The Move

It's just depressing, I'm trying hard to not feel like a failure but alas I do! I know I'll love the new space even more than this one, but after little less than a year putting my heart and soul into this one it's just... well plain sad!

Prairie Fibers Co

Our new location is on Broad Street in Story City, Iowa, next to the Grand Theater. It is a beautiful building, we will have our very own bathroom, can I say that enough? And I will have my own studio space which is the biggest perk, well next to the bathroom.

Moving Sale

Yes it's true we're moving The Prairie Fibers Company to a new location. We will now have a bathroom!!! Fancy how customers seem to think that that is an important feature. Our last day here is the 31st, my last day being open is the 25th! So come by and see what's new and what's not going to go with us!

First Piece

Of the new year! I've been wanting to make something bright and cheerful - it's been dreadfully dull here this winter - so I made this little post card. It's inspired by my Soul Hole Challenge piece I made way back when, it's pictured at the bottom. I took the pic with my cell phone as my digital camera bit the dust, so the image isn't so great

new studio and more

Well it's official Prairie Fibers will be moving. The space is twice as big, and the rent half what I'm paying now. The biggest perk is I will have a bathroom! The downside is commuting everyday, but it's only 10 miles.

I'm am eagerly anticipating having a studio that is all mine, finally it'll all be in one location and the biggest perk no stairs to climb!!! It's difficult to create, effectively or efficently, when everything is strewn about here and there.

Printing onto webbing

Or Bondaweb as it is called in some places. This is a medium weight webbing, the heavier stuff prints well also - note I'm using my cheap Epson CS86 to do this with, not an expensive inkjet printer. You can also print directly onto regular, non fusible, interfacing as well.

the bottom images are on papers, the top prints are on various types of interfacings and webbings. These are from several years ago, according the file info, it's been awhile since I've done any transfers. I did take notes, so will have to consult them now, but I don't remember having any backing on the fusible webbing as went through the printer.

Up For Sale

I have several quilts over at my Etsy.com store for sale. Here's the deal, for every art quilt I sell i will donate one third of the price to FFAC, see Virginia Spiegels site. She is trying to raise 30K by August of this year, that is her goal.

Thank you for looking and caring.

It's Done

For the most part anyway, here's a shot of "Pet Cemetary" against two different colored walls.

In Progress

Do the petals look off??? Good ;-) Now to find some yummie beads and buttons to embelllish with.

Sold!!!

I sold one piece of art, and one of my compost dyed silk scarves yesterday! Sondra "Hot Poppies" are on their way to you! Tis all very exciting and very uplifting.

I have a piece I've been meaning to work on the past few days I need to iron the fabric so I can get it put together, but have had a serious case of the lazies. Well when I get home from working a 16 hour day, at the shop, I'm too pooped to care - ever been there? So having sales on my Etsy.com store is just the squirt of energy I need to get more done in the studio. Happy creating and crafting everyone.

2005 Journal Keyhole Pieces

Keyhole Series

Here's a piece I made the other night. My stress levels are very high and with that goes the ability to design. So I started looking through my stash of art quilts I've made over the past few years and decided I liked this design - it's from my 2005 Journal Quilt Series I never sent off to Houston. I'll post those as well.

I've decided to work this design in different mediums, pushing it until I arrive at something I'm happy with, again.

New dyed fibers

Here's a hat Regina Rooks (you can see her blog here http://rgrdesigns.blogspot.com/) made for me, from hand-dyed wool yarn I purchased seveeral years ago. It'd be perfect for a small childs head.

A close up of the batts, click on an image to get an even bigger view.

I've been dyeing fibers and making batts for the shop. Most of these are blends of silk bombyx sliver, Austrailian wool, and mohair. Some of the batts have angelina in them. Some are really pretty, I don't have a picture of them will do that tomorrow, pinks and greens, yellows and greens. Using the drum carder makes my back ache.

Mild Winter

My Foot! It's anything but mild here, and it's an early winter at that!!!

What I Did Today

I cleaned the carpet in my studio - unfortunately my sheltie thinks carpet is synonomus with grass. Sooooo John bought me a carpet cleaning machine for Christmas! Merry Christmas sweetie! Tomorrow I'm doing the library (in a modern home this is known as the family room but we don't have kids so...) We only have two rooms with carpet, so to speak. I'm quite pleased with the results, I'm not sure but I think I need to rinse it again I'm worried there might be soap residue left in the pile, I'll know more tomorrow. But the carpet doesn't look so evil now.

Fun Fun Fun

I made this eye glasses case, for my granny glasses, out of constructed cloth, it is lined with pink felt.

What I'm Up To

Well a lot actually, here's a picture of the wall of wool at the shop!

Tonight I"ve been sewing some small quilts, journal quilt sized. I'll post some pictures tomorrow, they will be available on my etsy.com store tomorrow. I think I left my camera at the other studio, not really sure at the moment. I decided, after talking with a customer who is going through her stash tonight, that it's time to make some small pieces with all of this fabric I have laying about. Being stumped, at the moment, I decided to go back to my journal quilts I made in 2005, I'm using those as my design and am focusing on color and texture instead. It's a lot of fun so me thinks I'll keep this up until I either run out of steam or fabric - I'm betting on steam.

Ice & Hand-Dyed Yarn

We are in the throes of a major ice storm here. I'm anticipating losing power as it's really coming down out there. Cell phones are charged, bought batteries for flashlights, am washing clothes as I write - will probably want plenty of clean wool socks to wear - and stocked up yesterday on kerosene for the lamps. DH wanted to use the propane heater for the house but hehehehehehe the tanks are frozen to the ground. Soooo I guess we'll have to use the kerosene heaters instead if need be! If I get a chance and the power is still on later I'll post pics of the great out doors, the digital camera is currently charging.

Here's some of my hand-dyed yarn, Loretta calls the colorway Clown Snot, I think of it as being more the colors of chicklets gum - remember that stuff!

This is the front of the piece, I added painted wonder under and angelina to the surface. I'll do some more embellishing and embroidery later this week.

More silk throwsters paper! This is the back side.

Felted Throwsters Waste

Well sorta, or you could even call it silk paper. You take silk throwsters waste and pull it into thin sheets spritz with water and place between two sheets of parchment paper. Press with a hot iron until the water stops sizzling. This creates a nice sheet of silk paper/fabric. The sericin glues itself together.

I then needle felted the silk fibers onto a piece of silk organza net with wool and angelina so that it would look like the aurora borealis. This is the back side of the piece.