More Fluttery Goodness

More over on my photography blog, Approachable Photos!

Compositional Conversation- Stage 10

It's been an amazing journey so far with our collaborative art piece, Compositional Conversation, and the road hasn't ended yet: there are still three more artists to put their hands to the work before Terry Jarrard-Dimond finally takes over and brings it all home for us. In the meantime, Paula Swett has contributed her amazing voice to our ever-evolving Conversation, and her report and photographs are now posted on Terry's blog for all to see and comment on.

Fat Quarter Madness!

Guess what I did today?

My first task towards the end of the week was to prepare fabrics for the commission piece I'm doing. While I've promised not to post photos of the work in progress, I don't think it hurts to show you the fabrics.

The above three pieces were painted with Dye-Na-Flow fabric paints. They were a tremendous pain in the tush to color set, but after many runs through a hot dryer and some ironing, I managed to keep most of the color from washing out in the machine.

Along with these vibrant yellow/orange/red pieces, I've also finished a blue-to-teal gradation as a compliment.

The quiet, slow task of hand-dyeing fabrics always makes me feel a bit like an Earth Mother. Something about the feel of stiff white muslin in my hands, the puddles of jewel-toned dyes, the lengthy wash-out, hanging yardage outside to dry on the line- it all adds up to long, tiring days that leave me utterly blissed out and feeling connected to the women across the ages who labored similarly.

The weekend so far has been filled with such activity, and the days are perfect for it- sunny, dry, breezy and cool.

Today was spent washing-out, drying and pressing the results of a 30-step, 3-color gradation kit I bought at the ProChem booth of the IQF.

The kit I used was called "Prism", and is aptly named, as you can tell by the photos. The colors contained were the three primaries: lemon yellow, magenta, and what ProChem calls "Intense Blue".

It yielded 30 fat quarters (four yards of bleached, mercerized muslin that measured 108" from selvedge to selvedge- I got 8 pieces out of each yard) in a rainbow of jewel-toned colors. I'm very pleased with the result and now I have to get down to work and produce some quilts!

 

 Finally, I finished quilting this post card for Mom. The piece was painted in one of my IQF classes. She received it yesterday and yes, she loved it.

Next week I'll be spending much of my time at the sewing machine. Hope this old back holds out!

I posted some great shots of fluttery pretties over on my photography blog, Approachable Photos. Check them out!

Happy creating!

International Quilt Festival- Houston

Last week and this past weekend have been glorious- though exhausting. The drive in and out of the city at rush hour each day (yeah, I was catching both morning and evening rush hours- lucky me) was terrible. Next year I'll probably stay downtown for the whole show.

But it was worth every second spent on the road.

This was my first quilt show and the first time I had ever entered a photograph into any contest, so my excitement was especially high when I learned I'd gotten into the show. Since the photos in the Eye Of The Quilter: Inspiration exhibit have been revealed and shown, I'm going to go ahead and show you my winning entry.


It is entitled "Dinner Is Served" and I submitted this description with the application:

"A House Sparrow parent claims a seed, which was then flown to the baby chick waiting to be fed in the grass below. By capturing and examining these small moments in the life of a small creature, we come away with a much larger and more personal perspective of the world."

I took 2 classes in the week before the show opened, both sponsored by IQF.

The first, Magic Garden- Making Fabric Three-Dimensional, was taught by Tracie and Marylin Huskamp, a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law team full of high energy, enthusiasm and laughter.

Most of the class was spent painting small nature scenes on muslin. My preliminary results were not bad.


And my finished little piece will be quilted and given as a gift to a loved one.


Tracie and Marylin were a hoot- if you ever have the chance to take a workshop with them, run-don't-walk to their classroom.

My second class was a lecture on bindings, borders and batting, and was offered by Terri Burton. Ms. Burton made the discussion of the sometimes tedious but necessary job of quilt finishing fun and lively.

After classes, it was time to play!

The quilts, as you would expect, were magnificent- and just standing and staring at them was an invaluable education for me in construction, design decisions and stitching choices. I learned more than anything else that I need to lighten up, have more fun at the sewing machine, and stop worrying so much about what future critics might think of the quality of my work.

