Jimmy

I had started this stitched picture a while ago

and decided to finish it for today's "Person of the Day"!

Jimmy

Ever since he was little, Jimmy has collected animals

like some boys collect baseball cards.

His mother has learned to be tolerant, since Jimmy takes

such good care of his creatures.

He reads everything he can find about animals,

watches nature shows on TV,

and plans to study to be a vet.

Animals and their well-being are his passion.

Sunday Stitches

I worked on my embroidered mandala last night as my husband and I watched Mercy Street and Victoria on Public Television. On a whim, I decided to add birds to the mix - time consuming but fun. I tried to figure out how to do them as simply as possible. I have to say, I'm really enjoying this project.

It was a snowy weekend, but the snowfall ended earlier than expected today, which gave us a chance to get out to an appointment and some errands. The weather is so unpredictable around here in February!

And, of course, some members of the family hunkered down to sleep all day!

And I received a lovely surprise today from my Sweetie and thought I'd share it with you!

Here's wishing you a very happy

Valentine's Day!!

Hope you're finding some time for creativity!

Sunday Stitches

It's amazing how they add up -

 tiny bits of progress on my '1 Year of Stitches' project.

This week I finished my circle of leaves and I'm wondering

what I'll add next. Somehow a new idea never fails to come

and I actually look forward to inventing a new detail for each row.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

I hope you'll have a creative week!

Sunday Stitches

I worked on my embroidered mandala today,

in the car, as my husband drove us to a wonderful

art exhibit in Marshfield, Massachusetts.

The exhibit was presented at the North River Wildlife Sanctuary

at the Massachusetts Audubon Center...

and included work by an artist who is a good friend of this blog.

This is a teaser - more tomorrow when I sort out my photos!

Hope you've had a great weekend!

Sunday Stitches

My stitches for this week are also my words, or intention, for this year.

I've been under a lot of stress this past year, between having to put my sister in a nursing home to worrying about the election, with a few other concerns thrown in. I also put myself under a lot of pressure, needlessly, by being a perfectionist with my artwork - not that it's perfect by any means!

So, I've decided to lighten up in many areas of my life and work. Here are some of them:

Attitude -  I tend to be pretty serious a lot of the time. I want to add more  humor, music and lightness to my everyday life.

Artwork - I want to try some new things, like collage, art dolls and another series of narrative portraits. I’ve decided not to show my work for a while, so that I can be free to experiment without the pressure of preparing for shows.

Decluttering - I want more space, less stuff. Clean space is a good thing!

De-stashing - I have collected an amazing amount of art and craft supplies, plus fabric, in the last 30 years. I’ve already begun to give away some of the excess, but have a long way to go. I have a nice studio which is currently more of a storage room and I’d like to make it an appealing and bright place to work in.

Eating Habits - I want to lighten up my eating and my weight. I have already cut out sugar and am researching some good eating plans. And I need to exercise and move more

Centering - I need to quiet my mind, concentrate on the moment, use the computer less, and meditate as I used to in the past. 

So there you have it - my personal "lighten up" project for 2017. I have already begun, which is good since we are already more than halfway through January! Can you believe it?

• Thanks for "listening" to my goals.
• As my daughter's 4th grade teacher used to say,
• "Inch by inch, life's a cinch.
• Yard by yard, life is hard."

Here's to taking things an inch at a time!!

Sunday Stitches

During this second week of 1 Year of Stitches, I found that there is truth to the phrase "Stitching mends the soul". There is a rhythm to hand stitching that is calming and rewarding and provides a soothing background to conversation or listening to music. I haven't done any knitting for about 40 years, but I imagine that it can be similarly soothing. I remember my mother constantly working on some kind of needlework or other, and how calm she looked when she did it. I have so many pieces of her beautiful needlepoint, embroidery, crocket, knitting, wool rug hooking and other things, I really should do a post about her work sometime soon.

Here is my mandala and what I did during week 2 - the outer border of blue and green stitches and orange French knots. As it gets bigger, each row will take longer. I'm enjoying making it up as I go along and trying out new techniques.

I also got (unintentionally) involved in some intense hand embroidery when finishing the face I shared in my last post. I had started this months ago and did some rows of stitching in the hair, and felt that I had to fill in the whole space when I went back to it. A big job!! If I'm going to do a face each week, you can bet I'll find a simpler way to create hair!!

