Finally...

In some things, progress; in others -- finishes!

I have some hand work to do on the facing and label (stitch down on the back), but this collage from Pamela's "About Contrast" class -- Week 2, a two-colour study -- is essentially finished:

Big Sky Country: Autumn at the Slough Redux
(C) 2014

I'd planned to free-motion it but it turns out the fusible I used (the last bit of Steam-a-Seam I could get in a new shop in Red Deer) was too thick/gooey/gummy -- because it wasn't SAS 2 *Lite* -- and even with a metallica #90 needle the stitches skipped and refused to "play nicely".

How did I know it was the fusible causing the problem?

1. Changing the position of the thread from horizontal to vertical didn't help;
2. Changing the needle to a very sharp thin one didn't help;
3. The thread and the bobbin thread were compatible weights;
4. Free-motion worked only on a sandwich sample that didn't have the fusible in it.

So...I put on my walking foot with the metallica needle and straight-stitched the thing.  Trimmed it to finish at 15" W x 14" L with facing.  Not a party piece but I rather like it.  Might even be able to sell it.  :-)  As a reminder, the inspirational photo is this one:

Then I painted the "larger" version of "Gems on the Beach", and wrapped it around its 8" square stretched canvas:

Beach at Noyac (C) 2014
Photo credit: Jane Cochran

And then I put the "sample" of the same piece into it's black mat...all dressed up and ready to go!

Members of Fifteen by Fifteen

In addition to the "finishes", I'm nearly there on the "Sheep Virtues" piece for my friend, B...and have a knitted cowl and hat to tidy up (they've been washed) and photograph...And labels have been made and applied to the two 15 x 15 pieces I am preparing to ship to France for Quilt Expo Beaujolais (deadline: they need to have received them by March 28). (See photo at left. Aren't we a great looking group?!)

I still have to figure out what I'm doing for our current theme, "Contrast", due March 31...I can't go with the collage (above) because it's too small, but perhaps there's hope for the piece with trees...or something new altogether!

We're under a Wind Chill Warning here (down to close to -40 over night, which is pretty much the same think in Fahrenheit or Celsius) so I may be hibernating for a couple of days and will get these -- and the sheep! -- finished.

Meanwhile, because I still can, I'm linking up to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday...and then I'm curling up with a hot cuppa and a good book.  'G'night!  :-)

WIP for a Wintry Wednesday

I'm not fooled by the clear, clean blue sky and the bright sunshine; it's -25 C out there, with a wind chill to -33 C.  I've been out once already this morning -- walked downtown (about 5 blocks) for my hair appointment -- and that's it for today!

It's okay; I have plenty to do inside.  Before the WIPs, though, a "finish" of sorts: the February Block of the Month for the "Four by Four" semi-kitted pieced series I'm working on this year:

"Four by Four" in February: Propeller

"Propeller" seems an odd title for a block in a kit with a Christmas fabric/colour scheme, but there you are.  The background came with the pattern; the rest of the fabrics I collected to go with it -- or not.  The gold was a late discovery (Saturday!) in my stash.  :-)

As for WIPs...not much in the way of photos this week.  I'm still working away on the sheepie sampler for my friend B; I've finished the gusset and am well down the foot on my daughter's sock; I've finished a hat for the charity tree -- except to sew it up at the top, sew in the ends and add buttons; and I've finished a cowl as a birthday gift for my friend C. "Mark on the Body" marches on.   None of these things have had photos taken of them -- at least, not recently.

I am, however, in the last week of Pamela Allen's class, "About Contrast".  This week we can work on whatever we like, using the principles we've studied, as long as we explain our intent with the piece in question.

Typically, I'm still playing with trees.  Here's what I wrote when I posted to the Yahoo group earlier this morning, referring back to the piece about which I posted HERE:

Worked some on my "Lesson 3/Lesson 4" piece yesterday.  As I didn't have enough of the background fabric to enlarge the piece altogether, I decided to cut the building down to size (as it were) and add more trees.  Of course, it's full of fiddly bits now so I was darned if I was going to take it apart to spray baste/fuse everything. So I pinned it.  I am going to stitch the silly thing and see what happens.

My intent with this piece?  No clue!  There is some colour contrast and some size contrast but frankly, not much of either.  You will notice that to re-size the building, I left part of it off (from the inspirational photo) and I've switched the locations of the trees around and added one that's fallen down.  This was the only way I could make the piece "fit" for me, reflect my style and the subject matter I like to work with (trees, old buildings, prairie landscape).  

