What a difference a day makes

A couple of good night's sleep, and my brain appears to be working better. My self confidence took a bit of a beating today, watching all of the wonderful work that appeared during a Zoom meeting with the TFAM group.  An amazing group in terms of both creativity and productivity. I've been working with fibre for almost 60 years now, but these ladies have left me in their dust, in terms of that creativity and confidence.  Much of this can be a function of advancing years, but right now I'm just content to be a part of the group, and to have access to the wonderful things that are going on there.

Another group that I've been involved with lately is TextileArt.org.  This group has been running a series of 6 textile challenges through Facebook.  I have participated in two of these, and have collected the instructions for the others, with every intent of exploring those as well.

Here is the basic fused picture that is my  start to challenge #6.
I have followed the instructions to this point.  We were given little instruction in terms of supplies, but more what to do with the supplies each of us has chosen.  

Here is  my result.    It is about 9" by 12", only slightly larger than suggested.  I could only find two fabric in my stash that had any flowers that could be cut out individually, and have used both. We were told to choose a fabric with large flowers that we could cut out and applique. I spent several hours, last evening, cutting out the flowers with tiny embroidery scissors--the best for the job.  (Had to wear my wrist brace while sleeping last night).  In the end I had  many more of the maple leaf pieces than I needed, and selected the smallest for using here.  The stem is rick-rack, as directed in the instructions.

The best part of this, was that the unused maple leaves, gave me the inspiration of another piece.  It is still in my head, but is basically a vertical compression design.  Here are the fabrics I've chosen from my stash.  I'm very excited about this, and can't wait to actually get started.

Not very creative times.

For me anyway.  But I did recall the project I had had remembered and then forgotten again, and it involves EPP with irregular shapes, and might possibly result in an exhibition piece--maybe.

Shortly after we were confined to our homes, I lost a friend, who had, at one time, been a very close friend.  This distance was the result of declining health and fortunes on both our parts, and we still enjoyed an active phone conversation, on the few occasions it was possible.  Her death had nothing to do with the virus, but was the end result of some serious health problems. Her mother had, at one time, been a mentor to me in my fibre art life, as well.  My friend had given me two simple pieces of her mother's work, and I felt the need to incorporate those pieces into a piece of my work, in memory of both ladies ( although, in truth, my friend was a "good old gal" and didn't always deserve the title of "lady").

This is the piece, and it is now basted together, ready to be stitched. The work is not my best, but with this piece the need was within me to create something, and that need has been met.  Having said that, my concern is that my skill may never be as good as it once was.  Time will tell, and I'm prepared for whatever may happen.

Isolation seems to be getting to me

In the last paragraph of the previous post, posted the day before yesterday,  I mention getting an idea for saving a UFO from a few years back.  Haven't a clue what I was talking about.  Oh Well, keep calm and carry on--I guess.

There is a piece I'm working on.  While it is original, and Covid19 inspired, it is turning out more pretty than profound.  I started with white fabric, which I machine quilted, as I often do before adding anything to the front.  Then I wanted to add some colour to the front.  I had wanted something reminiscent of gathering clouds, and decided to try using InkTense blocks.  Since this involved using water, I decided to take the opportunity to block the piece at the same time.  So it was wet, blocked, and then the InkTense added.  It looked really great, but I knew that was too good to be true, and the next day discovered that the colour had spread right to the edges, and had faded significantly when dry.  Today, for some reason, I decided to add gold stars to it, using Shiva Paint Sticks( sometimes called Fabric Pastels).  Once those have been heat set (72 hours from now), I have prepared quite a few elongated hexagons, in various sizes, to machine applique on top.

While the colour here doesn't appear to work very well with the background, they match much better when seen together. At the same time,I'm starting to think that this is just going to be bizarre, and that it will just join that big pile that I refer to as my"crap quota".

On the other hand, I mentioned dealing with my scrap basket, most of which was long strips to sew together.  I was hoping for pieced strip sections that worked out to be square, with a bit of trimming.  I wanted to use these in an improvisational piece, but none of them turned out to be big enough to be useful.  Gotta think about that one, but it will probably go through a couple more resurrections before heading to that quota pile mentioned. .

But, on  happy note, the kit for my on-line sketchbook workshop finally arrived yesterday, and a very beautiful selection of art supplies it is.  I didn't work with them today, as I've been doing some research/reading on the same topic, and which I'm finding  very useful .

Finally some progress

Yesterday, I decided to buckle down and get serious about the on-line Sketchbook workshop I've signed up for at DesignMatters TV.  This meant sending by long-suffering husband off to find a new colour cartridge for our printer, as several enlarged photos were required before I could start. 
There was a lot of stumbling around in the first section, and a lot of accompanying grumbling from me.  But the second section was much more appealing, and it was "off to the races".  I was very pleased with the results, but I was working on cheap drawing paper, rather than into an actual sketchbook, as the kit that was sent me, as part of the workshop fees, has yet to arrive.  I have a small, 5 by 8, sketchbook, and today's challenge will  be to transfer the technique learned yesterday into a much smaller scale for use in the actual book.   I have some ideas, and am anxious to try them.

The whole thing has also given me an idea related to a piece I started a couple of years ago, but never finished, as the technique I was using just didn't work out.  I do believe that I may have solved my problem.  We'll see.

