Maybe some day soon I'll have the time and inspiration to post a very thought provoking, intelligent or witty entry into this blog. But for now, I must post and run....this is a small study I did last night....painted and foiled cloth with silk ribbon, painted cheesecloth and glass beads.

This isn't stitched together yet and I want to add some other fabrics but...so far....I like where this is going.

With a big thank you to Rayna I'm having a bit of success with deconstructive screen printing. This piece started with a layer of red print paste that was imprinted on a screen with the use antique wooden textile blocks then, after the print pasted screen was dry, I used soda ash paste to push it through the screen to transfer the dye onto the fabric. Then I wrapped the fabric in plastic and let it cook in the sun until completely dry. Next step was to rinse and wash the fabric.

While this first layer was 'cooking' I prepared the next screen by imprinting golden brown print paste onto the screen creating images with the use of commercial stamps. After the print paste dyed on this screen I printed it over the first layer of the red printed fabric.

Many steps but well worth the effort and once you're comfortable with the process you'll realize how easy it is to do and how it can be done in segments over the course of a day, a week or a month.

Two tiny, little ATC's. I wonder how a bunch of ATC's joined together as an assemblage would look?

Pumpkins and Wings

The top piece is a pastel painting I did last night in the kitchen with the wood stove burning and homemade applesauce cooking on the stove - really! Appropo, don't you think?

The bottom piece is a sample of some deconstructive screen printing I did over the weekend. I love this image.

Take Flight

My husband's daughter left this life a year ago. She is soaring now, at peace in the light.

Print painted silk overlaid with dyed silk organza, dyed and discharged masa paper, hand stitiching.

Columbus Day

Besides taking one of the most luxurious naps of all time yesterday afternoon I worked on this piece. I think it will be go to the Danforth Museum of Art for their annual trustee's fundraising event. It's comprised of print painted silk overlaid with hand dyed silk organza, stitching and batiked masa paper.

Morning Has Broken

Here's what happens after dyeing fabric, then free motion quilting it and then painting with both transparent and metallic textile paints. Texture extraordinaire.

Sunday

Winds of Change is completed. After adding a bit more hand stitching I mounted it on a metallic, very light bronze/gold colored matboard. Now on to further experimentation with deconstructive screen printing.

Winds of Change

My comment on the current state of the world rendered with hand dyed cloth, hand dyed silk organza, painted dryer sheets and hand stitching.

Musings

The autumn is just flying by. I'm finding little time to do anything other than grab a few seconds in the middle of the day, go outside and dream of having more spare minutes to enjoy the beautiful sun, organic smells and crisp air. It's a bittersweet time of year with all its endings and beginnings. I find myself curiously sad but at the same time invigorated.

This past weekend I spent time dyeing with print paste, messing around with deconstructive printing and mixing up lots of dye baths. I think this scarve still needs one more plunge - probably into a nice deep red.

Field of Dreams

It's been an incredible week, hasn't it? I could go on and on expressing my thoughts, anger and fustration about certain people and their greed but that doesn't accomplish much. I will say this though, if the American people take it to the streets - I'll be there.

Now, can I say that I love painted cloth with added stitching? Not incredibly important in the scope of things but sometimes it's the small pleasures that bring on the smiles in our lives and help to keep us sane.