Moved Bead Strands

I was not happy with the way the beads look on this piece (see previous post).  I have pinned the bead strands over to the edge of the black strip - which seems better to my eye.

This picture also shows how I stitched along the edge (in the ditch) of the sewn/fused binding to anchor it in place through all layers.

I will continue to think about this..... still undecided about these beads - might just take them all off, but will move onto something else while I ponder it.

More Beads on Six Mandalas

 Ok, so here it is right now.....I am not lovin' it. 

I need to rethink this. 

Denver Botanical Gardens - Travel Log Tuesday

 Earlier this month, we traveled to the Denver area for the opening reception of my solo show at Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden.  While there, we had time to visit the Denver Botanical Gardens, where a tropical garden grows inside a huge greenhouse (seen in the picture below, taken from the parking lot).  The parking lot sculpture was striking in the early morning sun.

More Beads ?

 I felt like there needed to be a bead on the opposite side horizontal strip, but not the same dangling strand.  I opted to go with two stacked beads placed above the fabric strip - not sure if this is right or not, but they are stitched in place......they can always come off if I decide.

So now it seems like there should be some beads on the black group of block printed silk on the right.  I pin some beads below it on the design wall to help me decide. 

Bead Decisions

I finally settled on a single dangling string of beads to come off each thin horizontal strip of raw silk.

 

 The polymer clay beads did not make the final cut.  Instead, I decided I would use a variety of mismatched beads in black and gold.
 
I combined three threads on the needle to thread the beads.
 I used two different shades of metallics (for the sewing machine) and a black pearl cotton.

 

I am happy with this, but it seems like it needs more.......

Making Polymer Beads

 The grand kids were visiting and wanted to make something with polymer clay, so I played along and made some beads I thought might work for this quilt.

 I am not really sure what I am going to do here, but I pulled out all my beads in shades of gold, antique gold, and black and started auditioning.  The polymer beads are now burnished to an antique gold color.

Hand Embroidery

 The next thing I did was a little hand stitching.  Primitive embroidery - 

the five elements spelled out in English.

Today's recipe on my Adaptive Cooking Blog is for Coconut Milk Ice Cream.  I make this in my little 3 quart electric ice cream machine.  The container used for freezing stays in my freezer - the gel is frozen and stays cold long enough to make a batch of ice cream.  It is super easy - just plug it in and add the mixture.  Walk away for 20 minutes or so and it is done!  I remember making ice cream with rock salt and ice in an old style crank machine.  It was delicious, but sure took a lot of time and was very messy!

I prepare this ice cream whenever we expect guests.  It is a great topping for cake or pie.

Six Mandalas Bound

I felt this piece should have a sewn binding because the Damask tablecloth fabric frays really badly and this is a whole cloth piece.  I wanted to use the same red dyed tablecloth for the binding, but I tried something different.  I put Mistyfuse on the back of the binding fabric.  Then, I sewed it in place on the front of the quilt.  When I folded it to the back, I fused it into position instead of hand stitching.  This makes for a flatter binding and it was quick to do.  I don't think it would pass muster with a judge at a quilt show, but that is not my plan for this piece, so I am not concerned.  It was kind of experimental, but I am satisfied with it.  I stitched in the ditch from the front to anchor the fused binding into place through all layers.  It won't be going anywhere. 

Six Mandalas Quilted

 I have spent some time machine quilting this piece - which currently measures about 30 x 50"

East Four Mile Rock Art

 This pictograph, above is interestingly called a Sun Dagger site.  These circles are all perfectly bisected in half by the shadow of the sun on the rock overhang at a certain time of day.  Apparently, this one bisects at about 10 AM Mountain Daylight Time.

 These two panels were probably created by hunter-gatherers.  They were located in what is called the East Four Mile Recreation area along Highway 139 south of Rangely, Colorado.

There are multiple styles shown on this panel.  There are depictions of corn, a snake, and anthropomorphs.  My guide book says Freemont style, but also Barrier Canyon Style.

Auditioning Additions to the Red

 OK, so (above) I have returned the gray handpainted gradation strip to the red.  I thought I could do better, so I kept messing around.

Below, you can see where I have auditioned some block printed pieces of black raw silk.  These block prints are all leftover from the Red Mandala group I did previously and there is already Mistyfuse on the back.  I added a lot of parts and pieces before I remembered to take a picture. 

 I started with the five squares on the left and added the one on the right, then added the strips above and below the square on the right.  Finally, I added the skinny strips to the five squares on the left.  Meanwhile, I folded the edges back to about the size I want after it is trimmed.  I felt like I had to do that to make sure I am getting the proportions right.  This piece is all about balance.   I am hoping to be able to enter this piece in a SAQA exhibition called "Text Messages" - which has a size limitation of 24" wide.

