Redefined

What does it say? - You'll get it this time

If this hint doesn't produce a winner, I don't know what will. Here's another item for the bulletin board. If you click on the picture, you'll see a larger image so you can read it.

Remember, I'm looking for the two words that will be at the top of the board, that will explain everything that is pinned on it. The first person who guesses those two words by leaving a comment on this blog wins the final prize.

Today, I attached several "lost and found" items to the board, including a keyring and a lone earring I made. I also attached Jeri's prize, but I'm not going to tell her what it is yet.

Once someone guesses the words at the top, I can start posting some more colorful items. Thank goodness, because this whole brown and white thing is extremely depressing. Right now, I need a healthy jolt of rich, saturated color injected directly into my veins to boost my energy again. I understand that lime green is always a reliable choice, but for a quicker pick-me-up, a little fire engine red can work wonders.

What does it say?

No one has guessed the two words at the top of the bulletin board yet. Hint- the two words indicate the place where the bulletin board is located and the kind of people who would be posting on the board. Another hint- the next flyer I created, which is partially entitled "Changes and Additions" mentions chimps, elephants and small children. What do these have in common?

In case you were wondering, the piece of paper I showed in my last post does not represent the type of prizes I will be giving out to the winners. I promise that the prizes will be a lot more valuable than that! In fact, I will be making small works of art to give away. You won't be disappointed.

Do I have a picture to show you today? I guess not. Maybe tomorrow I'll make something and show you, now that the laundry is done.

We have the first two winners!

Karen Stiehl Osborn from Nebraska, USA is the winner of the first prize. She correctly guessed that I was making a cork bulletin board. I know Karen from the Kansas Art Quilters group and we are on the board of directors together. I couldn't be more pleased that she is the first winner. Her prize will be one of the bulletin board items I create for this project. I will display the corkboard as part of my solo exhibit next August/September, then send the prizes to the three winners.

Jeri Riggs from New York, USA is the winner of the second prize. She correctly guessed that the name for this artwork will be Posted. I met Jeri through art quilting, but she happens to live just a few blocks from the house in which I grew up and she goes past it nearly every day. She is also one of the neatest people I know and a very dear friend, so I'm glad she won the second prize. Yay, Jeri!

There is one more prize to be won. There will be two words of text on the top of this bulletin board (the "title") and you need to guess what they are. The picture shown here should be a real giveaway. The first person who can get their comment posted telling me the two correct words will win the third prize.

I haven't decided yet if this bulletin board item will be made from fabric or if it will stay paper, as shown here, but this is the first draft of how it's going to look.

Good luck!

What is it? - Now you should be able to tell

Since my last post, I covered the raw edge of the quilted piece with binding and did most of the work on the second piece, which looks like wood. I still want to do some more quilting on the newer piece.

OK (drum roll please), here's the giveaway I told you about. I roughly pinned the two pieces to my design wall so you can see how they will look together. The first person to guess what this represents will win my first prize. Leave your guesses as comments on this blog entry. Good luck!

What is it? - Part 3

The quilting is finished! I trimmed the edges and pinned it to my design wall for the picture. It's square, but my camera shot isn't. This quilt now measures 43" wide x 28-1/2" high and I will not be changing the surface anymore, so this is the way this part will look.

I'm also going to include a closeup picture so you can see how closely this is quilted. I used many shades of brown and used up over 20 spools of thread. I think I have now gone officially insane.

The next step will probably be the part that will give you the clue you need to figure it out. I have been loving all your guesses so far! They range all over the place, but they are all intriguing. I promise that this project will start looking a little more interesting soon.

Big Hint of the Day
This is meant to imitate a natural material that we all have somewhere in our home, often in many unseen places.

Keep guessing!

What is it? - Part 2

I'll admit it. It's going to take 2-3 more days to finish the quilting on the mystery artwork, so you may not hear from me till I'm done with that stage. Everything still looks like it did yesterday, so I didn't post a new picture for you today. To make up for that, here's a gratuitous picture of an untitled and unexhibited piece I made about 6 months ago. It's never been seen before outside of my studio.

Big Hint about the Mystery Project
I decided to trim the edges, but otherwise leave it as one piece. I also decided not to paint over the top, as it already looks perfect. In fact, it's eerily like the stuff it's supposed to be representing, even from close up.

I already started creating some other parts for this mystery artwork, three of which will become the prizes in this contest. You haven't seen them yet because you'd figure out the mystery too soon. I'm going to make you wait, yes I am.

The next step that I do after the quilting will be the real giveaway.

What is it?

I'm still quilting the same piece. If you click on the picture, a larger image will be displayed, where you can see the texture being created by the stitching. I'm hoping to be done with this tomorrow, but I've been saying that for the last three days.

Recently, I've developed the tendency to obsessively quilt my work and this piece is no exception. I'm not really crazy, I'm just a bad quilter. I figure that the best way to hide my mistakes is to hide them in millions of other stitches. It works for me.

I can't begin to tell you how many spools of thread I have already emptied while quilting this piece. I've probably used up at least 15 so far.

Win an original artwork!

I started my next project, but it was stalled for a few days because my sewing machine was in the shop. Heaven help me, I had no more excuses, so I cleaned the toilets. No wonder I quilt, if that's the alternative.

