Tag Archives: Fiber Goodness

Fabric Art Journals

As the Beaded Journal Project comes to a close I have been thinking a LOT about how to share and present the work. Although MY pieces are far from done and I am a couple months behind, I am still thinking about the closure of the project. I tend to have a problem with closure though, and will jump to the next project before finishing the previous one. I am trying not to do that for this project. I want to honor it on a different level and make it be the finished work that it deserves to be.

joggles class landscape in progress

I am also contemplating my artwork on the whole. What am I doing? Where am I going?

I know that I am moving away from paper, away from mixed-media sculpture types things. I am slowly culling my supplies and rearranging my studio to reflect this change. BUT I am torn. Mostly because of my day job, that of a middle school art teacher. I really am required to continue to work and learn about a variety of mediums, try out new supplies, create new projects that can guide or inspire my students. I am also a Gemini, which does lead to a scattered interest in a ton of different mediums. While I dabble in all these places, I am not reaching a skill level in my own medium that satisfies me and allows me to create a solid body of work. This is frustrating and disappointing.

I haven’t had a series that felt like a body of work since my last show in 2003. That’s SIX years! And that was my paper/window collage work. So with all my learning and experimenting in fabric over the past six years I haven’t reached a place of mastery nor a definitive direction.

lovebook Cover

I think my work is taking the direction of small fabric journal pages or mini quilts, but sometimes I want to work larger! I have in mind a few ideas for a series or two, but then I can’t decide if they should be individual pieces or put together as books. Then there are these ideas about working with quilts that are framed by larger objects. I have ideas about sets of art dolls. I want to print, dye and stamp my own fabrics. Do I want to learn some more complex and traditional quilting skills, or keep doing my hodge podge applique/quilting style?

on a somewhat related note: While I researched textile arts to find my direction and look for some ways to finish my beaded pages, I ran across this great article  that talks about fabric art journals in general, and directly links to a blog  and the project I participated in a few years ago. (Which reminds me that I need to make a cover for my wonderful pages that I received.) This brings up the question about sharing this type of work. Do I want to pursue my work getting published or find the right kind of shows to enter?  

Well it seems like all I have come up with today is questions, not answers. But I guess that is the way life is sometimes. Perhaps I will go express myself in some beads and see what develops.

Beaded Journal Pages

I am beginning to finish up some of the backs of my pages, while still working on new ones. I have ironed on some backing fabric with a stiff no-sew double-sided  interfacing and a back ribbon in the same way. This helps the pages to stand up. In my prototypes I sewed in some card stock, but I really didn’t like how that worked out. (too stiff)

Beaded Journal Project first 3 months ~closed~

I wrote up a little paragraph describing the feelings, reasons and thoughts behind each page. I printed the paragraphs onto some t-shirt transfers and then ironed on to white fabric. I can’t iron on these to my backing fabric because of the transfer surface and I can’t sew them on with the machine because of all the beads of course. So for now I am gluing them on with some tacky glue. (Wishing I had some of that great fabric glue)

Beaded Journal Project first 3 months ~backs~

So now I am trying to decide if I add the paint brushes to the fold points as stands (like in my prototype) or if the interfacing will be enough to help them stand, or if I even want them to stand. I like them each separately more than together.

BJP Finished September 2008

Written on back

~September 2008~
Back to School
This month is about fresh starts. New school supplies, Back to school clothes, new ideas for lesson plans and a fresh group of kids. A sense of excitement and refreshment after a long break. But ready to get back in the swing of things. Ready to learn, ready to share, ready to teach, I am an art teacher and
Ready to Reach

BJP Finished October 2008

Written on back

~October 2008~
El Día de los Muertos
Halloween has always been a favorite holiday of mine. Throughout the years I have made many costumes, some simple some more elaborate. All with the desire to be someone else for a brief time. Now that I garden, and live in a more Hispanic area, Day of the Dead has a little more influence. I celebrate the end of the growing season. The little deaths in my life that will make way for new things to grow in the coming year. I love the imagery of this holiday and its spirit for honoring and remembering those that have passed on.
Remember the Dead

BJP Finished November 2008

Written on back

~November 2008~
CHARGER!
We adopted our dog in November, so this will always mark his “birthday” and entry into our family. He is one of the very best things in my life. I never knew you could love a dog so much. I love him more and more every year. He is often my muse, a friend to play with, someone who always listens to my stories, frequently my pillow and always
My Furry Child

BJP WIP December 2008

I need to finish the backing for this one, but the beading, I have decided, is done! I was going to add more, but I realized that I wanted the page to be simple and quiet with an essence of snow and cold.
Written on back

~December 2008~
Quiet
December can be a hellishly hectic time of year. I used to work retail management and this was the most stressful time of year without a doubt. Now I get a break. This year it was a break filled with record breaking snow, impassible roads, and hours to snuggle in the quiet warmth of the house. All parties and gatherings were cancelled for safety. Most people probably don’t realize the introvert that lives inside of me. Parties are stressful and lots of work for me on a mental and emotional level. This low key, stay at home, forced seclusion was a
Winter Wonderland

BJP WIP January 2009

This one is January’s page… still a work in progress. I just want to finish the other brown butterfly and the left blue spiral. This page is about new beginnings. January is a big month for goal setting and resolutions. Butterflies are a great symbol of rebirth. Spirals are a symbol of life. So this page is about making a commitment to myself to continue in my self-improvement and fitness. I haven’t written my paragraph for this one quite yet. But it will be something similar to the above. This one also still needs to have a backing finishing, after the beading is done.

