Mark Making with Nature Video Series

Mark Making with Nature Video Series

Beyond the Ordinary in Surface Design

Digital Video Series 

Rent ($19.95) or 

Own ($39.95) it 

Today!!!

This video series is available as a digital download from Vimeo.com!

Part One:

• Getting Started
• Painting with Natural Dyes & Gutta Resists
• Creating a mono chromatic painting with Natural Dyes
• Bound Resist

Part Two:

• Other Resists, using tape as a resist, etc.
• Monoprinting with objects.
• Screen printing with Natural Dyes
• Stamping and More with Natural Dyes

Part Three:

• Bundle and/or Compost Dyeing
• Other Bundle Dyeing techniques

• Mixing Surface Design Techniques (painting, resists, etc.,) to achieve gorgeous cloth!

Part Four:

• Making the Gum Tragacanth Binder

• Using textured brayers to make marks on the cloth

• Screen Printing using resists and non traditional techniques (a variation on deconstructed screen printing)

• Monoprinting with found vegetation such as grasses and leaves.

Spring has Sprung!

Angel and Oliver hanging out in the outdoor dog run last summer.

Remember all of the hard work John did last Spring to build up my raised gardens in the front yard, here is a photo from last year?  Well we are going to move them to the north garden because mostly we get more sunlight in the back yard than we do in the front yard.  

Soooooo, today began the long process of clearing out the north garden, John removed the fence posts, and the chicken wire fencing while I cleaned up all of the trash that blew into our yard over this past winter.  I also organized all of the fence posts, etc., and otherwise acted as his runner for tools and such, while Angel and Oliver hung out in the outdoor kennel.  

Hopefully next weekend I'll have new photos to share as we embark on this new journey, but we are both in agreement that we love the raised beds and this is the direction we want to go, that and a quarter or half CSA share which we need to make a decision on in the next week or so.  I will say that I was excited to see that my raised beds are completely thawed out, a minor miracle considering this years winter and the fact that we still have ice in the back yard!

WIP Red Crow

The madder lac dyed silk organza is much darker than these photos depict, the stencil sketch of the crow barely peaking through due to the lighting.  I managed to stitch an outline of the crow in a coordinating reddish heathered wool thread from Aurifil Threads.

I've decided that this smallish piece will now become part of a larger piece I'm working on for my upcoming solo show, as crows and ravens have always been a prominent icon out here on the western prairie and plains.

A Crow Project

Crow Stencil  from StencilGirl Products outlined in Pitt Pen with Shiva Paintstiks in iridescent copper and white, on madder lac dyed silk organza layered over white silk dupioni fabric.  Timtex core with white cotton backing.  Machine and hand stitching.

The paintstiks don't show up well in this photo, will take a photo tomorrow using natural light.

On My Sewing Table

Thinking, contemplating my next move, lots of ideas rambling through my head seemingly too many some times, but then it occurred to me that I can marry several "themes" I've previously worked on for a greater continuity.

More to come later.

Oliver Files: The Watcher

This is the hurry up and pick out those hexagons stare, he finally gave up and went to sleep.  He really wants to play with my fabrics, and trims which wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't so insistent on shredding everything.

Said hexagons, the smaller ones were dyed with natural dyes the deep red obtained using a turkey red recipe, the blue using indigo. See my natural dyeing blog for more information.

Some Bird Art

Little medallions with featuring Black Birds in Tree, alcohol inks to the left, shiva paintstiks to the right (prussian blue)

Experimenting with copic markers and gelli pens on scrap booking paper.  Barely noticeable at the bottom are three of the washi tapes I purchased last weekend.  This will probably end up as the cover for my "new to me" journal.  Crow is from my Three Crows Stencil.

More birds to come, I'm working on a major project (all new work for an upcoming solo show) the big reveal will happen and soon, until then here's my latest samples to see how the various mediums work with the stencils.

Natural Dyed Hexagons

Natural, compost (bundle), and rust dyed cotton fabrics.  The dark red was obtained using a Turkey Red recipe.

I started these hexagons using my natural and compost dyed fabrics in March of 2005, the weekend my mother died actually, and found them last night while I was looking for a missing stack of colored papers.  This couldn't of happened at a better time as I am currently working on a new body of work called "Faded Memories: Stitched Stories of the Prairie and Plains" for an upcoming solo show at the Sanford Museum in Cherokee, Iowa.

