Tags - Part 1

I belong to a group led by Patti Medaris Culea, a fantastic fiber doll artist. If you go to her site (linked over there on my sidebar), you'll also see some what-she-calls Tome Pages. Each Page Project teaches you a particular set of skills, or helps you sharpen skills you already have; when the Pages are done, you bind them with the Tome Cover and store them in their Tome Box.

Anyway, we're making tags for trade! Never having done this before either, my first step was to cut a piece of cardboard (I usually use the backs of notepads but you can use cereal boxes) into the right size. In this instance, we're making a set number of tags with a set size -- 2"x5" max. SO, I cut both sides of the fabric that I want to use. The theme is "friendship". Being from Texas, I may go gecko and cactus, with turquoise (turquoise is one of the Gemstone Symbols of Friendship). I'll have to ruminate...

This is similar to FPC's, I guess, but different in that there are possible 3-D additions, movable parts, etc. I don't know why learning each new technique becomes such a task for me; once I get the hang, I love it! Am I the ONLY one in this virtual universe with this problem? AAAAACK!!!!

My Beaded Butterfly

Well, I'll have to work on cropping this pic later, but I wanted to get it up. It's a beaded butterfly that I'm attaching to a piece of beading from an old wedding dress (not mine, but a friend was going to *GASP* throw hers OUT...). The background, which I also want to try to make clearer, is a piece of greenish/bluish with touches of orangish/pinkish. It's a background that I will be/am using in several projects -- I want to see how it translates. This could qualify for my 6x4, although my beaded bush will run over the edges just a touch there at the bottom and on the side. I'm finally pleased with how something is turning out, so I'll be posting this through to its finish.

Traditional Quilting w/a Twist

Here are two more quilting UFO's...my ambition

is to finish the squares (it's a 'sampler' quilt in shades of pink and green) and pick a sashing and border fabric, then SEW ON the sashing and border. I may hand quilt this one, so that final step may have to wait a year since I hope it to end up queen-sized. But I definitely want to get the top all done, including sashing and borders finished.

The square on the left is called "54-50 or Fight". It has something to do with the setting of the longitude for the acquisition of Washington State and Oregon, but I haven't finished researching the title yet. In this piece, one of my favorites, I used the strip-piecing technique for the points of the star in dark greens, burgandies, light pink floral, and cream floral.

Quilt names fascinate me...for instance, the three squares pictured on the right are known as "Carrie Nation". Now Carrie Nation was a real woman in the early 1900's who had an incrediblly endearing hobby of plunging through the doors of an alcohol-serving establishment and smashing the bar into smithereens with an axe -- a full-sized chop-down-huge-trees AXE. * I kid you not, and you should see the fierce expression depicted on her face...that is one p'd-off woman! These squares utilize dark greens and self-print muslin for the main squares, with the smaller 1" squares in shades of blue/blue-green prints/green.

I still have work to do on my pic-taking, camera-cussing (I mean) utilizing skills, but at least things are more in focus, and the new camera may yet have its name changed from "Damn Camera" to "Damn GOOD Camera"!!!

*Note: I don't know what it is with women and axes in the early days, but there was also Lizzie Borden [who] took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks and when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. I guess women were thorough back then in their endeavors.

Quilt for DH

This is a quilt I've started for DH. It's three shades of blue fabric with a self-print muslin as the background. I've only cut myself four times with the rotary cutter so far, AND I still have my fingers correctly attached to my hands! I think I'm going to add three Wild Goose Chase borders. This is for either his birthday or Valentine's Day or our anniversary, depending on when I get it done and when he's home!

Damn Cameras...

I sure hate a learning curve. The pictures are taken. The camera is plugged in. The correct button is clicked. The message comes up -- "Warning: No images in camera" @#% $#% B...

TAST No. 1 for 2007

TAST

The first stitch of the year for those who are participating in the TAST Challenge is the Herringbone stitch.

In A Minute Ago Emergencies

http://sharonb.wordpress.com is where Sharon can be read and reached in times of stressed sites and blocked blogs. Let's wish her not only a wonderful 2007, but also a year free of internet irritations!

