Journeys With Janis I

Spooky Life Cycle

2011-10-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

For our Autumn art quilt exhibit, the Rogue Art Quilters used pumpkins to express the time of year. My quilt shows the Life Cycle of a pumpkin (Seed, Sprout, Vine, Flower, Pumpkin) on the right sidebar with wee quilts that have been attached to the quilt with brads. The left side is a scared pumpkin in a graveyard - with ghosts! So . . . Life's a pumpkin and then you die . . . and become a jack-o-lantern!

Pom Pom Trees

2011-08-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

This year at the Sisters, Oregon Quilters' Affair, I got to take a class with Frieda Anderson, author of "Fun, Fast Fusies". This entire little landscape (14" x 11") was simply fused together, then quilted and stitched as desired. Her method is novel and fun. We worked with Frieda's luscious hand-dyed fabrics, that are vibrant and delightfully variegated. See more about Frieda on her wonderful Blog: http://www.friestyle.blogspot.com/

The Pom Pom Tree quilt is my original design that is at once surreal and whimsical. I think I'm going to do some more of these little quilts!

The Princess Is Not Amused

2011-08-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

The quilt pictured here is an original design that I made for the Leavenworth, WA Quilt Show that occurs this September. The challenge was themed "Mountains of Quilting" and a challenge fabric was provided that had to be included in the body of the quilt. The challenge fabric is used in the curtains and for three of the "quilts" piled on the princess' bed, as well as her pillows and the Frog Prince's lily pad. The quilt is 20" X 26".

The fairy tale of the Princess and the Pea was a childhood favorite of mine and I have been wanting to do a quilt depicting the tale for a long while. I've included some detail photos, as well, of the Frog Prince (a deliberate mixed metaphor), the window, and the Queen's "Proclamation". I paraphrased the story in the Proclamation so that the mattresses from the original story became "Mountains of Quilts" in order to comply with the challenge theme.

I was delighted to win the 3rd Place Ribbon for this challenge and $$$!

Journal Quilts

2011-08-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

A small group of quilters from the Rogue Art Quilters Group have joined together together to do Journal Quilts. Every other month we will create a small quilt (8 1/2" X 11") based on agreed upon parameters. The first month's quilt had three requirements: The word, WALL; the color, BLUE; and the technique, NEW STYLE BINDING.

My Journal Quilt, titled 'Window Pane', is shown here. I live on a mountain in the forest and my days often begin with watching the deer out my window. This quilt is an expression of that experience.

Ports of Call - A Story Quilt

2011-06-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

My quilt is titled 'Ports of Call' in reference to the 4 ports in the Hawaiian Islands where the cruise ship will be docking during a cruise I am taking with my cousin, Karin, in March, 2012. This quilt is part of The Purple Line Quilt collaborative effort of the Rogue Art Quilters of Ashland, OR. The theme is travel and as you can see, there is a purple line traveling through the quilt that will connect with other members' quilts; all are being displayed at an exhibit that begins on July 1, 2011 at the Ashland branch of US Bank.

The quilt label on the back tells the story that prompted my design:

Ports of Call

A Story Quilt

By Janis Stoker

Part of The Rogue Art Quilters

Collaborative Purple Line Quilt Project (20”x26”)

The quilt represents many Hawaiian journeys of mine, both past and future.

A journey that has yet to take place is a 14-day quilter’s cruise to Hawaii in March 2012. The inset quilt block is part of a limited set of blocks I made for the quilt block challenge on the cruise, and the “Ports of Call” are indicated by signage on the quilt.

Other Hawaiian journeys of my past always included a visit to the old whaling port of Lahaina, Maui, where I stayed at the historic Pioneer Inn in a room with a balcony overlooking Courthouse Square. A Banyan Tree resides there, planted in 1873 when it was 8 feet tall and is now purported to be the largest in the United States, standing 60 feet tall with 12 main trunks and spreading over a 200-foot area. At sunset I would sit on my balcony, replete with an apropos Tequila Sunset and watch as thousands of Mynah Birds swoop in, chatting and squawking, for a night's rest within the boughs of this most splendid tree.

