Festival of Wreaths

Was very happy to see my contribution to the Carroll Arts Center Festival of Wreaths posted online.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/carrollartscenter/15295247974/in/set-72157649536388842

My Old Paintings from around the early 2000s

These are a somewhat random assortment in pretty close to reverse chronological order. I have a lot more to add. Getting OK at photos but html continues to be a mystery.

Spiral

Dancing Spirits

Rising Spirit

Losing Scarf

Lotus Daisy

Spirit at Cave

Complete Transformation

Here is the vintage handkerchief after all my modifications. I really like the design, but am not so sure about the primary color scheme. Anyway, learned a lot for the next ones. Sewing techniques I used were: thread couching, decorative machine stitching, free-motion using embroidery foot. Even the back looks pretty cool! Need to remember that for future projects.

The Chair is Complete!

Actually I finished it just before Christmas. A gift for my niece who happened to need a chair! I did pretty well, I think, although there are things I'd like to improve for the next one. Which is sitting in my living room waiting....

Someday I'd love to do upholstery professionally!!

Chair Reupholstery - Part 1

I'm loving the upholstery class I'm taking.

Here's the chair I'm redoing. Got it at Goodwill for $15.

Undone:

Black gloss paint:

My fabric choice:

Transforming a Thrift Store Handkerchief - Part 2

Today I worked more on my yellow handkerchief transformation.

Here it is ready to be stenciled.

I have my materials ready, too.

Stenciled and paper removed.

I want to add a spiral in red.

Here it is with stitching. It's not quite done.

 Detail view.

I'll probably add more stitching, but I'm not sure so I'm going to wait for now.

Transforming a Thrift Store Handkerchief - Part 1



I started with a hanky I bought at a thrift store or flea market. The handkerchief was actually a bit yellower than this picture and had lacy edges in a variegated thread. I covered the lace hoping to add a  little color from the paint but not a lot.

I added some color using Dye-Na-Flow paint, put some coins on top, and left it in the sun to dry.

Dye-Na-Flow is a heat set paint and when the sun dries it, the paint is sucked out of the covered areas into the areas hit by sunlight. The wrinkled areas resulted in color variations, too.

I made a sun-shaped stencil out of freezer paper and ironed it to the handkerchief. I need to iron freezer paper on the back. Then I will stencil it with a lemon yellow paint.

This is a work in progress. I still plan to stencil paint on and stitch thread around the stenciled design. Also, I am thinking of adding a spiral to the middle of the sun maybe in red. Someday this may be part of a lovely purse.



This site has some neat examples of sun dyeing
http://luannkessi.blogspot.com/2010/08/sun-dyeing-results-continued.html

I learned about sun dyeing in a book called "The Found Object" by Cas Holmes.

I learned about freezer paper stencils in "Reinvention - Sewing With Rescued Materials" by Maya Donenfeld.

I've been experimenting with tie dyeing, rust dyeing, flour paste resists, homemade stamps and other techniques and I hope to share the results with you soon.