My Second On-going Embroidery Project

Hi,
I thought I would toss up a picture of my other ongoing embroidery project. This one started as a practice sampler on a scrap of muslin, but I liked it, a lot. So, I put it against a background fabric and started to add bits here and there.



I still need to embroider over the roots (which are drawn in with a sharpie...hey it was what I had on hand when I started this: sketchbook, sharpies, embroidery floss, a hoop, some muslin, and a needle was all I had in my kit that day). I plan to have the roots go off the muslin and on to the background fabric and maybe even dangle off the background fabric. I am thinking of putting grass up on the soil line in Turkey Work/Stitch. I also plan to bring the sky up into the background fabric maybe weaving in between the blanket stitch (it's a thought). At this point that is as far as I have thought ahead. I am sure other things will appear as I go. The nice thing about this piece is that it was meant to be nothing but a sample, something to practice on and pass the time. That kind of gives me permission to do whatever I want to it without worrying that it be perfect. I can be as crazy or as laid back as I want to be. Below is a couple of detail pictures.




On another note, I was a guest blogger over at LillStreet Textiles at http://lillstreettextiles.blogspot.com/ . Hop over and take a look.

What I have been doing lately

The last couple weeks I have not been in the mood to do any felting or printing (though I did print one apron for a display at Lill Street. I just don't have any pictures of it yet). When that happens I do embroidery. This is the piece I have been working on (when I had time) for the last week. I originally started this last spring as part of a silkscreen/embroidery class taught by Camille Canales at Lill Street Art Center. I silk screened the ovals and circles and then outlined them in split stitch. That was as far as I got in the class.



Then after looking at it I thought it needed something more. I had this image of vines running around the circles in my head and although I got a start on that last summer, I ended up putting the piece aside for a while. So now, I have dragged it back out and continued work on it. Along with the vines done in split stitch flower buds in various colors in satin stitch have appeared too.



Sooner or later I will finish this piece, though I imagine that there may be a few more twists added before it is done.

Pictures from classes that I took at Lill Street before the holidays

The above picture is of my kitty cat screen printed on a couple scarves and a flour sack dishtowel.



The above picture is a silkscreen of a still life drawing done in class that was made into a stencil that was then used to silkscreen the image in a repeat pattern on a piece of cotton muslin cloth. Can you guess what it is? If not...it is an iron.

I took two classes at Lill Street Art Center in the fall and just before the holidays. I took the Advanced Screenprinting Class and the Easy Repeats Class both taught by Rachel Walker. If you have a chance to take one of Rachel's classes do so, she is a great teacher!

2009 Wrap-Up

At the end of 2008 I attended as a vendor one craft fair (my first one). In 2009 I was a vendor at 3 Art & Craft Fairs and 1 other event. I am also still selling my scarves (in addition to my Nuno-Felt scarves I am also selling dyed and printed ones this year) at Painted Light Photos & Framing (and Mom is selling her hats there too). So I feel that I have made some progress as far as getting myself and my art out into the public eye.

I was in the Lill Street Member Sale (my first Art & Craft Sale on my own).



I was once again in the Streeterville Artisan Market with my mother (which is also the one we were at in 2008).



Mom and I also attended the Bucktown Bazaar as vendors.



Last of all my Aunt who owns Stern's Book Service (which is a psychology bookstore and service) asked my mother and I to include some of our work in with her books for a recovery conference put on by Hazelden in downtown Chicago. She figured that since it was so close to Christmas that some of the people would like to do some Christmas shopping while they did their book shopping. I was only there the first day of the conference (though our stuff was still their for the second day) but mom and I actually sold several items. I was very happy about this. It was a nice wrap up for the year. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures of the table at the conference. Although if I did, I think I would have skipped the pictures of the table and taken a picture of the salad bar the hotel put out for the conference goers. It had to be the fanciest salad bar I had ever seen (and so very, very tasty)!

Also, there was one last thing that put my work prominently out in the public eye and that was the Felt Hanging I did and showed on my front porch for UnitedFelt's First International Day of Felt back in early October. My pictures are not only on my blog and on the Lill Street Textile Department's blog but on the We United Felt website at
http://www.feltunited.com/
just scroll down to the bottom and click on "2009 exhibit online" which is in red and then choose the format that you want to see the pictures. I highly recommend taking a look at it as there were many, many excellent feltworks done for this event.

I also took various art classes at Lill Street Art Center(printing, embroidery, glass bead making) and attending one of the SDA's post-conference workshops in Kansas City. The post conference workshop was great not only because it dealt with felt but because I got a chance to study under and Internationally Renowned Felter, that being Jorie Johnson. I would recommend her classes to anyone.

I am still working on figuring out my resolutions as far as the direction I wish to take from here, so, that will have to be written up on another post. I hope everyone had a happy holiday and a great New Year!