For those moments, all was right with the world.

~~~

My cousin, Karin Strom-Shikaloff, is going on the cruise with me and is also a member of the Rogue Art Quilters. She chose Miami for her contribution and her quilt is pictured below. Karin does exquisite handwork and hand applique. Note her wonderful flamingos and see if you can find an alligator hidden in the grass.

The exhibit is comprised of 18 quilts that will connect with the purple line. As a preview of what it might look like when connected, view the connected quilts of the Karin and Janis Show:

All quilts are 20" wide plus a space for connections, meaning that the exhibit will be close to 33 feet long. Click on this link to see all of the quilts connected at our exhibit: http://rogueartquilters.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/the-purple-line-challenge-4/

Lavender Fields Forever

2011-06-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

A more recent photo of me taken last year at the Sequim, WA Lavender Festival. I stayed with my friends Debbie & Kim and visited copious lavender farms, ate great food, bought things lavender, and learned how to make a lavender wand. Such fun. I was standing in the lavender field wearing my straw hat when Debbie called out to "take off the hat" and took this photo. When I stay with them we cook dinner using items from Debbie's bountiful garden. Yum. Good times.

Mermaid Goddess Quilt Block

2011-06-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to head to Sisters, OR for the annual quilt week where I take classes, attend lectures, and shop for more fabrics!! One of the events is the quilt block contest, which I decided to enter this year. Above is a picture of my quilt block called Mermaid Goddess. We were provided with the fabrics and had to create our block using no other fabrics. This is my design with embellishments that include fibers, glitter paint, beads, and charms. There are many iconic and archetypal imageries.

Artist Trading Cards

2010-12-18T12:31:00.001-08:00

I've joined an ATC Swap Group and above is my first swap for January 2011. ATCs can be made from paper (usually) or from fabric. Since the theme for January was "Vintage", I decided to do a Fabric ATC. The size of an ATC is a mere 3.5" X 2.5", not a lot of real estate to work with. This F-ATC has a photo on fabric that has been tinted with colored pencils, lace, a key, a slip of ribbon with "Memories" on it and a "diamond" for her necklace. The background is silk dupioni. I just love the wistfulness of the woman's face.

Birthday Greetings in 2011

2010-12-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

I've been busy with fabric post cards lately, and have put together a design for 2011 to send to my friends on their birthdays.

This fabric, "Cherie" by Clothworks, is one of my favorites, and this figure is just one of eleven different motifs on the fabric. Just a small amount of embroidery and a little embellishment, and voila! a wonderful birthday surprise.

Cruising to Hawaii

2010-12-18T12:13:00.000-08:00

My cousin Karin and I have booked a 2-week round trip cruise to Hawaii sailing in March, 2012. We are part of a large quilting group led by Quilt Camp at Sea that will be providing us with notable quilt teachers and classes while on board and at sea.

One of the challenges for the group is to make 12" X 12" quilt blocks with the theme of Hawaii, Cruising, or Nautical for a quilt block exchange. My design is shown here. I managed to get two of themes with the Hawaiin lady and the cruise ship.

This design is done with applique using fusible web and lots of machine embroidery stitches. There are also some ruched ribbon leis attached and a sparkly flower headress.

Can't wait to get on board that ship!

2010 Holiday Cards

2010-12-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

I don't always manage to get around to sending holiday cards every year - but I did this year! These fabric post cards are made with Alexander Henry Fabrics' design "cherubim" by Nicole De Leon. The cherub motifs were cut from the fabric and placed on new backgrounds -- being heavily decorated with glitz and free motion quilting.

The River Quilt Project

2010-08-01T17:21:00.001-07:00

The Rogue Art Quilters of Ashland, OR will be exhibiting "Along the Rogue", an homage to the Rogue River which is situated in Southern Oregon, running from Crater Lake westerly to the Pacific Ocean. The river quilt project involved 19 quilters, the uniting factor being the river running through each quilt. A few criteria were imposed on the art process - everyone used the same fabric for the river, each quilter was also given a width measurement for the quilt and entry/exit measurements for the river. These imposed parameters allowed for the quilts to be "connected" when hung for exhibit. The final exhibit is 39 feet long! It is an amazing work of art by some very talented women. The exhibit can be seen at the US Bank in Ashland, OR from August 2 through November 31, 2010.

My quilt is #12 in the series and is pictured here. Photos on fabric of myself and my niece
are in the foreground. Fabrics used were Batiks, cottons and Silk Dupioni along with many types of embellishments.

If you would like to view all of the quilts in the series, check out the Rogue Art Quilters blog: http://rogueartquilters.wordpress.com/

