Silver Maple Embroidery

It’s a hectic time of year, and my studio time is fractured.  I like having a hand embroidery project available so that when I have a few spare minutes I can busy my hands, clear my head, and feel like I've accomplished something non-seasonal.  This silver maple heliographic print is serving that purpose right now.  I printed it on a hemp/silk blend fabric that has a slight texture and a crisp feel to it.  It’s wonderful to work on.  I'm using three strands of DMC cotton embroidery thread.
  And since I’m old-school when it comes to embroidery, the back is (almost) as neat as the front.  There are no knots in the thread and all the ends are woven into the work. This will eventually get layered and quilted, and then no one will ever see the back again, but it brings me pleasure to work this way.

My work for “The 100” Fundraiser, in progress

Early this year I was honored to film for Quilting Arts TV series 1400, with Susan Brubaker Knapp as the host.  For one my segments, I demonstrated my method of combining needlefelting with other techniques to create a river landscape.  I’ve used this method on several of my latest works in The River series, including If I Woke at Dawn:
and In Dreams I Climbed the Cliffs:

I prepared a lot of “step-outs” for the shoot, showing the progression of steps needed to achieve the result.  Most of these I was able to recycle back into my stash or works in progress, but the final example, shown above, deserved a higher purpose. 

I will be adding more stitching, texture, and embellishment, and donating it to one lucky (randomly selected) bidder in Virginia Spiegel’s excellent fundraiser for the ACS, The 100.  Details on how it all works, and the list of the other 99 amazing contributing artists, can be found here.


Mark your calendars for February 4 for your chance to contribute to a good cause and own a unique work of fiber art.

Work in Progress – Ice Jam, Update 3

Work has progressed on the center panel of this piece.  I layered it with batting and lined the back, then began on the quilting.  I always get excited about the texture and detail that develops with all the stitching.  Fabric is such a responsive medium.  Look at how this has been transformed since the last update:
I enjoyed combining a lot of techniques in this piece—needlefelting, patchwork, surface design, quilting, couching and embellishment. .  When I teach about techniques, I always emphasize that “technique should be the servant of intent”.  This work is a good example of how the various ways of manipulating fibers and fabrics are not there just to showcase the methods, but to convey mood and meaning.

As always, thanks for following along.

The 100 – a Fiberart For a Cause Fundraiser

 

I am honored to be an invited artist for "The 100" to be held on Wednesday, February 4, 2015. The goal for this fiberart fundraiser for the American Cancer Society is to raise $10,000 in one day.

I wrote recently about my esteem for Virginia Spiegel, and how she is one of the few people for whom I will give an immediate and enthusiastic “Yes!” when asked to participate in an event.  I have proudly contributed to past fundraisers Virginia has held, and Fiberart For A Cause has already raised $240,000 through the generosity of fiber artists and patrons. With this event, we will bring the dollar amount up to cool quarter of a million dollars.

How? All the details are here: http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/FFACThe100Fundraiser.html

The setup is simple and brilliant.  100 artists are contributing work—and it’s an amazing line up!  The first 100 patrons to sign up and donate $100 when the event opens on February 4 will receive a randomly selected artwork. Knowing many of the artists, and knowing the generosity of fiber artists in general, it’s entirely possible that many of the artworks will exceed the $100 valuation.  I know the one I’m working on will—I’ll share some pictures soon.

So mark your calendars, and join us in this worthwhile cause.

Work in Progress – Ice Jam, Update 2

The center portion of this piece, the needlefelted river, changed a lot since the start as shown in my previous post.  I continued building up the water with layers of wool roving, wool scraps, and silk slivers.  I scrunched up pale silk and needlefelted it into place to represent the ice on the river banks.  I added the banks with more scrunched silks in earth tones.

Around the felted portion, I built the piece up further with more strips of silk and wool.  Even this early on, the textures I was achieving were very exciting to me.  (The pictures enlarge when you click on them so you can see more detail.)

As I worked on the center piece, I started arranging and rearranging the collagraph prints and some pieced strips on the design wall.  I left them up for a while and contemplated them daily in case I needed to make adjustments before starting the actual piecing. 

Thanks for following along, and as always, thanks for reading and commenting.

Blog Tour – Lyric Kinard

Today’s blog tour participant, and the last stop on the tour, is Lyric Kinard.  Lyric’s talent knows no bounds. She is a master of surface design techniques, she is an expert stitcher and beader, and she teaches and runs workshops. Lyric has been a guest on Quilting Arts TV, has written a book—see here—and produces instructional videos. See her blog and website for details on all this and more. 

