Getting ready to dye

Well, it's been a long time since I've dyed fabric. Or so it seems. I'm really itching to do some. And soon! This winter was so strange. We never got any significant snow. Just a few dribs of snow dusting and that was it. Every time I heard about big dumps of snow around the country I got jealous. I hoped and prayed all winter for one huge snow storm so I could snow dye. . .  but no-oo. So I got busy (new baby in the family can do that to a girl) and just forgot about it. But now. . . .  I'm getting the itch again.

So keep checking back to see what kooky color combinations or kool patterns I can come up with. It's what I 'dye' for!

Rust Belt (artisan) Market Girls Night Out Benefit

So . . . I've been spending the last month or so at the Rust Belt Market in Ferndale, Michigan in a booth supporting the high school.

There are some wonderful artists at the market. One booth is split between Liz Coyle of Lizzy Jeanne Handmade and Vershion D. Young from Shionne Designs. 

Liz takes cotton knit sheets, dyes them, then cuts strips and knits tops & things! Holy Cow! How cool. I just love giving things new life. They sure are pretty.

And Vershion makes very cool jewelry from beads and paper that are repurposed in to pretty wearables. There is something in every color, length, style and price range just perfect for every taste and personal style.

And just in case you think these are two pretty faces just make some cool stuff to sell. . . well  . . there's more. . .  

 . . . they are organizers of a Girls Night Out event, created to benefit Vista Maria, an organization that provides hope and healing to victimized girls since 1883.

A VIP advance $20 ticket will get you a swag bag, an evening of pampering, beauty, heath, wellness, entertainment, silent auction and more, more, more. General admission tickets are $10. Most Rust Belt Market vendors will be open as well.

Stop by for this great cause and support your local artist!

Rust Belt Market, Ferndale, MI
Friday, April 20, 2012
6-10 PM
for ticket info contact: brownpapertickets.com
or - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rusty-Babes-Girls-Night-Out/406826986001358

Fine and Performing Arts High School

I have not been productive at all lately. .  at least creating my own work. I've been using my creative time to help a local fine and performing arts high school get a booth at an artist's market set up to exhibit and sell student work. So that also means corralling kids to get their art work to the market for sale. Tiz the season after all! For art fairs and artist markets that is. . . .

After 3 weeks of being in the booth on Saturdays and Sundays only, we finally had our first sale! The artist is a senior, graduating in just a few months. His work is phenomenal! His style is very graffiti-like. He uses recycled materials to paint on to create his fabulous one-of-a-kind works. So far he has 15 large pieces available for sale along with some smaller works.

Snow Dyeing

I have waited patiently all winter for snow. Not because I ski or play other snow games. Not because I enjoy driving in hazardous weather with crazy drivers on the road. No, I like to dye fabric with snow!
 

All winter we've had reports that it was coming. I was excited with anticipation. But, it just never showed up. At least not in my immediate area. The state has gotten lots of snow, but not where I live. And, the more I eager I am for it to come, it just doesn't. Hmmm, conspiracy?

This happened once before. Several years ago I signed up to take part in an online snow dyeing swap. Right away I started getting fat quarters of wonderful dyed-with-snow fabric in the mail. I, on the other hand had to make major apologies because we had no snow! Finally at the very end of the season I was able to fulfill my commitment with the meager amounts of snow that fell, or more like blew over from somewhere else. Thankfully, everyone was happy to receive my colorful stragglers. 

So without any new pieces to show this year, I am reliving a past session with my easy-to-do-how-to (which I call the lazy way to snow dye):

I first put aluminum roasting pans on my washing machine and dryer with plastic sheeting underneath.

Next, I place some plastic zip lock bags in the pans, fill the bags with pre-soda ashed fabric, then plop the snow on top.

Next, I pour random mixtures of dye on top of the snow. No thought, no cares, just random pouring here n'there. Then zip lock the bag tops closed.

 

I generally let the fabric batch for at least 24 hours. This photo shows the fabric after the snow has melted and the extra melted liquid poured out. 

By now I'm usually chomping at the bit to see what the finish product looks like. So the fabric gets rinsed, then washed in the machine, dried, and ironed. 

