Purse Sketchbook, 3

Going back and adding watercolors to black and white sketches pleases me so much. Here the left page is by me and the goat sketch is by GD1 (first granddaughter).

I did the square zentangle at the Smoky Mountain Quilt Guild Meeting (Knoxville, TN) in 2012--lots of wonderful memories from that visit. 

Zentangles usually bore me silly, however, I really like this page now that I've added color. Guess I'm just hooked on color. Thinking in terms of complements, double complements: red and green, orange and blue. Love that goat! Thank you, GD1.

Purse Sketchbook, 2

Starting with a piece of fabric glued into my purse sketchbook (8"x5 1/2" / 21x15cm)and adding rectangles.











Just gluing them down unevenly.


Hmmmm. I find the red over-powering. More playing required.

Or maybe I like the other direction.

Looking at the date on the door sketch, I realized this sketchbook has been a couple of years in the making. Where does the time go?

Stitching hOles, 2

More invigilating (proctoring exams), so more holes...

Plus I added a few bean shapes. For once, the teaching has allowed me to move forward on my artwork. I hadn't touched this piece for quite awhile.

Now, I will put it away until the next time...although I have an idea for one corner that I want to try out...

Linked to Nina Marie's "Off the Wall Friday."

Small Scraps Into Smaller Scraps, 1

An exercise in existential absurdity: taking small scraps and cutting them into even smaller pieces. We probably perplex and baffle the world.

But what fun to make such a mess!

The circles are for a textile sketchbook page (11 1/2" x 8").


Remembering the Library Summer Caterpillar when I was a kid. We wrote in the name of a book we had read on a segment...anyone remember? 

Stitching hOles, 1

Today I invigilated...now to me, that sounds like a dirty word, but if you know a bit of British English, you'll understand that I was proctoring exams. Once the students got to work, I pulled out a piece that I've worked on for a l-o-n-g time (over 10 years, I suppose) and stitched holes in reverse appliqué.

They make interesting studies by themselves.























Some are smooth, some are frayed.

I began making them all different.

Tomorrow I invigilate as well. More holes to come...

What a Mess!

Having finished the wing appliqué, I took a pause and started cutting into the retirement piece (long name: "He Went to Work Every Day, and Then He Retired") just for fun.

But what a mess! If you should wonder about my technique, none exists. Strictly figure-it-out-as-I-go. When faced with such tangles, I try not to panic and just start in a do-able corner, picking some part that looks easy. I decided to pin down the strips with safety pins temporarily so I'm not working with a porcupine. 

To complicate things, I'm trying to keep recognizable elements like collars, cuffs, seams, buttons, and pockets. This piece will be the BIG challenge for 2014. Nice way to start the year, all the same...

Happy, Happy

The action's over at MulticoloredPieces.

Looking at the wings from another direction...something growing.

Wishing you a happy, productive, and peaceful New Year.

Almost, Almost

The New Year is almost here and the wings are almost finished.

It looks like I'll spend the day stitching--not an unpleasant thought.

Purse Sketchbook, 1

My purse sketchbook is more or less filled up, yet some pages remain empty. To finish it, I'm going back into it with watercolors or colored pencils. Reminds me of coloring books, but it's much more fun. Then I thought about playing with the fabrics that are sitting by my machine from the oranges textile sketchbook page. So I glued the flowered background fabric onto a page. 

Not to be confused with the textile sketchbook for which I have the same page waiting. Today, I've been cutting out small circles and rectangles every time I have to stop and thread a needle for the stitching on which I'm working. Rectangles for the purse sketchbook and circles for the textile sketchbook. Very relaxing. No expectations, except that I do like the colors. Nice way to end off the year...

Almost Finished?

The end may be in sight! 

However, experience tells me that means another month or so on this piece. 

Well, that's really quite short since I count time spent on a piece in terms of years...

Sketchbook: Oranges

It started with a stack of fabrics. 

I chose a faded floral print from a cotton flea market blouse and glued it, then stitched it by machine to a notebook page.
It created an interesting, airy background.











Scissors in hand, I cut out the shapes directly. 

I glued the pieces down.

Man, I love these colors, double complements, green & blue with red & orange. 

I also like the contrast of solids and prints. I think I'll do another page with these colors...something geometric, just to play.

Click here to see finished page.

Sketchbook to Quilt: Round 'N Round

This really bores me silly, to repeat, to have a design that's already worked out. I have to trick myself into working on this. "Ok, today I'll just do this one little thing for it"...so I got the central figure cut out.

Actually, this would work up very fast if I could bend my mind around it. It's only about 2 ft. square.

I think I'll cut down the figure a bit so that I have more room to fiddle around with the background.

Back to Wings, 10

As usual, inching along in the wee hours of the night. 

However, maybe, just maybe the end is in sight.

And may Santa stuff your stockings with lots of stitching goodies!

Teal & Beige, 2

The dark grouting made the design pop out on this 4-inch paint can.






















The design looks different from every side.



It will now sit for a week or so to cure, then I can plant it.

Under the Tree

With it's red balls and green leaves, the pomegranate tree is looking quite festive and showing holiday spirit. I'm laying down patches of beiges and light browns underneath the tree (by machine) which seems ridiculously easy to sew because it's mostly on-grain; sometimes that's a relief. I'm also adding on patches around the perimeter to finish it off. Soon I'll have to think about squaring it up (or not)--that's going to be a challenge. As the piece keeps growing, I may have to take over the living room floor. 

Come to think of it, I may have to go into town and find a white cotton for the back. Usually, I piece the back, but not this time. A backing that is on-grain would help stabilize this piece. Fortunately, I know that it will all quilt out...