Category Archives: Foundation XV New Direction

May Day, May 1 2014

Hello,

Happy May Day to you.  For me May Day brings up memories of making paper  tube baskets that we filled with wild flowers and perhaps a bit of candy.   Then we hung them on the door knobs ofPatti = weaving BM1Victori's-Quit neihbors homes.   That was when I lived in a small town in Iowa and I am not sure if that practice still goes on today.

I went to a FAB meeting last week.   Patti is being very propductive and had a wonderful rust colored ribbon knitted project she was working on as well as having completed this wonderful shaw on her loom.

We also looked at and talked about Victoria’s silver leaf quilt that was pinned to her studio wall.   She is setting quite a challenge for herself with this project I think.   But it will be wonderful when she is done I am sure.

Linda

Then I went to Angela’s where she and Linda were playing with soy wax for a second time.     Linda spent the whole time doing the waxing step, but Angela did apply  dye while I was there.  She had dyed several things earlier that day and then added more soy wax and black dye over the blue to what she is doing here.     I can hardly wait Angelauntil next week to see the results of their work at the QuEGs meeting. There will be another soy wax day I am sure so perhaps I will get in on that one.

Progress Report:  Foundations XV- New Directions    This quilt is the first of the irregular shaped quilts that I have finished.  I think I mentioned last week

Foundations XV New Directions 27"X 44" $360.00
Foundations XV New Directions
27″X 44″
$360.00

that there were problems with getting it to remain flat.  The paint I add to the back to stabilise that some what.  But  I feel the there is  still is a bit of a Foundations XV new directions cl1problem.   I plan to take it to the art quilt meetings next week and get some help with that.     I really enjoyed all all the color  and the the many textures that New Direction Cl2ended up  in this quilt.  I find myself looking and looking again at it on my wall.    I used a varigated thread on this work too and that adds an additional interest to the surface of the piece.

Foundations XVI  Granite 19" X 29" $195.00
Foundations XVI Granite
19″ X 29″
$195.00

 

Foundations XVI- Granite  I also finished off this work this week too.    It was too far along to adapt to the off square format, but I usually think of granite in a square shape any way.   Even tumbe stones   are a slab most of the time.   I do not think I have ever seen Granite  when in was not”dressed” in some way or another.    There are  lots of colors in granite and I tried to show that with this BM1Granitecl2project.    I used  mostly silks, velvets  and satians along with the a few cottons in this project.  Again I used lots of varigated threads here as well.      I also used  some of the silk paper with this piece. Foundations XVI Granite cl1

 

 

 

 

Foundations XVII Obsidian cl1 Foundations XVII- Obsidian

 

I am only showing a close up of Obsidian as it is so close to being completed that the full thing will be available next week.   I was working on so many pieces in the Foundations series at one time that I got mixed up about the number system.  This really is the 17 in the series and not Granite as it says in the Categories.     I will have to wait until I have another lesion from the computer specialist before I can correct that mistake.

Maya’s Tee Shirt QuiltMaya's-Quilt close up    I am to what I consider the fun part of this quilt now.  I did stitch in the ditch between all the tee shirt sections.  Now I am doing free motion around the images.  This one is in the center of the quilt and I will work out from there until they are all completed.  I only did the free motion work on two more before I ran out of time yesterday.

Necklace-3Necklace III    I am still playing in this format.  I love making the flower format.  This one also has unique metal connections on the ends( the black units)  They are old belt connections from Grandmother Ruth’s sewing box.    I think they add a bit of glamer to the work.

New Work New-work  In and effort to  push myself beyond the necklaces I created a new work that needs a lot of hand embellishing on it.   I went to my texture box and found the silver fabric already backed with wonder under and added it to the surface of some of the watermarked satin I had pulled up to make flowers.  Then I found the ground cloth with lumier paint on it and added that to the surface as well.  I just kept adding until I felt that I could only finish it with hand work….. but I have not started that yet my attempt to fool myself did not work.  At least not yet.

newIrisNew Iris Work

This also came out of the idea box and I started it because I was in the studio at the end of the day and the pin wall was empty.   The Iris fabric was already cut so it was just a matter of pinning up what I had already done.

Daily'sDaily’s       More of similar works as last week.   I plan to work ahead this week as I am preparing for a week trip to Paris o n May 14th.   I do not think I want to take this project with me, so that is my solution.

Keep Creating

Carol

Birthday April 24, 2014

-daycard  Hello,

Today is my birthday and this wonderful hand made card arrived from my great friend Barbara with birthday wishes in it..  The card sure makes me feel loved- and it delights my eye too.

Spring is finally a part of central New York.  I was awakened by a bird singing at 4:10 this morning- but I am not complaining-  Just surprised to hear him singing up the sun so early.  There are so many tints and shades of green that it dassel the eye now.  Things here are changing so very fast. Necklace-2 It was raining yesterday and so I did not walk out doors.  But when  I went today I could see changes in the buds of many of the plants that I had looked at just two days before.  One can almost see the plants growing.   I love it!

