Fiberactions: January 2012

Monday, January 16, 2012

Riversong - October

For this challenge, you're seeing a quilt I did a while ago. Circumstances made it impossible for me to finish the one originally slated for yesterday, so you're getting an oldie. It's one of the two that started this whole quilting journey for me. (And it gave me a chance to use a few of the thousands of beads I tend to hoard!)

This is a mountain stream near my cabin where I love to go. I can spend the day with my feet in the rushing water and forget all the things that are wrong in the world.

Challenge Number 2

For this next quilt challenge we will be doing a monochromatic quilt.

Monochromatic is a color scheme consisting of only a single color or hue. A hue refers to a pure color – one without tint or shade (added white or black pigment respectively).

To have a monochromatic color scheme you start with the single base hue and then add white or black or even gray to get the different shades, tones and tints. See Wikipedia for an example.

In the Wikipedia explanation they also say that with monochromatic color schemes the energy is more subtle and peaceful due to lack of contrast of hue. Monochromatic color schemes may be considered boring unless there is diversity within the design

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Distill

'Distill' 19"x12" (approx.)

In response to this challenge, I chose to work with the piece of rust-and-onion-dyed raw silk I had left bundled on my front porch half the summer. Neutrals are definitely outside my usual color realm!

detail

I selected a dark navy blue-gray from my stash of hand-dyed cottons and held my breath as I cut into the stacked silk and cotton with my rotary blade with no preconception of what I was going to end up with. The shapes formed by the resulting curved piecing blocks suggested trees with bare branches, a familiar subject in my drawings.

detail

I cut a couple of leaf skeleton rubber stamps which seemed to harmonize with the organic, forest floor feeling of the emerging piece.

detail

I used my little bowl stamp as well, symbolizing the alchemy of the changing seasons with beads bubbling up from these.

detail

It was hard to stay away from using any bright color! I did add a tiny accent of red along the edge of one of the leaf skeletons. The piece is adhered with Mistyfuse to two layers of felt and clean cut around the edges. I am looking forward to the next challenge! Stop by and visit me at my blog anytime!

Cold Words

12" x 22"

I chose pink/mauve because I NEVER go to there. In fact my stash is envied by my buds, except for the very tiny pink/mauve bin. To tell the truth, this was a very valuable exercise because it brought fully to my consciousness how important "color" is to me in my artwork. I put parentheses because I now understand it's really isn't all color...it's "my" colors. My colors are warm. Grayed colors can be added but basically I'm happiest when I working in a warm palette. Thankfully, this color bin is small and I was saved from having to work very long "deprived".

So, THANK YOU VERY much for this challenge. I was launched into a creative frenzy...I'm so appreciative of getting back to my warm world. The first piece is posted on my blog. Not yet posted are the FOUR recently completed, the one in process, the one on the cutting table and the one in my head.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Chartreuse & Blood Orange

I chose two colors I've been intrigued by, chartreuse and blood orange, not a combo I usually work with but I found I had numerous pieces of fabric in my stash that would work well together.

I had so much fabric, in fact, that I was drawn to complete two quilts for this challenge.

The first, Silk Road, is silk hand stitched with silk thread, and measures 29 x 21 inches.

The second piece, Chrysanthemum, is made with various cotton fabrics shiboried over the last few years. Except the digital image, which was printed on two layers of silk organza. Finished size is 26 x 16 inches.

Lots more photos and information are on my blog.

A Color Wheel for Kitteh

Like most people, there are colors I'm drawn to over and over. For me, it's bright, clear colors and I have a particular fondness for the blues and greens.

But for this challenge I decided to resurrect an old UFO and do a color wheel. The markings on the lizards depict their complimentary colors, with black and white as my neutrals.

Even the thread echos my color wheel!

Info about construction, thread ans batting can be found on my blog.

January Challenge

There are very few colors I don't work in, so this challenge created a dilema until I remembered that working in neutrals has always been a challenge for me.

I looked through my stash and found strips of Seminole patchwork already made and asking to be used. The African fabric reminded me of pottery made by the SW Indians, so I used it. Just couldn't resist using rust to add some color.

Poppies

Poppies 15"x20"
Orange was the challenge color I chose for myself. I added the aqua greens and purples after looking at the triadic partners on the color wheel. The three piles of fabric sat on my floor for several days until poppies popped into my mind.

The poppies are poking their heads out of a window. I embellished with beads and crystals.

I needed some black in the lower left corner to balance the black window so I added the Chinese symbols for Poppy which represents rest, beauty, and success---three attributes I wish for you all!
(first time I've posted, please forgive me if this doesn't work)

Mosaic Marble Floor

For this challenge I interpreted it to mean that I was to choose colors I normally would not work with. When I look at the primary colors of blue, red and yellow, I find that I work in colors in the blue and red areas but rarely if ever yellow. I also love bright, bold colors. So I made this quilt purposely staying away from any hint of blue or red and also bright colors. I used the Stonehenge fabrics because I wanted to make a pattern that represented the mosaic marble floors I saw when I went to Venice, Italy a few years ago. These colors of ochre and browns and beige worked well in this quilt representing the floors and giving the contrast I needed for the pattern. It is amazing how I had to consciously stay away from the colors I am naturally drawn to. I used the tumbling blocks pattern from Christine Porter's book, Viva Venezia, and then added the center mariners compass.

Color Challenge #1

I chose to challenge myself by using half of the color wheel. I tend to use the other half, blues and purples. I used my hand dyed fabrics and batiks. I tried to combine similar hues of the opposing colors in each block. This challenge reminded me of a color class I took in college.