Rhubarb

My Rhubarb is up! These are the new stands I started last spring after some one stole my other Rhubarb patch from my back lawn - no kidding!

Inspiration

Spring is an excellent time for me to gain fresh inspirations. I've been spending more time in the woods, especially after rain showers, and photographing wet and semi-wet surfaces. The lighting is wonderful and the contrast excellent. I see things in this atmosphere that I'd otherwise miss on a bright clear day.

Layers

Tendrils

Prairie Burn No. 2

Prairie Burn No. 2

Compost and Rust Dyed Silk Crepe de Chine

2002

Roadside Wonders WIP

I've been working on this piece for several years now, last year it sat hiding in my closet due to my being pre-occupied with flooding etc. It's time to fetch some green plants from the ditches and do more monoprinting with the plants. The central block no longer works for me and I

plan to do something else now.

My Bird Sketches Suck!!!

I had a sketch of a bird, and it's foot pattern, set off to the side and still managed to muck it up!!! I drew this with a sharpie on water color paper. I think I need to go back and study those Robin and Crow pics I took a few weeks ago!

Untitled Bird 5 x 5 inches

It needs something, aside from a better looking bird!!! I'm not putting another bird to the large panels until I get them where I want on smaller pieces.

Yeah!!!

Make a joyful noise and sing - and I'll sing with thread and fabric!!!

My Work Featured on Stitchgasm!!!

Recieved a note this afternoon that I have been featured on Mr.XStitch.com I love the name Stitchgasm btw!!!

Juane Avec Treasury

My silk carrier rods made it into a deliciously lemon lime treasury by lorijaclynsjewels

Simply Iris Treasury

My Iris Silk Throwster's Waste made it into bloomsburygroup's spring treasury!

Step by Step

Another question frequently asked "what do you listen to in your studio while creating"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6INI7LteJZg

My Influence

People often leave a comment or email me directly asking me what my influence is for my artwork well...

Matt 5:13 - Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Mark 8:38

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Mark 8:38

Mark 8:38 KJV

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Today's Plantings

Well today John and I managed to get the peas planted, he tilled the garden a third time. While he worked on that I planted radishes and lettuce in the cold frame. Later I hand dug the leek garden 8 x 8 foot area lets just say I'm really tired now!

Tomorrow I'll replant my garlic, dug it up so I could thin it out, plant leeks and onion seeds, I may pick up some onion sets as well to plant. I have yet to decide where I will put my strawberry plants - three varieties, Ozark, Sequioa and some ever bearing whose name I'm not able to remember.

Barns No. 3 & No. 4

Barn No. 3 & No. 4
Mixed Media Altered Barn Print

8.5 x 11 inches

2008

Available in My Store

In Progress

I added more feet and corn kernals will work on this more tomorrow when my elbow is feeling better. I also fixed the birds tail, I'm thinking this piece needs more birds and corn head girls!

Bird Sketches

I think I will have to take a couple of hours in the morning and practice my bird sketches on the machine, my birds are looking a little odd.

In Progress

In progress I have a lot of landscape to cover here, it's quite a change from the smaller pieces. I've started working on the left panel so that the two panels are unified. Eventually I will start working on the right panel again.

I'm Back Treasury

Wow two items in one treasury!!! My silk carrier rods and hand dyed ribbon yarn made it into a wonderful treasury by Ayala Levinger

Corn Head Girl

4x6 inches

Finished I hope we will see I'm off to work on another piece and will let this one sit awhile. As soon as the word "juggle" came to mind I knew this piece needed a bird. I had hundreds of Robins and Cedar Wax Wings visit my lawn recently, they fought with the crows for the last of the crabapples on my tree. Yet I found kernals of corn everywhere in my lawn, did they stop in a corn field or at an elevator first? One will never know.

Available in My Store

Corn Head Girl

In progress still 4x6 inches it'll live on my desk until it tells me what it needs. Right now she looks as if she's trying to juggle - hmmmmmmm.

