Collecting for the Future...

I keep telling myself, "Self, you have to blog!"

but as you can see, I don't always listen!

Anyway, Nature Boy and I explored an antique fair and flea market 

in a neighboring upstate NY county last weekend.

Lots of fun stuff to see...

and eat, naturally....

I came home with some beautiful pieces of lace...

Being an early riser, 

we had seen the market and more by 11:30 when the crowds appeared.

That afternoon, I found myself at my studio

along with my studio mates who were up to their elbows in thickened dyes..

And after slapping on some dyes, 

letting them "cure" for a day or so...

 I have these pretty colorful pieces of lace

and a colorful background cloth!

But now what????!

I guess they will be added to my growing collection of 

"someday I will have a use for this."

Then other day, I saw a tutorial on Carol Eaton's blog

that I really wanted to try.

If you have known me for a while, you might know that I LOVE dots!!!

These are some of my "someday I will cut into my coveted dots" collection. 

Luckily, I had a piece of silk habotai 

in my pile of "someday I might need this" collection

(and see, I did need the silk!)

and got busy making dots...

and then with the magic of rubbing alcohol 

I dripped the alcohol onto the colored dots.

So...

Now I have a wonderful piece of dotted silk

 to transfer to my

"someday I will have a use for this" collection.

Well all this thinking about overflowing collections

 filling up my studio and sewing room,

it might be no surprise that I am 

participating in a

Spring Cleaning Blog Hop

organized by Cheryl Sleboda!!!

Here's the line up of Spring Cleaners!!!

Take a look!

May 7 Kathy Matthews http://www.chicagonow.com/quilting-sewing-creating/

May 8 Misty Cole Http://www.dailydesignwall.blogspot.com

May 9 Heather Kinion http://heatherkinion.com/

May 10 Jessica Darling http://jessicakdarling.com/

May 11 Lisa Blevis Filion http://upstatelisa.blogspot.com/

May 12 Peta Minerof-Bartos http://www.thenotsewguiltyquilter.blogspot.com/

May 13 Mandy Leins http://mandalei.com/

May 14 Amalia Teresa Parra Morusiewicz http://funfromatoz.com/

May 15 Sam Hunter http://huntersdesignstudio.com/

May 16 Debby Ritenbaugh Brown http://higheredhands.blogspot.com/

May 17 Debbie Kleve Berkebile http://www.mountaintrailquilttreasure.blogspot.com/

May 18 Michelle Mattingly http://stitchesofjoi.blogspot.com/

May 19 Cheryl Sleboda http://blog.muppin.com

In the meantime, I had better organize my collections while I ponder what to do with all of them!!! 

Back from the dead

okay... the almost dead

well... maybe just from the languishing... or from the misplaced!

I am trying to get back to blogging!!!! More for myself than for any blog readers who may still be around to read my blog!

I am hoping that posting will keep me accountable... keep me on track... make sure that I follow through with my intentions, with my projects.....

and to help with that, I have created a "To Do" page with my must start and finish projects. As I work on them, I will post my progress. My plan is to post at least 3 times per week...

Monday: fiber art/textiles

Wednesday: photographs

Friday: mixed media/journaling

Being that it is Monday, it is time to post about my fiber art/textiles work....

Before the holidays, I did a bit of snow dyeing...

for a new project which is now the second in a series that began with this piece originally made for the "balance" challenge with my Tangled Textile blog friends...

Life is a Delicate Balance

(aka Life I)

I found an image on Google under "frustrated", saved it, enlarged it, changed it to black and white, and sketched an outline of the body, adding "my head" to the sketch...

and to date, using my hand painted and hand dyed fabrics, I have created the basic design...

the plan is to call this piece Life II: I Have a Teenager (that topic could probably take a month of posts but I won't bore you with the miserable details!)

The plan now is to hand applique the pieces to the snow dyed fabric background and then, similar to Life I, hand embroider some lettering and embellish with pearl cotton or embroidery floss and perhaps, some beading.

By the way, the photos of this project were taken at my new-to-me studio!!!! Yes, I moved into a studio in the beginning of October at a rehabilitated shirt factory which is home to a community of artisans...

I am sharing the space with two of my fiber art friends.

These first two photos show my area when I was setting up...

because, of course, my area is now completely filled with all kinds of stuff!!!

