Friday, November 30, 2012

And (finally) a time for every purpose under heaven



This is the final day for Art Every Day Month.  I have never participated in this month long event before, and it was a genuine challenge.  It became frustrating when I was unable to link to AEDM toward the end of the month.  In addition, I am still unable to leave comments on any blogger blog with embedded text.  Once again, I direct you to scroll to the end of this post to see how to correct the problem. One of the POSITIVE things I tried to do this month was create a mix of posts that highlighted what I do on this blog.


I began the month with my calendar pages, just like I have every month for the past two years. 



Then I took you to a shop that sells adorable art.  I even dropped off clothing for breast cancer survivors while I was there.

It was about that time (no pun intended) I decided to have a theme for every post during AED month.  The theme actually came from a page in my TIME altered book.

These are the words as sung by The Byrds, and written by Pete Seeger. The words were taken from the book of Ecclesiastics, which I also copied on the opposing page, and the wording is exact, except for the last line: "a time for peace, I swear it's not too late." This line and the title phrase "Turn! Turn! Turn!" are the only parts of the lyrics written by Seeger.

In true Seeger fashion, I used some of the words from the song (and the Bible verse) in my daily posts, but made up many of my titles to fit the post of the day.


I began this time honored journey by working with a wood block and joint compound.  Unfortunately, I've not had time to complete this piece, but it is still on my to-do list of things to finish before Christmas, since it's an intended Christmas gift.


Then I made a mess working with CitraSolv and National Geographic magazines.


Next it was off to spend several days dyeing fabric in different ways.  Hand dyed fabric is one of the things I love to make.


Of course, when I tried to use some of that same fabric to make a quiltlet, I didn't fare as well.  It seems I'm better at dyeing fabric than using it!

Then we visited the garden, where I cut my herbs back for the winter.  Later in the month, I had out of town guests who got to savor several of my herbs in dishes I prepared over the week they were here.


Then it was into my studio to prime some wood houses and prepare a post that showed the last of my students homework.


Next it was off to write a book review, and rant about Blogger.


Then I spent time in my basement studio where I started my Christmas cards and sorted my art journal pages.


While entertaining out of town guests over the long Thanksgiving weekend, I created this quiltlet.


Also over the Thanksgiving weekend, I created the cover for my latest altered book, making it the final of 20 free AB lessons I taught every two weeks on this very blog.

After Thanksgiving, I joined Roni's Ink Stains Altered Altoid Tin Blog Hop by creating this assemblage using a tin I won and promised to alter.

With only two holiday guests left to entertain, I decorated my home for Christmas.
 

Then, as my final guests were about to leave, they surprised me with this incredible plant.  Talk about thrilled!


Toward the end of the month, I painted some fabric using a Twirl-O-Paint machine.


Then I put my organization skills to the test when I attempted to get a handle on this fabric mess I created.


Although the set-up isn't ideal and the project didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, I managed to corral the tiny bits and pieces of fabric I've collected over the past two years and place them in color coded designated boxes that are easy to find.

Today is the final AEDM post, and even though I've not been able to link up each day, I've still posted and hope a few people stopped by.  And in case you missed anything, this wrap-up should show whatever you might have missed.  Thank you to those of you who have stuck with me throughout this month.



Thursday, November 29, 2012

A time to build up (boxes, that is)

Once again, I want to begin by pointing out, I still cannot see any links, including AEDM or the one I created recently, and that I cannot leave comments on any blog with embedded text.  To see what I mean by "embedded,"  simply scroll to the end of this post and go from there!    I'm tired of saying it, too, but I intend to leave this message on every blog post until Blogger does something about this problem, which seems to have affected a few other bloggers, as well.  


It has taken me two days, but I've finally got a handle on sorting the fabric I showed in yesterday's post.  Of course, after the sorting came the careful folding.  I didn't want the fabric to get even more wrinkled if I could help it.  And folding it seemed the best way to place it in these boxes, because many of the pieces were too small to roll (much like the fabric stores do when they have clearance bits left from the end of a bolt).


Since I had no plastic containers, but a few flat rate boxes of various sizes left over from my days of mailing gifts, I pulled these out of my basement studio storage and found a decent use for them.  After all, with postage prices so high, I can't afford to mail flat rate anymore.  Even though I feel bad having to use these boxes in this way, it was the only logical choice I could find.