. . . and view the little movie with the quilts hung in order: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1NEVXhBc1Q&feature=email

And just last week the JOY insert of the Medford Mail Tribune published a full-page article on the quilt project. You can see a portion of my quilt pictured on the left side of the photo. See the article here: http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100915/JOY/9150334&emailAFriend=1

12/18/2010 Update: The river quilt series is being shipped to California to be exhibited in the 2011 Road to California Quilt Show in Southern California. That's a WOW!

3/1/2011: More exhibit news!! The River Runs Thru It Quilt Project will also exhibit at the Knoxville, TN and Denver International Quilt Shows this year as well as various local showings in Medford and Grants Pass, OR.

5/1/11: I have confirmation from Jan McGee, editor of The Quilt Life, that the magazine will be doing an article on our river quilt project in the December 2011 issue. How exciting is that?

12/1/11: The Quilt Life December issue has a wonderful 5-page article on this quilt project. I helped write this article and am very pleased with the magazine's presentation.

A Little Landscape

2009-10-27T10:06:00.001-07:00

Back around 1988 I took my niece, Alexis, to Carmel for the weekend. We spent some quiet time on the beach, listening to the ocean's sounds. I snapped the photo of her as she was building castles in the sand.

Twenty-some years later I borrowed part of my photo and printed Alexis on fabric so that I could insert her into my "Accidental Landscape" quilt. The quilt is 10" X 12" and is comprised of many small pieces of fabric, fiber, shells, beads and starfish. If you are interested in creating your own small landscapes, get the book "Accidental Landscapes" by Karen Eckmeier and have an adventure of your own. This book is filled with great ideas for all sorts of landscapes from beach, to farm, to forest, to mountains. You'll be surprised at just how quickly you can become an Accidental Landscape artist.

Mosaic Moments in Scrapbooking

2008-09-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered a new way to scrapbook memories that is an enormous amount of fun. Check out Tami's website for all the details and available products to produce pages like this. (http://www.tamipotter.com/) The 12 x 12 scrapbook pages contain pictures reflecting two trips I took - one to Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX (the bird) and the second one composed of pictures taken on the Oregon and N. California coastline (lighthouses). The Galveston photo used about 9-10 photos and the coast one used 7-8 photos. Click on the picture for a larger view.

Watercolor Quilts - a new passion

2008-07-17T10:33:00.001-07:00

Watercolor quilts have been around a long time, but I had never gotten around to trying to do one. While on my recent journey to Sisters, OR, I bought this kit for "Fun At the Fair" from Whims (http://www.whims.cc/) and completed the quilt top in just a day and a half. This was great fun to do, arranging the fabric squares by light to dark tones and then using the flip and sew method to create the background. The fair appliques were then added to finish the scene.

This still needs its borders added and then to be quilted. I'm thinking I'll add some bling to it as well with some crystals and paint accents.

Goddess of Lost and Found Things

2008-07-17T09:49:00.001-07:00

I just returned from Sisters, OR, home of the world's largest outdoor quilt show. The week prior to the one-day quilt show is filled with a myriad of classes for all types of quilters, from traditional to contemporary to art quilters. One of the classes I took this year was with Jane Davila, author of The Art Quilt Workbook. The class involved using found things (from nature, from your stash, from someone else's stash, your junk drawer, etc.) to create a small art quilt.

My completed art quilt is shown on the left (click on it for a larger view). It contains found objects such as keys and tags and a piece of copper mesh. The lace was salvaged from a nightgown no longer worn. The goddess is created from a ceramic face found in a bead shop, a body made from an old silk cocoon, her hair is leftover throwster's silk, plus a rusty key and other things found in my stash.

I named her the Goddess of Lost and Found Things, because I think for every thing we lose during our lifetimes, something else is found (that is often better) to replace it. The goddess' story is being written and will be attached to the back of the quilt.

Where Does the Time Go?

2008-06-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

My 'baby' brother Barry turns 45 this week! WOW, blow my hair back. I remember when mom brought him home from the hospital. He closely resembled a drowned rat. However, he improved greatly over the years, and is now a very buff, 6'5", Elvis-drawling, basketball-playing all around good guy and father of three.

