aRt by Rhoda Forbes

Sunday "summer days"

2012-01-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

We had some very cold temps last week, down to -45C with the windchill. Then it warmed up and gave us a nice cover of snow. Today a gorgeous sunny day with -7C. So I had some time last week to finish up a design I was working on. I hope to teach this at a shop in the spring, therefore I used Bali fabric from the shop...of course you might know I want to do it in my hand dyes. I just think the hand dyes give more depth to the subject.
Here it is:

I made it to hang as one long piece, however I think it would look nice hanging as each separate block?

It has been sometime since I did any designing, so really had to put the old thinking cap on.
Hope you are having a lovely Sunday.

New Design and Orca Bay

2012-01-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

I worked on a new design last week, it still needs quilted and binding. Need a name for it, any suggestions?
Here it is:

Here is one row for the Orca Bay quilt, I have four rows done and the fifth ready to sew together.

Our lovely spring like weather has gone, -29 for most of the day and predicted to stay that way for a week. A good time to stay in and finish the orca bay quilt.
Hope that you are having a great week.

Orca Bay Final Steps

2012-01-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

I've started putting the quilt together, although I haven't finished all the units yet. My, the last two steps just days apart have a lot of work! I like the way it looks. My red string blocks are just a bare 1/4" too large, so am adjusting ! My design wall isn't wide enough to show the whole strip:) Hope to have the top finished sometime next week. You can check out this Mystery at: http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/orca-bay-mystery.html I am loving how this is working out, what a beautiful design!

Orca Bay step #5 & 6

2011-12-26T10:37:00.001-07:00

Continuing the Orca Bay Mystery. I didn't think I'd be able to keep up during the Season but I did it.

Step #5 was a lot of sewing, sewing all those wings on the little half square triangle blocks.

Step #6---ahhh finally some blocks. Who would of thought Ohio Stars 28 lights and 28 darks, It was fun to put the blocks together and I am really looking forward to Step #7 this Friday. I am enjoying every step of this mystery with Bonnie, if you would like to see more of the Orca Bay mystery check out Bonnie's blog:
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/orca-bay-mystery.html

We had a wonderful Christmas, filled with friends, family, food and good cheer. A very unusual Christmas for the north as we have hardly any snow left! The lawn is green...can just imagine what Mother Nature has in store for us for January :)

Red Fabric and Orca Bay Step #4

2011-12-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Step #4 for the Mystery Quilt made me very happy, working with red!!! I made 64 red string blocks, they are such fun to make.Then these were cut in half to form beautiful rectangles 128 of them! I am having so much fun with this mystery and the mystery continues. Bonnie says there are 8 steps so what is next is a mystery. You can learn more about the Orca Bay Mystery quilt at : http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/orca-bay-mystery.html
I hope everyone is enjoying this mystery quilt as much as I am.

When I started Step #4 I had lots of red scraps from two previous quilts. I've really been into reds the past few months. Both the following quilts are going on the quilter this week...for sure! The Buggy Barn star quilt still needs two borders, the other quilt is made of sister's choice blocks and it is ready to be quilted. Gottal love red!

Orca Bay Myster Step#3

2011-12-03T17:25:00.001-07:00

Well, I finished step #3. I thought for sure we would be using reds in this step...but not so. I had to dig deep to find blacks, not much plain black so used black with patterns on it. 350 half square triangles unfinished size 2"...now that is a lot of sewing, pressing and trimming. Bonnie your are working us hard for this mystery:)
I had made some HST too small for step #1 so had 98 already made, am I ever glad I didn't throw them out.
You can learn more about the mystery quilt at Orca Bay Myster quilt
Here are my little lovlies.

I don't have any of Bonnie's rulers so I used the Wondercut Ruler for the HST. You sew two strips together, one dark and one light, sewing on both edges.

Then use the dandy ruler to cut them, it really makes fast work of HST and is a method that I like to use. After cutting you just press the seam open and voila! a perfect HST. I can make 24 from two strips of fabric cut the WOF.

So far I am enjoying this mystery a lot, and am looking forward to Step #4...will we use our reds???? Stay tuned
Lovely day in the north, little snow on the ground and above zero :)

Orca Bay step #2

2011-11-29T09:45:00.001-07:00

I have finished step #2 for the Orca Bay mystery quilt. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/orca-bay-mystery.html
It was a lot of fun putting together these 3.5" string blocks.72 of them finished. I started out using computer paper for foundation...didn't work well too hard to rip off. Then I used newspaper, ahhh it worked very well and came off so easily. I really enjoyed putting the shades of blue/purple/and gold together. And certainly used up a lot of scrap fabric.
Waiting for the next step.
Have a great Day!

Orca Bay Mystery quilt part #1

2011-11-25T17:19:00.001-07:00

A little diversion from my art quilts. I've joined Bonnie Hunter's group to complete the Orca Bay Mystery Quilt.

I dug out all my blacks and neutrals and started making half square triangles, and put these together to form 228 Hour Glass blocks...lot's of piecing, but that is fine with me. At this time I need something to take my mind off life.
I have my blues and reds picked and look forward to the next step.
This is the first mystery I've done with Bonnie, and I'm very excited about it all.

Here are my hour glass blocks.

Seasons

2011-09-16T08:59:00.000-06:00

I have submitted one of my quilts to Quilting Gallery, Nine Patch Galore Quilts contests. It is called 'Seasons" and I would love it if you would go and vote, there are many beautiful quilts to vote for. Go to:http://quiltinggallery.com/2011/09/16/vote-now-nine-patch-quilts/, scroll down to the bottom you will see my 'Seasons' near the end, the voting is further down. Thanks so much.

» Vote Now: Nine-Patch Galore Quilts / Quilting Gallery

quiltinggallery.com

It's voting time for this week's Nine-Patch Galore Quilts. Grab a cup of coffee, some paper and a pen and vote for your favourites.

Study in red/gree tones and hues

2011-08-19T12:09:00.000-06:00

Don't have a title for this one yet, another one done in Pamela's class. We were to choose complimentary colors and uses anything but the true colors I did sneak in some true red on her lips :)
I was amazed what I had in my stash for red/greens. The sky is a piece of hand dye I did, and wouldn't you know it with the help of some colored pencils a moon appeared.

Enjoy.

