What to do when you aren't feeling well...

I was sick yesterday. It is my usual day off and Tuesdays are my play days so that was a really sad for me, but I just can't lay in bed all day, so I carved stamps. This one I call my swirly one. Great and imaginative name, right? What can I say my head hurts! This one is carved using the crumply ereaser material from Speedball. They have two different types of carving blocks, this one which isn' t the best, and another, which is great (it is pink). I will come back later and give the actual names for reference.

Stewart Gill Deep Etched Stamps

I have been playing with Stewart Gill paints since Christmas and love them. They also sell a "deeply etched" rubber stamp and I really wanted to try it. When stamping on fabric, it is hard to get a really detailed stamp to work on fabric, and they claimed that this one would. Well, being me, I wanted to see for myself, and I am so pleased with the results. It passed with flying colors. For those in the States who would like to check into this line of paints, try http://artistcellar.com/. Liz is very nice. I recommend the Byzantine line, metallica, and Pearlized ( get their whites - they are awesome). They are by far my favorite. Although there Colourize line is very nice, I have a large inventory of Golden Acrylics and don't see why I should buy two lines! I just ordered their embossing powders and flakes. This is painted and stamped directly onto timtex.

Plexiglass Etched Cat

Here is a cat that I etched. I do like it and would like to add different colors to it. My only problem is that I think it looks like the lady who does that cat fabric. I think her name was Lauren Burch. I will have to google her and see.

Etching on Plexiglass

I am taking another printmaking class. This was etched with a sharp object into plexiglass then printed. I didn't work from a sketch but just started doodling. My life drawing teacher would probably cringe at the out of proportion features - maybe it gives it character.

Vessel panel two

This is another side of the vessel.

Fiberella Workshop Vessel

This past Friday was my birthday. I gave myself a two day workshop with "Fiberella". It was wonderful. Here is one side. I wasn't too happy with the look but I do like the idea. I ended up using some Stewart Gill paints on it also. That was another birthday present. What great paints! I bought them from Liz at the Art Cellar.

Urchin Bead

I just spent the last three days at Beadazzles a bead store here in Atlanta taking classes with Marcia DeCoster. This is one of the components for the Urchin lariet. It was great fun. I also took her free-form bracelet. Marcia is an incredibly creative bead designer. Her designs are unique and her teaching inspiring! She is coming back next year and I can't wait! Take a look at her website www.marciadecoster.com.

Also in the class was one of my favorite people, Annie Hess. I met Annie a few years ago when I took her doll class, Twisted Sister. The great news is that Alice at Beadazzles is having her back to teach a mixed media necklace in October of this year. I will try to get a picture posted soon. I STRONGLY recommend this class, it will be wonderful!

Experiments with Golden Acrylic Gels and Mediums

Following are some experiments I am working through on combining acrylic collage techniques and fiber/art quilts. I have to run now, but will return this afternoon and put in "descriptions" of techniques. If you have ever tried anything similar, please email me. I would love to hear other people's experiences and do's/don'ts.

Thanks, Sharon

Experiment with Golden's metallic flake mediums

Experiment with gels and tissue paper collage

Using Fiber paste and then stitched

Using Embossing Powders

I Love To Sew at Atlanta Sewing Center

Next Saturday, January 12th, I am demonstrating fiber bowls at the Atlanta Sewing Center on Barrett Pkwy for their "I Love To Sew" program. The demo starts at 10 am. These are two of the samples that I made. It should be a lot of fun. They are super easy!

New Lino Block to Carve

In some cultures, there are deities that are kept around for protection. They are fierce looking beings to scare off bad things and "evil". I am creating my very own "Protector" for 2008. He is based on an Indian (as in India) deity. I haven't finished designing the rest of the background and as soon as I do, I will carve the lino block. When he is finished, I will have to find a name for him!

Finished print

I finished carving my block and pulled a few prints! It turned out much better than I thought it would. I have already started drawing on my next! Unfortunately, I do back to work tomorrow (oh, no) and will not have the time that I have had in the past two weeks to work. The good news is Utreck Art Supply is very close to my office and I can run out at lunch and get more printmaking paper as well as more Golden's Gel medium!

A second smaller acrylic painting

I started this much smaller canvas (5 x 5) at the same time as the larger one. I really like what is happening on it.

Same painting, Phase two

Okay, this is the same painting as in the last entry, but I have added a few more layers - maybe ten???!!! I haven't decided which end is up yet or what the focus point will be. I am thinking of adding some lutrador pieces to it as the focus, but not sure how that would work.

May Everyone have a wonderful 2008!

