Fiber Art Fusion Art Exchange

Fiber Art Fusion, an Atlanta-based group of fiber artists meets monthly. At our December meeting we exchange a piece of 5 x 7 art. We do this by drawing numbers and then from 1 - 26 we select on wrapped piece of art.

I had the last number! I was sitting next to my friend Virginia Greaves. With each passing selection she would point out her wrapped present and comment how no one selected it because it was in such a goofy bag. As my turned neared, I was getting excited. I hoped no one would select Ginny's bag. I love her work and was hoping to bring a piece home with me.

Well lucky me. Ginny's was the last bag and here's the piece now hanging on the wall of my studio:

Moses by Virginia Greaves

I'm featured in the Winter Edition of Altered Couture

I'm thrilled to be in the Winter edition of Altered Couture.


I'm featured in an article called Jean's Queens.


Here is the article featuring a picture of the back of my jacket. I just realized that because I am big busted, I tend to focus more on the backs my jackets than on the fronts. No need to draw any more attention to the chest than necessary!

In the Studio

I've been in the studio most of the last 10 days making gifts. I can't unveil everything for it would ruin the surprise. But here are a few snapshots of teacher gifts I made. 5" x 7" Personal Journals, with a matching coffee cozy. Some have said that these gifts are too generous. In my (not so) humble opinion, teachers work hard to educate our children and deserve a generous token of our appreciation.

While making journals for others, I decided to make a wrap for my daily notebook. After piecing my favorite greens together, I stamped the words in Indigo Lumiere Metallic and quilted the heck out of it. Those quilted lines are the same lines you'll find in my doodles and in my free form batik work. I've decided to pay attention to those doodles and feature them in my work.

Radical Knitter Detained by Homeland Security

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Nailed 'Em - Radical Knitting

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

The journey to a new house.

Last year we made the decision to put our house on the market and move. We spent months painting, carpeting, making repairs, landscaping and staging our house. Despite the tough real estate market our house sold in 2 1/2 weeks, for full asking price. We were thrilled!

But we had no place to live. Our dear friends invited us to live with them. We thought it would only take a few weeks to find a house, then a few weeks to close and move in. But that was not to be. For us, the hard part was finding a house. Because the market was so soft, there were not very many houses for sale. People were waiting until things got better (which they clearly have not). After a month of searching and a few fallen contracts we were feeling desperate.

Then we found our dream house. The first weekend it was listed we toured the house. I walked into the front door and knew it was going to be our new home. The view from the front door is through the dining room and into the screened porch and then on to the beautifully landscaped backyard containing two fountains and a swimming pool. It is in an excellent school district, has a studio with a window and an exterior access door, a music room and a reasonable commute for my husband. It was immaculate and needed absolutely NOTHING done to it. We moved in the week before school started.

Surrounded by packing paper. Unpacking is an exciting chore!

For the first month we enjoyed the house. Only a few boxes were unpacked. Instead, we invited friends to come and enjoy the house with us. We had pool parties, barbecues, dinners. A sort of reciprocation for all the hospitality shown us while we were "homeless."

Olaf's Birthday Party! We stayed with Olaf (third from the right) and family for 5 weeks
while we searched and closed on a new home.

We pulled the girls out of school during the second week to go to San Diego to surprise my mom for her 80th Birthday.

Happy Birthday Mom!

While we were there we went to the San Diego Zoo. There was a very long line (30 minutes) to enter the Panda Exhibit. We decided to skip the Pandas since we've seen them many times here at the Atlanta Zoo. As we passed the front of the line, there was this Panda which could be seen from outside the exhibit!

October was a wonderful month. Most of the house now unpacked, we were ready for my mom to come visit. Our last house had all the bedrooms on the top floor and it was tough for my mom to make those stairs. As a result she had stopped visiting. Our new home has a bedroom and full bathroom om the main level. So my Mom came and spent the month with us.

My mom came and stayed for the month of October. It was glorious.

It was great to have her here with us while everyday life went on. We didn't have to rush conversations, or talk at all. We just lived with one another, sharing daily life, meals and chores. It was wonderful. I feel closer to my mom than ever before in my life.

She was here for Wacky Hair Day. . .