The most delightful surprise of the quilt exhibits for me was when I turned a corner and saw this beauty hanging in all of its prize-winning glory:


This piece, titled Jet Trails #8, is special because it was created by Marcia DeCamp, a fellow Compositional Conversation cohort. I had written to Marcia just the week before telling her how beautiful I thought this quilt was and expressing a deep desire to see it up close. Imagine my delighted surprise when I came face-to-fabric with it and had my wish fulfilled!

Of course, there were hundreds of other eye-popping quilts on display as well. If you'd like to see more of my photos of them, head over to my new photo blog, Approachable Photos, to see them.

After a week of quilts and classes, I'm on fire and off to spend my inspiration in the studio.

And speaking of Compositional Conversations, Gayle Pritchard added her voice to the conversation! Take a look at what she had to say over on Terry's blog.

Happy creating!

Photographic Blog Announced!

I have begun a new blog! It will be dedicated only to my photographs, and fair warning: the photos will be large and numerous! If you have difficulty loading photo-intensive pages, it might not be the place for you, but if you've enjoyed seeing some of my photos in the past and have a speedy connection, you might enjoy visiting now and then. I will also be using it to post more extensive photography of some subjects so as not to overload this blog with pictures.

The new blog is called Approachable Photos... I hope you'll stop by and say hello!

Tomorrow night or Monday morning I will be posting my report and photos of the International Quilt Festival, Houston.

Happy creating!

A New Quilt And Then Off To Quilt Festival!

Over the weekend, I ripped, cut, fused and generally abused some of my recent hand-dyed/screen printed/DSP fabrics and then stitched them into a small quilt.


It hasn't been bound yet, but I have an IQF class on Thursday about bindings, so I'm hoping the instructor will let me experiment on this piece.

Tonight I'll drive into the city to spend the night so I can avoid rush hour when getting to my first class tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to the classes and the show, as well as meeting some friends I've meet through online contacts. I'm available for drinks later this evening, if anyone is in town and would like to meet!

Thursday Fun

Today is windy, overcast, hot and muggy. Still, hand-dyeds on the line is a mortal lock for lifting my spirits.

This beauty is off a new bolt of muslin from Dharma Trading, and measures 36" x 54". Dharma calls this fabric "economy" and the price per yard (particularly if you buy the whole bolt of 15 yards) is absolutely economical, but the name also sort of implies that the fabric itself might not be of a particularly nice quality. However, the hand and sheen of this fabric can't be beat, I absolutely love it for dyeing. I was turned onto this muslin jewel by artist and blogger, Melody Johnson, she of the eye-popping, jaw-dropping fused quilts.


After it was pre-washed, soda-soaked and drip-dried, I ironed wide pleats into it and then accordion-folded it into a small, flat bundle. (NOTE: Be careful when you iron soda-soaked fabric! It will scorch easily and needs to be ironed at a lower temperature than you normally would. Ask me how I know.)

I placed the fabric packet in a shallow plastic dish, squirted it with fiber-reactive dyes in amethyst and lemon yellow, popped the lid on the container, and let it batch over night.

Also on the slate this week was some botanical prints. Fall is rushing up on us- it must be, despite the heat and humidity... it's October for goodness sakes- and I wanted to use some of the leaves and branches from my yard before they withered and fell off.


I used the leftover thickened dyes from last weeks' play session with screen printing and deconstructed screen printing, and stamped and reverse-stamped by applying the dyes to the leaves and twigs with a sponge. The results aren't bad.

For most of the rest of the week, though, I've been watching and learning from two video workshops I purchased access to over on LQuilt.com. The video workshops- one on silk screening and the other on deconstructed screen printing- were both taught by Rayna Gillman.

I highly recommend not only these particular videos, but this site in general, as well! The video workshops were broken down into easily digestible chapters and were furnished with handy .pdf files of written instructions for each chapter. The video stream never once hiccuped, the quality was excellent, and the price was fantastic. Get thee to LQuilt!

Also, since I am taking an all-day IQF class next week with Tracie Huskamp, I thought it might not be a bad idea to read her book, Nature Inspired. I'm so glad I did... I think it has prepared me well for what to expect in her class. I'm hoping to be able to take my nature photos and begin translating them into mixed-media quilts and this class will be an excellent help for that, I'm certain. I'm really excited!

