Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone,

Sorry, I haven't been posting much lately. I've been doing some thinking and planning for now. After Thanksgiving I will be jumping back into the creativity whirl with a number of things I want to finish and start. I have 3 Christmas themed postcards to complete, a quilt for a juried show I want to try to enter, several quilts to finish on my longarm, finish piecing a couple of quilts I started, I have about ten pop cans cut apart and ready to be printed and added to something creative, and I have a sack full of silk scarves that I plan to make something with as I had no luck trying to sell them. Any thoughts.

Today I am cutting a number of chip bags to take in the car tomorrow. I plan to work on my chip bag purse. If you look at my last post on this, it only has three rows so far. The four hour car ride to my brother's for Thanksgiving will give me lot's of folding time. Looking forward to the ride with my husband and children as well as the chance to see lot's of family that I only see once or twice a year.

When my son was little we would buy State magnets for our refrigerator each time we traveled to a different state. I tried to place them more or less where they would actually be in relation to each other on a map. He kept trying to move the states with relatives closer to our own state. Wouldn't it be nice if it were that simple. I am thankful for technology that enables me to be closer to those I love.

I am thankful for the ability and desire to grow and change and learn.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the states!
Have a creative day!
Janet

Postcards complete!

I finished the last group of postcards for Postmark'd Art. This group had 21 people and the theme was 'Anything Goes'. Before joining this group I had done 5 postcards at the most for a group. I found that a group this large was draining for me. Many people were energized by the number but for me it seemed to create a block. So, I will have to try to remember that and only sign up for smaller groups in the future. They are each a little different but fairly similar so I will post a few.

I borrowed the recycling theme from another group and cut up bits and pieces of leftover scraps from previous projects. I than added some embellishment and did some free motion quilting. I spiced it up a little by using solar sensitive thread for the quilting. When placed in the sun the thread color will show, otherwise it looks white. I was hoping for a really sunny day for my photos but had to settle for overcast. The color will show up more on a brighter day. I put those in the mail yesterday. I have received more postcards and will be adding those to my slideshow soon. Just wondered do you find the slideshow irritating? Would it be better just to have a clickable link?

I'm not really done with postcards completely as I signed up for a Christmas postcard exchange in the Valerie Hearder landscape group. I will only need to make three cards for this one (four if I make one for myself). I just signed up for that and already have lot's of ideas bouncing around in my mind. That is a better size group for me. All three cards will be traveling to other countries, Australia, South Africa, and Ireland. It will be fun to see what I get in return.

I've just joined SAQA. I want to begin my journey as a more focused artist now. They have something new called the Visioning Project. With the suppport of this group I will be able to prioritize my goals, to lead me where I want to go with my art. I'm feeling very scattered at this point, while I love learning new skills and will continue to do so, I also want to plan for the future. Lot's to think about right now but I think having a cohesive body of work by the end of the year would be a good goal for me. Still refining and thinking so I have some self reflection to do right now. Have a creative day! Janet

Halloween fun!

We enjoy Halloween at our house. I think we secretly crave being actors. Dressing up as something other than who you are everyday, is always fun. My son decided to be the Lucky Charms Leprechaun this year. He purchased a hat and it came with the little tufts of fur(facial hair?). I dyed a jacket for him. I used one of the jackets I brought back from my mom's. It was stained and I couldn't get the stain out. I've only dyed natural fabrics before so I wasn't sure if it would turn out. Here is a photo of before, during and after.

My daughter was fire. She went with a group of friends who were each a different element, i.e. water, wind etc. She purchased a devil costume. It was a little short so I added some to the length and than made some cutouts within the body of the cotume. Here she is before hair and make-up. Also a couple of close-ups.

We put out a few decorations yesterday afternoon. The guy sitting in the chair upset our dog. He barked at it the first couple of times he saw it and than tried to jump up in it's lap. A couple of kids who came to trick or treat wondered if it was real. Didn't need to put out any fake spider webs as we just left the ones we really have! Realistic touch.

I started the Anilee Treasure Hunt today. I will end up with a quilt designed by Stephanie Forsyth. Can't wait to see it!

Have a creative day.

Janet

ps: did you see that Leah Day has her first DVD of free motion quilting designs for sale?

Third gutta project

Here is my third project for the gutta resist class. Not my best work. I tried to hurry it along and it doesn't like to be rushed. Most important lesson so far: allow plenty of time. It is kind of fun and funky so I like it even if it isn't quite what I envisioned when I started this lesson. One more lesson for this class but I probably won't get to it until next week. We have a birthday at our house today and I have a couple of quick Halloween costumes to make.

I am enjoying watching all of the quilting patterns that Leah Day is posting on her blog. She is trying to create 365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs. I have two more big projects to finish and than I am going to devote time just for quilting. I'm hoping to practice with her designs and then try to make some of my own. I know when I start to concentrate on designs like this, I see them everywhere. The pattern of the ceiling tile in the waiting room at the doctor's office, or the chair fabric, or the brick path, or the meandering clouds in the sky....I have to remember to take a small sketch book with me so I can quickly try to copy these patterns. If I wait they are gone by the time I have returned home. What patterns do you see? Do you carry a sketchbook?

Have a creative day.

Janet

Gutta love it!

I have my second gutta resist project finished. I like the way this turned out. I'm seeing lot's of fall leaves when I look out my window so I went with fall colors on my silk. I was surprised the colors stayed so vibrant. The line is a little wider than I would like so I think I will try a smaller tip for the next project. I think I need to take the class on photographing my quilts. It really does look better in person.

I've been adding lot's of postcards to my postcards received slideshow lately. We are getting to our deadline for the Postmark'd Art group so I have guite a few arriving in the mail daily. I still have one last group to complete. That is on Monday's to-do list. Don't forget you can click on the postcard slideshow and it takes you to my picasa site, than you can look at your leisure.

Have a creative day.

Janet

Classes and a new pet.

I've been taking a couple of classes at Quilt University lately. One is helping me learn more about the EQ6 program and all that it can do. This class is taught by Fran Gonzalez and has really pushed me to learn more about EQ6. QU has a series of four classes that you can take, I've taken two so far. She walks you through creating blocks so you can learn something new with each block. I really had no idea how complex this program is.

I am also taking Gutta Resist on Silk right now. This class is taught by Marjie McWilliams. I've taken a number of classes taught by Marjie. She is a dedicated and fun teacher, always willing to answer any question. I have never used gutta before so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I like silk but don't use it often in what I make. So, this was a step outside the box for me. I've done two of the four lessons so far. This is the sampler I made in the first lesson. The second lesson is still drying on my stretcher bars.

My son has a new pet. I have to admit when he said he was getting this, I was a little skeptical. It didn't sound like a fun pet to me. It does have a very cute face, and he is taking care of it (I told him I wouldn't). He is having trouble thinking of a name. Any suggestions? He doesn't want the obvious 'Sonic' (as in sonic the hedgehog video game).

Have a creative day! Janet

I won the pendant!

I just found out I won a pendant offered by Beth Wheeler on her blog. I am thrilled! I know just the person who deserves this necklace. The necklace was made by Phyllis Crawley from South Bend, Indiana. She sells them for $16 each with $10 going to the Susan Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. Phyllis has an etsy shop where you can purchase this necklace or others.

http://www.redbuddesigns.etsy.com

I didn't win the tiara contest that Nancy Eha held. You should go an check out the winning tiara's. They really are amazing.

I just started experimenting with printing on cans. My son likes Arizona iced tea so that is what I have used for my first experiment. It's pretty interesting! I can't wait to try more.

Have a creative day

Janet