In Progress...

I looked around my studio and noticed a bunch of unfinished projects. Some getting too close to the deadline.

I started this little (10x15") acrylic ink piece in Judy Coates Perez' surface design class at IQA Houston last fall. I sponge-painted the background and cut freezer paper stencils for the coffee cups. I used a dry brush to paint around the edges of the cups and added detail with fabric markers and a white Prismacolor pencil. I still need to quilt this one.

I found this felted wool bag in a thrift shop. I'm looking for the right handles for it.

I stenciled dandelion leaves on this 18x18" piece of dyed sateen. 

After I quilt it, I'll stencil the words below...

and embroider some dandelion puffs.

This will be "One Fish" in my fish series. 

Lots of coral and sponges need to be added to the sea floor. 17x19.5"

Here's my entry to the Dallas Quilt Show's Words and Letterform category. 

Still need to bind it, label it and sew on the rod pocket. 57x39"

I painted sateen with thickened Procion dye in 1992 for a kimono. 

This will be the third small "Just Crabby" quilt made with the upcycled Kimono fabric. 18x18".

This was the back of the kimono, I'm still wondering how to finish it. 28x50"

This is a manipulated photo of Lorraine Kuehnel's cat Hazel. She is a grey kitty. I added the color and had her inkjet printed on muslin. I need to quilt her next. 18x18"

"Dragonflies at the Pond" is inspired by a poem of the same name by Richard Schinzel for the Merging Visions Exhibition. I hand-dyed cotton sateen for the background and added dyed cheesecloth to represent the pond's edge. The dragonflies, water bug, cattails and lotus are fused to the background. 

Next, I'll quilt all of the appliques. 21x31"

"Cedar Waxwing" is my second entry for the Merging Visions Exhibition. The poem Invisible Threads by Beth Honeycutt describes a bird sitting in a snowy nandina bush. I combined three photos and "painted" things with photoshop before having it inkjet printed on cotton sateen. 13.5x18"

Time to step away from the computer and get busy!

"It's In The Bag" 2014

On May 8, 2014 the Greater Denton Arts Council will host 

a fundraiser called "It's In The Bag". 

Here are two of the purses I'm entering.

The auction begins at 5 pm on Thursday, May 8, 2014 

at the Center for the Visual Arts in Denton.
You may purchase tickets for the event here.

It's a lot of fun, the food is great and the bellinis are wonderful.

Fundraiser for TAG

The Arts Guild of Denton (TAG) presents their Annual Auction this Saturday night. 

The silent auction begins at 6:00 p.m., followed by the live auction at 8:15 p.m. 

Local artists were asked to create a 12x12" Denton-themed work of art. 

I can't wait to see all of the pieces in one location.

A photo of the beautiful produce at the Denton County Farmers Market was the starting place for my Denton-themed quilt. I digitally manipulated the colors in the photograph and printed it on fabric with my inkjet printer. I thread-painted the image with my home sewing machine to add shading and texture. 

I also donated two purses that I Zentangled with markers.

On this one I used silver Sharpie on black vinyl. 

On this one I used white Sharpie on green leather.

The Arts Guild is an independent organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the arts in Denton as the fundraising/volunteer support arm of the Greater Denton Arts Council. 

For more information about the event click here.

I hope to see you on Saturday.

It's in the Bag 2011

The Greater Denton Arts Council is hosting a fundraiser on May 3.

"It's in the Bag" is a silent auction of one-of-a-kind handbags.

The deadline to enter is April 1 and the purses are due April 15.

I've made several. 

"It's in the Bag" is open to the public and will be held May 3, at the Center for Visual Arts in Denton. Tickets are $20 at the door and include High Tea and Bellinis during the silent auction. Hope to see you there.

It's in the Bag

Tonight is the It's in the Bag Auction at the Center for Visual Arts.

I made these from kimonos, hand-dyed and fancy fabrics.

 You can see all the purses that were entered here.

Hope to see you at the auction.

Retreating!

I spent a fun weekend retreating in a wonderful old house/quilt shop 

called the Alford Inn in Van Alstyne, Texas. 

In addition to lots of visiting and eating, I made two purses for the auction and sewed patches on four boy scout uniforms. As I left home I grabbed a big box of fancy fabrics that were intended for a silk jacket many years ago. The background fabric was a light blue silk. Also in the box was brown, beige, blue and olive green, silk, rayon, satin and taffeta. I piece 20 blocks on foundation paper. I'm not sure what these blocks will be, but it was fun to piece for a change.