I realize this is NOT the ideal way to store these small pieces of fabric, but it's the only way I have until I can afford to buy plastic lidded containers, which for me would be ideal.  Until then, I will used this system, cumbersome as it may be.


Originally I was going to fold this fabric I've purchased over the past two years from clearances at JoAnn's, a big box craft and fabric store in the US, as well as the sack of folded sheets.  In fact, you can see I started to do that with the sheets, but decided it was too much of a hassle, and would only wrinkle the fabric further.  Regrettably, that's when I decided to leave them as they were.  Again, not ideal, but possibly functional, at least until I can find a better solution.


I had more fusible webbing than I realized, so put it together and placed it in a bag.  I also had some stiff pellon and found the ideal place for it, too (between the two locked bookcases).


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Of course, I still had to deal with my hand dyed or hand painted fabric.  It had taken on a life of its own, too.


It was time to sort (and fold) it by cool or warm colors.


For some reason I thought I had more cool colors, since I've been working with and dyeing blue sheets for some time lately.  However, I had so much warm fabric, I needed an extra box.


Again, not ideal, but at least I can find everything.


As for the extra box of warm hand dyed?  It went in the only spot I could find: next to the white fabric.  And the nice thing is, I got rid of all those extra stored boxes that were taking space in my studio and didn't spend any money (just time) on this project.  An added bonus is, I am no longer ashamed to walk past this area, or bring my guests to my basement studio.


Today is November 29th and Day 30 of AEDM.  Tomorrow will be the final day.  I feel bad about not being able to link with AEDM.  I've missed SO much and feel so frustrated, too.  There were several people I knew I could visit every day because I could leave comments.  I wish I could have kept that communication open.  Because I can no longer leave a daily AEDM link, the only way I have to keep visiting these new found artists is if they leave me a comment.  Then I can return the courtesy.


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

A time to tear down

I suspect you are getting tired of me saying I still cannot see any links, including AEDM, and that I cannot leave comments on any blog with embedded text.  If you aren't sure what "embedded" is, simply scroll to the end of this post and see what it means and how to change your comments.    I'm tired of saying it, too, but I intend to leave this message on every blog post until Blogger does something about this problem, which seems to have affected other bloggers, as well.  


Now that all my holiday guests have gone and all the clean laundry (sheets) has been put away, it was time to turn my thoughts to getting rid of this embarrassing site before Christmas.  I like to believe I'm an organized person, but I have never had a handle on my growing fabric collection.  I apologize for these photos, but it's dark in my basement hallway where the fabric is now kept.  Even with all the lights on, it is difficult to see all this fabric, which I originally kept in my main floor craft room where my sewing machine is.  Of course, that was before there was so much of it, much of which are old clothes or bed sheets I've torn up for dyeing.  Originally, all my fabric was kept in that one bulging banker's box you see on the left.


  Here's a different view of the mess I've created for myself, and a


photo I took from the same spot using the flash.  I decided it was time to put my organizing skills to work and actually organize this fabric.  But, since I don't have any clear plastic containers, nor the money to buy any, how could I organize all this fabric?

The first step is to stage, then sort.


It was only logical to turn my basement cutting table into a staging area.


Since I'm color driven, I chose to sort into colors.  Yes, I really do know how to spell turquoise.  Beyond the table is the desk set up to pick up the overflow of white, along with hand dyed and hand painted fabric.


It's a lousy photo, but you should be able to tell I have enough room to navigate around the entire table.  I didn't think leaving the cutting mat on the table would hurt anything, and it was easier than trying to find a place to store it while I sorted.


This is the contents of that banker's box you saw in the first photo.


With just one box sorted, I could tell this was going to be a major undertaking.  You can see the area the box took up above the beige/brown sign.  Right now, I must deal with all the fabric, then determine the best way to store it.  This is just the beginning of this tale, I fear.


Today is day 29 of AEDM.  Just two more days. We're almost there!! And again, I apologize that I can't see the links or link to AEDM.  It is truly frustrating.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

A time to build up

Once again, I want to begin by pointing out, I still cannot leave comments on any blog with embedded text.  If you aren't sure what "embedded" is, simply scroll to the end of this post and see what it means and how to change your comments. I also cannot link to AEDM because I can no longer see the links.  This is very frustrating.