A picture of his birthday fabric postcard is included in this post (click on it for a larger view). This totally buff toolman pictured reminds me of Barry. You will note that he has a bloodied gauze bandage on his left arm. This represents a recent scare that he had when working at his electrician's job. While cutting an overhead wire he managed to accidentally slash an artery in his arm and could have bled to death were it not for a seemingly random series of tiny miracles that got him to the hospital in time for a micro-surgeon to save his life. We're all glad he's still with us. Happy Birthday Barry!

Journal Quilts - Building Sand Castles

2008-01-22T18:09:00.000-08:00

My niece, Alexis, spent a good amount of time with me when she was younger. We went on some amazing adventures together. One day in 1988, when she was about 4 years old, we spent the day on the beach in Carmel, CA building sand castles. I photographed her when she was unawares, as she began her castle. It was a bright, sun-shiny day, quiet and peaceful. We had tucked ourselves up in a cove, protected from the ocean swells. This journal quilt that I made for her birthday this year - she'll be 24 - is a memory of that small journey, proof that time is fleeting and definitely going quickly by us.

Alexis' photograph is printed on silk and attached to some lovely batik fabrics that were in my stash that are remindful of the sea. Other embellishments include over-dyed rick rack and trim, fresh water pearls, beads, shells and charms along with metallic thread and free-motion quilting. The back of the quilt has a poem about sand castles and a commemorative quilt label. Click on the photos for a king-size view and read the wonderful poem.

I included the image of the seahorse on my quilt label because it is truly my favorite of all sea creatures. The seahorse is the only species on Earth where the males give live birth to the young. After the female is fertilized she squirts the fertilized eggs into her mate and then swims off and away - no doubt for a quick trip to Nordstom's. My kinda' gal. The male seahorse is left to the gestation and birth of the sea-ponies. Fitting.

Jill - The Bingo Babe

2008-01-10T16:51:00.000-08:00

My sister Jill mentioned that while I had indeed made her a paperdoll, I had never made her a paperdoll with HER face on the doll - as I had done for other members of the family. She seemed a bit put out about it, as a matter of fact. So in celebration of her 58th birthday I made her a paperdoll with HER face on it. (This is her when she was around 20 or so -- it's been all downhill since then.)

Since Jill is into Bingo in a big way, but also likes Keno, slots, cards, dice - you name it - I decided she needed to be a Bingo Babe with added pieces representing other gambling disciplines. The pictures above depict the front and rear view of the doll. The Bingo Card is kind of a 'sandwich board dress'. Underneath it on the front is a "Welcome to Vegas" bejeweled sign, and underneath the back there is a slot machine. On the back of the Bingo sandwich board you will note the Chapel with the number "5" on the steeple - this number being significant to Jill - you'll have to ask her! Also note her quart-size bingo dauber hanging from her hand -- I didn't want her to run out!

My goal was to make this Babe the gaudiest of the gaudiest with a headress to rival Beach Blanket Babylon. I think I succeeded. Go forth and win big, you Bingo Babe, you. Oh, and Happy Birthday sis! (As always, click on the pictures for a close-up viewing.)

Anniversary Post Card

2008-01-10T16:42:00.000-08:00

My sister Jody and her husband Gary went on an Alaskan cruise in 2007. Jody hates to fly. (I secretly think she's waiting for them to build a bridge to Hawaii, so she can drive there.) So, it was with great amazement that she got on a !! helicopter !! to go see the glacier while in port in Alaska. This is a fabric replication of a photo of her and Gary standing on said glacier. I used landscape quilting techniques along with printing photos on fabric, lots of thread painting, Angelina fibers, glitter and other embellishments. I felt it was necessary to also commemorate the helicopter ride, so note the back side of the FPC.

European Village

2008-01-10T16:36:00.001-08:00

I partially created this European Village fabric postcard using some items from a kit purchased from Bonnie Sabel (author, Positively Postcards), which I then proceded to change up a bit, by adding a wonderful pastoral button from my button stash and lots of thread painting. All of the trees and shrubbery have been done by "painting" them in with thread using my sewing machine, as well as some shadowing on the buildings. The foliage just leaps out at you when viewing the card in person. Click on the photo for a closer view.

Sultry Sensibilities - An FPC Triptych

2008-01-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

The Fabric Postcards shown above are part of a triptych that I'm doing as a limited release of 25 sets. The lady didn't fit on one card, but I thought she looked pretty neat lounging over two cards. The third part of the triptych is the lady with the red flower bonnet below this post. One tryptic is being donated to this year's Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show for the Wendy's Wish Project.

Read all about it at: http://www.sistersoutdoorquiltshow.org/events.htm#wishcard

As always, click on the pictures to get a larger view - look for the jewels on her fingers and toes.

Sultry Sensibilties - Part 1

2007-12-16T09:06:00.000-08:00

