Art Every Day, Friday August 30, 2013,

Good Afternoon, or is it evening all ready?,
Here is today's new piece.  It started with the hand painted Batik flower like shape.  I grabbed it along with the yummy watermelon colored background and the bright yellow orange strip along with some bright white then ripped and layered everything up. I cut the flower as a square and the white in a square the exact same size. 
I stitched in all of the white lines of the flower with white thread then stitched around the perimeter of the flower with orange thread then I cut the excess fabric from around the flower as close to the stitch line as possible then cut the white fabric beneath it just a tiny bit larger so the at would act as an outline for the flower.  Then I stitched concentric squares and rectangle in the orange and top stitched the white along the inner edges.  I finished the piece off with the addition of feathers in the negative space to add some visual interest there.
The piece is sunny and modern and it makes me smile.
Till tomorrow,
Heather

 

Art Every Day, Thursday, August 29 ,

Good Evening,

Here is today's new piece.  I walked in the door of the studio this morning and just wanted to make a tree. So, I grabbed some of this weird, loosely woven cotton to use for the trunk and a bunch of threads that came out of the washing machine from dyeing for all of the greenery on the tree.  

I topped a piece of violet batting with some blue hand dye.  Next I set the large square of the woven brown fabric on top of the blue so that the frayed bottom edge could act like weird roots then I quilted the trunk and some simple branches along with some finer stems.  I added a bit of quilting in the blue background then spread out a bunch of the fibers to form the boughs of the tree and stitched them down with loose, loop d'loops. 

It's kind of fun and kind of weird at the same time.  I like the design, but not the color way.

Till tomorrow,

Heather

 

Another Make up Piece; for 8.19.13,

Good Evening again,

For this piece, I really just wanted to use the silk that I had dye painted with thickened dyes.  I just love the color way of soft red tones with golden yellow and dull black.  It's yummy.  So, I put it in the background on top of a piece of soft, pale red, dyed bamboo felt.  I added the bold, yet somewhat dull, black and white print which I in turn topped with another bit of dye painted fabric. 

I quilted the background in light, dull tone of red using swirls and undulating lines.  Then I stitched in white in the white areas of the block print.  I stitched the printed grid in yellow in the central square then stitched on that fabulous bone bead.

I really, really like this piece, mostly because of the fabrics and colors, but I think the quilting is doing a great job too.

Till tomorrow,

Heather

 

Art Every Day, Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Good Evening,

Here is today's new piece.   It began with the stamped black and white swirly design.  I ripped it into a square and laid it down on a dark, dark gray hand dye which I set on top of a piece of light red violet piece of dyed bamboo felt.  I inserted the strip of red violet under the swirly piece to add some interest.  

I quilted the heck out of the background with rows of circles separated by sections with lines moving in alternating directions.  The quilting looks great, wish you could see it better.  Then I stitched some tiny zigzags in the red violet strip, quilted inside the swirls with white then stitched down the red violet swirl and then the white swirl inside it.  The swirls were a bit large and started to overwhelm the black and white print so I added a small swirl in red violet inside the print.

The piece is sooo much better in person and I really like it.

Give me a moment and I'll be right back with another make up piece.

Till then,

Heather

 

Making up for Missed Every Day Art, August 20, 2013

Good Afternoon Again,

Here is a make up piece that I made from left over fabrics from the laptop bag I made on Sunday.  I had started with some fabrics that I had painted with thickened dyes and built the rest of the fabric grouping around them.  The painted fabric was mostly dull reds and yellows with dark gray/black.

I ripped up the fabrics into smallish squares, rectangles and strips.  Then I topped some red dye painted batting with Misty Fuse.  I positioned all of the ripped fabrics bits then ironed them in place (If this technique looks familiar it's one of Lauren Vlcek's called Deconstructed Crazy Quilting from our Embellishment book).  I quilted all the bits down using horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines of curvy stitch in a tone of red and a tone of yellow.

After the quilting was complete I added a bit of our hand dyed Venise lace which adds a bit to the crazy quilt look of the piece.  I love this little guy just as much as I love my laptop bag, the color combo is so bold and sexy yet a bit understated because of the dominance of tones. There's so much depth and motion.  It's yummy.

Till tomorrow,

Heather

P.S.  here's a photo of the lap top bag.

 

Art Every Day, Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Good Afternoon,

Here is today's new piece.  It began with a piece of striped indigo cotton which I laid on top of some orange dye painted batting.  Then I took some more of that swirly dye painted batik that I did a few years back and put some Misty Fusee on the back of it and cut out some swirls.  I positioned the swirls then ironed them in place. 

The quilting is very simple.  I stitched along the hard blue lines in the background which are about 1/2" - 3/4" apart.  Then I stitched inside the white part of each swirl. Next, I couched rattail around the edges of the circles.

I like the direct complement of the orange/red orange with blue green. It's both peaceful and energetic. I like how the white in the swirls echos the white in the indigo fabric and how they both make me think of light shining on water.

I'll be right back with another piece that I made to catch up with,

Heather

Art Every Day,  Monday, August 26, 2013

Good Evening,
Here is today's new piece. I simply wanted to play with more swirls.  This time I did it with rattail and ribbons rather than twisted strips of ripped fabric.
I started with a deep blue green hand dyed cotton on top of some green dye painted batting.  Then I jumped in with violet rattail and stitched down the largest of the swirls with three rows of rattail and one of twisted rayon ribbon.  Then I added the two small twisted rayon ribbon swirls.  After those were on, I realized that I should have stitched all of the background first, so I quickly stitched all of it with a small stipple in dark blue green. Next I stitched down about half of the the rick rack.  Then, I added a few more rattail swirls followed by the rest of the rick rack followed by the last few rattail swirls.
I really like all the layering and the multiple layers of depth along with the cool, cool colors. Plus, it's always fun to go a little overboard with embellishments.
Till tomorrow,
Heather