I hope you are enjoying a pleasant Sunday. It is 37 degrees and sunny here in Boston, with practically no snow on the ground. I know we'll be getting lots of snow in the next couple of months, so I'm enjoying unrestricted driving and walking outside while we have it!

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Thank you so much for visiting my blog!

Friday Faces - "Suzie"

Here's a hand embroidered piece I finished today.

I hope to add a new character with a little story every Friday.

Let's see how it goes!

Susie

She was a child of the 1940's.

Her mother was an immigrant  

who impressed upon her daughter the importance of education.

She heard the words "you are intelligent, strong and capable"

throughout her childhood, and she grew up believing them.

When she was an adult, with a successful career,

she was thankful that her mother's influence had shaped her life,

and she honored her memory by doing the same

for her own daughter.

Here's wishing you

a wonderful weekend!

Sunday Stitches

I've just completed my first week of the challenge One Year of Stitches: 2017. I decided to make a mandala, choosing different embroidery stitches as I go along. I'm using a Pilot Frixion pen to keep the rings fairly symmetrical - the ink of this pen disappears when ironed.

The fabric I'm using is about 14" square, and of course the rings will get larger and larger, so it may just take a year to finish. I'll probably frame it when done, since a pillow would be far too tempting for curious cat claws! 

It's also something I can work on every Thursday morning at the stitchers group I belong to. This group is one of the joys of my week, and I consider myself so lucky to belong to it. I would love to show you the blog I created for this group of talented ladies to showcase their work. It is called 'Around the Creative Table' and you can link to it here, If you have a minute to check it out, please consider leaving a comment. Yours could be the first comment we get!!

I've also started another textile class with my favorite instructor, Amy Ropple. And I'm excited about some new books I received for Christmas. Here are two of them...

 So, onward and upward - new ideas to try and new things to learn in this coming year. I'm planning to have a new character to share every week, starting this week, in a category called 'Friday Faces'. And maybe some little stories to go along with them! Stay tuned and

Have a great week!

Thanks for visiting!!

AEDM Day 12

I've been taking a class in quilted collage for the last three weeks

and I'm just now finishing up this fabric landscape with some hand embroidery.

I'm planning to add some color in the foreground and some birds in the sky.

I love birds and have decided to add them to my work on a regular basis.

This tree in our backyard absolutely touches my soul at this time of year,

especially late in the day when the setting sun sets it aglow.

Our entire porch fills with golden color

and I feel like it's such a gift.

I hope that, if you're stopping by,

you are having a wonderful weekend!

AEDM Day 10

The thing I'm enjoying most about Art Every Day Month this year

is the fact that I've decided to use the month to finish up old projects

as well as to create some new ones.

This is a piece that has been hanging around my studio, unfinished,

for quite a while. 

I added embroidered details and finished it up today - a great feeling!

I was also so happy to see my Christmas cacti blooming today.

They always remind me of my mom!

Hope you are having a good week -

Thanks for visiting!

Summer Stitching

Hello Friends,

I want to thank everyone who left a comment on my last post, as well as those who emailed me. I asked for support and really appreciate the caring messages you sent me. The situation with my sister is still difficult, but I'm learning to deal with it more calmly.

It's hard to believe that we've passed the halfway point in the year. Summer is in full bloom here and today is our hottest day yet. Our day lilies are providing quite a show, but our hydrangea bushes have no buds at all. Sometimes they take a summer off and we get no blossoms. I miss that beautiful blue, but remain hopeful that they'll bloom later in the summer.

So here is a bit of what I've been up to creatively. I found this embroidery pattern on Pinterest and love the birds and flowers. This picture was taken when I began embroidering, but it is more than half finished now. I'm loving the meditativeness of hand stitching on my porch, and it's also fun when done in a group, accompanied by good conversation and laughter!

I began this owl in a class called "Stitch Yourself Happy", using a pattern provided by Amy, our instructor and also a good friend. I started out with a scallop design in the wings, then changed my mind, ripped out the stitches, and began randomly filling in with long stitches of different shades of brown and tan. I'm planning to square this off and put a plaid border on it. I'll share it when I do.

Here's the finished embroidery. 

A friend in the class chose the same pattern and we enjoyed comparing our different approaches!

And I've begun a new picture, which I'm working out in my head. It will involve flowers, beads and embroidery, and I hope to share it soon. Here's a little preview!