This lovely sultry lady is a Fabric Postcard design that I created for this year's Birthday Card for all my lady friends. I fussy cut a vignette from a piece of Alexander Henry Fabric called "vogue", plus other fabrics that complimented the lady, plus ribbons, silk flowers and beads. Metallic thread was used for free-motion sewing and glitter paint for highlights and those wonderful red lips!

She is part of the Triptych shown above.

Happy Holidays everyone!

2007-12-15T15:21:00.001-08:00

I've finally sent off my 2007 Holiday Postcards; it ended up being quite a project, but loads of fun. I created a few special cards for some special friends (not shown) plus a limited edition of 24 cards of the Santa Elf card shown on the left. I embellished the card with gold rick rack and a gold star and was afraid they'd get lost in the shuffle during the post office processing. So, they each got a fabric envelope too! I hope everyone enjoys getting them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Fat Books for Art & Soul

2007-09-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

In October I'm heading to Portland to attend my 5th Art & Soul Retreat. This is a mixed media artists' retreat that is always exciting with interesting classes, great instructors and a reconnection with friends from prior years. There are often small side events that one can partake of such as fiber swaps, trades and fat books. This year I'm participating in a "Heart" Fat Book with a group of 36 women/artists. The criteria are to create a 4" x 4" page on thick paper within the heart theme, embellished to the max. I've included 3 pictures of mine - the front, the back and a second one of the back showing the tag out of it's pocket. I used a doubled piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper and dyed it with ink sprays. I've added lots of sequins, hearts, charms, ribbons and a jointed paper doll with my 2-year old face on it (this is the last time I looked really good). On the back is a Heartsongs pocket holding a tag with a heart song on it. Each of my pages was signed and numbered and stamped. Each of the pages has it's own "Heartsong" that I found by doing a search on the Internet on a song lyrics website. As always, click on the picture for a larger view.

Fabric Postcards

2007-08-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

Recently my cousin, Karin, and I attended the Sisters Quilt Show Week in Sisters, OR. We were delighted to meet Bonnie Sabel and Louis-Philippe O'Donnell who are the authors of "Positively Postcards", a book on making fabric postcards. It is a truly terrific book on the subject. Bonnie is delightful and gracious; she has put together some great kits to make some of the postcards featured in her book. I've included two pictures with this post to show one of my own designs - a birthday postcard for my sister Jody who has a special fascination with angels. This postcard was created with Flavia fabric using a gold sparkle tulle overlay, free-motion quilting, some gold leaves and fresh water pearls. The message side even has a fabric stamp and an original poem by moi!

More Fabric Art

2007-04-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

My current Art for Quilters class also had instructions for a landscape project of Mt. Fuji. I didn't really want to do Mt. Fuji, but I've been wanting to do a fabric rendition of a Jane Austen drawing that was done in 1804 by her sister, Cassandra Austen.

I created my own landscape with the English countryside in mind and then overlaid it with my rendition of the Jane Austen pastel. In my landscape I included the rolling hillsides that are famous in England and then included ancient man-made stone fence that have remained standing after hundreds of years, a HA-HA for Jane to look down upon and then the knoll on which Jane was sitting.

Here's the picture of my fabric photo.

Original pastel by Cassandra Austen of Jane Austen, 1804

Art Quilt Class - interpreting the masters

2007-04-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

Above is a photo of the results of Lesson 2 from my current QU class. This is a fabric interpretation of a Henri Matisse painting called Woman Sitting Before a Window (not a terribly original title). Part of the classwork is determining the format of a painting; this one is actually a series of rectangles, squares and some ovals - all rather interesting to someone with no art background whatsoever.

I did take some license with the painting and changed the color scheme, put in a lighthouse outside of the window instead of a boat and then gave the lady a pretty face. Matisse was part of the Fauvist movement, following the Impressionist movement, whereby a more primitive technique to art was taken. The actual facial features on the lady as drawn by Matisse were rather ugly, so I gave her a face lift! I've included a picture below of the actual painting by Matisse that my fabric picture is emulating.

Woman Sitting Before a Window by Henri Matisse, painted 1904

Another Still Life

2007-04-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

Here's another stab at my Art for Quilters class.

Art Quilt Class

2007-04-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

