A Star is Born...

 

 Maybe that should be "several stars are born." A quilting friend gifted me with a fat quarter of Tilda Studios fabric featuring these pretty girls. She wasn't sure how she'd use the fabric and thought something might come to me for using it. Almost immediately the wheels started turning. And it seemed as if the girls were watching me every time I walked by them on my work table. I decided to back the fabric with Heat 'n Bond iron-on adhesive and then cut them apart to use them in collage-style greeting cards. A little corrugated cardboard, paint, lace, and ribbon... and Voila! Stars are born. 

For this pretty blonde I used painted kraft cardstock for the background along with some linen and lace. I love how the designer used very few features and yet made these girls so expressive.

One row of girls had heads but no bodies. No problem. I gave this one a polka dot dress and added arms, legs, and hot pink shoes. She's ready to dance.

Lace plus bows plus pom-poms plus cardboard plus.... it's pretty endless what I'll throw into one of these cards. But they are so much fun to assemble.

This sweet girl is set on a painted background with a touch of lace. 

There are a lot of girls in a fat quarter of fabric, so there are several more cards and maybe other projects in the offing. These girls are quite the fun distraction and I find myself drawn into making one when I planned to other things (like dust).

A Little Southern Sass...

 

Meet Sal. Granted, she's not your standard cuddly soft doll, but she has her own special style. And she did enjoy sitting on several people's laps when she made the rounds at show-and-tell at our Fiber Art Bee meeting recently. So she is kind of cuddly. Or at least huggable for sure. Sal is my project made in Kecia Deveney's online class called Southern Sass. Kecia teaches her students how to design a pattern and pull together the elements and mixed media techniques to come up with a one-of-a-kind fabric art doll. I've been working on Sal for many weeks. Half the fun is searching through my stash to find the bits and pieces I thought belonged to create Sal's personality.

Sal looks good both coming and going. Even her backside got plenty of attention with fabric and embroidery accents. The fabric base is one I learned to make in Liz Constable's tutorial as part of Fodder School, a year-long online class featuring a different teacher each month. The fabric involved scorching and painting which was quite fun. Online classes have pretty much replaced tv for me. I find so little I want to watch on television, but never tire of learning new art methods and techniques via these classes. I'm sure I won't be able to stop at making just one, so Sal will have at least one sister soon.

Down By The Seaside...

 

So many things about the ocean seem to draw us. For me it's the freshness of the air, the sound of waves, and the fascination of the far horizons. We flew from Florida to Maine- "down east"- for several days in June. This photo was taken from the rocky coast of Southern Maine.

The Marginal Way in Ogunquit offers a walk along the coast with many beautiful views. It was cool and overcast some of the days, but we had a couple of sunshiny ones, too.

In a happy coincidence, mixed media artist Lenna Andrews offered her By the Sea Swap of Artist Trading Cards right about the same time as our travels. ATCs are small works of art about the size of a baseball trading card- 2/12" x 3".  Nearly two dozen participants took part. We each made three ATCs to trade and sent them to Lenna, who sorted and returned three cards made by others. I received this happy shark on a printed fabric background made by Pam Gonzalez from Illinois.

Sabine Schneider from Germany stitched this little storm-tossed sailboat. She incorporated a lot of fabrics and stitching in such a small space.

Catherine Mommsen Scott who has a fine art shop on Etsy called Imajica Amadoro, used the photographic process of cyanotype to create her card and added inked details.

 

Some participants made more than one set of ATCs in the theme. And Lenna also recieved many extras of the cards sent in. She generously included a fourth card along with some collage materials in the return envelope. I found this ocean blue, hand-stitched beauty made by Siri Hauge Opdal from Norway in mine. These swaps are fun to participate in, and of course the happy mail you get in return really brightens up the day.

As I thought about the swap theme, "almost monochromatic" kept coming to mind. When I found this evocative vintage image of a woman reading her book beside the ocean, it seemed made for a "by the sea" challenge. I used watercolor background paper along with bits cut from security envelopes to frame the image, and then sewed on the tiny flower sequins for a touch of color.

 

I think she's reading and dreaming of travel to those far horizons. The only things that changed in the three ATCs I made were the background papers and the colors and position of the sequin flowers. This was great fun and I look forward to another swap with Lenna in the fall. She made a YouTube video showing all of the work of the participants. It's less than three minutes, so take a look if you get a chance.

When you're by the sea, there are so many charming buildings and scenes inviting photography. Don't you love the Harbormaster's cottage at Perkins Cove?

