Courtesy of Lisa Vollrath’s weekly newsletter, this eye candy made me want to design, dye, stamp and batik fabrics again!
http://www.ginapiercedesign.co.uk/index.htm
Courtesy of Lisa Vollrath’s weekly newsletter, this eye candy made me want to design, dye, stamp and batik fabrics again!
http://www.ginapiercedesign.co.uk/index.htm
I started with this photo taken a couple of years ago.
Then I played with some filters in photoshop…
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Then I layered some sheer white fabric over some printed white, along with some other sheer colored fabrics in places. I began the free-motion sewing to thread paint the lines.
This is what I have so far and I am not totally happy with it yet, so I will continue to play with it until I feel like it is done. Then add a border and backing.
It will also include my focus word of the year, which is ~drumroll please~
But for now, my doggie is upset that I have been in the studio for so long, so I must tend to him.
In December 2007, I made the goal to: create at least one NEW artwork (in any medium of my choice as is fitting for the theme) per month to enter into EBSQ Shows.
The shows that I planned to enter vs the art that I actually completed:Â
 I love looking back to see what I planned and what I accomplished. It does help me see the cycles and patterns to my creative life. Now on to better planning my 2009 show entries.
As I reflect over the past year and make my goals for the next year, I have discovered a few people summing up their year in a single word. This seems like such a great way to focus on my goals, to have one over-arching word of significance to guide my actions. I always include text into my artwork already, but to have a given word to almost become a signature for the year sounds so freeing and exciting.
“A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything.”
Many of my online artist friends have been declaring their words. Dale Anne selected Explore for her word, so I decided to explore more about choosing a word for myself. Christine Kane describes the process in “Resolution Revolution“. In fact, I remember reading this post last year, and I looked into some words, but for whatever reason I didn’t pick a word. (Although I did set some art goals.) Now she has a month of posts about people that selected a word and had a year of success focused on that word. It is exciting to read about people that picked their words from deep emotional places like transition, or ones that pick their word with humor, like chicken. Courageseems to be a popular word, and in this world, it seems we all need a little courage just to get through the day. Another blogger, Ali, not only has a list of word suggestions, she also has a little contest/giveaway for those setting words as a focus.
So far I am looking at the following words:
The words on the longer list included challenge, energy, achieve, active, accomplish, strive, release, discipline, but most of them felt to final or had a negative feeling to me. I know that this year will not be the end of my projects and goals, nor are they the beginning. It is important that my word encompasses my fitness goals as well as my art, relationship and professional goals.
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I am leaning towards Vibrancy… but I am going to let it sit today and see how it looks in the morning. Then I will print out the one I will focus on and put it in my studio and my home gym so I won’t forget!
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what word do you think I should pick?
We are still snowed in, the streets surrounding our house are 6″ of slush over packed snow and ice in layers. Making for a very messy mixture. Now that it is dark the top slush layer will be freezing again. No plows or sand trucks have been anywhere near our house.
So I managed to make another outfit for my neice. This is a Blue Fairy (which one of my neices was for halloween) American Doll Fariy dress with wings. The dress is a pattern but the sleeves and wings are my own design. I also have some cool fiber that would make for a good blue hair piece if I can figure out how to make it attachable with a nice barret or something.
Now to do a twin version in another color for the other neice.
Surfing around a lot while snowbound here in the Pacific Northwest. We have more snow right now than in 30 years!
Two Creative Studios  is one site that I found today that has a bunch of cool free tutorials in addition to some great looking online classes. I am so inspired that I am heading up to the studio to work on some fun fabric stuff! (probably more doll clothes, but I also have a quilt to finish for Christmas gifts.)
Are you trapped in the snow? What are you up to for the holidays?
Based on some instructions for making a duct tape dress form, I used Enchy’s doll to make a mini doll dress form.
Here’s how I made it.
I was thinking about covering it with some nice fabric, but that will add more bulk, which will make the dress fitting less accurate. At this size mere fractions of inches will throw off all the measurments. The layers of tape and fabric already make the fitting a little different from the actual doll. It doesn’t need to be pretty… Perhaps when the girls don’t need doll clothes made for them anymore I will cover it and make it an artsy dress form sculpture that is not meant for the fitting function.
Doll clothes made for my neices for this Christmas Purple outfit for the little one. Jacket with embellishments and dress. Jacket is made from “antique” fabric from my Late Great Aunt.
Doll is Enchy’s that she sent me for fitting purposes. Thanks Enchy! They look SO good on the doll I am really pleased. I am going to make a dress form from the doll, while I have it and then make Enchy some clothes too before she goes back.
I am having such a good time making these little doll clothes. a fun change from my other fabric projects.
I have decided that my November page is done and I am getting started on my December Page now.
November is the month that we got our dog, 5 years ago, from the shelter. It was a LIFE changing thing for me since I had previously been a cat person. but Charger does not take NO for an answer and demands your love in the best possible way. So this is a little tribute to him.
Now that I have 3 months done I am ready to finish the backing and get them put together.
Now on to December’s page