Four Sisters freeform saori weaving revisited

While I was at the library seeing the new Plainsboro Artists 2019 show in the ground floor gallery, I thought I'd go up a flight, to the reference desk, and revisit the tapestry I created several years ago as an Artist in Residency project.

I worked in public over several months on a regular schedule,using the library's giant saori loom,  and anyone could stop by and ask questions. A lot of interesting conversations. I blogged regularly too and got great comments about it.

I thought it was time to visit it and it was much more vivid and complex than I'd remembered. I pulled and stretched it a bit, but basically it's fine.

The grand finale where I finished the last few passes with a flourish, were done at a celebratory event  of the library's birthday, as a joint artwork with Bill Bauer, great pianist and friend, who improvised as I worked.

 There was a large, dead silent, audience, until we finished, to waves of applause!

Great fun.

The Story Behind the Art, Plainsboro Artists 2019

This annual show in the gallery of Plainsboro Public Library, just gets better and better! Without comment, here it is:

It's up for the month of September. If you're local, please come.

Reception Sunday September 8, 2-4 pm. Meet the artists, nibble on the food they bring.

Silk overlay series under way

So I took advantage of the printer cartridges', grammarians please note the gerund there, takes the possessive, one of my peeves when people get it wrong, where was I, oh yes,  being almost out of ink, because of post-it posse copying, to use them in the faded pinkish form for a couple of silk overlay experiments.

Two layers of silk chiffon, two rosettes scanned and printed on them, alternating which is topside, and using the paper backing, which also gets printed. The silk is so porous that the backing sheet also picks up the image, and I use that, too.

To the eye, which can detect texture, they look different, also softer, but the digital camera tends to flatten the image a bit. I'm liking this start, since the ink, pinkish at this stage, works fine with the strawberry field rosette colors.

I'll wait till my new cartridges arrive to print the others, and some images of my groups of hexies, since they need the range. Already scanned, just awaiting fuel.

Yes, definitely on a roll here. The idea is, possibly, but this might change, to frame the dream, silk, image, next to the reality, the stitched piece.

It's about the process of making art as much as actually producing artworks.

Why slow meditative work is good for art

The hexies are ongoing, and more to come. And as I'm stitching away, I'm getting some great ideas for a series of framed artworks involving silk piecing and silk transparencies of the pieced pieces, if you follow me. 

The relative routine of methodical stitching definitely lends itself to ideas presenting themselves. It's the stitching equivalent to cleaning the studio or organizing art tools.

Meanwhile, this is where we are. Under glass to press them and not lose any, while I see how the color balance is or isn't going. Some are stitched into groups of seven, some still waiting for stitching.

Tip I've used a couple of times recently: when your tiny needle, my fave is about 1.5", flies out of your hand to land who knows where, shine a flashlight around and you'll see the glint. This is definitely better than finding it with your foot. I've been known to do that, too.

So that's Boud, Her Work, for today.

Hexies ahoy!

So here's what's happening whenever I'm at home, between doing things like food shopping and seeing  knitting friends, changing library books,and losing my umbrella, among other pursuits.

It's the longest I've ever had an umbrella, since I usually leave them behind before I've got used to owning one and remembering to collect it as I leave a building. But this one is located and awaiting pickup.

Meanwhile, this is an ongoing necessity.

Pause for tea, peach pie and a spoonful of sour cream, great combo, then back to the hexie mines.

Shapes are emerging, also design ideas. Each little stack you see is to be a shape like those circular thingies there.

I have a lot of small fabric pieces still from the packet I got, and I'm figuring how to make colors move around from section to section.

This is more interesting than I'd expected. Handling the shapes isn't much of a challenge, but moving the colors and designs might be. Good.

Hexies, or what to do when you're wondering what to make next

The rosettes and the silk piece all done, I need to think about what's next, while I consider the silk transparency processes to come.

So I thought I'd find out why people make hexies. And found that one reason might be that they're light-years easier than the other epp projects I started on. The other is that once embarked, you can't stop.

So I'm just making a whole bunch of them and will eventually find out what to make with them all. It will involve a table covered in them, and decisions about design and will require that I be done with the post-it posse work which currently occupies the table.

But meanwhile they're in a little brown paper bag as they get basted.

The stars are out!

Here's my suncatcher star constellation in action.

Cloudy today, so the sun part is on hold. But, as Kate Jackson would say, makes me happy!

This is a western window, sun starts coming in mid afternoon till evening, so I will be watching this space.

I love how silk takes dyes, lovely rich colors.

Another star is born

Here's the next.

I may have enough for two more yet. We'll see.

Silk suncatcher

Sounds like the name of a butterfly.

