Red and White and Black All Over....

Do you remember the old jokes of what is red and white and black all over?

This quilt started out as a workshop at the Grimsby Quilters Guild in Grimsby, Ontario. And this joke is on me! 

It was a technique based on a pattern from the Missouri Star Quilt Co. Wonderful free patterns and You Tube Video's. 

I have slowly been working on it over time but it is now sprinting to a finish.

I choose the fabrics out of my stash. Red, white and black because I had bought some with no purpose in mind other than I liked them... (typical quilter behaviour)

This pattern could be made from a jelly roll but I stripped my colours into the 2 1/2 strips myself before the workshop.

4 units 8" squares form one large 18" block

I tried for a pattern but it was mostly random placement of the strips. We sewed strip sets then sub cut them and formed the squares. 

I didn't like the busyness of the blocks all added together so I bought some grey intending on sashing the blocks. But I didn't like that idea. 

So I got the idea to place them on point but still didn't like that. 

Then I make an alternate block with one 8" unit sashed in the dark grey. A wonderful piece from Northcott. 

Laying the squares out on a sheet to pin them in place to remember the layout.

I was adding white blocks to as the alternate blocks from the patterned ones.  But when I added them in I thought they white stood out to much and looked to stark.
So off to the fabric store to get some red for the centre of the white blocks. 

Auditioning a piece of deep red in the centre of the white space.

This is the layout I decided on. 

Some how this lap size quilt has grown to around 100 or so inches on all sides. 

The answer to the opening joke is this quick technique for a lap quilt has grown to enourmous proportions. 

It will be awhile until I quilt it. I am still practicing on my Babylock. This is such a big project to quilt but I know once it is done it will find a home.... 

Finally I feel like I am getting things done. 

I will post a picture of the finished quilt top when all the sewing is done for today.  

I have been making...

Absence makes the heart grow fonder... that is the old saying. 

In this case absence make for making more art. 

I have been prepping a workshop on Thread Bowls and items on Dissoluble Stabilizer. This I will be presenting to the Stoney Creek Quilting Guild in Stoney Creek, Ontario next week.  I also will be the guest speaker on Every One is Creative! This is a great opportunity for me a newbie to teaching and speaking. I know some of the people in this guild and they are kind, generous and funny so I know I will be in good hands. 

Prepping a workshop is a lot of solid work and research to do but is wonderful for learning the ins and outs and how something works. 

I have prepared one other workshop before on Lutradur. This I gave at the Burlington Fibre Arts group in 2014 and at the same time I shared it on one of my favorite

blogs andthenwesetitonfire.blogspot.ca

I don't claim I am a expert but I have found many ways not to do something in my experiments and I think that is as valuable as being perfect. 

So here is a sneek peek at a couple of samples... 

Bowl shape all sewn and ready to put in water to dissolve the stabilizer.

Leaf shape stitched and cut out of thread made fabric using this technique with stabilizer dissolved.



What else have I been up to?

My seventeen ways to use sari fabric given to my fellow fabrigos.blogspot.ca
You can check up on my progress on this challenge on our blog above.

And trying to finish up a quilt from a workshop given by the Grimsby Quilters Guild 2 years ago. It is a quilt that I am calling loosely - Red and White and Black All Over.

 Other things are in the works for this girl... Some will hopefully fulfil part of a dream of mine. 

But more to follow when the time is right. 

Do you have a favourite dissolvable stabilizer? 

Jo

The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady: Colour Palettes on Friday

The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady: Colour Palettes on Friday: One of my favourite activities is playing around with my hand-dyed fabrics, putting together colour palettes.  My fabrics are my paint box a...



Interesting post on how to audition fabrics and see how the colours will work in proportions.



I just found Charlotte's blog. She hails from New Zealand. She also does a quilt podcast. I love to listen to podcasts so I think I will put her in the cue!



How do you audition colours?



Do you listen to podcasts?

Fibre Content 2016

Fibre Content is a Biennial Fibre Art Show. It is hosted at the Art Gallery of Burlington this September 8th  to the 18th

My good friend and fellow Fabrigo Robynne Cole is assisting in running the show with Dwayne Wanner Co Rep of SAQA Central Canada.

April 1st is the opening of the Call to entry below.

You may see some posts and cross posts here as I develop continue working art for possible  entry for this show.

I am also going to be hanging out on Facebook on the Fibre Content Facebook page as we add information about the show, entry to the show and profiles of artists.

I hope you have a chance to follow along as you will see some great information and artists coming up on  Fibre Content 2016 on Facebook and our website Fibrations Fibre Content 2016

Jo

Layers....

Layers 1 as yet untitled. To be mounted on on canvas. WIP

Still hand stitching.... 

Jo

Weekly Stitch - Fly Stitch.

This weeks stitch I am trying is the Fly Stitch .

