A Grand Finish!

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you will have heard an awful lot about TIF - or Take It Further.  If you haven't been reading that long, just click on the TIF tag under Labels.  Be prepared for a long sit!  If you don't want to do that much reading, check Sharon's web page for the full run down.

Well, I have an announcement.  (I feel like I need a drumroll or trumpet fanfare here.  Something!)  The TIF project is FINISHED!  (Bold, underline, caps, anything else I can think of.  How about color or size?)  FINISHED!

Ready to see pictures?  I'll try to keep it brief.

 

 

         The Cover

 

 

 

January

 

 

 

 

February

 

 

 

 

March

 

 

 

 

       April

 

 

 

 

May

 

 

 

 

            June

 

 

 

 

July

 

 

 

 

         August

 

 

 

 

September

 

 

 

 

        October

 

 

 

 

November

 

 

 

 

       December

 

 

 

 

Back Cover

 

 

The back cover has a pocket which will hold a printed booklet "documenting" the entire collection.  Each of the pages presented a challenge of some sort - beyond the challenge that Sharon had set for us, I mean - and I know I learned a lot about sewing and my strengths and weaknesses. 

Wow!  This project has been part of my life for almost two years.  I wonder if I will miss it.  If I do, I have this book to remind me!

BTW, each page is about 13" square.  I added a folded piece when I stitched each page together so there would be a place to punch holes for binding.  That adds 2 or 3 inches to the width.  It's a pretty good sized bundle!

And it represents a lot of my time.  Phew!

Finishing up TIF

I am slowly but surely finishing up the pieces for last year's Take It Further challenge.  I have all of the patchwork pieces completed.  Here are the most recent ones.

Along with trying color combinations as part of the challenge, I used these pieces to explore different patchwork blocks.  This has improved (and challenged!) my piecing skills and I can imagine doing a full quilt from some of these blocks.  Some day.

The other part of each month's challenge was based on a theme chosen by SharonB.  During the challenge year I started pieces for the themes, but did not get quite all of them finished! 

Well, I've finally finished the very first one!  In January, Sharon asked us who we look up to and admire, and why.  I couldn't settle on one person, but decided on a group who shared an attribute I admire . . .  the courage to follow their muse wherever it leads.  I placed a lot of symbolism here, so don't expect to recognize everyone!

This is what the piece looked like at the end of January last year.  All the fusible web applique was done, but no embroidery yet.

And this is what it looks like now. 

These pieces will all get finished into pages for a fabric book.  I have one more theme piece to complete.  It is all embroidery so may take awhile, but is coming along nicely so far.  Once the book is assembled I will post pictures and give some more information.

This project is coming along pretty well.  I've enjoyed all the work and I'm not sure I want it to be finished.  But then, there are lots of ideas for new projects.  I don't expect to ever die from boredom!

Take It Further - a December finish

Or, should that say - a finished December? 'Cause that's what I have finally.

Sharon's TIF challenge for December was to ask what is the idea of generosity to you.

When I thought about what Generosity is, I concluded that it is a form of Love. One must have love for others, and themselves, in order to be truly generous. But, love is not any easier to represent graphically than generosity. Then I came across this quote:

"If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give."

-- George MacDonald

That quote says almost exactly how I feel about love and generosity. So, an angel was just what I wanted. Now, I talked a bit about angels in my last post. There are quite a few of them around these days. I hope it's a good sign!

After fussing over the wing problem a bit, I have decided that she is finished. From a distance, her wings are still fading out, but I plan to make all the TIF works into a fiber book which means she will be viewed close up. And I think her wings are just fine that way!

I have at least one month's TIF project that did not get finished. I put it aside for later work and did another, quick piece for that month (can't remember which one now, tho!). I will plan to finish that one before binding all the pages together. But, here is a picture of the fourteen (14) pages I did in 2008.

That is pretty impressive laid out all together like this!

I want to state that this was a very interesting and enjoyable project. Sharon did a great job of choosing challenging topics. I had to do a lot of thinking and - sometimes - soul searching to decide what each of the topics mean to me. This is something that I have not done in a long time. Evaluating how you feel about something is only half way, though. Deciding how to interpret that feeling or thought into a fiber art work adds a whole dimension of difficulty, frustration, and satisfaction. Many thanks to Sharon - and to fellow bloggers and TIF-ers who shared their work and their reactions to my work.