Voila! Unique, one-of-a-kind snow dyed fabric, ready for your next project!

Some results:

I used my hand and snow dyed fabric in art quilts. How do you use yours? Feel free to post comments and pictures.

Stopped in my tracks again!

I admit I do have problems with letting life get in the way of my productivity. 

 

It's always something completely out of my control. People getting sick, dying, emergency trips, natural disasters and the like. 

Well, this time my productivity was halted for a very good reason. . a new baby in the family!

And as much as I love to recycle, and you know I do, no, he will not be recycled. I'm keeping this little angel.

Twelve by Twelve Art Quilts

Image my surprise! Quilters are making small quilts and writing books about it too! I've been making quilts that size for years now! Sometime last year I learned that a group of quilters got together and focused their attention on making 12 x 12 art quilts. Then a book had been published to chronicle their journey and show some how-tos! Nice. I got there by crazy evolution. I wonder how it happened for them.

Decades ago I started making bed quilts, just like the rest of us. I finished a bunch and gave them away. As I continued making the tops I ended up with tons of tops, but no bottoms. They never seemed to get finished. Why? I don't or didn't know at the time. I guess it was too overwhelming. And let's face it, unless you can dedicate time on a regular basis, it's going to take forever. At least in my world. Oh, yah, did I mention that every inch, every stitch was done by hand. So you see the problem.

I left quilt making for a few decades. Not enough quick gratification. And, when I went outside the box and made up my own patterns and used crazy wild color combinations, well, people looked ascance at me. Back then it mattered. Tho I did press on, I didn't show anyone what I was doing. Then eventually stopped altogether. When I started again, the thought of bed quilts made me want to gag. I knew deep down they'd never get done but again, pressed forward. I was drawn to work with fabric, so there I was again right back in it. And of course, my 'stash' and unfinished quilts moved with me everytime I moved. It all just seemed to stare at me and draw me closer like the devil beckoning.

Itching to start up again, I thought, well lap quilts may have a better shot at finding homes and less likely to be stashed with the larger unfinished tops. So, I began making tons of lap quilts. . . tops that is. Why didn't they get finished. Well, I had trouble getting them under the harp of the machine and all hand sewing was now off the table. Age was creeping up on me and eyesight and time was becoming a factor. So it was sewing machine only and the opening of my machine was just too small. Geez, now what do I do. I'll keep making tops till I figure it out.

Well the answer finally came to me. . and in my usual fashion . . . by accident. I began making smalllish practice pieces late at night when I couldn't sleep. I found that the size was so much easier and it was becoming a pleasure to do it. So I began officially making 12 x 12 inch quilts. They actually got done. .  every single time! I began to really enjoy the process from start to finish. Prior to that I liked the piecing and design that went into creating the top, but shuttered at the thought of actually quilting it. 

So 12 x 12 inches was perfect. I guess the ladies from the "Twelve by Twelve, The International Art Quilt Challenge" thought so too. If you make small art quilts or want to get started, you must get this book.   

* * *

Twelve by Twelve examines the two-year-long international collaboration between twelve art quilters, during which they created a total of 144 quilts based on twelve different themes. Not only does the book showcase the quilts themselves--a feature quilt from each theme receives an in-depth chapter, written by one of the quilters--it also examines the dynamics of developing a vibrant online community of artists. The result is a very personal and unique blend of technique-based text and discussions on challenge, collaboration, and inspiration.

 

For more inspiration, check out their blog: http://twelveby12.blogspot.com/

UPDATE: How is YOUR creative compass?

Kathy Zasuwa sent me some photos of her work which I have added to the Tue, Jan 10 blog post. If you have already read it, it's well worth going back to see the photos. Her work is fabulous! Thanks Kathy!

Remember . .

 . . . comments are welcome. This is my journey but I am sharing it with you. So, if you feel moved to comment, or share, or start a conversation, please feel free to. . .

Another new challenge

Well, here I go again. Challenging myself. Wow. I better stop doing this. Just had to one more time (I keep telling myself). I think this is a really valuable challenge for anyone who wants to learn free motion quilting or just to be forced to sit down and practice. 