Regards,
The Pesky Texan

The Turning of the Year...

Although I generally will not write too much about really personal stuff, I will say that the past year has been one of stultifying pain and sadness in my heart. I decided to get involved with my blog in order to distract my thoughts into a more positive direction.

I'm working on a piece (for something). Well, I'm working on lots of things, but this piece, I think, will join the past year with the coming, and return my focus more clearly to creativity. It's to be called "Sorrow Dances".

Tomorrow, there will be pictures. DH gave me a new camera -- let's all join in with a heartfelt YAY!! and tomorrow, there will be introductions for TAST (Take-A-Stitch Tuesday) run by Sharon Boggon, and WISP (Works In Slow Progress) Wednesday, put together by Sandy. Many people have blogged their year-past creations...I will post my year-to-come projects. There is a STRONG current throughout the creative blog community towards finishing that which was begun, clearing the boards, etc. It speaks to the makings of a lively year here in our community, one which will be both interesting and inspirational for all.

So, today, I wish everyone the magic and fulfillment of the Eve of the New Year, and I wish you clarity of your soul's sight with verve and enthusiasm in your heart for each moment of the day in which you find yourself being.

I was told recently that from great pain comes great joy...and joy is to be shared from the heart. So I do believe that this *will* be the year that Sorrow Dances.

Heartfelt regards and peaceful wishes from Sarah

and BACK to the Program...

Ok, here's the last one for the moment. I can either sit here and post a gazillion pix (I know, I know, we ALL love pics!), or I can go do some work after this and post more Tuesday or Wednesday..well, we all know what Wednesday is, so at the very *latest*, I'll put up some more piccies then. Anyway, in my (don't laugh) spare time (IS there such a thing???), I have also become interested in goddess dolls. You just saw the large one I'm about to attempt. This small one is my first attempt at beading. The photo is horrible -- the beads are a lovely shade of grass green, and you can't even see the white beads I've started using for the head. *sigh*. The pattern is available at Kivett Studios, listed there on my sidebar. Ronda is a very talented artist and is quite gracious with her free patterns. She has more than one small goddess doll pattern, so you may want to print one off and try it yourself. (NAYY!) Although you can't tell since my piano bench is my photo-table, the actual pattern shown is only about 4", if that.

We Interrupt This Program ~~

I have a bad habit of surfing around while waiting for an editing or whatever action to complete. This area, somewhat rural, is still on Dial-Up (don't laugh), and things go somewhat slowly (not that the UPS person has to leap-frog over large black cows dotting the landscape between roads). Anyway, I can't stand sitting here and staring at a blank, blinking screen so I pull up another and go poking around.

And thank goodness I do!! Today's featured neato-torpedo fiber/textile gifted blessing to our world is Kathy York, found at her blog here. Like our Ferret mentioned yesterday here, Kathy Y. has a talent for the different in such a beautiful way! If you missed Ferret's site, you must go so as to save yourself from deprivation; and if you have not yet been to aquamoon, you are equally deprived and must visit!

Let me go check that dang screen again...

Works...

Well, these are what I call B-Worx. Beginning Works. May or may not become WISPs, depending. On what, I'm never sure...some things get speedily finished -- I just get on a roll, ideas snap together, and that's that, so to speak. Others (the Dreaded WISPs) get to a point where I just have to stop and think for a while, meantime becoming happily distracted with another B-Worx! One pic will be a cq tea cozy for one of my little one-cup tea pots (I have two of them!). The other is going to be a cq goddess doll. I'm actually excited about them both, but I'm going to include them in my WISP Wednesday posts, just in case!

So onward, onward!!

Perks (w/pics!)

Here's another what-I-consider-to-be perk -- I have come to adore making a pot of tea on an afternoon. I collect teapots, and one of my favorites is my grandmother's. It's sort of a peachy color, solid. The first tea cozy I ever made was done for it, and is reversible. In the pic here, I've tried to show by folding up the right corner there -- the reverse side is in shades of blue and goldenrod in an Oriental print. The yellow flower in the lower middle is my first effort at a sort of trapunto effect...it seems so inadequate now but 25 years ago I thought I was the cat's miaouw to try it!