What an amazing year it's been!

It's a Wing Thing

No . . . not wing ding . . . Wing Thing.  As in, a fascination with, or having issues with . . . that kind of Thing!

Lately I have been dealing with a lot of angels in my creative work.  It wasn't on purpose.  And some of it had to do with Christmas - which brings out the angels in everyone, eh?  But, my creative ideas keep coming around to angels.  Nothing wrong with that.  Well, except for the wings, of course.

The wings, you see, won't cooperate!  Or maybe it is because angels are very particular about their wings.  They will not accept just any set of wings!  Perhaps they really do have to work hard to earn them.  That would explain it.

Anyway, let me show you:

I made this angel for a Christmas doll swap on Stitchin' Fingers.  She is made from a pattern by Pamela Hastings.  We got along just fine until she saw the wings I had picked out!  They are purchased wings- very simple.  Just wire with a white mesh stretched over.  She wasn't at all happy!  Insisted I find just the right trim to stitch around the edges.  Since both trim and wings are mostly transparent, she would not accept anything but perfect, tiny, delicate stitches.  Not my best area!  BUT, at least this angel got finished and sent off to her new home.

This lovely lady is from Deanna Hogan's "Serafina" pattern.  Her problem with her wings is that they cannot be seen!  

 

Here is a side view with the wing pattern piece pinned on.  Clearly they are too small. . . or she is too wide?  OK, not something to discuss with an angel!  Anyway, I resisted drawing new wings.  Deanna did such a wonderful job with this pattern, I hate to fiddle with it.  So, we have had a time out, while we both think over the wing issue.  Perhaps we can come up with a compromise?

 

So I started working on another piece.  Guess what?  Another angel!!  What was I thinking?

Well, to be fair, I started this before Serafina's wings became a problem.  This is for my December Take It Further piece and the picture was taken when I thought she might be finished.  I tacked her up on the wall and let the notion "process."

This is one of those rare cases when the photograph actually looks better than the piece in person.  The trouble with this angel's wings is that they have disappeared into the background!  From even a medium distance, those wings just faded away.  I was so concerned about ensuring there was sufficient contrast between the angel's dress and the background - those beautiful wings are lost among the stars!  Literally!!

Well, so Serafina and the TIF angel have been on my mind a lot.  I even dreamed about them!  You know things are getting bad when that happens!  I have been working quite a bit on the TIF angel and I think I may have finished her today.  I've learned my lesson, though.  She will hang on the wall again before I declare her complete.  I've worked on a couple of other items - while the ideas were simmering - so I will have some things to blog about over the next few days.

I'm thinking I've had enough of angels for awhile.

November TIF

So - better late than never? I have to say that the November challenge started out to be almost too easy. I should have known that would be the "kiss of disaster"!

Let's start at the beginning . . . SharonB posted the November challenge here. She challenged us to use typography (letters, numbers) as an inspiration. That led to lots of fun playing with fonts and WordArt and then distortions in photo editing software. I realized that I would have to stop the playing eventually and so I came up with a design using the letter "W"

This sample has been slightly distorted already. Then I tried some different repeats and rotations. More fun! That led me to this:

With that as a starting point, I started designing the fiber piece. I masked off the W shapes and did some spraying and dying of the basic cloth. Then I layered it with chiffon and stitched around the W's and also in a grid for the background. So far so good.

My plan (using the term loosely) was to burn away the chiffon so that the W shapes would contrast with the background which had been altered with stitching, paint, and so on. I dug out a couple of heat tools . . .

. . . which is where things went wrong - so wrong! It seems I am not entirely trust worthy with things that burn! Of course, some folks would think to test the technique on some scraps. Ha! We don't need no steenkin' tests!

At this point the back of the piece looks pretty good!

You can see it coming, can't you? Not only are there burned spots (all the way through!) but the chiffon melted into a nice, HARD, plastic film. So much for a lovely contrast between foreground and background! And that brownish color does not quite match the gold!

I'm not ready to give up! I just happen to have a newly purchased package of clear glass beads. Please note that at this point, it was still November! Sigh.

OK, enough talking already. Beadwork just takes more time. Here it is - the finished piece. Ta da!.

What to name it? "Ode to the Letter W" - or perhaps "Don't Play with Matches" - "How to Bead Your Way Out of a Hole" ???

