Butterfly?

I am back to lots of handwork. It grounds me. It also uses the indigo piece that I have had on my design wall for more than a year. Time to use it! So my question to you is, do I use the butterfly or not? Thanks for your input.

Juxaposition

Everything is fabric, clothing to the very end. Everything turns to dust, but dust is just an extreme covering; it envelops everything. 
            -Mario Peniola, "Between Clothing and                                             Nudity"

This morning brought two emails concerning my playing with permanent markers and rubbing alcohol. The juxtaposition of these emails has given me lots of food for thought.

The first email was from a person who did not like what I was doing. Wasn't I concerned with how "permanent" (her quote marks), my piece would be? Considering that I am dealing with my dad dying right now, the question seemed easy to answer. "Nope." But, to be honest, it would probably have been my answer regardless. Her next question was, "How can you lead people in this direction?" This stumped me. I don't know if I am leading anyone. I am simply sharing. If I can get one person to play and experiment, it's a good day.

The next set of emails came from Liz Broussard of Houston, Texas, and made my day. Liz generously shared all her experiences with playing with and teaching this technique. Her suggestion to use a q-tip for more control which was immediately put to use (around the outside edges of the feather fabric). I look forward to sharing more with Liz. Thanks Liz!

So play, experiment, make mistakes (lots of them), learn, grow, throw caution to the wind! What do you have to loose?

Gathering Grief Quilt

I am my own worst enemy when I think too much. In order to get moving on "Gathering Grief," I simply began and let the work speak for itself. I used a variety of textile paints and lots of cheese cloth.

Except for the stitching around the red, I plan to hand stitch the quilt with pearl cotton. If you look closely you will see the beginnings. There was going to be a hole in the middle, but I decided do reverse applique for stability. I actually like the way it looks.

It feels good to working on this quilt. As I work on this quilt, I think about the people I have lost recently and I am thinking about my next part of this series- "Gathering Joy."

I continually contemplate and journal what else I am gathering and whether or not I can create more for this series. I don't think I have been as excited about a series in a very long time.

My sculpture class begins on September 13. I am really excited and cannot wait for it to begin. I am sure I will find inspiration.  Wishing you an inspiring weekend!

Feeling Blue and Foto/Fiber

Here is my first indigo quilt which I have titled "Feeling Blue." This one was created completely out of scraps. I colored the appliqued circles with a fabric marker because they were much too white and bright. It is 22" (w) by 19.5" (h). This certainly boosted my confidence and I think it shows in my second indigo quilt which I will share tomorrow.

Exciting news on the challenge fabric front! Bonnie J. Smith has posted her finished challenge on her blog. It makes me chuckle every time I think about it. You don't want to miss seeing it. And Denise Frank has started her quilt! You can check out how she is manipulating the fabric. I'm so excited!

Count down to Foto/Fiber has begun! On Wednesday, you have the opportunity to own a great photograph by Virginia A. Spiegel, Karen Stiehl Osborn, and/or Cynthia Wenslow AND raise money for the American Cancer Society. You can preview the photographs by going to http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/FotoFiber2012PHOTOS1.html. In addition, you will receive a BONUS donated by 35 artists including me! Please join me in supporting this worthwhile event!

Here is one of my BONUSES. The silk was made during the time of the Soviet Union and I purchased it in the open air market in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. I am including a photograph of the women I purchased it from, one of my ATCs called "Memories of Kyrgyzstan" and three Kyrgyz postage stamps printed on fabric. And of course, I couldn't resist making a box to put it all in even though it's only suppose to fit in an envelope.

Now it's back to the studio for me!

Another Finished Quilt

I have hesitated sharing this quilt because I haven't come up with a title yet. It's 30" (w) by 19" (h). I like both the discharge block and the applique block in this quilt. Can't wait to share my indigo quilts and the one I worked on this weekend which has the working title "Pods." I cannot believe how much has evolved since beginning with the challenge fabric! Speaking of the challenge, I heard from Gail Pierce and she's began and having fun.Do check out her blog. Any suggestions for a title for this piece would be appreciated.