Because of the quilt show next week, and the classes I'll be taking, I won't be around much to blog, but I'll be taking photos and copious notes so I can report back on the fabulousness of the Show.

(Standard ridiculous disclaimer we're all going to have to add to our blog posts, soon: Lots of link love for you all today, I know, but I promise that I'm not a paid sponsor for any of these artists or companies- I just love them too much not to sing their praises.)

Until then, happy creating!

To Begin

The meetings and discussions about my commission piece have ended, agreements have been reached and I'm off and running. After months of tests and experiments, several excellent ideas brainstormed with my client, and a shift in locale (from master bedroom to entryway- is that a promotion?), I'm finally beginning work on this piece. I hope to have it completed within just a few months.

But here's the challenge: I promised my client a piece of art for her home that was unique, something no one has ever seen before. That means that the above sneak peek at my early fabric preparations is the last photo I will post of this work until it is finished, delivered and hung in the client's home. Likewise, I won't be posting about the techniques I'm using as I go along, either, although I will be writing and saving blog entries as I work, and taking lots of photos, all of which I will post after the piece has been accepted by the client and installed.

That's going to be so hard for me!

In the meantime, my experiments with DSP (deconstructed screen printing) will continue, and of course, next week Quilt Festival starts!

And if you have a chance, stop over at Art Now For Autism and think about investing in a piece of hand-crafted art.

Finally, these are the two photos I submitted to the Eye Of The Photographer contest that didn't earn a spot in the show (I still haven't heard back from the curator whether I can post the winning photo, but I'm betting the answer is 'no'):

"Earthbound" 2009



"Biological Imperative" 2009

Happy creating!

Bald Eagles

These guys showed up in the skies overhead yesterday. In most of the photos I took of them, they were too far away to identify them but these shots are quite clear. Aren't they magnificent animals?

Eye Of The Quilter: Inspiration Contest

Well, as I said in my last post, I was certain that I had not been chosen for a spot in The Eye Of The Quilter: Inspiration photography show that will begin touring with the International Quilt Festival, starting in Houston in October. Turns out, I was wrong- I got my acceptance letter this evening!!

I need to review the rules of the contest before I post my winning photo- that might be forbidden while it's on the road. If it isn't, I'll put it up this weekend.

YAY!

Friday, Again

It was a long week and I found it difficult to get back into my studio routine, but I did manage to produce some work after all. I think I can forgive myself, though: I found out in the span of just a few days that 1) I didn't get chosen for the Denver gallery, and 2) my magazine article was declined.

Well, boo.

I felt sorry for myself for almost a full day, got bored with that, and then got my tush back in the chair.

This canvas (repainted) met this textile piece and magic happened.





Over the weekend I'd done a 4-step white-to-black gradation, hoping to get some interesting textures in the two mid-ranged pieces. I did, though not to the extent I had hoped. More experimentation is necessary to find the right recipe. I was a little paranoid about not getting a good solid black that I think I added a little too much dye powder. I'll scale it back next time.

I took the two blackest pieces, neither of which had much variation in color at all, and discharged them with Softscrub paste and hand-made stamps.



I loved the way the dye discharged to an earthy brown... luscious color that put me in the mood for fall.

In that spirit, I took on my largest project of the week, and the one that ended up being the most fun, too: playing with deconstructed screen printing.

I've been having some wonderful email conversations with artist Rayna Gillman and while most of our chats aren't necessarily about DSP, spending time browsing her blogs and web site helped reaffirm my desire to explore the outer edges of surface design.

The set up for this technique was more intensive than the technique itself but now that I've built my tools and played with thickened dyes, it will go much faster and smoother next time (probably later today- I have another screen and more fabric prepared).

First, I took my old paper-making silk screens (I used to use them as molds- guess I will need new molds before I make paper again) and covered them in duct tape to protect the wood and create "wells" upon which to spread the pigment.



The duct tape needed 24 hours to cure to keep it from sliding around when it gets moist, so I moved on to creating another stamping board, this one larger than my usual one.


The smaller board measures about 18" x 14". I used a scrap piece of masonite, padded it with an old towel, turned a piece of commercial fabric to the wrong side and attached it to the board by taping it with duct tape at the back. Then I gesso'd over the surface to make it easier to wipe clean.