At least now I can get started on the December challenge while it is still December!

November not quite ready . . .

I was doing quite well on this month's Take It Further* project - really.  There was a brief moment when it looked as if it might make the deadline.  Very brief!

This month Sharon challenged us to use typography (ie, letters, etc.) as inspiration for a fiber piece.  I find the multitude of fonts available these days to be fascinating and fun, so this theme was sure to be entertaining.  It did not take me too long to find a good combination of font, letter, and design.  I could have spent all month playing with letters, but eventually I returned to one of the first that caught my eye.  I used the letter "W".  The font is Matura Script, I think.

I decided to do some experimenting in executing this piece.  I've been wanting to try some techniques that I've seen lately using various paints and heat.  I made layers and stitched and layered and stitched some more.  Added paint here and there.  Then plugged in my trusty wood burning tool.

Here is where things began to get complicated!  You see, I don't usually do HOT.  As in flames, heat guns, burning tools.  Oh, once in awhile, but not often enough to - er - know what I'm doing!

So, let's just say the results were not quite what I was expecting.  Not sure what I expected, actually - but wasn't planning on burned spots, ya know?  But , we're good!  I am considering additional options - opportunities for growth - to complete the piece soon!  And the smoke alarms did NOT sound!!!!

* By the way, SharonB has moved her web pages and blog to Pin Tangle (she was at In A Minute Ago).  I've linked to her several times this year and will have to go back and edit all the links.  Until then, you will find they are broken.  Go to Pin Tangle instead.

October TIF

Take It Further Challenge number ten!  This one is about where you create art.  Sharon's quote:

This month the challenge is to  think about your textile work space. How do you feel about this space? What role does it play in your life?

She suggested that we take this opportunity to share pictures of our workspace.  Since mine didn't look too messy that day, I took photos right away!  If you don't think this is very neat - you ought to see it on an average day! 

 

This room has pretty much become the center of my life.  I spend a lot of time in here, plus there are things here to represent the important things in my life.  Reminders of my family and friends are all around me.  Especially Sarge.  He has worked wonders in a cement floored basement - added lots of light, hauled furniture up and down, built shelves and tables, stacked and re-stacked books, even painted some of the pipes magenta - a color he hates!  He knows how to make me happy!

And that is what this month's theme is about.  My workspace makes me happy!  On a "blue" day I can just sit in the middle of all my "Stuff" and feel better.  On a good day, there is music and off-key singing going on!  (Good times for Sarge to work outdoors!)  So I decided to make a piece that includes bits and pieces of Things I Love.

One thing I really love is color!  All sorts of color!  I have a few favorites, but there really is not a single color that I don't like.  So, that meant they all have to be in this piece!  I started with rainbow solids and then selected additional fabrics that illustrate some of my favorite things - or, in some cases, a fabric that I just really like. 

I used scraps of the same fabrics, cut into "snippets", to create a collage for the center piece.  And lots of free motion stitching - using my Bernina Stitch Regulator, of course!  Once the blades and centerpiece were assembled, I used gold thread to do some machine embroidery. 

Then I hauled out my beads and charms and selected things that represent my favorite things.  Things like Music and Art and Cats and Dogs and Dolls. 

Things like Creating and Masquerades and Piggies!

  Things like my Sewing Machine and Chocolate and other Sweets!!

Oh, I really had fun with this one!  I just let my emotions take over.  If the Principles of Composition were living beings, they would all have headaches now! 

There you have it.  Don't forget to leave me a comment - and go here to enter the Blogiversay Giveaway!  This is post number 95 - counting down to 100!

Finished TIF for, um, August

OK, so August was awhile ago!  But, this was all done by hand, so it counts as "slow cloth" - right?

For this month's Challenge theme, Sharon said:

"I my chaotic and hectic life I often admire people who are able to maintain balance in their lives. What is balance to you? Do you maintain a balanced life? How do you balance aspects of your life? That is the challenge this month - balance."

I do admit that my first thought was, "Balance?  What is that?"  But I have thought quite a lot about this topic since August first.  That is the idea behind this challenge, ya know?  Of course, one of the first things I did was Google Life Balance.  That led me down the path to lots of web sites, discussions, theories, and strategies.  This is obviously a big thing for lots of people!

