New Classes Scheduled

Well, Jane Powell (Random Arts) and I sat down yesterday and finally scheduled a couple more classes. Check the side bar for dates and links to her workshop site.
I did want to post some additional info about the classes.
The "Doodle Drawing" class is going to be so much fun! You can scroll back through my blog for pictures of various doodle journal pages that I'll be sharing. And I'll be teaching some of my "secrets" to drawing...it's fast, it's easy and it's fun.
We will be covering some ideas about finding inspiration - I promise, you will never look at things the same way again after this class!
We will cover the one thing that strikes fear in the heart of every artist - the dreaded "Blank Page Syndrome". I'll show you how to successfully get right over that...
We'll cover some techniques on coloring your drawings as well as putting all of it together in journal form (we won't be making a journal in this class- just ideas & examples of journals).

Now, to the fiber fix class..."Her Awakening" is a rust media wall hanging.
A true mixed media fiber piece, so if you've been wanting to dip your toe in the mixed media fiber art pond - this is your class.
Super easy - do not allow the use of a sewing machine to scare you away from this class!
It's best if you CAN"T sew a straight line in this class.
The price includes a kit.
In the kit you will find almost everything you need to make the wall hanging! All you need to bring is a sewing machine (I'll have mine to share), needles, thread,and a piece of black felt.
How's that for easy? Between myself and Jane, we'll have everything else you need! Even the transfer for the face! Of course, you can always draw your own...
So - there you have it.
Check out my class schedule - I've got a couple of "demo dates" posted as well.
Good price (free) and great value!

I went to the June meeting yesterday of the Fiber Art Alliance that I belong to. I'm going to try to do another blog post later about that. It is an awesome meeting at a very inspirational venue.
I took some pictures (we'll see if they turned out very good...) but will attempt to post them as well.
If you are a fiber artist (knitting, crochet, weaving, quilting, mixed media...) and you're close to Asheville you should really check us out. We meet the first Tuesday of the month at the Girl Scout Building. This month was a field trip for us. There are so many talented women in the group - and would welcome more!

In case you're wondering...

You can definitely rust fabric outside
in cold weather...
actually in snowy weather!

Meg Manderson and I were scheduled to do a "Rust Dyeing Fabric" demo at the March
Fiber Art Alliance meeting. So I was trying to prepare for it and I wanted
to have a batch of fiber going to take to the meeting so that I could show the women
how we wrapped the fibers around the yummy rusty objects.
I had had a couple of people ask me if you could rust fabric outside in the cold weather...
well, now we know...

Meg and I will take the April meeting to do our Rust Media demo.
I'll try to remember ahead of time to get another batch going!
Won't you join us?

At the Fiber Art Alliance meeting this month, Cheryl Alderman presented Clever Ideas To Hang Your Quilts. And clever they were! I've included some pictures of various sticks and pieces of drift wood that she has used on her own quilts. It was very informative and had me thinking of quite a few ideas of my own. Check out Mary Stori's blog for more pictures (www.marystori.blogspot.com).

I loved this wall hanging! If you can enlarge the pictures, please do. You will be able to see the beading she did in the upper right hand corner. And the use of different fabrics really sets this one off.

We all thought that this wall hanging had a felted background. Upon closer inspection, you can see it is a piece of batik fabric that has been machine quilted along the design of the dye itself. How awesome is that? She added home dec trim to it as well. Very imaginative use of what is around your studio.




Look at the beading with wire that she has done to attach this to the wood...


That is one talented lady!
Thanks Cheryl

FAA

I went tot he monthly Fiber Art Alliance group meeting in Asheville NC yesterday. If you do not belong to some sort of group like this, I strongly encourage you to join. It is so stimulating to surround yourself with people that are like minded. That can encourage and assist you in your artistic journey. I will add some pictures in a bit of the program this month. And some of the art work from our very talented members.

Patsy Thompson brought two new Art Quilts that she had finished. Beautiful, beautiful ...She is so talented. And humble. She says that with practice, your machine quilting will look like hers...Her stitches are perfectly spaced, looks like she used a Stitch Regulator but she doesn't. She is One Awesome Machine Quilter! Go to http://www.patsythompsondesigns.com/ to see just what I mean.

Fiber Art Alliance

Last month I joined a wonderful & talented group of fiber artists in NC. Collectively they call themselves the Fiber Art Alliance Group (http://www.ashevillequiltguild.org/FAA.html) but separately the names that they are known by may be quite well known to you. I must say I am in awe of the talent, vision and focus all of these women have. The small sampling of work that I have seen in the meetings is nothing less than breath taking.

The speaker this month was Judy Simmons (http://www.focusfabricart.com/). Her topic was Ink jet Printing on Fabric.

What an awesome teacher she is! If you ever have the opportunity to go to a lecture or a workshop with this talented lady, please do so.

She was so organized and the material was so concise and understandable. And the samples that she brought! Wow! They were all organized in notebooks with the type of fabric, backing info, all the necessary info to reproduce the results right there at your fingertips.

I have asked Judy if she would mind if I posted pics on this blog and she has kindly allowed me to do so. Have a look at the quilt with the roses on it. It is named "Memory Collage I- Japanese Beetles". There is a cute story that goes along with it that I believe is on the back of the quilt. We all need to take a clue from Judy here and be sure to document all those precious memories and the details about our art. Imagine how you would feel if you had a piece of art work or a quilt from your ancestors that had all those details on them. That would be priceless.

Look closely at the beautiful background fabric.

