Saturday, May 14, 2022

sewing/creativity round up "Indoor Gardening"

 

I spent the week sewing, writing, painting and drawing... with some creative cooking going on too. (we'll not talk of chores also done)  I cook out of necessity but it does not bring me joy... although now and then I notice something artistic while cooking like this swirl

boiling buttermilk, cocoa and butter to make icing

I wrote a short essay with the prompt "stay curious" yesterday and would love you to read it and add your two cents  (HERE IT IS)

While thinking about the curiosity factor in art making, and how I love each medium I use to express myself, I compared how much quicker it is to paint than to stitch art... I focused on emerging grasses this week... here is a painting I did in about 15 minutes... with large flat brush, KOI paints, small dagger brush, and inks... the colors are delicate like new grass, with subtle blues and green behind.

and I stitched grasses... I have a plan for these in their own work of art

It all started with small green scraps for the color of the month at RSC... and careful cutting and insertion of little strips of color. It's been a fabulous way to discover how the concepts of  "line" "shape" "color" and "contrast" work together, and very satisfying to piece in such narrow strips. 

I start with a concept, and am working simultaneously on three projects of wall art at the moment using components I make... and make and make... like the geese, and crocus. I love the mix of color and pattern in the fabric scraps!!!! Already many components have been sewn together and there are more made than I'm showing today. You'll see them all in the finished pieces!


 This is growing, so to speak... components come together to make something greater than themselves

I tried Karen Eckmeir's technique to make free cut leaf blocks... but do not like the process or look of the reverse applique method, so quickly changed to free cut leaves but pieced in. If you try that form of curvy piecing, don't worry that your block gets a bit distorted, just trim at the end.  

Nature is not worried about it, and neither am I

The big leaf to the right is the one I embroidered during the last workshop. I like the squares sewn in little rows but the improvisational bits next to them show how things turn to organized chaos. 

Two painted compositions are on the wall for fun alongside the three projects... will they make their way in this time? 

For my hand stitching friends... and I also love hand embroidery, piecing and quilting... I wondered how to contain a skein of floss, and saw a bunny holder online... 

I cut mine from a yogurt lid, marked on it with sharpie, and cut the slit to hold loose end

I tucked the package into the back in case I ever wanted to know the color number

I watched this video too this week, and fast forwarded to see the actual antique quilts

 he  gets around to showing the Paris exhibit of 18th century embroidered quilts, around the middle but wowie! Gorgeous use of stitching


 so this week I thought about my different media to see how each one is done and compared them. Painting on paper is much faster than stitching, but speed isn't everything. Sewing is so satisfying and I lose myself in that process as well as listen to books while doing it. I can't hear noise when I paint or write. 

Writing helps me discover what I think and feel, and can communicate with others. I can write about emerging grass, how each moment seems to change the landscape of a yard in Spring, going from brown to greens, how my dog likes to nibble on emerging delicate seedlings, how the black birds commuting through look as they hunt for worms. I can paint with color, watching my gentle lifting and pressing of a brush changes a line, or captures a color with just the right mix. I watch as sewing the thinnest of strips into a square of fabric no more than 5 inches big, changes the whole feel of it. How I must be confident as I slice through, that the end will make this slight sacrifice worthwhile. 

I think I can finally admit I am an artistic soul with all that entails.


Linking to

patchwork Sunday                    
oh Scrap Sundays

design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays 

finished or not

Friday, May 13, 2022

Friday Writings and Stories

 


Stay Curious

"stay" makes me think of being still, but curious is all movement. 

Our minds use curiosity to explore and grow and move forward. 

My curiosity often leads to art... the great "what if?" (what if I painted that? what if I tore the edge, then set it on fire? what if I sewed two colors next to each other? what if I added orange peel to that cake? )

curiosity leads to growth and knowledge... my poodle is immediately by my side if I look down at anything intently... sometimes insinuating his head between me and what I am viewing. 

connection is strong among the curious

curiosity... what do you see in the clouds? that tree's bark? as a child I played with my mothers junk jewelry and each one became a living entity that interacted with the others. A towel dropped on the floor made nooks and crannies for the jewelry to live in like a condo. I wrote stories, made up games, talked for my dolls, made up scenarios. I wanted to be Sally on the Dick Van Dyke show and be funny and write jokes with my pals. 

Curious.... I am curious to know about the people who gave birth to me and the families they probably went on to have... do I look like anyone? 

