RESCUING THE FELT BOWL

Okay, I admit it......I have fairly high standards when it comes to the construction of my art. My Mom may have beaten the old adage....."Anything worth doing is worth doing well" into my head......so I'll blame this trait on her.

 It's not a surprise that the recently completed, unevenly felted bowl was really bugging me.  

It still will not be a masterpiece.....but as you can see I'm in the process of felting it again.  It's being done with needle felting....and looking sooo much better.  More blending of the fibers still needs to be done......but it's getting better.  WHEW!!!!

FELTING A BOWL

This isn't the first felted bowl I've made....but it is the first using pre-felt batting.  And....I'm disappointed.

 I began by covering a round plastic resist with "pulls' of pre-felt batting.....working exactly the same steps as when working with roving.  It took ages for the fibers to felt......and it still could be worked further, but since I'm unhappy with the shape, thickness etc. I'm calling it done.  It's drying here.

My conclusion is that this particular pre-felt batting needs to be used in much thicker depths than what I expected.  So....I'll try again...and perhaps incorporate some roving (from another source) into mix and see if I can achieve better results.

UPDATE:  After more investigation.....I've learned there is a difference in pre-felt battings.......some....like the ones I used do not require pulling apart and layering.......that aspect has been addressed during the making of the pre-felt.  Soooooo, perhaps that's why I've had so much trouble.....I should have used them as is.  Stay tuned.....I'm a determined wanna be wet felter!!

FELTING FUN

Santa (our son & DIL) gifted me a bonanza of felting supplies.....to say I've been anxious to play with the colorful goodies is an understatement!!  Felting my own wool is rather new for me.  I'm pretty much teaching myself with the aid of lots of online tutorials and blogs.  P.S. - I have a LOT to learn! 

 This beautiful 'watermelon' pre-felt batting became my inspiration. The fibers were split and alternately arranged (vertically and horizontally) into a rectangle.

 Digging into a selection of curly wool fibers was such a treat.....

 Once all the fibers were wet, soaped, and lightly rubbed to start the felting process, the entire package was encased in bubble wrap and a bamboo friction mat.  It was rolled, wetted, rolled, soaped, rolled until all the fibers grabbed each other and became one.  I have to admit the felting process took much longer than what I've experienced in the past.  The wool curly fibers simply did not want to be incorporated.

 Finally, enough of them were sufficiently secured that I called it quits.

 But as you can see....there were areas that needed further attention.  After the piece dried, these rebel fibers were hand needle felted into the base...making a tidier presentation.  Did I say I have a LOT to learn?!?

Appx. 10" square

This may become a base for further embellishing....thinking beads of course.....OR I may cut it apart and add the pieces to another project.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

I'm ringing in the New Year with new work! 

 I love the process and results achieved with deconstructed screen printing.  Aiming for a graphite black on cotton......I got it!!

This design was created using a rubber pebble sink mat, screened over tan silk noil. Though the designs are fabulous to study and admire, their high energy can be challenging to work with.  But I'm a gal who loves a challenge!

Additional screen printing of roadside weed images were incorporated.  Next, the two fabrics were combined into uneven patchwork units, and highlighted with some dashes of color.  The background was laboriously hand embroidered. 

ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS  10.5" X 12.5"  © 2015

 AVAILABLE HERE

Artist deconstructed screen printing on silk noil and cotton, images screen 

printed, hand embroidered, and machine quilted.

Follow these valuable link to see what other artists are up to: Nina-Marie's Finish it up Friday,  Sarah's Whoop, Whoop Fridays  and Crazy Mom's Quilts

SAYING GOODBYE.....

Many bloggers use this time of the year to reflect upon the year that has passed and of course to look forward.  My 25+ years of travel teaching are now a memory....very good memories in fact, but hopefully just a spring board to what's ahead.

It's not necessary to offer a list of past or future here......instead....I'd like to wish you a very successful, healthy, and happy NEW YEAR! (OH...and GO PACKERS!)

And perhaps take time to do a little partying......

          PARTY ANIMALS  Mary Stori © 1996

46" X 46"

Hand appliqued, hand quilted, 3-D and mixed media embellished.

Private Collection - Prescott, AZ

                                                   Detail

Have you set goals for 2015?  Where will you be 12 months from now???

A POPPY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

Several months ago the Fiber Junkies spent a day altering fabric by adhering paper with a glue medium, followed by many layers of paint.

In order to allow sufficient drying time....it became a two part project. I have to admit my commercial mottled blue/white fabric didn't inspire me much....nor did the paper images I chose to work with.

However, that's what's soooo great about this group. On day two, with encouragement and suggestions from fellow Junkies....we all got into the mixed-media spirit!

It's now been glued, washed with painted, repainted, and drawn with paint.

After sandwiching the layers, the painted branches were machine stitched.  I kept wanting to do more, but really....there are times when the piece says....I'M FINISHED.

A narrow dark binding was planned, yet after auditioning several....I decided upon the unusual choice of using a light colored print.  It was a bit tooooo white, but a quick dip in hot tea was just enough to make this fabric work.

A POPPY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS  13.5" x 16"  © 2014

AVAILABLE HERE

Mixed-media on cotton, machine quilted. Text reads...
Meet Your New Secret Ingredient -  UPGRADE -  Most Wanted.

This will be the last sale item offered in 2014.....review available pieces here.

GAME DAY......GO PACK GO......

What we've waited for all year.....the final match up....Packers vs Lions...the division championship is on the line.  It's a home game for the PACK.....their win record at Lambeau Field is very positive.

No Robbie....after miracle endings all year by the Lions....there won't be one today!!!

