The Blocks are Sashed and Joined

In some odd minutes that occasionally went for more than an hour...... I managed to get the "lost and found" blocks sashed and joined into one piece. 

Could the layout have been different?  Sure, but each time I moved one block

I needed to move two more. So I got it in place and started sewing. 

Even with a "careful" layout, one row managed to get scrambled.  This 

was discovered only as I was starting to sew the two halves together.

Seriously,  it looks just fine this way and now I can't tell you which column 

or row is scrambled.  And it really doesn't matter. 

Next up for this one is to decide on outer border/borders fabric and get those

sewn on to finish the top. Then it will either get quilted OR go in the 
"to be quilted" pile - and there are a few there. They taunt me when I 

pass by. One or two were quilt along quilts where I didn't have time

when I finished them to quilt them.  

This quilt will be a nice baby sized quilt. The only parts that really 

call out for special quilting are the squares with solid centers. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Friday Face Off - "Two Sisters"

Welcome to the Friday Face Off hosted by Nicole at DVArtist.  I am happy to present my latest creation. 

The Two Sisters were originally planned to be two single portraits.  But, 

as soon as I had both of the faces created and put side by side, it was 

obvious that they belonged together.  These are a pair of sisters that stick together. 

(slight pun intended - fusible applique/stick together) 

Both of them were laid on individual backgrounds and photos were taken. 

Then I took a photo of both of them on one background.

To be honest, I asked a couple of close friends, but ultimately the decision

was mine and I chose "together" because artistically they just look better 

Together. 

I started by cutting two faces and two necks.  These were two solid colors of fabric 

stacked together. Then a curvy line was cut  down the middle with the small rotary cutter

on the stacked faces.  The necks were done the same way but with a somewhat straighter

line to divide them.  The pieces were swapped and lightly fused together.

Normally, the eyes would be my next step, but I had a piece of fabric that begged 

to be cut into lips. Each lip was cut separately so that they weren't too much alike.

Then I added the eyes and the noses. 

At the point they looked like this:

I think the hair was one of the most fun parts. 

I used a batik for the "That Girl" flip on the left face. Once it was in place,

it clearly needed more color.  Some Derwent Inktense blocks were used to add 

depth and color to the hair on this one. 

The Blue/Green/Aqua hair was a piece of hand dyed fabric that I cut with

a die cutter for some of the pieces.  The other pieces were cut with a pair of 

scissors from Famoré  that are very easy to use for shaping applique pieces. 

I put all the pieces in place and took a photo for reference.  Then I took up 

those pieces and started adding them back one at a time and fusing them in place. 

The clothes were the last addition prior to quilting this.

The necklace on the left is simply tiny quilting lines.

The necklace on the right was painted with irridescent paint, then 

using an ultra-fine Sharpie marker, I outlined each bead for definition. 

I hope my process didn't bore you too much. 

I haven't started the next face yet, but I have a few ideas -(grin.) 

And here is a sneak peek at what is happening with 

those blocks I showed you. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Old Project/New Life

While straightening up some things and putting my workspace in just a bit better order, I found a plastic folder with a bunch of 7" quilt blocks and some charm squares.   Here are the blocks:

I vaguely remember making these but I don't remember the plan. 

So I tried a layout and found that I had 15 completed blocks.

Hmmmm. 

So I decided to make 5 more for an even 20. That will allow me to do a 

nice 4 by 5 block layout.  And I will likely add some sashing. 

Of course that will require choosing some sashing fabric and 

considering whether or not I want to add cornerstones to the mix. 

There are still some charm square left, so that is a possibility

for the cornerstones. 

Here are the five new blocks.

You may notice that the design is a bit simpler than the previous ones. 

I plan to place one in the center and use the other four as corner blocks.

However, once I lay it out, I reserve the right to make a different decision. 

((grin))

I have a new "Friday Face Off" post coming on Friday. 

I hope you stop by then to see it and comment. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Friday Face Off

Once again it is time for the Friday Face Off with DVArtist.  This will actually be posted  a couple of hours early (shock!) on Thursday night so I can add my link-up to Nicole's post. 

This week I am going off the clay path and going to another medium - fabric!  Yes this is fabric/collage/quilting.   I have TWO faces to share.  I will share them in the order that I made them. 

First up is this fun little piece, she is 5" by 7" and will eventually be mounted on a canvas for hanging. 

This was my first attempt at an abstract/fantasy face from fabric.

"The Flower Girl"

I will say that working in this small scale, it was a challenge to quilt. 

The good part of working this small was that I wasn't afraid of messing up.

It was small enough to just toss in the trash if it didn't work.  

But it did work and it built my confidence to try again. 

Which leads us to face #2 - a more abstract face.

"Bertha has the Blues"

This piece is 8" by 8" and will also be mounted on a canvas.

This face is closer to what I wanted to create - but still miles away from the vision in my mind.

I love the wild range of fabrics that I used for her hair. 

For this one, I stopped trying to match my quilting thread 

to the fabrics on the face and hair.

Rather I just used black, much like the lines

in a coloring book. 
I love the graphic, whimsical feel it gives this piece. 

Next week, I will have One piece with Two faces.  

It is almost finished.

I love the process of making these faces.  

I think there is a series in the making. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Face Frenzy

Once I started making fabric, quilted faces ---well I fell in love with the process.  They are much quicker than a quilt plus they are more forgiving and so fun!   I have a finish (or two) that will show up Friday.

