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Archive for the ‘My creations’ Category

Missing in Action

Thursday, May 4th, 2017

Just about every day, I tell myself I should blog. I have noticed that I am not the only blogger who has slacked off. I will blame social media and the current political climate for taking my energy for sharing. And, I have been really busy. I finished the resist quilt and got it photographed to enter into Threads of Resistance. I also entered my Hope piece. There are some awesome pieces made for this show so I know I may not get in, but it was very therapeutic to make this.  Here is a detail shot.

I finished teaching the 5 week class at Trinity. I had lots of fun working with a multi-generational group.

I have been finishing up work for the Trinity Circus of Life show. Here is the final rendition of Send in the Clowns. Someone left a bit of a snarky comment about this the last time I post in progress work. I am sorry that she thought it was inappropriate for me to bring politics into my work, but I think that art has been a way to express such feelings since the beginning of time.

I also have entered my Christo’s Gates Redux piece. Not that political!! But, I think the gates evoked a bit of circus vibe.

The week-end that the show opens, we can sell smaller, unframed work. I am making some arty oven mitts and will also have some of my smaller embroideries and art quilts. Here are some of the patchwork I sewed to make the mitts.

I have lots of work to do for the Circus show. I have to prepare the database for all artists and their work and create bar codes for the bin art. I need to teach someone else how to do this so I can retire!!

 

Send in the Clowns

Thursday, March 23rd, 2017

I have been working on this piece for an exhibit at Trinity with the theme The Circus of Life. I just had to do this piece because I feel as if Washington DC is a circus with a bunch of clowns trying to govern. Here are details:

I printed resistance words for the background.

It is very therapeutic to work on a piece like this. I am so frustrated with all  the bad stuff being done to our country. I worry about how we will ever get back to normal and doing things that are actually good for people and the planet.

I have been having fun teaching my wool felt stitching class on Wednesday nights at Trinity. Here are some photos of the designs they are working on.

I made this rooster to demonstrate adding the decorative embroidery stitches.

So you can see that I have been busy. I am having some trouble getting around because of plantar fasciitis in my left foot. I miss being able to take Scooter for long walks. Today, I went to REI and bought some New Balance walking shoes and orthotics. I am noticing a difference tonight. But, dang, they are kind of ugly shoes and I so want to have warm weather and to be able to wear sandals again. Hope springs eternal.

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.