When I first tried free motion, everyone was doing it. And doing it very well. Me. Well, I just kept breaking needles. I couldn't get the hang of it. I'd sew about an inch or so, and bam. . . a broken needle. I'd try again, modifying my foot, hand and eye coordination, but nope. . . bam. . . another broken needle to add to the growing collection. So what would a normal red blooded quilter do? Yep, I gave up. 

Then I started trying again, but not too often. It was too depressing and frustrating. But, a few years into to it, I had an epiphany. It came with some help from a few wonderful gals and I was off and running. 

So when the notice of this challenge popped up in my email, I was all over it. I can sharpen my skills for sure. And it's just one per month. That's twelve folks! Not like my other challenge. That is one per week! And let's not even mention the self imposed challenges I have going on. So this should be a breeze.

 

The first tutorial is by Frances Moore. Here is my entry. I know that everyone doing this challenge will be showing samples of perfection. Not me. It is not important to me that it be perfect, but that I experiment with the possibilities of how to use the pattern given. So you will see that starting on the left, the leaves look plain and normal as shown in the tutorial. I then transitioned to the alternate sample which was the circle inside the leaf. I just wanted to fill the 'page' with leaves and see how well I could back myself into or out of a corner. I think I did ok.

This challenge is open to anyone. To learn more or sign up here is the link:

http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/p/free-motion-quilt-challenge.html

Weekly Quilt Journal Project: week 11

I've really been getting into quilting faces for a while now. In fact, I've had a thing for faces forever. I used to doodle them as a kid, bought and sold face jewelry when I had my store, and have always been drawn to any kind of images with faces. They have character. Some are old, some are young. Some have lots of lines and wrinkles, and others are full and chubby. They all have their own unique personality. Faces intrigue me. Ok, so enough of that. 

This newest piece is another young lady very close to my heart. I came across the photo and thought it was time to find some fabric to bring her to life. Her expression says a lot don't you think.

On this blog, I have been revealing patterns in my life. So here is yet another emerging pattern. . . I have tons of fabric but never the 'perfect' piece when I need it. As was the case with this face. I auditioned lots of fabric and ended up with a piece that needed to be tweaked. So I painted and stamped a soft design on the mottled light pink fabric and proceeded to build the face. . . Another emerging pattern. . . this started off heading in one direction but ended in another altogether. That happens so often. I am learning to listen to the piece. It always talks to me and tells me what direction to go. But of course, there have been times, many actually, when I've tried to fight it. But it's never right and it haunts me. When I listen to my inner voice and do what the quilt is telling me to, happily it all works out.

Creating art as a kid and into adulthood I was always told that everything had to be realistic and perfect. I didn't always like to do it that way, but alas. . . I also struggled with not doing as I was told. So I did. I was drawn to Picasso, Miro, Dali amongst many others. Was THEIR work realistic and perfect? No. So why did mine have to be. I didn't get it. It's taken me a lot of years to figure out that I was duped and still trying to undo the damage.

So, back to the quilt, for the background I chose some fabric that was stamped with one of my own silkscreen designs and didn't like it. I  like the design but the paint seems globby, runny, messy. . . something wasn't so hot. So I tossed it in the failure pile. Just shows you that you never know. I say that out loud all the time. In fact, I preach it. Now it is proven reality. Nothing is a failure!

After finding the rest of the bits and pieces I needed to put it all together, along with a suitable backing, I began to fuse, cut and stitch. I like using the black thread as an outline. So, following my photo reference, I stitched the shadows in black. And voila!

Always be prepared for the unexpected

A few days ago I ran into my friend Dawn. She is a very sweet and very talented lady. 'Good people' as we like to say. At our chance meeting, she invited me to an impromptu knitting group get-together the following day. Rats! I'm not a knitter. I tried it when I was much younger. I just never got into it and my stitch tension was so uneven that I gave up. I knew it was a lost cause. A shame, because my mother could knit so beautifully that her clothing looked manufactured. It was amazing. She was amazing. However, I was an avid and prolific crocheter as a kid. I learned that very quickly and easily and even sold hand crocheted items to various stores and had numerous individual clients. But, I was so deeply ingrained in sewing that it didn't matter to me to not be good at knitting. So, no knitting for me. But Dawn, being the sweetheart that she is, told me to come anyway.