The Note

2011-08-11T16:00:00.000-06:00

Here I am taking another online class with Pamela Allan...and I haven't finished quilting the three from the previous class...oh the lazy days of summer:) I call this one 'The Note'...will leave the rest up to your imagination you will note there is only one wine glass...

Here is the first one from this class, a study in black and white. Not stitched yet, I certainly have some stitching ahead of me...

Washday

2011-06-12T18:02:00.000-06:00

Here is the final one from Pamela's class, I got stuck and had to redo it several times. First we did a small composition, then we cut a section out and re-built it. This one needs stitching. Thank goodness Pamela is a patient teacher :)

The Dock

2011-06-12T17:59:00.000-06:00

Finished stitiching The Dock, stitching always brings the raw edge applique to life.
Also finished cupcakes, and added some bling :) The Dock is all hand stitched whereas the Cupcake one is machine stitched.
Two more to go.

The Jive

2011-06-03T13:29:00.000-06:00

Here is the third one done in Pamela's class, still needs stitched. I have several pieces now that need stitching. The challenge here was to show emotions/mood...I think I've caught the 50/60's jive, music and fun...right down to the poodle skirt. I am working on Lesson #4, when that is done I can get with the stitching.
June 3rd and we are having wet snow, not nice at all!

Annual quilt Show

2011-05-21T10:57:00.000-06:00

Our guild held their annual quilt show on May 15, I was busy all winter preparing for it. . I did won 1st place viewers choice for this one. It is called stitchers garden, and is an exercise in using all those fancy stitches on your machine as well as bobbin work, and different feet. I mainly used my hand dyes for the applique sections. It fits my queen bed and hangs over quite nicely.

'Cupcake'

2011-05-21T10:48:00.003-06:00

The second lesson in Figures and Faces, with Pamela Allen. This challenge was head and shoulders.

All the hooplah over the delicious cupcake outbreak brought about this composition, she still needs stitched, but here she is in all her glory. The next lesson is 'mood'...mmmm...wonder what I'll do? stay tuned....

New Class "The Dock"

2011-05-21T10:46:00.000-06:00

I finally feel like the creative mojo has returned after a long hiatus. It took a class with Pamela Allen to bring it back. The class is called Figures and Faces and I am having so much fun. Here is my composition for the first lesson. I call it "The Dock" , I am now in the process of stitching it, but will post the picture for your enjoyment.It will really come alive with some hand stitching on it.

I was thinking of the impending flooding on the Mississippi and how this scene could vanish, a couple very happy with days catch.

'Village'

2011-04-16T10:16:00.000-06:00

This is another piece started in Pamela's class, it is a village using patterned fabric. I still have to do the stitching.

Sisters

2011-04-16T10:10:00.002-06:00

I have been so lazy keeping up my blog, just too much happening.

This is a piece I did in Pamela's class, the challenge was to take a palette of one of the masters and use the same palette to create a composition. I chose one by Henry Matisse, re-created it in fabric and then the third one is the same color palette and my composition. I call it 'Sisters' , my dear oldest sister played the piano and I always wanted to play stand up bass :) Using Pamela's method there is no drawing, the scissors are the drawing tool.
I have another one I started in the class but haven't finished yet. Still snowing up our way, and I can tell you I am sure ready for spring!!

Almost Macke

2011-02-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share this piece with you. I did it in a QU class with Marilyn Belford. What I did was try and reproduce Macke's 'Three Girls and a Dog'using fabric, very similar to the class I am taking now with Pamela. You can see that I didn't pay much attention to values and the different shades that Macke used :) Hope I do better in this class.

More Snow Fun

2011-01-18T12:12:00.001-07:00

This is the wagon this morning, we had a lot of drifting last night.
I also had fun with some snow dyeing, here are the results, I've got four more on the go :) This is my first time using Procion dyes for snow dyeing, and realize I should have used more dye. Have more dye on the ones I've got batching today. The first one I twisted before putting into the container.
Must take advantage of all this fluffy snow. And I love the surprises that happen when snow dyeing.
Hope you are having a great day.

And the other picture is a small car that has been parked at the hospital for the past week, yesterday you couldn't see it at all, the wind has loosened some of the snow...yes we have had a lot of snow!

Ravens

2011-01-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

Any of you that were in the Still Life class of Pamela's will know my love affair with ravens. This morning I looked out the back window and this is what I saw. At least twenty Ravens, hunkered down in this tree trying to stay warm in our frigid snowy weather. I am sure it is very hard for them to find food right now with the amount of snow we have had, and we have a heavy snowfall warning for today 20-25cm which is more than 6 inches! The temp is in the -30's with the windchill....ahh gotta love winter in the north.
The trees out front are loaded with snow, and the yard out back...well that's the wagon under there and it is a large wagon that horses pull! Enjoy the photos.

FFFC #52 Color Field

2011-01-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

These are the two pieces that I started for the last Fast Friday Fabric Challenge. Our challenge was doing a piece in the 'color field' technique. This is large blocks of color, sort of abstract but not really? You can see I had some trouble with this challenge. Here are the two pieces, started and still not quilted.

The first one I did is 'Fields of Tulips', and it is quite landscapey, perhaps too much so to be called color field.
This next one I called 'Morning Sunshine" and it is more like the technique of 'color field'. I guess I am just too much of a realist to wrap my brain around this technique :) But hey, I tried!

Beginnings

2011-01-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have been so neglectful of my blog. Find that I'm not spending much time online. Anyway, I just finished a piece for a new group I belong to. It is a Haiku group, once a month we are given a word to kick start our imagination. We are to write a Haiku and then put it to picture.
This month our word was 'beginnings', this is our first challenge.
I chose the newborn for my Haiku. Spending so much time at the hospital with my Mom I have witnessed so many new borns and hope they all have a rich full life.

Beginnings:

behold your journey

embrace enjoy entirely

beloved little one

I chose a piece of my snow dyed fabric, love the way it portrays the rays of sunshine, and all the wonderful colors of our world with some turbulence a long the way. I free cut the silhouette from a rough sketch and added some hand stitching.

Highrise FFFC#51

2010-12-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

The artwork is going slowly for me, but I did participate in this months FFFC. Thanks for the great challenge Wendy. We were to use one shape to create a composition. I chose to use a rectangle, and my box of scrap fabrics. Some of you may recognize a few pieces of rusted fabric too. It was a lot of fun creating this piece. And great fun looking at what others had created from one shape. You can view more of the challenge pieces at http://fastfridayquilts.blogspot.com/ Enjoy.