I consulted my go to sources. This is the variations I found. Later I will document the source of where I found them. I will just edit the post to do so. It seemed like a good project for a day where I feel a bit under the weather.

 I haven't been sick but feel like I have been hovering around coming down with something. Others in the house have had viruses. They have been quite sick for a few days then the illness lingers. Me I am not down for the count but just feel off. 

The last stitch just above the word "stitch" is a lazy daisy combined with a single fly stitch. I have use this before several years ago to use to represent a dandelion head gone to seed. I am now using it again on my latest piece. When I get further on it I will share it. 

Meanwhile I think I will hunker down and go for a nap. I am trying to beat this bug before we go on vacation in two weeks time. 

DH and I have been going south for several years with good friends to beat the winter blahs, get sunshine and get our fill of laughter. 

The pets will keep our daughter company or the other way round. 

Do you know of any other ways I could use the Fly Stitch? 

Jo

How can January be almost done.... a note of my intentions this year

January has gone by in a flurry... in Southern Ontario this can mean lots of snow but this year is certainly not been as snowy as some.

Planning my future.... well I have been working on that. Getting into the creative lair has been a bit of a challenge. First I had to find the floor... and surface areas. But I have a loose plan.

I am starting to make my jewelry again. Before Christmas I gave most of it away because I wanted to see if people liked it. I had a very positive response from my test group,  aka friends and family. So I have been encouraged to pick up the tools and create.

I have wanted to do a year long project. But I haven't been able to figure out what I want to do. It has to involve hand stitching to make a portable project and a project I can do in front of TV and with others in the room. Last night I figured out I am going to try a new stitch a week from Sharon B's Pin Tangle website. She has a stitch along, years of material and seems to be a very generous stitch. Phenomenal resource! Part one of the week will be to test the stitch and Part two will be to use the stitch on a leaf design. The weekly leaf is an idea I saw on Linda McLaughlin's site   notes from studio b She has such an inspirational site.

Work on my art work. I am starting a series called layers. I am using strips of fabric from my precious collection of hoarded saved scraps to build bases.  Then I am going to build on them something that inspires me in my world. This is a way to get my 10, 000 hours of practice in to develop my skills. (And no I am not counting hours....)

On the technical end of my life I am working on my skills on my mac, organizing my large collection of photos, continuing my exploration of photo shop, and learning to use my silhouette cutter. Also my mid arm Tierra is getting fired up.

In the traditional realm. I am going to work on my WIP's as I feel moved to. But priorty on my son and daughter in laws quilt

So it will be a busy year. Committing it to my blog makes it seem over welming but progress is what counts.

Jo

Also Check Out what the Fabrigos did on there road trip this month. Fabrigos

Expectations... and new word theme of the year

Happy New Years Great Expectations

The first day of the New Year always brings reflection and a new start.

I fell behind with my trying to blog daily. Just to hard to keep up with the family, celebrations and work.

Last night a good friend asked me if I had any New Years Resolutions. I am not good at keeping Resolutions. I start out plan a ton and then fall down in the execution.

So I replied to him... "Lower Expectations"

I am a dreamer, planner, wisher of things can change and care giver.  This puts a ton of pressure on myself and those around me.

Does this mean I am to lower my standards? Or to change who I basically am? I don't think I can do that but my flip comment to my friend has been running through my mind in the last 13 hours (minus the time I was fast asleep)

What could lowered expectations mean? Stop being so hard on myself. Stop being afraid to fail. Stop worrying about other people and what they do. Sounds like a tall order but maybe I can incorporate it into small ways like guard my time. Focus on what really matters to me my immediate family, my good friends, my love of all things fibre and creating what I love.

Does this make sense?

I know this but do I do this? I think it is time to pull out some paper. Make a mind map and prep some things so I can start and not dream.

This November I created a piece that I think was my best work to date. Putting myself out there and entering it into a call for entry. Friends loved it. Hubby loved it. I loved it. It did not get juried in. Traditionally I would tell my self that it was not good enough but this time I don't feel that way. Honestly I think it did not meet what the juror was looking for or fit the exhibit. This is a huge step for me. Not beating myself up!

Peach blossoms on 15 Mile Creek detail

So as this year processes I hope to see a progression in me to a kinder less self critical person and enjoy the journey of lowered expectations.


Hope you have a wonderful New Year!

Jo

Books new to me...

One of our yearly traditions is to head out to the Book Outlet Boxing Day sale in St. Catharines, Ontario.

It is a overrun and clear out remainder book store which is in a huge warehouse. Sometimes I get a lot of books and sometimes a few. Yesterday netted what I call a few. 

What you see on the red sticker is the regular sale price. The boxing week sale is half price. Nice additions to my reference library. 

This is Boxing Day sales at it's best! - Jo

Circles Squared2

Circle Squared2 is a work in progress.