I'm taking yet another online class with Quilt University. This class is teaching art concepts and structure in design -- sort of a "Philosphy of Art" (as Max Dugan might have said). The class is taught by award-winning quilt artist, Marilyn Belford.

The first class was involved with creating a still life and then interpreting that drawing in fabric. The two pictures included with this post show (1) the drawing that I created using squares and circles to create the imagery and (2) the actual "quiltlet" as it was interpreted in fabric. This is all done with fusible webbing.

Closeups of the Sexy Merman and Lg Mermaid

2007-03-24T01:31:00.000-07:00

Each post is limited as to the number of pictures that can be included, so here are the last two pics of some closeups of the Merpeople.

Mermaid Jacket Progress

2007-03-24T01:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, this jacket/long vest construction is not for the faint of heart, let me tell you. I've incorporated all the hand appliqued Mermaids, a sexy Merman and some Merbabies waiting to be born onto the yokes. Some of the appliques are my own designs incorporated into the instructor's original design. There's lots of embellishment waiting to be done once the vest is constructed and the yoke quilted. In other words, a bit of work still to be done.

Art Club Quilt Challenge -- Current Progress

2007-03-09T14:42:00.000-08:00

I was recently invited to join an Art Quiltmakers' Club in Ashland, OR. This club is dedicated to making art quilts and having local Quilt Challenges that stretch members' talent. During the year the various quilt challenge results are displayed at various businesses located in Ashland.

I'm taking part in a quilt challenge that involves the required use of 2 pre-chosen fabrics, the theme is music & dance, the quilt needs to have layers and cannot exceed a maximum 120" perimeter once completed. I decided to take this challenge because I love music and dance and I had been wanting to try making a silhouette quilt from a process in Louise Handley's book titles "Fabric Silhouettes". Louise lives over in Bandon-by-the-Sea, one of my favorite Oregon coastal towns.

I've included 3 pictures -- one of the full quilt (still in-process - early stages don't forget) and 2 close-ups showing the silhouettes that I created. Such fun. I'll post more pictures when this is completed with all of it's embellishments and other planned thread work.

Wearable Art, Part 2

2007-03-07T17:55:00.001-08:00

I've been working madly for the past few days creating the foundation and background for the back yoke of my mermaid jacket. This is definitely a challenging garment but I'm enjoying the journey. Now I have to wait until Saturday to get the second lesson to continue on with adding the mermaids and jewel-filled treasure chest. Here's a picture of the back yoke. Click on it for a closer look.

I've decided that I'd rather have a long coat-like vest instead of a jacket, so I'm going to eliminate the sleeves and lenghten the now-vest to just above the knee. This will look great with some black slacks and white poet's blouse.

Wearable Art

2007-03-05T06:38:00.000-08:00

I just started an online class with Quilt University that was recommended by the leader of the Art Quilt Club that I was recently invited to join. The site offers some really terrific classes at very reasonable prices. You download a weekly lesson to work at your own pace; there is a forum for sharing with other students around the world or for contacting the instructor with questions/problems.

The class I'm taking is for a wearable art Mermaid Jacket, designed and taught by Linda Schmidt. It's quite challenging, yet it's really getting my creative juices going. This first week involved cutting out the front and back yokes, enlarging and tracing a design to a stabilizer that is then ironed to the yokes. Next came applique' piecing the background of the mermaid underwater scene (seaweed, coral and sand primarily) from the reverse side and then using couched fibers and metallic threads to enhance the applique' from the front.

I've completed the two front yokes, pictured below. (click on pics for larger view) Remember that this is just the background of the scene and once mermaids and seahorses and starfish are added, there will be ribbon embroidery, beading, buttons, charms, jewels and such added to complete the yokes. Then the rest of the garmet will be created by strip piecing a multitude of fabrics.

I'm now working on the back yoke, so keep an eye out for more postings on the wearabouts of the Mermaids.

More Decorated Dominoes

2007-03-05T06:18:00.000-08:00

I've been busy decorating more dominoes to use in my craft projects. In addition to making domino books, there's potential for their use in wearable art, art quilts, scrapbooking, mixed media such as fabric journals and even for greeting cards. Here are some pictures of some of the new designs. Click on them for a larger view.

A fellow LibraryThinger wrote me an email suggesting that I create domino books with a literary theme inside related to an author or a classic book and try to sell them through bookstores. An interesting idea.

Photoshop Elements - Photos to fool you

2007-02-24T22:07:00.000-08:00

I just finished up a 4-week class in Photoshop Elements and learned how to do some fun things with photos. I start Photoshop Elements II (another 4 weeks) next Monday and am looking forward to learning other techniques.