WISPs, Works, Pics, Perks (Reversed and in Parts)

Well, perks first -- this is Brut, my 100-lb. lap dog. When DH first brought him home, Brut could fit in his hand. There's been just a *bit* of growth ... (grin!). Brut is supposed to be my watch-dog since I'm home alone so much of the time. DH, you may recall from an earlier post, retired from the FAA to play with trucks and now runs his own 18-wheeler cross-country for one of the major trucking companies. Brut, however, approaches everyone with a silly grin and a wagging tail. Well, for some reason he *does* hate the UPS person, but it's not MY fault!!

Many Blessings~

Just an interim note before this weekend's work. . .there are so many talented artists with such great inspiration-ing work into who's creative lives we are allowed to peek~~ so check out a new discovery for me http://ferfab.blogspot.com/ with incredible pieces, IMHO.

Tomorrow I am anticipating tea cozies, goddess dolls, WISPs, and works. I look forward to hearing your feedback (Open, Honest, Candid, and [GENTLY] Brutally Frank).

Until later then.

Mandalas and Celtic and Free, Oh My!

Someone on one of my other lists asked the other day about mandala patterns. I frequently do this -- someone will ask something and it piques my interest so I go off poking about to find patterns, information, etc. One of the sites that I found had this free pattern -- a lovely Breast Cancer Ribbon pattern. Ink Circles has several other free patterns available, and the site is well worth a visit.

Shibori

Ok, this is an example of shibori. It's a type of Japenese tie-dyeing. There are several kinds of shibori. This pic here illustrates a particular technique called kumo shibori, a pleated and bound resist which makes a spidery design. Gorgeous, no?! I don't necessarily know what I'm talking about but the result is cool and I'm learning about different types of resist. I think this one was wrapped in a particular way around a [bamboo?] pole and then bound around before being dyed. I can't wait to try it!

The tutorials I found are here and here. Just Jussi's tutorial covers a scarf and a couple other processes; Betz's tutorial is called (I love this...!) "Shibori Felting for Scaredy Cats"! I haven't tried either of them yet, but from a complete dummy's eye, they are well written, with great pics and easy-to-understand steps. Right now my husband is STILL in recovery after I set the stove on fire (is there a Stoveaholics Anonymous?!) so I have to wait. But I'm open to everyone's comments!!

Later, gator!!

Follow-Through Begins!

OK, yesterday I spoke bravely about participating in the Great UFO Clean-Out Challenge. So here's the first one, not necessarily the first one as in the oldest non-worked-on piece, but the first one I chose! The detail is a bit hard to see. Hey, at least my camera is *working*...I just need to learn more about lighting. Anyway, the piece on the left is the front, where I have half of a needlepainted hummingbird (ruby-throated) and a lavendar tree sewn with the Portuguese Knot stitch. It came out rather well, if I do say so myself! The right piece has a heart there on the right in which I'm going to embroider Mom's initials, and some floral motifs. Also, the curly stuff below the heart is vine work, on which I'm going to make some French-Knot wisteria. So, there it is, the start! Oh, yes, this is part of a set which will include a needlebook and a scissors fob. The colors are red, purple and cream. Yes, Mom's going to have her very own Red Hat sewing set!! More later!

The Arty Meme

As a Good Night Thought, I forgot to mention that I responded to the Arty Meme that is going around. I'm quite excited -- I don't know who thought it up or where it originated, but here I am.

The deal is that the first five people who comment on this posting will each get a small piece of creativity made by me. The "catch" is that you must post a similar offer on your own blog or web site. How cool is that!! I saw the movie "Pay It Forward" a couple years ago, and it moved my heart. And I think a lot of us are similarly minded in doing the good deed for someone just because. So, IMHO, this is a lovely way to continue the tradition.

