Wiggling and jiggling ;)

Here are 2 more fabrics that put more wiggle in my jiggle, yes m'am!

 

 

This dyeing session I've been obsessed with blacks, greys, greens, and blues.

 

 
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Big Mac, my father, will be coming home on Monday or Tuesday.  The OT/PT staff showed us how to use the transfer board to assist him with transfering.  Daddy was able to bear his weight using his arms and hands which he wasn't able to to for most of this year.  My mother felt that as long as he could do what he showed us today that she/we would try to make a go of his return home.  The OT/PT will continue at home and this time there will be a home health aide coming in to help him.  Of course insurance has to approve all this.  The other issue once my father is home is his willingness to stick to his diet.  He has been on a restricted diet for at least 25 years and in seems in the last 4 or 5 years he has just been horrible with sticking to it.  Now he is on a restricted amount of fluids he can take in each day.  Two visits ago he was trying to play the sympathy card as he kept dreamily requesting a "nice cold coca-cola".  :)   He and my mother have had a rough past 12 months which is the root of my apprehensions which have lessened since this morning as I "let go" and trust that all is in order.

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Look at that bottom fabric above...do you see a man's face emerging?

Can I Get Cute?

It was so humid today I didn't even want to walk across the parking lot to go to the studio today.  My substitutes were to drop in at my favorite quilt shop to see the quilt exhibit by quilter's who are men...I wish I had taken my camera in because I would have showed you a quilted scupture that made me laugh...I can't recall his name but this dude LOVED LOVED LOVED bead embellishing!  His work had such a strong sense of play and fun to it!  There is group of art quilters that meet once a month and he is one of the members.  His work tickled me so much that I'm feeling compelled to attend the next meeting just to meet him and let him know.

The other substitute for applying myself toward quilting was to move my sewing table around in the Basement.  I've been caught up with thinking about a "cute" space due to being under the influence of My Desert Cottage's 2nd Annual Blog Party called Where Bloggers Create.  I've looked at about 10 studio spaces from the blog list party and mostly they were cottage/vintage/cute and lo and behold I'm riding down Bardstown Road today (not while looking at the website though) and bam, what do I spy but a vintage looking body form and just briefly tapped the breaks when I my voice emerged and said "thats not you" keep moving.  Thank God for voices, eh! 

At the moment, I'm washing out dyed fabrics that have been sitting in the car for a few days.  I used Linda Johansen's Fabric Dyer's Dictionary as a reference.  Even though I did not use the exact dyes she did, I'm pretty satisfied with her formulas she offers for colour mixing.  Here I was messing around with creating greens...

Speaking of green, I seem to have 3 times as much green fabrics then any other colour! I always thought it was purples/blues but after really sorting through, purples and reds are the least in my humble stash.  After greens, comes blues, warm yellows, and oranges.  Also, of late I've been vibing with a turquoise acryllic by Liquitex...Turquoise says summer to me and so far everything I've put it on, it becomes the pizzazz, the pop!  Juanita always says "a little bit of yellow goes a long way", but I'm thinking Liquitex's turquoise is the new yellow.

Also, another new find I discovered from a blog of a member, Pat, of the local calligraphy guild is this gem for writing, Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen.  It writes well on fabric and I'm going to use it in the next Crowbonics piece.  I picked up on in silver and tried it on a gray fabric.  Pat shows more examples of how she used her pen here.

My studio/basement time continues to be hit and miss, catch it where and when I can.  Tomorrow my mother and I have a meeting at the nursing home...he has reached a "plateau" with his physical therapy which translates into end of insurance coverage...we're in the midst of applying for Medicaid which I'm preparing for this nursing center to say they have limited number of beds available.  He has adjusted very well at this facility and the staff have been great and treat him well.  He has kept a positive attitude and his humor has returned. When my head hits the pillow it will be with prayer that it all works out for the good of both him and my mother.

Peace,

Drum roll please...

The winner is Joyce!!!!  I'll email you shortly.

Thanks to Joyce, Karen S, Cathy, Deborah, and Lody for stopping by and participating.  And of course I appreciate all who read and leave comments here at Seamless Skin.

I'll post the next  give away about mid-week.