I am still making fabric flowers from  Noel’s workshop last week.    It is just Necklace1so much fun to use those little scarps of silk in such beautiful ways that I can’t seem to stop.    The “What If  Factor ” is kicking in too and I think my work tray has as many new flowers on it as these two necklaces put together.    Now I am also trying Yoyo flowers- like Cheri did and   I can’t think why wide silk ribbons would not work too, as well as the silky hem tape I seems to have lots of …..  Oh the mind- it  just keeps pumping out possibilites.Foundations-XV

Progress Report:  Foundation XV New Direction  I am nearly finished with this project.  I like all the colors I have be able to use here and feel that I have New-Direction-close-upadded a lot of machine work to the surface.    By making this one irregular in shape I have created a new problem for myself- it does not hang flat at the end of some of the horizional extensions.     That is why I am not showing a full shot this week.  I will work on this problem and get back to you.

 Foundation XVI   GraniteFoundationsXVII-granite

 

  This one is almost done too and because it is a rectangle it does not have the hanging problem of New Directions.   I am still in the” look and see”   stage with this one so that is why there is not a full shot of it either.    ( If you want a good idea of that look at last week)   I am very happy with the flow lines of the free motion work however.

 

  obsidian1Foundation XVII Obsidian   I have wanted to do a piece that is all shades of black and gray so I started this last week.    I  like the rock  Obsidian and how it  seems to have such strong angles in the surfaces that I used it as my inspiration for this project.  It is the second irregular shaped one. Foundations-XVI-Obisidian And lest anyone start to believe I just know how I want things to be placed, I shot this photo the first day I worked on pinning things up.  I thought it was too busy the next morning so I took half the stuff off and started a second time. ( And yes, it us inverted too)    I have used many different fabrics here.  Everything from corduroy and cotton to velvet and silks to get the various  tones of black.    I enjoy how the color changes bepending on what it is next to.  I am enjoying the free motion work now too.New-work

Foundations XVIII-New Work    When I went to play with Noel last week she gave me a box full of wonderful earth toned fabric.  I am using it as my jumping off point for this next Foundations work.  The big piece of rusty wool is so very rich that I am enjoying working with it.

Daily's Daily’s   I am still working away on the Daily’s and they continue to be a calming enjoyment.  So here is the showing for this week.

I hope that spring is dancing at everyone ‘s door and bringing lots of new visuals to everyone too.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

Flowers April 17, 2014

Crockuses Hello,

Spring is teasing us here  in central New York.  It was so very nice and warm for three days and then we had a  cold day that ended in a snowstorm.   I am waiting for my spring flowers to appear.     The day that it snowed I took matters into my own hands and spent the day with Noel in her studio along with several others and we madeCherri's-flowers our own flowers.    (look back two weeks to see Noel and Victoria’s  first ones)   It always amazes me how we human beings fliter and  apply our own tastes to the same processes.     These red, pink and purple blossems are Cheri’s and the black, tan and Noel's-flowerswhite ones are Noel’s.       We  all took the same basic materials and techhniques  but treated them with our own unique “stamp”.    Noel showed us how to create several types of flowers and then turned us loose. Victoria    Victoria, like Noel had made flowers before,  she cheerfully tried a complex rose type flower where each petal is made indavigaly.     I can hardly wait to see how everyone finishes her  necklace.     I was so excited by the processes that I kept making more flowers for the next two evenings.   I am sure I will have two or three necklaces even if I stopped with what I have.  I did take the time to lay out one possible my-Flowerscombination.  It needs small additions like  beads and buttons.   I just keep thinking of more ways to play with these ideas.   And recalling things I did not try yet like yoyo flowers   that Cherri  did.    It sure  was a wonderful way to combat the snow falling outside that day!

Foundations-XVNew-DirProgress Report:  Foundations XV –New Direction   I am still struggling with this project.  I have added to the sides to pull away from the square format.  Then  this morning when I hung it on the wall- “What If” – hit Foundatons-XV#1and I turned it 45 degrees to the right and I liked it better- and even more so when I added to the those two sides as well. I try to always be open to what is happening while I am designing and wonderful things can happen.    I will push myself to do the remaining work on this one over the next few days.

 

New work1New Work   I am still playing with this newest member of the  Foundation series.     This one  does not seem to know what way is up yet either- but I am enjoying the process.    I do think I will   leaves this one in a basic square format even though I am trying to go beyond that idea.     It is holding it’s own without that  challenge. Grove

Grove    I am making progress here too.  All the trees now have their horizontal branches.  I have them all connected to one another but I feel that it is almost too much to take in visually.   The blue below the trees is too busy as well,  so I plan to remove it and try again.   I just don’t know what will work until I try it sometimes. Mia's-back

 Mia’s Quilt    These green and blue pieces are my prepations for the back of Mia’s Tee shirt quilt.  I am building the units and when they are big enough I will assemble them into the big back.  It is a fun process from my point of view.

Daily's                      Daily’s    I am finding time to do my Daily’s too.  They are starting to really pile up.

Think Spring and Keep Creating

Carol