Stop the world, I want to get off--

Life has been going somewhat smoothly during the last 5 weeks of stay-at-home Social Isolation, but today it appears to have fallen apart.  I'll spare you the details, but I reached my limit this afternoon, and had a bit of a melt down. This has resulted in several hours of introspection, and the realization that I need to find a different way of doing things, that will allow me more time for my relaxation and efforts at stress reduction therapy--self directed, of course, given our present circumstances.  While I have yet to figure how how that will appear, I'm going to acknowledge to myself, that while everyone else may be joyfully finding time and energy for waves of creativity, that isn't going to be me.  So I apologize to my faithful viewers, but there will likely be no more pictures of new work posted, for awhile.  I may just putter, or examine the potential of the scrap basket ( it really is contained in a big basket), or I may concentrate in learning a new skill.  I'm going to please me, rather than trying to be all things to all men.  It just isn't worth the effort.

The old and the new

While looking at things on an upper shelf in the closet, I found a quilt that I had almost forgotten about--one that has never before been used on a bed.  The colours just about match the new sheets we got over the winter.  

This was the result of a "Mystery Quilt" fundraiser that the local Guild had 20-30 years ago.  One member designed the pattern, and donated it, and then everyone bought the instructions for one square or border every month. No-one knew how the piece was going to turn out, so we were working blind.  In this case we were also told to change it any way we wanted: that the pattern was just a suggestion. So every quilt turned out differently.  I was very pleased with mine, and even paid to have it machine quilted in what would now be described as "custom" quilting.  Even then that wasn't cheap.  It's really too small for the bed, but I used it last night and it worked just fine.

I guess, at one time, I was a fairly good traditional quilter. But if forced to make a choice, I think I would go for the more challenging original art quilting.

 I had an idea for a couple of pieces in my brain yesterday, and took the time to write them down in my sketch book, and work out some details.  One of them I was really excited about, but the other grabbed hold of me and said "Me first".  So that one is slowly being developed.  I think I worked out one part of it yesterday, and am now starting the basic machine quilting.  I usually quilt my pieces first, and then add the details on top of the quilting.  This lets me do whatever I want without the worry of figuring out how I'm going to quilt around it.  This one involves a bit of English Paper Piecing, so may take a long time to finish.  The other one just isn't talking to me at all.

Things are looking up

I appear to be getting over the virus.  Felt better and had more energy yesterday, and today was a little better.  It's very much an up and down process, so I just take one day at a time.  My creativity appears to have moved to Moscow again, so, with not much energy, I've spending more time in donkey work in the studio.   Over the past couple of days, I've made face masks for all of my extended family.  Searching the internet for patterns or designs was an exercise in frustration.  Many instructions contradicted each other, so I looked for things that appeared consistent across the variety of instructions I saw.  Most agreed that it was best to use good quality cotton--it had to be cotton for washing and sterilizations procedures.   Good quilting cotton, especially batiks was preferred.  People all over the world are obsessed with finding elastic, and I have none, nor access to any.  So I needed instructions that used quilting cotton, but also spoke of ties.  I found one that worked and made sense at http://artwithaneedle.blogspot.com/

Here are my finished masks.

I made the inside different than the outside, so there would be no mistakes in putting them on.  The ties may be a little long, but everyone using them is old enough to make their own decisions about cutting them off.  Now to get them to everyone, which means all of them coming to pick them up  over the weekend.

Finished

Got that challenge piece finished and posted.  I've never posted anything on Facebook before, so am pleased to get this up there, and on time as well.  Otherwise the only thing accomplished in the studio today was hemming two pairs of pants.

All of the fabric in the piece has some meaning for me.  The background is a hand dyed cotton Damask napkin that my sister gave me.  The prints are both gifts from a fibre friend, and the brown strip is a precious remnant from  a hand dyed piece of my own that I loved.  The pink is a piece of my own hand made paper.  Even the little tatted pieces were gifts from a friend.

I may even try to finish this as a formal piece of fibre art.

Laughing Hysterically

So many plans in my last post.  I continue to be plagued by the "plague". This means a long afternoon nap every day.  It means that we have spent a fair chunk of this month's food budget on take out, and now have to rein everything in, and live out of the freezer.  That means cooking, and while I only really have to prepare one meal a day, it means that I have to pull myself together and cook.  Thank Goodness  for the dishwasher, as I just don't have the strength to do both cooking and dish washing, even less when one thinks about  the clean up the kitchen part that comes in between.  I spend my time  mindlessly watching tv, or playing around on the internet on my computer.

In terms of studio work, I did get another batik finished, but OMG, this is not what I had planned.

What appears as a light grey/blue in the center of the feathers was supposed to be white, what appears as grey/green was supposed to be yellow.  I have no idea what I might do with this, but I don't think it's worth the effort of machine quilting.  I might be able to tease out sections and make small pouches or purses to sell at craft sales.  Or maybe I should say offer for sale at craft sales, as I'm not sure they would sell.  But I know my brain isn't functioning well, so I certainly won't make any decision until I'm feeling better.  Not that I feel like doing any serious work right now.

Rather, I'm attempting some fairly mindless hand work.  I'm following the challenges on TextileArtist.org The current challenge involves creating a collage using a meaningful focal image, paper as well as fabric, and stitching in the manner of Kantha quilting or Sashiko stitching.  I've attempted both previously, even teaching Sashiko to the local embroidery guild.  I started my stitching with #12 perle cotton, but, fortunately, some Superior Thread's Sew Sassy, I had ordered, arrived yesterday.  I had been very curious about how this might work for hand stitching, so have incorporated it very successfully into the piece. Here is a picture of it in progress, ( you can see my  original guideline for stitching,) and then a closeup of the stitching, and a view where I've placed three tatted pieces in the spots I plan to attach them later.  The wet, on the hand made paper, is where I've removed those guidelines. 

This is supposed to be finished and posted to the website by the weekend.  I sure hope I make it, but, if I don't, that's okay too.

Now it's time for  my nap. Be safe everyone, and keep your distance.  It could save your life.