I don't have much imagination when it comes to creating scenes and I don't like making still life pieces (though I admire those done by others).  I get my inspiration either in photos of the natural world around my home, or by being given whole pictures (visions of a sort) that come to me holus-bolus and dictate how they are to be made.  Go figure.

So here are a few photos of the WIP.  One is a full photo, and two are detail shots. I tried to make the bare trees have some sort of dimensionality by the use of fabric that implies colour/shape.  The piece is still about 18" square but will be trimmed once it is quilted, to about 15" square, I think.

A couple of trees "up close"

Building detail

Linking in to WIP Wednesday over at The Needle and Thread Network...and then going into the sewdio to stitch things down.  That oughta keep me warm, eh?

Layouts, Samples and a "Reveal"!

It was a Full Friday in the sewdio yesterday.  I began by laying out a piece for Week 3 of "About Contrast", the class I'm taking with Pamela Allen.  This week's assignment is to work with contrast in shape and/or size -- whether low or high contrast.  Definitely harder for me than with colour, because I like things to be in proportion.

That said, here's an example of past work where the piece is dominated by one large item:

House I - mounted on linen-covered stretched canvas

Loving abandoned buildings, I went back to them for the assignment.  Here's the inspirational photo:

And here are the two layouts I've tried thus far -- nothing is stitched down, just placed on the background.

Rough layout #1

Rough layout #2

I'm thinking that the building is too big -- there's not enough contrast in size.  I want the building to look lonely and forlorn and small.    The upholstery fabric for the roof and walls has a great texture, and I've put a couple of slits in the roof, showing how its falling apart:

Of course, there's no stitching on the piece yet, no over-grown grasses...

While letting that 'percolate' on my work table, I went into my 'wet room' (i.e. my back room where I do messy things) and played with paint.  I wanted to add colour to the pebbles in the sample of the beach piece about which I recently posted (scroll down).  You'll note in the inspirational photo that there are coloured pebbles in the water...

So I stitched a scrap of the pebble fabric, using monopoly (clear) thread, and daubed on some colours from my newly-acquired collection of Pebeo Setacolor paints:

I liked the results, so I went ahead and painted some of the pebbles on the miniature sample.  The trick was to paint just the right number of stones (it's so much fun, I wanted to keep going!)...and to space them out "artfully"...in the right proportions.  The pearly white paint was a wonderful accent to add the glisten of the water, as well as to soften the brightness of the colours.

Gems on the Beach

I like it so much that I've given it a title, and am going to attach the black mat and put it in my inventory of miniatures for sale.  :-)  Doncha love it when a sample works out?

Now to go forward with the larger piece, which I want to mount on stretched canvas and put in the Lacombe Art Show in April.

Speaking of shows, yesterday was also "Reveal Day" for the Fifteen by Fifteen Group's latest theme, "Rhythm".  You can see all of the pieces on the Group's blog...I think they're our best yet!  But here's my piece...

Rural Rhythms  (C) 2014

A face only a mother could love, eh?!  ;-)  My artist's statement (on the Fifteen by Fifteen blog) explains...

I'm linking late to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday...why not stop by there too?

Winter School and Other Things

Those of you who've been following this blog for some time have likely figured out I'm a bit of a perpetual student.  Having finished with the C&G (December 2012) I pretty quickly set up a "Self-directed Summer School".  It should come as no surprise then that late last year I signed up for an online class with Pamela Allen entitled "About Contrast".

We are now almost through Week 2, so I thought I'd share what I've been learning.  Karol Kusmal is a class-mate; I've been relieved to read in our class forum that she's been having challenges similar to mine.  (Grin)

We've begun with some colour theory, and in Week 1 had to try out mono-chromatic or low contrast pieces.  I had a miniature in mind already, so I submitted this as my first piece (yes, I shared it recently HERE):

January Afternoon (C) 2014

It didn't quite meet expectations (only 2 fabrics used), so I tried again, but still in miniature:

Sample with stack of potential fabric

Again, not quite...so I promised to work larger and from a wider stash of fabric for Week 2.  :-)

This week we had to create a 2-colour work, preferably in collage style.  I'm not fond of collage, even though that's how many might classify my pieces.  I prefer to think that my main technique is a combination of piecing and fused applique.  Semantics aside, here's the stash I dove into for my second piece, focusing on blues and browns:

I cut out a foundation fabric that was 18" square, thinking I might use this for my next 15 x 15 piece, as our February/March theme is "Contrast" (I kid you not!), applied fusible in my usual way and, thinking about my favourite local landscapes, drew inspiration from this photo:

