Pillow Project Update

So far, I'm spreading out piles of fabric scraps leftover from projects. The idea is to piece together pillow tops roughly the same size - about 15 of them. I also will add some transferred images with words, small mandalas, birds, and other healing elements. The first pillow I did as a sample has decorative top stitching at the seams, which I really like as a finishing touch, so I'll add some to each of the pillows. More later as I peck my way to my goal!

Pillow Project

I was asked by the Jude Kellor, the healing arts director for Centura hospitals in the Denver area, to speak to a cancer survivors group at Porter Hospital in Littleton. I was honored to be asked, along with three other artists who were also juried into the Creation fiber art exhibit at Parker Centura. I decided not only to speak to the group about the healing power of art, but to do a workshop with them along with fellow artist Christi Beckmann. Some of the ideas we're throwing around are: fabric journals and pillows with healing imagery and words. As I create some pillows to bring, the ideas are coming in droves!! Here's the first pillow - I need to add a healing quote of some kind before I put the stuffing in and finish it.

Pencil Drawing Transfers

First, I drew the bird in my sketchbook. After that, I copied the image (on my printer) onto some fabric transfer paper, then ironed it down onto fabric. (You can see that it flips the image). One tip: Make sure the image is dark enough to stand up to the other colors in the fabric swatch. Sometimes a very soft pencil drawing fades out, so I add darker areas in pencil or Sharpie.

Sketchbook Ornaments

These are drawn in my sketchbook with pencil and bits of watercolor, copied onto fabric transfer paper, and ironed onto fabric. (You can buy Avery T-shirt transfer paper at office supply stores). Stitch, stuff with cotton balls, and add a bit of ribbon to hang them from. They make lovely stocking stuffers!

Pinterest Page!

Everything I love becomes a visual note-to-self on my Pinterest page. Tutorials to click on, techniques I want to try, or just artists' work I find inspiring. Check it out! Visit Rose's profile on Pinterest.

Christmas Card Art for 2014

This time, rather than just a drawing, I wanted to use actual fabric art with drawings collaged in to it. I used paint, stencils and strips of fabric until I was happy with the feel of it, and scanned it onto the computer so the stitching could be seen. On the Vistaprint website, I'll poof the photo into a Christmas template.

More Special Effects

I modified this image on Fotoflexor, using the "posterize" function. What I like about that is you can control the amount of posterizing with a lever and condense it down to just a couple of colors, or use it just a hair for kind of a unique and artsy look.

Playing with Pixlr

Now there's a collage application on Pixlr, which is the free website I use for photo editing and special effects. They have any number of fun ways to make your photos cool. Here's a picture of me from a camping trip this summer, with my lines magically disappeared!

Montana Trip

We visited Bob's oldest son Brad and his girlfriend Shannon in western Montana for a few days, and thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous scenery around Missoula and Butte. We hiked up to Storm Lake out of Anaconda and were pleasantly surprised by the 70 degree weather. It was a rough 4-wheel ride up to the trailhead itself, and then about 2 1/2 hours up and back to the peak (above treeline)!! I was taking photo after photo out of the car window - so knocked out by the soft fall light and the leaves turning.

Quilting Arts Article!

I'm happy and thrilled to be working on my second article for Quilting Arts magazine, scheduled for April/May 2015! The technique I'll be writing about is the use of T-shirt transfer paper to put sketchbook drawings directly onto fabric. I'm planning on having two finished pieces and a step-by-step demo of my work to illustrate the article. Happy dance!