Pirate Circus

"Pirate Circus"  is one of my Battle Banners series (two in the cloth, the rest still on paper).


A whopping 78"x58", it's constructed quite traditionally - machine pieced, hand dyed cotton muslin and damasks over a lightweight cotton batting and backing and then machine quilted. It was painted with both Setacolor and Jacquard textile paints.

I did a good job documenting the progress on this piece mostly due to the fact that most of the work had to take place outside on the dye deck. Natural lights always makes for good pictures.  There are lots.

Here are all the links I could find regarding it's history, in order of appearance:

5/11/2009
5/17/2009
5/21/2009
5/5/2010
5/10/2010
5/24/2010
5/25/2010

the paint goes on

After spending two hours painting tiny lines with a tiny brush I'm ready to run and holler!

A post by artist Ann Brauer has given me the kick in the pants in the direction of (returning to) making pieces measured in feet instead of inches.  I called the sewing machine doctor and made an appointment for my Janome.

The one piece I can see sneaking out from a high shelf in the studio is insisting on some exposure and some company. Look close - there are hearts in the " Pirate Circus!

island making

This island building has it's appeal. Little chunks of hand stitched satisfaction to use later, or not, once I get to laying out the ocean.  I may wind up with an archipelago and no place to float it but, oh well, they were a good time making.

midwinter blues

Dear recent visitor to my site from Saint John's, Saint John, Antigua And Barbuda.
Care for a house guest? Will trade art for room and board.

Do I need a passport?

tender winter islands

Even though the sun came out today for the  first time in days I couldn't find an excuse to put on shoes and go outside.

We watched "Unstoppable" which had me pulling hair off the cat with tension, but it was a good flick.  Later I took advantage of the winter sun and started building some islands from my huge store of "tender"cloth (thanks for that definition Jude) for the next project.

in the works

It reminds me of a logo I used to see in the NY Times magazine advertising some Caribbean islands but I can't find it anywhere.

I've drawn versions of this piece before and hope to get it started with real fabric this weekend. Oil crayon on paper looks a lot like my hand dyed damasks, ragged edges and all.

I'll use that cream Kona cotton as the base and pick the color bits out of the stash which will be hand appliqued. Because my Janome is out of commission, I'll take a run at hand quilting those lines. Maybe, maybe not. That reminds me to track down the sewing machine doctor...


 ps...I found it.It's the Bahamas.

What does this configuration mean?

Art of Day

I am excited to have my work featured at Art of Day, a sprawling, interactive networking and art promotional portal for artists, gallery owners, art buyers & collectors, and those coordinating art events.

cold work

I thought I try (once again) my hand making something with the heart symbol.
I cut four before this one, all just as wrong and misshapen. As usual, my freehand heart comes out looking more vegetable than meat and the whole thing looks like an international flag warning of contagion, fitting as I am battling a cold.  When I'm finished I'll hang it in the garden to scare off pests.
File under "what was she thinking?".

More satisfying has been stitching a tiny hand-rolled hem all round a large square of the softest cotton I have ever worked with. It feels just like sueded silk. This was from the batch that was dyed with cream of wheat + bugs.

real inspiration

feeling uninspired?


Read this and this for the back story if you don't know about Kate and her journey.

sunshine=lack of focus

It was too nice outside this weekend to get serious in the studio. In anticipation of dyeing (months away?) I did take my fistful of coupons to HoAnn's and scored some white cotton and a batt blended from cotton and bamboo based rayon, whatever that alchemy, it felt soft to the touch.

There are so many grades of muslin on the shelves there that I wound up closing my eyes and groping the bolts of cloth until I found what my fingers wanted. At one point I peeked and found that I had wandered into a field of homespuns done in violent greens and pinks. The cloth was horrific but the raw selvages were so interesting. Closed my eyes again and groped back along the row and settled on the very tight, smooth Kona. Only because I had two 50% coupons, I swear it.

I flipped the devilment cloths (above) out onto the bed to see if anything changed since I last balled them up and flung them in the corner. Nothing new except for those two hits of blue. Back into a ball they go.



And it looks like cropping is not the answer to ever design problem. Back into the basket with this one too.

I'm going back to making a list of annuals for my deck garden..purslane, marigolds, lantana, portulaca....

and "Serpent of the Grove" is back from the show in Arizona (thanks, Diane)and will be available in the store this time tomorrow.

apron lift

On the first warm sunny day that we've had since memory, I spent time sitting in the parked car at the washywashy catching up on a backlog of towels, blankets, and sheets and such.

The sun was bright, the music good and I brought along my apron with the intention of elevating it from "splotchy with copper paint" to "I'm up to something" gear. Inspiration on the spot was a few cuts from Tom Wait's "Blue Valentine". Inspiration for doing it in the first place, Heather's apron.

painted lines

I was always complaining to myself  about how machine stitching gets lost in larger pieces. Heavier thread, contrasting colors - it was never enough for me.


Now that I've committed to using paint to highlight the stitching on this piece, we'll see how much I'm in love with it when it's finished.

I can tell you I find the process messy, tedious and exacting - not what I am feeling at the moment. Just when I was feeling loose, exuberant and ready to fling things finishing this piece is demanding precision and control.

restoration

I bought a couple ferns of this type from the "I'm dead" cart in the grocery store yesterday. They don't look this nice now but they will.  All it takes is a little water and attention to bring them back from the brink.
 My mother-in-law was a master at saving plants that commerce gave up on. I used to bring her African violets that even the produce manager threw in the trash and her windows were filled with blooming wonder.
 I'll settle for some fresh greenery beyond lettuce.

There's been so much buzz about the various notebook projects going on that I took mine and leafed through it hoping to find some inspiration. This one keeps calling me back and I found the pieces of cloth I need in the stash last night. I've been scratching to little effect in the same notebook for two years now and it's less than half full. That should tell you why I didn't even consider participating in a project that requires daily notebook entries.