Category Archives: # 2

Winter workings

IMG_5019.jpgHello,

The week has been a full one with lots of activates.  This work is by a high school student and a part of the Scholastic Art show now going on at Onondaga Community Collage.  I was a judge a few weeks ago and I judged animation and film.  I  went to see the other works that made it into the show.  There is lots of  wonderful work, and it is well worth the effort to go and see it.Nancy's work      The FAB group also meant this week

.  Nancy  has added two more boarders on her quilt.  I love how she mixes so many different patterns in her work.  She is also so very good at making all her points.  A characteristic that I admire as I find that process so very frustrating.      I like a challenge so much more than a repeat activity.   IMG_5015So I decided to be a part of the Cancer Project.  This is the cancer mask that I will be altering in the next weeks.     I have not decided how or where I will go with this one yet,  but I really think it is fascinating.   Another thing I did this week was take four quilts off to be a part of the Cabin Fever Quilt show that hangs in Betts Branch Library  for the month of February.    I also hung a show of  15 pieces of my work at the Briar Patch in Ithaca  New York yesterday.    I am sorry that I did not take my camera so there are no pictures of that.     Because of all of our snow and the wonderful stash IMG_5011of dye that I inherited from Ethel, I  attempted some snow dyeing this week.  I had to call on the knowledge of my friend Angela to get myself going on this project .  The photo is a shot of the first batch under plastic starting to melt.  I learned from this   first one to cut way down on the amount of dye one adds to the snow as the navy blue took over and there is no yellow at all on the final piece.   The process takes a long time- about 24 hours for all the snow to melt because I am doing it in the basement were the heat is low and I may be packing too much snow in the bucket.  Anyway  the second batch looks like the yellow and green will remain a part of the color.  And I did not add any navy to it.   IMG_5036Everything is washing out now with a third bucket starting to melt.  Look for images next week.   Another thing I started this week was my 6X6 entries.  That is for the Rochester Art fundraiser.   I decided to use this paper as the base for a paper quilts for this project.

Progress Report:   Coastal Color ICoastal Color I

I really enjoyed working on these felted base works.  I ended up  adding  a fabric back and sleeve to this one to finish it.  Thanks again to the gals in QuIGs for there suggestions on this project.IMG_5031Mixing the machine work  and adding yarns and fabrics to the surface sure made the process a joy for me. IMG_5035   I have one more in the grouping to complete; I am excited  and I have not even started adding anything to the felted surface yet.

Coastal Color IICoastal Color II    This felted work is stretched over stretcher bars with a batting in  between.   Again the QuIGs  were the source for this solution to the finishing problem. This solution creates quite a different feel for the finished work.   IMG_5027  But again I got to do the thing I love the most with  the machine drawing and the fiber additions.   I just love to build up the surface.IMG_5026

 

 

Moon Fall   Moon FallI have enjoyed working on this project as the world  out side has become one of grays, white and black.     No thread  build up here but lots of fun free motion work.  I used some of the same thick thread techniques that I developed with the leaf and Autumn quilts I  did earlier this fall.   IMG_5049I mostly followed an edge when I could to make the quilting patterns.   I appliqued the moon on top without any quilting of its own so it would float above the surface a bit.  IMG_5050It seems to do that to me.

CopingCoping   Quilting away on this work was a nice contrast to all the free motion work I was doing this week.  All the quilting here is strait lines with stops and turns it it.    I   first made a series of rectangles in silver and  purples threads.IMG_5040  Then I used black to make more quilting that filled in the open ares and added a little interest to the surface.IMG_5043 It does the job I think although I do not find it overly exciting in the end.     I do like the colors and that is a good thing as I have the second half of the original  to deal with next.IMG_5021   This one  does have quite a different feel I think.  I need to look and think for a while on this one too.

 

New WorkIMG_5010   I am tying to mix some of my altered fabrics with commercial ones here.  The  some of commercial ones are Ethel’s and the flowers are from my friend Tanya.

IMG_5014Parts is Parts   I continue to stitch down the camera parts onto the surface  here.   What with the finishing of the first three quilts this week, I have not done a lot of hand work on this project.

Label Block # 37IMG_5045  The labels got their share of hand work though.    I am looking forward to my February closet clean out as I think I will be able to add some more labels to my collection when I do that project.

Keep Creating,

Carol

I could not resist adding one more Scholastic entry to this blog.

IMG_5020.jpg

Snow Bound

 

Johns-pictures-095.jpgHello,

I was snow bound for three days this week as we got hit by lake effect snows.     I felt like hibernating- but spent time in the studio instead.   The snow  measured 18” on my deck and the shoveling was tiring even though it was light snow.  There was just so much of it and along with the wind, being out doors was cold work.