My work right now is primarily with my own designs in Jacobean needlework and Pulled Thread work. You can see samples of my Jacobean work in one of my earlier postings. So I hope folks can comment, and I also hope everyone has a good night.

Learn Along With Me!

I have emerged from my thoughts. My camera works. I got a new box of goodies from my mother. I am ready!

First, I have to publicly commit to the fact that I've joined in the Great UFO Clean-out Challenge. Nothing like making New Year's Resolutions early! Each week, I'll take a pic and show progress the following week. I think we're doing it as a WISP Wednesday (Works In Slow Progress!), so that's the program I'm following, too. Stay tuned, and be motivated (isn't that a bit scary??!!!)

Second, something I've been wanting to achieve with this blog is finally ready to begin. Sort of. Oh, but as an aside, I can't remember where I got the design there (obviously somewhere on line) so do NOT use it for anything but personal use. Please.

Ok, back to it. . . As you see in my descriptive sentence above my profile, my quote is "Decorations and details are what makes it all worthwhile!" So on the one hand, I want to take a design, such as shown above. And I want to show how I try to alter the same design, say, four different ways, each time presenting something entirely different but at the same time not deviating from the basic drawing. This is been done somewhat similarly by others, but I want to try to take it a step further if I can. And, of course, links to other work will be appearing here periodically.

On the other hand, we all know how easily we are *ahem* able to be distracted. And like any other person-involved-in-textile/fiber-pursuits, it is OF COURSE always a good thing! Thus, just because I say I'm going to play with design altering, doesn't mean other things aren't going to be thrown in, or deviated towards, or downright fascinated with. Gosh, that almost sounds like a disclaimer, doesn't it!!

A lot of us have many and varied interests in the field of "needlework", and others like to look and collect. So with that in mind, something I'd like eventually to institute is a listing of sites with free patterns of any sort on the web. Others do that, too, it's nothing new, and mine probably will not be comprehensive per se. But I'd like to try. And I guarantee you won't be bored! But please be patient...I'm still learning the blog techie stuff, too!

Now, Sharon B. is highlighting the aspect of the Personal Stitch Dictionary, and her classes through Joggles are fabulous. Sharon is a superb teacher, and an incredibly knowledgeable woman with a wonderfully explorative mind. If you have not exposed yourself yet to her site (click above on her name), or to her classes, you may be a Truly Deprived Soul. I, on the other hand, do not have enough knowledge of anything (except the feeding schedule of my 100-lb. lap dog!) to teach. I'm in the process of learning, and I invite you to join my journey and learn along with me!

To that end, on another list to which I belong, someone asked a question about an available free Shibori tutorial. I had no idea at the time what Shibori was, so I decided to look it up. Well, I ended up finding four sites with a couple tutorials and some other interesting stuff, which I posted to the list. So tomorrow I'm going to find that list and post it here to start. Not sure how I'm going to organize the posting issue, but stay tuned, learn lots, and have fun with me!

Are You Inspired Today??

I've been doing some poking around while my inner design demons are tormenting me, and have come upon some neat places. I found Lydia's Saturday Sky series to be fascinating. Lydia has a site "Fiber Arts for Charity" as well as her blogspot, so check it out!

Also, I've been experimenting with different types of applique. I have my traditional side, too! One place that has lots of patterns and ideas is Ornamental Applique by Jeni Bueschal. One of my all-time favorite spots is Pat Cummings' QuiltersMuse. Pat's husband, Jim, does the photography, and there are some fabulous articles and pictures there. Plus, Pat has some free patterns...go see!

And if you haven't heard, yet, about Sharon B's 100 Details in 100 Days for CQ'ing embellishment, etc., and you are at all into any kind of embellishment, then you Must go see her site. In addition, Sharon's listed many wonderful eyecandy sites who are working along with her, all well worth several visits. Our other group, Fabric Art Journals, although rather short of entries from me (moan!) has been real busy, and we have a lot of talent there with cameras (Translate -- I need a new camera!)...One of the possible definitions of "inspire" is to 'breathe in new ideas', and our corner of the world certainly is flowing with inspiration, so today, go Be Inspired!!