Postcard Swap

I belong to an online ATC and Postcard Swap Group, and recently, I joined a swap called "Loosen Up" Postcard Swap. We were given an instruction every couple of days, and the idea was to do each step as it was given, so there would be no pre-planning. It was fun to do.
I kept a journal of what I was doing at each step, and why, so thought I'd share it with anyone interested. (skip reading this post - it's quite long - and just look at the pics if you like - I don't mind) :)
For the base of my postcards, I chose a Lisa Walton (Dyed and Gone To Heaven) hand-dyed purple fabric, which I then ironed on to pellon for stability.

Prompt 1: Add something sparkly, or, Add a fat line.

What constitutes a fat line? It's really only its relationship to other lines. When does a fat line become a rectangle?
I used red marble iron on bias tape, in a wave down both sides of the fabric, as it was going to be made into 4 postcards. I wanted some on each card.

Prompt 2: Add something very light, or, Add a strong vertical

Light: weight, colour or light itself? I chose silver thread (Mettler Poly Sheen No 40) - it meets all 3 in a way.

Prompt 3: Add a skinny line, or, Add heavy fibre stitching

The silver thread stitching is already a skinny line, so for variety, I needed to add heavy fibre stitching. I chose yellow DMC thread No 2727 - double thickness - hand stitched using a large darning needle. It was very awkward getting the darning needle to pull thru' the hand dyed fabric and to get evenly sized and spaced stitches, so I decided to let it evolve. I had no fixed plan as to where the stitches were going and I quite liked the idea of varying sizes. I also added some knots occasionally to add to the texture.

Once I had finished, I realised the piece needed more silver threads, so I went back in to add more.

Prompt 4: Add on shape in multiple sizes, or, Add cross stitch.

After adding the yellow stitching, cross stitch just would not look right, therefore, I went with Shape.

Considering I used curved lines, I had to decide whether to follow the trend or change it. I decided free hand cut circular shapes. I used some Lisa Walton hand dyed again, in orange, and stitched them down free style with fuschia thread (Mettler Silk Finish Cotton No 59). I stitched from the centre out, in an orbiting motion, deliberately swinging the orbit out onto the background fabric.

I kept checking that there were enough circles on each postcard. If this had been one piece, I would not have done as many circles.

Prompt 5: Add something large, or, Gather something and add it

There was no room for anything large, so I had to consider what next? We were allowed to stop once we had completed step 4, but I felt it needed something more - something with a darker tone to add tonal variety and a bit of lime or acid green. I needed to think a bit more about this one.

A couple of days later, I was gathering up my art supplies to put them away and came across a Fabrico pen (#116 Peony Purple) and thought "Perfect!". I was "gathering" wasn't I?

I coloured in some small spaces, followed some stitching, and "shadowed" the red bias tape. I also added a few small circular dot shapes.

Prompt 6: Add a doodle, or, Add some single thread stitching

The piece still needed some lime, so I had to think what I could do with lime to meet the criteria. Doodle stitching? Or single thread stitching?

I decided to doodle some tiny single thread free motion circular sort of shapes in a lime thread (had for years - label lost)- mirroring the larger ones, then wandering along some of the lines and pathways.

Detail:

Finishing:

I needed 4 postcards from the finished piece, so I cut it and zig zag edged (going around twice) the individual cards, using Gutterman col 3832 (purple).

As a set:

Individuals:

Two were sent off to South Australia and one to Victoria. The other, I get to keep.

I had a lot of fun doing this exercise. :) I tend to let projects dictate what they want or need anyway, so it felt quite normal not having a set idea in my head at the start. I liked being given criteria to follow and then finding a way to meet that criteria, even if I did do a lot of thinking as to the meaning I could evolve from said criteria! lol

Would I do it again? Definitely! :) 

Once I have received my swap partners' postcards, I will show them on another post, so you can see how different they all are!

