Spending 8+ hrs. daily for the last 5 days in studio....driven!!! New piece in the works. Finding just the right shade of my hand-dyed fabrics is more time consuming than one would expect.
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Saturday, March 18, 2023
QUILT OF MANY COLORS - New work
It's fun to explore a style I rarely work with. These deep and brightly colored hand-dyed cottons have been calling to me for years. The addition of the black and white sashing really made them pop.
Friday, March 17, 2023
ASIA ART WEEK - NEW YORK
Annually, the middle of March marks 'New York's Asia Art Week'. Though this style is not my norm, a large stash of Japanese fabrics gifted to me by a friend led to many, many designs. Here are several that are currently available for sale at Woolworth Walk Gallery, Asheville, NC. Check my online gallery for complete descriptions.
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
ANOTHER ARTIST IN THE FAMILY
Our youngest grandchild is a budding artist.....as well as a skilled athletic....all at age 6!
We bought him a 3-D pencil for Christmas......here he is learning the techniques of this fascinating tool.
Friday, March 10, 2023
R & R
After way too much of 'the husband's' 2022 year long health drama, a lull allowed me to attend our annual PTA (Professional Textile Artists) retreat, ongoing since 2009.
Bliss.....laughter galore, great food, ample bubbly, and a sewing marathon made it perfect.
Barbara worked on several projects.....here's one
And here's another......
Cathy was working on this happy and oh so colorful 9 patch piece. I should have gotten close-ups of her hand stitched accents.....just right additions!
Our meals were perfection again this year....we finally got smart and used paper products to reduce our kitchen chores.....okay it's not environmentally friendly, we get that!! This is Shrimp Gumbo, and homemade brioche buns with what else?!? Yes, bubbly.....
After several different approaches to meals over the years....finally the last two years Leigh Anne and Barbara pre-made most of our delicious meals. Leigh Anne is an excellent and enthusiastic chef....she and her husband are embarking on their own food truck which will be stationed across from the Virginia Quilt Museum. Don't miss it if you are ever in that area!! (We may use paper plates but we do recycle....photo taken lunch time day 2.)
Marene's project had us all drooling......aren't you??
Thursday, March 2, 2023
SCAN N CUT - HUGE LEARNING CURVE FOR ME
I expected the Scan N Cut to be a plug in and go.....ha ha. These machines are so darn complex, taking a hammer to it had occurred to me many times.
All I wanted it for was to be able to scan in a design, mostly nature based like trees/birds/weeds etc. And then have the machine cut it out pre-fused fabric to be used for appliqué...thus saving my ever problematic shoulder.
Thanks to follower Darlene and others.....I learned about several SNC Facebook groups. Members of 'Everything Scan N Cut with Jennifer Brodie' hand held me through the most basic problems to a head scratcher....
I believe I'm on my way to better results as seen in these photos......
Sunday, February 26, 2023
ROTARY CUTTING BLADE FOR SCAN N CUT
The (hopefully) miracle rotary blade for my Scan N Cut is now installed....and after about 90 mins. of testing...I'm getting closer! Tried cutting simple leaves before wasting fabric on trees.
Saturday, February 25, 2023
'SOARING ABOVE THE BLUE RIDGE"
The idea was to create an art quilt featuring a large number of small motifs which would be my incentive to learn how to use the Scan N Cut machine I received for Christmas.
It's now nearly March and I'm still struggling to achieve quality cuts. However, with a recent purchase of a new type of blade cutter I'll be getting started soon.
The piece shown here was to be that project, but it took so long to get the blade, I ended up hand cutting the birds instead....all 45 of them. This newest art quilt has just been listed in my online gallery....click on link in either the top or side bar.
"SOARING ABOVE THE BLUE RIDGE" - 17.5" X 21"
Just listed in gallery
Hand ice-dyed cottons & batiks, appliquéd motifs,
thread painting, embroidery, & densely quilted.
Faced edge finishing & fabric hanging sleeve.
Friday, February 24, 2023
THE REASON WHY....
Recently I mentioned how gratifying it is to learn why a quilt was selected for purchase......often there is a special reason besides just liking the design.
ACE OF DIAMONDS by Mary Stori
The buyer shared with me that her father was a life long dairy farmer and his name was Clyde. I created this piece living here in Clyde, NC. Amazing how such omens bring about a quilt sale!!