 Saint Vincent will be watching over the 'boys'

What can I say.....he's the greatest!!!  In case you aren't keeping up with the important things....#12 is our QB......Aaron Rodgers......

Our flags (yes multiple) are flying, our clothing is laid out, Sooty will be donning her Packer jersey....and we will be glued to the TV come game time......as I type this the Kohl's Countdown clock has that at  8 hours  21 mins. and 49 seconds....

GO PACK GO.....    GO PACK GO.....    GO PACK GO....   GO PACK GO.....

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS/BLOG ANNIVERSARY

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE.......

With astonishment, I realized that my first blog post was Christmas Day 2007.  While visiting our son in CA, his (now) SIL helped me set up my blog that day while the rest of the family was either preparing our feast or watching football!

It began as a means to keep in touch with students and became a helpful method of documenting my work as well.  My posts have remained fairly constant, about 20 per month, with a total approaching 1,900.

Now that my travel teaching retirement has arrived, I expect to continue blogging....perhaps not as frequently??  Hard to say right now.  But I wanted to take a moment to thank you....faithful readers for giving me a reason to write!

I'll be hanging out a lot more now in my home studio located in the beautiful Crabtree mountain valley community in Western North Carolina.  My goals have changed since 2007, focusing now on creating fiber art to sell.  I'm sure it will be as rewarding as the previous 25+ years.

May the season bring you peace, joy, hope and happiness. 

  

FIBER JUNKIES HOLIDAY FUN CONTINUED

What a special treat for us to bring home a small handmade gift, made by each member of our group.  We are supposed to keep these tokens small.....but of course each year I do believe the gifts have gotten a bit more elaborate. 

Tempting pile, isn't it??  This year my gifts were presented in small felt bags...I cut out the initial of each recipient from red felt and tacked them onto the bag with decorative thread.

 Kate made us tags and note cards with some of the paper fabric we enjoyed learning how to make together.  Lucky us....she loves the process and often makes gifts using her paper fabric. 

 Sorry for the blurry photo.....we each got an apron from Denny.....all the better to save our clothing during our dye days!  She found the color chip fabric at a fabric shop!  It came in this hand-made bag.

 Believe it or not....the fabric for this bag started out in a package of white cotton rags from Home Depot. Denny dyed them!

 Gen....our true Jack (sorry Jill) of all trades....made each of us a knitted hat.  I didn't get photos of everyone modeling their....but here's Denny.

 ......and Kate

 ......and Val

 Clever Judy.....she used Dyna-flow to dye Perle cotton for each of us.

 .....Val found a use for the quilted fabric she painted (during our house painting day....for a technique none of us were sure we'd like or find helpful....that truly hasn't been the case).  Each of us received a small handmade book.

 .....some of the pages were printed, painted, or stenciled....and of course some were left blank for us to add our thoughts/designs.

Because all of us have gotten a bit smitten with making paper cloth....Val added a variety of print napkins for us to play with.

This is a credit card holder.  An example of my gift.....each featured a different color scheme and design.

We always spend time during our December meeting to make a list of the 'goals' (techniques) we'd like to cover the following year.  Thanks to 'Professor Denny'.....we had a two page - single spaced list.....we will be busy for years to come.

FIBER JUNKIES HOLIDAY GATHERING

We gathered at Judy's house for our 2014 Fiber Junkies holiday meeting.....

Besides being such a gracious hostess, she goes all out with her decorations, making it a wonderful festive day. 

We are in the heart of Christmas tree farms.....this live tree was a beauty.

We feasted like we haven't eaten in weeks.  Our menu was topped off by Denny's yule log......it was as delicious as it looked. To her credit....she willingly admits that she 'made it' by picking up the phone.....

 Our show and tell was pretty much a Denny show this month.......it was just one great piece after another!  She utilized some dyed/printed fabrics to make large rocks.

 Here is a close up of the 'mortar'!!

 This is such a charming piece......but it was the textured tree bark that awed me.

 I'll interrupt the 'Denny show' with this marbled piece made by Kate. She wasn't thrilled with the original design, so she brought it the day we painted completed/quilted pieces with house paint.  After numerous applications using several colors, plus highlighting with some metallic paints.....it was truly transformed. Her trademark machine quilting elevates the entire work. 

 I wish I had photos of the dozen plus looks this piece had.  Denny brought it to our paint day.....but it had already been stitched, dyed, painted, stenciled, and so on.  By the end of the paint day it was BLACK....seriously......she kept adding paint the entire day and was so unhappy with the results.....she decided to paint the whole thing black.  And...honestly it didn't look bad.  After taking it home....she got after it again.....taking a sander and removing some of the layers.  Then she continued with more surface design techniques.  Finally when she was satisfied.....it was covered with polyurethane. 

 DETAIL

Since I'm bragging on Denny......please take a moment to really meet her here.  She's a retired psychiatric nurse and feminist therapist.  Recently she has focused on a series of 'healing' quilts.

Now....this is truly brilliant.....her quilts are LARGE and heavy....and nearly impossible to easily transport as a group so she turned to Spoonflower.  She had the images of the quilts printed onto individual pieces of fabric.  She sashed and stitched them into a managable size wall quilt. (Note how large it is...by comparing her holding it.)

But she didn't stop there.....she made a 2nd one about half the size......what a GREAT idea to preserve her quilts! (This one she's holding it by the top with two fingers of each hand!)

 And finally, isn't this a great portrait?  Denny has decided to scale back her vast collection and this piece (if I recall correctly with all 6 of us talking at once)....it's going to the model.

....Come back again.....to see our Christmas gift exchange.