It is January 1st. 2007 wasn't the best year for me. I rarely go in to "life details" on my blog, but as this is the new year, I decided it was appropriate. I have been sooo sick this past year. I was diagnosed with Graves Disease two years ago and have been looking for a "natural" solution; unfortunately, I have only let it get much worse. I have zero energy and zero tolerance for B.S. I have gained almost 30 pounds (also not great for my health) and am just generally blue! I am not a blue person. At first I kept thinking it was just the universes way to bring balance. I needed to see this side of life to reach even greater happiness. Well, I am not buying that anymore. I am taking charge of my happiness again and will really spend 2008 on me! I am probably going to have my thyroid removed or "fried" permanently soon. I am going to focus on my needs and not worry about the "should's" of life. I am also going to try not to over commit my time (this is definitely the hardest for me). I am truly blessed with a wonderful husband who truly is filled with unconditional love and I am so grateful for him. I have two great boys 14 and 18; they are truly nice kids but still teenage boys and therefore a handful. Jamie just not his acceptance at University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. He hasn't applied anywhere else, but says he is still planning on it.

The picture is a canvas I am working on in acrylics. I have decided to spend more time on painting this year too (along with the printmaking). I am hoping that ideas will be able to flow more easily from the different mediums. This painting is being built up in layers. At the time this picture was taken it only has about three layers.

I made this piece last week. It is an example for a class that I am working up on Experimental Quilting techniques for Tiny Stitches. The class will be on ongoing class on "non-traditional stitching and surface design techniques. The one part that really didn't work out as well as I wanted is the word "Magic" that I stenciled. I really wanted it to be a more pronounced element.

I have enrolled in a printmaking class at Chastain Art Center starting next week. I haven't done any printmaking in a few years and am very excited. I took a few printmaking classes in college and have always loved it. In true "Sharon-ness", I couldn't wait to get started and free-hand drew this relief block print. I thought it was fun. Of course, drawing it is only part of it and now I have to carve it (which has where I make my mistakes) now. I took the picture just in case I really screw it up! Of course, the idea is bring the printmaking back to fiber. I have also spent the holidays working with acrylic paint on canvas. I will post some of those pictures later.

Journal Quilt 2007

This was my submission for the Journal Quilt Project 2007. It really doesn't photograph well as it is such a dark background. It is about renewal/rebirth. when I get it back I will post a close up of the background which was some "complex" imagery worked in.

Do You Believe?

One of the art groups that I belong to, Fiber Art Fusion, a contempary fiber art and quilting group, had a holiday exchange of a 5 x 7 piece of art. This was my piece. I had so much fun making it. The backgroup is painted lutrador which I burnt out the flower/star shape. Next, I fused angelina behind the lutrador to show through the holes. I spent the day at Rubber Stamp Fantasy on the Saturday before this was due. RubberStamp Fantasy is owned by one of our members Deb Taratoot (I think that is how you spell it) and her husband. Although they do have classes there, they will stop and give you a personal "lesson/demonstration" in almost any of their products. One of the things that he showed me that day was using this paste/sludge compound. It was wonderful as I love adding texture to my work. After it was dry, I colored it with soft pastels and then Shiva Paint sticks. The flowers were done using water soluable fabric and thread. The fairy is a little clay piece that I picked up years ago.

My inspiratation for this piece was my friend Rebecca's 7 year old daughter, Sarah, who is in reality a fairy princess! May her magic live on!

My friend Hellenne is also a silk painter. The other day I asked her if she had any "mistakes" that she might give to me. This yellow scarf has some blue/green spots and it is one of a few which she thought she couldn't use. I used some beautiful orange wool and nuno felted areas to create a textured scarf. Several of Hellenne's scarves are on display at the Chastain Art Show and Sale.

Felted Vessel

Here is one of my felted vessels. I am going to create a dozen felted flowers to go into it! It really was easy and fast. My only complaint is that I put some red silk hankies which didn't show up nearly as much as I hoped!

Creating Art Clay in Carmen's Kitchen!

Here we are going to town in Carmen's kitchen! What fun and how much fun!

Art Clay Play Day!

I belong to an "Art Bee" as part of our local quilt guild, East Cobb Quilt Guild. Each month one of us "leads" the group in a new technique. This month it was Carmen's turn and we played with art clay. I haven't had time to paint them put what great embellishments!

Marble resist felted scarf

Here I am working on shape and texture with resists in feltmaking.

So I really need a new camara!!!! The colors are completely wrong. The flower is really golden with red and purple highlights.

Blue Nuno Felted scarf - finished

Blue Nuno felted scarf in process

Hand dyed silk in preparation for Nuno Felting

I dyed some silk last night so that I can experiment some more with nuno felting. Actually, the red on the right is scrim, then a silk scarf (I got it from Dharma), then the next three are a heavy silk organza. I used the blue one second from the left for my first experiment. I have done nuno felting before, but I saw some gorgeous stuff at SAFF and feel inspired.

