still working!

Even though I have no studio right now, for a good reason!! I'm still stitching! Working on my stitched landscape series:


Cold and barren ouside!

Warm and stitchy inside!

I'm am also endeavoring to incorporate text into the pieces, both with machine and paper, prose and poetry...

All right! What are you working on?

love

If you celebrate it, Happy Valentine's Day. I wish you love in your life.

finished!

Well, at least 2 of them! These began as part of 'crazy quilting revisited" group, organized by Jude. Now they are on their way to here..starting in March! For sale!

Balm of Gilead:

Hand sewn, with cotton, wool and floss, hand and machine quilted, and mounted on canvas. 12x12" signed on the back.

A voice in the wilderness:

Hand and machine stitched, and quilted, embroidery floss, cotton and wool fabric, paper and yarn. Mounted on canvas.. 12x12"

These are going to be in APW gallery in NYC, starting in March.."World of Imagination" exhibit.

small stitches

A few smallish items that have been on the table:
These are some handmade cards made from left over scraps I've had in the scrap pile. It was really fun sewing through paper, then a little hand stamping for embellishment..


Once people know you are a sewer, you inherit a lot of stuff, which is very nice. I have a whole lot of lace, seam binding and trims..

Here's a little wool felt pin cushion. What fun this was to make. Except squares are pretty hard to sew..

Happy Friday!

some knitting

some Monday sunshine, and some finished knitting..I love these yarns soo much. One is a hand-dyed mohair that is soft soft, from Tintangel farm, and the other is Colinette giotto, I think the colorway was 'monet'.. edged with leaf green worsted. Moss stitched shawl that may or may not be a gift for someone!!

cleaning out

While cleaning out my studio space getting ready for the big construction deal down there, I found these from Jude's 'what iffing' group. I like the free thinking that goes on there, trying, retrying, throwing away rules and experimenting with formats and techniques. I would like to continue with these pieces, still keeping the small-ish format. Amazing what one finds when doing a bit of tidying..

Speaking of amazing, Selene's clothing blows my mind...

ice

We finally had some snow fall yesterday, unfortunately, I can't find my camera! These are from a few days ago at the Rappahannock river. Muted winter colors, gray, white, brown..subtle and simple..cold and crisp.

old things

It occurs to me how much old stuff I have around. Old books, old cups, old furniture. I guess I'm a 'past' person, rather than a 'future' person. All though, I like some technology..computer for example! I've been watching "Wuthering Heights" on PBS last week and this week, and at one point Cathy starts talking about how she wished she were a girl again, and Heathcliff a boy. Simpler, slower times, happy times. I guess we edit out some of the crud we went through as kids. Just remember the good stuff..

more

A little larger picture of the sea... about 24x36"..and has just been accepted into show! Yay! I am trying to take more pictures out and about. We really live in a very historical town, many old homes and buildings around..I just can't seem to point my camera at those, rather than the ground, or dirt or trees or water, wonder why?

by the sea

I've taken some better pictures of some recent works..this is hand and machine stitched, appliqued,, beaded and couched.. a detail shot

a frozen river

Pretty amazing to see the Rappahannock frozen. Yet no snow..

orange county, ca

Is where I grew up in S. Cal. There were actual orange groves there at the time (70's-80's) but now not so much.


I am enjoying this landscape format I've been doing lately. It's a sort of painterly way to work with fabric. Not too controlled or stiff..

This is 12x12" and hand and machine stitched, with fabric, floss and beads. The smaller scale is a personal challenge going on with me lately too..

the sea

hmm, I see these pictures aren't too hot, well, that's what I get for waiting until 9pm to do something!
Anyway, this is an attempt to evoke the feel of the tide pool/ocean life without getting too literal, ie., fishies, sharkies etc.. I, on purpose picked colors and forms a little off the blue/green/aqua (ok, I had to put in some aqua..) scheme of things.

Many different techniques here, machine stitching, hand stitching, yo-yo's, beading, applique, over-dyed lace and fabric (very fun to do)..

I promise better pictures here of the latest, soon. Really.

Sunday

I was tagged by lovely Monatka, who does the most wonderful things with fiber and felt, in Inverness, Scotland, no less, on 5 things I love every day..

1. I try and pray each and every day. Love stems from this.
2. Coffee is a must, I like it very strong.
3. Art in just about every form or fashion is always on my mind. I've taken to carrying a small sketch pad, just so I can 'get it out' of my head..
4. I love how each and every day is new. The saying is true, things that are monumental in the night, are usually in perspective in the morning. (See #1)
5. Music is always a part of my day. I like all of it. Really..well just about..

I will tag Jackie , Kayla , and Annie Their style and their blogs knock me out!

seaside stitching

I'm working on this stitchery of a landscape, again, one of 3 I've got going, this one is done with machine and hand couching of fabric and floss. I love embroidery floss of all kinds. I wish it came 1,2 or 3 strands on a spool, though..the separating gets tiresome. *whine*

This is from some photos I took while at the beach last year, and transferred to my sketch book..

The pictures with the flash look a little better than without, I usually have the thing off..

camera shy

not too fond of pictures, but.. I was at a nice dinner.. I hadn't realized the camera was clicking..

ha, and I notice my son trying to engage in the teenage conversation at the other end..

silence

Deco's are down, out with the japanese stuff. This is an older cotton obi sash, with a nice ceramic bowl..

quiet

Well, school's back in session, so I can ease off the 5am work start. If I don't get distracted. I am happy to have the quiet back, though..I think better.

I am contemplating a big camera upgrade, I think I enjoy the picture taking a lot more than I used to..

These are two separate pieces, that I'm working on. The top is a landscape quilt/fiber piece that's a lot of couched down fabric and embroidery embellishment. I've used the machine on some of it too. These things tend to come in 3's..interesting. Maybe I'm used to thinking in series form, which I love.

The one below is a horizontal landscape the top 1/2 done with strips of fabric sewn and folded down. The bottom 1/2 is again, couched down and then is getting heavily embellished w/floss and beads. Some dyed scrim in there too..

There's another one going on w/underwater elements in it..more pic's coming..

Hope you have a creative week!

a stitched landscape

I've noticed that trees crop up in the majority of things I do. Maybe it's because I'm surrounded by them, or they represent a lot of steady, living things to me, but there they appear, often. This is a machine/hand stitched piece that going on, trying to incorporate the feel of nature, and the meaning of the steadiness of trees..the Methuselah tree, perhaps.

no excuses

When I go for a project, I go for it. The fabric, thread, needles (watch out!) fly without reserve. I am not a neat person. God bless those of you who are. I am not.

I like music when I create too..loud. So I wear the headphones..


I like to go for the gusto too, I don't work on one project at a time, I have a lot going on at once. It doesn't bother me to have a lot of unfinished projects, it's ok..

No excuses, I pull fabric, let it fall, reject, edit as I go. I should refold and store after I do something but I don't..

I work in our basement, I like it that way, I hope to have walls by the end of 2009..

A happy New year, and a wonderful 2009 to all..

black

I've been bad about taking pictures of done projects, which was the whole point of doing this blog! Will work on that. Anyway, I've found black particularly difficult to photograph. This is a small 1/2 scarf, which snuggles around just the neck. Secured with a button. A combo of manos yarn, and lighter weight black acrylic..

quiet

after a snow fall..

{december views}

Rejoice!

image by May Smith


I wish you all the peace, joy and love that this one infant brought to the world. Merry Christmas.