Burning Holes...but not in my Pockets #artquilt

A lesson in letting go

I am forcing myself to be looser with my art, not worry about symmetry or perfection. 

I had a wonderful time constructing this art piece, 

deconstructing a t-shirt that spoke to me, 

and letting the piece evolve with no preconceived plan.

Since it was recycled and repurposed, I entered it in a call-for-art at 

Art & Antique Studio’s annual “Recycled” exhibit in Eau Gallie, Florida.

And I was totally surprised when it received the First Place award!

My favorite happy hunting ground for recyclables is the rummage side of the Goodwill. 

It was there that the shirt jumped out at me, a plethora of patchwork, 

embroidery and printed images.

Alas, it was too small to wear!

I took a deep breath and began cutting it apart, 

retaining as much of it as possible to hand-stitch into pockets, 

which I then free-motion machine sewed onto a felt background. 

I topstitched and burned the felt with a heat gun to get the lacy background effect, a technique I learned in a workshop with Susan Lenz.

I used almost the entire shirt, with only a handful of the fabric leftover. 

 The moral of the story (for me, at least!) is to let go, let it flow, and make art for myself....sometimes it works out that others like it as much as I do!

When Life Gives You Lemons....

Back in March, I posted photos of some abstract designs on cloth, made from a process that I promised to share with you. Well, at last, here it is! I had found an article in the Summer 2014 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine called "Stained & Scorched: Transform Fabric with Lemon Juice and Heat" by Victoria Gertenbach. It looked easy and quick...and it was!

You simply paint on fabric with reconstituted lemon juice, let it dry a bit, press it with a hot iron repeatedly, and voila! A design magically appears! Add more paint strokes and do it again for layered designs.

I shared the technique with my #FiberArts Group at our monthly meeting this past Monday, and they had a blast!

For those of us who have little time to be creative, this is a great technique for instant gratification and surprising results!