Mandala CCXVI

(Above:  Mandala CCXVI. Custom framed: 32" x 32".  Found objects hand-stitching to a section of an antique quilt. Objects include: An antique photo on a round metal base mounted on a wooden plate under which are nine, white, wooden checkers; clear plastic candle holders; beer caps; large metal washers; brass military uniform eagles; ViewMaster reels; laminated Hav-a-Tampa cigar labels; Mardi Gras doubloons; green, vintage cocktail forks; toy airplanes; green Monopoly hotels; vintage chiffon yoyos; assorted beads and buttons. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Like Mandala CCXV, this piece uses another section of the 1841 signature quilt. I started the design before laying out the earlier piece but wasn't quite sure about it.  I'm grateful that I have enough space here in my sanctuary-sized fiber arts studio to just let a design sit out in the open where I can look at it and contemplate the potential arrangement.  

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXVI.)

I moved the chiffon yoyos around for a few days.  Finally, I knew what was wrong!  I knew that I needed the two rings to be slightly different.  Out came the large, metal washers! 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXVI.)

Next came the challenge of attaching the round metal photo on the wooden plate ... and figuring out how to get the white checkers under the rim but still stitched in place.  That took some time but not as much as the rabbit hole I went down trying to determine the age of the metal photo.  I never did figure it out. I did, however, learn that photos were produced on metal back in the mid-19th century but it is unlikely that this one is that old.  Why?  Well, I browsed through plenty of over, similar photos on eBay and Etsy that certainly weren't from the 19th century.  Odds are that there was a time in the mid-20th century where this was a popular way to display photos of ancestors.  Still ... it is a nice picture with a great sense of nostalgia.  Soon, I had the center of this piece entirely stitched.  Again, I put it to the side and just looked at it.  Something was missing!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXVI.)

The corners needed "something".  This is how I often work.  I design part of a piece, look at the results, and then determine how to finish it.  The corner areas were done after a couple days of just looking and playing with other objects.  I'm very pleased with the outcome.  I'm also happy to show the picture above.  This picture shows some of the handwriting on the quilt but it also shows the layer of tan bridal tulle/netting that went over the quilt before any of the objects were stitched in place.  The tulle/netting protects the fragile, threadbare material.
 

Four new Small In Boxes

(Above:  Four, new Small In Box pieces ... leaning up against my sewing table.  Image taken using a flash.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Today the entire sky is gray.  It is wet outside and more rain is expected.  All is wonderfully quiet.  This is exactly the sort of day I dreamed about before retiring.  It is a day without interruptions, without the stress of holiday custom picture framing, without the sounds that seem to broadcast the rush-rush-rush of city dwelling.  This is a day when I can move from one stitching project to the next, leisurely.  It is also the sort of day that productivity runs high.  As a result, these four, Small In Boxes got put into their frames before I remembered to snap photos of them.

(Above:  The same photo as above but taken without a flash.)

Ordinarily, I don't need individual pictures of these pieces.  These are artworks that are often headed to the Grovewood Gallery in Asheville.  Yet with my acceptance into this coming spring's Smithsonian Craft Show, they might end up there.  I really love making them and often create more than one at a time simply because more than one will fit on my sewing table.  It is fun to cut up all the colorful bits of polyester stretch velvet, fuse it all onto the synthetic felt, and free-motion stitch it.  The other day, I posted a "story" on Instagram.  (I'm trying to learn more about all these social media platforms, including "stories" that disappear in a day but seem to drive traffic to my page.)

 

(Above:  The photo that Steve took of me melting one of the Small In Box pieces that became a "story" on Instagram)

The picture was taken on a much nicer but chilly day.  I was using my soldering iron to melt holes through the synthetic layers.  Wouldn't you know it!  This image prompted more than one person to inquire about the price of the finished works.  I promised to take pictures once they were finished ... but then ... I forgot to take them before they ended up in their frames.  So ... I lined them up ... leaning against my sewing table ... and took the pictures above.  One with flash; one without flash.

(Above:  In Box CDLXVII.  Framed:  19 1/4" x 15 1/4".  $235 plus the pesky South Carolina sales tax which is required even on out-of-state transactions and shipping. This is the same information for the three pieces below.)

Next, I hung each piece on one of the front doors and attempted to take individual photos.  Of course, I got a bit of reflection from the houses across the street.  Still ... its better than nothing!  Below are the other three.

(Above:  In Box CDLXVIII.)

 

(Above:  In Box CDLXIX.)

 

(Above:  In Box CDLXX.)