So, here's proof that I follow my own advice. I went. This informal get together consisted of a great support system of creative women, knitters in this case, who help each other with problems they are having or an opportunity to share whatever. . . new yarns, resources or working with different needles . . . whatever . . even new puppies! Cool. I like that. As everyone began pulling out their work, it was obvious that I was not 'one of them'. I made my apologies for being a fiber artist/quilter and the ladies laughed. They told me that it was ok and welcomed me into the fold instantly. So much so, that the time sped by. I felt like I just sat down, but no, now it was time to go. At the end, I was invited to join them again.

Why is this significant? Well, I always advocate pushing your own boundaries and being around other creative types even if the medium is different from your own. It is surprisingly amazing how much overlap there is or how with a bit of thought and exploration you can apply techniques, supplies, etc from one discipline to another. And sometimes it's just the push we need to get out of our comfort zone. Overcome the obstacles that block us and create new pathways for creativity.

So what did I do while I was there? Well, in addition to not knitting, I'm also not a hand stitcher like embroidery, needlepoint, etc. I did all that 'back in the day' and had moved away from it long ago. But, I needed something to take with. What was I going to do, just sit and watch people knit?? I thought about it and really had nothing to take, so I took one of my own images, screened it onto a piece of fabric, grabbed a wad of embroidery floss, needles, scissors and a hoop that I keep as a 'just in case' sort of thing. Without any thought I just started adding the floss here and there. I find that I often do something interesting and out of my box when I'm doing it on the fly. And this was surely on the fly! Other than making the fabric piece the day before, with a matter of 5 minutes till departure, I ran around, grabbed random things which I described above and hoped I could make some thing happen. I wasn't sure if I liked it at first, but I think I like the direction I'm going. The photo at the right is just a small detail of a much larger piece.

So again, be open to opportunities that pop up. Ready for them or not, take a deep breath, say yes and muddle your way thru it. You'll be amazed at what comes out of it! Not to mention the new friendships and creative partnerships that are born.

Here is Dawn on the left. She is modeling the lovely continuous or Mobius scarf that she finished. 

Trash to Treasure!

Today I was on my way home from running some errands and I was stopped in my tracks. I was in the car, but you know what I mean. The heavens opened up, I heard angels singing . . . well, it was really Marc Anthony . .  but anyway . . there was a bright beam of light that drew my attention directly to something. It was by the side of the road and calling my name. I looked around to see if anyone was going to run over and burst my bubble. There wasn't a soul around. I could not believe my good fortune!

It was there, innocently waiting for the garbage collectors to come and grind it up and toss it in some landfill somewhere. Apparently the homeowner had dismantled a bench or some yard thing and just cavalierly tossed it by the road side. What was sitting with it was a huge pile of PVC tubes which were obviously part of the yard thingy. As much as I would have loved the yard thing, there was no way it would fit in my car and worse yet, how could I justify dragging it home. It would be like a beloved pet dragging home it's latest kill trophy. Nope, wasn't gonna happen. But, the pipes. Oh yah, they were all mine!

I know it seems silly to be so excited about some silly old and dirty pipes, but remember, I posted with great excitement about the piece of cardboard that a friend gave me. I still treasure it, too. So, this makes more sense now doesn't it. I have big plans for those pipes.

Can you guess what I'm going to do with them??

How is YOUR creative compass?

I went to a lecture today about creativity not knowing what to expect. There was a good chance it was going to be a lot of blah, blah, blah, heady, boring, esoteric kind of stuff. I couldn't really tell from the description. I was somewhat skeptical, but I decided to give it a shot. I'm so glad I did. The guest lecturer was Kathy Kasuwa, a very credentialed and talented fiber artist.