The larger piece at the back is the one I made yesterday. It was constructed in essentially the same manner but I used foam core for the backing and an old sheet for the padding. I haven't Gesso'd the top, yet.

Next I chose my colors. I've been in a somewhat darker mood lately, and the onset of fall is effecting me as well, so in honor of both of those influences, I've gone to the earthy end of the spectrum. Bronze and Avocado, with Brown Rose as an accent. I mixed a small amount of each and thickened them in the usual manner with sodium alginate.

In order to create a pattern on the screen that I could "deconstruct" onto fabric later, I covered one of my padded boards with plastic (to protect it), crumpled a paper lunch sack I'd previously cut open, laid it on the plastic and then laid the screen on top of that. As I flooded the screen with the thickened dyes, the paper would wrinkle and create great texture that would dry on the screen.

This worked well and I got some wonderful creases and patterns. I'm still not sure exactly how much dye to use, and whether I should squeegee most of it out or leave a good portion on the screen itself- information that I'm sure will come with experimentation and experience- but once I had my pattern the way I wanted it, I lifted the screen, peeled off the now wet paper sack (which I used to make a monoprint on soda-soaked, dry cotton muslin) and set it aside to dry.

I repeated the process for the second screen, adding in bits of textured ephemera underneath in the hopes of generating more exciting textures, and then set that screen aside to dry, as well.

By last night, they were ready to be used. I laid out dry, ironed, soda-soaked white muslin on top of the large padded board, laid one of the screens on the fabric and flooded it with un-dyed thickened water. I pulled prints off of each screen until it looked as if there was hardly any dye left and then I took them to the sink and scrubbed them clean. For a couple of the prints, I flooded the screen with both clean alginate and thickened Brown Rose at the same time.





I'm more pleased with my results than I thought I would be when they went into the machine this morning for the wash-out: the pieces had dried very quickly and I didn't think they would hold the dyes well because of it (Procion MX likes to "batch" damp for 24-48 hours). I did lose enough dye in the wash out to compel me to figure out how to keep the fabric damp for longer periods without smudging and bleeding. Time to hit the books (or take a class or watch a DVD).

I foresee a wonderful winter of exploration for me in surface design. Now if I could just manage to devote as much time to my machine stitching!

Finally, I looked out of the window the other day and saw this guy sitting on the back fence.

Red-Shouldered Hawk

Happy Creating!

Art Now For Autism Auction

You may remember that a while back, I donated a little textile/stretched canvas piece of art to the cause Art Now For Autism. The auction festivities begin today!

I know the economy is frightening and everyone is saving like mad, but if you're one of those folks whose luck has maybe been a little better this year than that of others, please consider investing in a small bit of hand-crafted goodness for a cause that couldn't be more poignant. No voices should be silenced.

From the founder of Art Now For Autism:

"We are pleased to announce the opening of Art Now for Autism 2009.

An online exhibit and reverse auction benefitting autism awareness and

research.

October 1-10, 2009

http://www.artnowforautism.com

October 1-4 : Preview of Art.

Opens at 9am EST on October 1.

Art exhibit will be open online at www.artnowforautism.com.

All work will be viewable but not on sale.

October 5 & 6

Reverse Auction Opens AT 9AM EST.

All Art is $90

October 7 & 8

Unsold art drops to $60 at 9AM EST on Oct. 7.

October 9 & 10

Last two days.

Final price starts at 9AM EST on Oct. 9.

Any remaining art is $30

This year's exhibit includes the work of 89 artists from around the

USA, Canada, France, Italy, Australia, Brazil, and the Netherlands.

Included in this amazing list of artists are a number of artists with

autism spectrum disorders. 160 pieces of fine art and craft are

included in the exhibit. There is something for everyone!

Please help us spread the word about Art Now for Autism by forwarding,

tweeting, posting, blogging, and talking about Art Now for Autism!

Download the PDF flyer for this year’s exhibit.

100% of art sales will go to Autism Speaks through their National Walk

Now for Autism Speaks event.

We appreciate your support! Any questions? Please email Claudine

Intner, the organizer of Art Now for Autism at artnow@artnowforautism.com

- Claudine Intner"