REPURPOSING

Since much of our home is and always has been furnished via antique hunting, finding bargains to repurposing is rewarding.....  

For instance, this oak pie safe now holds a large DVD collection.

The pine jelly cabinet contains CD's.  We had a large display of iron register covers on a 20" tall wall behind our wood stove when we lived in Wisconsin.  The buyers wanted them to stay with the house.....so these extras that we had squirreled away came to North Carolina with us.  The pine writing table (far right) is now a bedside end table.

P.S.    Alert follower Kris asked what were the things she was seeing in the bathroom.....so I'm inserting them here......

 The bathroom is a small inside one with no windows....it felt very tomb like.  To offset that feeling, I haunted resale shops to purchase over a dozen small mirrors.  A crackle painting technique 'aged' them......it's really surprising how much this helps.

We also found three brass facets, mounted on a wooden plaque, which I crackled as well.  It's used to hold hand towels.

This is one of my favorites....an oak library card catalog cabinet.  My threads are now stored here.  The maple table to the right was used by my twin sister and I as wee little ones....the chairs are no longer around, but I treasure this piece which holds my copy machine and a charging station for all my devices.

Yesterday after the Asheville Quilt Guild meeting.....members of PTA and friends of course sought out lunch.  The restaurant we visited used these rusted bed springs as decor on the outside porch.  I LOVE the look and the great repurposing idea.  

They were hung everywhere, including the porch ceiling!!!

PORTRAIT OF A GRANDCHILD

Though I've owned the full version of Photoshop for many years, my efforts to use it beyond the meagerest tasks have always left me frustrated.  Patience with computers doesn't come easily to me.

With an unexpected burst of determination, I had some success recently manipulating a few photos of our grandchild using some filter options.  Each was printed onto a tea-dyed looking muslin.  A packet of antique komono fabrics gifted by our son and DIL was used to create this narrow wall hanging.

I've been holding off posting about this piece until after it was presented to our son and DIL......  Click on the photo to enlarge.

 "Raiden"   6" x 21"

Detail

ZENERGY WOOL FELT COLLECTION

My last two posts featured a project created in its entirety using National Nonwovens WoolFelt.  Zenergy is their new collection for spring/summer 2014.  

I for one can't wait to begin creating with these luscious colors!!!  If you can't find this product locally, visit their online shop here.

NATURE'S SERENITY - NEW WOOL PIECE COMPLETED

Knowing when to stop is sometimes difficult for those of us who enjoy evenings of handwork...especially if the next project is yet to be ready for hand work!  However, after more thought, I called this piece finished....well...almost finished.... 

 A few more embroidery details were added, the edges were trimmed and blanket stitching was added to secure the backing in place.

 But wait......it needed something....hummmm....what do you suppose that is?  Of course, you guessed it.....I added a seed bead between every other stitch along the edges.  It's amazing how that little extra helped to visually frame the quilt!

NATURE'S SERENITY   10" X 21"

AVAILABLE HERE

Felted wool, hand embroidered and bead embellished.

I'm linking to Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday

NEW WOOL WORK - NATURE INSPIRED

Each new color line of Woolfelt that National NonWovens introduces gets my creative juices flowing...... 

 I selected a palette that is rather close in value, but one that had the softness I was feeling as spring slowly comes to our mountains.

  As is my usual procedure, the desired finished size of the piece is marked on a piece of Pellon lightweight non-fusible interfacing, which is hand basted (following the marked lines) onto wool felt.  

 Motifs are added within the basted lines....and further embellished with more felt details and embroidery floss.  If you look closely (or click on the image to enlarge).....you can see where I began adding some background hand embroidery.  In fact, I spent nearly two evening stitching away....all the while knowing in my heart that it was distracting and that I should give up.

So I did......after ripping it out....I began to add echo hand embroidery around the motifs.  What on earth was I thinking......that didn't work either.....fortunately I wised up quickly and took them out.

Now I'm thinking it's fine the way it is......just because I usually add background stitching doesn't mean EVERY design requires it.  More pondering is required....stay tuned....

A NEW PHASE....

I'm new to grandma-hood.......one little glitch....our little guy lives on the West Coast......a minimum travel day by air of at least 10 hours.

 So, of course all gatherings are even more special.....and his 2nd birthday party was very special indeed.  The theme was 'farm'.....with all the touches my creative DIL and her parents could dream up.

 Activities for big and little people were found at every turn.  Here's a station where stickers, glue, and markers were used to make cards.

 I used metal animal shape cookie cutters to make P & J sandwiches.

 String cheese sticks and other individual treats allowed children to help themselves.

Animal cookies and cheese fish crackers add to the fun.

 The overall theme was built around a 2 hour petting zoo!  Now don't shake your head....I must admit I too was a bit apprehensive when I learned the plans.  Thinking it was a bit over the top, BUT....it was perfect.....so well done and everyone, large and small loved it. We all learned so much.

The 'team' arrived with rabbits, a tortoise, goats, sheep, chickens, and a lama.  Their pig was about to bring piglets into the world, so she stayed at home.

 Here's the birthday boy petting a rabbit.  All the animals were gentle, friendly, and the staff was incredibly professional and responsible.

 Because the weather was a little cool, the 'water' play station was filled with rice instead.  The kids loved it.

 Raiden and Grandpa H. were saying goodbye to the animals as the staff loaded them back into the van.

My nearly week long trip included a visit with my brother in Oregon, then onto San Francisco where the weather was the best I ever experienced there.....which included a birthday party and a Mother's Day celebration......growing older definitely has its perks.

SCARY PROCESS - HANGING QUILTS ON STAIRWAY WALLS!!