 

 

Mandala CCXV

(Above:  Mandala CCXV. 23 1/4" x 23 1/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an antique quilt. Objects include: A tintype in an embossed, gold foil spandrel stitched to half of an ambrotype case; a decorative porcelain plate; dominoes; silver paper binders; laminated, 1950s paper doll clothes; four "spinners"; vintage $25 farm store tokens; souvenir spoons; gold plastic thread spools on which anonymous photos were collaged; assorted beads and buttons. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Most of my Found Object Mandalas are created by assembling bits and pieces from random times and places.  Such was the centerpiece for this piece.  It started out with the tiny tintype of an anonymous little girl.  It was taped inside a small booklet sent to me from a friend.  Oddly enough, the tintype fit into the embossed gold foil spandrel I had in my stash.  Like the velvet lined case behind it, that spandrel predates the tintype by several decades ... but they looked so good together! So I poked holes in the foil and the case and stitched them together. 

 

(Above:  Backside of the porcelain plate.)

At the time, I wasn't sure this combination would work as the centerpiece for a mandala. Though I've used ambrotypes in the center of a few mandalas, I always put them on something round.  I wasn't sure I had anything that would work ... but then I noticed a porcelain plate I'd purchases at an antique mall.  I picked it up because it had a decorative border, one with holes!  But, I really didn't like the hand-painted fruit design ... so I hadn't used it.  Amazingly, the tinytype/ambrotype case assemblage aligned perfectly with the holes.  So I stitched it there!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXV.) 

Next, I needed a suitable background.  I rummaged through the box in which I store old quilts and pulled out one I'd never used.  Why?  Well ... it was really thin ... as in just a Southern summer quilt, the sort without batting.  It was well made but also damaged.  The red and white polka dot fabric used for the center of the medallions might not always have been "red and white". The "dot" had disintegrated years ago.  The "white" now seen is really the back of the quilt ... meaning ... just one layer of fabric.  There was another reason why I hadn't cut this quilt.  It was dated ... 1841 ... multiple times ... in sepia ink.  This was some sort of signature quilt.  The writing is difficult to read now, but many lines are Bible verses, names, and towns in upstate New York.  Like most of my quilts, I didn't pay more than twenty dollars for this one.  It seemed sad to cut something that old, but truthfully, it was the only real way to give parts of it "a second life".

 

(Above: Detail of Mandala CCXV.)

To solve the problems presented by this antique quilt, I simply stapled two layers of fabric behind the quilt.  (All my mandalas are stitched while stapled to a stretcher bar.)  What fabric did I use?  Of course it was repurposed!  I cut up an old damask tablecloth, one with stains from some holiday dinner.  This provided a more substantial base.  Like always, I pinned a layer of bridal tulle over the surface before stitching down any of my objects.  This nearly invisible layer protects the fragile, threadbare areas of the quilt.  

 

(Above:  Mandala CCXV, shown at an angle.)

Then, everything else simply fell into place.  I worked intuitively, picking up things that seemed to go with a "little girl" and the nostalgia of "long ago".  Most of the objects have been waiting in my stash.  I laminated the 1950s paper doll clothes more than a year ago.  I think the gold plastic spools have been waiting for even longer.  Of course, my stash has a big box of anonymous photos that were used on the tops of the spools.  The farm tokens were "newer to me"; I bought them last month at the Pickens County flea market ... which was also where I got the modern "spinner" toys for the corners. Best of all, I used colorful buttons.  I'm really pleased with how this Found Object Mandala turned out!

New Profile Picture

(Above:  My new social media profile picture.)

I would much rather be behind the camera than in front of it.  One of my eyes seems to squint if I attempt to smile much.  Often, I've got a stupid expression or accidentally move when taking a selfie.  Sometimes I get a finger in the way.  I must have clicked two or three dozen times before getting this result.  I don't really like it that much, but I was tired of trying to get something better ... something that shows me as I am but also my new, super cool eyeglasses.  I might try again ... sometime next week.  This will have to do for now.  At least it is current!  I subscribe to a few newsletters written by other art quilters and fiber artists who are still using the same image after more than a decade.  When I see their face on a Zoom meeting, I'm generally surprised.  They don't look like their picture any more.  I might not age gracefully but I'm not about to present myself with a picture from another era!
 

Mandala CCXIV

(Above:  Mandala CCXIV. Custom framed: 20" x 20". Found Objects hand-stitched to the backside of a vintage quilt.  Objects include: A tan, crochet-edged doily; a pair of old Wiss shears; two, gold metal pieces that might have come from a curtain stay with were fitted with antique button centers; an escutcheon; a piece of decorative metal; black toy car wheels; large, metal washers; natural wood toy car wheels; two, two-part buckles; assorted beads and buttons. Click on any image to enlarge.)

