as yet unbaptized continues

I wish I could have spent more time with this one today (but I spent most of the day picking computer cooties out of my main machine and am now trying to resuscitate my son's laptop.Guess I know where the trouble started).. It's coming to life stitch by stitch  but I think I'm starting to stop.

Those little dark green rectangles had to go and that patch of blue just demanded to participate. Keep reminding me that french knots, as design elements, should be left to the end, like beading - and don't remind me that I have about 15 pounds of beads in a tub somewhere in the studio.

Folks are starting to settle in for the Stupor Bowl - I may watch the commercials, then again, why suffer through a game I don't care for to watch commercials for products I won't buy. Jim just told me that the Who will be performing at half-time. I wonder if all of the hordes of CSI(insert city) fans know where their favorites shows theme music came from. Hoping for a medley....

(PS - Hurray for the underdog Saints, the Who and the Coke commercial with the Sleepwalker. )

afternoon light

Because I work from noonish to darktime I rarely get to enjoy the afternoon sun. Off today and the weather cooperated so I spent a quiet afternoon stitching with that great light over my shoulder. Makes one's tired old eyes happy.

Things are creeping out of the cloth.




This treat was in the mail today - a whole boodle of silk snips and bits. I have to find a good plastic contain because a lot of jostling around will reduce this beauties to bundles of thread. A gorgeous trove - thanks Melissa, for this wonderful gift.

stitching at the lavanderia

I'm going to the laundromat in a bit to wash all the blankets in the house - they are too big and too many for my washing machine and thanks for the hurk, Sweetie, and I plan on sitting in the sun and working these two.

I continue to go back and forth between these two as the mood moves me. If I finish a thread and no forward path jumps out at me, instead of dashing on and doing anything ill considered or altogether blind, I'll set it aside and take up the other one.

In both pieces I am hinting and layering images and find myself clipping off pieces of fabric to see what is getting buried, what could be revealed.

New month, new day

I'm torn between working on this current piece and taking advantage of the morning light to work in the studio getting pieces of dyed cloth ready for sale.  That stack up top is next. Colin will be shooting them today for me.






I keep finding things that I'm going to keep for myself.One in ten will be staying home.

This was a tablemopper that has a lot of gold metallic acrylic smears . Many of my most successful pieces have been based around the clean up rags!

It's a keeper and speaking to me of getting back to larger pieces, my bigger, louder (more natural) voice.

mad purple flannel

I just finished housekeeping in the store over at Random Acts of Dyeness. Took down all the sold pieces (everything shipped yesterday!) and put up some new ones. I've hoarded this luscious hunk of flannel for a long time and I'm finally letting it go. 

I've put the Preview photos here until I can finish posting. If you see something you like that's not got it's own post at the store, send me an Email  and I'll get it done with sizes, prices, etc. I'm also willing to cut a piece in half if it's too big, just let me know.


Speaking of hoarders..have you seen that show on A&E? Now that's  a car wreck I can't stop watching even as  I skeeve! The lady whose false teeth were under the debris with the dead cat was the freakin' limit.

more on the whitework

Working on this one has claimed me. I was sitting at a traffic light on the way to work and actually glanced at the sewing bag thinking about the 8 or 10 stitches I could manage before the light changes.  *slaps self*

I scored a huge Mountmellick tablecloth years ago with thoughts of hitting it with the rainbow but I could never quite bring myself to violate it's purity. Until just the other day, I never even noticed a tiny worn spot that probably got it  demoted to a "cutter" on Ebay. Here's a better look.
I wanted some white and decided to take another bite out of the corner. You'll be seeing a lot of this cloth in my work in the future and I'm sure some color will come into play eventually, for now it will have to pass for winter snow. So far I think we've had six flakes...not that I'm complaining but I still miss a New England winter even after all these years.

whitework to go

I'll be working a stretch of days coming up so I started a second "to go" piece last night. Darn thing kept me up late.   
Arlee and Jude have inspired me to some white work to balance out that other dark, intense thing that I'm working on but I'm lugging around about five pounds of threads.

break time

I spent the whole morning folding, sorting, measuring, photographing and posting these great big pieces of fabric for sale at Random Acts of Dyeness. These were pieces of cotton that I was dyeing back when I measured my work in feet rather than inches.

Then I took a break and sat in the sun for a while stitching with the help and I realized that I might not be the only one working smaller these days and wonder if I should be hacking all these acres of fabric into little sampler bundles? Take the whole inventory and feed it into an industrial shredder? Rip, tear and roll. When I was taking the pictures I kept spying little pieces of the whole that I wanted to cut out and keep, like this one:

EYE CANDY TUESDAY

While looking for something else, I came across the last batch of things that I dyed last summer. There are about 40 damask table napkins, most of them 20" square. The fact that they were ironed tells me I was hoarding them. I've pulled out the duplicates and will be posting them for sale at Random Acts of Dyeness.

cusspots found

Well these have been missing in action since the art fair back in October - the leftover cusspots that I was cranking out.  Still have a few undyed and half a cone of string so I know what I'll be working on today at work.     These were part of an early experiment in fiber Mummification. I wanted  them to feel like baskets so I dipped them in a water/matte medium mix, squeezed them out, shaped them by hand and let them dry.

