It's costume time!

I have a confession, I have always loved making costumes.  I coerced my daughter into needing a costume this year.  A week ago I sent her photos of a couple of costumes I thought would be fun to make.  I told her she really needed a costume this year, right!?!  We got together on Saturday for brunch and afterwards I took her to JoAnn Fabrics to pick a pattern and fabric.  I am super excited.  This is the pattern I plan to make. (The short steampunk type one in the middle.  We chose a flocked black denim for the jacket and hopefully she will be able to wear it for more than just a costume.  Here is the Simplicity pattern we chose.

While we there we found some really fun fabric to morph my dog into a stegosaurus.  My first homemade pattern.  How did I do?  He still needs the head piece but I made this today.  It's lined with a very soft fleece so he doesn't seem to mind wearing it.  Isn't Mocha a good model, and he looks ferocious right?

I have had a class on Craftsy in my wish list for quite awhile.  The class teaches how to alter a pattern for a plus size body.  I finally decided to take this class because I really miss making clothes for myself. So, expect to see more clothing in the future.  I bought myself a jacket pattern too.

I did get an email saying my thread shipped this week.  I know I could have taken it off the frame and worked on something else but I was afraid it would end up in my pile of unfinished quilts and never get done.  In the meantime I pieced a back for my Craftsy Block of the month.  This is my own design too.

Have a creative day

Janet

An Abundance of Art in the Mail

                                                 

Les Alyscamps, Van Gogh by Debra

I am getting behind posting photos of the postcards I have received.  There is something almost magical about opening your mailbox, expecting nothing but junk mail and bills, and viewing a little work of art.  Totally brightens my day!


I have two more Van Gogh's, two steampunk, one music, and two split complementary landscapes!  Bring on the Ooohs! and the Aaahs!  because they are all amazing.  I feel so lucky to be able to exchange with such talented people.  These first cards are all from Postmark'd Art.

Les Alyscamps, Van Gogh by Debra

Willows at Sunset, Van Gogh by Sarah Ann

Steampunk Dragonfly by Dian

 I had to show you how this card arrived from New Zealand.  Very clever way to protect those little metallic pieces on the card.

Steampunk with protective cover

Steampunk beginning to remove cover

Steampunk by Evie

clear cover says "Protective cover Just unpick!"

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Leah

 The next two cards are from the Val Hearder Landscape group.  Gorgeous works!

Split Complementary by Susan

                               
                                     

Split Complementary by Lisa

Have a Creative Day
Janet

Postcards

Through the trees

I received another Steampunk card.  I really like her interpretation of what Steampunk is all about.  "Bodacious Victorian Industrial"  It describes this card perfectly.  Kind of an updated crazy quilt.  Very fun!

Steampunk by Meg

I am making some landscape cards for an exchange in the Valorie Hearder Landscape group.  These cards need to be split complementary.  The three colors I chose are orange, blue/green and blue/violet. 
                                      
If you look at my color wheel the three orange pointers on the center wheel point to split complementary.  I added the green points just to emphasize because things don't always show well in a photo.
                                   
It was good for me to limit my colors, it made me think a little more outside the box.

                                      
 Normally I would have made my trees brown or black.  How boring is that!
                           
I just realized today is May 1rst so I'd better print out my Craftsy block of the month for May.  Look for that before too long.
Have a creative Day
Janet

New Postcards and a sneak peak

beginning of a water lily

I have received two new pieces of art in the mail.  These tiny 4" x 6" works are gifts from very talented artists.  I love the smile it brings when I open my mailbox to find something other than junk mail or bills.  It makes my whole day brighter to know that someone took the time to send this delightful card my way.

Steampunk by Debra

Debra's take on the Steampunk theme is wonderful.  I keep picking it up and examining it.  I see something different every time.  A lot of work went into this card and it truly is amazing.  Wish you could see it in person because the photo doesn't do it justice.  I am very fortunate to know this artist in person as she is a member of Minnesota Contemporary Quilters. 

Van Gogh by Suzanna

Suzanna's Van Gogh is quite literally a "piece" of art.  She created an entire Van Gogh painting and than (gasp) cut it apart into eight segments to mail to each of us.  I have the upper left corner.  Love this idea!


Here is a sneak peak at my next painting project.  This is the photo I am using.  I'm trying to create a series of quilts from photos I took while on a city garden tour.  I plan to use this series when I have my next show at Central Park in Woodbury.  I loved the water gardens and would like to have my own some day.  In the mean time...

red water Lily by Janet Hartje

Here is the part I am painting without paint.

unpainted fabric

Here is the beginning of the paint process.  This one is a little more complex and will need more time than the others I have done.

beginning of a water lily

Have a creative day
Janet

More looping and new postcards

                                                 

cell phone pouch

Still working through the lessons for the beta class I am taking with Donna Kallner.  I'm really enjoying learning how to do these techniques.  To my inexperienced eye it resembles crochet, the biggest difference is I have never been able to learn how to crochet.  This lesson I learned how to make different shapes, such as rectangles and circles. I also learned other methods for adding the yarn or fabric or waxed thread.  So much fun!  I've added Donna's book to my wish list so I can continue to learn after the class.

Here is the first thing I did in this lesson, a little rectangle.
                         
Here is the last thing I did with this lesson, at least for now.  I know I want to make something using fabric strips too.  I made this little pouch.  Not perfect by any means but I really like it.  I just have to add a button.  Donna made hers a little larger and added a strap as well but this fits my cell phone, so other than a button I'm calling it done.

cell phone pouch

I wanted to show you two more postcards I received as well.  The first is from Vivian in California.  This was for the Steampunk exchange and I think she captured it perfectly.  I love the colors she used too.

Steampunk

            
The second is from Jan in Nebraska.  Hers is for the Van Gogh exchange.  Sheaves of Wheat.  Just gorgeous depth to this card.

Sheaves of Wheat

Thanks Jan and Vivian!


Have a Creative Day
Janet

Steampunk and Tree Bark

tree bark (the beginning) or shirt (the end)

Steampunk sounded like such a fun challenge to me for the Postmark'd Art group.  I felt compelled to sign up.  Thinking and creating are two different things.  It was a harder challenge than I expected.  First of all a definition might be good to know.  The problem is there is no fast and true definition for this sub culture.  The definition I like the best was found on the blog The Clockwork Century.  It's based around the science fiction of a future that never happened.  The machinery is steam powered and the costumes usually have a Victorian influence.  But, there is almost a magical quality to some of the machines.  

I found a background that is full of older looking machines and printed it on fabric.  Next I stenciled some Victorian lace and a Victorian frame with walnut ink.  
                            
I felt this covered up the machinery a little too much so I used my inktense pencils to highlight a few of the items of machinery.  Finally I added a few little metallic touches with embellishments.  I hope they travel safely on the cards.  
                               
The card I have received so far I think had a little rivet on it as well, but it fell off somewhere along the way.  With 9 of us in this group, I'm picturing a drawer of rivets in the post office somewhere between here and there.  Isn't this card amazing.  I love the depth she created.

Steampunk by Lynn of Washington

                      
I've started working on a 12" square piece for SAQA and decided to make tree bark.  I have seven or eight photos of tree bark from different types of trees and have been wanting to make a series out of them.  The 12" square requirement for SAQA sounded like a good size to work with for this challenge.  So far I have destroyed an old top of my mom's that she no longer wanted.  I cut holes in the fabric and used my heat gun to melt the edges a little so they would pull back.
                                          I've also painted some lutradur with Jacquard lumiere metallic rust.  I think this will make a great background for the slits.  Now to put them together and add some moss etc.
                                      
Have a creative day
Janet