Semi-Detached Structure

SEMI-DETACHED

... or OMG! 

I completed a challenge! 

Meet Semi-Detached. 

I made the leaves about six weeks ago and left them alone until they provided the "I should do something with these" impetus needed to create Semi-D. Semi-D is created mainly from silk dupioni, which doesn't photograph very well, MistyFuse, and Timtex. I like the rigidity of Timtex, which gives the piece "structure". 

The tree-branch is made from Timtex and heat-activated, moldable batting, giving the tree-branch a slight three-dimensional curve. According to the packaging, the moldable batting gives rigidity and stiffness for handbags and totes. A fun product, and I shall try it again for something. 

The Timtex and moldable batting were covered in brown silk dupioni and cords made from silk embroidery floss,  Kreinik braid, and metallic knitting yarn (the stuff that looks like a ladder) were attached with a zig-zag stitch. The edges were left raw for a little bit of texture.

I should have used a much firmer quilt batting than bamboo, and next time I will quilt the backing and top before attaching such heavy add-ons. In order to keep some of the leaves from flopping around, and to secure the base of the tree-branch, I used some "450 Quick Dry Adhesive" - it's clear and dries very quickly. Some of the leaves are raised from the surface with large beads, which are glued to the background and to the leaf itself.

While I was writing this, my husband was vacuuming my sewing room (Yes, he really was!) and found something I thought I had lost. So I added it to Semi-D.

As a bonus (and because I haven't kept up!), this is a photo of Stream - the piece I used for inspiration when I made the leaves. Stream is over two feet long, and is over seven years old!

Ready for the next challenge!

I DON'T LIKE MORNINGS by Gladys Love

This challenge was fun!  Thank you Margaret for such a good idea!  I had an idea as soon as it was announced and have no reason to be late, except that life gets in the way around here!

This piece is quilted with what would amount to a journal page of words in the lines between the stripes on the bed sheet.  I chose non contrast thread so that it wasn't immediately as negative as it actually is.  In doing this piece I discovered the cathartic effect of writing down what is bothering you at the time.  But it's done discreetly so nobody is hurt.  Words you might find are: "mashed potatoes, clockwork mouse, repetitive stories, senior pace, dreams, and caregiver".  You can get the general idea from that.

First I quilted the words onto the sandwich.

When that was done, I arranged the rumpled sheets and made two little pillows.  These were arranged on the "bed" and the drawing placed over them with pins and some hand stitching.  I then thread painted on top of my drawing (done on soluble).  Why I did that I have no idea because it meant getting the project wet afterwards to get it all off!  If I had used tracing paper I suspect I'd have had much better results.  The thread used is Aurifil Wool so that it gave a softer look to the drawing. Her clothing was applied in a sort of "collage" manner.  

I think if one had the patience to do it, you could hold this in front of a mirror and read most of it.  Here is a photo of the back.  

As with everything I do, I would do it differently if I were to do it again!  But it was a good learning experience and I did accomplish my goal to produce a 3D project. At least I think it is!  What is the difference between 1 dimensional, 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional?  Does anyone know?  

NOT RESPONSIBLE by Gladys Love

In a life filled with responsibility for elder parents needs, I found "Whimsical" a difficult theme to work with.  At one time in my life I made art dolls and thought I could easily do something to that effect, but my energy is at a premium these days and I couldn't get started.  

Then I saw something on the Internet, done by Susan Lenz. This reminded me of a class I took with Eileen Neill, entitled "Meltdown and Burnout".  Very fitting for right now, as it was when I took the class too come to think of it.  

Anyway, I read the article and thought "now THAT looks like something I could have a lot of fun doing."  I don't have to be responsible for lining anything up or making anything fit....total fun and frolic with no reason attached.  Pretty whimsical for me lately!  

So here's what I came up with, including the reverse, complete with a little bobbin snaggle! 

I have to say I truly enjoyed the process and will be doing it again.  It is laid out on some fabric that is 100% unknown content but I knew it melted so that was what I wanted.  I didn't think the color mattered, but in the end it added to it.  I used a 13 x 13 square and I laid out the first series of squares in varying fabrics....quilting cottons, cotton lace, velvets, satins, whatever I could find.  Then I put a little pinch of fusible webbing on top of each square and put smaller squares, cut freehand, on top of the first layer.  Then I did that again for the third layer.  The squares shifted a bit but I felt that just added to the composition.  

Next I added some bits of fusible wherever I thought they would be good and laid some bits and scraps of foil over that. The entire work was pressed and everything stuck together.  I pulled the foil off and was happy with what was left.  I covered the project with nylon tulle and free-motion quilted in each square, being sure to make lines from each square to the other to hold it all together.  

Two hints....your stitching thread has to be COTTON!  Metallic thread needs to be added at the end when all your melting is done!  

And secondly, the work shrinks, even if the majority of the fabric is cotton and you wouldn't expect it to....so if you want to try one and make it twelve by twelve, start with something over sized.  I suspect it would be easier to cut off a row of squares rather than try to add two to gain the size requirements!  

