a bit of Spring in the air...

We are experiencing some unusually warm, beautiful days this week. It hit 86 degrees yesterday, after being in the 30s the morning before. It feels wonderful to be able to be outside without a coat and to take in the sunshine. I'm sure there are more cold days coming before winter ends.... This is the last of the Amaryllis blooms (indoors).

click on the images for close-ups.

the last 4 blooms

That beautiful yarn I showed you is just not working out for the scarf I want to make. The color changes are much too close together and too bright. It just looks chaotic when knitted. I will have to find another way to use this yarn. I'll be experimenting with different knitting and crochet patterns to see what works. Suggestions are welcome.

looks beautiful on the swift but when made into a 'cake', it looks so different.

i worked a small swatch of the pattern and you can see that it's just 'chaos'...but notice my new Caspian green needles. i love them. they are from Knit Picks.

I've continued to work on my daily stitching project...

trying to use different combinations of stitches

I showed you the bird applique block awhile back that will be the center of the duvet/blanket I hope to put together with all the daily stitching pieces. I have started adding to that and did some embellishing....trying to use all of the vintage pieces of cloth I have in my stash.

the pink up top is the edge of an old pillowcase. the x-stitch piece is old and was never completed so there is an incomplete section that i will leave that way.

I have been working on some other things but I can't show them yet...so that's all for now. Wishing you a week filled with creativity and most of all, good weather. I know some of you have really been hit with some really bad weather.

a wonderful week...

My Amaryllis bulbs are on their second round of blooms. A new stalk popped up and produced four beautiful blooms.

click on the images for close-ups

4 beautiful blooms

I'm working on a project and needed to create some free motion embroidery lace. I learned this technique from Karen Ruane and just love what can be created.

free motion embroidery with bits of cloth on silk net...damp stretching takes out all the wrinkles

embellished with hand stitching

Karen taught how to make ball buttons this week in Simply Stitch 3.

a bead, perle cotton #5

Simply Stitch 3 ends on the 14th, and Simply Stitch 4 will begin on February 24th. If you think you might like to join in, read about it here.

The 2014 daily stitch project continues but really haven't been getting to it every day....but that's ok.

adding some of my stitch to vintage cloth

Last week, I showed you a picture of some yarn I ordered. I haven't received it yet but here's a picture of the scarf I intend to make and the book where it was found.

it will be a challenge

lots of pretty patterns within. you can see some of them on Amazon

Hope you've created a wonderful world for yourself.
CBS has created a marquee as it looked 50 years ago when the Beatles first performed on the Ed Sullivan Show. You can see it here. and I'll end with some Beatle music from the 60s...

Enjoy...

a fun week...

I was looking through some lace books earlier this week and was inspired by some lace collar patterns. I decided to play some more with the Colorpoint paints.

click on the images for close-ups...

the background is a manipulated amaryllis image...lace pattern done with Colorpoint paints

 A few days later I was inspired by something Karen Ruane posted and did some free motion embroidery on the image and divided it into sections.

free motion embroidery, torn edges and bits of lace

This will eventually find its way into my ledger.

The daily stitching project continues. I find myself not doing it every day but doing 2 or 3 at a time, every couple of days. The blocks are adding up.

daily stitching project

During the second week of my class Studying Under the Masters, we studied Antoni Gaudi. I am so taken with his architecture and mosaic work. I'm preparing to do a mosaic of one of the stained glass windows in the Segrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. There was a wonderful segment on the Segrada Familia on 60 minutes back in early 2013. You can watch it here. It's really fascinating.

Gaudi architecture

preparing to do a mosaic

The idea behind copying the Masters is not to plagiarize and make it your own but to practice and to try and learn the thinking that was going on in the mind of the artist as he created. It is said through continued practice, you will find your own voice. The American Film Director, Francis Ford Coppola said, "We want you to take from us. We want you, at first, to steal from us, because you can't steal. You will take what we give you and you will put it in your own voice. And that's how you begin. And then, one day, someone will steal from you."  There are many more quotes like this one from artists, musicians, writers, and other creators, in the book Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon. He uses the word Steal in his title but he is just reiterating what artists have said through the ages. I'm enjoying this book that is a fast read but has a very interesting point of view.

I started a new journal for this class that I'm taking and have been experimenting with some pattern sketches.

decorated the cover of a new journal and played with some new patterns

So it's been a productive and interesting week. We had a day of frozen precipitation that created havoc on the roads but yesterday the temperature hit 80F and will be close to that again today before another freeze hits us tonight.

oh...and I ordered this beautiful yarn that I am so anxious to receive. There is a scarf I want to knit that is a bit complicated. I signed up for a knitting class that will meet right after the lace class I attend on Tuesdays and I'll be able to get help with it there.

ordered from Blue Moon Fiber Arts

Have a great weekend.

finishing up...and something new...

I did finish the paper work I showed you last week with the manipulated Amaryllis image. It started out with this first one. I didn't like some of the areas I did in watercolor so I cut them away and filled those areas with cloth.

---click on the images for a much better view---

manipulated Amaryllis image, watercolor, colorpoint paint, fabric

 I printed another image, used some paint and then did some free motion embroidery with some hand stitching. Those 5 pieces in the bottom right hand corner are the watercolored pieces cut away from the image above.

manipulated image, watercolors, colorpoint paint, fme, hand stitching

Here is another image I played with in PE....this one is more like a sketch and when I turned it around and added some pencil marks....it looks to be a dancing goat to me. You might see a horse or a deer or...

amaryllis image manipulated in PE

my dancing goat

The Amaryllis bulbs are on their second round of producing flowers so there may be more playing when those bloom.

