My Little "Red Barn" Collaged Piece

My "Red Barn" piece made in Sharon Bottle Souva's workshop today. I used a landscape from Judith Baker Montano's book, Fiberart Montage. It is a beautiful book.

You can see this inspiring pic on the right.
Sharon helped each of us in her class, make something we all were surprised came from us!
I wish more of the guild had taken the opportunity to learn her technique and take the class.
We hope to schedule a more intense landscape class with Sharon in the near future. Good time today.

All 8 pieces from class today. Wow. What a great turnout. Love each of them.

Sharon gave a great trunk show mixed with poems she has written on quilting. What an effective way to show your work and tie in the writings. This piece, using a screen print of Austin, is my favorite. I am so intrigued by screen printing. I must learn about it this year.

I did order and receive a  finished screen from Lyric Kinard. I cannot wait to try my hand at this soon! 

Will write more tomorrow. Tired. 

Image Transfer Party!

Today, at Fiberistas monthly meeting, I showed the girls how to do an immediate image transfer using Golden's Fluid Matte Medium. I did another bird as the demo. Sue shared one of her own pictures of a rose with me and Julie let me have a butterfly image. I love each one! We had a blast with this.

Beth used black and white and I love them. They have a nostalgic feel.

Diane's image is very cool. Looks good in color and B & W.

Julie used a copy of a picture she took of this precious little girl. I really like the edges and some crackles she got in it.

Frances had great success using a magazine image. The top image is of a bunch of canoes. Her turtle looks great too.

Terryn used a pic of her handsome dog.

Val had awesome steampunk images. I believe she said they were once free Dover images. I covet them!

Julie had success also.

Sue used one of her own flower image and a cool B & W tree image.

We all ended up having successful results. We did realize that the weight of your paper copy makes a difference. A thinner paper is better than a heavy paper. Diane used Kona cotton and her transfers came out great, so a canvas or duck cloth not necessary. Ink jet images work, not just laser jet copies. We all liked the vintage, aged quality when not all of image transfers. This a quick, gratifying way to transfer an image to use in art quilts, mixed media or even scrapbooking.
Lunch with Diane, Julie and Val spent talking about creative idea's and endeavors. Always inspires me. I love talking "shop" with minds that work as openly and varied as mine.
Last stop, the bead store! Picked up some unique beads and baubles.

Dear Tim Gunn,
Who is responsible for choosing the designers in the current season? They did not do a good job. The only interesting designer, Michelle, is on the hook right now. Patricia? Really? no. Mustache man? no.
Enough with the team challenges too.
Sincerely
Kathi

I will be visiting Jenn in Tennessee soon. I don't know how long Micheal will be stationed at Fort Campbell, and Paducah is 45 minutes away, so to the big quilt show we will go!

Mela is growing! My granddaughter is growing, Melissa is really showing. Sophia likes to lay on Mela! Last night, while Sophia was in the bath, she told Melissa that there is a duck that talks in the shower and he knows daddy and Melissa. Hairspray turns your hair to glitter and makes you a princess. Daddy is going to buy a pink house and build them a zoo in the yard. I love child chatter! When Melissa was little, I would sit in the bathroom with a cassette recorder while she was in the tub. I would ask her questions and sing songs. For a long time she would listen to them before bed. Great memory.

Michael is winding down the deployment. He will be home by the end of May!

I have learned:

1. I have been known to buy a new car when I need tires. Yes. I have done it. I needed new tires on my Trailblazer, so I car shopped. No deals to be had, although I did like the Chevy Traverse. I got new tires yesterday. 
2. New boss in, old Bad Bad Boss moves on. I should never have to see him again, or feel the prickly hairs stand up on my neck when he is in the building. Justice.
3. ROCO 6" x 6". Anyone, from anywhere can make art and sell for a good cause...ART. 
4. Love is.... Remember those little cartoons in the newspaper in the 70's? My mother had some on the fridge. Michael found a cute one and sent it to Jenn. 
5. Fabric Journey by Ruth B. McDowell. .50 cents at the monthly library book sale. 
6. Bansky. Art Attack. Cool.

RRRR

I made the mice row on top in this round of the RRRR on HGTV massage boards. I found a pattern for an 8" mouse on Fons & Porter, then drew up my own PP pattern for a 6" block. My hand dyed fabrics from the class with Val Schultz last summer, were the perfect colors! Mailed off to Tonya today and received the next round.....red with black & white fabrics. 4" blocks. 12 of them. Thinking~!

Last month in my little art quilt group, Mary Lee showed us how to do the 3/4" strip piecing Anne Brauer is doing, a quilt as  you go thing. Of course Anne Brauer's quilts are a study in color and value. All the girls in my group spent time laying out their design. I couldn't wait. I just started sewing strips in a repetitive pattern. This is about 24" long, 4 strips to an inch. I love the texture. Now that I have that out of my system, I will try to lay out something that is actually using the principles Anne uses. Martha made a cool bag from her piece.

I have been doing some crazy quilting on the Boho bags I started last year. I entered them in the GVQC quilt show at the end of May. When I pull out a CQ piece, I am reminded how much I love the creativity in them. I better get moving! I also entered the lab piece that isn't done either.

I have learned:

1. 2 years, 10 months to retirement~
2. Call the Midwife. Very good. On Netflix too.
3. Dyngus Day/April Fool's Day. Both April 1st. Interesting.