Book

This felted book is done with fabrics with just a little roving. I like the look but roving makes the book feel softer. The button is a metal one. I machine quilted a grid on the surface with metallic thread.

The lining is hand painted cotton. The 3 signature covers are also painted and stamped.

 

I hope everyone had a good year and that the next one is even better. Happy New Year.

Quilt

Having done a small hanging of Jake, I couldn't leave out Mike-our new baby. It was challenging working on both with my husband around. I kept folding them in half and have since steamed them, so there isn't a line across the middle.

This is so normal for Mike--tearing something apart. That used to be a tennis ball. He's bigger now too and turning into a love.

Quilt

My husband said he couldn't remember Jake except as an old dog, and it bothered him. This was the first one he'd been home all the time to bond with. For his birthday last week, I took a mid life photo of Jake, printed it on treated fabric, and made a small wall hanging. It really touched him.


You can treat your own fabric for printing, but I just use the types I can find at the store. They come in about 4 fabric types and as single sheets or in a roll. I found that I never did it when I had to treat the fabric.

Book

I do love needle felting. After trying wet felting, this is so much easier and less messy. My hands aren't really strong enough to do the wet felting right anyway.

This is a smaller book about 4" by 5", so I hope one of my friends wants it.

 

Everyone has a great holiday season no matter what it is you celebrate and mostly be safe.

Quilt

Here's the latest quilt I've done. The piecing parts were left over and in my stash. It's about 24" by 40" All fabrics are cottons-some hand dyed, some commercial. It's machine quilted.

Here's another stamp I made for Margaret Applin's class at www.joggles.com I love trees and leaves and use those images more than any other.

To test it I grabbed a painted paper that was done several years ago at Art and Soul.  I stamped the closest tree using Starzon Ink then without reinking did the other two.

Book

Can you tell that I like this color combination? The button is from a Carol Little outlet store we used to visit in Southern California. After her line was made, the leftovers came to the store for us to purchase-a fun field trip.

The lining is a painted fabric. There are 3 signatures in each book with the painted cover page in card stock and 3 folded pieces of paper to form 6 pages for journalling.

Quilt

I had this top sewn since one of the Nancy Crow retreats years ago. It is a motif I was working with but looked so blank that I didn't finish it.

Hand stitching with Perle Cotton and Embroidery Floss seemed to be the answer. Most of the thread are ones I dyed or painted.

Here's another detail.

I'm much happier with it now and want to continue this idea once the puppy doesn't need so much attention.

Class

Here's the tote I made from the fabric I painted and stamped for the www.joggles.com class with Margaret Applin. I'm sorry it's over. It was a fun class.

Book

Here's the 6th felt book. I like using the thick and thin yarn. The cover more or less designs itself. The button is Mother of Pearl that has been dyed. The ribbon is vintage. It's fun to finally use the treasures I've collected and is my goal for the future.

The lining fabric is a batik. The signature covers are more of my painted papers.

Class

 Here are a couple of prints I did from stamps I made for the www.joggles.com class with Margaret Applin-Happ. It's a great class. I like how the stamp with the curved pieces creates a flower shape when it is rotated.

Layering 3 stamps increases the complexity of the design. The puppy is taking up time, or I would have tons more done.

Book

Another felted book. The button is one I bought in a close out sale and is glass. Ribbons form the closure.

The lining is painted cotton fabric. The signature cover is painted paper. To get the cool effect, I took two painted papers, put them together while they were wet, then pulled them apart. You get texture you can't get any other way.

Bead Journal Project

The last cuff of the year. For December, it had to be red. I had gotten the glass pieces at a craft show and was glad to find a place to use them. They are glued in place and then surrounded with rows of seed beads. The edge is seed beads again, since the cuff needed the ending. The closure is snaps.

Quilt

I had some strips sewn together that were left from the first time I went to a Nancy Crow retreat years ago. There were two sets, so I layered and slashed them before sewing up the top. The quilting is done by couching a metallic thread along the main color areas.

 

Blogger put it sideways which might actually be better!

Class

I'm taking a class at www.joggles.com from Margaret Applin-Happ and really enjoying it.Here are the impressions of some simple stamps I made for the second class. I can see lots of possibilities of interesting repeat patterns with these.

Here is a larger, more complex one that is stamped twice. I like this one the best. This could be a new addiction!

Book

Back to the felted books. This is number 4.The button is plastic but an older one. The ribbon is one of the fancy ones I can't resist ordering. The felting is steamed then machine quilted before the book is assembled.

