More Art

I finished a few charity quilts but I can't share them until I get permission from the owner....so...more art for today!!  This is pretty much what I have been up to...mixed media play.  Though I am participating in a Christmas quilt blog hop that I better get moving on...eep!

I used acrylics, newsprint, mod podge to glue and seal, artists spackle, glass beads, and lots and LOTS of lumiere.  :)  This is fun!

Oh yes and some letter stickers I found in the scrap booking bin.  I feel like this painting is so much more dark and serious than what I've been doing lately.  I don't know if it's really reflective of my state of mind...I wanted something slightly more mature than my doodles.  It was fun and makes me feel like I'm on the right path with my art/fiber artistry.

I love how this corner turned out...

Also my parents wanted a painting to hang in their home.  They have always been uber supportive of all my creative endeavors.  Below is the picture I did for them - dots are my thing right now.  :)

Also more fabric play.  I was a bit disappointed with my Dynaflow for dyeing purposes.  It DOES act like a dye, and it doesn't leave any hand...but unless you want to dye something the size of a hankie it doesn't make sense to use, in my opinion.  On to other things with Dynaflow!  I want to try air brushing and sun printing yet but don't have any good textures to try or inspiration yet.  On the shelf it goes until I can think of a new use.  So far the lumiere has been my holy grail paint for fabric and paper both.

My daughter helping me spray the Dynaflow...epic failure in the end!  LOL*

Next post I'll have a few quilts!  :)

Just Listed! :)

Oh my - kids are all a fuss - no long blog post for me today I'm afraid!  Here's a few items just listed today in my Etsy Shop...

My little art quilt transformed beautifully into a tablet cover!!  :)

Update on Painted Fabric

Just a quick update on how my painted fabric project is going.  I am having so much fun with this - I love the bright colors and experimenting.

My Dynaflow should be here Saturday - YAY!  I cannot wait to do some sun printing - dyeing - fabric painting - all of it!  I have many plans.  :)

I am almost finished with this and then I will post pictures.  I'm not sure yet what I want to do about binding.  UGH - I'm off - the children are hollering "Mom...MOOOMMM...MOOOOOOOOMMMMM!"  LOL

Edited to add:  OH!  I forgot to mention I linked up on Nina's blog with this post for her Off the Wall Friday!

http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

Jaquard Lumiere Fabric Paint, Acrylic Play

Today was such a nice day - we had lunch with my Husband's bosses which was of course at first quite intimidating, but ended up being a really nice visit and afternoon.  Afterwards we did a little thrift shopping, of course made a run to the toy store for the kids, and then I hit the craft store.  I was thrilled to find the fabric paints I was going to place an order for from Dharma Trading at Pat Catans, yay!  I actually ordered a different sampler pack of these same paints already that I'm waiting for in the mail - but in a different color group.

A closeup of my fabric painting play on some of my newly hand dyed fabric.  These paints are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!  I'm so in love.

The paints are from Jaquard - I bought the Lumiere exciter pack so I could try 9 of the colors - oh my goodness they are wonderful.  The Lumiere line are metallic and fabric safe - but can be used on all sorts of different surfaces.  You are supposed to be able to heat set these when you're done and then they are to be washer safe. I'll have to experiment a little and see how they hold up.

Now the other paints I ordered from Jaquard aren't supposed to effect the hand of the fabric but the metallic definitely does.  I'm going to experiment with stitching over it to see how it handles...I think I may be able to stitch through it without having hiccups or at least very close.

Having such a wonderful time with this.  Also got in some play with the acrylics yesterday and today.  I've been sneaking these in often lately, it's so relaxing!  It's nice too because many times the children want to sit and work with me, with the paints they can where at the sewing machine I have my own little area that it's hard for them to be in with me because our home is small.  This was fun to do with them at the kitchen table.

More Lumiere paints on watercolor paper with some acrylics and my favorite Micron pens.

I'm thinking I'd like to do a large grouping of these small bright paintings framed in my hallway.  I have intentions of selling a few too but just haven't gotten to listing them in my Etsy Shop.  I like to frame them before selling - soon.  I also have that bunch of totes I plan to get working on this week too and those will be going on Etsy.