I met Lyric this spring in the green room while preparing to tape for Quilting Arts. I got to see the projects she was calmly working on while waiting, and was wowed by the freshness and immediacy of her design and execution.  I’m pleased that Lyric agreed to help me out on this blog tour, and excited to click over and see her viewpoint on my Quilting Arts Workshop Video, Surface Design Essentials for the Printed Quilt.

My sincere and deep thanks to all the artists who participated in this tour, and my thanks also to all the readers who toured along with us.  I hope you have discovered some new favorite blogs to enrich your creative life.  Here’s the recap in case you missed any of them:

Blog tour schedule
11/5/14: Sue Reno http://suereno.blogspot.com/
11/6/14: Susan Brubaker Knapp http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/
11/7/14: Allie Aller http://alliesinstitches.blogspot.com/
11/8/14: Diane Doran http://www.oohprettycolors.blogspot.com/
11/9/14: Vivien Zepf http://sevenpinesdesigns.blogspot.com/
11/10/14: Virginia Spiegel http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/blog/
11/11/14: Cynthia St. Charles http://cynthia-stcharles.blogspot.com/
11/12/14: Natalya Aikens http://artbynatalya.blogspot.com/
11/13/14: Lyric Kinard http://lyrickinard.com/blog/

And as always, thanks for reading and commenting.

Blog Tour – Natalya Aikens

Today’s blog tour participant is Natalya Aikens, of Art by Natalya.


Natalya is a artist and photographer that works with textiles and stitching.  Lately she has incorporated recycled elements into her work, specifically plastic bags and dryer sheets.  In Natalya’s hands these humble materials are transformed into beautiful architectural depictions.  Her eye for line and design is unerring. She has a Cloth Paper Scissors Workshop Video—see here,  her work is regularly featured in prestigious exhibits and publications, and she teaches and runs workshops.

I’ve known Natalya online for some time, and finally met her in person at a SAQA conference a few years ago. She was even more charming than I had imagined, and her knowledge about the larger fiber/art world made her a great companion for gallery hopping.  I am so happy that she agreed to view and review my Quilting Arts Workshop Video, Surface Design Essentials for the Printed Quilt, and am excited to click over to her blog to read her perspective. Tomorrow’s blogger is Lyric Kinard http://lyrickinard.com/blog/

Blog tour schedule
11/5/14: Sue Reno http://suereno.blogspot.com/
11/6/14: Susan Brubaker Knapp http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/
11/7/14: Allie Aller http://alliesinstitches.blogspot.com/
11/8/14: Diane Doran http://www.oohprettycolors.blogspot.com/
11/9/14: Vivien Zepf http://sevenpinesdesigns.blogspot.com/
11/10/14: Virginia Spiegel http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/blog/
11/11/14: Cynthia St. Charles http://cynthia-stcharles.blogspot.com/
11/12/14: Natalya Aikens http://artbynatalya.blogspot.com/
11/13/14: Lyric Kinard http://lyrickinard.com/blog/

As always, thanks for reading and commenting.

Blog Tour – Cynthia St. Charles

Today’s blog tour participant is Cynthia St. Charles of Living and Dyeing Under the Big Sky. 

Cynthia works with block printing and other surface design techniques to produce beautiful art quilts and mixed media works.  She’s made a Quilting Arts Workshop video on designing with hand carved printing blocks—see here—has had her work published, and exhibits widely.  Her blog also features incredibly stunning photos of her travels and adventures under the big western sky, and is a pure joy to read.

I first became aware of Cynthia’s work back when I was in my heyday of making and mailing fiber art postcards.  I have drifted away from the practice, but Cynthia continues to produce mail art, along with larger, beautifully designed works.  I am so grateful she is taking the time to review my Quilting Arts Workshop Video, Surface Design Essentials for the Printed Quilt, and I’m excited to click over and see what she has to say.
Tomorrow’s blogger is Natalya Aikens  http://artbynatalya.blogspot.com/

Blog tour schedule
11/5/14: Sue Reno http://suereno.blogspot.com/
11/6/14: Susan Brubaker Knapp http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/
11/7/14: Allie Aller http://alliesinstitches.blogspot.com/
11/8/14: Diane Doran http://www.oohprettycolors.blogspot.com/
11/9/14: Vivien Zepf http://sevenpinesdesigns.blogspot.com/
11/10/14: Virginia Spiegel http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/blog/
11/11/14: Cynthia St. Charles http://cynthia-stcharles.blogspot.com/
11/12/14: Natalya Aikens http://artbynatalya.blogspot.com/
11/13/14: Lyric Kinard http://lyrickinard.com/blog/

As always, thanks for reading and commenting.