Bead Embroidery Collage from Susan Sorrell's class

I interrupted my painting progress for a bit. I’ve been taking an online class with Susan Sorrell on Personal Symbols. I have always been intrigued by her work and I’ve also always found embroidery a very relaxing and healing thing to do. So, when I saw about her class, I decided to take it. Six weeks, online. I can go at my own pace. This week, we created paper collages on Timtex and then embroidered over them, adding in buttons and beads. Some people added lace and other trims, as well. I’ve posted my version here. Enjoy!

Necklace by Amanda Davie sent as a giveaway

I confess: I read a lot of blogs. I enjoy meeting people and getting to know them through their daily lives, their artsy endeavors and blogs. Sometimes, of course, bloggers offer fabulous give-aways. Amanda Davie’s blog is one I read regularly.

About a month ago, Amanda posted a giveaway – a lovely necklace she made. Amanda describes it “Lots of wire wrapping, Swarovski Crystals, antique chandelier crystals, freshwater pearls, quartz, semi-precious stones, and a handmade bird cage pendant.” I was in love with it and I immediately commented as such. Well, earlier this week, I received an email from Amanda lettingme know that I had WON this gorgeous necklace. Yesterday it arrived in the mail in a lovely handmade art-quilted pouch. It’s even more gorgeous in person and tomorrow, I have a family brunch where I will wear this beautiful piece of art proudly.

Sneak Peek at Crazy Quilt - hand-stitching

Thanks Amanda!

In other news, I’m getting stronger each day, and the past two days, I’ve even been out to run some errands and I’ve not needed major naps soon thereafter – significant progress, let me tell you!

While at home, I’ve been working on hand stitching a crazy quilt. I’ve never done one before, but I had all these brightly colored scraps and fat quarters and I was inspired to just start putting the quilt top together just before my surgery.

Sneak Peek 2 at crazy quilt in pogress

I had thought I would stitch it during my convalescence. It took longer than I thought for me to be comfortable enough to sit up and stitch, but I’ve been working on it daily for the past week. I have always found stitching relaxing.

Monday is my treatment again. I suspect it will hit me pretty hard, as I’m just starting to get back into my regular routine. But it’s all good. We’re counting down two weeks until our vacation in Italy, so I’m more than happy to relax next week and get my strength up for the trip.

Now I’m off to learn Italian phrases and to stitch some more!

]]> http://www.artsyfran.com/2009/04/18/a-beautiful-gift-and-a-quick-update/feed/ 6 http://www.artsyfran.com/2009/03/10/has-it-really-been-so-long/ http://www.artsyfran.com/2009/03/10/has-it-really-been-so-long/#comments Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:29:28 +0000 Fran http://www.artsyfran.com/?p=752 I’ve been so bad about blogging this year. It’s mid-March and so much is going on!

First, an update on the wrist. I’m weaning off of the wrist splint and doing some strengthening exercises. As I type this, I have no splint on. It makes typing MUCH easier! I am able to write better, draw again, and create. Cutting fabric is much easier without a splint in the middle of your hand!

Painted journal cover for Victoria

I did some sewing to keep myself sane during this whole thing. Nothing major. Just some fooling around with the machine. When we were in Boston in January, I spent some time with my friend’s daughter, Victoria. I showed Victoria, a budding young artist, my sketchbook. She was excited to learn about how I used it and so I offered to get one together for her. One of the projects I worked on was a journal cover for Victoria. I decided that since she’s still only 7, it might be nice for her to have a cover that can be used over again and the journal itself can be replaced. I found a 5″ x 7″ 140# Cold Press watercolor journal, and I made  a cover for it out of fabric that I had painted. With the wrist problems, it took a long time and I finally completed the journal cover yesterday! I’m happy with the results and will put it in the mail tomorrow. I hope Victoria likes it!

