WIP Wednesday: Slow but steady progress

Where did this month go? Where did the last 8 months go for that matter? Time is just flying by for me. I have a short month and a half left of my pregnancy and I am starting to feel the pressure of getting things done. So many preparations still to accomplish!

Today I wanted to share some peeks into my current projects. I'm participating in a "52 week" project with the local Art Museum, designed to encourage the practice of creating daily. I decided that I'd like to build a better body of work, quilts to be specific, as well as develop my skill sets in quilting.

With some serious inspiration from  Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters by Sherri Lynn Wood, I've challenged myself to making (at least) one improvisational quilt top per week. Given that I'll be giving birth soon, I've decided that 2 weeks out of the 52 will be for relaxing, so basically in a year I'd like to have a collection of 50 quilts finished.
A big challenge indeed! I don't want to share too many of the finished quilts before the final revealing, but I am going to give frequent peeks into my process and progress! So with out any more babble, here's a look at the first two weeks. Enjoy!

Linking up at Freshly Pieced! What have you been working on?

WIP Wednesday: A Mini Medallion and a Full Oven

Hello Wednesday!
Here's some current in progress shots of the work table! Cutting, cutting, cutting!

I'm making a pretty little wall hanging as a present for my dear sister who's graduating Yoga Teacher Training next month. The pattern is a free one over at SewMamaSew, you can check it out here.

And in other news, my oven is so very full! I'm almost done growing this little project!

We've got 10-12 weeks to go, let the count down begin.
I simply cannot wait to meet my greatest creation!

So I also have this baby blanket to finish up for my little man and my super stylish diaper bag! It's been ages since I've made myself a new bag and I'm really excited for this one! 

Linking up with more WIP-ers over at Freshly Pieced!

A Real Fabric Design

Over the last month or so, I've had the extreme pleasure of taking an amazing class through the Creativebug website, which is awesome, let me tell you! If you've never checked it out, do so! They offer free tutorials, Monday tips, in addition to an impressive class lineup (with new classes added weekly!). It's completely affordable, less expensive than a magazine subscription!

So, anyway, I was talking about a course in Fabric Design that they recently released. Aside from the fact that the course features tips and advice from some big names in quilting and fabric design, they teamed up with Spoonflower and offered a fabric design contest!
I was immediately inspired by the course and drove right back into some fabric designing (which is an interest that I dabble with frequently, mostly in doodling form).
A key tip from the course that really resonated in my mind was that we should "design fabric we'd like to purchase and use".
So I did! And because I love what I designed, I purchased a fat quarter of it from Spoonflower! And after seeing it in person, I realized that I'm going to have to order some yardage and make myself a skirt!

So please go vote for me here! Voting closes tomorrow!
(Look for the "Creativebug Design Challenge")
(There's a lot of entries, so please scroll until you find mine! "Vision Flower by MammalChupie")

Thanks so much!

Fingers crossed!!!

Sketchbook Saturday #2

I've been working on changing things up a bit on this blog if you've noticed.....less sidebar distractions, minimalist approach. I still need to design a more alluring header, perhaps spice up my boring ass "About" page. A few things here and there. I still am not 100% pleased with my photos (you would think IPad photos would be crisp?! Is it only my computer?)
Most importantly, I must keep at it. No matter how lazy, tired, and pregnant I feel, I have to bring myself to the present, and do something, even a little something each day.
You'll never get anywhere if you don't put yourself out there. Even though I feel like my actual goals are shifting perspectives, I know that fundamentally I will get out only when I put in. More work will equal better work.
I've missed a couple Saturdays already, so lets play catch up today with the sketchbooks!

WIP Wednesday: Clutter Clearing

Moving into a smaller space.....too much fabric!

Also, I realized that I have a ton of red prints, a color I almost never use.

Must change that.

I also sorted through a lot of paper clutter, collage bags. 

Another art form I've neglected. 

And so tonight, before bed, I started working on another collage piece, using red.

Linking up to 

freshly pieced

WIP Wednesday: I used to be an Art Quilter

Way back in 2005, I began on a textile journey, following the tiny tidbits left for me by my late Grandmother.

Prior to that year, my artistic medium of choice had been a strong mixture of collage and creative writing sprinkled with a love of traditional black and white photography. 