This new body of work will encompass both traditional and digital techniques, and to say that I found these hexies made up already would be an understatement! The hexagons are from a pattern known as Grandmother's Garden, which seems rather appropriate for this new body of work!

Journal Makings

I was planning on making a 4 x 6 inch journal this evening but my block of 4 x 6 solid color papers seems to have gone AWOL!  So maybe tomorrow evening instead?

Mark Making with Nature eBook Combo!!!

Tired of waiting for Spring? 

Itching to drag out those Natural Dye supplies?  

Then wait no more!!!

Mark Making with Nature eBook Combo

$9.95

WIP All Beaded Up

Now with more beads, and definition.

Belated Anniversary Present

Vintage ironware sugar and creamer, John bought it for me today at JB Knacker, I've been drooling over the set for months now.

Today's Haul

Today's haul from JB Knacker in Gilbert, Iowa.

Five inch brass numbers, need the "3" and the "0" still.

Vintage jello cup to experiment with.

Some millinery bits.

Thimbles: one metal one silver.

Wasbi tape from Pixi's in Gilbert, Iowa.  She has every color and pattern imaginable, plus several sizes, in stock.

Pearl white wasbi tape.

Auditioning Fabrics

Found some folded points, etc., in a box of vintage fabrics I picked up along the way and am now auditioning them to use in an upcoming body of work. I think I may rust dye some of the red and white gingham as it's too clean and too cheerful.  

The netting and metallic mesh was in a box on my shelf. 

Pinks

11/0 and 12/0 glass beads.

Copper and Wool

Copper sequins being auditioned atop some natural dyed wool fabric.  I'm working on a major project, more to come as I'm a week behind due to being ill last week.  Stay tuned for the Big Reveal!

Copper

Copper colored sequins.

Mending

A bundle of sleeves.

For some reason the first wife's mother kept the sleeves from several shirts, I unrolled the bundle today (What you think I'd throw away all of those textile treasures??? Bite your tongue!) mostly because this bit of madras type fabric was peaking out, looking all spring like.

Love the way she butted the torn edges together, adding some matching threads and stitched them together with the skill of a surgeon!

  Imagine my joy when I discovered that it had been mended, and in several places.

Oliver Files ~ While You Were Out

I started to feel sick on Sunday, my early Monday morning it was obvious I had picked up noro virus someplace.  I'm only starting to feel slightly better today.  This is what Oliver accomplished while I was holing up in our bedroom with the cats.  He's been busy.

Weekend Finds

Now that I'm feeling slightly better, I picked these yummies up at JB Knacker this past weekend, my favorite vintage shop ever!!!  The tureen will hold my vintage bead and bauble collection.  The calligraphy and fountain pen tips, well for lettering of course.

WIP - All Beaded Up

I started this piece about a year after mom passed away in 2005, it's cigarette papers layered atop digitally printed cotton fabric and interfacing.  Machine stitched, hand stitched, beaded.

I have a lovely greyish black glass bead that I'm using to outline her shirt and arm.

Bead detail.

Interestingly enough I didn't have any grey threads in my collection, and wanted some for working on this piece so ventured over to JoAnn's and found these lovely shades of grey, in both pearl cotton and cotton floss.

Studio Notes March 5th, 2014

I'm not sure why I'm having so many issues with Blogger of late, but it's interfering with my ability to post, well whenever I like!

Monday I went to Cherokee Iowa with my BFF Brenda to help with hanging her show at the Sanford Museum, help might be a bit of an exaggeration but I'm sure she was happy for the company as it's a long boring drive there and back.  

While on the drive we talked about my upcoming solo show, and why I still didn't have any work produced  yet for said show.  After six hours of beating a dead horse I'm back to these niches I created last spring for another show but always felt like I could have done more.  I love the cut outs in these pieces, I love the birds, the stitching, etc., and want to pursue this further, pushing the limits and see what will happen only with digitally printed and rusted fabrics.

Since I found out my show isn't being hung next month but rather in May I have extra time now to explore the possibilities.

Three Day Sale Mark Making with Nature Video Series

Three Day Sale

Mark Making with Nature Video Series

Buy or Own it TODAY for $19.95

3 Days Only

Sale ends March 8th at Midnight!

Click Here to learn more!!!

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/9277

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.