New Work

I haven't posted what I've been working on recently even though I spend some time in my studio almost every day. One of the reason is that I have four projects going at once. I keep track of all my projects with my digital camera. As I finish each piece I will post on the whole project. My favorite part of what I do is to bring my design to life. Choosing the fabric, filling it with just the right elements, changing my mind and starting over again. I love this process.

At some point you have to add the final element, quilting. I have four pieces put together now waiting for the quilting. Not my favorite part of the process. I always get into it once I start. However, this sometimes takes weeks and weeks for me to actually start quilting a piece. Since I let that happen I now have four pieces to quilt. I get to a point in my work where I won't give myself permission to start something new until I finish at least a few pieces.

This iris is the first of those pieces and I have described the process I used to come up with the quilting design. I have not finished the background quilting but am hoping it will happen tomorrow.

New Work

I chose the background fabric because of the yellow spots on the fabric. I thought the spots of yellow gave the impression of out of focus iris.

Deciding the quilting pattern for my art work is always a hard job for me. Having the yellow spots gave me the idea to quilt smaller iris in those areas. This photo shows two different sizes of iris and helps me visualize what it will look like when it is finished.

New Work

I laid a piece of plastic vinyl over the B & W photo and traced it to get a pattern. The B & W photo is below.

New Work

Some time I work on a small piece before I take on a larger one. This is the small iris scanned in B & W on my computer. I did this so I could get a pattern for the quilting and make a template to place on the quilt top.

Classes I Teach

I am in the process of getting a web site established. It is a long and difficult process. I've decided that while I am getting this done I would post three of the classes that I teach on my blog so that guilds and schools could get a general idea of what my classes are about. Below are photos and a brief description of those classes.

Classes I Teach-Fabricating Nature

Fabricating Nature is my most popular class. I teach this class in several ways.

A one day or six hour class is taught using one of the three patterns you see here, Cone Flower, Mary's Gold or Sunshine. I am also working on and Iris pattern that I will have available soon.

A two day or weekend class will allow us to explore a design of our own and get a good start into an original design.

A week class, such as I teach at J. C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, gives you personal instruction and goes into the depth of designing, construction, painting, thread painting and quilting of the wall hanging.

Classes I Teach

"Mary's Gold is another pattern for the Fabricating Nature Class.

Classes I Teach

"Corn Flower" is one of the patterns we can make in a six hour Fabricating Nature class

Classes I Teach-Gardening with Fabric

This is the technique I teach in my Fabric Origami Class. This particular piece is obviously more involved than a one day class. In a six hour class I teach the technique and we can make a small piece like the following Geranium.

Classes I Teach

Geraniums from my Fabric Origami Class.

Classes I Teach

Pots and More Pots come from my Fabric Origami class.

Classes I Teach-Mini Nature

"An Early Bird Gets the Worm" is one of the patterns in my Mini Nature Class.

Classes I Teach

This is from my Mini Nature Class. It is about 11 x 14 and is matted and framed.

Classes I Teach

This is one of the patterns I offer in my Mini Nature Class. It is a cedar waxwing and the finished size is 8 x 10. I matte and frame these small pieces but they can be displayed as you would any quilted wall hangin.

Meet Diana Pickens

I'm having another one of those nights when I can't get my mind in order as to what to post first. This photo should be after the next one so just hang in there. Diana and I collaborated on two quilts last year. Peacockiness was one of them, this is a closeup of the quilting done by Diana. Peacockiness was accepted at AQS in Paducah, Ky and IQA in Houston, TX.

Meet Diana Pickens

Meet Diana Pickens. Diana is a member of my art quilt group "Focus", she is also a friend. I met Diana through the SC State Quilt Guild when she was the coordinator of the Fall Retreat. Diana's concentration at that time was working on becoming a better machine quilter. I had seen several of her large quilts that she had quilted on a home sewing machine. It blew my mind, it still does.

I was making a commission piece for the SC Botanical Gardens in Clemson, SC. I had just moved, had to wait until the gardens came into bloom to get my inspiration and have it ready by August. I was beginning to panic. I called Diana one day and asked her if she would consider quilting the piece for me. She asked why I had chosen her, my answer was she was the only person I would trust the piece to. She did not let me down.

Since then Diana has become a friend and colleague.

Meet Diana Pickens

When I met Diana I was impressed with her organizational ability. She is a very through, organized person. When she takes on a project she studies it until she finds a way to make it work for her or others. Diana has done this with stripe fabric and I expect to see some remarkable quilts come out of her study.

Meet Diana Pickens

Diana has been working with stripe fabric and has really come up with some interesting insight into how best to place the stripe in a pattern. In this piece the stripe placement helps convey the spinning of the pin wheel.

Meet Diana Pickens

Diana has been going through her scraps and placing them into color waves. She came up with this interesting piece from those scraps.

Meet Diana Pickens

Diana is a fabulous machine quilter. She uses the Pfaff quilter as her machine but the design and quality of her stitches come from Diana not the machine.

Meet Diana Pickens

What a great studio Diana has. This photo shows her cutting table, sewing area and storage wall.

Focus Fiber Art Group

Yesterday, our fiber art group, Focus met in Moore, SC at Diana Picken's home. We had a wonderful day looking at new and finished work by our members. We welcomed a new member, Veronica Moriaty and feel she will make a great addition to our group.

For some reason today I've had trouble getting the order of post correct please put up with it today and I promise to organize my thoughts better in the future. The photos are so small that you will want to click on them in order to see a larger version. I hope you enjoy. My post today was so long that it goes into the next page don't miss that part.

