Tuesday, June 28, 2016

CHALLENING MYSELF

While I was waiting for my eyes to heal and unable to sew, the timing seemed right to reorganize my fabric closet.  My stash is quiet modest when compared to some, yet ridiculous  when viewed by others, especially beginners who have yet to be infected by the fabric bug.
I haven't purchased fabric in years....really.  Well....with the exception of fabric blanks for dyeing.  Also, my dear friend Helen is reducing her stash and generously gifted me at least 8 boxes of batiks and Oriental fabrics. That alone will keep me busy!! So, like many of you, the goal now is to create using only what I have on hand.  
I store all my altered fabrics on this hanging shoe rack.  It's now layered 5 deep in places preventing me from accessing anything easily.  That MUST change.
 While reorganizing the shoe rack section, I came across a hunk of dye painted fabric.  If I recall correctly, it was hand pleated into large and small sections, and painted using a foam brush.
Our (Judy, Kate, and myself) NC Arboretum exhibit has two more weeks to run. We've had great sales which is so encouraging.  Visitors seems to enjoy work that depicts the feel of this region and I will continue to concentrate on that theme.

I'm a self-taught artist who can't draw......depth & perspective are difficult to interpret, a reason I mainly stick to clean simple minimal designs. 

Here hand-dyed blue fabrics have been basted to the background in preparation for machine stitching which will appliqué and add texture to the mountains.
The red section of the dye-painted fabric inspired this stylized view of the Blue Ridge Mountains at sunset. Now....the machine stitching begins.  Stay tuned....

4 comments:

The Idaho Beauty said...

Before you said it I could see the Blue Ridge Mountains developing in this piece. It's going to be lovely.

Robbie said...

Never thought of using racks to hang fabric on....but then I have sooooo many scrap pieces in bins!! Can't hang those buggers! HA
I'm liking this last piece you are working on! Good color combo!!! Look forward to seeing it finished!

margaret said...

good to see you were able to sort your stash whilst unable to stitch, I have told myself no more fabric is to come over my doorstep!
Good to remember how you dyed the fabric when I look at things I wonder how did I do that.
Nice to know sales are going well at the exhibition and your latest piece you are working on looks very interesting have fun with it

The Inside Stori said...

Margaret mentioned the difficulty remembering (often a year or two later) the method one might have used to alter fabrics. I TRY, to make a small note that it stapled to the piece for later recall, but it doesn't always get done!