Slough on the way from Mirror to Alix, Alberta

From which I'd originally created this miniature:

Autumn at the Slough (C) 2013

And yesterday afternoon I put together this collage:

Working Title: Big Sky Country: Autumn at the Slough Redux

It needs sandwiching and quilting to become anything...so we shall see what transpires.  :-)

Other Things have continued under construction: Mark on the Body (a new post on that blog next week); Deterioration of Civility (embroidery happening now, quasi-trapunto, to be shared later); my daughter's sock (heel turned, working down the foot); and this newer piece -- from Little House Needleworks "Sheep Virtues" series, for my friend B's birthday in early February:

Friendship Sampler

(I'd love to collect the series but money and time don't permit it.  You don't wanna know the size of my embroidery supply stash -- the third "F" in my company's name, 3F: Fabric, Fibre and Floss...)

Linking up with Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday (even though it's now Saturday morning)...and going back to my stitching.  Why don't you pour a cuppa something and join me?

Early Morning Win

I've lots to do today -- taking my display stand in to Lacombe to set up for the weekend's "Encore: Art Show & Celebration" -- so I thought I'd reveal the winner of my duplicate "Think Like an Artist" DVD.

(Drum roll...)

The winner is Wil!   So, my cyber-SAQA-quilty art friend...e-mail me your address and I'll send this off to you.  :-)  You are a pretty experienced artist, so you may find this DVD fairly basic...but I know you'll know who to share it with at your end if that is the case.  :-)

Have a great Thursday!

Murphy's Law of Lost Articles (Give-away)

MLLA:  When you finally go out and buy something you thought you'd lost, you will find the original item.

Yep; it just happened to me.  After several months of looking everywhere in my wee house for my copy of Pamela Allen's Think Like an Artist (DVD), I ordered another copy.  It arrived Friday and I watched it yesterday afternoon as the weather snowed and I stitched.  Lovely to see it again -- and yes, I learned a couple of new things in the re-watch.

This afternoon I got down on my hands and knees to get a close look at my modem, preparatory to attaching my new wireless router for my new computer (laptop).  And there it was; the DVD, that is -- under my computer desk back near the outer wall, behind some books I'd stored under the desk.  None the worse for wear.

What's a girl to do?  Much as I admire Pamela, I don't need two copies of her DVD!  And so...I'm giving away my new (only watched once) copy, and putting my old (equally beloved) copy back on the shelf with its instructional and inspirational sisters.

Let's see...what say I use my friendly Random Sequence Generator to pick a recipient for me from any comments to THIS post between now and Wednesday, April 17 at 11:59 p.m..MDT (to be drawn Thursday a.m., at the start of my Very Busy Eleven Days).  And if you have an experience to relate about Murphy's Law of Lost Articles in your life, do share!

Goin' to Florida!

Well...this  is, anyway -- at the end of February.  SAQA Volusia: "Wrapped in Fiber", goes up in the  Rose Room Gallery at the Peabody Auditorium, Daytona Beach, on March 10 through April 27. Pamela Allen will be presenting an Art Talk there on March 25 from 2 to 4 PM, so if you're in the neighbourhood -- please go to see it, and enjoy!

More than a month...

has passed since my last post -- but there's a good reason! I've been busy, with a capital 'B'. Where shall I begin? Since April 9th, I've worked part-time at our local Library, gone to the 11th annual Lacombe Art Show, volunteered at Superfluity, the thrift shop in Stettler, sung at church (and had practices for same), gone to Calgary and to Edmonton twice each, endured two spring blizzards, and won a prize at a gallery show. It may have been over-the-top busy these past few weeks, but it's also been a great deal of fun!

The Art Show in Lacombe is a true 'Artist's Date', and a delight for the eyes. This year my favourite booths were those belonging to the Ponoka Potters Guild, and to a young woman named Sally Towers Sybblis. From the Guild, I bought a tall, slender mug fashioned in brown and blue glazes by Noni Chalmers, the wife of the fellow for whom I'm making the kilt hose. She does most her potting in caramel-coloured glazes, but this mug was very different, and I had to take it home with me. :-)

Sally is a calligrapher and artist who paints and writes on both paper and fabric -- mainly canvas. From her I bought a very pretty little canvas tote that was inscribed with one of my very favourite sayings: "Bloom where you're planted." It was decorated with a pot of purply flowers -- the name of which I forget at the moment! She and I had a long chat about painting and working with inks and dyes on fabric, and about showing work. She had a single booth, the cost of which was so reasonable for the 3 days, that I have decided to use next year's show as my Firm Visioning Goal -- and prepare my body of work with the show in mind. I hope to see Sally again then, if not before!