When I got to my basement studio this morning, I realized I needed to finish this piece I started several weeks ago.  It bothers me when people start a piece of art, promise to show pictures on their blog when it's finished, then never mention it again.  However, as you can see, the only thing I have done is sand the top of the wood around the plaster.  I hadn't even cleaned up the mess, except for wiping the wood block, before I shot this.  Of course, I never let messes build up, so I immediately cleaned the sanded paint from the table after I took the photo.  I realize this is still leaving you hanging, but this piece has taken me longer to develop than I imagined.  Either my heart isn't in it, or I've lost all inspiration.  But (and this is a big but), once I start working on it again, I'll show photos and not keep you hanging.


Sometimes a technique in a magazine catches my eye, and I know I have all (or most) of the equipment and tools needed to create it.  That's what happened earlier this week.  The only thing I needed were two D cell batteries and I would be ready to go.  Since I stopped at Dollar Tree (their motto: "Where everything's a dollar") while buying groceries this week, I decided to buy two sets of these batteries.  After all, how reliable can Dollar Tree batteries be?  Add to that the bed sheet fabric I've been tearing into workable sizes this month and I was ready to go.  Before I did anything else, I tore a strip of bed sheet 6 inches wide the length of the sheet.  Next, I tore the strip into 6 inch squares.  I got 12 squares and felt I had enough.

TIP: Thrift store bed sheets are a great value and give you lots of yardage to play with for much less than you would pay for the same quantity of new cotton or muslin.  Used bed sheets have been washed many times, so you will save the cost of harsh chemicals needed to prepare your fabric for dyeing, even fabric marked PFD, or prepared for dyeing.  All you need to do is run them through a complete wash cycle without soap to remove any residue.  Additionally, any untreated stains will add character to your dye project.


I try to be organized and, true to form, I knew exactly where the Twirl O' Paint contraption was.  Don't you just LOVE popcorn ceilings (NOT!!)?


Per the article, I prepared my fabric squares before I realized I did not have the same machine the author used.  Hers was much smaller, so I was already in trouble!  Changing those batteries didn't help, either.  I was so frustrated at this point, I almost gave up.  But I'd had this machine for at least two, possibly three years, and never used it.  So, it was time to dust it off and put it to use.  Being the neat freak I am, I wish whoever owned it before me, had taken time to clean it.  A bit late now, though!

After the batteries were finally in place, and the fabric had been secured with masking tape, I was finally ready to go.  You can see I planned to use fabric paint.  However, when I started working, the Tulip brand (in the back) was hard and refused to leave the container.  If it had, it would have come out in a big block of nearly set paint.

Now I was REALLY on the verge of quitting.  First the fabric was torn too small, the batteries put my hands and fingers in sheer agony, not to mention THREE broken fingernails, and now the paint was nothing more than a blob of nearly dry nastiness.

But I had come this far, and was not planning to give up!  Always the optimist, I threw the Tulip paint in the trash and got out every bottle of "Scribbles" and its counterpart, and tested the first few bottles.  After much coaxing, I finally got the paint to flow.  Not a bad deal, since I got all those "Scribbles" and a generic equivalent at my friendly Household Hazardous Waste Swap and Shop, where all supplies (10 max per month) are free if you live in the county.


This may not look like a rousing success, but I was thrilled.  After all, I had SO much time and energy invested in this already, it was a real joy to see anything positive.


Of course, as I was trying to coax the paint from the bottle, I squirted it all over the side of the "lid," along with my hand and arm.  It was time to take a much needed break and give myself an attitude adjustment and a quick shower.  I was SO glad I took that much needed break, because when I went back,


I made all these (except the upper left square I made earlier).  Some were better than others, some I liked better than others, and the bottom three were still wet, but all were finally finished and I was incredibly pleased with my accomplishment.

Please click on this photo, because I didn't crop or resize it so you could see some of the detail.

Sometimes I work on projects I have no immediate plans for.  But rest assured, these pieces will find their way into something I make in the days or months ahead.  It's always good when the spirit (or magazine article) moves me, to make a few extra pieces that I know will come in handy at some point in my altered art journey.


This is Day 28 of AEDM.  Are there times you have kept making or reworking art, even when you weren't sure it was in your best interest?