Vacation!

 

(Selfie in my booth at the Southern Highland Craft Show.)

In many of the several recent blog posts, the Southern Highland Guild's Craft Show was mentioned.  I'm happy to report that the show went very, very well!  Lots of my artwork found new homes!  Steve and I returned with a lighter load and spent today unpacking the boxes, updating my inventory book, and putting away the booth/lights/rug tiles/etc. We also did our laundry because the rest of the day was spent packing!  We are leaving again!  Tomorrow we fly to Vienna for three days and then take a train to Prague for five more!  We are excited!  When I get back, I'll be busy making new work but for now ... it's a vacation! 

Lancet Window CCXLVI and In Box CDXCV

 

(Above:  Lancet Window CCXLVI. Framed: 31" x 11". Layer of polyester stretch velvet fused to black recycled synthetic felt with free-motion machine stitching and melting techniques.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

By this time tomorrow, I'll have set up booth 414 inside the Harrah's Cherokee Convention Center in downtown Asheville, NC.  The show opens on Wednesday, October 15 and runs through Sunday, October 18.  It runs from 10 AM to 5 PM every day.  I hope several artworks find permanent homes.  Who knows? Maybe this new Lancet Window will be one of them!

 

(Above:  In Box CDXCV.  Custom framed: 34" x 22".  Layers of fused polyester stretch velvet on recycled black synethetic felt with free-motion machine embroidery and melting techniques.)

Maybe this Large In Box will get adopted!  It is a lot of work to do a craft show but it is also wonderful to stand surrounded by all my creations and have people interested in how I make them!  If you are near Asheville when one of the Southern Highland Craft Guild shows is taking place, you ought to go!

In Box CDXCIV: Hand stitched

 

(Above:  In Box CDXCIV.  Framed:  27 1/4" x 21 1/4".  Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused to white synthetic felt with hand embroidery and melting techniques.  Click on either image to enlarge.)

Every once in a while, I decided to make a piece that is a little bigger than the sizes I usually make.  This is one of them!  It's rather large for a hand-stitch In Box Series piece but not nearly as big as the commission I had weeks ago!  Ordinarily, my framed size is either 19" x 15" or 21" x 17".  Why did I make this one?  Well ... we had am extra piece of anti-reflective/UV filtering glass that measured 26" x 20".  Steve could have cut it down but he suggested making a piece especially for the expensive glass!  So, I did!

(Above:  Detail of In Box CDXCIV.)

Like many of the other artworks I've recently been making, this one is headed to the Southern Highland Craft Show in the Harrah's Cherokee Convention Center in downtown Asheville, October 15 - 18.
 

Mandala CCLXXXVII: Bird on a ViewMaster Reel with Dogs and the start of a new series called Curios

 

(Above:  Mandala CCLXXXVII: Bird on a ViewMaster Reel with Dogs.  Custom framed: 9" x 9".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an antique crazy quilt.  Objects include: Plastic bird on a yellow poker chip and a ViewMaster reel; rabies pet tags; plastic dogs; yellow game tokens; assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Although I've been super busy creating new work for my booth at the Southern Highland Craft Show in Asheville ... non-Mandala pieces! ... I just had to put together this little mandala!  The bird and the dogs totally inspired it. After the show, Steve and I are headed to Vienna and Prague for a week!  I'm sure I'll return with lots of new ideas but also the desire to put together several new Found Object Mandalas.  I've got plenty of "new -to-me" objects just waiting for my attention.

(Above:  Curio I through VIII in order ... laying on the steps to my sanctuary/studio.)

Almost every evening, I've been stitching on a new little series that I've named Curios.  These are just little works that have filled leftover frames.  Because they are made using the same materials and techniques as my In Box and Fiber Stained Glass pieces that will be in my booth, they will be going to Asheville.  Making them is fun but also a way to calm my nerves!  Doing a high end craft show costs a lots of money:  booth rent, nights in a hotel/AirBnB, gas money, etc.  I always get nervous.  Thus, making these small affordable ($100) pieces keeps me calm.  Hopefully, some of these will find a permanent home and I'll not lose money!  Below are a few poorly taken photos of them!

