Gelli print pouch

My intention this week was to do more painting and monoprinting but there were things in the house that needed to be done which I did yesterday while it rained. On the nice days, like today, I've been cleaning up the garden and picking the last veggies before the ground freezes.

I've still got a pot of Swiss chard on the deck. Plan to make a sausage, tomato soup with it tomorrow.

I've been slowly finishing little bits of sewing-- a binding-- and I started this little zippered pouch.

I used a Gelli print accented quickly with free motion stitching in black. All that's left to do is to sew the fabric that you see behind. It wraps around to the front and is top stitched down.

I've used the pattern many times. It's very easy, is useful and makes a nice gift. It would be great for jewellery or other little things for the non sewer. I love to use some of my work this way.

It's a bit sad to say good bye to the garden while at the same time satisfying to pick the last bits, weed and add compost for next year. We have two full compost bins which I've been slowly emptying this week. I'm writing this on the deck but as it's nearing 4:00pm and the sun is sinking, the air is cooling. Deck time is coming to an end.

One good thing about our four seasons is that there's always something new to look forward to. Trail walks and eventually snow shoeing. I'm hoping to be able to do a little this year. We'll see. The hip is great. Other joints are giving me some problems. I'm hoping for the best.

 

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Mono printing

After being out of town yesterday, I was anxious to get back to work on the planning and experimenting stage of a new piece.

Feathers and nests. I made a couple of foam stamps on which I used pink paint simply because I had it out for something else.

Sometime ago in August, I tried out another mono printing technique- iron freezer paper with drawing to white fabric, lay it gently atop fabric printing ink brayered onto glass, draw over sketched lines, being careful to keep hand and arm raised so as not to smudge.

What you see above is the freezer paper with drawing ironed to fabric.

Below is the print that results after going over lines carefully. The bottom one was darker because I reapplied ink unevenly. Must remember!

Also, do you search all over your house for something you just had? I know I used a black container of fabric printing ink. Do you think I could find it? No, had to use something else. That's item number two I'm searching for now. Cleaned a couple closets searching this morning, lol.

Last time I used a medium point ball point pen and found the lines too thick. Thought I'd be smart and use a fine point ball stelleto. Perfect lines but you can't always tell where you've done.

Hence, I missed outlining the third egg.

Next, I will use a pen with a finer nib so I'll see where I've traced.

 

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Hand embellishing

I know as autumn advances the days of sitting out on the deck are numbered. It's good this time of year that we do face south. I've got a sweater on and I'm doing a little hand embellishing on the piece I'm calling Autumn frost. I do love October!

We've taken down the shade but even so, the sun is so low that it's hard to get the full sun.

I was out for a short bike ride to visit a nest I've been following. Now, I have fall, winter and spring pics, but no summer. It would have been hard to see and besides I couldn't have gotten there this summer. My new hip is enabling me to get out again.

My next piece of fiber art based on the nests has been mulling around in my head for a while. I've got pics, some sketches and a bit fiber painting started. I'll show more as I get it under way.

 

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Playing with free motion and embellishing

Have I become so blasé that I'm not excited about being published? I've forgotten to mention that I have an article in the most recent Quilting Arts magazine about Gelli printing with flora and including the directions on how to make my little needle cases.

On top of that the piece called Into the Heart of Birches that I'm exhibiting in the Stratford Museum in Ontario and which will be touring Canada as part of the SAQA My Corner of the World exhibition for the next two years, has sold!

I've been playing since lunch with this little 7 by 10" piece that I showed yesterday which I think I will call Early Autumn Frost.

I added a bit of lace, finished quilting the background, added some Hollowshimmer for sparkle and started a bit of hand stitching. Too bad the camera doesn't pick up the sparkle.

A litttle beading may follow just for fun!

Here's my lunchtime sketch. Coloured pencils on foam stamped sketchbook page.

Now out to the deck. It's a gorgeous day!

 

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Painting, quilting and wreath making

Besides generally moving about more and getting out for my walks, I have been busy! While out on a part of the trail that I hadn't seen yet, I found among other things, some Queen Anne's lace. I couldn't resist bringing a couple of pieces home. Really I'd like to press them for my Gelli plate but they're so pretty I didn't want to hide them!

Maybe I'll have to go gather a few more.

They inspired this little page with my stamped background.

My cosmos have grown about six feet tall and are still blooming, although with our cold nights, not for much longer.

My hip is getting better and better as I continue to build muscles around it. I feel like I've got my life back and want to do everything at once.

Which is why, right now, after a creatively busy day, I'm taking advantage of the still warm sun on my deck. Those days are numbered. I've got my feet up and I'm sipping tea as I write.

I've been working back and forth on these three small pieces.

The first two are Gelli prints. They're both thread sketched and free motion quilted. I want to hand embellish.

The second one still needs the black finished and I will do some handwork on it too.

This third piece is made with snippets, strips and fibers, free motion stitched under netting. The flowers are fused.

It's ready for more stitching and embellishing eventually. Maybe more dragonflies.

At the same time, I'm getting a few of my doodles ready to send off to a graphic artist (my daughter in law) who will do some Photoshop work with them.

I want to have Thermofax screens made.

As if that wasn't enough, I put together a Halloween wreath this morning. The grapevine wreath is an old one, donated and sprayed black on the weekend. The Dollar Store and Walmart were a great resource for the rest except for the Chinese lanterns which I picked.

In between all that, I managed to mix up a quick small chicken pot pie with corn bread crust. The gravy and chicken were leftover. I made it simple by stirring in some frozen veggies.

I leave you with a trail pic from yesterday.

 

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