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful month, wherever you are and whatever you're doing. I'm looking forward to catching up on blogs to see what you've been up to!! I'd love you to leave a comment here, if just to say hello.

                           

Here's wishing you a very good week.

Judy xo

Getting Ready

As I sit here in my home just north of Boston, snow is falling steadily and it is extremely cold. Luckily, I have plenty to do inside, getting ready for a collaborative art exhibit later this week. I just wanted to share a couple of the pieces I've been working on.

This piece is made with fabric, both hand painted and commercial. The banks of flowers are painted pieces of Warm and Natural batting and I've added some fiber embellishments as well as hand embroidery. Lots of hours invested in this and it's satisfying to finally mat and possibly frame it!

Another landscape in process, now completed. Again, lots of embellishments - laces, netting, yarn, hand embroidery. Already matted and ready to be shrink wrapped.

I have a couple more to be finished - ready a few days ahead of time!! A good feeling!

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

Smiles,

Judy

What I've been Working On

Hello Friends!

Last Thursday we had our Arts Collaborative show, on the same night that our town celebrated "Fright Night". Our high school students carved what looked like a hundred or more pumpkins and they were lit and displayed on the expansive outside stairs of our library. An awesome display! (Of course I forgot my camera!)

Our show was at the former Gas and Light building downtown, which is going to be used as a Cultural Exchange in our town. A new G & L building was erected and this old building is going to be a wonderful resource. Our show was the first event held there and very exciting!!

Part of the night was a chance for little trick or treaters to visit local stores and get candy, so we had a flow of tiny princesses and superheroes milling about, along with their parents. A fun night!

In preparation for the show, I worked on a couple of older pieces, adding new elements and borders. This first floral is above in the header of my blog, as it looked before. I added more leaves, embroidery and beads, and a new white outer border.

This second piece was done quite a while ago, and I added embroidery, beading and appliqué in the foreground. I remember spending a long time machine embroidering this picture, but I think the hand work adds texture and interest.

This piece never quite got finished. You can see the thread where I left off beading. The elements are ready, the vase shape needs to be modified, and all I have to do is finish it before I tuck it away!!

Now that the show is over, I really want to take a breather. I feel myself wanting to try some different things, different materials, different subjects. I'll still keep up my sketchbook and will share with you whatever I decide to do.

To my friends and readers, you are just a handful of people, but very dear to me. I really appreciate your comments and friendship. Thank you!!

Have a wonderful week!!!

Late January

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

Ready for Their Close-Ups!

Like so many people, I'm bustling around preparing for Christmas. But I thought I'd

 take a moment to share close-up photos of some of the pictures I did 

for a recent exhibit.

Fused fabric, French knots, favorite colors of mine...

Fused fabrics, beading and French knots...

Fused fabrics, hand embroidery and beading...

Fused fabrics and beading...

More fused fabrics and hand embroidery!

These pictures are very small - most are about 5 inches wide.

I was looking for a way to allow them to stand up on a shelf, without 

using an easel, so I decided to experiment with some of the clear plastic

frameless frames I had around the house. 

I made the picture, mounted on black felt, a bit larger than the frame,

then stitched a second piece of felt to the back, leaving the bottom unstitched.

It formed a pocket to slip over the whole frame, leaving only the 

plastic stand showing!

Here are a few in a little grouping on my kitchen counter!

Just a little pop of color!

Thanks for visiting!

Hope you are enjoying the season and are not too stressed!

Smiles...

     Judy

Embroidery Class

 I'm still working away on pieces for the artisan show I'll be part of next weekend, but for now I wanted to show some photos of the "Drawing With Stitches" class I'm taking right now.  We've learned a few hand embroidery stitches and each person is working on a project of her choice. This blackwork piece is being done by our instructor, Amy Ropple, freehand, with no pattern. Beautiful!

Two people, AnnMarie and Amy, are making designs using only French knots.

Barbara is working on a Celtic knot design with beautifully 

muted colors and intricate stitches.

Rosalie is embroidering an apple on black felt - this is an early photo.

There are two other members of the class, SooKhim and Barbara,

 but I didn't get good photos of their work - hopefully I'll get more soon.

I'm working on an embroidery of a little drawing I did - of course I had to add a cat!

Cairo, our instructor's parrot, visited the class and

I was lucky enough to have a visit with him! He sat on my hand for several minutes!

As always, we have a lot of laughs in our classes and I feel

fortunate to be part of them!

Hope you've had a great week!