Amaryllis will bloom again

I have never had any formal training in Art or Art History so when I read about this class on Facebook, I just couldn't pass it up. We studied Matisse the first week and now we are studying Gaudi. I am so happy to have found this class. I have already learned so much and have really gotten into doing the exercises demonstrated. Check it out at this link. If it interests you, you can still sign up and I believe the class will be available online for 2 years so there is no rush to keep up. You can work at your own pace. There are 9 teachers...a different one each week and each presents a different artist. It is so worth the cost. The name of the class is STUDYING WITH THE MASTERS and you can read all about it here.

some of my art supplies and a book recommended by Jeanne Oliver

in the style of Matisse / a new journal started

collecting patterns in a journal

I've been continuing to work on my daily stitching project and the blocks are adding up.

just a bit of my own embroidery in each already embellished block

an appliqued bird block for the center surrounded by vintage cloth

A very full week. Went a bit backwards with the Downton Abbey coat this week. I found a mistake at the armhole so I had to back out 7" but I'm almost back to the top again.

We had a freeze this week with some very icy streets that looked like snow but created havoc on the roads with lots of accidents despite the fact that all the schools and some businesses closed for the day....but we're back to normal and expect tomorrow to be in the 70s. I just love the variety.

Hope you're all safe and are having a wonderful weekend.

a full week...

I did lots of playing with the filters in Photoshop Elements this week. I used the images of the beautiful Amaryllis bulbs that have been blooming for the past few weeks right on my kitchen table.
Here's one image that I used for some ledger work.

click on the images for close-ups...

Photoshopped image of the Amaryllis seen in my last post

I printed it on watercolor paper, did some painting with watercolors and with this Colorpoint paint I found in my closet from years ago. I cut out some areas from one of the paintings and put it down on another...just had a great time playing.

watercolors, dimensional paint over printed image

I've done some free motion quilting and hand stitching on this but it's not quite finished. Will show you the finished page next time. It has evolved slowly.

I spent a good amount of time this week straightening out my crafts room. I haven't seen the tops of my work table in a long time. Nice to have that surface back. I built this work table about 20 years ago from a steel frame and plywood. I even added a padded section for ironing that is right next to my sewing machine.  I'll take you around the room with pictures. The room still needs some cleaning out and organizing but, at least, I've made a good start.

a small cutting board here. a much bigger one in another room...paints, brushes, glue, needle book, journal, etc., etc.

more paints and beads under the table, spun yarn in baskets, ironing surface and....

sewing machine, threads. window behind that hanging quilt

old books, machine quilting books, lots of threads for hand stitching

haven't gotten to this mess yet. baskets with ufos, all of dad's photography up top. the drawers are filled with things from fabric to computer equipment. i bought this hutch when i got my first full time job when i was 18.

I wont show you the closet in this room that is chock full of stuff that needs sorting out. Hopefully this motivation that hit me will last a while longer so I can get it all done. The closet is full of yarn and different collage papers, lots of raw wool for felting and spinning and every other craft project I've tried in the past 25 or so years. Very little fabric in this room...that stash is in my bedroom since I ran out of room here.

The Downton Abbey coat is moving along. Just need a couple more rows to finish the back.

the back...ready to start one of the front panels

It was 29 degrees here this morning but I've already received some of the seeds I will plant this Spring. Will have to wait till the end of March, at least, but I'm ready.

Hope you're all having a great weekend.

and so it goes...

the daily stitching has continued and i've washed some more of my grandmother's cloth to use. I wasn't sure whether i'd be able to use it because it was stiff and so discolored...not in a good way...but 2 hours soaked in oxy-clean and they turned out beautifully. I was amazed. so I will cut them up and incorporate them. I've decided to vary the shapes and sizes of the blocks to add interest and also so that I don't have to cut into some beautiful patterns on the cloth.

and don't forget....click on the images for better views...

daily stitching squares

I continue to stitch a little on the Fun Times cloth every day and am getting closer to finishing but still have a ways to go. every time I lay out all the panels, I see areas that still need some work.

added contrast here so the white stitching shows up

and I cannot resist showing you some more images of the beautiful Amaryllis flowers that are sitting on my kitchen table that were a gift from a friend. I think these will be the last blooms for this year. I've enjoyed these so much that I think I will be forcing bulbs indoors every year from now on.

the back of the Downton Abbey coat is about 25" long and I'm just about to start the armholes. I hope to have the back finished by next week.

we've been having some beautiful days of sun and 70 degree temperatures but the cold days are bound to be back before long.

have a great week and see you next time.

a daily project for 2014

I've seen lots of ideas lately for a daily stitching practice. I like having something easy to pick up and stitch when I'm stuck on a project. I decided to cut up some of the vintage cloth I've accumulated, that I probably will never use, into 5½" squares. My hope is to do some small stitching motif on one square each day throughout the year and then stitch them all together into some type of blanket. I've already cut up enough for a little over a month and have stitched on 3 of the squares...

click on the images for a better view...

5½" squares to get me started

some bullion knots, the number 1 and a flower motif (the white is hard to see)

a leaf and flower motif with cast-on stitches

I received 2 beautiful Amaryllis bulbs from a friend and I am so enjoying watching them open up into gorgeous flowers. It's amazing how many flowers are produced from just one bulb.

such a beautiful pink/peachy color

love how the light comes through the thin petals

I have done a bit more work on the Fun Times cloth...

a bumpy bit (about 2" wide) with embroidered vines

and the Downton Abbey coat is growing slowly...

it measures 17" so far

I know there's lots of weather out there, so stay safe and warm. We go from 22 degrees one morning to 75 degrees the next afternoon, but expecting a freeze again Sunday night.