Fiber Junkies March 2020

Fiber Junkies met recently for a fun day as always....at the home of Susan Lee. First stop is always Show and Tell. Gen has been working on this beautiful piece done with fused fabric and lots of embellishment.

She also recreated it in paper which Gen loves to work in...just easier on her hands.

I just loved this picture of Gen and had to post it...She's 91 years young...has more energy and enthusiasm than anyone I know and always a joy to be around. Isn't she amazing!

 Mary showed us the most darling quilt featuring a whimsical pelican...Notice the fish in his mouth. I particularly loved the black and white pieced background...so creative and just enough interest without taking away center stage from our pelican friend. I'ld say it's pretty darn perfect!  It's one of those "I want to take it home" pieces.

And onto our project for the day....

You know sometimes you have old blocks, or blocks left over from a project or just a practice cloth you use before you dive into the quilting or other important stitching.

We started using them with paint which was brushed over the surface...and then used to create other things. We use any kind of paint some of which include house and room paint and fabric paint.......and yes any paint (even fabric paint) will stiffen the fabric as it lays on the surface rather than a dye which is a chemical reaction to become "one" with the fiber.

 We also use a brayer to pick up the paint which has been poured into an old styrofoam tray or onto a  plexiglass board.

Using a brayer and a very light touch, we brush the paint over the surface....a light touch prevents the paint from getting into the nooks and crannies...but just skims the surface giving the piece lots of peaks and valleys. It's such an interesting effect. You can paint any size - mine on the lower right...I like the flowers and the way the yellow was left behind in the "valleys"...also love the web on the left. Kate, one of our members makes them into beautiful book covers....so many things you can do...So another wonderful day with great friends.

"Top of the Mornin' to ya"

Well, I can't miss the opportunity to wish you all a Happy Saint Patrick's Day and my cat Fraggle wanted in on the act also.

 He's wearing his favorite snap brim cap which he only wears on St. Patricks Day (think he's secretly saying - Thank God)....

 but he does look so cute....

and really so happy too....

So happy indeed, that he left his treat bowl with a smiley face for us.......Anyway...just having a little fun and hope you're staying safe, hunkering down and making the best of a very scary time in our lives.....Have a good day....

Let it Snow....and Bloom

Well I couldn't let this post go by...I like to have it in my blog for when I make it into a book....which is also my journal.

Not too long ago, my granddaughter was visiting from Atlanta....where they get no snow. And what 7 year old doesn't love snow...

As luck would have it and a surprise to me, we had snow....not a lot but enough to go sledding.

You can see the house across the Cul du Sac from ours....

and the nice hill that leads down to the street....no cars ever except for the 3 families that live here so also very safe.

It was magical...

 and Audrey, her friend Mia and my daughter went sledding all day. Their hands were freezing and their gloves too wet so I ran inside to find long heavy wool Christmas socks...worked perfectly and brought back lots of memories of when my kiddos were small....Below is my hubby, daughter Jill, Mia on left and Audrey on right

and a view off our back deck...wish it could have been more but I'll take it...and then a very short time later....

some beautiful spring flowers...I love spring and the birth of new things but it does lead into summer

which has become way too hot for me...guess you can't have one without the other...Happy Spring everyone...

SAQA - Mountain Art Quilters

The Mountain Art Quilters which is a satellite group of SAQA for NC and VA met last week for a morning of fun, inspiration and the added plus of a wonderful demo by Jenny Perry.

First thing we do is our Show and Tell...this is a very talented and busy group and there is always so much to see....I apologize ahead of time....we saw so much and so quickly, I didn't get the artist who made the piece....So if you see a piece that is yours and no name, please let me know so I can add it. Above is Norma Bradley....who does a lot of work in sheers.

The beautiful piece above, very geometric and African in theme brought excitement to the room...Love everything about it, but especially the way the circles were used so effectively. The 2 below belong to Norma B again and again a very interesting use of sheers.

These darling mini art pieces were done by Jo-Ann Jensen. It's a lovely way to use up scraps and also try a new technique, thread etc...with not a lot of time or materials invested into something you may or may not like. Jo-Ann was able to buy little stands for the back which I think she purchased separately...and such a great and easy way for making them stand

This was a piece Lynn D did (which I loved).....I call it a memory piece as she used it to display those tiny treasures that end up in drawers or jewelry boxes, yet we can't part with them. I particularly love the Girl Scout pin...I still have mine....and the NY Yankees pin is priceless...think she also put old earrings and pins on it to display...

Then onto the wonderful presentation from Jenny who showed us how she paints on fabric the "Esterita Austin" way - a workshop she took from Esterita.

Above is the finished piece....but she starts with a large piece of parchment paper, twice the size of the design she is painting. A photo of a pansy was the inspiration for a drawing she made to use as a pattern. The pattern was laid under the parchment paper and using the photo as a reference, the design was filled in with paint on the parchment paper - wrong side of paper facing up.

Here Jenny is laying paper down over her drawing of the design and on right a pearlized paint Jenny will add to those paints that are not pearlized or metallic. This one below right is a white pearl. Jenny highly recommends using all pearlized paints and those that are not can be made into one by adding some white pearlized paint.

She also suggests tracing around the edge (when painting is done and dry) with a Sharpie "brush tip" marker...she likes black. It gives the piece a stained glass look.

After paint is dry, you're going to layer the painted image with a piece of Misti-fuse and a piece of Esterita's sheer nylon with parchment on top and bottom...like a sandwich...iron to fuse together and remove paper when cool...This sounds so backwards to me, but it's a fantastic technique and works...

Your painted piece is ready to be added to your quilt. Jenny's finished piece is on top and friends of hers below....all were beautiful....such a great fun day and a big thanks to Jenny for sharing the technique with us.