                              

                                         

Fabulous Fibre Art Works

I have just been browsing the fibre art that goes up for auction on the 27th November, in aid of a very worthy cause. Some of Australia's most fabulous and best known fibre artists and quilters are participants.

I wish I had the funds to bid for one or three....

They are all lovely! Go check them out, and if you can, bid for one at the auction.






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Geta's Giveaway!

For a while, now, I have been following Geta's blog, and she has just posted that she is having another giveaway.

She does the most amazing Trapunto work! I would love to win one of her little quilts, but thought I'd share the opportunity with all of you.

Go here to enter, and tell her I sent you!

Is This Sacriledge?

• Take one artist canvas, a piece of Amy Butler fabric, and staple fabric at the back of the canvas.
• Hang in daughter's flat for 12 months.
• Retrieve from daughter's throw out pile after she buys a house and no longer wants it.

As the fabric has slightly faded in a couple of places and has been stretched, I wouldn't risk it in a quilt, so what does one do with it?

Well, if you are into experimenting with fabric, fibre art and painting, you play with it!


I began this "muck around" a few months ago. The photo above shows the beginnings after I had started working on it. I am using Shiva paint sticks and fingers at this stage.






Add some acrylic paint and cover what I don't want to use...



Continue working on it with Shiva Paintsticks....



It's nowhere near finished yet, and I don't know if I'll like the end result, but I am learning things, and having fun!


I'll post my progress as I go.


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Cyber Fyber Exhibition opens

Susan Lenz's Cyber Fyber Exhibition opened at Gallery 80808 in Columbia, South Carolina, today, creating mild excitement all over the world amongst ATC and Postcard Fibre artists exhibiting their work.

Susan made many, many, many postcards and ATCs to swap with others through an online network. The ATCs and Postcards she received from her swaps, are now on display.

She also had invited well known international fibre artists to display, amongst them, Dijanne Cevaal.

Check out the ATCs and Postcards that are being exhibited, and leave comments on your favourites. Mine are numbers ATC 124 and Postcard 115, which I blogged about, along with the ones I received from Susan, here.

This is my ATC: "Opal Fields"

Needle felted piece, stitched through, then mounted (hand stitched) onto hand stitched yellow scraps. Zigzag edging over copper cord.

The Postcard is embellished (needle felted) cotton fabrics, crystal organza, silk threads, and tiny pieces of silver foil; quilted; then fussy cut flowers added by embellishing around the edges and securing with a stitched bead in the centre.

*****

Twelvebytwelve

A little while ago, I entered a draw to win a set of cards from a group of wonderfully talented fibre artists. The 12 artists complete challenges and post the results on a joint blog, called twelvebytwelve.

Today, my lovely set of cards arrived. You can see the small quilts in a larger format if you visit their blog. Well worth the visit, I assure you!

xxx

Dijanne Cevaal's Teapots

I love the work of textile artist Dijanne Cevaal, so I was ecstatic when I was able to purchase one of her small works, which she had shown on her blog. It arrived in the mail a few days ago.

Here is a photo of "Teapots". Isn't it exquisite? The colours glow like exotic jewels, the quilting is amazingly intricate, and the design reminds me of all that is mysterious about the Middle East. Pure magic!

Thank you, Dijanne, for allowing me to show it off on my blog.

BTW, Dijanne has other works for sale. I also like her Pomegranate series.

More ATCs

ATCs have become a bit of an addiction lately! These are some of the ones I have made since starting them at the beginning of the year.

I have also just completed 2 sets for the SCQatcswapgroup "Cheer me up" swap, for those who are not going to Perth. I will show them after the swap has been done. Don't want to spoil it for anyone!

Journal Quilts

I am participating in a Journal Quilt project with AusNZArtquilters this year. I am very new to fibre art and fibreart quilts, so you won't see anything mind blowing yet, but these are my efforts for January and February.