I've included a set of pictures which I modified using Photoshop to exhibit some of its capablities. I had a small 1/2 inch square negative of my late mother in a picture with my sister, Jody and her daughter Alexis that was taken around 1986. I had a local photographer create a JPG file for me from the negative. Then I took this really junky JPG file (top photo) and cleaned it up, took out some junk in the picture - like lamps that look like they are coming out of their heads), added a bush on the left to cover up some unsightly stuff and generally improved skin tones, removed moles & blemishes, etc. (middle photo). Then I decided to just move the people to another location. So the last photo is of these 3 ladies (circa 1986) standing in front of Pittock Mansion in Portland, OR (a photo taken 20 years later in 2006), where none of the 3 ladies have ever been (bottom photo). I just love technology. (Remember to click on the photos to see a really big view of them.)

Domino Books

2007-02-24T21:52:00.000-08:00

I'm busy taking lots of classes this year and having loads of fun. I just finished another class with Carol Murphy from Joggles. In this class we used dominoes, special inks, rubber stamps, paints, papers, glitter, gems, charms, gold leaf pens and whatever else came to mind to create Domino Books. I bet you never heard of them before and didn't even know that you needed one. I've posted some pictures of what they look like opened up (back and front) and then all folded and tied up. (Click on the pictures for a really big view)

These books can be used for fun little gifts or party favors. I'm planning to experiment with the process a bit and perhaps use single dominoes on art quilts, fabric journals, in scrapbooks and greeting cards. I am inspired.

The book on the right stamped with the the candid lady saying "look closely and you might see" and the book with the rather staid lady in the middle are from Catslife Press domino stamp collection. A link to the designer Susan's website is in my favorite link list.

Easter is Closer Than You Think,Too

2007-01-01T12:34:00.000-08:00

I designed some Easter paper dolls for a class that I'll be teaching at Scrapbook Connection in Grants Pass on March 22.

The Easter designs shown here use the faces of my sister and my niece, Alexis, from when she was about 2 years old. (You can see the grown-up Alexis on another paper doll in an earlier posting below.)

These paper dolls have an Easter egg body and a bunny rabbit head -- hey, it could happen! This pair of dolls is also ideal for a mother/daughter class and can bring out the creativity in you when designing the eggs. Rather like doing one of those Russian Faberge eggs for your very own. Materials used include ribbon, lace, beads, pearls, pom poms, feathers and ribbon flowers.

I've included individual pictures of Babs Bunny (Jody) and Baby Bunny (Alexis) and one photo of the two dolls together so that you can see the scale. (click on photo for larger view)

Valentine's Day is Just Around the Corner

2006-12-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

Did you ever notice how the specialty days and holidays all seem to merge together, rather like a string without end. This year I saw Halloween candy, Thanksgiving Pilgrims and Xmas trees all displayed at the same time. There's no time to breathe in between times.

Which brings me to my latest artwork -- Valentine's Day Paper Dolls!! Just when you thought it was safe to grow up and be an adult, a new hobby comes along. I designed these two ladies - one adult known as Lady Valentine and one a young adult known as Little Val (about 60% the size of the larger one) for a local scrapbooking store as a prototype. I will be teaching a class -- perhaps a mother/daughter class as well. And VD is only 7 weeks away. Thus, the earliness of this creation. (click on the pictures for a larger view)

These were lots of fun to make, although I had to keep trimming the adult's heart body near the shoulders as she was really looking like a fullback there for awhile.

Paper Dolls are on their way to new homes

2006-12-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

I so enjoyed creating these paper dolls, that I decided to send off some to my 2 sisters, a niece and selected friends as surprise holiday greetings. A total of 16 dolls are headed to new homes and should arrive there next week. Some of these dolls are already pictured on this blog in earlier postings; if you are interested go in search of them. I'll add a few more to this post. (Click on picture for a larger view.)

I had a good time making these dolls and picking out just the right one for each recipient. I hope the recipients enjoy having them as much as I did making them. You never know with this kind of thing -- one person's vision of art is not necessarily anyone else's view.

Due to the density of the doll's decorations, I couldn't risk sending them in a normal or even padded envelope, but had to use small boxes instead. This became an opportunity to use up all those small boxes I'd been saving from Amazon.com book shipments. So each doll left here in her own bed of tissue in a rewrapped Amazon.com book box. If you'd been passing through Grants Pass around 10:00 pm the other evening, you could have seen me lugging 16 of these little boxes into a well-lit, but silent (and empty) post office to use the self-mailing package shipping kiosk. My life is one big adventure after another.