FFFC#50 Haiku: Dandelions

2010-11-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Finally back to doing the FFFC challenge. I had fun with the October one. Our project was to create a Haiku and put it to cloth. Here is my Haiku:
seed pods billowing
the dandelion releases
its glaze of yellow

Long Time away

2010-10-10T13:22:00.000-06:00

Such a busy time of year, and still dealing with the left hand. Did have a cortisone shot a week ago, haven't noticed a great deal of difference. I did have some fun over the past month hand dyeing some fabric. Here are some of the results. Oh and fun sun dyeing many pieces too!
The colors are a bit brighter on the page than they actually are. I am attending a retreat on the 21st and will be selling my patterns and hand dyed fabric, looking forward to a fun weekend with friends.

I would like to wish all my Canadian friends a Happy Thanksgiving, and to those of you who don't celebrate a Happy Fall! And a gorgeous one it is.

Evening Walk Solitude FFFC #47

2010-08-02T20:45:00.000-06:00

I have finished a piece for the FFFC group. The challenge was 'out on a limb' Well I got the trees, but I didn't really go out on a limb, most the techniques I used are ones I've done before. The only thing new would be the painted background. The trees and birds are all free hand cut, no pre-drawing.
I had fun with this piece, did both hand and machine stitching on it. The woman was drawn on pink fabric, she looks very much like one of my nieces.
It feels good to be creative, I've had a summer of enjoying the outdoors and not doing much in the studio. Ah well our summers are so short we must enjoy every bit of it.

Enjoy!

Sikanni, inspiration

2010-07-29T18:36:00.000-06:00

Here are a few inspiration photos from our trip. My grandaughter and I build a Inukshuk, wonder if it will still be there when we go up in Aug?? A neat little butterfly on a rock, rocks, beautiful fire weed and paintbrush on the side of the hi way, it rained and then a glorious double rainbow! Those are spans leff from the old bridge. It burnt a number of years ago.

Holiday

2010-07-28T09:27:00.000-06:00

We had a fabulous holiday at the Sikanni River, our favorite Place. Took the dogs, they could all run free...as they should. Just a wonderful peaceful time both on the river and watching the river go by while sitting around the campfire. Here are some pictures from our trip. Enjoy the pristine beauty of the great northeastern part of BC wilderness. Heading up river, the canyon, Ginger's first boat ride. The falls, a goat on the ledge, pristine water up river, the camp.

Sikanni Canyon FFFC #46

2010-07-01T13:02:00.000-06:00

After being in somewhat of a 'slump' for many months I have finally created a piece. I missed many FFFChallenges and am happy to have achieved this one.
Our challenge was Geology with unexpected colors. I chose a picture of one of our favorite places, the Sikanni River, BC. I have included the original picture. I painted a piece of cloth and then stitched both by hand and by machine. Using colors of Utah or Fire Valley NV, as you can see in the picture not the colors of our landscape at all. The Sikanni has always fascinated me, pristine clear water, rocks sideways, rocks up, deep shadows, just a very intriquing place. I hope you have enjoyed this little piece of art from the north, and Happy Canada Day to my friends and family.

Coffee time

2010-04-18T19:47:00.001-06:00

This is a piece that I started in Pamela Allan's class. I call it 'Coffee Time' , lot's of hand stitching which I enjoy doing.

Koi

2010-04-18T19:42:00.000-06:00

Here is another finished piece. I pieced log cabin blocks with cotton and silk fabrics, placed the plumeria tree and Koi over it. The Plumeria came first, then I noticed the bottom was empty so used sashiko stitiching to add a winding stream and added the Koi.

Made from my hand dyed/painted fabric.

New or finished work

2010-04-16T10:46:00.000-06:00

Here are some other pieces that I have finished.
White Peacocks, when researching them I was surprised to learn that they are not albino, but belong to the Peacock family and are quite fantastic and brilliant when theya re all white.
Lot's of thread work on this one.
Raindrops at Radar Lake is made with my hand painted/sun dyed fabric and commercial cotton. I didn't want to lose the effect of the sun dye areas by quilting over them, so made 100's of french knots to represent raindrops :)

Quilt show

2010-04-16T10:37:00.000-06:00

Our guild held their annual show on April 11th, it was a huge success. I had many pieces in it as did others, we really thought for awhile that we wouldn't have enough for a show. As it turned out we had 37 pieces.
In this post I am posting the three viewer choice winners.
Rhoda, 1st , Josie 2nd and Barb 3rd.
My piece was a hang appliqued quilt, pattern by Susan Gorman. Three years and five hand surgeries and it was finally done! It was my first attempt at hand applique and I can sure see the progression of the neat stitches.
I thoroughly enjoyed making it, but likely won't repeat the process for awhile.

I believe Josie's is a Jinny beyer pattern. Barb set very old crosstitch blocks into her winning quilt. I have included a picture of the close-up quilting on mine, I machine quilted it.

Enjoy.

Spring

2010-04-13T13:29:00.000-06:00

I have sorely neglected my blog in the past few months. No excuses, just haven't got to it.

Here is a new piece, 'White Peacocks', I always thought they were albino but they aren't. They certainly are a gorgeous bird.
The weather has been very cold the past week, supposed to warm up next week, I hope so I really do want to get out in the yard and muck about. We had our guilds annual show on Sunday, and I vendored for the first time. I was surprised at how much of the snow dyed fabric that I sold.

snow dye

2010-03-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

Had some very nice results with snow dyeing last night. The snow is melting so is quite heavy, which seems to make for less white. However, I like the results. I did two orange/yellow ones, they both are about the same so only posted one.
Will do some more tonight, the snow is going down fast.

Blog Giveaway

2010-02-27T13:27:00.001-07:00

My friend and fellow student Will Opio has a blog give away, some of her gorgeous snow dyed fabric. Visit her blog for a chance to win, and view her awesome work.
http://wilopiooguta.blogspot.com/

Pamela Allan's class cubism

2010-02-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

Last week in pamela's class we studied Cubism. When researching artists and viewing their work I thought it looked easy, sure found out differently when I attempted a Cubist composition. So here is my effort, not stitched, Woman playing Cello.
This class with Pamela has been very intense and I feel I don't have enough time. However, I am learning so that's the main thing.