We've visited Maine many times over the years with our children, and I think I take this shot every year. All these boats at anchor in the cover are like a postcard.  By the sea is a refreshing place to be.

Look- It's Twins....

I often say I'm not a doll maker. And yet, when I look around my sewing room- well- I seem to be a doll maker. This tall girl is my version of "Coralie", an Art Foamies Doll made in an online class with Kecia Deveney. I bought a foam stamp of the doll's face, and then  used paints to color her face and features. Her dress is sewn from hand-dyed fabric stamped with decolorant to remove color in the mandala flower shapes. Even her necklace with the scissors charm was crafted from bits and pieces I've collected and kept just for her. She's quite charming, don't you think?

But why stop at one? So Coralie got a twin. Again, stamping and painting; stitching and stuffing with fiberfill and doll beads; and hand-embroidering  on her fancy print dress gave this version of the doll her own look. She, too, is wearing a handmade necklace under her lacy collar. These dolls were so much fun to make.

 So when our fiber arts group had a challenge to place 10 items in a brown bag and then each draw a bag to see what we'd work with, I made a third doll using all 10 items in the bag. She's the even-taller girl on the right in the photo. I don't think I've shown her on the blog before. And you can see what I mean about maybe being a doll maker! I have a few more than the just five shown here. I've always heard that any more than two of anything is a collection. Would it surprise you to know that yet another doll is underway? This one is also from a class with Kecia titled Southern Sass, so stay tuned.

Bark Fest, The Sequel...

 

Say hello to Emmitt. He stopped by the Carolina Real Food for Dogs booth at Bark Fest for a sample, even though he eats this food daily. I get a kick out of Emmitt- a small dog with big personality. He's often at the center of every activity. I think I referred to him as The Rabble Rouser in last year's post.

This year is the second Bark Fest event held in the Charlotte, NC, area and organized by our son Lee, who founded Carolina Real. This is Bender, another happy customer, posing in front of the pop-up sign featuring Winston, the "spokesdog" of Carolina Real. Winston was quite a sick boy as a puppy and wound up with digestive problems that were a problem for the whole family. Lee began to research and came up with a home-made food recipe that resolved the problems and helped Winston to thrive. When some friends asked if he'd make food for their dogs, the idea for his new company was born. More education and working with food scientists allowed him to formulate and refine his recipes further to meet government standards so he could sell the food. Last year's Bark Fest was the launch of the company and he gave out samples. This year his larger kitchen facility is up and running. We were offering samples and selling the food, which is fresh-made and then frozen so he can ship it to customers in the Carolinas. The feeding amounts and recommendations for transitioning to human-grade food are on the website.

It was a beautiful day and there were lots of meet-and-greets happening on the grounds. Vendors included a dog photography tent (proceeds going to Carolina Boxer Rescue organization), Muddy Dog mobile tread mill, a mobile groomer, a poop-scooper lawn service, a dog treat baker, a veterinary clinic, dog walking service, dog-themed gifts and t-shirts, a food truck, a brew truck, and more. Our daughter-in-law Carin had her own booth, too. As a nutritional consultant and coach, she offered a line of dog support supplements for sale. Just as last year, there were no incidents of doggy "turf wars" and the whole day was uplifting and fun. In the words of one attendee, "I wish Bark Fest could happen every weekend!" Good vibes.

The opportunity for me to travel and be part of Bark Fest is truly a highlight of the year. I just loved meeting all the dogs and seeing how much their families love and enjoy them and provide good care for them.

This is Riley, a German Shorthaired Pointer. He's getting ready for a sample of Carolina Real. Most dogs readily chow down on it, but some were too stimulated by the goings on to focus on food, while a few hesitate because they aren't just sure what to do with real food. They figure it out quickly though.

This beautiful standard Poodle was so well behaved and her coloring is quite unusual. Her ears were a dark chocolate brown contrasting with the rest of her lighter coat. 

This pair of Mastiffs were in attendance. They were not as large as the pair in last year's post (if you want more dog photos, click this link- the larger Mastiffs are pictured there along with a cute Pomeranian in a Caribbean hat!). But I think these two are young with some growing to do. Imagine the food bill for these two! Some people with  large dogs or multiple dogs add Carolina Real as a topper  or mix it in with the less expensive dry kibble they feed to add nutrition and appeal to the meals. You can see the mobile dog spa van in the background.