Sophie with her wacky hair, complete with blue hair, butterflies attached by wires and birds.
Sarah had a matching hairdo with green hair.

and Halloween!

Sarah was a Vampire Countess!

Sophie was dressed as a "Fairy Princess" and had very specific instructions for the face paint.

And both girls placed first in the PTA sponsored cultural arts program called Reflections. Sophie won for her watercolor self-portrait. Sarah won for an incredible poem she wrote. And they were both so excited for one another.

Sarah posing with her First Place trophy for Literature.

Sophie with her First Place trophy for Visual Arts.

And this past weekend I began the process of unpacking my studio and getting ready to work.

There is lots of work to be done in this studio!

I went to several workshops and am excited to try out some exciting new techniques!

And feeling like I'm flying!

Now back to the studio.

Missing in action!

Somewhere between Shiva Paintstiks and today there is a missing post. The one that explains where I will be.

Here is where I was:

Preparing my house to be put on the market, as in the real estate market. The one that is real cushy and soft right now. But we live in a part of Atlanta where real estate is pretty steady. People want to live here. Our realtor is optimistic that our house will sell by summer's end.

So for the past months I have been spackling, sanding, painting, painting trim and packing. We put most of our things into storage, including the contents of my studio. It seems most house buyers do not find it amusing when an artist has converted the formal dining and living rooms into a studio.

That has been the hardest part of this process -- putting art away. I have a little corner in an upstairs bedroom where I've put my sewing machine. I have a few unfinished projects in a box and some thread. I keep thinking any day I will go up and work on something. But then I find more sweeping, cleaning and straightening needs to be done. I feel singularly obsessed with having the "perfect house." Otherwise someone might not buy it.

This will be temporary. Our house will sell and we will find a new house. Hopefully, a ranch with a full basement. We have our eye on one right now, but it is really too soon.

Here is a link to see the house. The virtual tour link to the right (in red) will show you a video and a slide show of the interior. For those who have been in my house you will not recognize it.

Shiva Paintstik Tutorial

For an upcoming issue of Altered Couture I have written an article about using Shiva Paintstiks. A few wearable art items will appear with the techniques article.

To supplement that article, here is an on-line tutorial with pictures illustrating the steps to perfect Shiva Paintstik application!!

I like to use freezer paper stencils. Trace your design onto the paper side of freezer paper. Cut out the design.

Iron the freezer paper stencil to your fabric. Fabric should be prewashed and dried.


The arrow is my registration mark for this Chinese character PEACE.


And here I am ironing in the square in the center of the second character.


I've moved to the kitchen counter so I have a firm surface to work on. See my stencil brushes? These are dedicated solely to the purpose of Shiva Paintstiks. I store them in a zip top plastic bag.


Shiva Paintstiks form a protective skin which prevent them from drying out. There are many different ways to remove that skin. Being somewhat of a skin thrift (get it? spend thrift, skin thrift), I like to peel away the skin using my thumbnail and a paper towel.


Once the Paintstik is exposed, I swirl my stencil brush on the tip of the Paintstik to load it with paint.


Next gently swirl the stencil brush on your stencil. You will have to reload your brush with paint a few times.


Some say you need to use solvents to clean your brushes. Not me, I'm way too lazy to get those out. I just rub the paint off onto a paper towel. You can see how in about 4 squares, the paint is mostly off the brush. Then I pop the brush back into the baggie. I've been using these same stencil brushes forever.


Once you are done, place your piece in between layers of paper towels (one on top, one on the bottom). Iron for a minute or so. This lets all the paint sink into the fabric. You still have to air dry and heat set the Shiva Paintstiks after 3-5 days.


The moment of truth. Peel away your stencil (and save for another day). . .


And the reveal. There is is. Perfect in every way. Soft and flexible. Washable, but NOT dry cleanable. Put out to dry for 3-5 days and then heat set by ironing. I usually iron for 2 minutes. Have never had a problem with fading.

Another way to use Shiva Paintstiks:

Rubbing plates. I don't like those commercial plastic ones, though some use them with great success. Too slippery. So I make my own rubbing plates. You need a piece of cardboard and a bottle of dimensional fabric paint. If you are in a hurry and you can't wait for the paint to dry (overnight), then you can use a hot glue gun.