 

(Above:  Curio I and II.)

 

(Above:  Curio III and IV.)

 

(Above:  Curio V and VI.)

 

(Above:  Curio VII and VIII.)

 

Hand-stitched "one-off"

 

(Above: In Box CDXC.  Framed:  17" x 9 1/2".  Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused to synthetic white felt with hand embroidery and melting techniques. Click on either image to enlarge.)

Recently I finished several, small "skinny" pieces ... all using white synthetic felt ... all framed the same size ... all similar in design ... well ... sort of!  This one is different because it wasn't as tall but was wider.  The size was determined by a scrap of anti-reflective/UV museum glass.  It's expensive.  I try to use every scrap!  Facing this unusual size was a challenge.  The pieces of polyester stretch velvet were wider than those on the skinnier pieces.  This required me to fill in areas with a variety of hand embroidery, not just my usual straight stitch with a few colonial knots.  Adding cross stitches might not sound like a big deal but the planning involved meant more concentration! LOL!  

 

(Above:  Detail of In Box CDXC.)

Also, I melted more holes through the layers.  This involves more planning too!  Why?  Well, I have to be aware of where the thread goes on the back side of the piece.  I can't allow a thread to cross over the place I intend to make into a hole!  I like this sort of challenge!  Perhaps there's another scrap of museum glass sitting around just waiting for my next challenge!

New Lancet Window

 

(Above:  Lancet Window CCXLV.  Custom framed:  31" x 11".  Layers of polyester stretch velvet on repurposed, black industrial felt with free-motion machine embroidery and melting techniques.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This is the first of two Lancet Windows I plan on taking to the upcoming Southern Highland Craft Show in Asheville.  Steve has already built the frame for the second one but I haven't started it.  I have all of next week, however, to work in my studio!  I am very much looking forward to large blocks of time with my scissors, iron, and stash of polyester stretch velvet!

 

(Above:  Detail of Lancet Window CCLXV.)

I've used this same basic design before but no two are ever alike.  Why?  Well, all the material is cut by hand.  The layers also sort of shift under the weight of my hot iron.  Most importantly, my stash of polyester stretch velvet keeps changing.  Over the years, several colors have been discontinued.  Other colors replace them.  Right now, I have four different shades of pink but am lacking in shade of blue.  It is always a challenge!

(Above:  Detail of Lancet Window CCLXV.)

When I first started my "Fiber Stained Glass Series", I had a beautiful range of extremely sheer chiffon ... the sort once made into scarves for women to wear over hair curlers ... nearly invisible.  But they were discontinued.  Now I am using sheer tulle/netting.  Thing evolve!

 

(Above ... me with Lancet Window CCXLV.)

Don't get me started on the way framing materials have come and go!  Fortunately, I really like the selection that is currently available.

Two new Peacock Feathers for the upcoming Southern Highland Craft Show!

 

(Above:  Two new Peacock Feathers.  Framed:  31 1/2" x 11 1/2" each.  Polyester stretch velvet, sheer chiffon, metallic foiling, and a real peacock feather.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

In less than two weeks, I'll be in booth 414 at the Southern Highland Craft Show in downtown Asheville and these two Peacock Feathers will be there, available for just $395 a piece.  I adore making these pieces!  Even though the design is basically the same, no two peacock feathers are ever alike.  I sure know this to be true!  After all, these are Peacock Feather XLII and XLIII ... that's Roman numerals for 42 and 43.  Because of the elegant beauty of these feathers, I never tire of making new pieces in this series.

 

(Above:  Detail of one of the Peacock Feathers.)

When I made the first one, I thought I'd free-motion stitch around all the individual strands extending from the central shaft.  These are called "branches" or "barbs".  Silly me!  There is an average of three hundred of them!  Each barb is also made up of tiny branchlets/barbules ... approximately two million of them!  Until developing this series, I really didn't appreciate the complexity of a peacock feather (or any feather for that matter!)  I simply knew they were beautiful.