The word I drew from my word jar yesterday was Cycle. I started by pulling a bunch of green fabric scraps. The idea of “cycle” just made me think of green for a bunch of reasons. For one, when I am out cycling these days there is SO much pretty green trees and plants. My allergies don’t care for it much but I love  looking at all the beautiful green. As much as it rains here, and I get tired of all the rain, it still makes our area so lush and beautiful. Another reason that green came to mind is the idea of cycles meaning growth and the seasons. Right now we are in the growing, green season. My garden is filled with green.

Then I cut all the green into circles. Circles make me think of my tire wheels… that are part of my bicycle. Also the idea of a cycle is that it comes back around from start to finish, so a circle is the perfect symbol for it.

After I laid out the circles I decided they should become pea pods. The peas are one of the main crops I can harvest right now so there are lots of them around. But I was also thinking about the protective shell around the peas. I am in a fun, but sometimes difficult cycle of my year right now. As a teacher I have the summer to reflect, relax and rejuvenate. But without any structure I tend to get lost and antisocial and even depressed. This year I am  working on creating a protective shell around myself and my goals to provide some structure.

Using beads, ribbon and trim I grouped the circles into some pea pods. I added some buttons too as little peas within some bigger ones. I also like how the white trim with the green sequins ended up looking like a bike chain.

I meant for this to be a quick one day per word type challenge. More of a doodle art starter type thing. But I really enjoy hand sewing/beading work, which takes a lot longer. I am thinking actually that this might meld into my Beaded journal Project piece, since I am behind on those and really this is pretty much the same idea as the BJP.

Sometimes it is hard for me to decide when a piece is done, when to stop adding to it.  But I feel good about this one. Although I still have to figure out how I want to ‘finish’ it for display purposes. That part seems to hold up a lot of my pieces, so they end up just sitting around in piles in these not ready to display states.

The Beaded Journal Project has begun again. The third round of this amazing project begins with January 2010 and will end in December. The goal is to make a beaded work of art that is a visual journal representing that month. You can read more about the project at the website. This year there are hundreds of people participating. I am part of blog #3 along with 100 others.

So this is my January page in progress. Last year, I did alter style pages that were big (8″x 10″) and an odd size, which is making it difficult to finish them off in a professional looking manner. But it will be done, eventually! Meanwhile I move on. This year I thought about a doll shape either flat or 3-D. But I decided that would be pushing it again. Last year was really my first exposure to beading and it was a wonderful challenge. I decided on a small (4″x6″) size and a basic postcard shape. I learned quite a few things from Robin in her class, so these are not multiple layers with batting (like last year’s, which added to the complication of finishing.) Instead just a simple piece of paper backs the fabric.

I chose “Journey” for my guiding word for 2010, so these pages will hopefully be in tune with that word as well. But I have also been very interested in the tree as a symbol lately. I like the idea of growth, the protection of bark, the stability of roots, and even the element of annual life, death, hibernation and rebirth. This month’s page represents that symbol.

I still have quite a bit that I want to do on this page, but it is moving along smoothly.

cathedral window quilt, originally uploaded by hyena-in-petticoats.

Not that I need a new sewing project to start… but this is amazingly cool looking and the tutorial makes it not too hard looking. I have never seen a Cathedral Window Quilt before, but really love the rounded shapes. I also like the quilt as you go, no backing needed, idea.

I discovered this tutorial, after following a blog link from a comment here on my site. Sophia Aster commented on my ugly quilt post, where she had followed a link from my comment on the Quilting Gallery’s Ugly Quilt Contest (where I regret not entering my doggie car quilt) I just love the paths that the internet can take you on.

Maybe once I am done with rearranging my studio I will take on a little pillow using this technique. It will have to be all my doggie prints for the color parts.

I wish I had known about this contest in time to enter! I would have totally entered my doggie car scrap quilt. As much as I love it and it is perfect for the use I intended, however it is UGLY!

You can see more details of the different blocks in this set. Funny, because I think some of the quilts in this contest are very nice! Too bad, I could have won some good prizes with this ugly thing!

Although slowly

Pictured above is MAY in progress. I did a really cool doodle at art camp in April. Then I scanned it in and printed it on fabric, now I am beading it using some new techniques I got from one of Robin’s books I ordered.

