I had a busy weekend and got some things done finally. All were things that I'd been working on in the background and they finally began to come together. I printed my "world in sand" image onto fabric. It didn't come out as I'd hoped and I lost the background I'd added to make it the size I needed.The colors are much more faded than my original. I expect some fading when printing but this was extreme. My hubby even got in on the action, doing some reading and trouble shooting with the printer and scanner. We found a couple of problems but I decided to go with what I had in a "make it work" mood.
I also realized that one of my difficulties with paying attention to the small things is that I tend to get lost in them and loose what little focus I have on the big picture (seeing the big picture is very hard for me). So I decided I needed to get on with it.
I filled out my page with some lovely hand-dyed silk that's been in my stash for probably 20 years. I fused the silk in place after cutting around the "flame" shapes. What I see is the fires of creation. What my hubby sees are maple leaves on the ground in autumn. What do you see?
While I was fusing, I began working on a fused landscape for a Fiber&Stitch challenge,
using an article by Helen Suzanne Alexander on Depth and Distance. Last weekend I found this incredible rainbow chiffon that changes color as you layer it. I started with a layer of Lutradur and fused on some hand-dyed fabrics by Laura Wasilowski that I had in my stash (including the incredible sky hand-dye). I layered on the chiffon to make the sky look like sunset and ten layered over the landscape with layers of different colored chiffon. I also used some Misty-Fuse black, too, to add some texture.I'm not totally happy with it and am glad that Misty-Fuse is so flexible because I pulled up and trimmed back some layers. I found much of the sheer fabric I had was too intensely colored or not sheer enough to be effective. I do plan to add some embroidery to it and I have a small skein of mystery-thread in a pale blue with a
silver thread throughout that will really perk up the lake and waterfall.There are two images of the landscape because it's bigger than our scanner bed. When it's all done and completed, I'll take a photograph to get it all. I didn't think about that size issue when I was cutting the Lutradur!
Originally I had some thought about cutting the large
piece into smaller postcards but I needed to have planned better for that and, I think, worked on a finer scale.For a first experiment, I'm not displeased but I will need more practice manipulating the fabric, sheer and fusible. I'm letting it sit for a bit now, before I add embroidery and think about how I want to finish the edges.
My other project this weekend is another stash-based project. A while back I'd bought a sale Leisure Arts kit from Hobby-Lobby for making a variety of felt flowers. Over the last couple of weeks, especially on evenings when I was tired and not feeling up to using my brain, I worked on finishing these flowers.
They're all done: roses, pansies and little forget-me-knot type flowers. I pulled out the felt stash and chose a loden wool for the top and handle, some very stiff felt for an interlining, and a periwinkle wool felt for the body of the bag. I'm going to keep it simple, no pockets or lining.
Last night I got the handles stitched and stitched the top for one side and inserted the stiff lining. It works like I wanted. I pinned on the body of the bag and think it will work. Tonight I plan to stitch the second top and handle section.
I feel like I'm starting the week in a good place, project-wise. I know where I'm going and I have a plan for things I can do to make progress during the week. I even got in a little work on my nephew's band sampler. I have begun working on the turkey work tails of the squirrels, using some Needle Necessities overdyed wool.
