RAK (random acts of kindness)

A while ago, I posted about meeting a woman at an ice cream shop. She had the most beautiful felted bag, and so of course, I had to chat with her!

We have become friends via emails, and today, we met for coffee, and I was gifted with the other most beautiful felted bag!

I wish you could see this in person– it’s purples and greens, with smudges of peach, and lime, and some gold flecks. It looks as if you are looking at a lavender field on a misty morning. It is so very soft, and I love it! Thank you again, Linda!

I didn’t attend our get-together empty handed. Here is what I made for her:

The front panel is a variation on my embellished silk fusion…however this panel comes from humble stock. Can you guess what it is?

Well…. I do have a large warehouse of fabric (some people call it a stash. Mine got bigger than that.) And all that fabric needs to be washed before I use it in my quilting. So, you know how when you take yardage out of the washer, and there’s some awful stringy things hanging off the raw edge? (Aside: yes, yes, I know, you’re supposed to clip the corners to prevent this. I’ve tried it– it doesn’t work for me, and now I actually WANT those stringys!) Anyhoodle, I started saving those stringy thingy’s- because I was nervous about having a clear space in the remote corner of a drawer, and I needed a baggy of stringy thingy’s to fill it up.

After a few years of marinating in that dark corner, the bag was retrieved, and lo and behold! It’s really nifty to work with!

I placed it between some dissolvable film, add chunks of fabric and yarns and ribbons and what-all, and sew away. Ta da!

The rest of the bag is made from a pin-tucked moleskin, with a cotton print interior. I chose this particular print because Linda and I met at an ice cream place called “Dippin’ Dots” and this print reminds me of the crazy ice cream pellets on order at DD.

I will carry this bag always mindful of the value of friendship. If you see a fellow artist out in the world, do take a moment to smile and introduce yourself– you never know when a friend is just waiting to be discovered!

Wool felt quilt blocks

So you know the saying about the cobbler’s children going barefoot? I feel like that, only in my case, it’s the quilter’s bed going ugly. If you come across a fellow reader of this blog, you will recognize her/him by the stunned, partially blind eyes which are the result of foolishly scrolling through photos of the extraordinary (and I mean this in the worst, ugliest sense of the word) comforter on my bed.

But, that ugly comforter has perfect comfort going on, and so every fall, I sigh, close my eyes, and put it back on my bed. I mean, seriously, I even tried to shame my own self into getting something better looking. But guess what’s on my bed, although it is hidden under my summer coverlet. Shame, apparently, does not work on me, even when I put the full court press on my shame-button.

So, what’s a quilter to do?

Well, last year, I had an epiphany– which, as you quilter’s know, does not mean that a quilt is going to get made anytime in the near future. But the idea is epiphanous–and once you have a quilt idea, you could, in theory, make a quilt.

So, my epiphany was to buy lots of sweaters, full them (the technical term for turning knitted fabric into felt by tossing it into the washing machine), then cut them up and make scrap blocks. Once I had enuf blocks, it would be a simple matter to sew them together, back them with flannel, bind, and voila! A nice winter comforter that isn’t ugly!

After marinating my epiphany for a year, I am getting busy with those sweaters. And I have to tell you, I am having a BALL!!! This is way way too much fun! I am chopping up pieces, fitting them together, zigzagging the butted edges, spritzing them with water, pressing it all flat, then trimming to 10″. There’s no rhyme or reason to the blocks, they are just fun. I do have an idea for the finished piece, and I’m excited to see it to completion.

Want to see some blocks? OK then! I promise to keep you all updated as I finish up this project.

I am cutting with scissors, eyeballing sizes and shapes, because I want a free form style. The felt is so forgiving to stitch, and I love how it pulls itself back into shape with steam and heat…but it seems to keep some rakish angles and shapes!

This is what a block looks like after zigzagging the butted edges but before spritzing, pressing, and trimming. It doesn’t look much better than the ugly comforter, does it?

