ESCAPING!!

WELL......after a lovely mild winter....it's gotten cold and snowy..boo hiss.....

The wind gusts can be 50-60 MPH in our high mountain valley.  We learned after our first year here to bungy cord all our porch furniture to the deck.  Even that doesn't always help!!

However....I'm escaping...heading for sunny warm weather today...as you read this I'll be winging my way to the SW.  I'm meeting several friends in AZ where we will be having our own 'art camp'!!  No big goals....just puttering around with wet felting and monoprinting, snacking, yacking, and some cultural outings.

I'm pretty sure blog posts will be on hold till I return at the end of the week but if I can figure out how to get photos from my iphone into my ipad into blogger...well...then you'll be hearing from me.....if not....I'll catch up asap.

FAUX MARBLE

This one was a struggle from beginning to end.....but I'm so happy I stuck with it.  As I mentioned in previous posts, marbleized fabric has a lot of energy when working in a wholecloth format.  Finding just the right bead and hand embroidery techniques to further enhance the design required some false starts  which will make the next one I tackle easier!

Both the full size and detail photos are clickable to enlarge.

FAUX MARBLE 11" X11" © 2013

Artist marbled cotton fabric, hand embroidered & bead embellished.

AVAILABLE AT MARY'S SHOP HERE

$85.00

Detail

DOODLING COMPLETED

Happy ending.....  After some further attempts to 'doodle' more...I stopped and listened to the piece.  So with the exception of a few more bugle beads and bead units around the edge (in my books they are referred to as 'washer/nut'), I'm calling this one....finished!

DOODLING

6.5" x 5.5"

Artist resist dyed and felted wool, embroidered & embellished with beads.

Ready to hang or frame.

AVAILABLE AT MARY'S SHOP HERE

$35.00 

DOODLING

After over a week of postings about the marbleized piece I'm working on....nope....it's still not finished.  I'm trying to resolve the finishing details but now have a germ of an idea how to proceed....so until then....

I see so much about 'doodling' on other blogs...and the results are so intriguing.  Sadly, stick a pencil or pen in my hand and my ability ranges from a 4-5 year old!

However, I can doodle with a needle in my hand.....

This again is one of my resist dyed felted wool treasures....and I'm down to only 3 more to go before I MUST make more!!  It's tiny, measuring only 6.5" x 5.5".

Embellishment potentials are gathered.....

And the doodling has begun......  What a fun way to begin the 2nd month of 2013....a day in the studio because it's snowing horizontally and only 17 degrees.....  Hope you get some stitching time today too!

BREAD BAKING

This is why I'm not finishing my marbleized piece.....lately my attention has been so divided...what with trips to see our darling grandson, car races, household chores, year end business paperwork...and so it goes.

Don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining....just making excuses why it's taken me a week to make a 11" x 11" piece!!!

So today I decided that my sourdough starter was long overdue to be 'fed'....as you can see, very few bubbles appear on the surface....meaning unless it gets more flour/water...it will die.  So, rather then throwing out some of the starter (in order to make room to add the flour/water) I used a portion to make bread.

Normally the surface of the starter is full of air bubbles.

 Sorry for the out of focus photo...but of course once the dough has risen and punched down....there was no chance of a 'second take.'

 Normally I make free form rustic style loaves....but I decided to try to use the dough to make sandwich bread instead.  Years ago a roommate gave me this Pullman loaf pan from her father's bakery.  It's a very heavy tin...with a lid that slides over the top....to achieve a flat top loaf.

Here's the less than attractive loaf.....the amount of dough I made wasn't enough to fill the pan properly so perfection in shape wasn't a result but the taste was super.

Sometimes I can be so one dimensional.....wanting only to spend time in the studio....which doesn't make for a very well rounded person.  Guess I'll be more well rounded after consuming heavily buttered slices of warm bread!

GETTING THERE

I couldn't wait to pick up a needle last night after being away from home for several days....

While I was gone....magic happened......(don't we wish that was the way things worked??)  Anyway, the beading is now complete, and the piece has been basted to black fabric (featuring a tiny grayish print) that has been backed with batting.

Here's a close up....click on the photo to get a better view.  So.....what's next?? I think a little hand embroidery is necessary to support the weight of the beads, which will keep the fabric layers together.  Hope to show you more tomorrow....

WHAT BOYS DO WITH THEIR TIME

'The husband' is and always has been a car nut....he loves them....actually anything with an engine makes him happy.  A guy thing for sure.

I must be over-exposed to this subject because I noticed this 'car mouse' at a quilt shop when I should have been looking at the bolts and bolts of fabric!