Pictured above is APRIL in progress. Experimenting with some different ways to make flowers. I did get to start gardening very early this year. These two months are focused on that idea.

Neither is close to being done and I still haven’t really done anything with March. Now it is already time to start June. Luckily, school is almost out and I will have lots of time to catch up on these.

At first, I thought I had NO purple beads. I was very upset and immediately went online to order some. Then I found enough to add to my landscape quilt for the Art Quilt Explorations with Jane LaFazio. Her landscapes are very cool. I do like the ones with trees and might do a second one that way to see how it comes out. Now she does not bead her work, but I have been so into the beading lately that I just couldn’t see this landscape without some.

It is finished. The completed quilt is 9X12″ and has a hanging sleeve on the top binding to hang with a wooden dowel. Lots of beads, trim and a variety of fabrics. The purples are terribly hard to photograph. I finally got this one with some natural daylight, but it still does not show the richness of the colors and the variety of textures. I am totally in love with how this came out. Purple really is a royal color. I probably need to come up with a more regal name for it.

Next I am doing my February Beaded Journal Page in this same fashion. But I am going to wait for my new beads to arrive and I still need to finish up my January page!

(Can you tell I am on vacation?)

Our second assignment in the Joggles Class, Art Quilt Explorations with Jane LaFazio, is to make a Molas inspired felt quiltie. I haven’t really done much with felt in my own art. Seems like a grade school type medium. Although I have to admit that I LOVE Gwen LeBlanc’s felt creations. So I was pleasantly surprised at how fun and easy a mini felt quilt was to create.

After cutting out and placing the felt pieces in my studio, I went down to the living room to stitch. I finally had a great medium to try out some of the stitches in Sharon B’s Stitch Dictionary. So I went through alphabetically until I found a stitch that both looked easy enough and looked like it would fit my spirals. I used the Threaded Back Stitchin between my blue felt spiral, with blue and white floss. Then I used the Chain butterfly stitchon one of my spirals with blue and yellow floss. Sewing with embroidery floss on felt is so easy these stitches were a cinch. Of course it helps that Sharon has step-by-step with pictures!

I also discovered that my local library now has free downloadable audio books. So I have been listening to Inkheart while stitching! Much better than having on the endless news or other TV garbage as background.

purple sunset WIP 0214, originally uploaded by Charger’s Mommy.

Happy Valentine’s Day…

Not a big holiday for me, but I am on Mid-winter break as well so celebrating with some art time, finally!

This is the first lesson from a joggles class I am taking.
Art Quilt Explorations with Jane LaFazio

My friend Diane was posting her work from the class and I was so impressed I decided to take the class too. This will be my first time taking an online class from Joggles, so I plan to post a lot of comments and progress throughout. I am currently waiting for my forum account to be approved so I can post there.

I decided instead of a traditional grass and dirt colored landscape, that I wanted to do a sunset style color theme. Mostly because I wanted to use purple!  So after grabbing a bunch of fabrics from my stash, I went on flickr to look for some purple sunset pictures for inspiration.

Here are a few that I found:

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakig/83831975
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/43057840@N00/133554091
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/43057840@N00/401737386
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/tampics/4636651

Then I went back to my ironed pile to place them in a fashion that looked good to me. Next I did some satin stitching and fancy styles to hold the layers together. Now I am going to go add trim and beads and embroidery floss.

I have several other projects on board for this 5 day ‘weekend’ mostly for EBSQ shows. So expect to see a lot from me in the coming days.

I still need to get a February page started for the beaded journal project. I am thinking of making a duplicate of this but in my alter shape… we shall see!

Vicki featured my dress doll form  in her regular Fiber Field trip feature. Cool!
thanks Vicki!

I started with this photo taken a couple of years ago.

Then I played with some filters in photoshop…
   

Then I layered some sheer white fabric over some printed white, along with some other sheer colored fabrics in places. I began the free-motion sewing to thread paint the lines.

This is what I have so far and I am not totally happy with it yet, so I will continue to play with it until I feel like it is done. Then add a border and backing.

It will also include my focus word of the year, which is ~drumroll please~

Vibrancy!

But for now, my doggie is upset that I have been in the studio for so long, so I must tend to him.

HAppy New Year!