BJP WIP February 2009
This one is February’s page… still a work in progress.  This page was inspired by the landscape assignment in my Joggles mini art quilt class. Purple is my favorite color and I wanted to make a landscape that was based on a winter sunset. The heart fabric was completely accidental.  I am not a huge Valentine’s Day person so I was not trying to be sappy. Then I saw a great bead that my friend Pam created and I knew it was perfect for the focal piece. This one is more like January’s page, more abstract. While the other months so far have had a printed image that I have beaded on or around. It has been fun to bead in a less directed way, but it is harder to know when I am done.  This one also still needs to have a backing finishing, after the beading is done.

I guess it is about time to move on to March!

Tree Sprite

This little Tree Sprite is finally finished… let’s review her creation.

treesprite005

Originally created for the Mythology Show of December 2005! I started her body and had plans to make her a Medusa based doll. She sat HEADLESS for all these years, because frankly the heads are difficult in this medium and I got interested in other things and time moved on.

She has sat on the shelf by my sewing area, so it is not as if she hasn’t been staring at me, headlessly, pleading for me to finish her.

Then there was the WIP show from this same time last year. So I entered  her in that show  more as a guilt trip for myself to finish her. But it has taken a whole year for it to happen.

The wings were created this past Christmas as I made doll clothes for my nieces’ dolls. I wanted to make them both fairy costumes for their dolls, because they are really into fairies right now. I had some extra trial wings leftover so I decided this doll needed to be a fairy instead of a Medusa.

The reason it has finally happened, is that I made a goal for myself to finish up and clear out all of my half-started projects. I even made a calendar determining which ones I would finish when, and how they might apply to a show.

Now showing in the 3-D Figure show @ EBSQ

Dolly Dress Form

Based on some instructions for making a duct tape dress form, I used Enchy’s doll to make a mini doll dress form.

American Girl doll duct tape dress form

Here’s how I made it.

  1. First, I wrapped the naked doll in plastic wrap.
  2. Then I covered it with a piece of fabric. This was to represent the t-shirt that is used in the sample instructions.
  3. Next using masking tape I did one layer of tape around the fabric. Mostly I used this type of tape because I knew I would not have enough duct tape and because I thought it would be more flexible for this small dress form. Next was a couple layers of duct tape, I added some partial sleeves at this point.
  4. Now I had to carefully cut the tape off the doll without damaging the doll. I cut up the front and up one sleeve. The other sleeve came off without cutting once I had enough give to pull it off.
  5. I taped the cut lines closed.
  6. I had some old candle sticks that I never use that I realized were the perfect size to be a stand. yippiee! I cleaned off the wax and dust, clipped off the leaves and put it up the middle of the duct tape form.
  7. I stuffed the form with recycled stuffing that I get from Charger’s destroyed toys.
  8. I taped up the bottom and I am done!

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.

BJP October in Progress…


My October page in progress, originally uploaded by Charger’s Mommy.

I still have more work to do but got a lot done yesterday and will do a little more tonight. The dress and jacket are done, but I want to do the hat and more on the white swirls area.

Already thinking about November’s page. Which will be something about Charger, since we got him in November.

2008 Bead Journal Project

As I love challenges, I have signed up for an ALL YEAR challenge. Hopefully I will not regret this. This challenge requires us to make a journal page for each month of the year. The pages must include beading of some kind, but does not have to be 100% beaded. (thankfully)

You can (try to) follow all the projects of the 260+ participants on the 3+ blogs and websites. The main site with links off to other places is the Bead Journal Project.

Stay tuned for the September “Back to School” beaded page

Playing Favorites: fields of dreams

Creating a gallery of my favorites has been quite fun. Looking through my own work over the years and fitting these themes has really shown me the diversity of my own work. Next up is Playing Favorites: fields of dreams, which I think can be translated to work that shows nature or landscapes of some type. Of course when he put together this series of posts, I think he gathered a lot of art from a lot of different people then put them into these catagories. I don’t think he expected to have an individual artist find art to fit each theme. But I like the challenge, so I plug along here.

Earthfin Rip July 2006

Media:  Fabric Collage Dimensions:  14″ x 14″ Date of Work:  07/2006

Night Sky Wanderer is a RIP for the EBSQ 2006 Ripped Off Show. It is inspired by a pyrography called Workin’ On Wings to Fly by Lisa J. Rough. I was really drawn to the powerful woman and the birch trees. It has a sense of strength and peace. I tried to capture that same feeling in my version of it. This piece is all fabric collage using applique’ and quilting techniques. It is embellished with buttons, ribbon, trim, beads and handmade yarn.

Playing Favorites: the library


The Library, originally uploaded by v_stamey. The library I WISH I had….

Next to faces, I think words or text in art is one of my favorite subject. But I think that is for another entry, this is about BOOKS! which is just as good. I love books! I love reading them, collecting them, altering them and making them. I have taken classes on book binding, participated in Altered Book round robins and tip-in swaps. I have even taught and shared the art of altered books with my students. I dream of having a house where I have a room that is JUST for books. I picture it as one of those turret round multi-story rooms with a ladder to reach higher levels of books.

So anyways… here is my pick for Seth’s Playing Favorites: the library.

lovebookCV.jpg

This is a mixed media book that I made inspired by DJ Pettitt. I bought a kit from her that included some images, transparent and white papers and fabrics along with a mini instruction booklet on how to do image transfers. I was later able to take a class from her at ArtFiber Fest in 2006.

As much as I love to make paper books, I am more interested now in making fabric books and journals. You are sure to see some of these in the near future!