Feeling artistic

Posted on | July 2, 2007 |

I’m feeling a lot more artistic today than I was last evening. I have spent the morning working on my projects for the mixed media for fabric class with Joggles. On this Thursday, my class will have its last session, so I wanted to try to get some work done on it before then.

But first two things I had mentioned yesterday, but for which I did not provide photos or final resolution!

1. Embellishment Organization:

I have used baby food jars to organize my dimensional embellishments so that they are fun to look at. I love looking at the colors and being able to see what is inside each jar without any need for labels. This means I can easily change out the jars based on what is in “stock” and what is “needed”. The best part of this is the acrylic shelf organizer it’s on. It has steps so I can see each of the different levels of the jars and stack the jars on top of each other. I really like this method. It’s pretty to look at and easy to see what I have.

2. iPod Update:

This morning my new iPod arrived. I am a now a very happy camper! I can carry all of my music, videos, podcasts, and audiobooks. And yes, it’s safely in the new hard shell case! Right now, the case is black, but it will be decorated in the very near future. I will share that, of course, on this blog! For now, all I know about the decoration is that there will be both doodling and rhinestones.

Now that this is all out of the way, on to the artistic stuff!

I mentioned yesterday that I had painted a silk cap with Dye-Na-Flow paints to use with Paverpol. It turns out, nto incredibly surprisingly, that I’m allergic to Paverpol and had to close the container it before I even started working on the project. Well, I needed something to do with this luscious fabric, so I created a padfolio using Sue Bleiweiss’ padfolio tutorial. The tie is done with a vintage button I have. The cording was made by using a zig-zag stitch over several twisted fibers. It’s one of the methods Sue taught us in class. I really love how easy this method of creating a multi-colored, multi-textured cording is. The padfolio sews up in a snap!

This week’s assignment was to create with kitchen products. The first assignment was to dye some paper towels. Now I LOVE to dye paper towels. That’s one of my favorite things to use. Two-ply paper towels are quite sturdy and they do hold up well with the wetting, dyeing and drying process. I used Color Mists to dye mine. I took the assignment and changed it up a bit. We were to tear up the paper towel and fuse the pieces. I wanted to do more of a patchwork view, so I just sewed the pieces on and then added stitching to keep them sturdy. I like the texture that was created by the continuous movement of the sewing machine and the paper towels.

We were to create a triangular/three-sided vase out of this. Choosing where to cut the fabric was half the fun. I wanted diverse colors. it’s why I chose so many different colors of Color Mists when I dyed them. I wanted a Free People/Hippie sort of look. The sewing on it made the design really stand out. It reminded me of one of those shirred fabric peasant blouses that are out there. But the best part was what happened when I put the project together. The vase came out looking even brighter and more “artsy” than I expected! I’m really happy with it. It will hold a spot in my studio to brighten it up. Perhaps I’ll try to make some of the fabric flowers that was highlighted in one of the earlier issues of Cloth Paper Scissors magazines.

Now, however, it is time to turn to yet another project. No. I’m not sure which one!

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