Knitting

I decided to add the other two ruffles to the shawl from Kristin Omdahl's class at www.craftsy.com and am glad I did. It is so much more interesting, and it wasn't hard to pick up stitches and knit the ruffles in.

Beading

Here's the next woven bracelet. The main beads and flowers are clear; the others black. I keep trying to embellish the base in different ways and also to use some of the "fancy" beads that I can't resist buying-seem to be mostly a seed bead person.

Circles

Here are two more circle designs. The top one is done with pens on a painted background and surrounded by a spray painted square.

This uses the circle from the top design.

Jewelry

I made 4 of these bracelets a while back after taking a class at www.craftsy.com on the technique. It was relaxing to do, so I decided to do more and embellish the surface changing things around. This is the first of the new group. The peyote tube is the closure. It fits tightly around the cords, so they can be slid open to put on the bracelet then tightened up. It's good for those who hands don't want to do a traditional clasp.

Family

 

 

This is a necklace done by my daughter http://karenlynnebeads.wordpress.com  The store in Eugene had a contest where they provided the beads for a challenge. This was the first time she had used pearls, crystals, and bone beads. I think she did a wonderful job. It's stunning in person. SHE WON!

class

I decided it was time for a serious design class, so I'm taking the Circles 1 online class from the Gail Harker Creative Studies Center.

 

There is a ton of information, and I'm just to the parts that explain different media and how to use them but couldn't resist doing a couple of designs that will be facing pages in the sketchbook.

We were to use a square sketchbook which I couldn't find, or we were to make one, but I decided to use one I had and leave the extra space for notes and ideas-never could follow directions.

 

These pages are done with paste paper I had done ages ago with a friend. I put them through the Xyron to put adhesive on the back, since I'm glue challenged and then use the Big Shot die cutter to cut the circles. Those toys need to be used.

Quilt top

Sorting through things I found the piece of 1 1/2" squares and decided to add borders to it to make a lap quilt. It was pieced a very long time ago. I wonder if I turned the center pieces to form that stripe affect on purpose.  Because it is not random, I must have.

Family

My daughter has a new blog. She crochets, beads, and draws.

http://karenlynnebeads.wordpress.com   Check it out.

Bead Journal Project

I'm in the Bead Journal Project for the seventh year! I think there are only 2 of us who have been in for the entire time. It is a good way for me to experiment on things I tend to put off.

This year I decided to do buttons. This one is about an inch wide. Working small means less beading but creates it's own challenges.

Cards

At Art and Soul last fall, I took a class from Cathy Taylor on using Alcohol inks. She made her pieces into cards. I noticed mine were still sitting on the table and decided to do the same, being sure to keep a piece of each technique for my notebook.

They are very shiny as you can tell from the glare. I wasn't even using a flash.

 

Alcohol is easy and fun to use. These are on Yupo paper, so the ink stays on top.

Quilt

Here is the small hanging I did with the stitched pieces from months ago. It seems to take me a while to get back to things-they need to age, so a plan will pop in my brain.

The detail shows the kantha stitching. The background was monoprinted then covered with painted cheesecloth. I cut the flowers and leaves from a piece of lace curtain that I painted.  The orange in the border is also stitched with a big quilt stitch. All the thread is hand painted.

Felting

My Christmas gift was an Ashford Wild Carder for combing and blending fleece and rovings.

I've been busy trying it out and finding what happens when you try different combinations. Some of the fleece was lumpy from being dyed in the microwave with vinegar and food color. Now it's nice.

Some of these have threads, yarns, or silk pieces added.

 

Now I need to get busy and felt something.

Quilt

This is the latest charity quilt. It used up some of the strips I'd cut years ago for a class. The strips are sewn to muslin rectangles then trimmed to size before joining the blocks. I used up binding too by piecing bits together.

It's big and it's heavy, so it had to be on the studio floor to photograph.

Happy New Year

May the New Year bring you lots of inspiration and creativity. The door is one I photographed in Germany and have used several times in my work. It's hard to realize another year is gone. Let's have a productive one.