Work in Progress # 4

I have most of the building construction completed except for some surface additions. Most of my time today was spent stitching trees. The first photo was an experiment. In the second photo, the same tree skeleton was used with various bits of organza foliage put in place. It worked out well and I may use it. However, I like the tree still in the hoop. I added some foliage before cutting it out. Extra bits of foliage will be added to the back and front to give dimension.

You can see more trees in the last photo. They are not in a permanent placement yet and extra foliage will be added when stitched to the background.

Embroidery

For those of you interested in embroidery, check out the various sites on the Hand Embroidery Blog. I guarantee you hours of fun! Too bad they aren't in alphabetic order.

Here's a few more to add to the list:
Feeling Stitchy
Curiosities 808 from Hawaii
Hand Embroidery from Sadalas
Teach Me Tuesday
Mary Corbet's Needle 'N Thread

This is one of my hand embroideries done with single strands of silk embroidery floss.





Enjoy!

Mini Art Pieces

I've been doing a series of framed 5" x 5" textile art, called 'Back Yard' since the fall of 2009. Check my previous post here for information about them. The photo below shows two of the pieces that are currently in the Craft Council Shop, Devon House.

The Craft Council just opened an on-line shop to make it easier for people to buy unique one-of-a-kind ars and crafts. One of my Piscius Fantasticus is one of the items listed.

Work in Progress # 3

Update photos:
Check out here for more details on making the foliage. I spent a lot of time making the green stuff but it works great to give a realistic look to the work.

Making greenery for the art piece.

Waterfront - St. John's

I was downtown St. John's this morning and I just had to stop and take a couple of photos. It was such a beautiful, cool day! In the first photo, you can see Cabot Tower and Signal Hill in the distance. The second photo shows part of the Battery, a small, unique neighbourhood within St. John's. The last photo shows some of the older structures on the waterfront. The gray stone building in the background is the courthouse.

TAST - Take A Stitch Tuesday Challenge

Sharon B of Pintangle is offering her Take a Stitch Tuesday challenge again in the new year. If you are interested in learning some new embroidery stitches or brushing up on some old ones, this is a great opportunity to do so. The best thing - it's free! Read more about it here. I just signed up. Not that I need another project, but you never know what new ideas might come from it. Not only that, but it will give me something to focus on in our Thursday night stitching group called FETE - friends every Thursday night.

Work in Progress # 2

I have been working on the row house piece mentioned in the November 9 post. This photo (showing the autumn version) does not appear in Fire Fox but shows in Internet Explorer. I will be doing the summer version with lots of trees. The work is going slowly as I am painting in some of the finer building details. The following photos show bits and pieces of the overall composition. I am using Lite Steam-a-Seam 2 as well as Heat n Bond Lite stabilizers in the construction. I have lots of foilage to make as well as stitch the tree trunks and branches.  This will be added as needed.

Houston Quilt Festival

In 2001, I travelled to Houston with some quilting friends to attend the International Quilt Festival. It was one of the best quilt related experiences of my life. I can still picture the hugh conference center filled with quilts and everything related to quilting that a quilter / quilt artist could desire. Each year in November, I think about that trip. I hope to travel there again sometime in the future. Anyway, I always look for postings of the quilts and other art displayed there. It's not as good as been there but it is the next best thing. Check out the following sites:

• Dyed and Gone to Heaven
• Sue Dennis
• Free Spirit Art Studio
• International Quilt Association: A World of Beauty
• Exhibit Highlights with Luana Rubin - part 1 & part 2
• Walks in the Woods with Freda Anderson 
• Judy Coates Perez
• About Quilts
• Kathy York
• Google Search - Images
• Google Search  - Videos

Enjoy!

11 Days of Pre-Holiday Tutorials

You will just have to check out these tutorials. A new one every day for 11 days!

1. November 9  :Jane LeFazio 
2. November 10 :Lyric Kinard
3. November 11 :Tracie Lyn Huskamp
4. November 12 :Melanie Testa
5. November 13 :Traci Bunkers
6. November 14 :Diana Trout
7. November 15 :Judy Coates Perez
8. November 16 :Kelli Nina Perkins
9. November 17 :Lisa Engelbrecht
10. November 18 :Jill Berry
11. November 19 :Gloria Hansen

Some of the above artists also have other tutorials on their blogs. Check them out!

Work in Progress # 1

My trip to Chicago was a success. Now I'm back and already working on a commissioned piece. Here's a photo of the houses I'm doing. I'm using similar techniques used in 'View From The Rooms'. Actually, this photo is also taken from The Rooms. Photos of the actual piece will be posted soon. Check back!