A gorgeous sunny day in the north, little chilly this morning but no complaints from me.

Pamela Allan's class

2010-02-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

Here are two more starts I've done in Pamela's class. They both need stitched and quilted.
The first one is 'my garden' and the second is a still life done with funky floral shapes.

It has been fun exporing flowers in a whole new way. I've got one more from this lesson to complete. Will get at it soon I hope.
Still snow dyeing and had some great results with turquoise the other night, Here they are.

I used turqouise Jacquard reed dye with some tan and scarlet Rit dye....still experimenting :) I am finding that freezing the wet fabric before applying the snow gives great results.

Such fun.

still more snow dye fun

2010-02-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

I had some great results from yesterdays snow dyeing, of course there is NO shortage of snow up north. For these three I used Rit dye. Very neat designs, and more whitish than I've got using the other dyes I have here. I see a background for my funky flowers done in Pamela's class for Lesson 2.

I'm excited about the results.

February already, class with Pamela Allan

2010-02-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

I don't know where Jan went, I do know that winter is still here.
At present I am taking an online class with Pamela Allan, very intense and she is such a great teacher. We were to choose one of our favorite artists pieces and duplicate the colors. Only cutting with scissors...your scissors are your pencil in Pamela's class.

Macke is one of my favorites, I chose his 'Three People Walking' a rather serene lovely piece.
Here is my take on it.

No stitching it is just pinned and glued in place. No pre-drawing or drawing, just shapes cut out with scissors.

Next we were to use the same colors for our own composition. I chose to create a scene that is less serene, mine is called "Three People watching the storm"

I will do some handstitching on it and hopefully it will come to life.

I don't know what is in store for us next week, but this weeks work on color was an eye opener for me.

I also love seeing all the other artists work that other studens have chosen.

FFFC#41, Raven in the cherries

2010-01-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

I have just finished my challenge piece for this month. Way out of my comfort zone, but I diligently worked away and find that it turned out not too bad. Our challenge was, use three of the primary colors and their compliments. I chose to use all three primaries and their varying hues. We also were to fracture the piece and to use something with wings. I did a still life, as the raven always seems to sneak into them, but this time he is front and center. Fracturing is totally new to me, and I think I might have got a bit carried away. I was trying for a dark side wall and the sun rays coming in onto the light wall. This is one technique that I would like to do more of. That is what so great about the FFFC group, a challenge every month.
If you want to see some gorgeous fracture work:
http://www.katiepm.com/riohondolarge.html Katie P
http://www.robbieklow.com/Gallery.asp Robbie J E

Enjoy and please leave a comment I appreciate receiving feedback from my peers.

Friday Night Sew In

2010-01-23T10:48:00.001-07:00

Joining the Friday Night Sew-in is a way of setting some time aside to work on those projects on your to do list. And remember - it doesn't have to be a sewing project.. maybe you have a knitting project.. or some scrapbooking.. it could be anything. Join us on Feb. 19th.

New blog

2010-01-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

I have started a new blog for my traditional quilts. I have so much stash and a lot of UFO's, my commitment for this year is to finish UFO's and bust some stash. I have a couple of post there if you would like to check it out. http://quiltsbyrhoda.blogspot.com/
Have a nice day.
Rhoda

more snow dyeing

2010-01-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here are two more pieces that I have done. The turqoise colored one is Jacquard silk dyes, and the brown/rust one is reed dye!

Disappearing 9 patch

2010-01-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

I finished the Disappearing nine patch for my brother in law. Just have it in the dryer and then will take it to him. He has menengitis and has been very ill and still is ill. I'm hoping he'll find comfort from this quilt, and I busted a bit of stash. The mega quilter co operated well this morning.

more snow dye fun

2010-01-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

On the first one I used Dharma blue pigment and some brown. It reminds me of 'jack frost' on the windows in the winter.
The second one was done with apricot and turquoise silk dyes.

Such fun.

Snow Dye

2010-01-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

We have lot's of snow so decided to try Beth's method for snow dyeing. Here is her tutorial:
http://quiltersstitchtogether.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-version-of-snow-dye-process.html
I can probably tell you what not to do after my first try, don't take it out of the snow bath too soon. I was over anxious and took it out way too soon, that is why there is little color.
I'm pleased with my first results, they will make nice backgrounds for wallhangings. However I am really looking forward to the next batch.
I've got two more on the go and will leave them long enough to become saturated with color. And I used Dharma pigments...just using what I have on hand :)
Thanks for the inspiration Beth.
I think the first one looks like a jelly fish with a huge clam shell in the corner, and I can see some trees in the second one. What do you see? Let me know. Thanks for taking a look.
A friend just drew my attention to the face on the left hand corner of the first piece!

Inspiration

2010-01-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

I got the camera out this morning. I don't do this near often enough. Inspiration is right in front of us and often we miss it.
A gorgeous sunrise and a lonely wheelbarrow. Enjoy.

On t he design wall

2010-01-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

I've started a Disappearing Nine Patch for my brother in law. I don't really have a pattern, so am winging it from blocks I've saw on the net. I've used two shades of green and two of gold, so far I'm pretty happy with it. Now must get it sewn together.

Bliss FFFC#40

2010-01-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

I was the host for the challenge this time. We were to do a still life, plant, and the color scheme from product packaging.
I love dark chocolate, especially during the cold winter months.
While researching the topic of color schemes of product packaging and the mood they evoke I now know why I reach for Bliss Dark chocolate.
Brown for warmth, comfort and security, pink for romance and calmness, and gold for happiness.
This was a great exercise, both in putting together the challenge and in doing it.
I used some gold leaf on the background
.
I've included a picture of Hersey Bliss package and my still life.
If you would like to see more of this challenge visit http://fastfridayquilts.blogspot.com/
Enjoy, and I look forward to your comments.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2010-01-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

I have sadly neglected my blog for too long. I had surgery on my left hand Nov. 18th, a few complications so lot's of pain. Have been in a cast since...it comes off Jan. 7th!!! Then a brace for six weeks.
Therefore my accomplishments have been few.
The grandaughters got right into the Holiday spirit and we had a baking day. They followed directions very well :)
Hoping everyone has a Healthy Happy New Year.
A picture of the lefse and sugar cookies the girls made.