Even though I'm still away (lovin' on the grandchild).....I thought I'd drop in to share a problem that may be one you have too. How to hang a quilt on a stairwell wall....   As quiltmakers we all know it's a good idea to rotate our displays.  It's especially important to rest them if they are hand quilted and to prevent potential fading.

With that said....this batik quilt, made from vintage batik fabric that my MIL collected during their many visits to Indonesia has been up for quite awhile.  Like many mountain homes, we have vaulted ceilings....23 ft. tall at the highest point.

We found it was easiest to secure a quilt in a wooden hanging device, which has eye hooks that slip into skinny " L " brackets on the wall.  The whole thing can be lifted off, placed on the floor or a bed to remove the current quilt by sliding it out of the track and replace with a new one, and then lift it back into place.  

Frankly, I don't have the courage to get on the ladder where one end sits on the stairs and the other is leaning against the slopping wooden ceiling...but 'the husband' does.

 There will come a time when we'll have to hire someone to do this task, but for now.....we can enjoy another quilt design.  Yes, I really did do a lot of patchwork years ago.  This was made in 1992, machine pieced and hand quilted...74" wide x 102" tall.

This photo may provide a better perspective....the antique Hoosier cabinet looks like a salesman sample!

If anyone has tricks to share that are helpful for hanging quilts in stairways....do share!

FIBER JUNKIES - THREAD FABRIC

Our group, the Fiber Junkies, had planned to visit a discount fabric warehouse.....for what we call dumpster diving since most of the fabric is stored in huge cardboard boxes or bins. But at the last minute we learned the store wouldn't be open the date we wanted to go.

So....thanks to Kate, who organized two techniques for us to explore and Gen who offered her home....we still enjoyed an inspiring and fun day together.

 Kate brought ALL the supplies.....here's a pile of colorful silk roving.

 And print chiffon to use as a base for our project.

 Plus lots of other embellishments to add some pizazz.....

 Denny brought silk, I believe she called them 'silk handerchiefs'....basically it was thin felted silk roving that we pulled apart to incorporate into our creations. 

 Here's how you can create your own thread fabric......  Begin by protecting your work surface with plastic, cover with a piece of netting (which helps to add support as you work), next a layer of  chiffon (which is optional).  Now, using thinned white glue or matte medium and a stencil brush, secure thread/roving/& embellishments to the base in a pleasing manner. As you start, it can be a bit challenging to keep the threads in place...fingers help but they get sticky and fits of giggles are sure to follow when fingers begin to look like Chia pets. You can also work directly on netting if you prefer...which allows you to peel away the base to obtain a rather open layer of stiffen threads and roving fibers.  

I chose to work on a print chiffon (above) and plan to cut the piece into smaller segments for use in a future project.

 Apologizes.....I'm not sure who made each of these designs...but aren't they lovely?

FYI - My blog will be quiet for the next couple of days as I head off to the West coast to celebrate our grandson's 2nd birthday.  If you are a follower.....no need to do a thing.....as soon as I blog again....you'll automatically receive the post.  Thank you for spending part of your days with me. 

BLOOD, SWEAT & SIGNATURES - Quilt Celebrity Signature Wall Quilt

In the early 1990's I served as President of the North West Suburban Quilter's Guild (suburban Chicago).  To commerate the year, I collected the signatures of every guest speaker.  About that time, I too began to travel teach.  Thinking each engagement request was going to be my last (seriously...I couldn't believe my good luck).....I started asking my colleagues to sign muslin strips for me.

Amazingly, soon there were nearly 100 signatures which would have made for a HUGE quilt if set in the previously planned album block......meaning 1 patch per block!  After much time spent with graph paper and pencil.....a new block was born.  The AQS appraiser who appraised this quilt believes it is an original patchwork design.  For someone who really doesn't enjoy making patchwork quilts now.....I look back and am surprised at just how many I actually did make.

The name of this quilt describes:  BLOOD = hand quilting through cotton batting. SWEAT = the difficulty of developing a setting to include the entire collection. SIGNATURES = 96 signatures

I apologize for the quality of these photos.....certainly not a professional way to present the quilt.  My design wall is not large, and my lighting is inadequate, enough said! (Click on image to enlarge.)

Enjoy the sampling of quilt celebrity signatures featured in this wall quilt.  Numerous friends are no longer with us, making it even more special.

BLOOD, SWEAT, & SIGNATURES  66.5" x 66.5" -  Mary Stori  © 1992

Commercial cottons, hand quilted, featuring 96 quilt celebrity signatures.

PRINTING > SCREEN & TRANSPARENCY

Our small group, the Fiber Junkies is all about trying new techniques....earlier this year we worked with printing on transparency sheets and using a thermofax.  Sometimes we plan more than we actually have time to execute.  

I still had several designs from these two methods that needed to be printed....so today was the day! 

 The photo was printed on a sheet of transparency plastic....I blogged about our meeting here and here too.  I was worried that after more than a month sitting around, they might not transfer.

 Using some matte-medium covered rusted course cotton...... 

I placed one of my smaller images on the wet fabric and rubbed the plastic sheet with the back of a spoon....and yes.....it worked!!! 

 This one didn't transfer as well......I think I may have rubbed it more than necessary...blurring the center of the tractor grill.

Next, I pulled out the theromax screens we made at Judy's house with these images.

 This silk noil fabric was deconstructed screen printed....and probably not a very wise choice.  It was so nubby, none of my prints were very successful...but perhaps still usable.....

 Too little paint.

 Sort of okay.

Too much paint.

It's wonderful to have the opportunity to try new methods....it's a great way to learn what works with my style and temperment, also what techniques are not a good match for me.  So, I never consider disappointment a waste of time......it simply brings me closer to perfecting my own path!