Hotcakes #3

Hotcakes #3 

Hand dyed cottons, prints, fused, machine quilted and mounted on painted wood panel 12" square.$100 plus shipping. Email me. SOLD

 
 The working title was Hotcakes on the GRIDdle, just to amuse myself.
I have overdone it in the garden and had to have a day off, or so I planned. But I did buy some begonias, and a bird feeder and bean seeds and bird seeds, so nevermind. I didn't get up to the studio until 1pm. which is pretty late. And my wrist is sore from so much digging in the clay/rock/muck in the front bed, so I was determined to work with already cut scraps, as much as possible. OK fine. Then the piece called for narrow strips which had to be cut, so I pushed myself to carefully work the rotary cutter. One never knows how the finished work will appear, but I am surprised to see this design evolve. I am showing it in three different aspects, because who knows which end is up?

I saved this quote on my Pinterest Inspiration board: "Basically, I no longer work for anything but the sensation I have while working" - Alberto Giacometti.

Where am I?

Hotcakes #2

HOTCAKES #2

Hand dyed cottons and silk, commercial prints, fused, machine quilted, and mounted on a painted wood panel. 12" square. $100 plus shipping.
Email me.
My camera doesn't want to capture the subtle lime green of the panel, Margarita green. So I am showing two pictures in different lighting to try and get closer to the right color. Either way, these are hot colors, so if you are on Spring Break, this scheme should feel familiar. I am currently watching Bloodline on Netflix which takes place in the Florida Keys, and obviously it is influencing my palette.

Hotcakes

Hotcakes

Hand dyed and painted cottons, silks, commercial cotton, fused, machine quilted and mounted on painted wood panel. 12" square. $100 plus shipping, Email me. SOLD

I kept indoors today, away from the garden and got to play with fabric for a while. I used some 'saving them for something special' fabrics in this piece, and love how the red/yellow silk connects the dye painted cotton to the red patch. 

The garden is starting to get planted, with two clematis, 18 Asiatic lilies, 2 bleeding hearts, lots of red and white onion sets, 9 lettuces and Sugar Snap bush peas, Anne variety. And of course I will be covering everything when frost is predicted. 

Working Weekend

 My indoor planted basil is coming along great. That was the easiest part of the garden. 

Sunday we bought 15 bags of on sale mulch at Walmart, as well as 15 bags of composted manure to fill a trough that we emptied and moved from another part of the yard. I loaded the soil in it into other troughs and then Dave set up the support blocks up against the fence and we lifted the empty trough together (ugh!) and placed it in its new site.

 

 That opens up the space in the yard for other stuff. What other stuff? We haven't decided, but I am thinking of a fire pit, or another trough to use as a pretend hot tub. ha! I do miss my hot tub. 

 The contrasting red mulch helps us see where we have put it. That green disc in the ground is a buried gas tank for the indoor gas fire place. Raising the mulch layer around it will prevent us from constantly tripping on it. 

 The herb garden got moved too, but is still adjacent the patio, for quick snips. I transplanted the oregano and sage and will add lettuces, onions, peas, radishes and cilantro, asap. Then later when it warms up the rest of the herbs will follow.

 Everything is close to the house to make for easier watering. 

 During the winter I tossed kitchen scraps into the trough and lo and behold, a broccoli stem sprouted. I will replant it.

 I forgot I bought tulip and daffodil bulbs, so I put them in pots a few weeks ago and up they come.

 Last years fish pond will now become a new flower bed. I am waiting to see something happening with the five figs. I have hope.

 Gardening is all about hope.

Itching to Garden

 They all thought we were crazy when we filled our yard with these cattle water troughs. But by June the troughs were hardly noticeable. Is it any wonder why I am itching to get started again this year?

 The cucumbers went nuts, as did the zucchini and yellow squash. I had a ton of peppers, some still in the freezer, and so many cantaloupes to share. We have lots more trees this year and already the flowering pears are loaded with buds. 

I have started basil indoors, but look at how huge they are in this trough. Onions too! Also in this herb garden are chives, fennel, dill, thyme and parsley. Not a thing left tho, as we are moving this trough away from the window, so we were forced to empty it completely. With gardening we live and learn.

Connections #4

 Connections#4 

Hand dyed cottons, silk, commercial stripe, fused, machine quilted and mounted on painted wood panel, 11x14". $100 plus shipping, email me. SOLD

The skies were exceptionally ominous and the rain poured down when I began this piece, but as the wind picked up the blue sky was revealed. The bits of yellow are the sun peaking through. Happy Spring!

 

Connections #3

 Connections #3

Hand dyed cottons, silk, stamping, ink drawing, commercial stripe, fused, machine quilted, mounted on painted wood panel 12x16". $110 plus shipping. Email me. SOLD

 It turns out that this color scheme has a sort of sentimental meaning. When I was 16, my mother gave me a Christmas/birthday present of turquoise yarn and plaid wool yardage, in gray, turquoise and yellow.  The implicit compliment was that I was good enough at knitting and sewing to deserve such a gift. I was so thrilled and proud. When I added that tiny turquoise square to this composition, it all came rushing back to me. 

Connections #2

 Connections #2

Hand dyed cottons, silk, stamping, commercial cottons, fused, machine quilted and mounted on painted wood panel. 12" square. $100. Email me.

 I can't deny that I am having more fun than ever making my quilts on panels. I love the construction and minimal quilting, just enough to set every shape off. I painted this panel with shades of turquoise, green and a tad of black in the mix. It becomes part of the whole composition this way. 

And black has become a part of my repertoire but in a more subtle way, often mixed with another color to mitigate the intensity. Not to mention gray and white! How did I live without these neutrals? ha! 

Connections

Connections
Hand dyed cottons and silk, stamping, ink drawing, commericial stripe. Fused and machine quilted. Mounted on painted wood panel, 12x16"
$110 plus shipping.
Email me.

Some time ago I made some fabric with my stamps and ink pens, fused them and put them away for a while. Today they appear in a composition for the first time. Because white, gray and black have made their way into my designs, I now have a way to use these decorative fabrics. It's a way of connecting my mixed media work with my quilting. Hence the name Connections.
For the frame I used both orange and fuchsia paint to tie into the colors used within.

 When I show a piece with my rotary cutter, I am showing scale as well as the difference in lighting. The photo above was taken hanging on the wall, while the one here is taken flat on a table. It flattens out the surface, so no quilting shows. 

 I climb on a step stool to get this shot.

Here the panel is hanging and the painted edge is visible.