I also pieced and lined three more purses to be donated to the

 "It's in the Bag" and Denton Quilt Guild auctions. 

What a nice way to spend a few days.

It's in the Bag

The Greater Denton Arts Council is hosting a fundraiser on May 13.

"It's in the Bag" is a silent auction of one-of-a-kind handbags.

I've made several.

This is "Far Out Fossil." It's a recycled Fossil purse that 

I doodled on with Sharpie markers.

On the left is a bag made of the fabric I created in a Judy Coates Perez Mixed Media Class. On the right is a bag created with a leaf panel by Houston artist Lisa Qualls.

This little bag has two inside pockets and one outside. 

Perfect for an art show.

"It's in the Bag" is open to the public and will be held at the Center for Visual Arts in Denton. Tickets are $20 at the door and include High Tea and Bellinis during the silent auction. Hope to see you there.

Retreat Weekend

My local Denton Quilt Guild hosted it's Spring Retreat last weekend. Around 70 ladies spent the weekend sewing and visiting at a local retreat center. It was a great time to catch up with old friends and get to know new ones. I finished up the last of the quilts I plan to enter in Dallas Quilt Celebration 2010.

This is "Lilly," the sister of "Norman."

I finished "Iron Dragonfly" too.

The 12x12's will hang in the Twisted Stitcher invitational, Twelve2inches, March 12-14 at Dallas Quilt Celebration 2010 at Dallas Market Hall.

I made a new purse out of the fabric I painted in Judy Coates Perez's Mixed Media Fabric workshop.

The design was inspired by my favorite Maruca handbag.

I recycled the handle from another favorite bag.

Marsha from Longview did a great demo on this cute little neck bag.

I took a break to make one. The handle is a long shoe string.

This mini is made with some spin art Becky gave me.

I started a couple more that I'll show you when they're done.

Retreat was a blast, but it sure was good to be back home in my own bed.

"Brace Yourself"

My husband makes dental appliances (partials and dentures) for a living. Last year he made "It Bites!" for the GDAC It's In The Bag auction and it sold for big bucks.

"It Bites!" by Jon 2008

This year, with the help of my son's orthodontist Clay Pickering, Jon made "Brace Yourself".

"Brace Yourself" by Jon 2009

The teeth are denture teeth and the lips and gums are denture acrylic.

The silent auction will benefit the Greater Denton Arts Council and will be at 5:30 on Thursday, May 14 at the Center for Visual Arts on Bell Street in Denton, Texas.

Tickets are $20 at the door and includes a wine and cheese party.

I hope to see you there.

"Multitude of Squares" and Wool purses

Mary handed me a sack of faux leather samples last week. "To combine into some art," she said.  I ran across them last weekend and noticed that the colors were similar to this pretty square-covered ribbon and fabric sample. My Twisted Stitchers art quilt group is doing some 12x12" quilts this year so I thought I'd try this size.

Multitude of Squares, 12x12"

I used some purple acrylic felt for the batting and added old buttons from my grandmother's button tin. It was a fun exercise.

Here's a little make-up bag made from a recycled wool sweater and a donated zipper. The pink in the heart is some wool I dyed with KoolAid in the microwave. I seem to be in a recycling mode lately.

This purse is called "Red Bird Bag II". I made a grey one for the Greater Denton Arts Council's "It's in the Bag" Purse Auction. I liked the design and wanted to try it again with red wool.

This time I used pop rivets to fasten the suede and polished cotton for the edge binding.

Go Green Purse

Here's my third purse for the GDAC "It's In The Bag" auction.

I got a scrapbooky paper sample in the mail and was inspired to recycle it into a purse. I fused it into a Target plastic bag and cut away the top layer to expose the paper. I trapped some ribbon, stickers, etc between some batik fabric and tulle and stitched it all together. 

I realized that the tulle would be too fragile. I covered it with plastic and stitched some more.

Purse Auction

Red Bird Bag

It's made of a recycled wool sweater, hand-me-down tapestry yarn, an old grey suede skirt and rings from an old belt. I purchased the wool roving to fill in the tree, bird and leaves, but the rest is reused. The Greater Denton Arts Council is hosting a purse auction on May 14 at the Center for Visual Arts in Denton. This is my entry for the auction. To donate a purse click here. To attend the auction, here are the details.

Palisades
These are the mini quilts I started in Deborah Boschert's Small Art Quilts: Designing in a Series class. She also has a handmade book describing her method in her Etsy store. I really like this method and plan to do more.