RED BERRIES

After taking about 100 photos....this is the best view I could get....it's puzzling why documenting the color of this piece was so difficult.....but alas it was.....

However, it's finished and I'm pleased with the new life this little hankie now has!  I hope you've enjoyed following its transformation. 

 RED BERRIES  15" x 18.5" MARY STORI © 2017

AVAILABLE HERE

Vintage hankie, eco-dyed, hand embroidered, mounted on linen.

VINTAGE HANKIE - PART 2

......The embroidery work is now complete. 

 Red berry motifs are being auditioned.

 Fortunately, my stash includes two bins of ultra-suede scraps which translate well for small motifs where texture is beneficial. I like to trace the design onto  freezer paper, press it to ultra-suede and cut out using a very sharp small scissors. If necessary, a dab of glue can be used to hold the item in place as it's hand appliquéd in position.  

Once the accent motifs were in place, as much of the stabilizer as possible was trimmed away.  Next, as you can see by the needle and thread, I began the tedious task of carefully stitching the edges of the hankie to its background.

Stay tuned......

VINTAGE HANKIE

Back in 2015, two pals and I tried our hands at eco printing.

After mostly disappointing results, I decided to abandon the idea of printing with leaves and instead to process some vintage textiles that I'd brought along in an iron water bath.  They were squeezed into fabric balls, contained with string and simmered for about an hour.

 I can't tell you how many times I've pulled them from my stash, only to put them back after being unable to move forward with a workable design on their small size, about 9" x 10".  Finally it came to me.....perhaps they could be transformed and then mounted on pieces of dyed silk noil or ????  Why did they have to be stand alone....which was my original thought?!?

Of course every bin and stack of fabric I own was gone through before finally settling on an approach.  This piece is still in the works......so it will be interesting to see what the final decision turns out to be.

 A lot of thought went into how to stablize the embroidered/lacey textile and yet retain the details.  Pellon non-fusible light-weight stabilizer, as is often my choice, was placed on the wrong side of the piece.  I plan to cut away all exposed sections beyond the center section where the motifs will be placed. 

 The biggest hurtle was developing a way to transfer the design lines to the fabric!  The use of pencil or other such tracing material was out......too risky in case I changed my mind about location etc.  Removing those marks may prove to be impossible.  

Here's what I came up with.....borrowing a transfer method I often employ when beading.  With tracing paper over the hankie, the outline of the center section was recorded.  Next, I spent a good amount of time auditioning small scale foliage designs within the marked boundaries using pencil and eraser. 

To transfer the final design to the hankie, the paper pattern was positioned on the right side of the fabric and secured with small silk pins.  With thread to match, I machine stitched a line down the center of each branch.  Carefully the paper was torn away, revealing a guide for the hand embroidery. 

As the first line of embroidery was added for every branch, the guideline was removed.  This approach eliminated all possibilities of having offending marks  on the work.  Stay tuned....I'm gearing up to add the remaining designs....

Check out these links to explore what other artists have been working on this week:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop, Whoop Friday, Crazy Mom Quilts.

THE MARSH - new work

After spending more time than I wish to admit trying various embellishment details to complete this wall quilt.....it finally became obvious that it was already finished. Sometimes, less is more.....

THE MARSH - 24" X 23" © 2017 

 AVAILABLE HERE

Shibori hand-dyed silk noil, machine appliquéd batik motifs, machine quilted.

READY, SET, GO

A new week and the beginning of another new project.  I don't keep track of the time spent on each piece.....it takes whatever the design/construction requires.  Period!  I can say however that a good 6-8 hours each day is average....till it's finished.

Much of my work incorporates my hand-dyed fabrics.  Time spent dyeing would be impossible to factor for each individual piece, nor honestly do I want to know!  For instance, this piece began life as a piece of white silk noil.  It was accordion pleated, secured with clips, dyed and then over-dyed in acid dye baths.  

The dyed fabric reminded me of a murky marsh, so my thoughts were directed toward marsh plant materials. Naturally, out came piles of green fabrics.

                                     
The design is being born. A number of years ago, I designed a line of trapunto stencils for Quilting Creations which I revisited for these cattail motifs.  I'm simply playing with cut fabric on my design wall......lots of adding and subtracting, a normal process for me.

The fused appliqué motifs will be finished with machine stitching.  I'm very picky  in regard to construction and had always preferred hand appliqué since it was tidier. My pal Linda Cantrell, known for her fabulous hand appliqué has now turned to fusing due to hand pain.  She introduced me on to 'Fray Block' to tame those cut fabric edges. It can almost totally eliminate those unsightly threads that poke out after machine stitching.  It doesn't stain the fabric as long as one follows the manufacturer's directions.....basically the tube is warmed in hot water for 10 mins.  I like to apply it using a very thin paint brush. 