New bags

2009-11-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

It feels good to be creating again. I finished three bags this weekend, I like the style; lot's of pockets but not too large.
Now onto to some different color schemes :)

We had a huge snow storm on Fri. It melted a bit yesterday but then cooled off and made it quite icey out there. Halloween was very quiet, only a handful of trick and treaters.

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge #38

2009-10-29T18:56:00.000-06:00

I've missed the last two FFFC so managed to get this one done in time. Our challenge was to do an animal and create depth by reverse applique etc. I cropped a picture of a zebra and used it as a reference for drawing. Laid down a piece of hand painted fabric, with black overtop. Drew the design on the paper back of the stabalizer and stitched. Then came the hard part, cutting it all out. I used a blanket stitch with blue thread on the black lines. It measures 21x24" I call it 'African Sunset'.
A fun piece.
Thanks for having a look.

Heavy snow fall warning in the Peace, and it has been coming down pretty steady all day...oh well It is just about Haloween.

New purse/bag

2009-10-26T13:50:00.000-06:00

After nearly a month I finally got into the studio on the weekend. My sister, son and I took a trip down to North Central WA, we did the shop hop and had such a great time. Wow, the fabrics south of the border are sure less expensive than up here.
Then we stopped at Keremeos and loaded up on veggies and fruit, so then when I got home it was canning time.
Anyway, here is what I did on the weekend.
I painted paper sided stabalizer and ironed it to the fabric, added some shapes and gold foil etc., I like it. But I like the back side the best :) I can see making more of these.

Have a nice day.

Quilted Tote Bags

2009-09-23T20:41:00.000-06:00

I deesigned a tote bag pattern and have been having some fun with it. The bag is quite large, and has 3" deep sides, It also has binding all around, which I like. It is quilted on the back and the front, which makes it quite sturdy.

I've posted some pics of the ones I've made.

First Class

2009-09-21T12:39:00.000-06:00

I taught my first fabric class on the 12 and 13th. I was quite nervous going into it, but it was a huge success. Lots of great feedback on the evaluation forms.
Here are a few pictures from the class, and you can see more at this link.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gizmo100/
I love that the participants took my pattern and made it their own. That's what teaching is all about.
I'm planning another one for the end of October.

Enjoy.

rust dyeing

2009-08-28T11:24:00.001-06:00

This is my first attempt at rust dyeing. What a fun process. I had a box of rusted 'junk' that I brought from the farm. I remember my son saying,
what do you want that for???? I didn't really know, sentimental value??/ Anyway it is coming in handy.
The first piece was a saw blade, and old stove damper 'thingy' and some large washers.The second piece was wrapped around an old lantern, I did the wrapping twice.
I have three more bags on the go :)
Now what to do with them.

Painted Swans, stitched

2009-08-27T20:45:00.000-06:00

I have finished the swans that I showed the other day.
I used WonderFil Rayon threads for the stitching, a bit of blue metallic under the birds. I used a variegated WonderFil Accent thread for the trees in the foreground.
For a first attempt I'm quite pleased with the results.
I look forward to your comments.

Radar Lake

2009-08-27T10:51:00.001-06:00

I sun printed a lot of my hand painted fabric last summer. My grandaughter and I collected all sorts of foliage at a small lake near our community. Thus the title. I have had the idea for a quilt swimming in my head for nearly a year!
It is not quilted, just have the top finished. I found it exciting to put together this piece. Unfortuanately the sun printing on the light areas don't show up in the picture, but they are there.
I'm trying hard to cross of things from my ever lengthening list of things to do or try :)
We are having a gorgeous crisp morning in the South Peace, it didn't freeze last night but was close.
The tomatoes are still on the vine, ripening, so must start covering them at night.
Have a great day.

Playing with Fabric Paints

2009-08-23T19:19:00.000-06:00

I had a fun time today playing with fabric paints. I used Pebeo Setacolor for this. I hope to sandwich it tomorrow and get some stitching added. Such fun. Does anyone know of a good resist for fabric? I guess the swans are ok with the bit of blue, I used two layers of freezer paper for the template.
Enjoy.

Seeds of Change

2009-08-13T12:49:00.000-06:00

Finally some new work, or a piece finished! I seem to be doing a lot of 'starts' lately.
This piece was done for the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge group, the challenge was radial symmetry.
I've wanted to do a woman and child for awhile, so this was a great opportunity. All the hungry children in the world, oh my it bothers me.
Seeds of Change developed. With a helping hand from others new hope for those suffering.
The seeds; water, seeds and children.
I look forward to your critique.

The real use for quilting frames

2009-08-01T11:00:00.000-06:00

This is our new cat, Maggie. Can you tell that she likes the new quilting frame??? She is quite a helper.
I've never been real fond of cats, but this little devil has sure captured my heart.

Reflection (aka WIP)

2009-07-21T10:38:00.000-06:00

I made some huge changes to this piece. NO borders. Thanks to my friends on the Quilt Art List for your critique, and thanks to the artist with the mostest, Pamela!
I look forward to your comments on the changes I made. The bottom, reflection section, has a layer of blue tulle over the quilted/thread painted flowers. I love the gradation of this grey fabric, purchased it from my friend Anita at Beatton Way. It makes a nice background for the sunflowers. I have also included a closeup of the stitching, this piece was done with WonderFil rayon.
Now, must move on to something other than sunflowers :0
Enjoy

Work in Progress

2009-07-14T12:49:00.001-06:00

I'm working on a new piece, and would really like some feedback.
It's about the light gold borders...I rather like them but a friend has suggested maybe they are too 'choppy' and I should just frame the picture with the gold border?
I think it gives the piece a more 'artistic' flare the way the borders are, If I just frame the picture it is more 'quilterly'...am I making any sense?
What do you think, I value everyone's opinion.
And look forward to your comments.

FFFC #34

2009-07-03T13:46:00.001-06:00

I have just finished a piece for the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge. It was a lot of fun. I used the triadic color scheme of red, yellow, and blue and various hues of those colors. I hope achieved texture, the quilting doesn't show up in the picture, but her skirt looks quite puffy. The cut outs in her dress add texture, I feel and she has a string of beads.
I don't have a title, her dress does look like bird feathers and I have swans in the window ( put on with Shiva). I am open to any suggestions for a title.
Enjoy.

