Art and Stitch : January 2015

Saturday, January 31, 2015

On the Eve of February

I have been painting paper for ATCs...

and pinning some fabric art ideas to a large sheet of foam core.

I'm still in the designing stage, obviously!

Do you like my floppy trees? I am experimenting with sheer fabrics and

tulle over hand painted fabric in the background.

More snow predicted for Sunday night into Monday. The snowbanks

will be gigantic!! Oh well, Spring will be here before we know it.

Hope you're having a good weekend!

Smiles...

Judy

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

I feel like my mind has been in a whirl since my last post, but all is well. I was scheduled to have an exhibit at our wonderful local gallery, Create Artisan Studio, in February, but soon realized that I would not be ready in time. We delayed my show until April, which should be perfect and, in the meantime, I began a big reorganization of my sewing room/studio. I seem to always bite off more than I can chew!

I did finish the embroidered girl I had begun and I'm happy with the combination of hand stitching with a bit of fabric accent. I think she looks a bit like my daughter.

We're just seeing the end of a huge blizzard here in New England. Photos don't capture the high winds and swirling snow but we do have a lot of snow and bitterly cold temperatures. Here are a few of my "blizzard" photos - all taken from safely inside the house!

I'm so grateful to my husband for using the snowblower to clear our driveway!

Smiles...

Judy

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Artful Pursuits

I've been working on a small embroidery, in an effort to create some type of art every day. I started out with a sketch, transferred it to muslin with a light box, then embroidered it with brown thread. I have more to do, but this is where I am so far.

I like hand stitching, but I know I'll soon be experimenting with drawing

with machine stitching. I have a few ideas!

And, on recent sunny day, I braved the cold on our unheated porch and

did some fabric painting -

on smooth cotton fabric,

cotton gauze,

and on cheesecloth!

These will come in handy for some future landscapes.

Very cold here in Massachusetts! Hope you are nice and warm

wherever you may be while you read this.

Smiles...

Judy

Friday, January 2, 2015

A New Word for a New Year

Like many people, I've chosen a word to inspire

me during the year 2015, and that word is

I'm not usually a risk taker, but I was inspired by this quote

I saw on Facebook:

You know all those things

you've always wanted to do?

You should go

do them.

I'm thinking of the risks I avoid taking in

so many areas of my life.

I want this year to be one of attempting new things,

being a bit daring

and jumping in when I would normally hold back,

paralyzed by fear.

I'll be taking more risks, in my artwork and in my

approach to life.

We'll see what happens when I

live a bit more bravely.

I know that good things will happen!

Hope your January is off to a good start.

Smiles...

Judy

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Endings and Beginnings

Our 2014 ended with a lovely visit with our daughter Kate and her partner Jason in Toronto, Canada. The weather was unseasonably warm, so I was happy that I hadn't worn my wool coat! A vest and a raincoat served as the perfect cover-up.

We stayed at the charming Gladstone Hotel on Queen Street, four trolley stops away from Kate's street, so traveling was very convenient. The hotel is very quirky and each room has a different theme. Ours was "Travel" and a stack of vintage suitcases hid the TV and DVD player!

The hotel was hosting a fiber art exhibit which Kate was excited for me to see. Part of it was right outside of our door! These are just a few of the pieces on display.

We visited Kate's lab where she teaches wearable technology and looked at some of the projects being made by her assistants. Lots of electronic bits and pieces!