But, voila! A little water, a little heat, and some judicious trimming, and it is pretty groovy! I like it. (Best part about this ironing? You don’t have to sing about talking horses or fish heads. And if you want to know what I’m talking about now, you’ll have to go read Rice Freeman-Zachary’s blog.)

Above are 4 different blocks so you can get an idea of where I’m going with this. I have it up on my design wall at the moment. I think I’m going to make a bars/stripes type design for the center, then surround that with these scrappy blocks, then a “solid” narrow border, then a striped outer border. That’s the plan, but we’ll see where this takes me.

The wool is surprisingly soft, and I think I’ll like sleeping under the quilt. Hmmm– I think that it can’t be called a quilt, because it doesn’t have 3 layers. Well, in any event, it’s going to be nicer than the ugly comforter.

So much stuff, so little room

I love to create handbags, scarves, silk cuffs, skirts…. but I live in a small house with a smaller closet (and some of you know that my closet is stuffed full of shoes–shhhh)

I had to do something to clear out a little space, sooooo– I just created an etsy shop! It was fun, fast, and intuitive (I am becoming much more computer-literate that I ever thought possible!)

Here are the photos of the items I’ve got listed. I’m not going to put a ton of things up for sale– I want to see how this goes. My kids are all excited– oooo, Mommy, if you sell that shirt for $2,000,000, can I have a new skateboard and a Wii, and a (fill-in-the-blank)? They are such wonderful, supportive children, aren’t they? And no, I did not list a shirt for 2 million dollars. Not even for a skateboard.

Wish me luck!

Wearable Art Connection fashion show

Some of you know that I belong to the Los Angeles Wearable Art Connection. Every year, there is a challenge fashion show; this year the challenge was to create a vest.

I entered in the “Manipulation” (fabric, not people!) category, and I’m pleased to tell you that I was voted into First Place! Ok– enough about me, I know you want to see the goods!

(Ha ha! Just teasing you! I’ll show you the real deal– this is just me, standing up at the podium while Diane Ricks reads my artist’s statement.)

This is the full outfit. Although the challenge only called for a vest, I was inspired with a full blown vision of the skirt, too! I created the fabric for the vest with my embellished noodles technique, using my own hand-dyed fabric for the background. The zinnias are made with gorgeous hand-dyed strips from Judy Whitehead. (Thank you sodypop! Your gifts are always appreciated– and loved and used!)

Here is a close up of the vest. I’ve embellished the fabric with silk flowers, fabric charms, Angelina fibers, and crystals:

Here is a close up of the skirt. It used to be a pair of white jeans. The inset is a piece of my hand-dyed cotton in a different coloration from the vest, with wavy strips of the vest’s fabric raw-edge appliqued to create some graphic tension. The zinnias are made using the same embellished noodle technique as the vest– I simply created them separately and appliqued them onto the skirt. I stencilled “Zinnia, Zinnia, Zinnia” using acrylic paints mottled to mimic the hand dyed background fabric:

Here is a photo of the flowered cuff I created using Judy’s hand-dyed cotton:

And, courtesy of Mary Norton from Fibervision, here is the newly crowned Zinnia Queen, modeling the entire outfit. Dig those bejewelled shoes!

Another rusty post

You all are going to want to update your tetanus shots: here’s some more rust, coming your way!

I’ve posted previously about the fabric I’ve been rusting, dyeing, stencilling, and what all. Now, how about wearing your rust?

These are some silk scarves that I rusted, then overdyed, then stamped or stencilled or silkscreened. I’ve also done a silk knit tee and a long-sleeved button front silk blouse– but don’t seem to have photos!   Oh brother.  I sent them off to the Elverhoj museum without documenting them.  Well, I’ll just have to rust some more clothes to share with you all!

Art quilt using rusty fabric

What to do with all that rusty fabric?

Here’s one of my pieces for the Fibervision show at the Elverhoj Museum in Solvang, CA:

In reference to the copper clad leaf skeletons which are sewn onto the upper right side of the work, the title of the piece is: Trees: 3 Leaves. (The bright bits on the photo are beads which reflected the camera flash! The white quilted cloth on the outer right side is another quilt. I need to pay more attention to my photography skills, doncha’ think?!)

