Autumn is Finally Here!

I love Autumn, I truly do. The lack of humidity, the cool crisp air, fresh apples, and pumpkins everywhere, and most importantly my allergies are starting to calm down.

The part I love the most,  however, is the colors of the leaves. Reds, golds, oranges, and brilliant yellows, and everywhere!

So it's no surprise that I created art cloth show casing these colors in my Colors of the Earth and Pretty Pigments online classes.

If you'd like to capture the beauty of nature's natural palette using natural earth pigments then join me in my newest class Colors of the Earth.  Class starts on October 17th!

One of those Moments

When I decided to lose the red.

And was oh so glad I did!  More later am off to look at my embellishments cache while the first layer of gold paint dries.

WIP Queen Anne's Crows No0 1

I have to admit while I really like the half and half harlequin coloring of this particular niche it's really rocking in metallic gold paint!  I need to add a second coat of paint and then when it's dry enough buff on some metallic black gold wax.

I will add purple to the back of niche (inside) and I think it's pretty much done.

And Now with Gold!

The lighting is not the best, but I added a first layer of metallic gold paint on the side walls of the niche.  It looks great not in this photo of course, but trust me the gold and the purple really pop!

I need to find my stash of barbed wire bits and pieces, there's a natural crease line in the timtex about a third up from the bottom that seems like a natural spot to put some barbed wire. As I've been painting this piece I've been contemplating what other colors and embellishments I want to add to this piece, aside from the tiny bit of barbed wire I haven't come up with much yet.

Pinks

11/0 and 12/0 glass beads.

Irish Rose Sample

I haven't decided upon the orientation yet, I found this Irish Rose medallion in my stash and decided it needed to have it's story told sooner than later.  Off to add more stitching.

Inspiration

Inspiration for a future stitched piece!

Beading Resumes

Was starting to make mistakes so decided to take the rest of the day off from writing and started beading instead.  Am working on the branch portion now, trying to integrate it as part of the whole piece.

More bead soups, this time greens, browns, and brownish purples so as to look like an actual branch in my crabapple tree.

Ok I know I've shown this last one before, multiple times actually, but I sooooooo love this color combination!  The only colors that make me even more happy are sage greens, purple sages, and golden greens.  It's hard to explain... except to tell you to go hang out on the open prairie in the fall.

Black Gold - Horse Manure

This batch was a little hotter but will be usable come fall, it's heavy with hay and straw which makes me very happy because I don't have to mix leaves into the manure.

Inspiration

Three Winters Table Cloth

Three Winters Table Cloth, vintage Damask, after being unwrapped.

After washing

Now in last years Osage Orange Dye Vat.

A Dab of Gold

WIP - Heart

Fall 2009

Heron - WIP

I'm seriously considering ripping out the stitching on the red organza area! An idea that looked good in my head didn't work out the way I had hoped. It's rather lacking, the silk organza going wonky on the piece doesn't help matters any. 

IF I don't rip the stitching out and this is a very big IF, I may couch some yarn/fiber onto the piece in an assymetrical manner over the red stripe to correct the balance on the top right and lower left bottom. 

Vintage Bling

A peak of some goodies to come!

An overwhelming knot of trims!

Somewhat sortred!

Vintage type writer ribbon tin that held sewing pins.

Life is strange sometimes. I picked up a box of vintage bling yesterday at one of the shops I frequent. Typically I do not use gold anything in my work because I simply do not purchase anything gold, so I don't have enough to complete any one project - well until now that is.

As I went through the box I discovered that the box of trims once belonged to woman that once lived in my house! Just like the piano that keeps coming back to live here, after being sold multiple times, so has this box of trims! In the box I also found crystals from my chandelier that is missing and has been since dh moved here in 1991.

Yes life is strange sometimes.

Collage Mania Pieces Finished!

Donated to Collage Mania FFAC5 x 7 inches

Prairie Potholes - Harvest No. 1

Prairie Potholes - Harvest No. 1 Working on a new harvest series, thinking about what makes the prairie the prairie as one really doesn't see a whole lot in the way of fens, marshes, potholes, etc., anymore. This piece available in my store.

Old Banana Silk Velvet Trim

Available in my etsy store wildhyacinth

What I've been working on

Well if I wasn't in so much pain I'd be working on these extreme embroidery pieces! This is where you take traditional embroidery layering, distorting and simply pushing the surface until the desired result is achieved.

Here I'm starting with a piece of muslin (calico) that I've painted with Tsukineko inks and then with light gold Shiva Paintstiks for my base layer. The piece is 9" square and is now ready to be partied on!!! Now to just get my body to cooperate with my plans.