Art Shift

2009-06-27T20:15:00.000-06:00

The Mile 0 Quilt Guild has been taking part in aRt Shift for the month of June. We have a show hung at the local library, called the 'Evolution of Quilting', the show is hung from the oldest quilts to new modern quilt art. Fantastic, and lot's of folks have viewed it. We have also held a demo each Saturday. Today was the last Saturday, we hand tyed a chemo quilt. I made the quilt and several members helped tye it. Our guests were the Potluck in the Basement Singers, they did a great job of entertaining and also joined in to help tie the quilt :) The library staff provided, beverages and goodies. It was a fun day, and great way to wrap up our month long show.
Here are some pictures from today. The girls in 'white' blouses are from the singing group. The picture of four us tying are from the left, Ginny, Roz, Lynn and myself, with Counsillor Marilyn Belak looking on.

Gallery Show

2009-06-27T20:03:00.000-06:00

The local art group currently has a show hanging at our local Gallery. Our Gallery is an old grain elevator, it is awesome. You can see pictures here: http://www.pris.bc.ca/artgallery/
I went up today and took some pictures, I have several of my Women series and Four of my Still Lifes hanging in the show. Two of my Still Lifes have sold and are gone, and another one has a sold sticker on it. I am thrilled.
Here are some pictures. The one picture gives you an idea of the different levels as you progress to the top of the gallery.
Enjoy!

Poppies

2009-06-20T18:06:00.001-06:00

I decided to try my poppy pattern in tone on tone fabric, rather than the hand dyed. I'm quite pleased with the result. I also used WonderFil thread for the thread painting, really do like their threads.
Just finished this yesterday. I've included a close up, love that copper thread!
We finally had a bit of rain, but not near enough...we'll take what we can get though.

New piece

2009-06-14T10:35:00.000-06:00

I took a class with Sandra Fisher from Sask last Sunday. What a knowledgeable woman, I learned so much about thread and my machine! I've always said I'm a 'lifelong' learner and so the journey carries on.
Anyway, we used Sandra's design and WonderFil thread, I love that thread! I changed the colors and used my own combo and here is what I did.
I've now started a poppy (my own design) using the wonderfil thread and am having fun.
Thanks to my quilting friend Pat for bring Sandra to our small town.
I've enclosed some pictures of the class, our guild rents this room by the month, so 'it's ours' and we love it.

Singing Sisters

2009-05-06T08:36:00.000-06:00

I just had to show you this picture.
This was taken at our quilt show April 26th.
My sister, Judi playing the guitar, has a group called The Potluck in The basement singers. They entertained at our quilt show, at one point the sisters were asked to join the, to the right of Judi are my sisters; Lil, Brenda and me. Brenda and I are members of the guild. The singing quilting sisters maybe :)

"Washday Blues" FFFC #32`

2009-05-04T18:19:00.000-06:00

"Washday Blues" is finished. You will note a bit of happiness for this hard working gal in the water bucket.

Continuing with my 'woman' theme, and thinking about my Mom and grandmother and the hard work those pioneer women did, brought this one to life. My grandmother had a scrub board and washing machine like this one.
I've used the analogous hues of red to
yellow orange, and the compliment of blue.
The background is woven fabric. Lot's of hand stitching and a bit of machine stitching to finish it off.
This piece has been sold.

Quilt Show

2009-04-29T09:48:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of my 2nd place win, it is a Pam Bono design called, Daisies in The Cabin, probably the most intensive pieceing I have attemped in my short quilting career.
The other picture is of my younger sister, Brenda. Pineapple blocks, with the most gorgeous wool applique, so textural that folks just had to reach out and touch it!

Quilt Show Results

2009-04-29T09:41:00.000-06:00

Whew, our annual quilt show is over. It is such a tremendous amount of work but so worth the effort.
The place was like a beehive, I believe the best show we've had, the walls of the auditorium were awash with color, the glorious melodies of the Potluck in The Basement Singers floated throughout the building while folks enjoyed Strawberry Shortcake.
Viewers Choice awards were presented, I tied for first place with Barb O'Brien.
My Daisies in the cabin took second place, and my younger sister tied for third place with Josie.
The scissor sharpener fellow was very busy! A first time for him to attend.
Here is a picture of the my first place entry, TITLE: “Tancho, Keeper of Fidelity”
QUILT MEMBER: Rhoda Forbes
SIZE: Wall hanging
PATTERN: Designed by Rhoda Forbes
METHOD: Raw edge appliqué, thread painting, machine quilted. The appliqué pieces are all made from my hand painted fabric. The background is 100% cotton commercial fabric.
STORY: Tancho is the Japanese name for the Red Crested Crane. I have always thought they are the most graceful birds. A pair of cranes mate for life, only when one mate dies do they seek out another. Thus the title ‘keeper of fidelity’. The chrysanthemums, apple blossoms and bamboo seem a fitting setting for this crane. It is all alone, perhaps it’s mate has died and it is seeking a new mate , or perhaps it is reflecting on the wonder of the passing of it’s lifelong mate?

Walking The Dog on A Parisian Windy Day

2009-04-05T18:11:00.000-06:00

This is a piece that I just finished for the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge. My series is women.
Our challenge was to show planes, shadows using muted shades and yest use saturated colors. I think I met the challenge.
The inspiration for the buildings was from a painting by Edouard Toudoze. I played with the figure a lot before she found her spot in the composition. I did know pre sketching but just cut with scissors, pamela allan style.
I used oil pastels for the bricks, shading etc. They worked very well, I let them cure overnight and than heat set them. I am trying to define my style and I think for this one I would call it embroidered applique. A lot of embroidery stitches were used and no machine work.
I look forward to your comments.

School Zone

2009-03-17T11:17:00.000-06:00

This one has been 'on the burner' for awhile :) I finally got it off the sketch pad and done in fabric.
I'm open to suggestions for a title for it, if you have any suggestions. Can you spot the three dragonflies?
I did some 'sashiko' type stitching on it, and quite like the effect. The fish are all done with my hand painted fabrics.
I did two rows of flying geese, to portray the fish movement, one row got slightly covered.
I look forward to comments.
This wall hanging was sold at the show April 26th.

