Not A Cat

I scanned this with two different backgrounds because I couldn't make up my mind which I preferred. So you get two for the price of one.

Someone gave me the body fabric a couple of years ago. I think it's a designer fabric - Amy Butler, maybe?

This time it's not a cat. Any guesses as to what this little critter is? :)






















Edited (March 1, 2010): Good guesses but none of the above. I wouldn't have got it either so don't feel bad. It's the silhouette of a young raccoon. :)

ATC - Landscape

Somewhere I acquired a half metre of a very large pastel cotton print that I have used several times. I like to go back to it every now and again because it has such interesting possibilities. Today a small section was transformed into an ATC that looked like a landscape to me.

(This is available for trade with another fabric ATC only).

Below is what I did with the fabric last year.

The Colour Purple (and green)

This started out life as a brooch but kept getting bigger and bigger. Now it's living as a small wall hanging. :)

I will have to try again for the brooch because I would seriously wear something like this.

I love it when you go through the stash and find colour co-ordinated bits and pieces.

When he saw this, my Scottish hubby told me he always loved the purple-green colour combination - said it makes him think of heather.

Verdigris In Cloth

Verdigris: A green or bluish patina formed on copper, brass, or bronze surfaces exposed to the atmosphere for long periods of time.

The orange represents untarnished copper.

This was fun to work on, even though I had to put in quite a few hours. The silhouette took awhile because I'm not the skilled drawer that I once was in my youth, and I wanted to get correct (or close to) proportions. I am practicing drawing as I'd like to create some dancers in various poses.

I slightly altered the second photo so you can see the detail a little better.

Currently Working On...

Here is a preview of my current project which I hope I can complete this weekend. (Thanks to Judy Merrill-Smith for the wonderful fabrics).

Autumn Leaves Cat

Another kitty. I sure miss having a cat so I guess I have to create my own. This one is wrapped in a vibrant leaf print quilting cotton and the tiny red beads around her face (which unfortunately are not visible in the photo) add to her sparkle.

"Autumn Leaves" is one of my favourite songs and I can't think of a singer whose version moves me more than the one by the late Eva Cassidy.

Eva Cassidy - Autumn Leaves

Muslin Doll

It's been a while since I made a doll. It was aiming for something a little different (for me that is).

















Below is a scan. Her feet are cut off because she is too tall for my scanner bed. What I did was use torn strips of cotton as thread. I did three rows of a running stitch up the body. The middle thread continues as a scarf wrapped around her head and the outside threads exit at the shoulders and turn into hangers. Some machine stitching holds the top, middle and back layers of fabric in place. I roughly trimmed the middle and back layers separately so that some of the layers would be visible. And I love all those frayed edges and threads. I could have added more embellishment, but I guess I am a minimalist. It's too easy to go overboard. CLICK ON THE SCANNED IMAGE FOR A BETTER VIEW.






















The doll hangs on a clipped, muslin wrapped, wire coathanger. I had a green polished stone that looked like it belonged and so I added that as well. The picture below is a photo, taken at night, with a flash, against my deep red wall. It's not great but it gives you an idea of the finished piece.

Happy Valentines Day

A day early, I know, but better to post now while I have some time. So this is my first attempt at weaving strips of cotton. I just happened to have all the right colour beads and threads in my stash to match this pink-coral heart. Best of all, I bought a number of stones from a jeweller last year. I especially liked the coral black and was hoping I could use it in one of my projects as I am not one to wear necklaces and pendants too much. (Rings are another story). :) This stone is perfect.

Hubby brought home a gift for me last night which he instructed me not to touch/open until Valentines Day. Sweet man. I told him he shouldn't have got me anything; that he already made me a declaration of love with that electric can opener he got me recently. I love that thing. No more struggling with the manual one. I think of hubby every time I use it. Aren't I romantic?

Bits and Pieces

I still have three projects to finish and this is the start of the fourth. Well, I guess that makes four projects unfinished. I have a Valentine ready to be posted on Sunday, and maybe a new cat tomorrow.

The picture above I am hoping to turn into something very weird. :)

Wild Cat

Here's another one for my cat collection. I really think blue and orange make a striking couple. :)

Blue Dog à la Cotton Picker

Below is an image of Cajun artist George Rodrique's famous Blue Dog which appears in many of his paintings. Blue Dog always brings a smile to my face. I thought it might be fun to make a little critter based on Blue Dog's silhouette.























Here is my version. This took a long time to finish. I've got a stiff neck and sore fingers from all that stitching. Does it looks like a dog? I don't think so. More like a gargoyle type of creature, but so what? The body is woven with torn cotton strips - click on the picture for a better view.






















What I love about this is the marble effect on the face. I painted it on the wrong side of one of cottons I used for the body.

ATC - 1950s Style and New Project

The latest ATC didn't turn out how I envisioned it. I thought about not posting it but it's not a bad idea to face up to the failures. Later on when I get better, I can look back and measure my progress.

I thought the background had a 1950s house dress vibe to it so I wanted a face to match. I used an old women's magazine from 1952 for reference, to remind myself how they did makeup and hairstyles in those days.

What I don't particularly like about this is the lady's hair. I must learn to paint hair. And her lower lip could be a bit fuller too, I think. Oh well, I challenge myself to make another improved version.

Below is the start of my latest project. I wonder if anyone recognizes this well known figure from the silhouette.

I started by weaving torn strips of two very similar cottons. I hope to find enough time on Sunday to finish it.

ATC - Moon and Stars

This brings childhood to mind. You know those decals your parents stuck on the headboard of your bed that you had dreams about. Or an illustration out of a storybook.

ATC - Burgundy and Rose Print

The idea here was to layer two fabrics together. The top layer was supposed to have cutout circles to reveal some of the bottom layer. I love this old fashioned print so much that I didn't want to put any more than the one hole in it.

ATC - Looking Ahead To Spring

Not only am I looking forward to spring, but when I wove the background for this ATC, the colours really made me think of spring. I love making ATCs because they're actually test pieces of ideas I can use for future larger projects.

On this one, I machine stitched pintucks on the ivory strips.

My new challenge is to make the weave resemble animal fur. Ideas are welcome.

(Traded with Margreet in the Netherlands).

ATC In Black and Flesh Tone

I wove the background with uneven cotton strips and secured it with one of the fancy stitches on my sewing machine. Actually, that stitch looks like the one you see on crazy quilts. (I must remember that - stitch #18 on the sewing machine dial). Then I sewed on the face and added some embroidery scribble. A few matching beads on the black patches, a felt backing and blanket stitch around the edges to finish it off.

Weaving

I don't make New Years' resolutions that I end up breaking. However, one goal I did set for myself this year was to use up my current supply of fabrics and embellishments and to avoid as much as possible to buy anything new. What I have plenty of are fabric scraps that, on their own, are not very interesting.

When you place restrictions on yourself, you are forced to come up with new (to me anyways) ideas. I thought, what if I cut strips of two co-ordinating fabrics and weave them together? Now I have created something I like very much. You see the result below.

I had a third fabric which matched the colours of the first two. Fabric #3 is particuarly unappealing. I beautified it by painting a pretty face over it. I have some flesh coloured sparkly beads and a polished stone that has that same flesh tone. I will put all these elements together to make a Valentine's heart shaped ornament. It will be posted on Valentine's Day.

I wonder if it would be possible to knit with fabric strips. Of course, I'd have to attempt knitting again (horrors). Any knitters out there have an opinion?