There is something relaxing and reflexive about this kind of work. After a few, I start to wander from the original plan and get crazy. See that tail on the blue one?

a working Sunday

With youthful exuberance, Sweetie will draw blood no matter how quick you think you are.I couldn't resist adding those little touches of red in this piece - a little bloodshed has to happen when chaos reigns. Maybe I watch too many crime dramas on TV.

It's time to put this one to bed and start rounding up the fabric suspects for the next lineup.

I dumped out the two big baskets in the studio this morning and have put an almost dozen bundles of scraps up for sale on Random Acts of Dyeness.  I have to make room in the stash for new things, clear the decks to clear my palette.

as yet unbaptized....

...may become the title for this one. It's coming on fun but the color constraints are starting to irk me. I cut off a piece of screaming chartreuse from my rag tote last night and draped it here and there around the piece looking for a niche. No luck last night but that was far from the last word on the matter. It's a tattered piece of damask that wants to carry on. You can bet I'll oblige.



I got a response to the question of UV protective qualities of the Golden matte medium I am using on the mummies. Summed up - NO.. but Scott sent a raft of useful links and information:

Hello Deb,


Most acrylic mediums do not offer any UV filtering, as this requires special chemical additives. Both of our conservation grade varnishes do have UV filtering compounds in them, and one medium, Gel Topcoat with UVLS.


Gel Top Coat with UVLS:
http://goldenpaints.com/mixmoremedia/geltop.php


Our regular Matte Medium does not offer UV filtering.


Some of the confusion that arises in this regard, has to do with the fact that all acrylics are naturally UV resistant. This is sometimes touted as one of the attributes of acrylic, and is then sometimes confused with UV filtering capabilities. UV resistant means that the acrylic molecules are resistant to UV light and the various types of damage that UV light can have on many different materials. This is one of the main reasons that acrylic is used in so many coatings today, including most house paints.


Acrylic mediums can certainly hold fibers together, and can add a different surface. They can add a bit of water resistance, especially glossy sheened products, however, all fine art grade acrylic paints dry to films that are porous to water vapor and air, so they will not work to completely seal a material from moisture. In this regard, they may help to add a longer life to some materials, but they will not necessarily stop other factors from causing various forms of degradation. Oxygen is a major cause of some kinds of damage to materials, as are acids that might already be in the material. Things such as cardboard or newsprint will yellow and become brittle over time due to acids in the fibers. An acrylic medium will not stop this from happening.


Here are some links with more general information about acrylic, along with technical information about our varnishes, which may or may not be suitable for your fiber pieces:


Golden Acrylics on Fabrics:
http://goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/fabric.php


Aspects of Longevity of Oil and Acrylic Artist Paints
http://www.goldenpaints.com/justpaint/jp12article1.php


Will it Last?
http://goldenpaints.com/mixmoremedia/willitlast.php


Dont Fade Away article about msa uv testing on inkjet prints
http://www.goldenpaints.com/justpaint/jp14article2.php




Here is the varnish application literature :


http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/varnapp.php
http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/varnapp1.php


Here are the individual varnish product tech sheets:


http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/msavar.php
http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/archvarn.php
http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/solvcomp.php
http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/polvar.php


Creating a Brushable Isolation Coat - youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jS3Rjd5P1g


Brush Application of an Isolation Coat - YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gq9DJYJapE






If you have any further questions, or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.


Best regards,


Scott Bennett
Technical Support
Golden Artist Colors, Inc.
607-847-6154
800-959-6543
sbennett@goldenpaints.com
www.goldenpaints.com

more mummies

I'm pleased to report that "Hollow Places" survived the mummification process with it's bright whites intact. The matte medium will make weave structures recede if you use the brush like a brayer and stroke the fibers in one direction. Here, that technique has enhanced the mottled colors of the hand dyed pieces. I've posted this one for sale.      I've written to the folks at Golden about the UV protection aspect (or not) qualities of their matte medium and when they get back to me, I'll post their response.

"Firefly" also came out as I hoped for. This time, I only used the medium around the edges of the piece - wherever the black with gold spotted Japanese print is. This piece has a lot of wispy textured elements that I didn't want to obscure or change, so this one is a hybrid of sorts.  "Firefly" is the last piece I worked with my cat Jinx and I'm keeping it for myself as a memorial to her.

I really appreciate all the interest and input you've given me regarding this technique and these recent pieces. It makes me feel like I'm NOT talking to myself when I talk about these things.