 So, every year at the end of January....car crazy (mostly men) flock to Daytona Beach, FL for the Rolex 24 Hour LeMans race.  Yes, you read that right....24 hours....and that means non-stop driving.  What is particularly irritating to someone like me who is dragged along, is that the darn thing doesn't begin till 3:30 PM. on a Saturday....meaning half of the race is in the dark.  Even in FL it's chilly (and often darn right COLD) when the sun goes down with the wind whipping off the ocean.  And really??  24 hours?? Wayyyy toooo long for this gal!  Fortunately, we don't stay all night but our time at the track is sizable since of course one needs to arrive the day before to view practice sessions etc. 

 So I try to amuse myself people watching and just plain taking it all in. This race is a clone of the very famous 24 Hour LeMans (France) race which was made even more well known in the 1971 movie, LeMans, starring Steve McQueen.  A huge ferris wheel is an icon at that race track and not to be outdone.....the Daytona International Speedway has one too.

 Camera toting guys stroll the garage area....where EVERYTHING is branded...seriously....I don't think there's anything left that isn't sponsored!

 Not only does one watch the race......many spectators are hooked up to scanners to monitor driver to pit conversations, plus the announcers non-stop chatter. There are loud speakers but even if you are standing beneath one...the cars are soooo loud you can't hear a word anyone is saying.

"Body" parts......and as beat up as these cars get...having extra parts are necessary.  There are various 'classes' of cars that all run in at the same time....some are capable of traveling much faster than others...which makes the race more interesting.

We cheer for Porsches....and one of the drivers of this car is Patrick Long....one of the few Americans drivers.

 Someone who may be less than interested in the actual race (her first name is Mary) might be wandering around and spot this lovely floral display in used tires.  

 ......and a youngster fishing while riding on a skate board along the lake's boardwalk.

 ......and drivers all suited up.

 .....and a display of vintage VW's.  Believe it or not.....the Porsche was born out of a VW!!

So.....that's how I spent the last couple of days.....and why my projects are not advancing!  I wish I could say that this will be the last race I have to attend this year......sadly.....that isn't so.

GETTING THERE

Oh my....working with this marbleized fabric in its whole cloth form is really making me work!  No matter what I seem to do, I end up taking it off several times before hitting on something that works.

Perhaps using it as patches would be a better choice, but now I'm even more determined to see what I can do with it in its current state.  Obviously, if I were a machine quilter....that alone would pop the pattern and be quite nice....  Ah hummm, that's another reason to conquer that technique....maybe some day!  

In the meantime.....I've now alternated small white bugle beads with seed beads around the pumpkin embroidery.  Then I filled a section in with more seed beads.  BLEEP.....bleep....

So, off they came and instead I started stacking and stitching clumps of seed beads.  This may be the answer, though a few won't cut it.....I see a lot of stitching ahead of me.

This sure doesn't seem like a lot to show for nearly a week's work...but then, the amount of time lately that I've had to devote to it is fairly slim.  Sometimes that's good.....it gives me a chance to do some 'virtual designing'......  

DETERMINATION

Well....I'm feeling better today....I stopped venting.....really, what's the point?

So, I've scatter stitched small black beads along the dyed lines which seems just right. I'm still pondering about the heavy pumpkin color embroidery lines.  They add another dimension/layer but they aren't really 'incorporated' into the design.  Something I preach about all the time to students......especially in regard to beading......don't just plunk beads down (in this case its embroidery) just to be adding something....it needs to be integrated into the design.

I'm going to try to save it for now because this marbleized fabric tends to show  needle holes....maybe I can still make this work...  Let's see what happens....

FRUSTRATED!

I think I'm going to be venting a bit today......and have pretty much figured out the reason for my frustration.  We all experience it I know....too little time!

I just returned from the first of 4 trips that will take place in the next 30 days....now I am looking forward to them, but the lack of substantial studio time is making me itchy.  My projects have consisted of small pieces that can be accomplished within several days.  Really....there's nothing wrong with that and I enjoyed making every one....

Except....now I'm not.  I'm forcing myself to make something small for time's sake and this current one is nothing but a big fat failure.  Okay, sure it will probably get better and so what if it doesn't??

So, what I need is a big challenging project.....and time to get one started....I'm reminding myself....it will happen soon and then I'll be venting about that!!!

Cotton fabric that I marbleized at a Fiber Junkies mini retreat

 After cutting off a small hunk (Remember....I'm doing small pieces so I have a feeling of accomplishment??)  The edges have been frayed...not a look I often undertake.  Materials have been gathered....without a clue what to do when them.  I made a conscious decision to try to add one unexpected color...but then again...maybe not.

 Using a combination of seed and bugle beads, I started to follow the black lines.....this is all the further I got before I knew it wasn't the right path...so off they came.

Some hand embroidery has been added and ripped out and added again.  And there is sits for more inspiration.  I rarely have 'artist block'.....maybe I do need these trips?