And this one!! We got to meet 12-week-old Ruby, a dappled Miniature Dachshund. Her owner carried her through the grounds because she has not completed her course of innoculations yet. She's a candidate for Carolina Real when she gets to about 6 months of age and she lives in the same apartment complex as Lee, so delivery will be an easy thing. I'm sorry granddaughter Brooke was traveling and unable to attend with her miniature Dachsund Gisele to meet Ruby. All in all, it was another wonderful festival of dogs and I loved every minute!

An in other animal news, on Mother's Day our daughter Joanna and I attended The Gala of the Royal Horses, a performance showcasing Friesian horses, Andalusians, Arabs, and Lippizaners. Majestic indeed.

Quickest Quilt of All Time...

 

When visiting our local Cowboy Church recently, I learned that a group of members were planning a mission trip to Alaska this summer and were doing some fundraising. My impulsive response was to say, "If I can get my act together and make a quilt, would you want to use it in your fundraising?" They responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes!". I gulped and began thinking of what I could make that would be quick enough to get to them in time. The answer came in a look through my fabric stash. I'd had this Riley Blake fabric panel called Back of the Chutes for some time. Plus I had an entire storage tote containing these completed blocks. So it was a simple matter of a little bit of math, choosing some complimentary blocks and bordering the panel with them. The quilt went out to longarm quilter Debra Johnston who turned it around in record time, and Voila!- the quilt I titled "Rodeo Days" was done. The panel itself does the design work, and of course it was very appealing to the members of a Cowboy Church, among others! 

I thought I'd show you the easy blocks used in the border. Several years ago Emily Schaefer, a now-late member of a local quilt guild, presented a program on using up scraps in a fabric stash. She encouraged us to cut and sort scraps by size and color so they are ready to use in a quilt project. She was the Scrap Quilt Queen.  I took her words to heart and spent a happy afternoon sorting, pressing and cutting fabrics into 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" strips. 

I then organized the strips into groups- four of one print, and one of a second print- so they were ready to sew into rectangular blocks. I was not overly careful about colors, but there is an innate sense of making things look somewhat cohesive.

I kept a zippered tote of the pieces next to the sewing machine. Then, in the manner of notable quilter Bonnie Hunter who developed the concept of "leaders and enders", I sewed a seam on these strips each time I completed a seam on another project. It's helpful to have something "under the needle" to chain sew and prevent an abundance of thread ends. It also keeps the machine from chewing up the beginning or end of a seam, so it worked very smoothly. And the bonus is that I was completing blocks periodically. Here's a pile of blocks ready for another project. Having them on hand really added to the speed with which I was able to assemble "Rodeo Days". So there's a scrappy idea for you if you have plentiful fabric scraps. There are so many pretty panels available now, that a quick baby quilt or holiday project can be done on a moment's notice! It was just what I needed.

Upcycle for Earth Day...

 

The Brick City Center for the Arts in Ocala, Florida, is hosting the exhibit "Upcycled: Turning Waste into Wonder" for the month of April. Nearly 50 local artists have pieces on display. Each piece is required to contain at least 50% recycled materials. There are lots  of quirky and fun items on display, including two of mine, shown in this post below. 

It's hard to pick a favorite, but I was very taken by "Wire Horse" crafted by Elisa Prescott. Ocala is known as Horse Country, so this sculpture made from a rusty crib mattress really represents the area. The skill and finesse it took to mold this metal into shape in quite impressive.

This is my upcycled fiber bead necklace "Nothing But Scraps" made from recycled plastic drinking straws and denim scraps. I showed it along with some made by students in a class I taught on making the beads in my last post here. 

"Hearts at Home" is my other piece in the exhibit is this shabby-chic heart ornament stitched and stuffed using fabric leftovers from a local interior design firm. They would have gone to the landfill, but I got a big bag of some very beautiful fabric pieces from them. The embellishments are also recycled and include a "spray" of orange plastic produce bag and a hanger from sari silk, which is itself a reclaimed textile. I've been making several of these because the fabrics are so pretty.

Darian Mosely made the nicely textured "REforestation" with corrugated cardboard and stones.

There were other fiber pieces as well that made use of small bits of fabric. Liz Chojnacki stitched "A Whale of a Time" (11" x 14"). Lots of other interesting throw-away materials made an appearance as well. There was a full size mannequin covered with decoupage images and with a globe for a head! Very imaginative entries. All of the items needed to be for sale, and I'm happy that the necklace sold in the first week. It was so much fun that I hope the Marion Cultural Alliance will issue this art call again in the future.