Still Life #4

2009-03-14T10:06:00.000-06:00

I have finished another one of the pieces done in Pamela Allan's class. This was our 'independant study'.
I had a lot of fun with it, the raven is a true northern raven in the winter. He is all fluffed up to ward off the cold.
I have one more to stitch in this series, all with Ravens.
I will tell you the story of the raven, from our point of view.
My husband passed away 4 years ago, since then we have relocated. My youngest grandaughter and her grampa were hooked at the hip. When walking to my house after school, there is a raven that waits on the snowbank, and hops along all the way home with her, she's sure it's grampa. That's why I had to do a series with ravens, and why not still life!

Indoors on a Rainy Day

2009-03-05T12:54:00.001-07:00

I have finished another piece that I started in the Still Life class.
Got a bit wild with the binding, it is the same fabric as the flower centers and I quite like it.
The course with Pamela was so informative, and I am enjoying the end results of my work.

Sweeping the Garden Path Under the Moonlight

2009-03-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

I just finished my FFFC. The challenge was to use a split complimentary pallette and include an S curve.
My split complimentary was yellow/green and red and blue/violet. I tried to use different hues of this pallette. The S curve can be seen in the path and in the woman's form.
This was another great challenge. I did a lot handstitching, a carry over from the Pamela Allan class.
I reversed the order of the top three background fabrics, and realized it after I had much of it stitched in place...sooo I added a moon and some highlight of the moon shining on objects.
Hope you enjoy it.

Still Life

2009-02-23T10:54:00.001-07:00

I am still working on the projects in Pamela Allan's online Class. This still life is from Lesson 2. It is now completed, with all the stitching in place. Many of the fabrics in this piece are recycled clothing.
The raven is there, you might have to enlarge the picture to see it well :)
Cold and stormy up north today. I yearn for spring, and color. Have you ever noticed the varying colors of green in the spring, it's a feast for the eyes.
I look forward to your feedback.
Have a great day.

Black and White Still Life

2009-02-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

I am taking an online class with Pamela Allan. This is the first finshed piece. The class is called Still Life is Boring Not. And what fun we are all having.
I've got several more in the works, lot's of hand stitching to do. I took a lot of pictures of ravens, and have decided to do a series, so you will note ravens in many of the upcoming pieces.
It's still cold up north. I am having carpal tunnel surgery on the left hand soon, so am very busy trying to catch up on things.
Enjoy.

Trend Tex Challenge for Canadian Quilt Show

2009-02-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

This is my piece for the Trend Tex Challenge. The Show is being held in Saskatchewan this year and the theme is Roots.
My grandparents and their children left Sask in the '30s for the Peace River area of BC. My grandmother, known to us as Nan, always yearned for her home in Sask and her family. As a child I heard a lot of stories about the area, I also learned to embroidery while this special woman told me those stories.
When this challenge arrived I immediately thought of Nan, so here she is heading home with cherished memories. I have included the Sask flower, the lily, the wheat, grain elevators, house on the hill with few trees in view, a bleak landscape. I have worked for two weeks on this piece, lot's of hand stitching to represent her era and modern machine stitches to represent part of my era. I had a difficult time working with the fabrics provided so threw in a few duller fabrics. I am pleased with it and know she would be proud.
Now I can get it off in the mail and catch up with other WIP.

Second Spring

2009-01-29T14:02:00.001-07:00

This is the latest for the FFFC challenge. My theme is woman, the challenge was to use analogous colors and movement. I hope I have achieved that.
In the Chinese culture, phases of a woman's life are celebrated. Menopause is referred to as 'second spring', so my choice for this challenge. I chose the analogous colors of blue/blue violet. As I was working on the piece it was mentioned on the list that we could go further than just two colors beside each other, therefore I added some hues from violet,red/violet and red. The chinese lettering on the right is 'second spring'.
I choose the cool colors to suggest a calming period in a woman's life, the years of child bearing are over, chaos turns to calm. Less clutter, note her room is free of clutter, just a pot of lovely flowers :) And she now has time to tend to the flower box out the windor. Perhaps we need to give in to this time of our lives and enjoy it more. You can tell her age by the sagging breasts :0
The right side wall is a deep purple, however in the picture it almost looks black. I tried adjusting the color and got orange for the pinks...so finally left it as it is.
I definitely did this piece in Pamela Allen's style, with lot's of hand stitching.
I look forward to your critique.
Thanks for the challenge Ren, it was fun for me.

Midnight Poppies

2009-01-14T15:46:00.000-07:00

Here is another piece done with my hand dyed fabrics. The background is a purchased piece of cotton, such gorgeous colors, it really reminds me of midnight. I did some embroidery to the poppy center which added more life to the, I believe.
This is raw edge applique with lot's of thread painting. Such fun.

FFFC #28 Blissful Betty

2009-01-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

Our challenge this month was to portray an emotion and to uses zingers.
My theme was 'Women at Work', I Believe I'll change that to 'Women'.

Blissfull Betty is in heaven, licking the the cupcakes delectable icing from her finger. Amongst the chaos and pandemonium she is blissfully happy, enjoying her scrumptious treat.
This was a lot of fun to make, and I have two emotions going on. At first Betty was going to be frustrated by knitting, then I decided I just needed to add some happiness to the chaos I had created. The pink flower and ear rings are the zingers in this piece.
Lot's of bling on the flower, ear rings and her ring.

-42 in my world today, and I have to say it has been tooo cold for tooo long, it can warm up anytime. One thing about it, it makes more time for creating :)

.

Poppies In The Garden

2008-12-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have had some fun playing with my painted fabrics. This piece brings some joy into the home, with this bitter cold we've been dealing with. It is raw edge applique with some beads in the one poppy. Now it's time to move on to this months FFFC.
I look forward to your comments.
I hope you have all had a Happy Holiday!

New piece

2008-12-05T10:02:00.001-07:00

I finished this piece last week. The flowers are all made from the handpainted fabric that I did over the summer. I like the movement in the piece. And sunflowers are one of my favorites.
I've included a close up so you can see the thread work. Many colors of thread in this work.

