Yes....I still do textile work! This piece is now ready for some hand stitching with some nice chunky natural linen thread. I surface designed all the cloth used in this piece by dyeing, gelatin printing, silk screening, breakdown printing, painting, discharging and/or a couple of other treatments that I can't remember right now.

Sweet Dye

Cotton fabric at the top and silk scarves at the bottom....all done up with desconstructive screen printing. I think I'm going to make some scarves using the same method I used on the cotton. Now it's time to go to the store and get something for dinner...it's been a busy day.

Virtues of Pastels & Dyeing

I am still exploring pastels. I did this last night during my Thursday evening class given by Shawn Dell Joyce . There's a lot wrong with it but also some right with it and, since I'm just a beginner doing baby steps, I'm pleased with the results. To me, pastels are as exciting and intimate (afterall one gets as upfront, personal and messy with pastels as with textile paints) as working with dyes and paints on cloth.

I could of stayed up all night working on this. It was one of those times that I was living in the right side of my brain and time was something from another dimension....a very special, special feeling. The base is plain white fabric with overlaid dyed and discharged silk organza. The hearts are dyed, discharged and stamped cotton fabric.

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.

Autumn Hearth

Yesterday was Steve's b'day and we traveled north into the Catskills (the photo is from a stock photo site but you get the idea) to see Los Lobos at the Bellayre Music Festival. It was a cool, fall evening with temperatures in the 50's! Yes, we had to do some dancing to stay warm - good thing Los Lobos provided quite the right amount of great music to keep the body moving.

Another piece that you've been seeing in my posts for the past month or so got completed. It's completely constructed of my own hand dyed fabrics and I really like the modern yet primitive feeling of this piece. I don't know how arty it could be considered but I do know people seem to like it very much.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Weekend Warrior

It was a quiet, calm weekend without obligations or stress (yeh!). I was able to get a lot of quilting done on the hand dyed, funky log cabin piece. I also made another 4x6'er last night.

We were even able to take a 4 mile hike on Saturday in the early evening, which was just what the doctor ordered for this woman who sits at the sewing machine 24/7 (at least that's how it seems).

Evolution

Work continues on the log cabin inspired piece created exclusively from my hand dyed fabric. The colors in this piece are soothing to me and, while some people might think of them as somber, I find them so organic they are calming.

As many of us do, as I'm working on one piece my brain is already envisioning another piece. Driving to and from work is a great time for me to spend designing in my head (much more productive than thinking about work tasks that you get paid to perform, don't you think?). I am trying to mind design a large piece that incorporates imagery. I don't like to work large so we'll see how this ends up being translated from the mind to the fabric. If nothing else it will be a great exercise in stretching my creativity.

And now for an important SHARE!

I would like to take a minute and share the link to a great, privately owned radio station in my neck of the woods. If you like roots/folk/blues/Americana/rock/bluegrass (think this about covers it) listen LIVE to WKZE. While you might not like all the dj's choices ('cause THEY get to choose, not some corporate exec like on those other stations) for sure you hear a couple of tunes that will touch or inspire you.

http://www.wkze.com/

Hand Dyed Logs

There is so much controversy in the world of quilting between art and traditional quilting. I've actually witnessed people being downright rude to each other in regards to this controversy. Perhaps the same type of dissension occurs between abstract and realism painters? Anyhow, I love the funkiest most abstract and textural textile art that can be found AND I love log cabin quilts. Yesterday (after getting a loaner machine when my NEW sewing machine broke down - ugh) I started messing around with the fabric I had hand dyed on Saturday. I'm really liking this look of old with the new - it looks modern to me but in a very earthy, primitive way.

Home Made Peach Pie and Hand Dyed Cloth

Dyed cloth hanging on the 'ole clothesline (that I really do use for clothes, by the way).

I started dyeing fabric this summer for the first time. At one point - when I realized I wasn't using dyes but liquid, concentrated fabric paint (ok, ok...you have to like that I fessed up) and was having less than stellar (to say the least) results, I told my husband that I would win the dyeing cloth battle.

The photos above are only a sample of the many, many pieces I created today. As I told my Studio 33 artist friends "I'm in love".

And then, because it seemed like a good idea since the 1/2 bushel of peaches were ripe I made a peach pie. This lovely thing with the heavenly smell could be dinner if my husband person weren't so intent on having protein with the night meal.

A very good day was had by all.

Building Blocks

I started messing around with this last night. The building blocks are hand dyed fabric that was then painted with acrylics; dyed, batiked and discharged masa paper and painted cheesecloth. I'm going to keep on stitching and embellishing.....might end up looking kind of interesting.....

Have a great Friday everyone. I wish you all peace and happiness - something we all can use a little of.....

Abstract Painting and Textile Art

YES! I am loving this combination of abstract painting and hand dyed cloth in an art quilt. I hope it isn't just a passing fancy.