I started by stamping the fabric with a candy wrapper holder... the kind that holds the chocolates in the box with Colourvie a product created and sold by Gunnel Hag of Toronto, Ontario

I then was inspired to stitch in different embroidery stitches around the result circles in sets for 4.

Now that I have that done I am stuck on the borders... I have been percolating that for many months.

It is one of my first projects I am going to finish after my back pain settles down.

I really love the idea of this one. It is a homage to my love of art and my mathematical family.

It won't be shown for awhile but I will share a brief glimpse of the embroidery.

What do you get stuck on and how do you move on? 

Jo

Wah

Decolourant experiments .....

Earlier this year I took a workshop/retreat with my friend and fellow Fabrigo Al Cote...

Al Cote is a talented artist and please check out his website and display at the Grimsby Public Library and Art Gallery this December, 2015 Grimsby Public Library and Grimsby Art Gallery, Ontario

One of the techniques we played with was decolourant. This is not just the spilling of bleach onto your clothes and "making lemonade out of a lemon" But acutely products that you can use more safely that household bleach for your fabric and your own health. Here is s a link to learn more about it and its properties.  http://www.dharmatrading.com/paints/decolourant-and-decolourant-plus.html

These products can be stenciled, painted, stamped, ragged etc on your fabric.
Then they are left to dry. And then processed as per the products instructions.


Al is a great teacher and has been pretty busy teaching this year. But he also loves to experiment and use that in his work.

Here are some pictures of the deColourant that we played with on that day.

Before... deColourant added to fabric. These have the "coloured DeColourants" added. 

After the declourant was ironed and washed out.

and some more

Before and after

after only

Before and After

After only

After only. 

It was a quick and easy surface design trick to have up your sleeve.... 

Hope you have enjoyed. 

Have you used deColourant? 

Jo

Pixel Ladies....

Pixeladies

• About the Pixeladies

  The Pixeladies are artists who love to tell stories in cloth. When they're not creating art, they teach courses on Adobe Photoshop Elements for fiber artists and sewing enthusiasts. 

If you ever want to learn to use your Adobe Photoshop program these are the ladies to meet. 

This summer I took a course online from Deb Cashett and Kris Sazaki - the Pixel Ladies.
I haven't taken a course like this ever before. Geared to Artists but really for anyone they made it fun and informative.

The price could not be beat either...

I took a web design course at a local school several years ago. I paid more and it was absolutely useless. The teacher was horrible and self inflated.

But Deb and Kris were professional, fun and gave feedback promptly and patiently.

Pixel Ladies Class where I learned to cut out sections of a design from a fabric and re arrange it into something else

The format is by video lessons and by pfd workbook. You work on your assignments and post to the classroom site. You have access to the other students in the forum and their questions and work,

They have several courses to offer at different times of year. And you can learn to use Adobe on your PC or Mac because Kris uses one and Deb the other.

My only down comment is be prepared if you want to get full use out of the course it is a time commitment. Sure you can watch the information and read it too but if you don't do the work you won't learn it. And it is a lot of information over 4 weeks. I spent several hours on each lesson.

Moe our dog posterized

I really liked being to watch the video's over and over again just to see what I didn't get the first time.
I did write notes as I went.

The classroom is open for 6 months so you can re watch videos etc, but the feed back only goes on for the stated 4 weeks.

Fussy cutting out a flower and applying a filter. 

The potential is great to use these skills in my work. And it was just plain fun. 

Pixel Ladies Blog

Check them out!

Jo

Working in a group....

There are many ways to work in a group...

You can join a guild, you can join a club that has similar interests etc.

I currently belong to two quilt guilds which are filled with fun creative women. I haven't actually made it to either one this fall due to work schedules and how my fibro has been but I do love seeing the pictures on Facebook.

I belong to one once a month stitch group and those ladies are good for the soul. They make me laugh! I have made it to most of those days.

Then there is the Tiara Club as my husband and I have dubbed it. It is where I go to talk about my latest obsession my Baby Lock Tiara!

Last year I joined with 3 other artists to get together to expand, explore and create. We have been meeting regularly to share our own art, learn from each other and have done several collaborations.

We named ourselves the Fabrigos. The name came about while we were having one of our collaborative brain storming sessions. We love fabric, we have become Amigos and we love adventures.

Now we have started a blog to share what we are doing and to document our journey. I hope you will drop by and visit our blog, leave a comment and share in our adventure. You can find our blog

Fabrigos - The Journey of Four Artists and Their Fiber Art Adventures

at http://fabrigos.blogspot.ca

I hope you will drop by and see what we have been up too! We have great fun and it is an inspiration to be with these friends and artists.

Each group works in a different way but is so giving and forgiving. If you ever find yourself in such a group enjoy! If you don't have a group start one! And if you don't enjoy the group.... do yourself a favour and find another. 

Jo