I will stay curious... it's a part of my life taken for granted for so long

even now I am curious as to will anyone read this and what do they think??? 

(written by LeeAnna Paylor for the poets and storyteller's link party prompt "stay Curious" )

 linking with  https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/

Thursday, May 12, 2022

I Like Thursday #296

 

Welcome to this week's short list of likes.... I love paint and I joined Joy in doing the Messy May prompts once this week... draw a series of circles/squares, then make marks in each one, and embellish.

we got a new door mat (from bed bath and beyond):

I wish...

I love my really small KOI paint palette 

and used it to paint these quick poodle studies this week

I didn't even finish the video as I liked the gesture painting just like they are now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsRWmLTwFF4&t=376s

I have enjoyed a few drawing videos this week on celtic knots, I found the circle art school (Link: HERE) that walked me through drawing this imperfect set of imposible sketches


 Fine Dining

we love this sauce for dipping chicken nuggets in and on sandwiches

I tried a new crust recipe from Bigger Bolder Baking and it kind of worked but too much flour, and she added 2 tbsp sugar which made it too sweet. You mix it in the actual pie plate, no rolling out,  and it has melted butter not oil. Into that baked shell went another egg-white quiche. The reason I mention it was I used left over leeks this time and gosh they are so flavorful. The other vege were orange and red bell pepper slices, and leftover raw spinach. A mix of cheddar and feta with parm sprinkled on top finished off a really good quiche. 

I had to take advantage of a slightly cooler day to bake, and made not only the quiche but more pumpkin almond butter doggie cookies, and an oat flour banana cake.  

The quiche makes 3 meals for the two of us, so no baking for three days. The cake is  enough for a week of desserts. The cookies last a week in the fridge unless somebody refuses to eat, then he will at least have a cookie in the morning and they go away sooner.

Heyyyy if its made of pumpkin, almonds, eggs and oats that's a GOOD breakfast

Milo's Moment

Mama cut off lots of my hair this weekend and it's good for once. It's been really Hot here in Colorado. So hot that mama turned on the wind over the big bed. 

Mama: the ceiling fan spooks Milo

Milo: it's weird that all winter it was still now it spins right over my head like it could fall on me!

Mama: I think it ruffles your hair and you can't stand wind to blow your hair

Milo: so I'm the sensitive type!  

now sit! stay! visit mama's friends to see what they liked this week!

craftscaviescontras  
 
                                                                  LINKING WITH 
friday bliss

 

 

Saturday, May 7, 2022

sewing Saturday new to me techniques

 

Today's focus will be on fiber arts since I spent the better part of this week taking a workshop on  the Zen of stitch. There were 4 - 5 videos of lessons a day, only available 24 hours so it was not zen, it was a race to see and try it all.

I began to try all the stitching on all my samples if possible, to at least experience as much as possible. 

Above is my last project for the week, embroidery quilting. I turned my little object into a needle book


with a place to tuck some new needles

and am trying to decide whether to do a large stitch bold whip stitch on the edge or add beads with a blanket stitch...

We experienced things like free form improv needle turn applique


 I used a green leaf from the scrap box (green is RSC color this month) to try stitching, and adding raw fabric patches

Tried one of three shibori dyeing techniques, which I did with paint



poured the rest of the paint onto a scrap

finished shibori with green and brown

as always with any instruction, I tweak it to suit myself. For instance for the above piece, I didn't fastidiously measure, draw pen lines, hand stitch with special knots. I folded the square in half started hand stitching a half moon, then switched to a machine basting stitch to repeat across the fabric. I daubed brown paint on one side, turned it over and daubed green paint on the other, blue in corners and let it bake in the hot colorado sun (did I mention the temps are in the 90's here already?) 

we learned to weave on a piece of cardboard...not having the right supplies since we aren't given a supply list ahead of time, I used what I had, yarn

warp yarn
mid weave
my finished piece

and I'd forgotten how satisfying and calming just a tabby weave can be.This looks good on my other samples so I will see where it ends up. No worries as I learned a new technique

I practiced beaded flower embroidery, couching a thick thread by hand, button hole stitch done improv fashion, a yoyo mushroom on this piece of jeans leg.

becoming a purse

loved the white crosses
 meanwhile I was taking another workshop this week on creative practice, and she wanted us to think about what we want when we think of our own creative process...

It was hard to view and make all the lessons this week but I got through 99% of them and just hope they stick with me. I'm not showing all the work I made because I'll save the others for another day. All this computer time really strained my body, and took up much time and focus. 

as Michaelangelo said, "I am always learning" and being a craftsperson, making.

stay tuned for more!