In the midst of the wrist issue, I had some other health issues. I’ve talked before about my chronic illness on this blog, but rarely about things that are not related to that. Well, these issues are not related to my chronic illness, but to just being a woman in my 40s. Women’s stuff. Basically, I am having a hysterectomy on March 18th. This is a decision I am completely comfortable with. For over a year, we have tried to manage my symptoms with medications and this is no longer working. It is time for a more permanent solution. Adding to this decision is that I am also part of a family that has a history of ovarian cancer, so while the surgeon is in there, I’m going to have her remove my ovaries. Better safe than sorry. The surgery is scheduled to be laparoscopic, assuming all looks good when the doctor gets in there. We’re hopeful that it will be an easy surgery.

Six weeks after the surgery, I expect to be “released” from my restrictions. A few days later, we are actually heading out to Europe. Dave has been asked to speak in Venice, Italy at a conference. Last year, wen we were in France for another conference, we talked about our wishes to go to Italy this year. Well, life is pretty amazing. and it’s like the Universe heard our wish and it was granted! We are going for two weeks, and, because it is so soon after my surgery, we’re planning a relaxing trip. We’re just going to focus on Norther Italy – Lake Como area, Venice, Florence, and Milan. We do expect to go back at some point in the next few years, so we’re saving Rome and Tuscany for that time. I know myself well enough to know that I would push myself in Rome. Florence will already be pushing it, since it is toward the end of our trip, but I won’t miss seeing the David statue and the Duomo.

So, since my surgery is a week away, I’ve been preparing for the trip. Dave and I spent time booking hotels, renting a car, scheduling flights, ordering my allergy translation card, updating our passports… All the things you need to do before a trip. Our itinerary is set, but leaves us some room for day trips and such. Now, I just need to learn some Italian phrases so I can get around, order food, and ask for a bathroom!

So there you have it, my update. I hope to have some drawings or other art to share with you soon.

Open Your Own Artfire Studio

I’m excited to share that I have opened my own Artfire.com Studio. What is Artfire? Here is how the company describes itself on the site: “The premier online marketplace for handmade products designed by artisans around the globe. Our free community is designed for artisans to buy and sell their works, while celebrating unique handmade items and designs.”

Similar to Etsy, in that individual artisans have their own shops, the beauty of Artfire is that it is searchable through Google and there are no listing fees. It also links easily with other social media, like Facebook, Etsy, IndiePublic, and my blog, making marketing much easier. In addtion, there are also no expiration dates on the merchandise listings, which makes it much easier to manage than the 3-month Etsy limit.

Light blue and turquoise MP3/Cell Phone Case

I found the product uploads much faster and easier with Artfire.com than with Etsy. If you’re a crafter or artisan, I invite you to try ArtFire, as they’re running a special for $7/month for life, and that’s the only fee you will ever have!

In the shop are 14 products that have never been listed before, including arty business card holders, cell phone/MP3 players, ablums, and a painting.

This week, I hope to get additional pieces up in the studio. Today is my IV treatment, so I’m sitting here with the IV while I type this!

Desert Sunset Landscape Quilt: Completed?

Yesterday, while I watched MSNBC and listened to the 9/11 memorials, I needed some sort of creative distraction to balance out some of the horrors that were being relived on my television. I didn’t want to hide from it, I just wanted to be present, but not without a way to work through it. I’m not sure that makes sense to everyone, but for me, my art has always been a sort of therapy – a way to work through tough things – and on a day as filled with emotion as 9/11, I felt a need to keep my hands moving on something beautiful.

I am also still recovering from my treatment, so I needed something that was grounding for that. Enter hand sewing my landscape quilt and then adding embroidery. Yesterday, after I’d embellished with all the embroidery I felt the quilt could handle, I knew it needed something else. So, I raided my supply of beads and I added them between yesterday and today, finishing up this morning. (Click on the image for a larger view, where you can sort-of see the beading.) I’m happy with it, but I’m going to let it sit on my design board for a day or so until I can be sure it’s done. At that point, I’ll consider adding a border and then adding the backing.

