Saturday Project

Long overdue...

I don't have much of a fabric stash but what I do have was a mess. An antique trunk has been filled with remnants and stored in my barn for decades. After seeing some of the fabric collections belonging to fellow quilt guild members (closets and bins and rooms full of delicious fabrics!) I resolved to beef up my own collection so that when I am inspired to create I actually have something to work with. With a proper collection on hand I won't need to run to a store in the middle of a project, because who wants to do that now anyway? (Not to mention all the small, independently owned fabric stores that have closed now. Resources are getting scarce.)

So my Saturday project was to organize what I do have that is useful and to discard what is not (which turned out to be almost nothing 😄)

I actually really enjoy organizing things. I think it's a gene. Some people have it and some don't.

Any fabrics that I had in a fat quarter size or larger got folded and stored this way. Any smaller bits worth keeping all went into one bin. After a workshop I took last winter on a particular fabric picture-making technique, I learned that there are creative uses for small bits of fabric. So now I have a good excuse to hoard without shame.

I also finished the borders for this latest project. Last spring I bought a "jelly roll" for the first time- a bundle of pre-cut fabrics strips (this in jewel-colored and pastel batiks in floral designs) that would be a quick source for a creative project without much thinking or planning. I decided to use the strips in a traditional log cabin layout but I have  since thought of other ways to use them and may buy another jelly roll. I recently bought a new-to-me Bernina (Swiss made) sewing machine and I will be learning to use the machine quilting attachments for this twin sized quilt.

An Evening of Gelli Prints

Quite awhile ago, my dear daughter, RosieKate, gave me a Gelliprint kit. We had created some prints together with her tools when I was there visiting so she thoughtfully gave me this kit to get me started at my home. I have to shamefully confess I have never used it. Until tonight. I have been wanting to make art or something like it for weeks now, as I have been harvesting the garden, teaching school classes and cooking, cleaning and running the household. Art never comes before those things and when those tasks are finally done, so am I. I know you can relate...

Another reason I had never used the kit is because I thought I didn't have enough texturing tools to work with for interesting prints. Katie had accumulated a collection of wallpapers and stencils and I thought I had nothing to work with. But then I raided both my baking tools closet and my pottery studio.....

One criteria for the tools is that they not be too sharp as the gelli pad is easily damaged. 

I found plenty of plastic modeling tools used for fondant in my cake decorating supplies.

In my pottery studio I had a treasure trove of texturing tools. I was always interested in ways to give clay surfaces unique textures when I was a potter. I selected a few items to experiment with- a disposable grill cover (ended up not using it since it was metal and I was afraid it would damage the gelli pad), a rubber bath mat, some drawer liner, a rubber texture mat (I've used that green mat for clay and pie dough too!) some jute twine, and plastic pearl strings.

I really liked how the fondant shaping tools were working. I'm not sure if you can see the fall colors I was using- green, red and gold.

The plastic pearl string for the blue one...

The doily had great texture but the paper absorbed all the paint so did not work at all!

I liked how this came out.

I had a lot of fun doing a couple hours of creative paint work.

I am inspired! I need some small stencils and I plan to get a larger gelli pad.

These five inch prints will be useful for making some greeting cards. 

 

Mostly Color Theory

From Leah -

     This painting is one of three Color Theory pictures I'm doing. It didn't turn out as well as I wanted, and it still needs a little work, but I have to fight my perfectionist brain for now and move on to the next two. It's hard painting paint I guess. I do kinda like how the paint brushes look, though.

    This is a drawing I am working on in Drawing 101. I have redone her face too many times, but this last time has satisfied me. The biggest problem is, in this class, I'm not allowed to finger smudge to shade and blend the pencil better. It's harder I guess, but I can still do it, and I think this picture will still turn out quite beautiful.



From Sarah -

    We are working on finals this month. In Color Theory, we are taking three pictures of the same subject and applying different schemes to each. They are not finished yet, but I think I've learned a lot about contrast, compliments, and technique. I am especially glad that I was able to do this at all, since I really have not dabbled much in painting previously; but I think it could be fun with more practice.

    I did finish my Colored Pencil class final, though. Burnishing the background color really makes the picture pop and become more rich. It was really fun learning how to layer and blend the colors, and I hope to do more colored pencil works!