Needle felted pieces

I recently got inspired by the work of Jane LaFazio
at  http://janeville.blogspot.com/. Instead of filing the inspiration away, I went to work.   I pulled out my needlefelting machine and created the top piece.  The second piece was created while involved with the online class "Embellish Stitch and Enrich" with Dale Rollerson I took ages ago.  While watching the Australian Open, I embroidered away.  This brought back memories of early handwork and the joy of holding textiles and the luscious threads and yarns.  More of this work is in the oven!  Thanks to Jane who awoke the pleasure of neele felting and embroidery in me.

Latest Completed Pieces

My local art association - Island Art Association's new Nouveau Art theme is "Sea and Sky."  I made these two.  The one on the left is titled "The Secret of the Sea"  16x 11.5"" - some needlefelting but mostly strips with some added quotes about the sea.  The one on the right is titled "Ocean's Colors"  16x12" - needlefelting with machine stitching, attached to fabric stretched on stretcher strips.  I ended up only entering "Ocean's Colors" as 7 of us fiber artists on Amelia Island are exhibiting at the gallery September through October.

Needle Felting in progress

Machine needle felted roving, cheesecloth onto acrylic felt, machine stitched, cut apart and wove. I'll machine quilt the backing fabric and attach the felted piece. Shells, driftwood and beads will finish it up.

Works in progress

Working on two pieces, switching back and forward.

I know I've been quiet but I've been working

I've been working on this needlefelted beach scene which I cut in two 4-6er's. I'm still not quite pleased but will play with them some more. Maybe some machine/hand embroidery and some teeny shells and beads??????

I'm doing some sea turtles: these are small quilts sewn to the notecards. The verse is my own, I proud to say.

I've made several on these: the pieces are 4 x 6er's in a fabric frame.

I've collaged two 10 x 8's sea turle scenes which I will be machine quilting in the next day or so.

I'm getting ready for another outdoor show plus I want to visit a sea turtle rescue center which has a gift shop. Maybe, just maybe can get some of my work there.

Needle felting Experiments

I mentioned in an earlier post I would download some pics of my recent needle felting experiments. So here goes......














The face was felting using a varigated yarn. Pics are of the front and interesting the back. Expert felters say the back may be more interesting than the front. You decide!
The other piece is a cool wool+ yarn ribbon felting down.

I played some more this past weekend making valentines. I'll get the pics up later.

Needle felting ATC+

Joining Art-A-Week blog - weekly art challenge. The bottom piece was my first try. The challenge was to was only scraps, nothing new. I started with old jeans, needle felted edges cut off of my valentines then cut out the heart. I edged the heart with yarn that that was leftover from a friend's scarf, then I machine free motion the words. That piece was a tad too big for an ATC so I made another. I enjoyed myself. Never throw away anything!!!!!!!!

Back from vacation and down with a cold

Mexico was relaxing!!!!!!!!! Lots of laughs with our Navy Friends, great food and drink. I came back with a cold that tended to drain all creativity out of me. But I'm mending!!!!!! And back in the Studio.

The following images are 2 creations for my darling daughter. Jim and I were out in Vegas for the holidays. I helped take down Kara's Christmas. She promptly put up her valentines. Over the years I've make members of my family fabric valentines. Up they went. On one of Kara's big walls she placed a teeny valentine - I had to remedy that and quickly made a crazy patch valentine! Not an art piece but a holiday decoration. The purple piece is a needle felted cover for Kara's datebook. Using her favorite colors (colors of her upcoming June wedding, I felted lavender and green felt, cheesecloth and then machine stitched.

Yesterday, I played with the machine needle felter again. I'll upload pics soon. Experimenting and learning to trust my art.

Time has flown by

I've been traveling and traveling and traveling, doing little art, I'm afraid. That is the reason why I haven't been blogging. Not much to report. I've been in an art funk. But I have plans................... My traveling days will come to a halt mid January. So I hope to get back my creative tendencies.
The images above show the latest in needle felting. The woven one with shells and sand dollar is going to my local art Association for the month long member exhibit. It's called "Seashore Treasures." The other needle felted one with the driftwood attached is "in progress." It's not working for me, so back to the drawing board.

The crocheted baby hats are for charity - Stitches from the Heart. Those I love to do while in front of my husband's endless sports shows. Gotta spend some time with him.

Book Covers

Been making datebook, journal, composition book covers. Most I've used machine needle felting along with machine stitching to finish them up. I've come up with a pattern - a way that I like the finished product to be. Took awhile but I like the finished look. My plan is to offer these as great Christmas gifts at the upcoming Christmas Art and Craft Show in Columbia, SC.

