt.

I made this for Paige for Valentine’s Day.

My hope piece did not get into the SAQA textile poster exhibit, but I am going to enter it into the Threads of Resistance exhibit which already has 12 venues. I am starting work on another piece.

Today, I have been working on getting samples done for an art quilt class I am doing for Trinity on Wednesday nights in March. This year I decided to do hand stitched wool felt quilts. This one is ready for some fancy stitching.

 

 

 

Mixed Feelings

Thursday, February 2nd, 2017

I finished this and entered it in the SAQA poster call for entry. I don’t know if it will make the cut,  but I am happy with it. It was totally inspired by last month’s political mess. I often post doom and gloom on facebook, but intersperse it with messages of hope. So, it is a very personal piece. I named it after the Emily Dickinson poem, Hope is the thing with feathers. I think I wrote a very good artist statement about it.

Here is a detail:

I used a lot of bright pink as an homage to women everywhere. It is the women leading the resistance movement.

My daughter, Lisa, won some beautiful yarn at an event and gifted me with it. I will have lots of beautiful knitting in my future.

Here is where I am in the silk stitch along.

This is my practice piece with the background stitching done.

I have just started the background on this one.

Today we finally had our STASH Christmas luncheon. So, now I can show you the gifts I made back in December. One of my high school friends gifted me with a microwave cozy when I was home last summer. I have really enjoyed using it when I heat up a mug of water or a bowl of soup. I started by choosing some batiks and complementary solids from my stash.

 

I cut 1o inch squares and sandwiched with 100% cotton batting. Here they are,waiting to be stitched.

 

Voila!

If you want to make some, just google Microwave Cozy and several tutorials will show up in your search.

When we left the restaurant, I said good-bye to everyone and went to my car. Someone had parked so close that I could not get in the driver’s side. I was beside myself. I got in the passenger’s seat and tried to hoist myself over, but was unsuccessful. It was a shopping center so I had no idea where the other driver was or how long they would be. I was so upset. Called Mr C to whine. I had on thick soled shoes so I thought if I took of my shoes, I might have enough room to get my legs over the console and slide into the passenger seat. It worked! How is that for a rather chunky 78 year old?

I have mixed feelings because I have so much goodness in my personal life and yet I feel so despondent over what is happening to our country.

I’ve Got This

Sunday, January 29th, 2017

Whew! I recovered from my very bad sinus infection and finally got to the studio to work on this. It is now being quilted here at home. It is simple straight line quilting so I should finish it tomorrow, photograph it on Tuesday and submit it.

I used some snow dyed fabric from a couple of years ago (or more) for the hope background. I was able to use up a lot of the murky, not quite black fabric that I dyed last year for the main background. I wanted the hope segment to be a beacon beaming out from the murky darkness of the current political morass of this country. And considering the amount of citizen involvement this week-end, I am feeling some hope.

I found this fabric in my stash of backing fabric. I think it works perfectly.

Since I have been ill and indisposed and then working like crazy to get the hope quilt done, I am a bit behind on my silk stitch along.

Here they are with the latest stitches.

Having this to work on in the evening really helps to center me and calm me down.

All I’ve Got is Hope

Thursday, January 26th, 2017

I felt enough better to spend some time at my studio this afternoon and got this far on my hope poster. I will go back tomorrow and hopefully get it to the quilting stage.

I have gotten behind on my silk stitch along. Here is the progress so far.

I am so glad I had this to work on while I have been down with the crud.