The Shirt Factory had a couple of weekend open houses and this is a collage of our studio set up for visitors....

I am using my studio space for my fiber art and textile projects, especially all the messy painting, dyeing, stamping, fusing, printing... as well as for all my equally messy mixed media but I will still do most of my sewing with my Bernina in my home sewing room which has been re-organized some since a lot of my supplies have moved out...

Oh! I just spotted another project to add to the list! A bargello that popped into my head one day... luckily, there is no due date on this one!

Stay tuned for more!!!!

ch-ch-changes.....

I love old David Bowie tunes and every time I think about changes, 

I think of this song...

I like to listen to it-- LOUD!!!

So yes, there have been a few changes around here...

most notably a sharp change in the weather...

almost overnight it has cooled off and the first leaves are beginning to change color...

could be another quilt in one of these photos!!!

Although I love the lazy days of summer, 

I am happy to have routine in my life again...

and the cool air is much more conducive to creating 

in my studio...

But some things don't change so easily...

when I get busy with projects (plural!),

I don't have time for cleaning up!

Early in the summer, I took this photo

which I edited (or changed) on my computer and 

created a couple of fat quarters at Spoonflower...

without any particular idea in mind

until 11 PM last Wednesday

when I mixed them up with some of my snow dyed fabric....

"Lisa in Dis-Guise"

(I thought briefly about calling it "Sybil" or "split personality")

I also tweaked my "Musin' with Susan"

for an upcoming exhibit 

(our fiber art group will be the invitational exhibition)

In the meantime,

if you live nearby

several quilts will be on exhibit locally ..

More changes in the air coming up!!!

It happens in an instant!!!

or so it seems...

Hard to believe that my sweet little Nature Boy

is actually 18 years old today!!!

Time flies!

As I walked around our yard this morning,

I spotted this guy...

and in the blink of an eye,

I caught him on my camera!

Today in my "wet studio"

(also known as our garage), 

I began a project...

I had my green smoothie,

my gloved iPhone (to keep it protected) 

while listening to an audiobook...

and before I knew it,

6 hours had flown by!!

 And if my project turns out,

I may even post photos of it

but that won't be quite so instantaneous!

Coming up for air!!!

I keep thinking that I must blog!!! 

Clearly, thinking and doing are two very separate actions!!!!

I have been so busy lately

that I barely have time to breathe!!!

Where to start?!!!

Well, after I snow dyed some fabric, 

I decided to use this piece.... 

for the Mosaic Tiles Quilt Along...

(I think there is a shadow from the dried up remains of our hosta plants... but I didn't dare venture out further into the snow!)

I haven't made a pillow for sooooo long and like so many of my projects,

 it is not for me,

 but rather for a special friend. 

Then....I have also been working on Life Book 2014...

learning some wonderful drawing techniques 

and having so much fun!

(hmmmm... this one has a copyright on it! How did I do that?)

I also made a birthday post card for my mother's birthday

with machine applique/free motion stitching, stamping,

and a little photo editing printed on fabric...

But I am not always at home!!!

Nature Boy and I went to our local art museum

to see a wonderful exhibit...

Ansel Adams "Early Works"-

gorgeous photography!!!

There was also an exhibit of "Photo Secession"-

a technique used by photographers at the turn of the 20th century

to make their photographs look like paintings.

And...

I am knitting my second pair of socks...

(these are for Mr. U)

As for the rest of my waking hours....

well, Sugar Baby decided a week ago

to return to public school after 4 1/2  years of homeschooling...

So what have I been doing with my newly acquired 

free time (Nature Boy doesn't require too much of my time)???!!

Cleaning the house!!!! 

Seriously???!

(well it's either spring cleaning a lot late or a little early)

 My cousin thinks our house looks Brady Bunch like..

not surprising, since this is a 1970s kitchen that still looks like the 1970s!

I am still going to the gym before the sun rises...

and when I have a minute,

sitting in my clean kitchen

I  enjoy watching the birds share meals at the bird feeder...

(handmade by Nature Boy)

and finally, when Mother Nature dumps on us,

I have been known to pick up a shovel... 

So you see, I may not have blogged...

but I have managed fill my waking hours with enough stuff to make blogging worthwhile!!!

Now, I'll just take a deep breath and off I go....!