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!

#Sew Much Fun at the Expo

I just got back from three days of inspiration at the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo, in Lakeland, Florida. This was my third time visiting this annual event, and I was a little apprehensive about it being a repeat, but I learned lots of new techniques, visited some new vendors, and had a great time. Exhausted, sensory-overloaded, and overwhelmed, but SEW inspired!

The first class I took was by Barb Callahan: "Folded Fabric Fun" which involved making an adorable bag using folding adaptations of the Japanese art of Origami. Using some of Barb's collection of fabrics and vintage buttons, we created this pretty pouch and actually finished it in class! I think that's only the second time in my life that I actually finished a new project the same day I started it!

 

On Day Two I attended "Color Your Fabric with Paintstiks" by Laura Murray. I had tinkered with Paintstiks several years ago, and didn't really care for them. But this class converted me to a user! What a wonderful way to get texture and interest on fabric, with little effort and a lot of fun...it was like being a kid again, coloring with crayons! Just look at this fun fabric piece I made, first try!

 

Later that day I took a class from the delightful Joyce Teng from TSC Designs. Her effervescent personality got me so excited about using Tsukineko inks for all kinds of surface design, including stenciling, dyeing, and painting...I was so enchanted, I visited her booth the next day and she was kind enough to share even more techniques and information. Love using inks on fabrics!

The last class I took on the last day was intense...Ice Dyeing in a Mandala pattern. It was NOT easy, VERY messy, but the results were fabulous! Since I've done lots of fabric dyeing with fiber reactive dyes, the technique was familiar, but I had no idea you could somewhat control tie-dyed results with Cindy Lohbeck's binding techniques...very precise and somewhat difficult, but again the results were worth it:

Whew...I learned SEW much...now all I have to do is find time to practice, practice, practice!