The epp rosettes done and scanned and awaiting the arrival of the silk paper for their next stage, which I will unfold when I find out what I'm doing, I returned to the silk diamonds.

I found reels of silk thread from a toolbox of dressmaker items I thrifted a while back. Still in perfect condition, strong, lovely to stitch with.

So I created a star. I had made a bunch of diamonds, more epp, for a tumbling block design, but thought I'd rather make stars. As you see. And stitching silk fabric with silk thread is luxury itself. So friendly to work with.

These are all little silk samples from Dharma trading I got when I ordered the large silk squares for the embroidery workshop I taught a couple of years ago.

I'll make however many stars I can get out of the supply then decide on the configuration. And at that time deal with the dogears at the points.

Just testing one, with a bit of sticky tape,  against a sunny window. I love working with light and stitching and silk, and this is by way of being a threefer.

Holmwood done and future plans

Here's the finished rosette, front

And back

I've scanned them both, and I'll scan the other two rosettes, front and back.

The plan is to print out transparent images on silk, and layer the images in ways I have yet to decide! The backs are interesting in themselves.

I was reminded of the transparency option this morning while I was struggling with my printer to get vote by mail materials produced. I needed to scan and thought ah, that's the next stage of the epp caper.

Now that I have the scanner and printer cooperating, I can order the silk paper. So this reminder and new direction is a direct reward for doing my civic duty.

Maybe it's also slimming.

Holmwood in the home stretch

Just need to stitch the main groups together and it's done. Cheerful. As you see from the cutting board, much bigger than the strawberry one.

Then it's back to the silk diamonds. They might become one big diamond displayed in an embroidery frame. I found some lovely silk thread for it. TBD. To be decided.

Wondering if I should rename this blog Paper Piecing Pastures or something..there will be other artforms at some point.

I'm organizing a completely different artwork for the upcoming Plainsboro Artists Annual. Change of pace.

Holmwood rosette cont.

So all the pieces are wrapped and ready to join in. This is the sum total of the current artwork. All the bits fitted into one hand to be carried up to the studio where the iron lives. I go any smaller, I'll have to issue magnifiers.

Holmwood in pieces

And pressed, assembled, testing the fit

Astonishingly, considering the mirror image snafus and hopeful corrections, it actually fits as it spozed to.

These pieces felt huge in comparison to the last work.

Iced coffee and Georgette Heyer on the patio now while I gloat a bit.

Holmwood Rosette

So here's today's adventure. After a few thrills and spills, involving  minor skirmishes with mirror-image pieces which got mysteriously stitched inside out, we're under way.

Before I started, I thought this would be a piece of cake compared to the last one. Famous last words.

You absolutely can not woolgather while you're doing this. It's like the toddler of the stitching world, up to something the minute your attention strays. But I do like this color family, and hope I survive it.

Here's tomorrow's pieces, ready to cover. Or possibly recut and fit and stitch, we'll see. This is the outer edge of the piece.

Since my fabric bits are only a few square inches, I have to improvise here and there to get enough going on the colors I need, an added conundrum. And it's a hitch if I ruin one, when there's no substitute for it.

But there's no waste! The bits I discard are about an eighth of an inch wide and not much longer. This is the Art of the Frugal if ever there was one.

And it's great to wake up ready to rush through breakfast, dishes, plant care, all that, so as to get to the project of the day.

Strawberry tea finished

Almost.

Tomorrow I'll take out the templates and basting threads and press and then figure out what to mount it on. As you see, 5.5"

I'm thinking maybe burlap or something with an interesting texture. Anyway it's for framing.

Strawberry Fields moving along

All the moving parts are covered, and I assembled the outer ring pieces.

Here's an exploded view

And here's how it will go together. All being well. The dogears will vanish behind the work as I go. I may rearrange the pieces before I'm done.

I really like how these components slide together like gears. Size of this strawberry patch is 6" across.

More epp capers, historical now

This book is a lovely guided tour through many needleart forms and history, from the V and A. 

I spent a lovely afternoon and a pot of tea, studying it. Came upon a design I fancied trying, and found it was Flossie Teacakes' adaptation of a block from a quilt from 1797.

I must be in tune with her. I had no idea it was her part of the book until I noticed the encouraging wording and recognized her style.

So here's the current State of The Piecing. All the components cut, wrapped, pressed, ready to move in. This is my version, named Strawberry Fields. Just getting fancy.

It definitely pays to have been a miniaturist if you're doing this scale.

I think this quilt will be good for a lot of future designing around here. And when I get back to weaving, once the season turns, ideas for weaving, too..

Yesterday the friend with the dog dropped in, and I showed her the previous epp completed, the one her dog took part in. She was quite reverent about how it came out! Also I'm guessing, relieved that Abby the pup hadn't done anything to it.