FAILURE??

 Geesh.....some projects are simply hair tearing experiences. I RARELY give up on a piece, in fact I can't remember the last time I did!

My current art quilt is now on its 3rd try! I spent an entire day gel printing purples/pinks and other "sunset" colors onto white cotton fabric. After overnight drying, the following day I was raring to tackle a scene depicted in a photo (thank you Sonja M.) posted in our community Facebook page. No matter how I manipulated the fabrics, the design failed to materialize. 

So I gave up working with those printed fabrics and decided to begin by creating a tree in silhouette form. It took me hours and hours to thread paint the shape onto water-soluble film. Once the film was dissolved I realized the stitching was too dense. Humm...will I make another thread tree or shift to fabric??

And finally more time was (perhaps) wasted as I attempted to 'dye-paint' the background fabric to obtain a less harsh appearance.

It has not been a joyful time in the Stori studio these last few days....stay tuned....I'll either solve the design problems or become bald. FYI: Sonja's inspiration photo is the last one posted here.....

TWEET TWEET

 JUST finished....30 mins. ago!!

Inspiration struck after noticing so many recent posts and references to bird nests.  Nature at her finest!

                                   TWEET TWEET - 15” x 15”

 AVAILABLE in online shop

Artist ice-dyed silk noil, gel printed cottons, rust dyed 

felted wools, batiks.  Raw edge fused appliqué, machine 

quilted. Double fold binding, hanging sleeved attached.

NEGLECTED BLOG.....

 I realized I've been neglecting this blog......so few readers access blogs these days, reverting to Facebook instead where I tend to post more regularly. My bad!!

I'm often asked where my design ideas come from. I don't have a written 'list' that I refer to, rather inspiration can hit from repeated images or a specific subject that I'm exposed to repeatedly, in a short amount of time, or one that begins as an itch and over time, needs to be scratched.

I wasted no time beginning a new project after the close out of our communities Spring Artisan Faire this past weekend. This theme was definitely a result of similar posts I've seen very recently. Can you guess where I'm heading??

NEW WORK - LADIES OF THE WOODS

 The redo of the silk noil from my previous post certainly was an inspiration for this new piece.

LADIES OF THE WOODS - 13” x 13”

$150

Artist dyed silk noil, mono printed cottons, Ultra-Suede, 

raw edge fused appliqué, & thread play. Wrapped on a canvas 

frame & secured in a black wood frame without glass. 

NOTE: White birch trees are so named because they 

are the first trees to leaf out in the spring.

I HEAR IT CALLING

 No sooner did the re-do on a piece of silk noil that had been previously dyed become dry.....it started calling me.

I wanted to add one more small framed piece to my inventory for the upcoming our Heritage Placer Vineyard Artisan Faire (May 2nd), happily that piece sold within hours of sharing it online.

Of course that was all the push I needed to hear the call of this newly revamped piece of fabric.  Here's another look at the fabric inspiration and a how I'm integrating it into a new design.  Watch for the reveal soon....

 

MY SISTER'S FAVORITE FLOWER

 A display of Lily of The Valley plants caught my eye recently and the images have stuck with me, mainly because it was a favorite of my twin sister.

Perhaps it will be one of yours too.  Now available.  SOLD YEAH....ANOTHER SUPER FAST SALE IN 5 HOURS....  

LILY OF THE VALLEY -  13” x 13”

SOLD

Genuine rare vintage Shweshwe & Kashmel Indigo cotton, printed in England & South Africa under names such as 3 Cats. Batik and commercial cottons. Raw edge fused appliqué, hand embroidery.

Prismacolor enhancement. Wrapped on canvas frame & secured in a white wood frame without glass. 

REDO

 This piece of Procion dyed silk noil has been quietly asking for its turn for quite awhile.  Despite fondling it numerous times, it wasn't connecting with any design ideas.

Often my designs are inspired by the fabric itself.....this one, not so much.  What the heck....the light areas were distracting...why not make them go away?

Out came several tan/brown acrylic paints which I diluted with water and "painted" the solution in the offending areas.

Now we are talking....I mean the fabric and me......

WITH THE WIND

Each new piece is greeted with enthusiasm and challenges, that's what I love about creating one-of-a-kind art quilts.  Waking up each day anxious to get back in the studio, even after all my years of quilting is a true gift.

Here's the newest one now available for purchase.

WITH THE WIND -  21” x 31”

Click on gallery shop link at top or side for details.

Japanese cottons, layered sheers, metallic thread, water-soluble image enhancement, raw edge fused appliqué, machine quilted, double fold binding, hanging sleeve attached.

TIPS AND TRICKS

 I was preparing this post to share some tips/tricks that I've resorted to while working on my current art quilt. An internet pal Peggy just happened to post frustration about the excessive amount of fraying (even on good quality fabrics) she's been experiencing. (

Because I'm such a perfectionist, I can NOT tolerate frayed edges on raw edge applique. It drives me nuts!! So even though my solution adds extra steps during construction........I do it anyway for carefree applique with great results.

TIP #1. I take all the precautions in my bag of tricks to avoid fraying.

(a) Spray starch the fabric before cutting (b) Use paperbacked fusible adhesive which for me requires less handling than the temporary stick and reposition adhesives. (c) My secret weapon: Fray Block by June Tailer. I squeeze a small amount at a time into a small plastic cup (think NyQuil dosage cups). Then using a very thin inexpensive artist brush I apply this clear liquid to the edges of the appliqué motif that has already been fused in place. Let dry.... Enjoy care-free appliqué. CREDIT....The best applique artist I know, Linda Cantrell taught me this.....

TIP #2. You've got fabric that has the exact shape, size with motifs you wish to feature, but it the color blends into the background. There are a number of ways I handle this problem. but here's what I did on my current project. Instead of appliquéing with invisible or matching color thread, using a high contrast thread allows the motif to 'pop'.

TIP#3. Nearly the same problem as tip 2.....the 'bird' fabric that fit my theme yielded the right size, shape but NOT the right color. The motifs didn't stand out enough. Even outlining wasn't going to help in this case. So, I used a white water-soluble wax pastel to lighten the fabric.

I'm tackling one final problem in my design right now....I expect there will be another answer in a 2:00 AM thought!! Visit again, won't you?

BRAGGING ON MY TALENTED FREIND

 Long time friendships are precious.  While working for TWA in Chicago my roommate (Sandy) and I met and married roommates (Steve & David).  Interestingly, we all were born and raised in Wisconsin.

Now 61 years later we continue our friendship.  Sadly, we lost Steve a few years ago, but never forgotten.  What's more surprising, none of us ever expected to leave the midwest, but we find ourselves in Roseville & Clovis. Life sure has surprises.

Sandy has developed talent as a watercolor artist and sent me this rendition of our Clyde, NC home.  Yes, long time friendships are precious!