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The humidity is unbearable!!!!!!!!!  Not much if anything will be happening in the workshop or studio.  This coming Friday is F.A.T. Friday Trolley Hop.  Its my plan to be there then (still need to wash out the dyed fabrics).  Mo said she will bake me some cookies to have for the few stragglers who make their way back into the stuido space from the courtyard. 

In the workshop with Debbie (see 2 posts below) I covered a chewing gum box with paste paper and am using the box to hold my Moo cards.  I taped the box to the door jamb at The Beauty of Holiness Studio.

 

Kicking off the great purge with a give-a-way!!!!! Come out and play!

The great purge is on!!!!!!!!  This will be my first purge of quilting books which I've been buying as regular as groceries for 6-7 years.  I've reached a point where I know what I will and will not pursue.  As much as I love pictorial quilts, the likelihood that I will ever feel compelled to create them is slim.  When I began this journey I wanted to know how to do it all and I wanted to do it all quite well!  I invested in books in a variety of artistic styles.  Since then, specifically the last 3 years, I moved toward defining my style as an art quilter.  I know that what I do with cloth when I'm at my best as an artist is a direct emotional response/release to living.  Abstract marks/stitches/shapes feels more freeing to me than trying to convey in pictorials.  Doing Crowbonics: The Scroll was the deciding piece that said to me...let what doesn't fit me, go. 

In celebration, I'm hosting a give-a-way!!! This is a great book for starters to dyeing...uncomplicated and a fun approach. And a oh so cute pair of rubber gloves (size M) that have never been used (didn't fit my hands).  Release your inner gigabytes and leave me a comment telling me how quilting helps define or impacts your identity or life.  Everyone who comments on this post will be entered for the book and gloves and a name will be drawn on Sunday. 

Look for a new tab at the top of my blog for the books that I'll be selling sometime soon.  I'll also list on Amazon.  Thanks for hanging out here at Seamless Skin ;)

 

Living and learning som'more

This is paper artist Debbie Shannon demo'ing for a small group made up of LAFTA (Louisville Area Fiber and Textile Association) members on how to cover book board with paste papers.  I met Debbie a few years ago at Mary Anderson Center for the Arts while renting out studio space.  She was upstairs in the larger loft making marbled paper...just beautiful stuff!!!!  In talking, we discovered that we were both members of LAFTA.  I was still a newbie at the time.

Being a member affords the opportunity to take monthly workshops from other members for free.  They are held in the fiber studio at the University of Louisville.  Yesterday, Debbie taught Paste Paper.  I loved it! But oh, am I saying to myself "no, you cannot take on another interest!!! you'll be inundated with more stuff!!!".  I already have a hard time discarding my garbage...onion skins-I can use these for dyeing; cereal boxes-painting surface, book cover, box making; thick colourful plastic packaging-these can go into an altered quilt...and yall know what I'm talking about...repurposing and recycling can be a massive undertaking and in this heavily consumer society it is endless!!!!!!!!!!

With that said, I do have some extra supplies that I plan to play with this morning once I get to the studio...the paste must be used before it goes bad and four hours was just not enough time to explore this fun release of art making energy...thats the story that I'm running with today!

 
3 samples of paste paper I made.  

Listening and Learning...

The sheer lamination was not wide enough to become the 2nd panel in the Crowbonics series.  The three panels will be the same size; 40 inches in length and 18 inches in width.  Being that it was not wide enough, I cut this sheer in 3 sections and decided to use these pieces to further experiment with what lamination can/cannot do.  Hand stitching is a natural compliment but lamination is not forgiving at all with un-stitching!  The pinholes left behind can become a design element...I'm considering  placing copper brads, eyelets, chicago screws, or gold leaf lamination (or some combination) in the area where the pinholes remain...but machine stitching is next...ummm, but maybe not...maybe I'll insert the metal pieces and then machine stitch (carefully of course).  I'll put them up on the wall and talk with them for a day or two before I decide...similiar to George Washington Carver, I'll listen for divine instruction ;)

exhibit a

exhibit b 

exhibit c

The backgrounds remind me of the building where my studio is located.  It was a former meat processing and packing plant and the integrity of the building has been maintained...lots of exposed metal shafts, pipes, and bricks. 

 

And for something a little different

Due to a sudden down pour that made the track too dangerous, the race was cancelled mid-way to the finish line.  Sorry, all bets placed with the bookie are not refundable.