This particular mandala started as a way to use the pieces of a damaged frame.  One corner was badly chipped.  So, I started with the knowledge that the frame included black sides and a silver top.  The backside of an old quilt seemed perfect.  Then, I pulled out the old pair of Wiss shears that I recently found for a dollar at the Pickens County flea market.  The design flowed easily from there.  Everything seemed close at hand.  Most of the hand-stitching happened on Saturday while I watched one football conference championship game after another.  Later, however, I got curious about this brand name on the shears:  Wiss.

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXIV.)

A quick Google search was enlightening.  I'd heard of Fiskars and Gingher scissors.  They're sold at big box fabric stores.  I've seen Scotch and KitchenAid scissors at Target.  I knew that Singer made scissors too.  Personally, I own a pair of handmade scissors like those in this Made By British Hands video. (I love and protect them! LOL!)  Yet, I'd never heard of Wiss Shears and Scissors.  Why?  I have no idea.  

Founded in 1848 by Swiss immigrant Jacob Wiss, the company became the globe's largest producer by 1914 and later expanded to meet the growing needs of the medical and military industries.  From the start, Wiss replaced broken products regardless of the reason for the damage.  To this day, Wiss is the undisputed market leader of aviation snips. The brand is still being made and is part of Apex Tool Group.  On line, I found a PDF from the late 1950s showing all sorts of household items ... including tweezers, pruning clippers, cuticle snips, and fingernail files!  Who knew?!!!  There's a good chance I've seen and probably used a Wiss item but just didn't recognize it!

Mandala CCXIII

 

(Above: Mandala CCXIII. 2024. Custom framed: 32 1/4" x 32 1/4". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Found objects include: Model train cars; decorative wooden plate with a lion shaped belt buckle; coffee K-pods; dominoes; pastry molds; hinges; Tinkertoy connectors; hair clips; gold belt buckles; vintage poker chips; 1970 UAW pins; green Monopoly houses; and assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Over the years, there have been several occasions when a table lot of train parts has come up for bidding at an auction.  The price has always been too rich for my blood. I figured that using model train cars for a Found Object Mandala was simply not in the future.  Then, Steve and I stopped at the Lavonia Antique Mall.  One of the dealers specializes in model trains and had an extremely wide selection of very, very affordable parts.  

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXIII.)

 

It took plenty of time for me to examine all the train cars ... lining them up by their varied lengths, sizes, and colors.  Steve was patient while I selected an arrangement that would work on mandala.  I must have spent forty-five minutes in that antique mall booth!  It was time well spent.  Not only did I get these twelve train cars but I got eight more, shorter ones too!  They will go on a future mandala.

 

 

Some of these train cars were slightly broken (which explains the cheap prices!)  For the most part, this didn't both me, especially since I removed their wheels and bases before drilling holes in their sides. I am sure that real train enthusiasts would be horrified! LOL!  But without these extra parts, this mandala is a lot lighter than it looks!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXIII at an angle.)

Button Tidal Wave in White

 

(Above:  Button Tidal Wave in White.  2024. Custom framed: 29 3/4" x 29 3/4".  Assorted white buttons with a tan button and bead outline, hand-stitched to a section of an antique navy/cream coverlet.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

I was worried about this piece despite knowing that I really wanted to stitch a big, white wave as the fourth and final piece using sections of this antique coverlet.  After all, there are more white and off-white buttons in my stash than any other shade or color.  Yet on the other three waves, I'd always used white buttons to define the wave's outline. White buttons provided the needed high contrast with the dark, navy coverlet.  I needed "something else" for the outline here.  Finally I decided that layering up three tan/brown buttons would do the trick.

(Above:  Button Tidal Wave in White, detail.)

Like the earlier three button tidal waves, this one was a joy to stitch.  I've amassed an enormous number of buttons, more than I probably can ever stitch ... and it was time to actually use some of them.  Continuing to keep things in my stash is not exactly "giving second life" to them ... which is my driving force.  Not using them is sort of like having these buttons in limbo.  Yet, when I finished, I didn't like the results.  The contrast wasn't enough.  The solution ended up a simple one:  Add gold beads.  It did the trick.  I'm really happy now with the results. 

 

(Above:  All four Button Tidal Waves.)