Where did the time go?

I've been busy though much too quiet on this blog. My apologies.

Above are some images of things I've been doing. There's more but I haven't taken pictures yet. I've made needlefelted datebook covers, journal covers and designing sketch book covers as well. And I've made some coiled baskets using cotton clothesline with fancy yarns. Photos to come soon, I promise.

For the First Street Gallery, Neptune Beach, Florida's Sea Turtle Show (held annually) I exhibit my turtle wall art, dyed and printed scarves, notecards and new this year, discharged black t-shirts. I made my own stencils.

My bead artist friend Ronnie and I taught art to our local Senior Citizens group. I designed and sewed the dolls. The seniors glued fabric pieces to the bodies, drew on the arms and legs, picked the hair yarns. They seemed to enjoy themselves. Ronnie and I sure did. Ronnie plans to use the same doll pattern for our Art Association's free children's art program.

I dyed, painted, leaf printed a bunch of silk scarves, getting ready for a Christmas Show coming up in November. How I love to leaf print.

I designed my own sea turtle bowl awhile back when I just couldn't stand making the then popular fabric bowls. I just create a few at a time, very crafty now that the design phase is over. People do like these creations.

The "Twirling Leaves" piece I created for my Leaf Printing Class. I wanted to do a simple yet elegant piece - not too artsy for the traditional quilters.

Now, I must get in my daily, meditative, yet energizing beach walk in before I hit the studio again. I'm finishing up a needlefelted journal cover, then I want to play with my gelatin plate, doing some monoprinting. Just for the fun of it!!!!

Here's one of my "Faint Impressions." I've since added hand made model magic buttons with some beads to finish up the series. One is going into the Jacksonville, Florida Quiltfest the end of September. Another in my local fiber artist group here in Fernandina Beach, Florida. I join 12 others in exhibiting our work at my local art association.

I've been working on an online machine needle felting class with Dale Rollerson. What fun! Here's an incomplete piece called "Garden Pathways.' I've added hand embroidery and stretched it on stretcher bars to finish. My camera broke and is getting repaired as we speak, I hope anyway. I'm enjoying the punching various fibers and fabrics. A freeing experience.

Lastly I've begun and am pleased with my friend's commission quilt. The top is done - large poppies on my hand-dyed, hand painted fabric. My friend would like the piece to be reversible, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to do that. I came up with one idea which I'll probably use as another separate piece. For Tissa I hunting up those tropical leaves she loves in order to print, applique, etc. for the back. Then I'll quilt it altogether.

I have an outdoor show this weekend on St. Simon's Island, Georgia. Wish me luck. Hope the weather is fine.

Felting is calling me.

Needle felting

My local Art Association holds a juried themed exhibit every two months. The current exhibit is entitled "The Approaching Storm." I made these two machine needle felted pieces - entered the single tree one. That one I felted on netting, then felted the finish piece onto linen and stretched it on stretcher strips. The other one was felted using acrylic felt as a base. I just loved the felting on netting.

I want to play more with my embellisher. That's a sure thing.

Needle Felting Online Class

Been very busy taking advantage of an online class in machine needle felting from Linda Matthews @ http://www.creative-textile-and-quilting-arts.com/ The 2 week format has worked for me. Of course, I've been home for a change and have no deadlines for exhibits and shows. Oh, I do have to make an exception, I did create a new piece for my local art association's challenge - "Song Titles". I did a 12x12" piece that included a music page, cheesecloth, roving, buttons, beads, old linens - mixed media for sure - I was inspired by an article in Quilting Arts Gifts.

Gosh, time has flown by

I don't know how the time has flown by since my last entry. I can't even blame traveling this time...... My local Quilt Guild had their triennial show this past weekend. Always fun to be surrounded by fellow quilters and visitors who are drawn to quilting. And I had an especially grand time basking in the sun - I won several awards for my art quilts. One special award stood out "Artistic Merit!" I'll include the pic of the piece "Florida Foliage." It's a mixed media piece: oil stick rubbings of the palmetto leaf, photo images of the palmettos, collage, extensive machine quilting. I felt tickling all weekend. Still do when I look at that piece in particular. Grand to be recognized by one's peers.

My two fiber groups met this past week. One we created a paper/cloth doll. Fun, fun, fun. I have Pamela Hasting's paperdoll book and am currently taking her "Transformation through doll making" with Joggles.com. So dolls are on my brain. I am not taking full advantage of Pamela's expertise though - seem to be too busy to actually produce art but am mulling over everything. I know I'll get down to business soon. Transformation is a really big undertaking. It's about time I did something.......