All a Flutter Treasury

My fabric postcard, Posies No. 5, is in this treasury created by GayGala .

Adventures in Gardening

Soooooo today after consulting my plant compatibilty list I find out that my potatoes are in the wrong location!!! So up they come out of the ground and into a new bed that John tilled up for me, he also built a frame to go around said bed. I now have a 9 foot by 4 foot potato bed. He's such a sweet heart.

Potatoes Planted

Forgot to mention that I planted potatoes today, two varities actually Kennebacs and Blue's. The blue potatoes my neighbor Carol gave me,s hould be fun to see what I end up with this summer. I have about 7 pounds of Kennebacs left to plant, they need more eye growing time before they can go into the ground.

Bye Bye Back Yard

We moved the clothes line poles today and tilled up the area they were inhabiting, it is now garden! Several weeks ago we removed the walkway pavers and the clothesline with lush green lawn will go there instead. In another week I'll be able to remove the remainder of my Hosta's, which will go live in the front yard with the Peonies, and the walkway will go there, and actually be straight making my husband one very happy person!

White Nights Treasury

My English Garden Silk Fiber Kit make it into White Nights Treasury by DearDodo

Corn Head Girl

4 x 6 inches
It needs some dots and circles!!! I'm thinking some silk organza dots could be fun!

Prairie Potholes

Prairie Potholes Base 1 & 2

The piece on the left is finished as far as base stitching goes I have the topo map lines to add to the second one on the right. I have yet to decide on a name for this ever growing series of pieces. These two are approximately 22 x 20 inches wool quilt batting.

I think these next pieces will fall into the category of "if wishes were dreams"

27 Bison Chase the Coyote

33 months ago John and I were out in the country and we witnessed in the sky 27 bison skawny and sickly chasing a lone coyote in hunger. An omen of things to come for this world. October 2008 was month 27.

Coneflower No. 2

Coral Coneflower it needs something what??? I'm debating a grain bin or maybe some bison, hmmm how about some bison trapped in a grain bin???? Now that WOULD be the statement that some are dyeing for me to make ;-)

4x6 inches

Compost Dyed Cloth, Natural Dyes, Timtex Core, Machine Stitched, Black Cotton Cloth Backing Fabric.

Cone Flower 1

I'll try to get a better picture tomorrow it's not as dark as it appears in the photo.
4x6 inches
Compost dyed cotton cloth, timtex core, black cotton cloth backing fabric.
Machine Stitched.
Available in My Store

Wet Studio

It's time to get back into the wet studio, for starters I'm running out of hot pink silk organza! But I also have a strong yen to do some pen and ink drawings and a bit of watercolor, you can pretty much expect to see it make it's way into cloth or onto an art quilt somehow ;-)

Prairie Potholes

I didn't like these two pieces so I set them aside, with the advent of my new series Harvest, I decided to experiment and sure enough they needed some sketches as well. Lets just say I'm reviewing my entire Prairie Potholes Series now for it's potential to be changed!

8x 10 inches each

Prairie Potholes - Harvest No. 9

Prairie Potholes - Harvest No. 9

2009

5 x 7 inches

Compost Dyed Cotton Cloth, Natural Dyed Silk Organza Fabric, Machine Stitched, Timtex Core, Black Cloth Backing Fabric

Available now in My Shop!

Art Website Update

I've been working on updating my website it still needs a LOT of work but it'll get there, eventually check it out http://www.kbaxterpackwood.com

Art Site Update

I've been working on updating my website it still needs a LOT of work but it'll get there, eventually check it out http://www.kbaxterpackwood.com/

Prairie Potholes - Harvest

I will be adding these pieces to my store sometime today.

Prairie Potholes - Harvest No. 8

Prairie Potholes - Harvest No. 8
5 x 7 inches
Compost dyed cotton cloth cochineal dyed silk organza fabric, machine stitched, timtex core, black commercial cotton cloth backing.