I am continually inspired by trees and leaves. The machine quilting in this piece is very organic, and references bark-like shapes. There’s also hand-beading along the gridded lines to call attention to the visual tension between the graphic quality of the grid and the organic shapes of the other fabric.

The piece is small for me, about 18 x 20. It is for sale through the museum from Nov. 16 through the end of January.

And, if you will be in or near Solvang this winter, please stop in to see this wonderful show, “Color & Cloth”, on exhibit November 16, 2007 thru January 27, 2008.

The Elverhoj Museum, 1624 Elverhoj Way, Solvang, CA, 93463. 805.686.1211

How I rust fabric. A tutorial!

I have been so intrigued by creating rusty fabric! All summer long, a part of my backyard has been taken over by various rusty implements:

Here is a tutorial of how I use these rusty implements to create my rusted fabric. Today, we will work with an old oil drum, now being used to create a shibori-type pattern on some white cotton fabric.

Here are some finished fabrics– I like to overdye and stamp and stencil on the rusted fabric, to create unusual and unique art cloth!

I tend to figure techniques out without the aid of books or videos, because I find that the mistakes I make along the way lead me to create unique-to-me versions of whatever endeavor I’m attempting to produce. To rust fabric, Susan-style:

1. beg the neighbors for rusty items
2. stack said items in a heap in the backyard
3. cook lovely dinner for DH who complains that the neighbors will think we live in a trashy dump
4. explain over lovely dinner that neighbors are too busy laughing at wife and celebrating the removal of trash from their own yards to think badly of us
5. dampen fabric (silk, cotton, rayon, poly– everything I’ve tried rusts) with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar/water
6. arrange, tie, and/or smoosh fabric artistically around, over, on top of rusty object
7. sprinkle fabric with salt
8. cover fabric/rusty object with plastic tarp to keep fabric damp
9. check every so often for appropriate level of rust transfer** note that this transfer seems to happen faster with silk than with cotton, and faster in warm weather than cool

I over dye with Procion dyes, then stamp or stencil with Lumiere paints. Voila!

If you want more detailed directions, videos, or tools, please visit Rust-Tex, a wonderful new online site for all things rusty!

Happy rusting!

My to-do list, with a recipe

Oof! It’s almost 11:00 am and here I still sit, trying to get up some energy. My energy level isn’t usually a problem, and today of all days, I need to get going!!

I am participating in an art quilt show at the Elverhoj museum, and I must get my artist statement written. In addition, I need to get to the lumber yard for some lathe to insert into my quilts’ hanging sleeves (note to non-quilters– on the top edge of the back side of a quilt meant for hanging, you will find a fabric tube–called a sleeve– that gets a wooden slat insert. The slat has an eye hook on each side for wire or wall mounted nails. This is a common way to hang a quilt on a wall.) I have to get to the library. I have some artwork on my machine that needs finishing before Saturday.

And here I sit!

Well, now that I’ve subjected you to my grocery list of errands, I’ll leave you with a recipe for a quick, healthy, yummy dinner.

Susan’s stir-fry with hidden veggies

• 1 bag broccoli cole-slaw (in the refrigerated producesection with the bags of coleslaw)
• 1 bag cole-slaw (without the dressing)
• various veggies– broccoli, carrots, cauliflower (you won’t need a lot, since you have the sneaky broccoli cole-slaw, and cabbage cole-slaw!)
• frozen edamame (shelled!!!)
• 2 small onions, chopped into large-ish chunks
• 3-4 green onions, cut into 2″ pieces, and sliced the long way
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• left-over meat– chicken, pork, steak (or fresh meat, if you don’t have left-overs!) cut into small pieces
• 4 cups cooked rice (I use Cal-Rose rice since it seems to cook up kind of sticky!)
• seasoned rice vinegar, sesame oil (in the Asian section near the soy sauces) and soy sauce (I use Bragg’s Liquid Amino from the health food store. Jamie Wallen turned me onto this a few years ago; altho it sounds odd, it is really only unfermented soy sauce and has very very little sodium– good for me and my high blood pressure!)

