Cacti and Stitches

Hello Friends,

My husband and I went to an Antiques Marketplace in New Hampshire recently, and I came home with this sweet dish garden of succulents. The elderly couple who sold it to us seemed really delighted with the sale, which made it seem all the sweeter.

Honestly,  I've been feeling a bit down in the dumps lately. I try to stay "up",  realizing that others have far worse problems than I have, but the constant negativity in politics, plus the strain of dealing with a family member with dementia has been taking its toll on me. Also, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my artwork, as I skip around from one medium to another, trying different things. I'm often influenced by what I see on Pinterest or Instagram and get too engrossed in the work of other creatives, admiring and praising their work, while being unsure about my own. I'd like to find one medium I love (I'm pretty sure it's fabric!) and stick with it.

What keep me going are my classes with Amy, and my Thursday morning stitch group - creative women working and laughing together. A few friends and I meet at Amy's house on Tuesday nights, taking a continuous stream of classes. There are usually little dogs under our feet, cats making rare appearances, and a parrot or two talking (or singing) in the background. In our last class, Amy made a digital copy on fabric of a photo chosen by each of us. I chose a print of Matisse's "Goldfish Bowl". I stitched the goldfish with some slightly metallic thread, which gave them a little shimmer. I'm still working on the leaves and will post the finished piece when it's done. Our next class, which begins this week, is an introduction to weaving.

And finally, that Thursday morning stitch group I mentioned has moved from our friend Susie's dining room, to a cottage she had built in her back yard. She named it "Freedom Cottage", filled it with a large table and chairs, sewing and ironing tables and two comfy armchairs. I made her this fabric picture as a "cottage warming" gift. Such a charming place for our meetings!

We're moving into cooler weather, although warmer days keep popping up. Soon enough the snow will come, so I'm planning to get out and enjoy these fall days as much as possible!

Here's wishing you a wonderful week to come!

Fictional Portraits: Laura

This is Laura. She lives in a studio apartment in Maine and works in 

an orthodontist's office. She loves cream puffs and lighthouses, and, in the evenings, 

she plays drums in her boyfriend's rock band, Open Windows. 

She plans to make this her full time profession, when they make it big.

Meanwhile, she is looking for a used bicycle to ride to work,

since her car has two flat tires.

Often times people are not what they appear to be.

When I create a "person", I like to imagine what might be going

on in his or her life, and I love to reach for the unexpected.

Right now I'm experimenting with different presentations of

my "cast of characters" and trying to decide whether to 

continue with mixed media, add a background, make 

a border or go to simple pen, ink and watercolor drawings.

They are fun to make, so I'll continue to create them,

trying different techniques.

I'd love to know what you think.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Flowers and Sushi

I bought myself this sweet primrose plant at the supermarket

for less than $2! Its vibrant color is so welcome

in the middle of winter.

 

I applied a green border and finished this sushi picture

for my daughter Kate, who is visiting this weekend.

                                        

Here's a close-up photo showing the texture of the stitches. Kate likes

 quirky things as well as sushi, so this will hang in her kitchen in Toronto.

I told her that not

many moms make sushi pictures for their daughters!!

She is here to attend a conference and give a workshop at MIT

in Cambridge this week. I'm very proud of her!

I'm hoping to get some good work done this week!

Stitched Fabric Art

Hello!
Hope everyone is having a great week. We've had some crisp New England Fall days and I just love them! I find Autumn exhilarating and really enjoy a beautiful October day!
I just finished this stitched cat picture. No, it isn't my cat Kristy - she has white paws! This kitty was done  with a lot of machine stitching, acrylic paint, watercolor colored pencils and sharpie pens. It started out as a thread sketch, then grew into the picture you see here!
I have a few more unfinished pieces I'm working on, and a new project I hope to share soon.
Time to check out some of my favorite blogs!
Have a terrific Wednesday!

Warmly,
Judy

Stitched Landscape

This is an appliqued and stitched landscape which I made several years ago. I found it recently while cleaning out my studio. It was done with all kinds of fabrics - wool, netting, decorator fabrics - and entirely machine stitched! It was part of an exhibit I did at my local library while living on Long Island, NY.
I don't know whether I would have the patience to do this now!!
Hope everyone's having a great day!