Hope there is lots of sewing and creativity happening out there in blogland.  Summer has been so busy, seems I haven't accomplished nearly as much as I'd have liked.  But it's July and you know what that means...fall is just around the corner!  Quilting season!!!  :)

New Paints and More Playing

Eeepert new paints!  I can't tell you how long it's been since I've bought new paints.  Folk Art has new glow in the dark Neon paints that I am pretty sure I can't sleep another night without.  I bought these today but after I came home and played now all I can think about is those luscious hot colors I left behind at the store...I think I'm heading back this afternoon...

  I have really neglected painting and drawing and mixed media art these past years - something that I love so much.  I used to oil paint often and I adore - ADORE - acrylic paints.  I will have to pull the canvases that have been in the attic for years and share what I used to do.  There was this one piece - a goldfish - I left it at my old job at the radio station when I left...I MISS THAT PAINTING!  I think I might have to paint myself a new one.

 
Anyhow more poppies.  I can't get poppies off of my mind.  I think it's the red with the blue that I love so much.  The blue paint around the edges here is teal acrylic mixed with an electric blue that I already had.  Aren't those brights just the best?

Yesterday I had every intention of doing some sewing but it was like a sauna in the house - so I went outside and dyed some fabric that I've been waiting to play with.  I'm already getting tired of these deep tones and am placing another dye order in the next few days for some lighter colors.  I can't wait!  :)

I went a little hog wild with the dye - which I have realized is not necessary.  A little bit seems to go a long way.  I bought some squirtee bottles (the daughter and I call them squeezee-squirtee-squeeze bottles) for dyeing but the dye just pours out of them.  So far, the best thing I've used have been water bottles!  I love the look of the dye after I lifted up the fabric off the table.

These ones with two colors turned out really cool too - I'll post pictures next post.  I'm itching to do some poppies on fabric so I think if I can muster up the energy to do some cleaning - lazy bum that I am -  I'll reward myself with sewing play later.  :)

Sharon's Quilt - Finished! :)

Woohoo!  I worked on Sharon's quilt from sun up until sun almost down...and it's finally ready to go home!  Wheeew this one really did a number on my tootise's...I'm going to invest in some cushy house shoes.  :)

Well - it's not my own piece but hopefully Nina will forgive me and allow me to participate in her Off the Wall Friday.  :)  Tomorrow I have a whole heck of a lot of house work to catch up on and then more fabric dyeing.  Woot!

Wednesday Already?

I cannot believe it is Wednesday already.  This week is flying by.  I have been diligently working nonstop on Sharon's quilt.  This one is intense!  Sharon, I think you are going to love this when it is done - the back is already starting to make me drool.  I don't want to show too much and ruin the surprise, but here are a couple snippets.

I love the baskets, I think they are turning out really elegant.  This quilt is going to be so pretty when finished.  :)  I have made quite a bit of progress but still, lots of work left to be done.  Yesterday I spent about three hours RIPPING a section - ripping is so much worse than quilting!  Five minutes to quilt...HOURS to rip out the mistake!

Also I am still obsessed with poppies.  I somehow found mixed media artist Donna Downey's blog a few weeks ago and a post she did on using Jaquard Dynaflow to paint poppies on fabric.  So of course I ordered it.  LOL*  You can do a lot with Dynaflow, like sun printing, so I'm super excited for it to come in.  My fabric dyeing/painting/playing obsession continues as well!

I use black Micron Pigma pens to add to the watercolors and make them more interesting.  I love those pens.  I originally started using them to make quilt labels - when you heat set them on fabric with an iron they can be washed.  I even tested it on accident!  I wet a quilt label I had drawn with one and it ran everywhere.  So I made another, pressed it, then wet it to be sure - no running whatsoever!  It was on white fabric so I wanted to make sure that when I washed the quilt I was not going to ruin it with the pen. Awesome they are.

I am really thinking that these poppies are begging to be painted on fabric - right?  I know that is what you were thinking too.  LoL  Alright, off to make breakfast for the kiddos and then back to finishing up Sharon's quilt.  Hope everyone is getting much work done out there in blogland.  As soon as I am finished with some commissioned work I will be visiting blogs.

OH - and please stop in the Etsy Shop and check out the hand dyes I have listed there for sale!