First Frost, FFC 85

I have been on hiatus this summer visiting with my children and grandchildren.  Not much time for playing with my creative endeavors, but plenty of time for making wonderful memories.  We left Washington right after Labor Day, landed in Bend and Oregon for a couple of weeks, and are now taking a leisurely trip south for our winter home.

Gerry, my husband, was wondering if it was time to get rid of the sewing machine and art supplies, but alas, they will remain with us at least for the time being.  I was busy this week working on a challenge for the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge.  It is my first completion in a number of months, but it is done.

I took a piece of fabric which I had created using the Gelli Plate, which is fast becoming one of my favorite texture tools.  I achieved the desired effect by doing numerous layers using stamps, stencils, brushes, etc. on black cotton with metallic paints.  Love the ethereal look on this piece.  I also like the ghosting imprint of the trees on the right, along with the bird image in the tree.  Sometimes serendipity takes over and things turn out better than you expect!  I decided to step outside my comfort zone and mount it on black stretched canvas, adding metallic leaves, jewelry findings, and some decorative trim. 

First Frost Challenge 85

 

Here is the finished product and I am very happy with the way it turned out.  I think that I will continue to play and do more pieces in this manner.

FFFC 'Garden Globe'

The challenge for November was to do an abstract piece using just one shape.  I have to admit that this was a difficult challenge for me as I have not done an abstract piece per se, even though I have been quilting for a number of years.  I have seen a lot of abstract pieces which I have coveted, and have contemplated playing with the style, but had not followed through.  I am not really in love with this piece, but I will definitely play with this concept in the future.  Thanks for pushing me outside of my box.

That being said, I decided to use circles as my shape, and fit it into my self selected theme of botanicals.  I used some of my photos and some from the Morgue Files and played with them in PSE 9.  I applied a free action (which I downloaded from the web), called Crystal Ball to each of the photos and then printed them onto fused fabric treated with Digital Grounds.  I then fused and cut out organza and the black and white circles.   I quilted the background with circle motifs prior to placing the fused pieces on top (after several attempts to find a suitable placement).  I used gel pens to add some bling to the flower globes and then stitched everything down.  I then did some bobbin work (my first time) on the globes using some Razzle Dazzle from Superior Threads.  I thought about adding some beadwork or paintsticks on the background circles.  Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge

'In The Spotlight"

It has been a long, dry period for me as far as creating fiber art goes.  I finished a Fractured Piece in July for an exhibit at the Sisters Quilt Show, but have not gotten anything done since then.  To get myself jump started again, I joined an online group called Fast Friday Fabric Challenge.  Every month a new challenge is issued and participants are supposed to finish their piece within a week.  The challenge for me is to work quickly and intuitively and actually complete the project.  (Those who know me well, know that I am a great starter, but not such a good finisher.)



Closeup of flower



The first challenge, issued in September, was to create a piece in the chiaroscruo style, which means using clear-obscure or light-dark to create a strong conrast or unusual lighting, making the piece have a dramatic effect.  Over the last few months, I have been taking an online Digital Montage Class in order how to learn to use Photoshop Elements (PSE)  in my fabric art.  I used a picture of a Dahlia which I had taken while at Manitou Park earlier this fall and enhanced it in PSE.  I used a filter for different light effects, enhanced the color and printed it onto white fabric which had been treated with Digital Grounds (a printing aid made by Golden Products).  Using the Digital Grounds greatly increased the color saturation on the fabric.  I know this because I tried to skip the step of treating the fabric with the Digital Grounds and have several printed shots of the Dahlia in which the color looks faded out.  I call the piece

'In The Spotlight' and it measures 11.5" x 11.5".  I thread painted the Dahlia picture and then added it to the yellow background fabric.  I then quilted the entire piece and added the black and white border around the picture.  I am glad to have completed this piece, even if it took me the whole month!

The second challenge for FFFC was issued on October 23rd.  Participants had to write or find a haiku and then design a representational piece.  I wrote my own haiku:
"Autumn leaves changing hue,

  Dancing softly to the ground,

  Winter close behind."

I took a picture of the neighbors beautifully colored leaves,  played with it in PSE, and then added another layer of a tree branch which I made to look like a stamp over the top of the leaves.  I added the haiku text, layered it over the top of the first two layers and then merged them into one and printed the photo onto white fabric (again treated with Digital Grounds).  The leaves on the bottom of the piece are some which I collected on my morning walk.  They are fused between two layers of fusible web, layered on a black background with netting placed over the entire bottom piece.  The two pieces were then joined together, thread painted and quilted. 

These challenges have been fun and taken me out of my slump.  Thanks to the FFFC group for inviting me in!