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge #27

2008-12-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

I finally have my right hand free of cast and brace, and have started physio. I'm thinking that sewing is great physio, although the hand tires fast.
Here is the latest challenge piece, I've really enjoyed constructing it.
Our challenge was to do a close up or a far away scene. The second part of the challenge was value.
The Basket Weaver
Continuing with my Women at Work series I've chosen to do a close up. The close up is of a basket weaver. I found it difficult to portray the subject at such close range, it was a great exercise for me.
I worked hard with the value part of this challenge but am not sure that I totally achieved it, it seems that I don't have enough really light spots?
The piece is 13x16". After some great critique from the FFFC group, I realize laying the plaid fabric down was a mistake, so I've reworked it with some paint.

FFFC #24 How Does Your Garden Grow?

2008-08-25T17:35:00.000-06:00

The hand has healed enough that I dived headlong into this months challenge. Our challenge was to do an abstract of our garden.
My deck is abloom with burgundies and pinks. I dug out my old Quilt Art books and re read the articles by Liz Berg. Very good information. Using this information I did an abstract out of my head of my garden. I used the split compliment of red-violet and yellow green. The background is hand dyed fabric, chopped up and pieced back together. I enjoyed this challenge very much. I feel I did get rhythm and motion in the piece by placing the elements close and than further apart as they progressed and also varying sizes.
I'm booked for my big surgery on the right hand on Sept 10th, so likely will only be creating in my head for sometime :(
I will be so glad when the healing is done and I'm back to normal.
Lovely weather up here, Fall is definitely in the air and our summers are just waayyy too short.

FFC #23

2008-07-27T10:16:00.000-06:00

I have sadly neglected the blog, that's because I've had surgery on my right hand and have not been doing much. Also summer is here, and it is so short that I like to be outdoors enjoying every bit of it that I can.
I didn't participate in FFFC #22, but felt I could participate in #23. So here it is.
The theme was a focus point with large background. This was difficult for me, as I do a lot of planning for the background. Last winter I played around with the tusineko inks doing fabric portraits. I choose the one of my grandaughter done in one color, again that was a stretch for me as I love color! This piece is very much like Andy Warhol's Marilyn. I did very simple verticle lines of quilting, as I don't feel the piece would s uit all over quilting.
Stretching ones skills and creativity is what FFFC is all about, and I certainly enjoy the challenges.
Enjoy.

FFFC #20 Deconstruction

2008-05-30T19:48:00.000-06:00

Our challenge this month was to take an UFO and deconstruct it. I took a wallhanging , that I never finished and started chopping it up. Adding colored strips until I was happy with it. I added some funky flowers to the right hand corner. After having it on the design wall for awhile, all the lines and the fragmented flowers made me think of the business in our lives, and how some days I have to MAKE time to enjoy the garden.
Therefore I added the wording, 'Be still and feel the moment.'
It isn't finished, I'll add some hand stitching and machine quilting to it.
I look forward to your feedback. Ever since taking Pamela Allan's class I feel the need to add handstitching and I think that's a good thing.
The pictures are of the original piece then the deconstructed piece.

Tye for second place at Quilt Show

2008-05-26T21:23:00.000-06:00

On a more traditional note, my sister, Betty, and I tyed for second place Viewers Choice. We are each standing in front of our quilt.

1st Place at Guild Show

2008-05-26T21:17:00.000-06:00

I am thrilled to say that one of my art quilts actually took 1st Place Viewer's Choice at our Guilds Quilt Show yesterday. You can tell by the look on my face that I was quite overwhelmed! I learned the technique of dying fabric at a Phil Beaver workshop in January.
We had a wonderful show, and I am exhausted.

The apron, we also had a tea, so all us gals had on our patchworks apron.

Canadian, Trend Tex Challenge

2008-05-05T11:47:00.000-06:00

I am proud to announce that my piece is included for the online auction. I enjoyed doing the Trend TEx Challenge, this is the first year for me.
I took the title literally 'Quilting On The Edge', it includes a gal with her sewing machine perched on the edge of the cliff, cat on the table and seagull perched on the edge watching her carefully. When all the quilters arrive in Nova Scotia I'm sure the sea gulls will be watching.
Here it is.
You can view all the pieces at http://www.canadianquilter.com/events/index_events_quiltcanada2009.htm
My piece is #90 and my little sisters piece is #14.
Enjoy.

FFFC #20 Denim/recycled

2008-05-01T16:40:00.001-06:00

Here is my piece for the present challenge. As soon as I read the challenge the song 'Forever In Blue Jeans' was running through my head. So here she is, Forever In Blue Jeans. I didn't have any blue jean scraps, so borrowed some and used fabric from my scrap bag,left over buttons etc. I hand stitched before quilting it. Following the techniques I learned in Pamela Allen's class.
The weather up here is still very iffy...we had snow yesterday. I'll be so glad to get out digging in the dirt! It has been a long winter.

Pearls of Wisdom

2008-04-29T12:37:00.001-06:00

Ha! Finally finished another project started in Pamela Allen's class. I call it 'Pearls of Wisdom'. note the pears in her hair. This was really fun, a lot of hand stitching and then machine stitching. Loved the class and know I'll use the techniques learned. I'm doing one right now for the FFFC, using her method, watch for it coming soon.

Blue and orange`

2008-04-05T10:33:00.001-06:00

I finally finished my piece, the challenge was to use two complementary colors, I chose blue and orange. I've done a lot of hand stitching and then free motion quilting, which doesn't show up well in the picture. This was from Pamela Allan's class and I really enjoyed working on this piece.
I've posted a close up, you can see the stitching better. And the moon, well it's half of her face.

Project finished

2008-03-23T11:13:00.001-06:00

Happy Easter everyone. I finished the piece from the first Lesson in Pamela Allans class. Lot's of hand stitching, perhaps a bit over down. Who would believe that one small blue button would stand out. I think I shall call it 'Out Of The Blue'.

Self Portrait

2008-03-21T14:46:00.000-06:00

I am having so much fun in Pamela's class and learning so much. No sketching or drawing, no fusibles, just taking the scissors and cutting the shapes. Our present lesson is a self portrait, here is mine. The hair, well I was a blonde but am greying nicely, the purple/blue? It's just a laugh on many older women that I knew that put that blue rinse in their hair :) The hair is yarn. It will look better when I get some stitching done on it, so far it's just fabric glued down.
A gorgeous day in the far north, little snow left can now see some green grass and I'm thinking spring is on it's way.