OK! Start your rice.

Saute the chopped up veggies, and toss in a handful of the frozen edamame to thaw. Add the broccoli slaw, a generous squirt of sesame oil, and about 1/4 cup of soy sauce. When the broccoli slaw starts to wilt, add the cabbage slaw. Add some more sesame oil and soy sauce. Saute until all the slaws are wilted. Take off heat.

In a different pan, saute the onion (and fresh meat) and garlic. Warm up the cooked meat by adding to the onion pan for a few minutes.

By now, the rice should be finished cooking, and you should be hungry.

Add a generous pour of seasoned rice vinegar to the rice. Stir.

Put some rice into dinner bowls. Top with cooked veggies/slaw mixture. Add onions and meat on top. Garnish with sliced green onions.

This makes enough for 6 people…or 4 with leftovers!

All (well, some) things chicken

My friend Carla likes chickens! She is currently working on a series of chicken cartoons based on her experiences as a longarm quilter– these will be featured in the new magazine, Machine Quilting, Unlimited.

Anyway, because she is my friend, and because she has generously made me some beautiful wearable art, I thought I would share the art cuff I made for her, based upon her chicken cartoons:

I used leftover quilted fabric from this Wild Onion Jacket:

This happens to be Carla’s favorite Wild Onion Jacket of mine, so while I don’t like her enough to give her the jacket (just kidding, Carla- I love you, I do!) I thought giving her a piece of the jacket would appease her!

The cuff was really fun to make:

• cut out a rectangle of quilted fabric long enough to overlap your wrist by about 1″. (the width was determined by the height of the applique)
• using craft felt, which doesn’t fray, cut out applique parts (I referenced Carla’s cartoon drawing, BUT please note that I have special dispensation to do so! Always use copyright-free work if you aren’t using a purchased pattern or original drawings for your applique)
• hand or machine stitch the applique parts to the cuff fabric
• with embroidery floss, buttonhole stitch around the edges of the cuff fabric. I made sure that my stitches were primitive looking, with knots showing and uneven stitches for a handmade, amusing look in keeping with the chicken applique
• sew a 1″ piece of hook & loop tape (a common type has the brand name “Velcro”) on appropriate sides of the outer edges of your cuff
• enjoy wearing your new art jewellery

I apologize for not having photos of the step by step directions– I made the cuff pre-blog! If enough people are interested, I’ll try to make another cuff, and post a photo rich tutorial!

That’s all for today…I’ll leave you with one last chicken photo:

These are lovely pastel-colored eggs from a friend (well, from a friend’s chicken). She (the human, not the chicken) delivers fresh eggs to us in this adorable chicken-shaped basket. Delightful!!

The blog where I am a guest lecturer!

A couple of weeks ago, I was the “guest lecturer” at my youngest son’s 3rd grade class. They had just finished reading a story called “The Keeping Quilt” about a family in the 1800′s. The mother makes a comfort quilt for the daughter.

One of my son’s friend’s mentioned that he was bringing in a quilt to class, as per the teacher’s request. My own son, of course, had mentioned nothing to me, since apparently we have neither quilts, nor fabric, nor sewing implements at our house.

I had a ball talking quilts with this captive audience. It was so rewarding to talk quilts with children, especially children who seem interested (ahem, not my own, as evidenced by the photo! He is busy talking to his friend, not looking at his beloved mother.)

The first quilt is a flying geese variation I made for my DH out of flannel. The second quilt is an original technique I call “Wiggle Strips and Wonky Bits”, made with hand dyed sky fabric, created by my then-5/now-10 yr. old DS! It was very gratifying when the children chose to snuggle under the quilts as I passed them out to the audience. You can sort of see a passel of kids cuddled under my Y2K signature quilt.

I am currently getting ready for an art quilt show. As soon as I get all the paperwork finished, I promise to post some photos of my newest works!