January: "Sailing into Winter"

The theme was seasons, and as we were in the middle of summer (not my fave season) my thoughts were already turning to cooler months. I love Autumn best, but I wanted to get a bit more experience before tackling that, so i decided on winter. Besides, no one else had done winter, so I felt sorry for it!

I used the reverse side of a piece of grey fabric as a base for this, and painted washes of mauve and grey over areas of it.
I then needle felted (with my embellisher) some purple abaca tissue and purple silk rovings down one side,
added purple threads, cords and more silk,
stitched them down,
appliqued raw edged scraps of black and red,
needle felted areas of them,
added white batting pulled apart and white angelina fibres,
quilted and stitched all over that.


February: "It's not all black & white"

The theme was graffiti and colour, using collage
Give me a theme and my thoughts immediately seek the twist!

I used black felt as backing for this. I cut it shorter than the A4 size, and then made a smaller than A4 quilt by appliquing a collage of scraps of various black and white print fabrics, adding a small amount of angelina fibres, and machine embroidering them down.
I then coloured (with gel pens) a few tiny areas, painted on the words black & white (upside down A and back to front E),
and attached it to the felt. (the end size is A4, with 2 corners appearing to be removed)
I wrote the words "it's not all" on white fabric, cut them out, and fused them down the side.

Cyberfyber exhibition swap

Fibre artist, Susan Lenz, has organised a Postcard and ATC swap on a major scale. She has listed the postcards and atcs that she has made for swapping, and invited people to swap with her.
She plans to hold an exhibition of the traded postcards and atcs next January, at a gallery in Columbia, South Carolina US.

(See better photos and read more here)

Naturally, I couldn't let this opportunity pass by, so I selected a postcard and ATC of hers, that I would like to receive, and have now posted off my swap pieces.

Susan's work is lovely! Do have a look at her site.

This is Susan's ATC:Susan's Postcard:

My ATC: called "Opal Fields"

My Postcard



I used my embellisher for both of mine.
The ATC is embellished wool, organza and cotton, combined with angelina fibres; then mounted on a yellow fabric collage and machine embroidered. I used copper iron on ribbon around the edge.
The Postcard is embellished cotton fabrics, crystal organza, silk threads, and tiny pieces of silver foil; quilted; then fussy cut flowers added by embellishing around the edges and securing with a stitched bead in the centre.

Postie's been!

Wow, did I get some good mail today!

First of all, an ATC from Sylvia, arrived. Sylvia is my swap partner in the SCQATC swap #2.
She has called her ATC Bingi Trees. Isn't it beautiful? It's hard to see here, but she has sewn lovely lines of stitching and machine embroidery and added tiny green beads.
I hope she likes the one I am sending her.
That makes 3 ATCs I own now. My first one was from Erica and my other one is one of Linda's pink and red ones.
I believe Erica has 200 ATCs, so I have a long way to go!

As well, the latest edition of Australian Country Craft and Decorating arrived. Every time it arrives, it reminds me that I won an embellishing machine off them, so I'm doubly happy!
This month's issue has a lovely quilt project from Ruth Buchanan, called Song of the Birds.
I love how Ruth puts together fabrics that I would never have thought of combining, and yet, they always work. Her quilts are so fresh and modern.

Then, a parcel arrived from the US with:

*2 backordered issues of Quilting Arts. These were ordered because they contained articles which I felt could assist me with my exploration into fibre art.


*A copy of Quilting Arts: Gifts, a holiday issue.

* a book entitled Hot Textiles: inspiration and techniques with heat tools, by Kim Thittichai. I've only had a quick perusal, but it looks good value. She covers all sorts of stuff, with explanations and exercises.

*and these little lovelies...2 packets of Oliver Twists experimental packs, containing abaca tissue, silk throwster waste, silk carrier rods, cotton and rayon threads and a coil of coloured wire. I chose the Sunset pack and the Violet pack. Can't wait to try stuff with them!