It's also a complicated issue.  In fact, I've come to the conclusion that Balance is something we work for all our lives.  It is not a target or goal - it is the process of Life.  Pretty deep, huh?  While I learned a lot of interesting things - and helpful ideas - how does one turn that into a piece of textile art?

So, I settled on the concept from Debbie Lessin's "Life Is A Balancing Act".  You can see some of Debbie's articles (including the following quote) here.  She approaches the idea very logically and refers to the struggle this way:

"We are balancing the wheel of our lives. The balance wheel encompasses the following aspects of your life:
 Work
 Play
 Mind
 Body
 Spirit
 Space
 Relationships
 Money"

Now, there is an image I can work with!  So, after all that discussion (and time!) the finished piece is really pretty simple.  A balance wheel!

One thing I like about this piece is that it really doesn't matter which way is Up.  It can turn any way and be the right way!  Ha!  Balance!!!

This is all embroidered on linen with various threads.  The wheel itself was embroidered on a separate piece, wrapped around a used CD, and appliqued in place. 

Now!  I am working on October's challenge and then I will be caught up again!  Only two more months.  Hmm.  Wonder what's next.  Anyway, here is a Sneak Preview.  Some handwork involved in this one, but hopefully it will go faster!

Order from Chaos?

Here is my September Take It Further piece:

Sharon gave us the topic LISTS for this month.  She had several things to say about lists, but I particularly liked this statement:

"There is a something in a list that makes us feel secure. They almost substitute for a plan as the present a direction to work in and we feel we know where we are going with something."

As I thought about how I use lists - and believe me, I USE lists!! - one line of thinking led me to ask Why?  I mean, some types of lists are pretty obvious and universally utilized.  Grocery lists, Christmas card lists, that sort of thing.  But someone like me . . . well, let's just say I go way beyond those!  So, Sharon's remark about security sounds like it is getting close.

So I sat down to capture my thoughts.  I started writing down the kinds of lists I find in my files, in my day planner, on my table tops, etc.  I wrote . . . a List List!

I won't bore you with the rest of the thinking process.  Sarge claims there isn't one anyway, but we ignore those kind of remarks!  What I decided is that my lists are an attempt to bring Order to the Chaos of my life. 

 

I started by stitching down some torn fabric pieces to a background and free motion stitched using several different threads.  Here is what the back looks like.  Now THERE is a picture of Chaos!

Then I scanned my list and printed it onto fabric and stitched it to Chaos as if it were emerging from the whirlwind.  I had a great time with my new Bernina Stitch Regulator!  Uh, kinda went nuts, you know?

Well, there it is.  Not too late, either!  Of course, I am still working on the August TIF and now I need to start on October's.  Work, work, work.  It's just never done! ;-)

July Challenge - Finally Finished!

Well, it's not TOO late!  This month's (July) Take It Further Challenge didn't take very long to make up, but I sure spent a lot of time thinking and planning!

The theme was "What is it to be at the half way mark?", which was left at just that.  When you start to think about it, there are so many, many ways to approach Half Way.  There was a lot of discussion about the glass being half-full or half-empty.  I also considered things like turning point, point-of-no-return, and Living on the Edge (one of my favs from Aerosmith). 

I did a lot of doodling, but I kept coming back to the idea that we are half way through the year (actually just past the half-way mark, but - minor detail!) and so my mind kept coming back to a Time themed idea.  The more I thought about it, the less I could get away from Time.  Interestingly, there has been very little discussion from the Time angle from the other challenge participants.  That settles it, then.  I will deal with TIME!

About this point, we were looking at positive/negative and expanded squares in the Studio Journal class I took.  This is a simple concept that can be fairly dramatic.  Plus, by now I am getting way behind!  Time to put this thing together.  Except that didn't happen right away either.  Everytime I settled on a design - good, I'll start tomorrow! - overnight I would have another thought.  What if I turned these this way?  Maybe some color?  Should there be embroidered clock hands?  You get the idea.

Enough already!  So I got to work.  You just know I had more ideas even then!  Finally.  This is the finished piece.  It looks sorta like the last sketch, but not quite - almost. . . maybe.  Fused fabric and free motion quilting.

It needs a title.   Hmmm.  Half Time?  Time And A Half?  Cutting Time in Half? 

While I'm thinking about that, it's time to start on August's challenge.  "What is balance to you? Do you maintain a balanced life? How do you balance aspects of your life?"  Argh!  Life is balanced????