Because of all the layering of the grasses, the machine stitching was done in stages....here's a look after all the motifs have been secured. More soon when the piece is complete.

Let's see what other artists have been working on this week, visit:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop Whoop Friday, and Crazy Mom Sews.

JULY IN THE MOUNTAINS

My daily 'forced march' is especially lovely this time of the year...the Rhododendron and wild flowers are all in bloom here in our mountain valley, elevation 3,200 ft.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

 Folks seem to be celebrating this holiday now for several days....with good reason.  I consider myself fortunate to be living in this wonderful country.

Now, a shameful ad.....I'm culling my inventory of quilts that appeared in my books....storage space is running out AND....as can be the case in some homes, wall space to display art is limited.  Here's a popluar one that needs a new home.

 UNITED WE STAND 44" x 28" 

$ 350

Commercial fabrics, hand and machine applique, machine quilted, bead embellished on body of quilt with a beaded net edge.   AQS appraisal value: $1,900, certificate available upon request.  This quilt was published in Mary's book "Beading Basics", on pages 15 & 45.

EARTH'S BOUNTY - WALL ART

This piece took far longer to make than it might appear....and I'm just referring to the construction part....not the hours spent altering the fabric, both black and white silk noil. But, isn't that what we love about one-of-a-kind pieces?  They challenge our creativity, our design skills, and construction techniques!

If interested, check out its beginning on this post.  And if you wish to dig in further....here's a post from June 2015, about a 3 day dyeing retreat which included natural dyeing of some of the silk pieces. 

Let me also explain.....I had fully intended doing lots of hand stitching on this project....it's actually been awhile since I've worked on a major one.  Yet....once the numerous blocks were arranged.....a new idea developed.  That was to let the natural dyed pieces speak for themselves....and highlight with simple metallic thread machine stitching.  Sometimes less is better.

 EARTH'S BOUNTY  28" x 29.5"

AVAILABLE HERE,

Botanical printing, natural dyeing with turmeric, curry, blueberries, pine needles, iron water on silk noil, machine quilted

Detail

Linking to:  Nina-Marie's Off The Wall Friday, Sarah's Whoop Whoop Friday, Crazy Mom Quilts.

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OTHER HOBBIES

Although my focus is clearly dedicated to creating wall art, felting, and beading....there are actually other activities I enjoy.  Years....like eons ago, I operated my own small cooking school in the suburbs of Chicago. In fact, the very first published book of mine was a children's cookbook.  Everyday meal preparation is not as interesting as it was once to me, but I do enjoy baking.

 I've been playing around with different flavored breads....a change from the crusty sour dough bread I normally make.  This is a Kalamata/paramesan cheese loaf after 3 risings.

 A pizza stone has been heating at 425 for 30 mins.

 With the aid of parchment paper, the loaf is slid onto the hot stone and baked for about 45 mins.

I wish you could smell the aroma and hear the crunch as the bread was cut.  Of course I'll be paying for those calories by extending my exercise for the next couple of days!

FIBER JUNKIES - JUNE - PART 3

Like I mentioned previously.....this month's Fiber Junkie gathering was rather a free for all....with lots of technique options to explore. 

 Not only did Val have the eco-dyeing equipment set up, she had a vat of indigo to play with too.  Kate is dipping a piece of paper into the solution.

 You can almost see it turning blue as it comes out!

 Denny was hard at work making deconstructed screens and layering and layering previously printed fabrics.  I am always in awe....

 Super, isn't it?!?

She brought a tree stencil that we all went ga, ga over!!

 Now....full disclosure!  It's human nature to show off only the best of what we create, right?  Well.....I have NO BEST....in fact I have bad, worse, and worser!
I purposely brought fabrics that failed previous dyeing attempts....whether that be ice-dyeing or other techniques.  Of course I was thinking....hummmm.....I'll layer designs and perhaps end up with great 'Denny' style fabrics.  

Even using Denny fabulous tree stencil (Crafter's Workshop), the results were miserable.

 The stencil was used for both positive and negative images.....pitiful.

 This piece stared out as a blue/white print......later to be ice-dyed, followed by a color removal technique, and now printed with stencils and thickened dyes.  Of course the color choice of the dye was all wrong....there is no hope for this one. I'll give it to Denny for her miracle touch.

I'm not even sure how this piece was originally created....it looked like dirty sand when I started.......and didn't look any better after I played with smearing dyes, using stencils and a polka dot roller.  

Yup...that's it.....I knew each was terrible as soon as I made them......yet I went through the process of batching, washing, drying to be put back in the stack of 'needs more help' fabrics.

Okay....not all days can end up with awesome fabric......but all days with the Fiber Junkies are awesome anyway!!