Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly progress...

Making a little progress....after several weeks of being up on my design wall, thought I'd try a different background fabric...

How about a hand dyed fabric....although I really do not want to cover up these beautiful splotches of color...

Maybe I'll combine with another fabric...

Not sure I like the fabric combination above...

I like this next fabric for the top part of this piece but, the zinnia gets lost in this similar color...

This next fabric is okay but it's not quite right to me....this being said it's time to take a break and come back to this again at a different time...

I'll post my progress again soon...

Until next time...have a great day!

Getting Inspired...

I can't explain why some days I can't get into a creative mood.  Maybe it's tiredness, from a full time job, or maybe it's simply a dry spell for whatever reason...I've learned that you can't wait to feel creative.....you have to just do it....even if it's just to get started.....it's a discipline...

So I've gone back to making progress on my Yellow Swallow Tail butterfly...focusing on that flower in my drawing below with no color.....

On Sunday, I selected the fabrics and ironed them...this is all I had time for....I'm going to take Nancy Zieman's approach of making progress in short spurts of time...I don't look at the clock....I just decide to work a little bit each day....it truly is a discipline....you just have to do it...

On Monday......I began tracing the petal shapes on pellon wonder under, fused to the fabric, cut out my petal shapes, fused on to adjacent petal shapes, and I get excited...I kept going for as long as I could....by the way....that shiny surface in the background is an applique pressing sheet...

A flower begins to form so I fuse the petal edges to the larger Zinnia...

A closeup...

On Tuesday...I place on the background fabric...it's not yet fused to background fabric...I've pinned just enough so I can think about whether I'm happy with this background...

I'm not sure if I want that entire green fabric as the entire background....I think I'll mix it up for a more interesting visual...

Wednesday....I'm writing this update....I'll do a little more work today....I'll have time to post my progress tomorrow.....the time just slips away when I'm lost in the process.....it's such great therapy....I'm in heaven when I'm in the zone...

Until next time.....thanks for stopping in to read this update....I hope you enjoyed it....

Just Add Color...

I've been recovering from a bad respiratory infection over the past few days and once I felt better, you know that the first thing we all want to get back to is sewing, creating, drawing, anything artistic....if you are reading this blog, you know what I mean...

My head was still groggy from bed rest & medication so I did the next best thing.....I picked up the following book by Joanne Fink and New Design Originals Corporation, www.d-originals.com, found at your local book store...

Most of you reading this blog are familiar with the Zen doodling books that have saturated the creative stores book shelves over a few years.  I found this one a while back because I was drawn to the inspirational phrases in each of it's pages.  I picked the following page and made a copy...

Then I added color....it got my creative juices going.....and I liked the idea of coloring...

As I searched the web, I stumbled upon Johanna Basford's coloring books for adults.  She has some beautiful illustrations and you may find her coloring books at most creative stores that sell books.   Go to her website at www.johannabasford.com to see her beautiful work, blog, coloring gallery, etc.  I came across one of her illustrations of a watering can with color and flowers and swirls pouring out.  I liked it so much that I decided I would sketch my own watering can & add my own drawings.  Below is what I came up with.....this was an exercise in relaxation and yet made me feel like I was being creative.......

                              

Coloring first done with Sharpie markers then, filled in the color with colored pencils....

Today's post was just about simple doodling and adding a lot of color...

Hope you enjoyed reading this...

Until next time......and hopefully a little more often...

Art with a twist

Art with a twist



Today I discovered this Art with a twist link that shows a video broadcast on the local station of the Art Center of Corpus Christi's exhibit of fiber art.  My purple pansy & fucshia/red zinnia quilts were juried into the show.  To see the broadcast simply click on the Art with a twist heading above.........;)

Getting Inspired...

It can be difficult to find inspiration after putting in a long day at work, isn't it?

This past weekend, I tried to make some progress on sewing a knit top that I could wear to work but, I only got as far as cutting out the paper patterns.  Then I just lost steam.

I find that I get inspired to create something and then I go into my sewing studio & the area isn't very inviting.   Basically not organized.  This is when I just have to clean things up & straighten those books on the shelves.

Still need to organize my threads.

I finally put up my design wall & placed my unfinished yellow tiger swallowtail butterfly that I've been wanting to complete.

Here is what my drawing looks like.  

My original photo from my backyard.

Below is the fabric version that's up on my design wall.