My first trip to Calgary was to my mid-April meeting of the Wild Rose Stitchers, the only Alberta Chapter of The Applique Society, which meets on the third Wednesday of each month -- year 'round -- at 10 a.m. at Addie's Creative Fabrics. That particular meeting was full of our last-minute plans for Quilt Canada 2010, which began shortly thereafter (April 24) and ran through May 1. Suddenly, the Week was upon us -- and we were ready!

Here's one of our members, L, sitting at the table at our 51-piece exhibit on the morning of April 28 (the exhibits were open from the evening of April 27 through to 5 p.m. on May 1). I was volunteering with her that day, and it was a full one indeed. We had lots of visitors, asking questions, and were thrilled to be able to link people up with TAS chapters near them, from Dawson City, Yukon, to the 'Cyberspace' chapter at Yahoo.com.

That night we had a spring blizzard, complete with heavy, wet snow, howling winds and icy roads. We awoke to 10 inches of snow on our vehicles and virtually impossible side streets. Still, the show must go on, and most of us volunteering managed to get back to the show. In fact, by the time I finished my second day as a volunteer (April 29), you could hardly tell we'd had the storm. Alberta in April; ya gotta love it!

Thursday, April 29, from noon through almost 6 p.m., I worked at the SAQA exhibit, Synthesis, which up till Quilt Canada 2010 had been travelling in Eastern Canada and the Maritimes. From Calgary, it's scheduled to go to Fibreworks on the Sunshine Coast of B.C. later this summer. I was blessed by J, one of the exhibit's other volunteers, when she took my picture next to my piece, "Snippets: An Art Quilter's Learning Curve". This was the first time I'd seen all of the pieces in one place -- and it was a thrill to be there with my heroines, Anna Hergert, Pamela Allen, Laurie Swim and Karen Goetzinger!

Another thrill came when a total stranger told me that as far as she was concerned, my piece, "Prairie Autumn" , was the best in the show! She asked me what I'd sell it for and when I told her, she said, "...reasonable, for a piece that size. I was over the moon to have my work validated by someone who was not a friend, colleague or family member. This, and my experience at the FFAA Show (see below) have given me renewed confidence, energy and motivation for my work, and for my future.

I had introduced myself to Pamela Allen at the Opening Reception on Tuesday evening, and we kept bumping into each other thereafter. This was great, because I felt we were well acquainted by the time I served as her "Class Angel" on Friday and Saturday. The name of this 2-day workshop was "What Makes a Good Composition?" Because there were only a few others in the class, I was invited to play too -- quite unexpectedly -- so I had to go to the Merchant Mall and buy some fabric (all together now: "Aw-w-w-w-w"). I participated in the first 2 exercises -- a black and white study, and a colour study -- but spent Day 2 stitching while the others worked on the linear study. Here are a few samples from the other participants (who shall remain nameless):

Left to Right: Black and White Studies ; a Colour Study; a Linear Study under construction

Stay tuned for forth-coming photos of my efforts!

I arrived home Sunday to no phone service. Turns out the storm had knocked out lines in the area, and my land line was affected. Blessedly, anyone I needed to contact was on e-mail!

Bright and early on Thursday, May 6th, I was on my way to Edmonton for a 3-day version of Anna Hergert's workshop, "Cause and Effect". As it's usually 5 days, it was a pretty intense time! There 11 of us had a great deal of fun melding layers of painted plastic wrap, and testing Tyvek, acrylic felt, used dryer sheets, paper napkins and landscape fabric with stitching, paint, heat guns and irons. I started a new sketchbook for this class; though I have expanded my horizons already with those 3 days, I know I have more experimenting to do -- and I have some great ideas for the next piece in my 'nature' series.

On the evening of May 7th, most of our class -- and Anna -- were present for the Opening of "Green", the latest show from the Focus on Fibre Arts Association. What a thrill to find that my entry, "Picked for the Ripening", won 3rd Place in my division: "Small Wall-hanging, Original Design"! (That's it next to me, the bottom of a trio of small hangings.) Even better, at least 1/2 dozen of us in Anna's workshop had entered -- and won -- so Anna was thrilled and proud of and for all of us. What a great group of which to be a part!