Before the snow I spent aIMG_5000

day with QuIGs gals doing screen printing at Angela’s house.  We had fun and I got a new batch of fabric to work with.

IMG_5005I was also invited to be a part of the Valentine sale and show at the Turquoise Street Gallery.  That sale and show will be  Feb 12 and 13  from 11:00 until 8 both days.   I created a few little images in fabric with bead trims for that show.   It was fun and it got me in the spirit of doing Valentine stuff.      Liz had a really cute pin she had created last year that was a Valentine Cookie in felt.    I was thinking about them and so I tried to create my own.

Here they are in a tin all set to be sent in a few weeks to  my gal pals.IMG_5007.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4999.jpgProgress Report:  Moon Fall  I am to the quilting stage now and enjoying the free motion part of the process.  I decided to use three colors of thread.  A variegated red to rust, a blue and a burgundy to outline the shapes of the dyed areas.   I am about two thirds done with that now.

 

Parts   I am stitching down IMG_4993.jpgthe camera parts by hand.  I am also embellishing them with hand stitches to add interest.  The  process is slow and I only add about two pieces and evening, but I am enjoying it.

IMG_4994Coping   I pulled out  this top that I had started last summer and did a second look at it.  Then I decided to do the quilting in a block like fashion.  I am trying not to be too pridctable  with that step and so I over lapped the starting squares and now I am building in more lines and little squares to the surface.

Coastal Colors II   IMG_4989.jpgI continue to build on the top of the wool work here.  I just enjoy adding more texture to the surface.  The colors become so much richer I think.

IMG_5002Scrap Happy     I  had a whole box full of left over squares form all the scrap happy quilts I have been making, so I put them together in  random  rows and I am now sewing/quilting those rows together.   It will be a colorful one when it is done.

IMG_4997.jpg New Work   I pulled out these pieces of fabric and I will start a new work using some of them.  I have not chosen a focus fabric from this collection yet, but when I do I will know what the next steps will be.

 

Label Block # 36

IMG_4990  I got a letter from Judy this week full of labels and I am thrilled.  It is always good to have help form one’s friends.

Keep Creating

Carol

Winter Ice

 

Hello,Ice

I am paying special attention to ice as I slipped and fell last week.  I am fine.  This shot of ice along the street really shows how water shrinks as it freezes.  I love all the layers of air pockets in this shallow pool along with the leaves for extra texture.   I took lots of photos of ice this week so there may be another ice quilt in the future.

IMG_4958Angela is having a play day in her studio tomorrow and we will be printing with interfacing stencils.   I got carried away as usual with my preparation and made 4.  I will show the results next week.

Autumn LeavesProgress Report: Autumn Leaves This is the last  of my leaf series for the time being.  I had a good time doing bobbin work on this piece as well as the free motion quilting of the leaves on top.  IMG_4952  The out line of the leaves was done with cord that was so thick it could not go through the eye of any of my machine needles  so that is whyClose up of Autumn Leaves I put it in the bobbin and drew from the back.    I then changed the thread and did the vanes  from the front.    I also used this one last piece of printed fabric  from one of my trips up at Mill Site Lake .    The rest of the leaves are from trees in my yard.  There are two different types of Oaks  and Maples.IMG_4950

 

Coastal Color 2Coastal Color 2   I am having fun adding to this felted piece.  I really like the build up of the texture with stitches and yarns for color.

 

New work fuchsia   New work This is the third  top  developed from a collage.    I also meant all three of my personal monthly challenges with this piece.  The challenges are: 1. to use some of Ethel Fabric in a work.    2. to use some fabric I have altered in a work  3. to use a collage as a starting point.   Now I need to decide how I want to quilt this piece.

 

 

 

new workNew Work green This top is not quite finished yet,but close.  I have always been interested in how things work and seeing the insides of stuff.  So when I got a new IMG_4954_thumb.jpgcamera last year because I had dropped the old one, I did not throw it away.  I finally took it apart this week .    I love all the little plastic and electronic parts and so I decided to make a top to stitch them too.    It will be a stitching challenge of  sorts.

IMG_4955.jpgLittle Fox  I made this little fox pin this week too.  After receiving positive feed back and having two friends ask for pins of their own,  I  decided to make a tutorial on how to make this fellow.  It is started and I will finish it this week.

 

 Creative Assistants  Creative AssistantsI finished off 30 creative assistants this week.  This is a shot of the last ten.    It sure goes to show how easy it is for me to improvise.

Label Block #35IMG_4956  I just keep working away on these little guys.

Keep Creating

CarolIce