Closeup snap shot of butterfly in fabric.  Still needs a lot of work.  Right now it's only one layer of fabric & it needs more depth.

This is all the progress I've made.  Tomorrow is another day & I'll do a little bit more then.

Until next time.....

Happy New Year!!!!...

My New Year's Resolution....

To get back to creating......

No matter what's happening in my life.......I love the holidays......

With the holidays.....there's always something else to tend to.....like family, getting ready, or packing and making room.....

So decided to bake some peppermint cookies.....

baking the cookie dough seemed to be  easy......

Until I got to melting the white chocolate......what a mess & disgusting smell....

The white chocolate wouldn't melt like it was supposed to....even after I followed instructions.....

None the less.....I skipped the white chocolate and simply sprinkled crushed peppermint on my freshly baked cookie dough......

Making cookies is not my thing.......I should stick to what I do best.....organizing and then creating......

Not much quilting to speak of.....but it's a start.......tomorrow is a partial work day.....simply because the rest of the office is off until January 5th......that part of the staff are non-accounting staff......I will be back......my goal for tomorrow is to post something......I'm headed into that time of the year when year end deadlines are inevitable......along with other things......this year I'm determined.....even if I only post one or two photos of what I want to work on.......it's a start.......I now only have 364 days left in this year to create, make & complete something......;)

Until the next time......thanks for reading.....;)

Creative Blogging.......

It's been a while since I've had time to post anything......my job takes up the majority of my time so that when I get home.....I simply don't have the energy to draw, paint, sew two pieces of fabric together............So instead......I try to take artistic photographs........that satisfy my creative side.................below is a beautiful picture of my grandniece Emma.......her expression is adorable......at the time I took her photograph.......she had been eating a cracker.....notice the piece of cracker on her lower right side of her chin......it was hot.....and she was ready for a change of pace........much like I've been feeling after stressful days at work........I tried to select a photo that expressed being upset and yet beautiful to look at    ......this photo was it......

Below is Sadie.....Emma's older sister......she is also beautiful and full of energy.....I'm always taking her picture and when not in the mood.....she tells me she doesn't want her picture taken......do I listen......of course not........this picture below was taken on an Easter weekend.......notice the confetti........she has her mother's (my niece) beautiful hair..........for those of you who are old enough.......think Shirley Temple.......;)

This is my other grand nephew....John Ray.....he looks just like his Dad.....who looks just like my brother.......this little boy has a sweet & gentle demeanor........I took this photo while he was about to make a comment, a sound, or something like this.........children are cute no matter what they do.....

For today, this is my creative outlet......pictures of the kids in my family........;)

Until next time.......;)

Pansy Study....

I finally figured out a way to recycle this pansy study that I didn't like how it turned out after I sewed it together.......I trimmed it down to 8" x 8"  size blocks and satin stitched around the edges two times around.......I also decided to frame each pansy in a shadow box to protect them from dust.....my original intention was to take them to work & hang in my office....

The next photo shows the satin stitched edges.....since it's only three layers.....the edges will ripple.....I was too lazy to use stabilizer.......but, I'll steam press those ripples flat after I'm done......

I've steam pressed the edges flat.....and found some short sequin pins (at Joann's) to tack the quilt in place......in this photo below.....I've tacked the quilt down on the black background that will be in the shadow box.....if you look closely.....you can still see a ripple in the upper right corner......does it bother me......no.....sometimes.....things are not meant to be perfect......you just have to learn to live with imperfections.......you won't see it it once framed in the shadow box.......

Below is the sequin pin and a normal size straight pin......you can see the difference in size between the two pins.......the longer straight pin is obvious in shadow box......the smaller sequin pin is not so obvious...... 

The normal size straight pins below appear extra long next to the sequin pin.

Below is one of the framed 8" x 8" inch quilts in the 12" x 12" shadow box.....the sequined pins are not noticeable and hold the quilt in place.....I found it difficult to take a picture without catching the reflection of the ceiling overhead light.....so I will take a picture of these quilts after I hang these frames on the wall.....

Again I wound up using a 12" x 12" shadow box that I found at Target.....Joann's also stock this size too.  I need to go back and buy three more for the last three pansies.  I really like how this looks....my quilts have a very professional look without having to pay an arm and a leg for framing......I hope you found this post interesting.......;)

I'm inspired to keep making these small quilts and love how they look framed like this......;)

Now if I could just get back to finishing my other small quilts.....:)

Until next time......