Linking to

patchwork Sunday                    
oh Scrap Sundays

design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays 

finished or not

 








Friday, May 6, 2022

Friday stories... comparisons

 

the prompt for writing this week is to rewrite an old poem or at least write a new piece and link back to an older one...

my older writing was a story of my beloved boy Cole titled

 "Cole-dilocks and the three chairs"

https://lapaylor.blogspot.com/2015/08/cole-di-locks-and-three-chairs.html 

Cole's poor  body wore out at age 14, leaving his mama bereft. I got a strong message one day that he wanted me to move on and love again but would always be with me the only way he could, in spirit. I asked if he could bring another poodle to love into my life. 

Milo says, always cast a big shadow

Milo

Milo is smart funny opinionated and his own dog. He would stand up for his tiny self when told no, he threw doggie tantrums when we took rocks out of his mouth on walks, he persisted in peeing in the house unlike Cole the good who never peed in the house.

It's hard to resist comparisons. 


Milo also taught me that touch can be okay. I survived my childhood abuse with emotional scars and sometimes I am reluctant to allow touch. Cole was like a British diplomat, orderly and reserved. Milo is like the romantic lead who always means well, and is content to spoon you all night long.Cole's humor was sardonic and carefully written puns. Milo is Lucille Ball.

curiosity overcomes his good sense

Believe in yourself!

  He believes self control is overrated.

He brought joy, belonging and connection to me. I believe Cole sent him to me, to continue my journey of love lessons.  

 linking with  https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/

 



Thursday, May 5, 2022

I Like Thursday #295

 

"glamingo" hangs now at the foot of the stairs
welcome to this week's list of likes.  sketchbook revival session now over... but art is not. I am drawing and painting a lot... playing with  zentangle inspired art, taking a creativity workshop with women unleashed, taking a 5 day Zen stitch workshop (more on Saturday's post)

one of my recent paintings

>  I've enjoyed playing "scramble words" on the AARP games site this week https://games.aarp.org/

they have many games and I do several of them.Scramble words is trying to see if you figure out all the words from given letters, in the time period.

 

>  I found these crayons in with my stamps for fabric... they blend beautifully on paper using a water brush... glad I bought them not knowing when I'd use them. Glad I'm using them!

Caran d'Ache Neocolor II Aquarelle Artists' Pastels Set - Assorted Colors, Set of 10. In package.

>  happy that the zen stitch workshop has at least one out of 4 videos that appeal to me... opening me to some new ideas to make these techniques in my unique way

a new series on it's way
 watching

a show new to us, on netflix is from Australia and so fun to watch. Basically the everyday adventures of a family and their friends, it's smart and quirky 

Watch Offspring | Netflix


I like being part of the writer's link party on Fridays now... check back tomorrow


I am also writing the 3 longhand pages a day this week, spurred on by a video of two authors. Writing is important to me, a way to know myself and to reach out to others to see who understands me. As I must self isolate still, it's a connection no less real for not being there in body. 

https://juliacameronlive.com/basic-tools/morning-pages/ 

 

I like belonging to the Newport RI historical society (https://www.newportmansions.org/learn/adult-programs)
 and watching their wonderful videos on strong women who changed their worlds... we watched one last Thursday afternoon and three wonderful women did talks on 3 other wonderful women, Fannie Jackson, Belle dacosta green, and Helen Gardner. All of them bucked the expected roles of women of their age and had to learn to balance negative judgement of them with living authentic lives. 
Wonderful lesson.
need to check this out... videos following gilded age show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1XN-E8fhhg
 
I tried a new recipe this weekend, for Kings Hawaiian rolls... really good
recipe is at here
 
I love Scrappingcavewoman blog and she included this statue this week.

 

Milo's Moments

sure it's sunny now but a few nights ago while I was in dreamland on the big bed, there was a crack! and a big noise that caused me to jolt up!

Mama: that was a terrible lightening thunder and hail storm!

Milo: well it scared one of my nine lives out of me!

Mama: the bad news is that's for cats.... we have to make the most of this one life

Milo: hmph, cats get all the good stuff while I'm here guarding the mama's art work, or as she calls it watching paint dry

All I know is if it blows off this porch in another storm I'll have to go find it

now sit! stay! visit mama's friends to see what they liked this week!

craftscaviescontras  
 
                                                                  LINKING WITH 
friday bliss