Rust, lines and another challenge

In a previous post, I mentioned that I had rusted some fabric.  I needed it to complete a challenge piece for the Silver Star Art group that I recently joined.  Here is what I did.

Well after thinking, turning and more thinking, I thought I might be able to use a portion of it.  I cut it in half and rotated the fabric clockwise, ending up with a piece that looked like this.

Remember I had to incorporate the design element "LINE" and use the rust dyed fabric in some way.  I vertically couched thread and wool, using the vertical rust dyed lines as a guide to incorporate line.

Then using Superior's Bottomline thread in black, I added a bit of thread sketching.  I still needed to add something so you could see what I was aiming for.  A few fussy cut leaves strategically placed did the trick.  Voila!!!  Here is the final piece.   

It measures 8" x 10" and will sit very nicely in my journal; the first of many journal quilts I hope.

 

Which brings me to the next challenge this group has been asked to produce.  At our meeting this last Tuesday we talked about SHAPE and TEXTURE, two additional design elements.  At the end of the meeting we were each given this.

Yup!  a copper scrubbie, and told to incorporate it into a piece demonstrating TEXTURE. 

 

Hum....off to the drawing board, but if any of you have any suggestions how this can be put into a fibre art piece, speak up, 'cause I'm drawing a blank at the moment.

 

 

A few different things

Since the last post, I have been working on a few different things.  For example, I recently learned about Kantha stitchery.  There are a number of images on the web so I won't bother to put some here. However, after a good tutorial and demo from Catherine Nicholls, here is a picture of my first attempt.

 

I used a variegated 12wt thread and rather like the effect of the colour changes.  It may be hard to see in the photo, but the idea was to create ridges that eventually create a dimensional design.  After a bit more practice, this was my second piece.

It may be a bit easier to see the patterning in this one.  What I found the most difficult was that the stitching of the pattern is worked from the outside in.  You had to pay very close attention to the tension and maintain the tension's consistency.  This will be a wonderful way to embellish small quilted gifts.

I have also finished up some small cross stitch pieces that will eventually end up as gifts for friends. 

They still need some pressing and dressing up, but won't they make lovely gifts?  With Christmas just around the corner, it's a good idea to finish up these small items.

I've also tried my hand at rust dyeing.  Some pieces turned out wonderfully, some not so much.  I used a ratio of 1:1 vinegar to water and let the fabrics soak for two days.  Perhaps next time a longer soaking period may help.

This first one was done with a chain.  I discovered too late that the chain, although it looked rusty, wasn't.  It was actually galvanized so it didn't produce the image I was hoping for.

This second one was done with rusted rebar.  You can see the imprint on the upper portion of the fabric where it was wrapped the closest to the rebar.

This last one was an impression created by a rusty wrench.  This one turned out the best.  Unfortunately the picture does not do it justice.  The colour is a more burnt golden that the brown-black you see here.

Now I'm off to use one of these pieces in a journal quilt for a challenge.  Let's see what I can come up with.

Paper and Stitch

This is how my cutting table looked the other day.

Every type of paper was piled there, the result of playing around with a paper and stitch technique I learned at a workshop with Catherine Nicholls.  Okay, I figured I might as well finish the bookmark that I started in the class.  Here is the end result along with a close up of the hand stitching.

I learned you have to be very careful where you place your stitch.  Unlike fabric, once the hole is in the paper, it's there to stay. 

Along with the bookmark, we were challenged to put together a concertina or accordion book incorporating what we had learned.  Okay here is what I started with; cardstock that was 3" wide and about 12" long, painted paper out of the pile you saw above; magazine clippings and of course thread.  I folded the cardstock so that it created space for 5 pages plus the front and back cover.  Like this:

I wanted to add some texture to the backs of the covers so I used some fancy coloured napkins and kinda smushed them around in the glue.  That got covered with a flower cut out of an old paper place mat.  It looks like this.

Picture isn't very clear, but you can see the texture I was trying to get.  I would have liked to get a better result but it works.  Then came the pages for the booklet.  I chose to include pictures of spring bulbs I had planted in the garden.

 

Each of the pages were backed with various quotes or phrases relating to spring, for example one read "Spring is nature's way of saying 'Let's party!' - Robin Williams" .  So in the end, this is what the little book looks like.

Front Cover

 

Opened out

 

Close up of some pages

 

 

There you have it.  Amazing what a little bit of paper, glue and stitchery can produce.  Now I'm off to clean up and try something else again.  Till the next time.