Best of all is the fact that these four pieces are in our cargo van.  Tomorrow we are headed to Spiralis Gallery in Easton, Maryland to deliver more artwork.  The gallerist couldn't easily decide which of the tidal waves she wanted.  We are taking all four and hoping that she loves them all equally!  They all need permanent homes!

Good news!

(Above ... That's me at the Smithsonian Craft Show in 2022!)

Yesterday was THANKSGIVING and I have so very, very much for which to be totally grateful!  First ... the notifications came from the Smithsonian Craft Show.  My artwork was accepted!  I'm excited.  I didn't even apply last year because the dates were too soon after our move to Cateechee.  In 2022 I applied with my Found Object Mandalas and was accepted.  This year, I applied in two categories:  Decorative Fibers (with my In Box and fiber Stained Glass series) and Mixed Media (with my Found Object Mandalas.  The mandalas did not get accepted but the "Decorative Fibers" will be going!  I have lots of new work to make now despite having several pieces ready to go!

(Above:  The Lace Forest as it was installed last summer at Featherstone Gallery on Martha's Vineyard Island.)

I am also grateful (and seriously "over the moon") to announce that The Lace Forest was accepted into Fiberarts International.  Getting into this triennial has been one of my top artistic goals for ages!  In anticipation, I am stitching even more strands of lace together.  There were thirty in the show this summer.  Last week, I passed forty and still have enough lace for at least another ten! 
 

 

A Commissioned Found Object Mandala

Mandala CCXII. Custom framed:  32 3/4" x 32 3/4" when hung as a square; 46 1/4" x 46 1/4" when hung as shown as a diamond.  Found chandelier parts, vintage poker chips, copper pipe straps, and assorted beads and buttons stitched to a section of a white blanket.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This commission started with a big, heavy box of chandelier and lamp parts along with a vintage quilt.  It also started while Steve and I visited the home of a dear man we've known for decades.  This past year, he lost his wife, a lady we knew even longer than we knew him.  Like me, she often attended Bill Mishoe's estate auctions.  She collected many things, among them chandeliers and lamps.

 

(Above:  The chandelier parts laying on the vintage quilt.)

The design (with a few rearrangements of the individual pieces) was a good one.  The colorful quilt, however, seemed to fight with the design ... especially since we all knew that this piece would eventually hang on a dark, paneled wall in a mid-century modern house.  I suggested something "lighter" that would create more contrast between the dark elements and the dark wall.  An ordinary white blanket was suggested.  Though they aren't really visible in the final piece, the blanket's woven pattern included heart motifs that really infused the whole process with a subtle bit of love.  The blanket was almost "too white" for the chandelier parts but a layer of tan bridal tulle/netting was placed over the surface before any stitching was done.  This softened and warmed the contract perfectly.

 

(Above:  The back of the piece after stapled to its stretcher bar over which acid-free foam-centered board was glued.)

 

Like all of my Found Object Mandalas, the elements were hand-stitched to the substrata.  Then, the work was stapled to a stretcher bar over which I had glued a piece of acid-free foam-centered board.  Next, I used a super strong but thin brown thread to stitch the elements and quilt to the foam-center board.  This is done so that no section is supporting more than a few square inches of the weight.  Yet, this piece was HEAVY and I feared that with time and gravity, the holes created in the foam-centered board would widen ... and the piece might sag.

To combat this potential problem, a piece of thin paneling was cut to fit inside the back of the stretcher bars.

It was off-set clamped into place.  This allowed me to add the copper straps ... which were screwed through the blanket, the foam-centered board, and the wood panel.  There is now no way that the weight of this mandala will cause anything on the front to sag!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXII.)

As shown in the detail photo above, there are two copper straps on each of the eight heaviest chandelier parts!  I hope my friend in heaven is as pleased with her husband's commission as I am!

Button Tidal Wave in Tan

(Above:  Button Tidal Wave in Tan.  Custom framed:  28 1/2" x 28 1/2". Assorted tan and light brown buttons hand-stitched to a section of an antique coverlet.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Recently I finished Button Tidal Wave in Brown.  It required me to sort through my buttons, separating the tan and lighter brown buttons from the darker ones.  As the two piles grew, I knew that I would start a tan wave after finishing the darker brown one.

(Above:  Detail of Button Tidal Wave in Tan.)

The variety of brown buttons is amazing, but so seems to be the shades of every color.  Some of the buttons used in this tidal wave could easily have been sorted into the orange container.  After all, orange seems to go from dark cinnamon and rust to light apricot and pale peach.  Yet, I think the range adds to the texture and visual appeal.

