A Weekend in the Carolina Mountains....

is what we planned for this weekend, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen due to work commitments. I guess we shouldn't complain for as bad as the real estate market has been all over the country -- we're still keeping busy!

After putting the suitcases away and explaining to Tobie and Gizmo that they were NOT going to go to Petsmart's Pet Hotel (which they LOVE), Sabrina and I decided over a bowl of cereal , that this would be a good weekend to cover the purple picnic table with plastic dropcloths, lay out the buckets, wheel out the supplies and do some -- painting, dyeing, stamping, foiling, fabric and bead making. Actually, this is perfect timing as I am getting ready to work some smaller art quilts - one for a gift, one for Monica's SGK cause and one to submit in response to a Call for Entries for a new publication that is coming out -- so I really need to play around and get some interesting surfaces from which to pull. Perfect.


In preparation, I've dug out two of my favorite books:

The Beadmaker -- which lays out all the instructions for making beads out of formers, metallic, polymer clay, felt, natural materials (stone, shell, seeds, aromatics,) plastic, embroidery, paper, fabric, etc. Sabrina is really into making her own jewelry right now, and I am always attaching things to art quilts, journals, etc., which I have purchased, but I've always wanted to try making some of my own embellishments.

And this book by Sandra Meech, Contemporary Quilts - Design, Surface and Stitch - contains a litany of techniques of surface embellishment (cloth, transfer dye, photographs, plastic, collage, paint, paper and pattern,stitch). She also explains a variety of design principles and elements for the textile artist -- particularly when dealing with stitch and texture.

Be sure to check back over the weekend as I will try to post periodic pictures of our progress.

I'm also trying to talk "somebody" in to going to see the new Batman movie with me. If no one will go - I may just go alone - THAT's how badly I want to see it!!!

So - What are YOU up to this weekend???

Last Minute Gift....

Here's a padfolio I made as a gift for one of Sabrina's teachers. I went by one of Sue B's patterns for reference. I hand painted a nice heavy white cotton duck cloth with metallic Lumiere paints. After it dried, I texturized the surface with a nickle paint and hot fixed some Swavroski crystals into the upper right corner. I satin stitched around the whole thing with metallic turqoise thread, sewed a gorgeous glass button to the front for a wrap closure, and added some beads to the bottom of a fancy yarn wrap. The inside is lined with hand dyed turquoise fabric that is a stunning shade. I also painted the top of the little pad inside so it wasn't that yucky red. I painted it with Lumiere paint -- and now it matches nicely. Click on the picture so you can see the glass button and the texture in the cover. Cotton duck cloth is really cool to paint on -- it's stiff, keeps it's shape and doesn't suck in the paint, particularly if you cover it first with a "light" coat of gesso or textile fixative. I think this really came out nicely. I'm thinking of making another one of these for a giveaway -- what do you think???