Today's recipe on the Adaptive Cooking Blog is for Minestrone Soup!

Gold Printing on Red Damask

 I decide to go forward with this piece in the spirit of the Red Mandala series rather than the Cottonwood Trees / bushes series.  I love it with all the gold printing!  I used mainly Asian symbols and text.

Today's recipe on my Adaptive Cooking Blog is for Gluten Free Muffins.

Red Organza?

 My hand dyeing RED day included not only the stained linen tablecloth, but also some organza.  I am contemplating how to incorporate this organza into my design process.  In past pieces, I have screenprinted trees and bushes onto organza, which I then fused over a block printed background.  I could also use the organza as a binding, or maybe something else.......

Food for thought.  I need to leave it hanging for a while and think.

More Red!

 I dyed this Damask linen tablecloth with red dye to hide the stains, hoping it would become a wallhanging someday.  After making the three red mandala foot squares I showed yesterday, I felt ready to tackle something larger in red.  I cut a 30" wide strip from the tablecloth and put it on my design wall for some pondering..........

I was putting away the scraps of hand painted gray/black leftover from the Winter's Eve series I showed last month, and I auditioned this scrap on the red.  I like the way this looks - with the gradation.  Hmmm.....

Pondering the direction this piece should go.  Stay tuned!

Today's recipe on my Adaptive Cooking Blog is for Mulligatawny - a curried chicken rice soup that is one of my favorites!   It has coconut milk and apples in it.

Three Red Mandalas

Here are the three pieces I did in the Red Mandala series.  

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am happy to announce my new blog:  Alternative Cooking.

I am sharing many recipes for gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free cooking.  I have been cooking this way for 15 years due to multiple food allergies.  Please take a look!  http://adaptivecooking.blogspot.com/  My daughter, Meshell Alyse has done the photography - really beautiful food photos!

Today's recipe is Tamale Pie!  

Red Orange Mandala - 12" Square

This one is more orange than the other two.  Same screens for printing.  The black "mandala" is a block print on raw silk.

Modern Rock Art near Rangely, Colorado

 This is rock art from what is known as the Crooks Brand site.  These horse petroglyphs bear the brand used by General Crook, dating them into more (relatively speaking) modern times. 

 The petroglyphs are just around the corner from this dramatic sandstone hoodoo rock formation.

A Year of Art Fundraiser to Fight Cancer!

This is my donation to "A Year of Art"

Tomorrow our 2013 fiber fundraiser to fight cancer, "A Year of Art," opens
at 10 a.m. Central.

There are two ways you can join the fun:
1.  Donate any amount and be entered in a drawing with one grand prize worth
more than $1550.

 http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/AYearofArt2013InspirationDrawing.html

2.  Bid on eleven artworks donated by Pamela Allen, Pokey Bolton, Linda
Colsh, Jane Davila, Vivika DeNegre, Jane Dunnewold, Jamie Fingal, Laura
Wasilowski, Yvonne Porcella, Karen Stiehl Osborn, and me.

http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/AYearofArtArtwork.html

Our goal is $8000 in just 8 hours.  It's crazy, I know.  But I believe we
can do it.  We have donated over $220,000 to the American Cancer Society to
fight cancer.  I know with your generous support that our total will grow to
nearly $230,000 on February 12 and 13.

Many thanks in advance,

Dark Red Mandala Foot Square

 Here is the next one in the group - it is a bit darker shade of red (I used multiple colors of red dyed when I dyed a very large piece of fabric - giving me a lot of nice variation).

The binding is fused - made of silk organza that was in the same dye batch of red dye.

Red Mandala Revisited

 I had a request for my Red Mandala 12" square, but it was already gone, so I needed to make another.

I had some of the red hand dyed fabric from a big RED dyeing day last winter - and actually, there was enough to make a group of three, so that's what I opted to do.

Here is the first of the group.  Each one in the group is a slightly different shade of red (even though it was the same strip of hand dyed fabric).  I just could not resist making a group of three!

 Sorry the full image is a bit darker than the detail, shown below.  The black Chinese screenprint is the five elements.  There is a gold colored print of an onion here, as well.

Starry Cottonwoods is Finished!

 Starry Cottonwoods is now finished.  Bound, with hanging sleeve and even a label!

It measures 36 x 45"

It is always great to finish a piece!  I really enjoyed working with color again after the previous five were very muted and colorless!