Sunday, February 19, 2023
GETTING BACK TO WHAT WE LOVE
We've attended the well known Blue Grass First Class festival every February in Asheville, since we moved moved to NC in 2006....haven't missed a year except for the 1 year cancellation because of Covid.
Indoor bluegrass in Feb. sure does pick up one's spirit....non-stop music from 11:00 AM - midnight for two nights with only a dinner break of an hour.....bliss.....
One of my very favorite groups The Grascals were back this year.....best female banjo picker ever......again total bliss.
Thursday, February 16, 2023
GOOD GRIEF!
I'm still struggling with my Scan N Cut machine. I've tried EVERY tip on EVERY tutorial I can find to get my fabric to cut cleanly.
It reminds of men's razors......razors are modestly priced.....but razor blades and other required accessories are NOT!! So now after buying another mat (which works no better than the first), I've just dropped $50 purchasing a rotary cutting blade. Clever marketing by Brother.....you have to buy a whole kit which includes stuff I'll NEVER use) just to get the blade and holder!!
Look how nicely my 'test' triangle was cut.....yet when I cut an actual motif......it's a shredded mess. I've thrown away soooo much fused fabric after testing all the various suggestions. Hoping this new cutting tool will solve my problem.
So, my current project has come to a halt while I wait for the new blade in order to cut more motifs. I ended up hand cutting half of the bushes/small trees shown on the lower edge of this art quilt. I'll be tackling our USPS delivery person each day till the blade arrives. STAY TUNED......
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
EARLY MORNING IN UPPER CRABTREE VALLEY
Such a beautiful view as the sun starts to rise this morning as viewed from our back deck. Clearly one can see how my work is influenced by my surroundings.
Monday, February 13, 2023
NEW BACKGROUND UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Creating a background to scratch the itch of better understanding my Scan N Cut machine. Wonder if anyone cares to guess what the focus of the cutting will be?
Saturday, February 11, 2023
WET FELTING VESSELS
I'm still dipping into a huge bag of wool batting a friend shared with me. I've had to curtail my wet felting for quite some time due to an ever present achy shoulder that now is not even responding to steroid injections. So this may be it for awhile.
The wool fibers are really coarse and no matter how hard I work and how careful the layering process is....it doesn't yield a smooth surface. However, the rough one is interesting in its own right and will be enhanced with hand embroidery when they are fully dry.
Thursday, February 9, 2023
MICROWAVE ICE-DYEING
The holidays, illnesses, and life in general had gotten in the way of our monthly Fiber Frenzy meetings......therefore a day of microwave dyeing was looked forward to greatly.
I was very low on reds in my stash so very delighted by this piece.
The microwave we used was small and not very powerful which led to a lot of standing around & chatting while we waited our turn. Kathie on the left, Susan on the right.
At the last minute Judy came down with the bad cold that's making the rounds, so we "toasted" her by text!
Kathie over-dyed a previous pink with too much white piece and this was the fabulous result. Do-overs can be great!!
Far left is a rayon scarf Kathie brought for each of us.....the rest of my pieces were all over-dyed commercial tone on tone white and pale yellow. Bliss!!!!
Sunday, February 5, 2023
HARVEST MOON - new work
I set out to create an art quilt, designed around a tree I drew, scanned, & cut with my Brother Scan N Cut machine. This project was easily a three week commitment, concluding with a successful result.
If you'd like to give it a home, contact me directly. Free shipping for a limited time.
Friday, February 3, 2023
TIP
A fiber group friend asked for my help getting started making landscape art quilts. She's ready to add some handwork so I offered this tip, perhaps it can help you too.
I developed this method years ago to keep hand embroidery, quilting, & beadwork distortion free. I ALWAYS work in a Qsnap frame....(square or rectangle) preferring to secure fabric on-grain rather than using a round hoop which stretches the bias.
The addition of a (homemade) fabric sleeve (or more than one if the project is small) is used to pin and hold the edges secure. This provides stability when your stitching reaches the very outside edge of a piece.
Thursday, February 2, 2023
QUILT FREINDS ARE THE BEST!!
A local friend who doesn't belong to any of my groups has often asked to bounce construction/design ideas off me. Honestly, I'm flattered and happy that all the knowledge I've gathered for so many years can be passed on.
She surprised me with this knit and then felted scissors case.....isn't it terrific?? Thank you Arlene!!