Oh, I did a needlefelted postcard for the theme "Green/Spring" for that fiber group as well. I will post an image once I take a picture.

I hung my work up at a local bank along with 3 other artists. The opening is in a couple of weeks. Some of my pieces, well 2 of them, don't seem to fit in at all amongst the floral paintings but the pieces themselves are neat, if I say so myself.

My other fiber group met and I demonstrated "water soluble stitching." Fun when I can get some folks to try something new and go away enthused!

Surrounding myself with like-minded folks is simulating!

I've included an image of a memory piece I made of my daughter's boyfriend's mother. My daughter will be giving it to her boyfriend's sister. I was honored to be asked to create a piece highlighting a wonderful mother, grandmother and fellow quilter.

Postcard Challenge

One of my fiber artist groups issued a postcard of the month challenge. January was "fruit." So here's mine - I just had to do two. One I used a needle felted sample along with some leftover pear appliques. I liked the result but felt I cheated some. So, I nature printed a pear half for the next one. Had to print several pear halves - had to figure out how much paint to use. The muted background was part of a coffee dyeing playday. The result I liked too - very subdued,to say the least.

Holiday preparation along with Studio work

Along with all the holiday preparation and holiday travel, I'm working away in the studio in between. I have ideas dancing in my head. Oh, that's sugarplums??? No ideas.

I've included images of my thread doodling and haiku. Sometimes no words come as I walk and sometimes words/phrases come. Today - 2 haiku - The little figures in one are my very quick doodles of a woman doing Tai Chi on the beach. A beautiful dance in my eyes. The other one is me! Feeling good about changing some things in order to get my cholesterol level down: walking more, eating much better and losing weight as the result. Hopefully the cholesterol level will go down. Right now, I feel good! The bird sketches hopefully depict the shorebirds wading in the surf.

The other images are my machine needlefelting experiments. I enjoy playing. There's a definite learning curve on the landscapes - but I'll keep trying. I'm thoroughly enjoying the abstracts. The black one with a squiggle is only 3x3" - the yarn is scrumptious. I dream of using the yarn on a sweatshirt jacket. Real pleased with the larger piece. I needlefelted fabric, yarns, cheesecloth and machine free motioned some stitching on top.

Only a couple of days til Christmas. I'll be doing some more work before I go to Vegas to see my darling daughter. I'll be gone 2 weeks but I'll try to blog at least once. I'll be taking some handwork with me as I get antsy without doing something with my hands.

Happy holidays!

Been quietly working

I know I've been very, very quiet lately. Can't even blame traveling/shows. I've been working on projects and didn't want to upload photos until completion. I've been making inchies/charms - enjoying the teeny tiny work - especially adding the beads/charms,flowers, etc. I made sea turtle fabric bowls several years ago. Decided to make a couple more as I am doing the local Amelia Island Fall Art Festival this weekend. Maybe, just maybe my past customer will come by and see I've made more. The design is my own - I've used my hand dyed fabrics. I've made bunches of purses, I call "All Squared" - taking a quilted square and folding it into the triangle. I've added crochet straps and beads. The last two photos are examples of small pieces, series called "Cherished Ones" - 8 x 10ish (the dance ones are a bit larger). Oh, I made some smaller as well. I made these so customers can slide their own photos in vinyl or net pockets. I've finished up some needlfelted Christmas tags/ornaments. Probably will make a few more of those. My two holiday shows are coming up fast (Savannah GA Nov 16 - 18 and Jacksonville, FL Nov 23 - 25).

In the Mist of Work, a variety of work

No telling how the pics will be displayed but I'll try and keep the words to the right image.

I've included a teaser: unfinished altered jean jacket. My fiber art group set up a challenge to use an old silk tie in something - My tie was gorgeous - a modern design of gold and black. Jacket is not complete yet - notice the little Fancy Lady pin on the front. I plan to add beads and buttons to finish it off.

There's 4 postcard 4x6ers: 2 of my needlefelting experiments with added silk flowers and leaves and 2 using leftovers of the tie challenge - I will be adding beads, etc. before I finish up.

I've also included an image of my booth set up for the Franklin, TN Christmas Made in the South. Still working on the look. Will add a few more lights.

I have a few purses in the making - have to add buttons and straps - then I take a picture - reusing wallhangings that I didn't much like. I like these purses!

Included some thread doodling. That label I just picked up from one of my fellow fiber artists on the Internet. I forget who, though. So sorry. Anyway, the general idea is to draw with thread and fabric daily. I am so pleased with the results and plan to thread doodle each morning when I'm home to get me started.