More Fibre Jewelry and Other Stuff

This week (in spite of a wickedly sore back) I managed to finish up a few things and make a few more pieces of jewelry in the evenings while watching the olympics (Go Canada!).  Most of my days have been spent on  publicity work for our upcoming fibre arts show.

Besides my little landscape pendants I tried out a new idea.  I embroidered tiny trees on fabric and made pendants out of them.  The big ones are approximately 1" x 1 1/2", the small are 1" square.

I added some sparkly paint to this one

Then I ordered some earring backings and made a few landscape earrings (very small - about 13 x 18mm).  Here is my first pair drying in a bowl of rice to keep them upright.  They have a little sparkle too.

These are waiting to be glued into the settings

I also embroidered some tiny flowers to make into a pendant.  I like the embroidery but the finishing was a bit messy (that's why I am not showing the finished piece:) so it's back to the drawing board.   It's quite small as well - maybe 2.5 inches wide.

 Since it seems I am into jewelry making I designed myself a new business card just for the jewelry.  I used my basic computer editing program and was surprised (after several hours of work) to find that it uploaded to the printer's with no glitches and two weeks later the cards were in my mailbox.

At last I finished my embroidered tree.  The stitching was finished weeks ago but I needed to back it and zigzag the edges.    It still doesn't have a name and I agonized over how to display it - over a mat, under a mat, on a canvas........

Under a tan coloured mat

On top of a mat

I finally framed it in a reddish brown frame under a 9 x 12" tan mat but the mat covers part of the embroidery so I may need to re think.


And lastly, I put the final hand stitch on my new mushroom piece (Small Wonders II).  It measures about 8" x 8".

 And now the fun of figuring out how to finish it.   Originally I had chosen two fabrics to use as a border then wrap around a canvas but it was not quite right.    Then I had an idea which involves photographing part of the background and printing it out on fabric then using it to cover a stretched 12" x 12" canvas.  I would add a narrow plain band of colour around the piece first.  Might be fine or might be too busy.   My other idea was to extend the background in paint on a canvas again with a narrow border around the fabric part.  I really like the idea of combining fabric pieces with painted edges.  Or I might just add a mat and frame.  Finishing sometimes takes as much time and effort as the stitching, doesn't it?

I have started watching a bit of my linear landscapes course (Gloria Loughman).  I have made a pattern and enlarged it - all ready for use.   I've chosen some fabrics but I want to paint a sky piece for it.   I don't have enough time to really focus on it yet so it is on hold for now.    I have to finish my turquoise piece for the colour challenge - almost done - just need to mount it on a canvas and add hanging wire and a label.  Oh, yes and we need to deliver it in a fabric bag - that's the hard part for me.

I guess I have been busy!

This post is linked up to Off the Wall Fridays    Check in to see what other fibre artists are creating this week.

Sparkles and Shadows on Snow

Mark Your Calendars for Fibre Fling 3

Out of the Box Fibre Artists and Kitchissippi United Church are partnering again for our third annual Fibre Fling Show, Sale and Tea on April 4 and 5 at Kitchissippi United Church in Ottawa.  Please note our trendy orchid poster!

April 4-5, 2014

Fibre Fling 3 – Textile art show and sale

Kitchissippi United Church, 630 Island Park Drive, Ottawa, Ontario

Out-of-the-Box Fibre Artists and the Kitchissippi United Church invite you to a show and sale of fibre and mixed media art on Friday and Saturday in the church hall. This is a fundraiser for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Hours: Friday 10 am-8 pm and Saturday 10 am-5 p.m. Admission is $5. High Tea will be available on Saturday 12-5pm for an additional $10.  Light refreshments available throughout the show.  For more information visit the News section of our website under Exhibitions at  www.out-of-the-box.org  

We are excited about this unique show after last year's success with 43 artists exhibiting over 200 pieces of fibre art - art quilts, mixed media, beading, embroidery, dolls, and much more.   Our membership has grown and so have our colour challenge pieces which will be part of a special showing.    We have expanded our sales table where you can purchase smaller works of art, art cards, jewelry, felted items, scarves, bags, journals, bookmarks....And of course there is the delicious high tea on Saturday!   We hope to continue to raise awareness about the quality and variety of fibre art in our Region.  And we hope to be able to raise money for a foundation that touches many lives.  We are so proud to partner again with Kitchissippi Church and to be part of a fundraiser for the Stephen Lewis Foundation which continues to do grassroots work to turn the tide on AIDS in Africa and better the lives of AIDs orphans and their caregivers.  This organization is based on a strong desire to work with local organizations to fight the spread of  AIDS.  

If you are in the Ottawa area in April please come and join us!

Colour Challenge in Fabric and Work in Progress

Last year I took part in a colour challenge with my fibre arts group.  The colours were midnight blue and orange (tomato red) and I chose orange.   This year's colours were yellow, turquoise, or black and white.   I started a turquoise piece in the summer but wasn't sure where to go with it (some stamping on fabric didn't work out so well) so I put it away.   Time is getting short so I have started working on it again.  It is a scene from Newfoundland (Trout River Pond and Elephant Head) and I got to thinking about all the colourful place names in NL.  

So I decided that I would embroider some of those place names on the solid turquoise section of the piece after embroidering some tone on tone on the same sections.   The finished piece will be 12" x 12" and I have finished the middle section which is the landscape and I have done some embroidery on the top and bottom sections.

middle section is 4" x 11"

It will be surrounded by tone on tone embroidery

    My next step is to embroider place names around the central part - Trout River Pond, Elephant Head, Heart's Desire, Conception Bay, Fogo, Come By Chance, Cupids, Fortune........I will call it "Local Colour".    I hope it works out.  If not I will be picking out a lot of embroidery.......

Last year I submitted an appliqued and embroidered piece called "Small Wonders of the Forest" inspired by photos of a grouping of tiny orange mushrooms.   It is still part of the colour challenge travelling exhibition soon to be joined by this year's colour challenge pieces.

 I recently started a new mushroom piece inspired by another photo of those same group of  mushrooms.  It is mostly embroidery on a photo transfer.   The positioning of this group of mushrooms reminded me of a conversation taking place between two groups (maybe I should call it "The Conversation"?).   It is still a work in progress with lots of hand stitching needed on the background.  I am thinking of adding an orange red border and finishing with a stretched canvas.  I have the perfect piece of fabric that I dyed in a class awhile back.)

I finally got some of my new landscape necklaces up on   ETSY       When I can find some time I would like to work on fabric beaded necklaces as well.   Right now we are busy with publicity for our annual spring show in April.   More on that later.....