APRIL SKINNY.......

This is the front and back of the skinny I made for Trudi for April! As I've mentioned previously I opted to go with a theme of the months for my skinny swap.

April is made of such wonderful things

Sunbeams and tulips and butterfly wings

The background is an original digital of part of a butterfly. The fabric was then stamped and sprayed with some colour wash.

The wing is dimensional and is raised off the surface. It was created using free motion machine embroidery and various layers of polyester fabrics then burned to melt the layers and create a new fabric. This is how it started out.

Enjoy your weekend and

GET READY TO CELEBRATE STARTING ON MONDAY!

WITHDRAWALS........

I mentioned last week I had been practicing stitches on my machine. Here is one of my samples! It is cotton batting sandwiched between a layer of white cotton. Stitches use either two threads in the needle or variegated threads. Will be practicing more BUT

I am going through withdrawals - my sewing machine is in for tune-up so I am machine less for a week! I did haul out my Singer featherweight which I have not used in ages so will be doing a bit with this but am restricted as it is straight stitch only. Having said this, I really love the way these old Singer's run - smooth stitching.....

I remember the day my Mom came home all excited that she had picked up a featherweight - I was totally unaware she had been looking for one and had no idea what a featherweight was!!! I would have been in my late teens, early 20's at that point (many moons ago) and not into sewing so couldn't appreciate either her excitement or enthusiasm. I sure do NOW!!!!

This looks like mine. It tucks into a little suitcase......

COLORADO IN AUGUST.......

The last couple of days I have been quite busy not DOING much art but THINKING about doing art, organizing travel arrangements etc. I'm off to Colorado in August to KC Willis' studio where Judy Wilkenfeld is teaching a 3 day workshop entitled "Just In Case"! I have wanted to take a class with Judy for some time and this works out perfectly! You can find out about this workshop as well as others here!

This is a sample of the sort of book we will be constructing! Want to come????

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MORE MAIL......

Last week I also received my April skinny from Viola in Germany! Didn't she do a fantastic job. "Fairy of Love" has all kinds of muslin, trims, laces etc. in greens which just happens to be the colour all the walls are painted in the main floor of the house! I love it Viola! She also sent me along two ATC's, a label and some lace motifs which will look wonderful in some of my future textile collages..... Thank you Viola!

Thank you to everyone who commented on my beautiful bird nest yesterday.

Since I was so eager to get my post up yesterday morning, I realized I had forgotten to mention about my weekend. I didn't do much in the way of art but did manage to copy all of my digital kits onto CD's for backup purposes - just in case!

Our house exterior was sanded and prepped for painting on Friday. Painting started yesterday morning but regretfully the weather has put a "damper" on things so will resume again later in the week.

BIRD'S NEST.......

I've got mail! I am very excited to share with you today some of the wonderful mail I received last week. Vicki makes the most incredible fiber bird's nests. I first saw one of these nests on Dawn's blog at The Feathered Nest (who else!!!) and I simply couldn't resist. Vicki has used a vast array of fibers with an overall "fuzzy" effect. I love it Vicki - thanks so much!

It's been my week for mail so more to share tomorrow.....

I have been experimenting with some small ATC textile collages of late. This one entitled "Angel" has a new home with Terri! I sent it to her some time ago and think I forgot to post a photo of it so here it is!

The photo below is an experiment from an article I read. It is threads and bits sandwiched between layers of saran wrap then stitched. I used some of this in one of my corsets I did last year for the corset swap. Quite different.

Hope all of you enjoy your weekend!

I played in the studio yesterday continuing my experimentation with sewing machine stitches. I did manage to finish another simple binder cover with some leftover commercial fabric. Edges are satin stitched with a fuzzy yarn fringe. I didn't do any embellishing on the cover as this one will be in my office.

I spend quite a bit of time online and want to mention how much inspiration I find from ALL OF YOU! Last year I came across an excellent site in the UK called Colouricious! Why not stop by for a visit as they are now offering wonderful DVD's for the fiber artist. Enjoy!

As spring continues here on the west coast, I am going to start sharing some photos of what is growing in the garden. I would love to hear and SEE what is growing in your garden! I don't have much in bloom at this time of the year. Daffodils have come and gone and I should start to see some asiatic lillies blooming within the next several weeks. So far, only foliage.

A quick trip to the sewing store yesterday and picked up some variegated threads in varying weights. Am experimenting with two threads in the needle and decorative stitches.

I have been researching purchasing a new sewing machine. I want more decorative stitches than my current machine offers (Bernina Virtuosa). I would love to hear from any of you regarding the type of machine you have and if you like it. Do any of you own an Elna 7200? Any a Husqvarna Designer Diamond? I can't believe how much choice there is out there! Enjoy your day.....

FLOWER POWER....

