More Happenin' things

©2009 Diane Evans  Our House  14” x 20”

If you live or plan to vacation near Los Alamos, New Mexico, stop by the Fuller Lodge Art Center between October 1 and November 13 to view their “Fall Fiber and Fashion Show”.  This exhibit is the art center’s salute to the fall season and features works in all media.  Contributing artists were invited to “play with form and function in fiber, or to design, create, and display their own fashions.”  The show will feature wall art and sculpture, as well as jewelry, scarves, handbags, and hats.

I feel most fortunate to have had four of my wall quilts juried into this wonderful show; you can see these pieces, along with the works of the other exhibitors, on the art center’s web site here.  This promises to be an exhibition of exciting and diverse art – I hope you can visit. I'm unable to see the show myself, so if you go, please be sure to tell me all about it  -- my quilts travel to more places than I do . . .

Diane

What's Happenin'?

Color My World   55" x 55" © 2008 Diane Evans

I’m very fortunate to be participating in some wonderful fiber art exhibits during the next few months – hope you can drop in and visit.

First up is an exhibit at the Adirondack Fabric & Fiber Arts Festival, which is an annual event at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, NY.  A number of artists will be showing their skills in such areas as spinning, weaving, knitting, and quilting, and members of ARTAA will be there to discuss a number of techniques in the creation of wall art.

A special themed exhibit by ARTAA members entitled “Flight” will be one of the features of the show, along with other works created by the women of this group, including the piece pictured above.  For a sneak peek of some of the pieces on display, check the ARTAA blog here.  (I’ll be posting pictures of my entry . . . just as soon as I finish it . . . which will be soon . . . honestly . . .)

Join in this “celebration of traditional and contemporary fiber arts” at the museum on Saturday, September 25, from 10 AM until 5 PM.  For more information on the demonstrations and displays during the day, click here.

Diane

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds   11" x 14"   Diane Evans  2010

I realized recently, as I was stitching swirls and feathers into a small wall quilt, that my machine quilting reminds me a little of my own hair, the difference being that I have more control over the machine quilting.  So when I saw a sketch by artist Traci Bautista in the book, “Creative Time and Space,” by Ricë Freeman-Zachery, I was inspired to create (with Traci’s permission) a small portrait where machine quilting motifs became the subject’s tresses.

Parts of both Lucy’s eye and mouth were drawn with Tsukineko ink pens; the rest of the design was stitched with 40-weight rayon thread.  I felt she needed a little bling, so I added French knots, using silver metallic thread.  The title came easily, since the silver threads sparkled like diamonds in her hair.

The piece was mounted on fiber core inside a mat board; I couched blue Perle Cotton around the perimeter of the design so that it would show just inside the opening of the mat.

Lucy was a joy to create from start to finish.  If only my hair could look like hers . . .

Diane

The Art Is In The Cards

One of the talented members of ARTAA, Francelise Dawkins, recently demonstrated to the group her method for creating art cards to sell at gallery shows.  The results were so dynamic that I decided to try my hand at making them using Francelise’s techniques.

I began with note cards purchased at Target; I chose brightly colored cards with coordinating envelopes, since I thought they would complement the colors in my wall quilts.  I printed photos of the quilts onto matte photo paper and sized each one so that approximately one-quarter inch of the card stock would frame the picture.  The photos were adhered with rubber cement; each card was then hand-signed, and a label was attached to the back.

The cards have a much nicer look and feel to them than the ones which I had previously printed directly onto card stock; the quilting stitches are much more visible, and the variations in the hand-dyed fabrics show up nicely as well.

These art cards are available for sale at my Etsy shop; please drop by for a visit.  And do check out Francelise’s beautiful fiber art here and at her brand new shop, Feenex, located in Saratoga Springs.
And, as always, my thanks for taking this fiber art journey with me.

Diane

I'm a Shop Owner!

Citrus Grove, 12" x 12", ©Diane Evans

I’ve heard so many people talking about the terrific web site, Etsy, and the wonderful handcrafted items that are available there.  So, after some enjoyable exploration and a purchase or two, I decided to open a shop of my own.

My plan is to offer many of my small creations (such as the one pictured above) for sale on the site, and I’m discovering that it’s a fairly easy process to post the items.  An added benefit is that I’m learning to use my camera more effectively, since photos of the pieces are such an important element in the presentation.  My Sony CyberShot and I are getting along pretty well, and I’ve found that a tri-pod is an invaluable assistant.

Please stop by my shop for a visit; the link is here.  And, if you find something you'd like to purchase, I know I'll be sending it to a good home.

Diane

Hearts for Linda

One of the members of our fiber art group, our dear friend Linda Shea, is leaving New York and moving to sunny California.  The group decided that each of us would make a fabric square for her, using “heart” as the theme and creating it in our own individual style.  Hopefully, after she settles in to her new home, she will assemble the squares into a quilt of memories of her friends at ARTAA.

I have a special passion for feather-stitching, and feather motifs lend themselves so easily to the shape of a heart, so this is the design that became my contribution to Linda’s quilt.  To give stability to the fabric square, I fused it to Pellon Shirtailor® interfacing; the design, which had been drawn onto tracing paper, was then transferred to the fabric with the aid of my trusty light box.  The piece was then free-motion stitched using Sulky 40-weight rayon threads.  I had an embroidery hoop waiting in the wings, in case the fabric showed signs of puckering, but I needn’t have worried – the interfacing did its job beautifully.

Linda, I hope you know that our hearts will be with you always – you are a treasure.

Diane

Christmas in July

I think that the last time I was this excited after opening up a box was Christmas Day – just look at what I found inside the box that arrived from England this week . . .

I ordered a messenger bag from Tracey Pereira through her blog, and it’s here!  I absolutely love it!!  The bag is beautifully constructed and is every bit as wonderful as the photo depicted it to be; I plan to use it as a carrier for my laptop. 

And the special little surprise tucked into the package was this sheet of hand-dyed pre-cut feathers – these were just too special for words.  Tracey said that she remembered how much I love this motif and decided to include these little treasures with my order.  My mind is going through a dozen possibilities for giving these gorgeous pieces center stage in a new quilt – this is going to be so much fun.

Do visit Tracey’s blog and check out the other messenger bag designs there.  And my heartfelt thanks to you, Tracey – you made my week!

Diane