 

(Above:  Detail of Button Tidal Wave in Tan.)

There will be one more Button Tidal Wave using the antique coverlet. I wish it had been bigger!  I don't know whether or not this theme will continue.  It depends on both the selection of the background material and the quantity of buttons I have in my stash!

In Box Experiment

(Above:  Steve with hand-stitched In Box CDLXI.)

I've been stitching pieces in my In Box Series for approximately two decades.  CDLXI is four hundred and sixty-one in Roman numerals.  Some are significantly larger.  Some are significantly smaller.  Most are created by free-motion machine stitching with only 100% cotton thread but some are hand-stitched with cotton floss. Over the years, I've been lucky enough to share my unique melting techniques through various workshops.  A frequent question concerns the black, recycled felt I've always used as the substrata for the layers of fuses polyester stretch velvet.  "Have you ever used another color?"  My answer has always been "No ... but go ahead and try that yourself."

 

(Above:  In Box CDLXI.  Layers of fused polyester stretch velvet on white recycled felt with hand embroidery and melting techniques. Unframed:  17" x 10 1/2"; framed:  23 3/8" x 18".)

 

I've used the black felt for a couple of important reasons.  First, it was FREE to me.  My black felt was once the protective covering for a kayak or canoe being shipped from a manufacturer to my friend's outdoor shop.  He didn't want to throw it away.  After all, it is a synthetic ... which will not decompose in a landfill.  I wanted it because it is a synthetic ... which will melt when exposed to the intense heat of my heat gun.  (Click here to see one a commissioned piece being melted.)  Second, my machine stitching has always been done using black thread, like an ink drawing of each motif.  Finally, black is a neutral and high in contrast with the colorful shapes ... but so is white!

Above:  Detail of In Box CDLXI.)

Last week I decided to try the experiment that I so often suggested to others ... use something other than black felt.  In my stash, I had white synthetic felt.  I also had a nice silver frame.  The frame is a leftover from my days as a custom picture framer and my shop that sold lots of beveled mirrors.  Before we retired and moved, more than one hundred mirrors were offered at 50% off.  Lots of them sold but others were moved and became the wall decor in our upstairs bathroom.  There were still more mirrors ... including one in a silver frame.  I decided to design my experiment to fit that frame ... in case the experiment worked!  Well ... it did work!  It worked so well that I'll be making more of these ... not in such a big, silver frame but something nice!

Button Tidal Wave in Brown

(Above:  Brown Tidal Wave in Brown. Framed: 29" x 29".  Assorted dark brown buttons hand-stitched to a section of an antique coverlet.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This is the second "button tidal wave" that will result after cutting up the antique coverlet. Though part of me hesitated when taking the scissors to this old material, I had such a wonderful time layering buttons that I couldn't wait to start the second one.  I did have to sort through more of my button collection but I had fun doing that too!

 

(Above:  Detail of The Button Tidal Wave in Brown.)

I know that the third button tidal wave will feature light brown and tan buttons.  I know this because I'm already working on it!  The final wave, however, is still undecided.  It could be black buttons but I think that won't have the desired contrast with the dark, navy blue coverlet.  It could easily be off white and white buttons because I have more of these than any other sort of button ... but what would the outline be?  Questions! Questions!  These ideas keep my mind occupied while my fingers attach buttons!

(Above:  Detail of The Button Tidal Wave in Brown.)

Mandala CCXI

(Above:  Mandala CCXI.  Custom framed:  40" x 40".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Objects include: Parts of two antique lamps; wooden textile mill perns/spindles; toy car wheels; keys; blocks cut in half;  wooden, decorative bird ornaments; brown coasters; bright blue coffee K-pods; Mardi Gras doubloons; prisms; and assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

I've run out of the colorful, wooden bird ornaments that I bought at the Creative Reuse Shop in Springfield, Illinois.  I'm a little sad about it because the shop had even more of them.  I never thought I'd use the ones I got but I did.  However, I have lots and lots more toy car wheels despite using more than fifty of them for this Found Object Mandala!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXI.)

This past week was exciting.  Two medium-sized In Boxes and an older piece over which I poured UV filtering epoxy went to the GreenHill Center of NC Arts in Greensboro, NC (despite the fact that I'm not really from North Carolina!) and another Found Object Mandala went to the Holiday Ensemble Show at Spalding Nix Fine Art in Atlanta.  Meanwhile, another mandala sold at Spiralis in Easton, MD.  I finished two large In Boxes and another smaller, hand-stitched one.  Plus, I'm working on a commission!  Life is good!