Title: Hidden Garden (11” x 8”)

Kathy explained that after doing decades of studying and research, she has devised a moving wheel similar to a color wheel for artists. Her wheel is designed to help unblock your creativity! Yeah Kathy! Who can't use that. We all get blocked. I know all too well. It happens to me all the time. As I have said before, often times I have so many ideas for projects or experiments that I just can't seem to get started. They make sense in my head but who knows because I can't get out of my own way to try them out. I go thru periods where I am bombarded day and night. I can't shut if off. It actually keeps me awake all night. I scribble notes and sketches in sketchbooks, but still, there are so many ideas rolling around in there. It's paralyzing. I can't seem to just pick one and start working on it. I don't agonize over it. I just feel paralyzed. Most of the time I'll turn to something unfinished to divert my attention and help to ignore the thoughts. It's good. I stop the brain noise and get something completed. It's a win-win. But. .  then the noise starts right back up again. Happily tho, it generally gives me the relief I need. Now I can keep the momentum going and pull out an idea and go to work. Even better, sometimes I start 3 or 4 pieces at once. Pretty smart huh. I know how to trick myself!

Anyway, back to Kathy, she talked about left brain and right brain and how and why we get blocked for so many reasons. Sometimes for not feeling worthy or sometimes fear of failure or the myriad of other negative speak that we all have. Being able to be introspective and learn who we are and what makes us tick really helps our forward movement.

Title: Flight of Fancy (14” x 11”)

Everything she said reinforced what I have felt and said for years. She just has a more scientific and succinct way of saying it. I liked it. The audience was into it too. This was a very creative and talented group and they were riveted. That's always a good sign.

Kathy and I agree that you don't have to be educated in art to be creative. You don't have to have a degree in art to be creative. You just need to have the desire and a starting point. As we all age, we evolve. . . in many ways. Creativity is just one of them. You will find as I did, that you will move quickly from your starting point to a place you really want to be. I had to get some ideas and experience under my belt and build on my old skills with new ones. As I did that new ideas and areas of interest opened up to me. I was invited into groups or just joined some without knowing anyone. . So, I evolved. I went from being too shy to say much to anyone and never showing my work, convinced that it wasn't good enough and didn't measure up to everyone elses, to jumping right in the conversation and more readily showing what I've done. I still hold back on that a bit, but not because I care if anyone else likes my work. Now it's just important that I feel good about it. Knowing it's the best you can do at the time is a peaceful place to be. I went from thinking that I was creating work to get accolades from others and that would validate my day to day existence, to creating work to please myself. If others like it I am thrilled. If they don't, I understand that it is not personal but personal taste.

So what I took away from this lecture is this:

• Prepare yourself. Gather your thoughts and ideas for what to do next. If it doesn't come to you right away, don't worry about it. There's no pressure.
• Choose how you would like to move forward. Don't let obstacles get in your way.
• Feel the excitement for what you are about to do and jump right in. Enjoy the process.
• Then create it and show it off!

This post does not scratch the surface of what Kathy talked about today. I strongly suggest that if you have an opportunity to see her work, attend a lecture or workshop that you do it. She is a lovely person, very accessible and just oozes talent that seems so effortless. Oh, did I mention that the work she brought to show was spectacular? Well it was. She is going to send me some images that I can share with you as well as create a website herself. So keep coming back for more info about Kathy Zasuwa. I know you will fall in love with every single piece of her work . . . I did.

 Below are 2 images of Kathy's weaving:

Title: Bridges & Ladders (68” x 57”)
Supplemental warp & weft inlay
copper, wool, silk, cotton, rayon, metallic

Title: Sea Sway (20” x 48”)
Supplemental warp & weft inlay
wool, silk, metallic, rayon, cotton

All images are copyrighted © by Kathy Zasuwa.

Weekly Quilt Journal Project: week 9

Once again I had a photo that seemed to beckon me. I found a small wad of hand dyed fabric was perfect for the sky. Should I use it or not? I'm always just too chicken to cut into my hand dyed fabric for fear of 'ruining' it. I'm trying to get over it. But, in the meantime, this piece uses one big square of it for the sky. .  Look ma, no cutting :)

I freecut the trees then the leaf clumps and placed them as seen in the photo. After doing the stitching it seemed like it was too plain and after all, the trees in the photo had tons of bare branches hanging every which way. So. .  I added them in. Lastly I added the glow of the sun which you see as whitish areas.

I'm quite pleased with the end result. It's been a good day.