It is all hand dyed by Judy. She told me that the background was dyed in the microwave. It was then dyed again in a different color. Also areas are over dyed and then fused to the background. She has several overlays of photos, old recipes (handwritten) on muslin and organza. She used various painting techniques, sponging included along with metallic Jacquard paint as well. All combined it tuned in to a fabulous piece of background fabric.

When I first saw it and heard the story, what came to mind was that the quilt actually looked like what a fading memory would appear in your mind. Does that make sense? Anyway, it's beautiful and has so much dimension. If you look closely at the above photo you will see the Beetles eating away at the leaves of her Grandmother's roses...those petals are sure to be next...

The next quilts is one where Judy was encouraging us to use non copyrighted images for our fiber art...like her fingerprints to be exact! This was for a challenge , involving glass I believe but she used her fingerprints for some of the images here. Isn't that the most creative thing you've heard of?

Speaking of creative, look back up at Judy's shirt. She not only made the shirt, she colored the fabric! I can't remember all the techniques but discharging and dyeing were two of them. It is so beautiful and looked to be so cool and comfortable as well.

She is teaching a workshop in August that I hope to attend. You can check out the details at the Asheville Quilt Guild web site. (http://www.http//www.ashevillequiltguild.org/). Go to the Workshop page and scroll down to August. Here is the description from the newsletter sent to me by a dear friend.

Fabric To Dye For
Students will learn the basics of low water immersion
dyeing and microwave dyeing. Using Procion MX
fiber reactive dyes and low water immersion techniques,
students will create beautiful yardage to use in
quilts and wearables. Students will also experiment
with microwave dyeing, which creates a pale mottled
fabric wonderful for backgrounds. Both techniques
are fun and easy and students will go home with beautiful
fabrics (10-15 yards) to add to their stash. Many
visuals for inspiration and many handouts given. Supply
fee ($20) includes dyes, activator, urea and synthrapol
– payable to instructor. WEAR OLD
CLOTHES. Cost: $35.

Now, for non members, it's an additional $15. But what a deal! To borrow a catch phrase from the younger generation...I am so on that list!

Now, I've included some "candid" shots of the crowd...some names are included.

This is my buddy Patsy Thompson, with the blue shirt on. Perhaps you've heard of her or seen her awesome machine quilting? You should go to her web site and check it out. (http://www.patsythompsondesigns.com/)

There's Mary Stori and Gen Grundy oohing and aahing over the notebooks of Judy's samples.

If I have time later, I'll add more. I'm so behind in things now that I probably won't though...

Have an awesome day!

Fiber Art Alliance

Well, today I am going to Asheville NC to the Fiber Art Alliance group meeting. I mentioned in a previous blog that I had been encouraged to go by Patsy Thompson and Gen Grundy at the MQS event. So here I go !

Anyway, I asked my son to take a picture of me so I could post one on the blog...what an hoot that was ! I'll post a couple , not because they are good pics of me but for a couple of other reasons.

In case you didn't notice, that's me in the front. What I wanted you to see is behind me...the "love you" wall hanging. I made it as a Valentine's Day/Anniversery "card" for my husband. It has beads all around each color of background fabric and I also made loop fringe along the bottom edge. It's amazing how quickly you can create something when you "see" the finished product in your head. I was working so feveriouly that an onlooker would think I was possessed...and perhaps I was.

Anyway, here is another one that illustrates my "cool" hair...thanks Cheryl Prator's mil for that complement!

As you can see in this picture , I have random stripes (and strips) of VERY white hair. It may be beyond white (can that be?!?) as the doctors told me it had "lost its pigment"...what a horrid thing ...to lose ones pigment. I was just thankful that it grew back , no matter what the color!

Here is another that shows just one of the many doilies that I have made. I haven't crocheted any in a while...I did crochet snowflakes this past Christmas though.

Speaking of my son, Will (who is 19 and an awesome artist) . I'll post a couple of pencil drawings that he did. I swiped them from him , as I never know what he does with his "stuff". See if you can guess who they are...

He drew these about 3 years ago...not too shabby for a 16 year old just doodling around.He will probably choke me if he finds out that I posted them...but it won't be the first time he's been upset with my behavior , now will it ?

While at the meeting yesterday (and yes, I began the blog yesterday - Tuesday- but am finishing it today - Wednesday) some of us met for a brown bag lunch and had a bit of "show & tell". Gen had told me about the group doing this , so I had taken a few things to share. Below is a teeny tiny fiber art piece that I made to go in the kitchen. It's hanging right above a black wrought iron herb rack . It measures ablut 3 1/2" x 5".

My husband made a cabinet for our new microwave (I told you he was very talented , didn't I) and had to cut a hole in the front of it for access to the venting system. He was going to just build a door to cover it but I suggested that perhaps we could do something besides a simple door (plus it seemed lot a lot of trouble for a little cabinet door!). Here is what we covered the hole with...

Please excuse the pictures. These have been aken quickly or were already in the computer. I'll try to do better in the future. Anyway, you can see where the teeny tiny quilt came from...I had not been pleased with one of the small panels on this wallhangiong , so I just made another. This one measures about 23" x 8". As I said , it was "made to fit" the opening in the cabinet. I the black background and completely quilted it/ added binding too. Then all of the small panels are also completely quilted and bound and then added to the background. It's a awesome way to make a really interesting wallhanging. It cam from Jean Well's book "Portraits From Nature". This was also my first attempt at free motion quilting. I loved how the background turned out.

Nuff for today. I think I'll ride to Rock Hill with my husband .