The lining is a painted fabric. The signature cover on the left is painted paper. I think both were down using marbling technique with shaving cream-who would know we would be using shaving cream to create art.

quilt

I love batiks and just made simple blocks to arrange on the design wall. This is the quilt that resulted. It's machine quilted along the triangle seams. This will be given as a lap quilt once I decide who needs it the most.

Class

Last week I started a class at www.joggles.com with Margaret Applin on creating papers and fabrics. Her idea to use simple shapes is great, because they can become more complex by how you use them.

I had paint left and never wanting to waste any, I grabbed a page I'd painted several years ago at Art and Soul and printed on it.

He really isn't on his side now but loves his tummy rubbed, so it isn't an unusual place for him to be. Now his ears are up.

Now they are down again. This is normal for a German Shepherd. They grow so fast that there isn't enough nutrients and the ears flop up and down. The vet calls it the Goofy ear stage.

Quilt

This is the other piece I did for the Fiberactions neutral challenge. I love color but found that this challenge was easy, because the fabrics talked to me.

The gray shapes are raw silk. The couching of the metallic cord is the quilting. It's done by machine with the zigzag stitch.

Fiberactions

Here is the Discharge fabric piece I did for the Fiberactions challenge-link at right. It's a piece I discharge outside with bleach when two friends and I got together to see what we could do with discharge. Can you imagine the sight when the UPS man came and saw three old ladies bouncing around the yard with fabric on the ground and wearing aprons, gloves, and masks and carrying bleach? We do have fun.

Here's the detail showing the quilting by couching metallic cord down. The beading is on the vertical rows.

Book

This is the third felt book. The button is an antique metal one. The felting has machine quilting over it and is blocked with lots of steam.

The lining is hand painted cotton. The signature cover is layers of paint on card stock.

Thanks to everyone who comments. Right now a big part of my time involves the puppy who is not yet allowed in the office with all it's wires.

Book

Here's the next book. The button is a leather one that has been sitting around here for ages. It feels good to be putting some of these things to use. I used a thick and thin yarn and the embellisher to make the cover.

The batik on the left is the lining. The purple paper with the butterflies is a signature cover. The paint was lifted through a stencil to get the butterfly design. First you paint the paper, then when it's dry, you paint a coat over it, put the stencil down, and use a damp sponge to lift areas of paint off.

Books

Quite a while ago I decided to do felt books to have on hand for gifts. I love working with the fibers, so it's a good excuse to use all the things I've collected--and continue to collect in spite of trying to use things up!

 

To a base of craft felt, I used the embellisher to felt down a thick and thin yarn-love the way it creates random rows. Then I used metallic and machine quilted it. I always steam the felt several times along the way to block it. The ribbon was given to me by a friend. The button is from my stash.

It's lined with a hand painted cotton. It has 3 signatures that are covered with heavier hand painted papers. This one was painted, then plastic wrap was laid on the wet paint to create the crystal pattern. I always use another button on the inside when sewing one on the outside, so use doesn't rip the cover.

Quilt

I'm back to the motif I like to use for a patchwork square. The fabrics are hand dyed and batiks. The quilting is done by couching a metallic cord in a square spiral. I kept trying to design it to follow the patchwork pattern but it wouldn't work. Then I realized I could just overlay a large design that had the feel of the patchwork.

Here's a detail.

My Garden

This is the embroidered piece I showed ages ago and finally made into a small wall hanging.

The center is a monoprint that I put painted cheesecloth over. Next came a layer of machine stitching using a programmed pattern of leaves. Then I hand stitched Feather stitch. The flowers are various circular pattern, some are needle woven. The stems were done last which seems weird but worked. Some of them I whipped to change the color a bit. The threads were Perle cotton, embroidery floss, and matte silk. Some were hand dyed by me.

Here's a detail. I do love to hand stitch.

I had planned to carry the design out into the border, but it just didn't work. I also had sewn a dark border on the outside which really overpowered the center and was removed. Pieces just want certain things and won't settle for others!

Bead Journal Project

Here's the latest cuff. Browns and pinks are not my thing, but they seemed right for November when the leaves have fallen and the days are gray.

Fleece is needlefelted to a base. Then I stitched on the odd shaped pearls using seed beads to be sure they stayed put. Ther is only one hole through them even when they are lone. The redish pearls seemed to want to go down the center but needed seed beads to echo them. The edge is beaded picot.

Class

These are 3 of my samples from a Sheer Magic class at www.joggles.com with Janet Clark.

It was fun to do and used some of my sheer stash!

I don't know why I can get on today, but I decided to schedule this extra blog. If I haven't comment on your blog, it's because the thing won't let me unless there is a feature that I can do it with just my name. Maybe it's telling me that 5 years is enough of blogging, but I enjoy having the need to come up with items to show.