When I picked up fabric, I immediately had the notion of treating it like paper, collage and raw cut edges held down with using a glue stick and quilted. I fell in love. I made many smaller pieces under 24 inches square and sold all of them. I ventured into larger pieces but then switched my interest into studying the traditional sense of quilts.

 And for many years I feel like I've been in a kind of limbo between the two as a textile artist. I've been mulling over this for a little while now, pondering some questions.

Which do I love more, art quilts or traditional patchwork? Do I gravitate toward what's easiest for me? Why do I feel like art quilts are kinda out of my comfort zone yet I still don't produce traditional patchwork beyond an intermediate dabbler? Where do I really want to go with fabric? What are those big scary artistic yearnings I have that currently remain dreams? How can I develope my textile likes into a style that is true to me?

Which led me into a nice direction of focus on the art quilting book idea I had begun exploring last year. 

And with an improv art quilt session in my original style, new ideas emerge. Here's a peak at what poured out.

I've been working on mind mapping the questions rolling around in my head. It's both inspiring and motivating me to keep at it. 

Linking up today with 

Freshly Pieced

Sunday Stash #6?

Ah hem. I did say I was coming back to this space, didn't I?
I have proper reasons for being absent, but at the moment, no excuses seem to be justified. I've been feeling scattered in my purpose, blind to my path, just kinda adrift with amazement and an overwhelming exhaustion like I've never experienced before (an explanation for that I'll save for a later date).

But as this year progresses at a more rapid clip than usual for me, I have been overcome with an intense need to finish all these untouched and abandoned ideas around my studio. Like the way a snake must rub against course objects to remove the final traces of a shed. So my progress is picking up, I'm pushing myself to get into the studio daily, to do something, anything.

Almost a month ago I dove into a quilt series that I'd let stew for a while.....like three years stew. I suddenly had the urge to finish the set of five pieces. I've had 1 quilt finished and 3 of the 4 remaining quilts drawn up full scale, it wasn't hard to just start.

So let me share some progress photos today instead of just fabric.

So this is the first finished quilt in the series and really the inspiration for the rest of the quilts because when I made this, I hadn't planned any of it. I randomly had the idea of quilting a gun outline. So I did. Then I thought of wrapping snakes through the guns, but upon searching for snake images for drawing reference, I was inspired by a Celtic art piece of three intertwined snakes.  This piece really progressed on its own.

I'll explain my process and each of the other pieces as a collection at a later time, for now I'd like to share progress photos of the next quilt I've almost finished in this series I tenitively named "Dangerous Things in Pastels"

I began during this months Art Walk, tracing out templates, of which, there were many!

I have a great pile of "snake" fabrics that I've been compiling. I usually keep all fabric possibilities in direct view while working on a piece, like a palette of paints.

Once I cut and lay out the pieces, I look at it for a while, days usually. In case I don't like a fabric I've used and to contemplate the next steps of stitching.

I also like making most of my art quilts raw edged. I also love doing needle turned appliqué, but usually the desire for quicker results gives way to raw edges. Perhaps some day I'll switch over completely.

Today I dove into the background details. 

The finish is near!

I'll share the finished piece later this week! Hope you've enjoyed this peek into my process from my "stash" of in progress projects!

Sketchbook Saturday #1

Oh Hello!!
starting a little series here sharing my
sketchbook entries as a nice peek into the process!

Goodbye 2014

Goodbye to 2014

On the design wall, current abstractions, 9-patch blocks and the garden moved indoors.

A decision to journal in grid books, new year excitements and tan fabric pulled for current abstractions.

Continued Tarot studies with a new book and an unexplored deck, Sodalite, and an accurate description of what's to come .

Cheers to the New Year and all that's in store!

Mammal Chupie

...And now back to your regularly scheduled program.

I never intended to be absent from this space so long, but somehow I knew that'd happen.

Metal miniatures for my tiny family, birthday gift from my best friend.

If you do the same action expecting different results, you are stupid. I've been stupid for years now.
I imagine I've been addicted to the act of being lost, in the mental sense. I give my time away to others instead of spending it on my own goals.

The newest studio with new roof garden and rain.

I've just been wholly unfair to myself for forever.
This has been a large revelation and a most humbling feeling, I am solely responsible.
Ouch.

