Paper Quilt

A friend sent me a paper quilt challenge which I decided to try. I missed the deadline, but decided to finish it anyway, since I have enough UFO's lying around as it is! I used scrapbook paper, machine stitching, stamping and beading. I'm hoping to make two more flowers and call it a series. Also, I was happy to find a perfect 12"x12" frame at a craft store, which makes framing easier. I took the photograph without glass on the picture, but will add glass and separate it from the artwork with narrow strips of matboard to avoid crushing it.

Fabric House Portrait

I recently finished a house portrait for a client. The project had taken me much longer to finish than expected, but my client was wonderfully patient and pleased with the final result!

I began with a drawing based on photos of a vacation home on a lake in Maine.
I had the original drawing enlarged, then put the enlargement on a light table and traced the different components on Wonder Under on the reverse side of the drawing. I then chose fabrics for the house, trees, etc., and ironed the Wonder Under-ed components on to the backs of these fabrics. After cutting out these components, I reassembled the "puzzle pieces" and ironed them down to create the picture.

All pieces were stitched down with a zig-zag stitch, some textile paints were used for shading, flowers were hand embroidered, and a linen border was added. It felt so good to finish this project and to know that my client was pleased!!!

I've done many house portraits over the years, and doing this one reminded me of how much I enjoy the process. The main drawback, as with any handwork, is that it is nearly impossible to charge for the many hours that go into such a piece of work! It's an artisan's dilemma!

Snow in April!

Yesterday, my good friend Debbie came to my door with this Easter gift - a gorgeous African violet! Then, last night, we had a snowfall and I thought it looked lovely on the windowsill with a snowy bush right outside the window. Ah, New England - snow in April!!

Unfocused!

Lately, my mind has been darting around, reluctant to focus on any one project. I have a commissioned house portrait to finish this week, a quilted paper flower in process, a new package of silver art clay just begging to be shaped into a pendant or earrings..... It's a rainy week and I have the blahs! Must get going tomorrow and jump back in!

Silver Clay Beaded Necklace

Today I completed this necklace, gave it to my mom and felt wonderful to see how delighted she was with it. I had formed the pendant earlier from silver art clay, embossed the design and had it fired. Then I added it to a necklace I had beaded in some of her favorite colors.

This is a new addiction of mine - silver clay, that is. I've taken a couple of classes and intend to take more. My friend Andrea is a gem for exposing me to this and other new crafts. She's a great influence and a wonderful artisan. I have several talented friends whose work I am hoping to show on my blog in the near future.

Right now I am working on a paper quilt square which I'll soon have ready to post!

Cat Tale #2

Our Kristy is a good little cat. She weighs around 8 lbs. and looks like a young cat, although she is actually nearly 14 years old. Part of her tail had to be amputated, due to an infection, when she was a 'teenager', so that only adds to her petite image! When our family moved from Long Island, NY to Massachusetts, she traveled like a good little sailor on the ferry to Connecticut. This fabric picture shows her looking suspiciously like she just pulled a flower from the vase. (It could happen!)
She is a real 'talker', and always greets me with a little chirp when I come into the room. She's our 3rd cat. We've had a Frisky, another gray tabby, a Whisky (Whiskers), a calico, and now Kristy. The fact that all the names sound similar has definitely been confusing!

Landscape with Handpainted Fabric

I finally finished this picture! I added stitching and a bit of shading with Prismacolor pencils, and also deepened the colors of the front piece of grass. I used some freeform machine embroidery and added a few beads. Also decided not to add trees - just go with the fluid flow of the different levels of ground. It was a fun exercise and I'm happy with the result.