But for now, why not see some "beginnings?"   First I start with a face shape (more or less - ha ha) made with fabric that is backed with fusible web.  These two are made with two pieces of hand-dyed fabric from Colorways by Vicki from the Basic Color Wheel Light collection.  

Because of the way I am doing this, I have mirror image pieces - so I get 

Two for the work of One. 

Then I start adding facial features.  While it isn't my norm, I did the 

mouths on these first, because I saw the fabric I wanted for it. 

Yes that is more hand-dyed from Vicki. 

Then I added the eyes and finally the noses. 

Those eyes are not completed yet. They need to have the

pupils added - I do that with an ultra-fine Black Sharpie. 

Then I will use either paint OR a white gel pen to add 

the highlight in those eyes.  

I have decided to give them different hairstyles and hair colors. 

I am sure it will make them look very different, even though

the base design is so similar. 
I have not decided on a background yet. 

It is easier to simply create the faces and lightly fuse them

right on a silicone release sheet or parchment paper.

Stay tuned for more changes. 

I hope to have these two finished for Friday May 20th

for the Friday Face Off that week. 

Don't forget to return this Friday for a look at the 

first two fabric/collage/quilted faces that I have

made since starting this challenge. 

Meanwhile, my brain keeps coming up with ideas for even more faces, so

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

A New Start -and more

First off, let me say, Happy Mother's day to all.  

I have started on a fun new project that will be fully revealed on Friday 

for the Friday Face Off. 

I checked with DVArtist, Nicole to verify that I could step 

outside the box. Meaning "could I use a medium besides clay?" 

The wonderful answer was "Yes!"  

Although I started this project before she answered because, 

I just wanted to do it. I have done one other face in fabric.

Well, one that I remember anyway.

I put my hand over part of this to keep a bit of mystery. 

But it also shows the scale of the piece. 

The first discovery is that this is going to be interesting to quilt at this scale. 

For quilting, larger is easier. 

Meanwhile, here is the "more" photo of the 

previous face that I created in fabric.

Some of you may remember it. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Friday Face-off - He Appeared

Have you ever started a project with a vision in your mind, but once you are working, somehow the project changes?    That is what happened with the face for this week.   I started with a very different idea, but this guy just appeared about half formed.  When that happens, it is best to follow the muse and not "the plan." 

So here is my face for this week:

Check out the other Face-off face makers, Nicole at DVArtist and Barbara at Artistic Living to see their faces for this week.  

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Self confidence -or the lack thereof

This post is about creativity in some ways.  To be creative you have to be brave and sometimes fearless. And if those aren't your strong qualities, sometimes you just have to fake it.  

True Confession - I fake it a LOT!  My last post was "brave" but, honestly, I was scared to post a video of myself playing and singing.  I play and sing almost daily, but it is without an audience.  I mess up a lot, but being alone it is much easier to laugh at my mistakes.   

After posting that last post, I got a comment saying that I sing and play well. Here is my response:
Sometimes I am like the character in the song  "Mr Tanner" by Harry Chapin - "he did not know how well he sang, he only heard the flaws."  

I am slowly working to overcome that and hear the better parts of my singing.  But self-confidence is hard to come by when those voices from years ago echo in your head. (Things like: "you can't sing" etc.) 
I remember in elementary school getting a less than outstanding grade on "music appreciation."  That did some damage that I am only now starting to overcome. 
But anyway, I keep at it. (grin, I am too stubborn to stop.)

Most of us are our own worst critics. It is easy to criticize.  However, when you allow yourself to laugh at yourself, it gets better.  Also, compliments don't hurt.  I took an online voice class for a few weeks. The teacher was a country singer who had a degree in music from Miami University.  So, I trusted her abilities.  For the first lesson,  I sent in a recording of myself singing a capella as she requested. That was a standard thing for the class. I chose to sing "Danny Boy."  Honestly, I have heard the song for years and years. I didn't think it was all that hard except for the high note. 
When I got the critique she said "You sang it in 'C' and stayed on key for the entire song" (to me that was a huge compliment.) But she went on to say that the way I shifted to the higher register was excellent.  

That let me know that I can sing in front of people.   Sadly, she became very ill and passed away before I had much time in her class.  Nevertheless, I got a huge boost from that one and only critique.  And I keep working on developing range and style.  (Hint: Tell people what they did right and they will strive for future successes.) 

Meanwhile, I made the following video and decided to post it mistakes and all.  So everyone could laugh with me. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

A Musical Interlude

I know that a lot of my readers have started wondering why I haven't been posting as much. 

The simple fact is that I am not sewing as much, because I am spending more of my 

time practicing and learning music. For me, it is easy to pick up the ukulele or the 

autoharp and work on a song or a technique in those odd minutes. On a rare

occasion, I will even record myself playing and singing. 

I am quite aware that I make a few mistakes, but it is for enjoyment, not for 

professional work.  In that spirit, I offer you this song that I learned 

after hearing it sung by the writer on YouTube. The song rang true. 

The writer, in talking about writing the song, said, "I wrote this in a bar in Kentucky, 

apparently visibly crying."  So if you see me "choke" slightly during this, 

know that when I get "into" a song, I feel the emotions. 

I hope you enjoy it, and if you don't- don't tell me.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.