In the meantime, I’m going to relax and get through the continued fatigue and nausea from the treatment. I am really ready for it to go away now…

Desert Sunset Quilt in progress

I realized that I haven’t been updating much other than with the CreativeTherapy catalyst responses. But I’ve been doing so much more.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been doing lots of journaling and collage “just because”. I often do this just because I have a lot on my mind that I just need to put down and work through. Don’t you do the same? Teesha Moore’s method of journaling, for me, is a very healing and intuitive process. When I was younger, my journaling was a good escape from, well, growing up! I used mostly free association writing and did no art as part of the journaling. Now I use collage along with the free association writing to work through things. I’m feeling much more centered from the quiet week of introspection and, well, right now it’s not really something I want to share.

Desert Landscape

I am, however, happy to share two projects I’ve been working on.

I’m getting ready for my treatment tomorrow and I will be going to the infusion center for it. So, with five hours of treatment ahead of me, I needed a project to work on. Yesterday, I attacked my fat quarters and pinned together two landscape quilts to work on, shown here. I used the method that Jane LaFazio taught at Art Unraveled. It’s a really neat process to watch the quilts come together.

I’ll update more as they develop. I hope your week is off to a great start!

Quilt of Shipwreck Beach, Kauai, Hawaii

I’ve been hunkered down in the studio this week. I needed to just sit in the studio and be with myself and not out and about. And I’ve learned to honor those needs.

This week, I’ve been working on some projects that have been sitting around unfinished. For example, you may recall the quilt top I started months ago when Angie and I took a quilting class at a local retreat. It has been sitting in my studio moved from place to place until this week. The technique was quite different from what Jane taught us earlier this month. We used glue to baste the pieces together and then we were to do hidden hand stitching to finish it up and ready it for quilting. However, I found that the glue made the hand stitching tedious. Also, I had used many small pieces, which made it even more difficult to hand sew. This week, I decided I wanted to finish it and so I took it to the sewing machine and pieced it and then quilted it. I let it sit for a few days up on my bulletin board and I decided it was done and just needed a border. Today I finished up the binding and it’s finished!

Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz fabric collection - quilt in progress

I’ve also been working on a personal sewing project. I have always been a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz. And “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” has always been one of my favorite songs. When I saw that Quilted Treasures had Wizard of Oz licensed fabric, I came close to purchasing it several times, but I couldn’t figure out what I’d do with it.

Well, finally, after seeing the fabric in real life at my local fabric store, I caved and bought some of what they had. I don’t regret that decision at all! Quilting up these images makes me smile. The hope and dreams evoked by the scene in which Dorothy sings “Over the Rainbow” always makes me smile. Having it hang in my studio will be extremely uplifting! To the right is the beginning of this project. It’s in process, so there’s a lot more to do. I think I finally figured out how to make it work, but it will require some experimentation. When I finish, I’ll be sure to share it here.

I’ve also been working on some CreativeTherapy catalysts. You’ll see those in the next few weeks, when they are published on the CT blog. I hope to do more drawing and painting in the next few days.

In addition to the work in the studio, I’ve had some housekeeping stuff to do – the car needed service; the sprinklers and French doors will be installed next week. The following week is my treatment, so I’m glad to get it all done in the next week.

Overall, It’s been a busy but good week. I’ve been feeling pretty good and I’m looking forward to a quiet weekend with Dave.

My new purse!

Today I was inspired to use the pieces of a purse I had started to make several months ago. I was making a lot of totes, but I wanted something that was more of a purse – with a closure. I started it and then I couldn’t figure out how to finish it. Until yesterday, that is. Joanne took a class from Kathy Cano-Murillo, the Crafty Chica. In the class, she made a collage purse and I finally knew what I needed to do to make my purse work! I added a piece in the front to highlight the fabric collage I made from vintage kimono fabrics and I added the strap. I’ll be testing out this purse tonight at Art Unraveled. It matches the tote I made for myself back in December, so that’s kind of fun, too.