Focus Fiber Art Group

Judy Simmon's is showing us a new piece she is working on. Judy does a lot of photograph that she frequently uses in her work.

Judy took a photo of a bird house in their yard and did a lot of work in Photo Shop, cropping, etc. to make the images used in this piece. After she finished the background she decided to add Morning Glory vine. Beautiful work! I failed to add that Judy dyes almost all of her fabric.

Focus Fiber Art Group

Judy Simmon's happy accident.

Focus Fiber Art Group

Judy Simmons showed this piece that was actually made from left over pieces from another collage. Judy does such wonderful work and she uses so many techniques in the process. Judy has boxes of old family photographs and letters that she often incorporates into her work. She also uses drawing by her son. Judy had a, happy accident, happen in this piece. Look up in the top right of the photo and you will see a large eye. It is near the chin of the man in the drawing. That just happened to be in the fabric and if you focus on that you will see his cheek, etc. I love those happy accidents.

Focus Fiber Art Group

I'm still working on this marbled fabric piece. It will look nothing like this when I'm finished. I had an inspiration on Tuesday while working in my studio to change everything I had already done. I talked to the group about it and they gave me such good advice I plan to follow it. Will show more of it later.

Focus Fiber Art Group

We met yesterday at Diana Picken's house in Moore, SC. Diana has a wonderful studio located in the room over the garage. She is showing us a piece that she made using material from her leftover stash. Pat, her husband liked it so much he wants it to hang in their library.

Focus Fiber Art Group

Diana Pickens is our resident expert on using stripe fabric. I'm going to do a post on Diana later so I won't go into this piece yet.

Focus Fiber Art Group

Martine House wears the beautiful hand beaded necklace that she made for her new "Offering".

Focus Fiber Art Group

Martine House does the most exquisite hand work you have ever seen. She is working on a series titled "Offerings". Martine makes a container, the offering, that is beautifully crafted and places a piece of hand beaded jewelry somewhere within the container. My words can not do justice to her workmanship or designs, just look at this piece.

Focus Fiber Art Group

Marge Edie, brought these blocks that she had made as samples for a class on how to make your design look translucent. Marge, is a master at this technique. One of our members, Barb Tenneson lined them up so that the hills in the front continue one into the other. This is a little reminiscent of our "Everchanging River" exhibit. The interaction between members is one of the great things about this group. We often ask each other for advice and always receive a good answer.

Focus Fiber Art Group

I've been working on my blog since last February. Wouldn't you think that I would have gotten down the order of placing post? Well I haven't this one should be under the following post it will explain what's going on here. This photo show's Veronica's piece dark to light.

Focus Fiber Art Group

New member Veronica Moriarty brought this piece in progress. She made it with the idea that it would hang from light to dark but some of us liked it better hanging dark to light.

Focus Fiber Art Group

This very bright and strong piece was done by new Focus member Veronica Moriarty. Welcome to the group Veronica.

Antique store in NY

When my husband and I were visiting friends at Seneca Lake, NY in July they took us to this little antique shop in Burdett, NY. It was such a fun place to visit and a photographers heaven. Every where I turned I saw a photograph. The owner was particularly interested in faces, hats and colored bottles. The bottles were back lit by the evening sun that produced fabulous colors.

Antique store in NY

There were several little out buildings around the antique shop. This one had a dresser and mirror. That's me taking the photo.

Antique store in NY

I really am enamored with these bottles.

Antique store in NY

This may be my favorite photo of the glass jars. I feel a quilt coming on.

Antique store in NY

More colored glass.

Antique store in NY

What a show of colored glass!

Antique store in NY

This antique store specialized in colored glass. We happened to be there at just he right time to experience the light behind the glass. What a show.

Antique store in NY

Great carved wooden mask. Can't you see your Mother in that hat?

Antique store in NY

The owner of this store seemed to be enchanted with faces and hats. I love the way he has this stuff displayed.

Antique store in NY

I loved this planter, I'm very disappointed the photo is out of focus.

Antique store in NY

Antique store in NY

This was another little face that caught my attention.

High Fiber Meeting

We realized at our meeting yesterday that we are now over a year old. Penny Little is responsible for organizing High Fiber and I would like to thank Penny for her efforts. I am enjoying being a part of this enthusiastic, talented group of fiber artist. As I have said in past post we are using Susan Stein's book, "Fabric Art Workshop" and are experimenting with different processes each month. The technique this month was collage. Enjoy.

High Fiber Meeting

RUST! Who ever came up with the idea to rust fabric? I think that Sandy H. rusted some fabric in Bonnie Ouellette's dying workshop. Weather it was this that gave her the idea to do a piece of art about rusty cars doesn't matter. Sandy is in the process of putting together
a fun fiber art piece abandoned cars in the desert. Can't wait to see this one progress.

High Fiber Meeting

Penny L. who is responsible for starting this great group brought this neat collage. Penny truly loves African and Indonesian fabric. I love the big stitches and the tied stitches. I really suits this piece.

High Fiber Meeting

This is the back of Penny L.'s embellished note book.

High Fiber Meeting

Penny L. brought a note book that she has been embellishing. I think she took this class at Houston last year. Penny is going to use this note book to hold her mini art quilts. This is the front cover.

High Fiber Meeting

Judy showed us a new technique she learned from the ArtDigest Group. This is a method for hanging small pieces of fiber art. Judy made two small sleeves on each side of the back and inserted a small piece of wood. She then added a picture hanger to the center.