My Niece, Alexis

2006-12-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

Alexis' paper doll has been finished and shipped off in a Xmas package to her. She's 22 and still finding her own path as she stumbles through the briars and brambles of life. In a few weeks she's off to a new job and a return to college. I have great hope for this bright and lovely young woman. Go forth and make a difference Alexis.

(Click on the picture for a 'really big view'.)

Creative Journeys With Needle and Thread

2006-11-24T13:59:00.000-08:00

There's a second online class that I've been taking at www.joggles.com, taught by Sharon Boggins from Australia, that involves finding new ways to express embroidery on linen (as well as other fabrics) using a variety of threads, beads, buttons and laces in layers.

This is an interesting journey for me as I usually do counted thread work following a more defined structure within a band sampler environment. While elements of the band sampler are included in this work, I'm branching out to a less rigid approach to putting thread to linen.

This is a work in-process as the class is 6 weeks long and we've just started the 4th week. I'm posting 3 photos of the work so far. This sampler is done on 28-count hand-dyed linen and incorporates a variety of stitches, including Guilloche, Crown, Fancy Cross, Tulip, Feather, Lazy Daisy, Smyrna Cross, French Knots, Herringbone, Fly as well as having the edges hemmed with a double Antique Hemstitching. Couching and lacing techniques have been incorporated in the band section. I've used a multitude of different threads including hand-dyed silks, rayons, metallics, perle cotton and wools. Embellishments include buttons, seed beeds, medium round beads, bugle beads, black pearls and metallic lace.

The first photo shows the band section, the second one shows the full piece of work (so far), , with the final shot reflects the freestyle layering of stitches at the top of the sampler. This incorporates the concepts of Point and Line as well. Double click on the pictures for a large, up close and personal view.

There's still loads to be added and layers to be created.

Dolling up the Relatives

2006-11-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

My sister Jody and her husband, Gary have been immortalized in paper dolls as shown in this posting. I printed their faces from a digital photograph.

They have been married for about 18 months now and Jody received a huge wedding ring which you will note I have paid homage to on her left hand. In real life she helps manage her husband's properties and in known for her fearsome ATTITUDE as she heads out into the 'hood to clear away debris, bad debtors, forbidden patio items and slothful employees. And Gary, well, he's just plain FEARLESS -- after all he married the lady with the ATTITUDE!

It was a challenge to make the Gary Doll more manly-man -- so I kind of went for the jungle look with all the leaves in his hair and on his leg. Click on the pictures for a bigger view.

The 9-Page Starburst

2006-11-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

I tested my 9-page assembly line idea and here are the results. This was such fun and each star creation has it's own individual flair, yet you can tell they come from the same gene pool. This is a great way to make a number of these wonderful dolls all at once. You'll notice that they aren't decorated yet -- and -- they seem to have lost their heads! Watch for future posts to my blog to see how they look when they're all dressed up for a night on the town.

Method used: The complete pattern with mirror image limbs was copied onto 9 pieces of cardstock. Then the cardstock pattern was glued to the wrong side nine different decorative papers and cut out. Then the individual pieces were spread around to create 9 dolls - each with one of it's nine parts being from a different decorative page type. Glue the new 9-piece doll sets to the backing paper and cut out. Then assemble with brads. Voila! Nine sisters, somewhat the same, but each an individual.

I'm going to need to leave now and begin making their heads as they are running all around the room at the moment looking for them.

Here's Belle!!

2006-11-10T22:39:00.000-08:00

Here is Star's friend Belle. She's all laced up, bejeweled and sequined -- all ready for a night out on the town. Belle is otherwise known as Daredevil. Double click on her picture for her 'Living Large' look.

This is another Carol Murphy design.

Revisiting Childhood with Better Stuff

2006-11-10T15:25:00.000-08:00

I've begun making Paper Dolls. These are unlike any paper dolls I had when I was young, but I remember loving to cut them out and imagining their lives and adventures. Now, much later in life, I've come full circle and am working on paper dolls once again. Only this time I'm doing it with much better stuff.

I just finished "Star"; see her picture above (double-click on the picture to get a bigger view). She's decorated with exotic fibers, charms, sequins, beads, buttons and bells.

This doll is from a pattern by Carol Murphy, who teaches online classes at Joggles.com