INCANDESCENT MARILYN by Gladys

When this theme was announced, I had to go to the dictionary to look for meanings and interpretations.  What I found was:

Incandescence is the emission of light (visible electromagnetic radiation) from a hot body as a result of its temperature.^[1] The term derives from the Latin verb incandescere, to glow white.^[2] Incandescence is a special case of thermal radiation. Incandescence usually refers specifically to visible light, while thermal radiation refers also to infrared or any other electromagnetic radiation.

Having read this there were multiple ideas swirling in my head.  But that's normal.  I'm an idea person, and seldom a completion person!  How's that for True Confessions?  However, back to the theme.....almost immediately I came up with this idea and tried to think of reasons not to do it, but nothing else came out of my hands so here we are.  I started late in my attempts to do something to do with fire, which didn't work, and then finally got down to what I wanted to do in the first place.  They say listen to your heart and I should have because I'm happy with and had fun making this piece.   

I thought instead of light or the normal sources of heat, I thought of sex appeal, which is another elusive kind of heat.  There has been of late, a lot of resurgence of interest in Marilyn Monroe, the all time sex symbol for my generation.  Here is the picture I chose to use for a reference, found on Pinterest.  

Looking at this photo made me wonder what it was that radiated the sex appeal she was famous for.  Was it the looks?  There have been lots of women just as, or even more beautiful.  Was it the body language?  Or was it the diamonds?  I don't know and probably never will, but I truly enjoyed interpreting this photo to my 12" x 12" interpretation of Incandescence.

The project is worked on a black background which has a few sparkles on it.  The face and hair are layer upon layer of chiffons, both polyester and silk.  The face and shoulder are obviously carefully cut to indicate the appropriate shadows and shapes.  But the hair I truly enjoyed doing.  I just free hand cut teardrop shapes of all the colors of chiffon I had in yellow, pale yellow, glittery yellow and white and stitched down each piece as I went along, building up the shades and shapes and covering what didn't fit with a couple more layers.  A really free way to work and I enjoyed every minute of it and am happy with how it turned out.  The embellishments (did you know I love to embellish!!) are bits of treasures from my collection, a single earring, a strip off a dress from the thrift shop that I tore the diamonds off and kept, and a set of plastic eyelashes designed for Halloween but perfect for enhancing her sultry look.  The binding is metallic fabric and that was a trick!   

Thank you Barb, for coming up with such a great theme.   

INCANDESCENCE by Dale Kathryn

From 69 to 12

(From the Moon to Mars)

I can't remember when/how I decided that it was time for something completely different - but out came my  Embellisher for this challenge. I machine-felted chopped up bits of sheer polyester fabric, metallic ribbon and fabric, and silk fabric to strips of black Kunin felt. When I was pleased with the overall strip, I attached the next strip. If I didn't like a section of the strip, I removed it. The first section is in the centre right of the following photo.

 

As I continued to build on the strips, I got more and more excited with the possibilities. I over-layed and under-layed the metallic ribbon before needle-felting it - which left a trail of little sparkly bits throughout the house.  

Of course, I did an oops, and trimmed about 1/4 inch too much off one side.

After I did that, I added some hand- and free-motion stitching and then some semi-precious chips, glass and metallic beads. The edges are just a few rows of black satin stitch. Bamboo batting and Kunin felt backing (which you are NOT allowed to see!)

And here it is ... Curiosity.

Thanks for the great theme, Barbara!

Manhattan IS an Island!

The year 2009 was a very special one in my life.  The publishing of my first book, followed by a trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for spring quilt market, and that followed up by meeting two very good friends in New York City for 5 days.  An absolutely fabulous time that left an indelible memory and set the bar very high for anything to match it! 

When the theme "Island" was chosen, and it wasn't my first choice....we can thank Joan for this one, I had so many ideas that I didn't know where to start. Joan knows.....she heard about all of my ideas....seagulls on logs, grandmas with babies in their lap, etc.  Procrastination being one of my stronger character faults.....I thought and thought, but there was no action.  It was an easy theme for someone who lives on an island (Vancouver Island), and especially when that someone knows people who live on even more remote islands which she gets to visit regularly!  There were also the predictable "No Man is an Island" phrase....and you should have seen the man I was going to create....but I digress! 

I was pondering between three of what I thought were really good ideas when one of the friends I met in Manhattan and I went for a long beach walk here at home.  She wiggled her eyebrows and said "Manhattan is an Island"......and smirked.  That was it.  I loved the idea.  So here it is. 

This is a collage/improvisationally pieced/bead embellished/thread painted and quilted representation of some of my favorite things in New York City.  There are so many more!  But I chose these from my photographs, printed them on fabric, pieced them into pieces of sari silk (yes I shopped where Joan did), clothing, hand dyed fabric, lame and best of all, some words (Manhattan, Times Square, Grand Central & Broadway) are from commercial fabrics purchased at City Quilter in NYC!  

I love to embellish my work, and in this project I worked with individual sequins and learned how to lay them out in a line.  Not my favorite enterprise, but they seemed just right to represent the marquee lights.   I used some square sequins that are meant to represent windows on the NASDAQ building, and trimmed them to varying sizes to fit with the shape of the building in my photo.  I have more embellishing to do, but this could go on forever so I thought I better just post it as it's close!  I want to add some thread painting and a few more beads.