Now Available in My Store

Prairie Potholes - Harvest No. 7

Prairie Potholes - Harvest No. 7

5 x 7 inches

Compost dyed cotton cloth cochineal dyed silk organza fabric, machine stitched, timtex core, black commercial cotton cloth backing.

Now Available in My Store

Prairie Potholes No. 7 & 8

Much better, less empty looking now!

Prairie Potholes Harvest No. 7 & 8

In progress I decided I didn't like them as is they were not finished! So here they are before I changed them for the better.

Potato Boxes

The potato boxes are in, if this bad weather skips us - Lord Willing - I'll plant potatoes this coming week!

Seedling Progress

Strawberries that are ready to go into the ground but we are supposed to have a blizzard tonight, wish John wasn't otherwise occupied or I'd be putting up the hoop houses right now, instead of sitting here blogging!!! The wind is blowing here around 30-35 mph constant and has been most of the day.

Purple Cabbages in sorry need of being transplanted into the 2.5 inch pots.

Looking pretty good, running out of places to put flats of veggies!!! A hoop garden is in my future, maybe two weeks???

Tomatoes (right) and Green Cabbages (left)

New Flower Garden

John tilled a 28 inch wide strip for me out front this is where my new, well new to me I salvaged a double loop wire fence on city trash day, fence will go. There I will transplant my peonies, that are languishing along side our garage in a very unihabitable location, all rocks and the neighbors obnoxious climbing vine. On the south side of the fence I will put my hostas, which will be transplanted, and divided, from the back yard. If I ever make it to the potting table today I have a bunch of fox glove and other plants to get started, as plugs, that will go out in the front garden. My ultimate goal is to turn my entire yard, save the spot for the sheltie, into a cottage garden.

And as you can see from the text and such I am having problems with my wacom tablet today.

Ready to Go!!!

My poor neglected garlic patch, I have two of them actually. Hopefully next week I'll be able to dig the patch up and seperate it out so they will actually produce sizable bulbs this year. Leeks and onion seeds are going in next week as well, again if we don't end up with a nasty blizzard tomorrow.

Now that John is finished doing his thing, tilling, I can put up the fence again this will help to keep the rabbits away from my grape vine which they tend to ravage and very quickly. Picture below YES that really is a tree growing in the middle of my garden. I could opt to remove it but it provides a LOT of shade on my house hence reducing the need for central air in the summer. It's a crab apple, I've been working on guilds to plant around the tree it would appear that there are a lot of plants, including vegetables that love apple trees.

North Garden below East Garden above, Native Prairie Garden to the right of the sidewalk.

My garden spots have been tilled, just 2 inches to break the large clumps of horse manure apart and to mix it in with the leaves, and are ready to go! Now barring any major blizzards which we may or may not get next week I'll plant my potatoes, peas, kale, chard, mustard greens, and rhutabegas.

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.

Inspiration for Prairie Potholes -Harvest

A couple of folks have asked me what my inspiration was it's very simple actually it is what I saw day in and day out as a kid growing up in the country. Every farm had grain bins, barns, some had silo's, etc. I started the Prairie Pothole Series sometime around 2003, made several nice pieces in 2005, and made several more in 2007, but they were always lacking something.

Last Sunday I had hubby take me for a country drive and with my handy trusty digital camera in hand I snapped some shots of farms etc., and came home and started stitching. What can I say while I long for a pure prairie teaming with buffalo, prairie chickens, elk, etc., that is NOT the world I grew up in. I grew up in a prairie filled with tiled fields, ravines, silos, grain bins, barns and elevated fuel tanks.

Todays kiddos are growing up with a reality of confinement houses in their view - that was NOT my reality~!

Anyway... watch for more from my machine as I have many pieces in progress from this idea now.

Collage Mania Pieces Finished!

Donated to Collage Mania FFAC5 x 7 inches