Quilt

At the first Nancy Crow retreat I went to, the class was strip piecing. After dinner we would go back to the classroom and work. I keep slashing and resewing this piece but never made the hanging.It is now a hanging, but I'm not sure I like it and can't figure out why. Any ideas? The colors are not my usual pallette, but that usually doesn't bother me. The shape really is at an angle, but that I like. I think it is too busy for the left side of my brain.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Cards

I had run out of hand made cards and decided it was past time to replace them, so this is part of the result.To cardstock, I added painted, marbled, textured paper. I used the Xyron machine to add adhesive to the back making it easy to apply them.

The small decorations are a technique I learned at Art and Soul in Portland several years ago in a class with Beryl Taylor. You use leftover bits and layer them into a small design. I had a container of them to play with.

Punches can create lots of different shapes to use, and there are inexpensive stitch on jewels and bits too.

It really went quite quickly while I listened/watched the news(if I watch TV without working, I fall asleep-doesn't matter how exciting it is).

Felt, Beading

I enjoyed the Bead Journal Project so much that I have kept doing small felted pieces--maybe for a book, although they are all a little different in size.

This one was felted with roving that was blended. Then I did Stem stitch and Chain Stitch by hand using Perle Cottons in several sizes. The center is a button form covered with felt and beaded. It has some Angelina fibers in it.

Thanks for commenting on my Journal pages of the last blog. I'm finding that just doing pages is feeing. However, as you can see, I'm not much of a word person. That will be the challenge.

Sketchbook

Happy Holidays to everyone regardless of what you celebrate.

I have a sketchbook that I put things in when I see a new technique. It is a place to save the idea for a time that I want to use it in something.

This shows using motifs off napkins. They really have beautiful parts even if it is sometimes a challenge to figure out how to isolate the bit you want to use.

In this one I tore through a page to show the photo on the page before it. It's the negative of the mushroom photo I took years ago and keep going back to use. The torn window seemed more in keeping with mushrooms than a nicely cut one would.

Here is an interesting edge created by using a rubber stamp along the edge and then cutting along the stamped lines. Not all stamps work.

I'm looking forward to taking part in http://sketchbookchallenge.blogspot.com/  When I work in a sketchbook, I enjoy it and like to look back at what I did, but I need the push.

Take a Stitch Tuesday

Here are the last two samples for Sharonb's challenge at http://www.pintangle.com/  It's hard to believe the year is up. I've enjoyed exploring stitches and thank Sharon for all her work in presenting the challenge.The top is the Crossed Feather Stitch. The next is the Plaited Feather stitch. The difference is that the Plaited one is woven under the bars of the first row every other time. The bottom is the Crossed one done freely.

The dark blue thread is a wool look synthetic. The rest are Perle Cotton in several sizes.

Quilt

Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions for the last piece. As usual the problem is that there too many possibilities. I didn't get a chance to get to the studio to work, as a wind storm knocked out our power. The fabrics are hand painted.

Hand sewing was the thing to do, so I finished the shell piece which I'd machine quilted and put the binding on last week.

Here is a closeup of the main shells which are hand stitched in needlelace with a detached buttonhole as an edging. Painted cheesecloth is behind the stitching.

Stitchery

When we lived in S. California, I had a business partner who taught silk painting. She didn't sew and gave me  her samples when she needed to get rid of some. This is one that I always liked and wanted to add stitching too. I finally did. Now I need your help. It's 16" by 11", and I don't know what to make from the piece.

 It looks good folded in half for a book cover. It's nice as is for a hanging. The problem with a hanging is finding fabrics to go with it. A purse comes to mind.

Here is the detail. Any suggestions?