My Piece of Mind

This is the third piece I made for last weekend's lapidary show in Rochester. As I perused all the wonderful stones Diane had for us to use, this one immediately said "brain". So a brain it became! I bought some phrenology images on Etsy, using one of them to thread sketch the head. Peaceful is circled in red with free motion stitching to play on the piece/peace theme. A white oil paint stick brightened things up. I do love this piece. It was fun creating it.
The lapidary show was interesting. I know nothing about stones, gems and fossils, so I was admiring and watching the people that did know. Michael and Jenn facetimed me while I was viewing the fiber exhibit, so they got to see my work displayed. The old armory building was a real treat to see.

Another very creative weekend at Julie's! Saturday, Ann was able to join us and to clarify her 2 O'clock 5" x 5" challenge. I had understood it to mean DO the artwork at 2, either 2 AM or 2 PM. We only needed to COME UP with our theme of that days piece at those timed options. Since I missed most of the month, Julie suggested I use game cards to pick my themes for the 31 days. Great idea! I made 6 little quilts already from the many pieces of fabrics I mono printed. I was in the zone! I have to give the Gelli Plate its due compliment. It is an awesome surface to monoprint on...its durable and just "giving" enough. The new larger plate is a temptation, but has a hefty price tag. Thinking....

I do like to make a mess!
Here are four of the 5" x 5" pieces I made from them.

Prompt:  Phone

 Prompt:  Zero

 Prompt:  Blast

Prompt:  Red Square

Making these was all heart.

Melissa and Mela came for dinner at Sportos last night. I love those mid-week visits. Dave sent me pics and videos of her today. (If I haven't gotten a pic in a day or two, I order one from them). Mela and Orange Kitty today.

Orange Kitty is a rescue cat I got for them not long ago. He immediately took to Mela, laying right next to her protectively. She loves him. He loves her. In a video Dave sent earlier, Orange Kitty made sure that when Dave's hand was near Mela that he was gentle. Very sweet. AND isn't she adorable?!! I will be bonding this weekend with my girl...I bring her home Friday til Sunday. Melissa and Dave need a break..some sleep...and some alone time. Happy to oblige.

I have learned:

1. I like sushi. Ann brought a variety to Julie's. I ate eel. Cooked eel. It was the only cooked seafood in all the sushi rounds. I could crave it.
2. Melissa earns every penny working with these fifth grade, emotionally disturbed (violent behavior) kids. She has bruises on her arm from restraining a student two days ago. One of her boys was strangling another boy in class. She needs more than one aid in classroom. Worrisome.
3. My "Live Free" is on display in Houston at the Quilt Show right now. It feels good.
4. Silk screens. Love them. I need a light box for exposing. Reading a good book from the library..."Printing On Fabric" by Jen Swearington. She includes a lot of information on the entire process. 
5. 1/4" hexi's. Cool and tiny and pretty taxing on the digits. I don't know if I can make hundreds of these in time for the annual guild challenge. 
6. Why is the weight piling on? 52? I need a plan. 

Two of the Three Lapidary Show Pieces

"Quietude"
1 of 3 pieces I made for the Rochester Society Lapidary show this coming weekend. The idea for having fiber artists display work at the gem, bead, fossil and stone show, where most people are thinking of making jewelry....this will make patrons at the show think of other applications for the goods being sold. Clever idea for sure.
Diane procured various cut stones for us to choose from. I wish I knew what each of these are called. Maybe I will learn it and add in later!
For Quietude I used silk fabric, hand stitching and strands of the gorgeous silk fabric.
I used a technique I found on Lyric Kinard's blog that shows how to fuse the piece to canvas, both top and sides. Worked like a charm!

 Close up of the cut and contoured rock, nesting in the silky bits.

"Ridgeline"
Using repurposed fabrics (woman's scarf and vintage coat fabric), I needle felted the scarf's sheer dotty material to a felt background, inserting a piece of handyed fabric in between. Hand stitching, naturally, was added to anchor the mountain.

I mounted each of these onto 8"x 8" x2" canvas.
There is 1 more.....I am still finishing that one up!

Today, at guild, we welcomed Wendy Butler Berns for a lecture on quilt inspirations. Very concise and informative. I was able to take off yesterday to participate in her "Out on a Limb" class. We all made a small quilt in the class and learned a few techniques that will serve a purpose in other works brewing in our heads.

I am the one in the prison stripes~! My piece took on an unexpected Halloween flair. One of the things Wendy included in our pattern/supply kit was Texture Magic. We used it on our trees. It is very cool stuff, shrinking up after much stitching, using a steam iron. Wendy had a quilt top with her and one of the blocks was of a fish that she had used the Texture Magic on, sewn to a background fabric. I also liked the technique she had us use to build the background using freezer paper pattern and permanent glue stick. I will be using that again!

After all day class, ran to a union meeting, then met up with Melissa and Mela for a short visit. She had on her faux Ugg boots I got her at Target. Too cute. Really. Too, too cute she is.

So I started making some 1/4" hexi's. Yes. I. Did.
They are harder to get hold of in the hand to make all the tacking stitches. I have a big idea for my guild challenge quilt! I would need many, mucho, tons of these bits. The challenge this year is "That was then...." We are to use the year of our birth to make up to 2 entries. This can include ANYTHING from, for me, 1961. I googled movies, books, songs and news from that time frame. How cool is that!? This will be fun.

Tomorrow I will finish up my last lapidary show piece, get the binding on Mela's hexi quilt, spray baste Sophia's strip quilt up and list some more items on my vintage Etsy site. And relax. I hope to not have to get dressed and stay holed up here. That is the plan. I love that plan.

I have learned:

1. Would like to see "Gravity". Heard it's really good. 
2. Netflix on my TV is not working...on laptop, yes. I guess I need to work with the router and get it back on track. I will search online and get some direction and hope I don't get too aggravated when it takes me 3 hours to rectify it. Not tonight. 
3. Cheryl Doodie showed me my "Bullseye" quilt today...she has started hand quilting the red lines on it and it looks awesome! I love it. I can't wait til it is done. Her quilting has won awards and spots in national shows. 
4. Biopsy on the lip and a precancerous bit frozen off my nose. Bain de Soleil days of the 70's haunt me.

Tis' the Season for Skeletal Imagery!

This is an awesome image that will hopefully find its way into a piece soon~! If your not familiar with The Graphics Fairy blog, take a look. She posts copyright free images. There are A LOT to peruse. Take the time.
The leftover 30's fabric binding is sewn to Mela's hexi quilt....need to stitch it down and label it and wrap her up in it!

I''ll be off shortly to Niagara Falls, Canada, for a gas conference for a few days. No international plan, no phone. I get to use my Passport for the first time. Should be interesting since this conference will be entirely about the gas industry, which of course pertains to us. I hope to have a Falls view room and will be on the picture taking prowl!

I have learned:

1. Added another new "hat" to my repertoire at work this week....collections. These are the orders that go out to either collect money or turn off the gas. 
2. Ace, Michael's golden retriever puppy, has recovered from a bout with Parvo and is back in the loving lap's of his masters!
3. Dick's Sporting Goods store opening soon in Batavia.
4. Officers Wives, by Thomas Fleming, circa 1981, is proving to be a good read.
5. Even after "capping" (Ted's term) 4 woodchuck's, 4 raccoon's and a possum, there wonders my property a couple rather large patriarchal woodchucks that dodged the bullet. Ugh.
6. "Cups" by Anna Kendrick. Catchy tune. Not earth shattering, but definitely catchy.