Using the dimensional paint, draw your design on the cardboard. Set aside to dry overnight.


Place your fabric over your design and gently rub with the Shiva Paintstik. And there is your design. I like the dimensional paint because it is slightly rubbery and doesn't let the fabric slide.


The stencil brush is not in the picture, but here I've used the stencil brush over my rubbing plate for a different look.


Rubber stamps make nice rubbing plates too. Don't use ones with many small and fine details, they just get lost.


Place your rubber stamp underneath your fabric.


Rub with your Shiva Paintstik.


Place your finished rubbing in between layers of paper towels (one on top and one on bottom) and iron. This lets the paint sink into the fabric. Let air dry for 3-5 days and then heat set again, ironing 2 minutes.


Voila, three different types of rubbings.

Swamped

I am swamped. Me. Not the kids, not the hubby, nothing to do with the normal day to day life of managing the family. Me. So for the past two days I've spent my studio time writing and preparing for the upcoming meeting of Fiber Art Fusion, the class I'm teaching at Fiber on a Whim, and working on two articles for Altered Couture Magazine. Oh, did I mention i'm taking an on-line class from Pamela Allen?

Here's this week's lesson -- my first revision. Instead of going for new imagery, I wanted to see Frida's fruit in all red. What I really want to do is work on that Frida jacket hanging in the corner of my studio.

Post Script: It sounds like I am not enjoying the Pamela Allen class. On the contrary, Pamela is an awesome teacher and I am lucky to have taken a weekend workshop with her this fall. She is a phenomenal on-line teacher as well. The class I'm taking is through Quilters Keep Learning. You download the lesson, participate in a forum (like a chat room) where you can ask questions and you post your work in the on-line gallery. Pamela looks at the work and critiques it. One of the other great benefits to taking this type of class is seeing other people's work and reading Pamela's comments about the work. It's a great way to train your eyes.

#15, #16 and Life in the Studio

Here is #15. It's Sophie's preschool teacher who shattered her ankle in a car accident and will have to have multiple surgeries to correct it.


#16 Rachel Louise Carson who was a great friend to birds everywhere.

And here is a shot of Sophie at my table in the studio. In between everything else, I've been pulling out an altered book and gessoing the pages. Sophie was keen on making her own journal and filling it with pictures and notes, just like Mommy. You can see the glow of the computer in the background as Sarah noodles around on the computer. Today Sarah took her turn at the table and we made her a journal with stitched pages. She's calling it her party journal and is filling it with important things relating to parties (like cake recipes, decorations and ideas for party favors).

Since moving into the bigger studio space I've enjoyed having my children join me while I work. Before I'd work in the small studio and they'd be working at the kitchen table. We now have a greater sense of collaboration and they seem keen on learning new techniques.

Bliss.

Frida Kahlo Still Life Revised

Last night I revised my Frida Kahlo still life. It is amazing what another set of eyes can see. When we are so focused on a piece, we can lose sight of basic omissions. Like the shadow and change in position. Pamela Allen suggestions made this piece so much better.

I also changed the face of the orange to add more contrast to the sections, and put on the watermelon seeds.

Next step is stitching.

Now back to a 5 x 7 today which I will post tonight!

Art today

No 5 x 7 yesterday or today. Seems this head cold that had Sophie down last week has latched onto me.

I'm taking an on-line class taught by Pamela Allen and our first assignment is a black and white composition. Inspired by a Frida Kahlo still life, here is my attempt. Still not fused down because I'm making some changes.

#14 Viva La Frida!

#14

Frog Hunting and #13

Today went frog hunting -- rip it, rip it, rip it! After looking at the tulle on the yoke, I decided it was too sparkley, so I ripped out the stitching on the back, stitched around the edge of the flowers and trimmed back the tulle. Then more ripping as I removed the pockets and finally I stamped the letters and am waiting for the ink to dry.




#13

#12 and more work on Frida Kahlo project

Here is #12 in the 5 x 7 project challenge. I cut out the center and floated bits of fabric between two sheets of tulle.






And more work on my Frida Kahlo project. Today I finished edge stitching and quilted big leaves around Frida.


Three silk flowers are trapped beneath a layer of tulle, then threadpainted.