Okay, maybe not the "prettiest" necklace ever, but kind of cool, maybe??? Actually, it is too close to being a deviation from a Lori Flood necklace, so I am going to keep working! I was also thinking about adding some beaded dangles to it. I would take any suggestions! Sharon

And two more! Actually there are about three more which I didn't take pictures! I am finally starting to slow down. I have made two or three scarves everyday this week. Now I just have to find a place to sell them.

Here is another flower that I felted. Isn't it pretty!

Another scarf!

I did this one last night. I wanted to do another Airy Fairy scarf in more mottled colors. I used Gale Evans' space dyed wool. It is Blue Face and felted pretty easily. The colorway is called "Potluck". www.galesart.com

Isn't it lovely! I am going to lunch with my friend Heidi Miracle and will come home to felt a little more!!!!

I just finished this scarf today. I bought the wool and silk hanky from Lori Flood at SAFF (Southeast Animal Fiber Festival). She has instructions on using silk hankies in your felting on her website. She has wonderful dyed wool bats and roving. www.spinstertreadle.com
For this scarf, I used a bat and some silk hanky. I have never used bat for a scarf before and it turned out slightly uneven in places - just another thing to work on.

While I was at SAFF, the amazing Lori Flood had a great vendor's booth there. She did a demo on making felted flowers. As soon as I got home I had to do my own and here is my first attempt. I thnk that by the end of the week, I will definitely have a whole bouquet!!!! Next year, I hope she will teach at SAFF. (Lori, I hope you are listening!)

Here are two more scarves I made and a hat! I can't tell you what a great time I had. Chad is an amazing teacher and I learned so much. I also bought her new book, Fabulus Felted Scarves which she wrote with Jorie Johnson.
While I was up there, I was able to reconnect with an old friend from Tokyo! I hadn't seen her in almost 20 years. We took our first quilting class together. She is a wonderful person and it was great to see her again.

I just spent three days just outside of Asheville at the Southeast Animal Fiber Festival. It does sound funny and yes, there were many animals: sheep, angora goats, llamas, alpacas, and rabbits. Although they were all very cute and yes, I want one but I spent all of my time in the vendor and classroom areas. I took four classes from Chad Alice Hagen. What a blast! This is one of the scarves I made!

Yes, this is a weird post. I am going to the Southeast Animal Fiber Festival in Asheville this coming weekend. For the most part, I am going for felting and looking at roving wool.

This is the runner up to send to Wonder-fil for Houston. The flower has petals that go over the border.

I am sending this to the nice people at Wonder-fil Speciality Threads. The picture isn't the best, but it was a lot of fun to make.

What happened to September? I don't remember it! Work was crazy (I work three days a week at Georgia Tech) with the beginning of the semester. Home life was crazy with getting the kids (a 14 and 18 year old) back to school, with one starting high school and the other finishing it (a senior). I also had three quilt deadlines! I had one due for the local quilt guild (East Cobb Quilt Guild) which had an extremely successful show and I co-chaired vending! Then my art quilt group, Fiber Art Fusion, had a show locally - also, a great success! Last but not least, journal project quilts were due to Houston last week. The good news is all three quilts were delivered on time. I can't post the journal quilt until after Houston. Oh yeah, forgot to take a picture any way. I really wanted to post something. This is one of my assignments for my C&G course that I am taking with Design Matters. I needed to start a color collection and needless to say this is "Purple".

But, as I was saying I went to Nashville with my friend Hiedi Miracle (www.crazyforcolor.blogspot.com) and we met Rebecca Reasons Edwards there. There really weren't a lot of quilts there though, but I did enjoy the special exhibit, "Expressions". I had thought about submitting something to it but (of course) didn't seem to get my piece finished in time! Basically, Nashville was just an excuse to get a lot of quilters to come and shop. This really wasn't a problem to me as I loved it! You of the big "finds" of the show was a couple of great artists, Debbie Bates, Liz Kettle, and Terry White. They were in the WonderFil Specialty Thread booth. Debbie and Liz wrote a book (which I bought) Stitch Journeys and I think are the wholesalers here for WonderFil Threads. I really loved the look of their threads and purchased quite a bit of it. I am going to play with it in my Journal Quilt that I am working furiously on for Houston. Terry White was demonstrating the threads and how where they cool. She has several videos out on thread painting and I bought one and can't wait to get into it. She was so talented!

Another view of my very messy studio! I am blessed that I have a large workspace. I love my stuff!

I left my extremely messy studio this weekend to go to Nashville and see the AQS show. How can I even move around in there, well, it takes creativity!

This is my thread purse. It started out as a vase, but I think it is turning into a purse. It is done with a water soluble a little wool roving and several spools of thread. I am going to try and get a friend to take a close up photo. I love thread painting.

Here is my Hope quilt, I haven't decided what to call it yet. either, "You are not alone" or "The Dark Night of the Soul". I like the basic design, but still think that I should have spent a little more time in the design phase. It doesn't look finished!