Improvisational patchwork for "Ode to Summer" quilt in progress.

And then a time when you can 'see' your life clearer. Or shit suddenly makes sense. Ego bruising. Getting older.

You start to pay more attention to the things that really matter.

Crystal Alligator (collage work in progress) 

Like being an artist.

"The way to get started is to Quit talking and Begin doing." - Walt Disney

Sunday Stash #4 Fabrics Temporarily Forgotten

I've purchased fabric a handful of times over the last month but forgotten to share them and use them. Ha!
I have them in little stacks around the studio for inspiration (aka I still haven't put them away!).
All fabrics are from Joann's simply because they opened a store less than 2 miles away!

Fabric purchased with mass coupons for clothing construction

More Fat Quarters!

Linking up with Molli Sparkles!

Happy Fathers Day!

-M

Fabric Marking Made Fearlessly

I though I'd share some of the tools I use on a regular basis, to mark fabric.

There are a couple of categories, depending upon what I'm doing.

If I'm tracing templates, I'll usually be marking on the back of the fabric so it won't be seen, I use the following:

(1) #2 pencil - general usage, their everywhere and inexpensive. If you don't press too hard, it usually can't be seen through fabrics.

(2) Mechanical Pencil - this comes in handy for making fine lines, or marking tiny pieces accurately. I also draft quilt patterns with these.

(3) Ball point pen - occasionally used for tracing templates, smoother on fabric surface = quicker tracing. Be careful not to press too firmly, can show through fabrics.

(4) Blue cloth pencil - this I use almost exclusively for marking doll patterns on muslin. It was a quilting tool of my grandmothers. It's actually not a pencil at all, but almost like a waxy colored pencil. Doesn't wash out. But I like the smoothness across muslin and for it's color contrast.

These next few I use primarily for markings cuts when making patchwork and clothing. I like chalk because it's easily erasable with a wet fingertip, handy when drawing!

(5) White Chalk Pencil - this is my general use chalk pencil. it happens to be softer than most, but if your chalk pencil seems to be too hard to leave a line, wet it with the tip of your tongue!

(6) White Chalk Square - I use this one primarily for tracing clothing patterns. The sharp smooth edge runs along the pattern edges.

(7) Multi-Color Chalk Pencil - Here's the special chalk pencil a reader spotted on my table. It's a little over done for my taste, but I enjoy the variety of chalk color refills it comes with. I believe I purchased it at Joann's. I don't use it too often but it's helpful with I need a sharp edge of chalk, which happens with that handy little sharpener!

(8) & (9) Tee Juice Fabric Pens -  These beauties I also picked up at a Joann's, but not near the fabric department, more like in the kids t-shirt craft section. They write on fabric beautifully (I have both thin and medium points) and are permanent with heat setting. So I use these for making labels mostly, or drawing permanent doll faces on fabric.

(10) Hera Marker - This is probably the least used tool in my studio. I kinda just keep it around because it looks cool! But some people use it all the time. I've found it's useful for making small marks on fabric, especially special fabrics like velvet's and satin's. I'ts all good for opening seams and acting like a stronger finger presser if that makes sense.

All in all, I'm not too concerned about marks on fabrics. I try to keep all marks to the back side, and definitely use the lightest things I can (#'s 1,2,5) if it must go on the right side of the fabric. I did find that I don't like the yellow chalk in my Multi-Color Chalk Pencil, for some reason it's real hard to get off with just water.
*These are just my thoughts, I'm not being paid for these reviews.

So, have you any thoughts on these tools? Do you use any of them regularly? What's your favorite way to mark fabric?

Happy Saturday!
-M

WIP Wednesday Summer Vacation At Last

The end of the school year can easily make one crazy. My students dwindled and I am more than glad to have time to myself again. I have lots of plans I've been drafting, from quilt designs to book writing, I've been anxious to get to it all.
I tend to drive myself crazy by attempting huge projects in tiny moments. I need to relax, give myself room to breath, create. Take my time. I've been wanting to write more tutorials, perhaps even a QAL of my own. I've got lots of ideas, but I've been in fits and starts for months, forgetting one simple rule to starting something new: Keep It Simple. Amazing what a difference that makes!
Here's some of today's table.

Linking up with Lee @ FreshlyPieced

Happy Wednesday!!

-M