That Roben-Marie is so talented! She posts fabulous video tutorials. Last month she posted a tutorial for making fabric flowers. You can find it here. I don't know about you but I have seen flowers such as the one she demonstrates but didn't really know how they were made. Her video came along and voila, there it was! Thank you Roben-Marie!

This is my version above. I have no doubt I'll be making more.....

It's raining today, a great art day!

ART CREATIONS FRIDAY

Over the weekend I visited Art Creations Friday which is a blog that offers weekly challenges. An image is posted and you use the image in your art. It can be any art form and any size. I don't frequently participate in challenges but found this image so appealing I just couldn't resist.

I attempted to design a piece digitally that I could possibly translate into a textile collage in the future but realized I need to scan some fabric bits so that's another project! This is designed as a skinny measuring 4x8 inches.

Digital products used are by Christina Renee Designs and Katie Pertiet.

Spring appears to be here with a mixed bag of both rain and sun over the weekend. Will be hitting the nursery this week for some annuals and likely plant next weekend if night temperatures remain warmer. Will see.....

Back tomorrow......

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!!!!!

Back in early March I was visiting Theresa at Faerie Moon Creations. Theresa was having an Alice A Day Giveaway in celebration of the release of Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" movie, which by the way I have not seen YET! Well her post inspired me to create something Alice. I completed the background that day and had it mostly done but couldn't find a suitable image. So, it remained a UFO until earlier this week.

Terri at Pringle Hill Studio posts AND SHARES the most wonderful PNG files! Last week she posted the perfect Alice image for my collage so I was able to complete it.

Thank you Theresa for the inspiration and Terri for my Alice!

I used a variety of digital products from Irene Alexeeva, Katie Pertiet, Lauren Baven and Christina Renee.

THRIFT FINDS!!!

Some recent thrift finds today! I haven't visited the thrift store for several weeks but did manage to pick these up recently. The brooches will come in handy to add to collages. I have an idea for the spoons so these are for experimentation and I have absolutely no idea what I'll do with the barometer?! It just looked cool.....

I am working on a larger project in the studio with a textured background and some hand stitching. Am hoping to have it finished within the next several days to share. Spring has arrived - the sun is out and it is relatively warm. If this keeps up, I'll be able to plant annuals within the next several weeks. I love gardening season......

I was playing! I started out with a piece of hand dyed fabric and a file folder with pockets inside as a template. I cut two pieces of cardboard to add stability and sandwiched these between the fabric, added pockets inside and satin stitched with fuzzy yarn around the edges. I think it is a lot more decorative than cardboard don't you!? I am going to use it to take to classes.....

I went into Vancouver for a shopping trip yesterday. Picked up some art supplies, fabric and managed a bit of browsing which I usually don't have time for as I end up on a tight schedule in order to manage catching the ferry. Today is a studio day - yeh!

This is a cuff I completed last week using Ruth Rae's techniques. The background is a dark red felt with layering of screen printed muslin, buttons, words and cheesecloth.

I worked in the studio for a short time yesterday. Also received some more mail so will have to get more photos.

Enjoy your day!

MAIL ARRIVED!

We had glorious weather over the weekend, especially yesterday. Looks as if spring has arrived. Look what arrived in the mail on Friday - ATC's from Gina! These are just lovely Gina, thanks so much for trading.

I also got a DVD workshop in the mail from Margaret Hubert. Margaret has designed and taught free form crochet (and knitting) for many years. Go check out her blog - lots of eye candy! I've crocheted in the past but free form has tweaked my interest again so am going to give it a go!

TELL ME A STORY

A new textile collage to share today! The collage measures approximately 5x7". Dyed muslin, cotton, laces and lots of bits from the scrap bin! I'm sorry to say I don't remember where I got this image. Quick trip to the city today then plan to spend the weekend in the garden and getting creative! Will see what comes up. Enjoy your weekend!

IT LOOKS A BIT STRANGE......

Do you have any idea what it is?

I was reading an article in one of my books that called for a "hairpin lace loom" recently. I had no idea what it was but just happened to ask at my local sewing store and low and behold, they had one! It was in a sale bin for $3.95 so couldn't resist at that price. Hairpin lace is a crochet technique using yarn and the loom. If you are interested, there are several videos on you tube describing the technique. Here is my attempt. I would use a more decorative yarn in the future, perhaps one with fuzzy bits. I can see potential with this!

More to share tomorrow........

Over the weekend I picked up an assortment of much needed sequins!

I have also been on the lookout for some time for some books with old/interesting covers for a future project. Picked these up at the thrift store.

Another thrift find! They always have a wool bin but usually not the really decorative stuff and seldom anything in white suitable for dyeing.
Not sure what I'll get up to today! It is raining so a good art day.....