I do wish I had pockets inside, so I might try to alter it some more to add a liner with a pocket or four… But still, it is a fun purse, especially, for Art Unraveled and other artistic endeavors!

Have a great day, all!

Seven totes finished!

Doll I made for Joanne

And it’s August! Sheesh! Where did the summer go? This weekend is the kick-off of Art Unraveled and Joanne is in town. I’m heading out to see her in a while. It seems like just a few weeks ago I was meeting Joanne in Chicago planning my trip to France. And then again, France seems like a lifetime ago.

It’s been a busy week here. I spent Monday, Wednesday and Friday working on art. Monday I made some collage packets and I did some art for CreativeTherapy. Wednesday I finished creating some totes. And today I made some dolls and my name tag for Art Unraveled. It was relaxing and productive.

Art Unraveled Name Tag

Tuesday and Thursday I volunteered for Cochlear Americas as an Awareness Advocate. I’ve mentioned my volunteer activities with this in the past. I went with the education coordinator for our region to talk about the Baha and how it has helped my life. I got to meet a Constable and a Voc Rehab specialist, both of whom have single-sided-deafness (SSD) like I do. It was a long day, but well worth it. I think both of these people will be on the road to getting Bahas and making their lives easier.

I volunteered again Thursday, to speak in front of a group of Vocational Rehabilitation counselors for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Most of these people were, themselves hearing impaired or deaf, so it was an interesting morning. The education person spoke about the cochlear implant and the baha and I told my story. They asked questions and, I hope, we were successful in educating them. We were down in Casa Grande, which is about an hour or so south of where I live. Luckily the education coordinator lives near me, so we carpool when we go to these things. Wednesday I did some final preparations on the gifts for my friends… Or so I thought. I made some totes and finished sewing all of them up. But one of my friends received a tote from me just a short time ago. So, I decided that I might do something else for her. But I was tired and I knew I had a long day scheduled. So, I went to sleep early.

I enjoy doing my volunteer work. It makes me feel like I’m giving back for all I’ve received. I’m speaking again this week for other Vocational Rehabilitation counselors and I was just told that this would be teleconferenced across the state. It will be fun, I’m sure.

More soon!

I spent Wednesday with Angie and her son Max. Max came over to swim and Angie and I got to do some artwork. I was not quite up for doing much, so I just doodled in my journal. Nothing to show, as the page is not finished, but it was a good way to pass the day and Angie let me tell stories about Aunt Millie. She is so fondly remembered by all who knew her.

I’m feeling creative again, so there is finally some art to share!

This week I made a few cases for our trip. To the right you see the first one. This one is a case for a DVD/MP3 player that Dave and I can watch movies on. Since we’re already bringing our iPods, it made sense to have a player that we could share the movies while on the plane and in France. It has a hook and loop closure so the player is safe.

The second is a pencil and pen case that fits perfectly into my daypack and my purse (so it can be used after the trip!). It fits all my Albrecht Durer pencils and Pigma Microns for the trip. I can even fit a tape runner in there for ephemera I pick up along the way.

Today I picked up some magazines I had been hoarding saving as collage or source photo material. I found a great photo of a mother and baby elephant and I just needed to draw it. Every time I looked at it, I smiled, and I needed some smiling! So, I drew the picture to the right with my Pigma Micron and colored it in with my Albrecht Durer pencils. It was a good way to start the day.

When I finished the drawing, I went to exercise and then I went out for a while. I had to just get out of the house for a while, since next week is my treatment again. In addition, I have a volunteer commitment next week. I figured it was a good time to do some window shopping and a short trip out of the house. It was good to get out of the house and just have a change of scenery.

That’s the update from here! Now to do some more of the CreativeTherapy catalysts for when I’m away!