Around the Block Fiber Arts Stroll

My new series of birds, inspired by the birds in Kristin Shields' folk art, will be shown and sold at the 9th Annual Fiber Arts Stroll in Sisters, Oregon on Sunday, July 7th, Noon-4pm.  We'll be at "The Jewel", 1221 W. Cascade (Hwy 20).  

This red bird has a wool body and an angelina fiber wing embedded with triangular flecks of angelina film.

This chubby pink-orange bird's body is made from angelina fibers and its wing is made from angelina fibers and angelina film.  It has long swirly twirly tail feathers.

A closer look.

Whimsical wired women, other critters and wiry trees will also make an appearance.

Stop by and visit us if you have a chance.  We'd love to see you.

  

Bird Sighting, May Class Samples and Our Mailbox Stands Straight

A bird feeds as damp pine needles glisten in the sun.  A sweet sight.

Class samples for my Embellished Fabric and Button Flowers class at The Stitchin' Post in Sisters on Friday, May 21st!  The class includes working with angelina film and angelina fibers.

Class sample for my Whimsical Wired Spool Characters class at The Stitchin' Post on Saturday, May 29th.  The class includes simple wireworking and making fabric beads. 

Fabric and Button Flowers coming to life at my "studio" in Central Oregon.

  

Our mailbox - hit by yet another vehicle, was leaning futher over than ever before in the nearly twenty years we've lived here.  The post has never stood straight.  Much of the year the ground is very hard, but this time of year it is wet and fairly workable.  We spent some time straightening up the post (it looks kind of crooked in the photo, but that's an optical illusion) and its still looking pretty good a couple weeks later.  Very nice. 

2009 Endings

As 2009 came to a close, I finished up a few angelina fiber experiments in my Central Oregon "studio" and enjoyed the quiet beauty of the snow with my family... then returned to the west side of the cascades and took in the view of the coast range as the sun set.

Morning in Central Oregon under blue skies with flurries of snow off and on. 

Tiger and Pono standing watch in the front yard.  Their paths criss-crossing in the snow.

Behind the house, the pond, recently nearly drained, was a block of ice under a layer of newly fallen snow.

Inside the house, some angelina projects.  This one was a swirly experiment.  It now hangs, sparkling, near the desk where I type as it awaits its next step.

Other winter angelina projects - a cone wrapped in ribbon yarn, a wire framed bowl and the base form of a doll being constructed around a tall, slender german wine bottle.

Later in the day, after the several hour drive across the cascades, the sun set.

Recent creations

This sweet little angel has wings made of wire and angelina film.  Her body is an old tree shaped wooden spool, and she is decked out in left over scraps from quilts my mother and I have made.  She holds a lavender-filled heart made of angelina film and wrapped in wire.  I gave her as a gift to my sister and her husband for their anniversary.

The way the wings sparkle in the light is very fun.

Angelina film hearts and other shapes wire-wrapped with long tails can be used in many ways.  I like to keep a few in the cup that holds pens and pencils on my desk.

This is a little bowl made of angelina film.  Fibers are embedded between layers of film.  This bowl is one of a series of vessels I have been making with angelina film and angelina fibers. More photos of that series will be posted separately.

This is a set of three sachets filled with lavender and crushed walnut shells.  They are embellished with beads on one side and buttons on the other.  The fabric is from my "paisley collection" (which I have been building in my stash for many years).  I made these for my sister for her birthday.  This is my first real project using crushed walnut shells and I really like the way they turned out.

This canvas and fabric piece was finished with eight coats of varnish.  It incorporates angelina fibers and dimensional fabric paints.  Pictures of the piece during construction were included in an earlier post. 

I'm working on getting into the habit of documenting the things that I make and posting them... I've got a long way to go. 

Downstairs two big bowls of beans and a bowl of tomatoes fresh picked from the garden this morning await processing.  The dogs, thankfully, are snoozing on this sunny afternoon.  Piles of laundry and dinner making are next on the list this afternoon.  Its good to be home after a happy few days visiting and celebrating and exploring in California.  Just transferred from my camera onto the computer are photos from the trip - loads of inspiration for projects to come.

Snapshots of Art Developing

The kitchen windowsill Saturday morning. Two canvas pieces rest there where I can see them as I go through the normal business of my day. This is where my artwork simmers when its being made.
The larger canvas is 8"x8"x3". It is painted with acrylics on the front and sides in shades of green and purple.
Fabric pieces were auditioned for the next layer. Mostly paisley shapes and circles. The fabrics are hand-dyed.
Before the fabric layer was added, another coat of paint was applied to mute the vibrant colors of the first coat. The fabric pieces were then fused to the painted canvas with steam-a-seam2. A heart of several layers of angelina film adds some sparkle.
The second canvas is 6"x6"x1.5". It was painted with the same colors as the first canvas.
A second layer of paint was also applied to this piece. In the photo the fabric has been fused. The black and white swirl was left over from a recent project. The shimmery pieces made from angelina fibers were attached with Mistyfuse instead of steam-a-seam2.
Dimensional paint was used to add definition and texture.


Out of town for a few days, the two pieces are wrapped and safely stowed in a bag that came with us... to be restored to their place on the windowsill upon our return home.

A little Art

On a welcome break from "organizing" my "studio" and caring for the garden and dogs during the heat wave, I made these three pieces.

Last week I spent two days demonstrating Angelina Fibers and Angelina Film in the Embellishment Village booth at the Long Beach International Quilt Festival. Several people talked to me about using Mistyfuse (a paperless fusible product) with the Angelina products, and I've been interested in trying it out.

Since returning home from the festival, one of the packets of goodies I discovered while sorting through my studio treasures included a sampling of vintage silk fabrics. And there upon a shelf sat a recently rediscovered set of canvases ready to be used.

I wanted to make a little something home-made for a couple of wedding gifts, including one for a wedding that occurs tomorrow. It was the perfect opportunity to do something with my recent studio finds using Angelina fibers and Angelina film and Mistyfuse.

The three pieces are constructed on 4" x 4" canvas frames. The frames are covered with striped silk fabric using Steam a Seam 2. The front designs were constructed separately on a base layer of angelina fibers. The hearts in the front and middle pieces were cut from paper and angelina film and angelina fabric and added to the base layer. The back piece has a layer of thin fabric strips that are attached to the base layer using wisps of angelina fibers.

Once the front designs were constructed, Mistyfuse was used to attach the designs to the silk fabric covered frames. On all three pieces, the edges of the angelina fiber base layer wrap around the sides and to the back of the frame.

The three pieces sparkle happily in the light. That was fun!

Whimsical Wired Characters Class - Photos

Three tall whimsical wired characters (13" to 16") constructed on old wood bobbins with fabric, angelina fiber and angelina film, yarn, wire, beads, charms and buttons. The middle character holds a lavender-filled heart made from angelina film. These were some of the example characters who went to class to provide inspiration.


Katie Estvold's characters happily dangle from a basket handle as another new character is being created. Sweet, delicate beings. Please see Katie's blog for detailed photos of her dolls.


Alma and her character, Libra, who was not yet named when this photo was taken. Several inspiration characters watch from the table as Libra comes to life - bold and beautiful. Please see a picture of Libra completed at Alma's blog.

Other class members, please let me know if I have your permission to post pictures of you and your characters here. Thanks.

Fabric Postcards

These 4"x6" fabric postcards were made for the 2009 Wish Upon A Card fundraiser. They incorporate recycled silk fabric, ribbon yarn, angelina fibers, beads, vintage buttons, and charms. It was fun to work with all the textures and shapes and to put together unexpected combinations. The cards glisten and glimmer in the light.