100 Year Celebration Stole

As mentioned in my last post, I have recently completed a couple of projects, one being a celebration stole commemorating my congregations' 100th anniversary.  Last evening I presented the stole to our Pastor and the church council.  I'd like to show you a few detail shots of the piece as it was being created.

You may remember when I dyed silk dupioni and raw silk for this project during the summer.

The dupioni is ombre style, running from bright yellow-green through deep indigo.

Tracing a pattern for the stole from an existing one, I drew a simple design on freezer paper and ironed that onto the silk which I had prepared for fusing with Misty Fuse.

freezer paper being traced with tree design

 I included 'stars of gold on a field of blue' in honor of Alaska's state anthem.

The golden hills at the lower edges of the stole were cut from remnant silk velvet I had dyed long ago and serendipitously kept in my scrap bag.

Once the design elements were fused I edged them with dense zigzag binding stitch.

The finished stole.  I can't wait to see it being worn by Pastor Mike this weekend!

P L C: 1913-2013

Tongass Rain Forest Festival 2011 Photography Project

The annual Tongass Rain Forest Festival is coming right up, with a photography show kicking things off in early September.  One of the categories is 'altered images' including work that incorporates photos in some way.  The theme of the exhibit is 'celebrating our natural home'.  This week I got started on my entry, using fabric prepared with Dan Smith's digital ground for inkjet printing and photos taken on our many walks through out the year.

After the images were printed onto the raw silk and cotton, I used Mistyfuse to attach them to Timtex, fusing the backing onto each piece at the same time.

 

Made a quick trip to the library - in close proximity to my studio - to get a bird book to look at while I drew a raven for the base.  He will be a surprise hidden on the bottom.  I made the drawing on tissue paper, spray basted that to the fabric/Timtex sandwich, and stitched him with my sewing machine.  On the lower right is the base, trimmed, ready to be edge finished with cording.

I had lots of mindless fun making the cording by zigzag stitching over multiple lengths of embroidery floss and other fibers. 

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter walls finished with cording zigzagged to their raw edges.  Before trimming and cording, I machine quilted each photo with simple wavy lines signifying rain.

A detail of Summer's roof.  Have you guessed what I am building yet?  Stay tuned in days ahead for more on this project.

Oh, before you go,  I want to show you the banner with its fused design complete:

This work is now on the back burner until I get fall commitments met.

Freezer Paper, Mistyfuse, and Banner Progress

The big banner of the workers in the vineyard is coming along.  I got started first thing on Thursday morning, pinning the dye-painted background up on my wall alongside the design to enable me to place the first shapes quickly.

Design wall on Thursday morning (look closely, you can see Flossy's ears in the lower left, just above the wastebasket).

 The process goes like this: I trace the shapes from the drawing onto freezer paper, then iron these pattern pieces onto the right side of the fabric.  I lay a piece of Mistyfuse (cut to fit the fabric) on a Teflon protector sheet, then put the fabric/pattern on top, cover with another Teflon protector and press lightly with my iron on wool/silk setting.  The assembly is then ready to cut out along the pattern lines and place on the background.

This is where I ended up by quitting time Friday.  (At this point, I have returned the background to the flat surface of my big ironing table).

Nothing is adhered to the background in this detail, as I was still getting the positioning figured out - kinda a head-scratcher at times!

This is where I left off today.  The figures are ironed down onto the background, as is the lower portion of the vine.  (You can see pieces still covered with freezer paper at the top of the piece).

I still have a ways to go but the hard part - positioning the major design items - is complete.  I highly recommend Mistyfuse - it is the easiest fusible product I have ever used - no need to reverse your design, and it adheres to fabric super quickly.  Freezer paper is also a terrific versatile material, thin enough to use as tracing paper but very durable, and re-useable/positionable after ironing to fabric.

Dye Painting

After several weeks of delay including ordinary garden variety avoidance, I got going on the biggest dye painting I have ever attempted: the background for the Workers in the Vineyard project.

After preliminary stamping and an abortive attempt at silk screening, I began painting.   My intent is to create a very layered, textural surface.  (The silk screen idea failed because I used too thin a piece of paper for my stencil and it melted after a dozen or so prints). 

Flossy has become very possessive of the old couch in the studio, so I got her a new bed and banished her from the couch - makes for much less snapping at visitors.

I was working with Procion dye slightly thickened with ProChem print paste and applied with brushes to dry, soda ash soaked cotton.

The large surface (84"x42") was challenging to cover, and took most of the day to complete.

I covered it with plastic to cure over night, and then uncovered it the next day to allow it to dry prior to adding the next layer.

Flossy settled into her luxurious new bed very nicely.

Today I got out the softkut and made four new stamps.  I mixed up a brand new red dye concentrate and thickened it to the consistency of heavy cream with print paste, applying it to my stamps with a foam brush.

The stamped leaves float on the original underpainting...

giving the illusion of depth I was hoping for.

The painting before I covered it with plastic to cure again.  Next time I will wash out the excess dye and start working on dyeing fabric for the figures.

After work we had a lovely walk on the beach.  Getting there through the tall grass was quite the safari for my dog.  Have a great new week, all!

New Projects Emerging

Years ago (mid-2000's) a bulletin cover from a Sunday worship service caught my imagination's eye.  

Bulletin cover on the left, my sketch on the right, from 2006.

After five years of percolating on the edges of my consciousness, the inspiration began its journey into reality this past week.  

I stretched an 84"by 48" piece of Strathmore drawing paper on the wall and got busy with pencil and eraser.  No overhead projector - this was done free-hand referring to my original color drawing.  Next step will be dyeing the fabrics.  I'll keep you updated.

The little sketches stacked near my sewing machine from the end of the winter got attention at last, too.  Working back and forth between stitching and painting with textile paints, Prismacolors, and oil sticks was mesmerizing.  

Procion on cotton with untrimmed flannel batting showing, these are works in progress.

The bird image near the center was made with oil stick and stencil.

This piece is now resting, as I make decisions about how I want to finish the edges.

This one is about 6 inches tall, Procion on cotton with a kitchen sink's worth of other media including both machine and hand stitching.  No title yet... heck, it may not even be in its final state!

Thanks so much for visiting!  Have an amazing Saturday.

Installation

Yesterday was finishing day for the flames project.

First thing, I painted the wooden hoops the silk hangs on with acrylic paint. The diameters are 12, 14 and 16 inches.

 I did some experiments to figure out how to best finish the lower edges of the silk forms.  Angelina fibers adhered with a clear  fusible product called Trans-web was the way I chose to go.  (I remembered to take notes for a change)! 

 This morning my good friend S helped me hang the finished piece at our church.  This is looking from the rear of the church toward the alter.

This view is from our balcony.

Looking toward the rear of the church, we enter through the double doors, and walk under the sculpture.  Pentecost Sunday is this weekend, and we are ready!

Silk Organza Flame Project, Continuing

I want to show you the progress made on my Pentecost flames.  Last week I posted the silk resting in dye pots. 

The organza on the ironing board, with tissue lame adhered with fusible webbing.

Detail of hanging layers #1

Detail of hanging layers #2

Detail of hanging layers #3

Right now I have all three sections pinned on a clothes hanger.  Tomorrow I will attach them to circular frames at their tops and finish the assembly.  I hope to get it hung in the church by Friday.