The Contest

I am announcing a contest open to everyone who doesn't already know the answers (and I know who you are). The first blog reader who correctly gives the right answers to each question wins a piece of this artwork. It will be mailed to you, postage paid, around the end of September, as I intend to exhibit this artwork as part of my solo show.

There are three questions and the correct answer to each one wins a prize (one prize per person). Leave your guesses as comments on this blog, so they are time-stamped. I will continue to post pictures of this project as it progresses. You can guess the answer to any of the questions at any time.

The Questions

1. What will the quilt be when it is completed?
2. What is the name for this artwork?
3. There will be some text incorporated into this project. What will it say?

The Big Hints

To give you an idea of what you are looking at, I painted a fabric with brown acrylic paints, dark streaks and all. I used that fabric (whole cloth) as the quilt top, with layers of Thermore batting and black wool felt as the middle, then used black Kona fabric as the backing. I am stitching it heavily with brown thread. In the picture, this quilting is partially finished. When the quilting is done, I may paint over the entire top again, changing the color.

Remember, I use quilted forms as if they are raw material in my artwork, so what do you think this is going to be? At the very least, I'll be trimming the edges clean, but do you think I will cut it up and use it in something wild and crazy or will I keep it the general size and shape it is?

Leave your guesses on the comments!

Generic news and preannouncing a contest announcement

In the middle of quilting my latest artwork, my sewing machine told me in no uncertain terms that it was past due for its standard maintenance. That's means I've been without my machine for a few days while it's in the shop. That's fine, because I'm catching up on other, more low priority work, like cleaning toilets and filing paperwork.

Recently, I received notice that Melted was accepted into the SAQA: Up in Stitches exhibit at the Yeiser Art Center in Paducah, Kentucky. It will be there from March 8 - May 3. I hope they know that they need to arrange it first or hoo boy, are they in for a shock.

Last weekend, I got a call from Shin-Hee Chin, who is an art professor and talented fiber artist. I was in a four-person exhibit with her last year at The Fiber Studio. Shin-Hee is curating an invitational fiber art exhibit for September to be held at the renovated Opera House in McPherson, Kansas, a one-hour drive north of Wichita. She asked if I would display two or three pieces in this show. This happens to be at the same time as my solo show at the Steckline Gallery, which made me worry a little about having enough work to go around. However, I want to restrict my Wichita show to artworks that have never been seen here before, so I told Shin-Hee that I would be glad to show my work in McPherson. I'll just use work that has been previously exhibited in Wichita, making it available for this show.

Just in case I have any artwork left during that time, I would also like to enter a juried show that is being organized by my friend, Pam RuBert, which will be exhibited in Springfield, Missouri in September. I think I need to make some new work pretty quickly in order to replenish my stores! This picture of Pam was taken at the opening reception for Quilt National last May.

Speaking of new work, I've started a new project and will award prizes to people who can guess correctly about it. The details for the contest will be in my next blog entry, so stay tuned!

How I make my fiber sculptures

I've created several artworks that incorporate fiber sculptures. The sculptures look exactly like they are made of metal, but when you touch them, you discover that they don't feel cold. Right now, I'm making a tactile sample for an exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art (OH), where I will have two works on exhibit this summer, Knitted and Transformed. Using the sample I am making, I will show you how I made the "metal rollers" for Transformed.

I frequently use foam pool noodles as filler, because they are both lightweight, which reduces shipping costs, and chemically inert, so they will not deteriorate and "gas out" as they age. I have also used other materials, like aluminum foil, to create my basic shape.

1. If using a pool noodle, I cut it to the proper length using a serrated bread knife. It cuts like buttah.

2. Wrap the noodle or basic shape smoothly in about 3 layers of blue painters tape. You'll get the best results using the type shown in the picture. The more layers of tape you apply, the stiffer the outer shell of the sculpture will be.

3. Glue a layer of black fabric all over the blue tape using watered down Elmer's Glue. Trim the fabric as needed to fit the form. You don't need to make it completely smooth, depending on the final effect you want. Make sure everything is saturated, so paint the glue both under and over the fabric. Check during the drying to be sure the sculpture isn't sticking to the table. Let dry completely. The black "crochet hook" on the right is at this stage.

4. I use hand dyed cotton batting as the outermost cover. In the picture, you can see some examples of my hand dyed batting in the background. The best batting to use is Warm & White and you don't even need to prewash before dyeing. I like to use a very dark brown or black color for simulating the look of metal. Glue the batting onto the form, trimming to fit. Use watered down glue, saturating the batting fairly thoroughly. After a minute or two, the batting will soften to the point where you can smooth the cut edges with your fingernail and move it around to some extent. Check during the drying process to make sure all areas are covered. Dry completely. The small brown tube in the same picture is at this stage.

5. Rub several colors of metallic rub-on craft waxes in splotches on the batting.

6. Paint the sculpture with several coats of a water-based shellac. I like to use a "blonde" color. The first coat will be soaked up quickly by the batting, so let it dry thoroughly before the next coat. When you are done, the sculpture will resemble aged metal, but be much lighter in weight.

The finished sample can be seen in the last picture. Now wasn't that fun? Just don't try to display this as outdoor sculpture.