Advancement, Results

If I walk forward, where I am intended to walk, I end up with results I like.  Here are some results.

I am Creating

If you dropped by to see what is new, I am busy creating it.  Please come back and check it out later.  There is always something exciting being created in my studio.  Gobs of them are fiber art.

If you want to see other outstanding fiber and mixed-medial artists, check out FAMM.


http://fiberartsmixedmedia.com.


This is the photoshopped image of fabric on the ironing board.  I played with it in many colorways.

You should see what this has become.  When I get a chance, I will show you how it came out in fiber art.  It is called Mother and Child.

This little bug is something I have been drawing for many, many years.  As always, it signals, "Gotta run.  Lots to do.  It has been nice seeing you."

Pics Rather Than Words

Packing rather than talking.  Here is what I have seen this morning and what I have done.  Creativity is as simple as what is quick and at hand.

If You Could See...

If you could see through my eyes, these are the things you would see.



The Beach Iron

"C" is for Charla

The Candy Store Iron

The Tactile Heart

"E" is for Espeleta

Heart Tulips

Polka Dot Red

A Victorian Ostrich Egg

Another Iron

My Business Card Holder

Good Morning

Good morning.  The rain has let up in Jacksonville.  We are high and dry, and are amazed at what Tropical Storm Debby has done.  The sun is out for the next seven days, and we will even near 100 degrees this weekend.  With the humidity, it will be a doozy.  I am used to this, coming from the Texas Hill Country.  Hi Texas!  Miss you and yours lots.

All the rain has had me busy with needle and thread.  Nothing is ready for final pictures, but I do take them in progress.  I enjoy the documentation, and if ever needed in a court, I am ready.  I did get a couple of canvases gessoed.  They are blank.  We shall see what the weekend nets.

Among the needle arts I have been quilting on a fish quilt, appliqueing tea pots in two sizes, working on some more Sun Bonnet Sue blocks, and lots of embroidery.   Here are some sneak peaks at what is in store for completion.  Many were started before, and am picking them up again to move closer to the finish line.  Some are new.

This is the original, needle turn, applique block I wanted to submit to 100 Blocks Magazine.  It was far too complicated, and is now a block waiting for further developements.  Next time I do these, they will be yellow flowers on a black and white gingham.  Great use of scraps.  Wait until you see the raw edge Bluebonnet applique I just dug out to work on too.

This little tea pot, and the one below are from an old pattern called Nancy's Teapot.  I enlarged it to make a 9" block with the buttonhole applique above.  I will create several in long columns, with a variety of teal backings which read solid. 

The thread used here is a varigated by DMC.  It definately picked up every color in the spot batik.  Perfect.  I have found 2 other fabrics to add to this.  I do not know what will end up around the 3 columns.  When more teapots are ready, then it will time to shop the stash and figure that out.  Ironically, this is a Jacksonville Jaguars color scheme.  Not a sport fan myself, someone is sure to key in on this here, lol.

***

The one below is one an background to create a mock 9 patch.  The little teapot isn't more than 3" tall.  I am still finding all the fabrics for the miniature.  I am up to 6 so far.  They are all cream prints.

Separation of Arts

Because I work in a wide variety of media, and people often want to see only one, I am breaking them down into various blogs, with some over lapping.  On this blog, you will be able to see some of the works I have completed, and hear about new ones.  You will also see application of the new embroidery stitches I have created.  There are almost 50 now, and it would be fun to see others using them also. 

Fiber Arts are a big topic.  From applique to weaving, there are usually a few projects in the techniques I have tried.  Take a look at this hodge podge of pieces I have done, and you will get an idea.

If you want to see some of the other media I work in, check out the following links, all here on Blogspot.

http://www.robbinneff2011.blogspot.com/

http://www.artbyrobbinneff.blogspot.com/

http://www.robbinneffphotography.blogspot.com/

When my kiln arrives, there will be another blog for it.  You just never know where the fun is coming from in my studio.  To be sure, there is something always "cooking on the stove".  Enjoy, and feel free to leave your comments.

This first is a door hanger for an artist friend's studio.  I have tried to rotate it back upright, as it was in my files, but it insists on laying down.  This is all hand work.  It was stollen in the mail to her.  The tongue depressor is removable to switch between "in" and "not in".

When you end up with way too much fiber, and it's everywhere at your feet, coil it into a small vessel.  That's what inspired this little vase.  To strengthen the coiling of yarns and embroidery floss, I embroidered up and down the sides with a variety of threads, then added beads (and a charm hidden on the bottom).

Cabachons are fun to make.  I will sit and make several, then figure out where they go later.  I have lots of "Bits & Pieces".  One of the cabachons is around the top of a Pfister Price faucet cap.  The picture did not come out good enough to share, but you can use anything from shells, glass drops, buttons, and even faucet caps to make cabachons with.  et your imagination run free, and play with found objects.

Several years ago now, I participated in a block swap with ladies in QuiltsOnReview internet website guild.  A few were left and so pretty, I knew they would be added to something later.  This one gets the center of attention for a round robin, with it's inovative embroidery.  The embroidery is one of my invented stitches, Mountain Lakes.  This block was well suited for it.

Below is another embroidery.  Some plain, cotton dishclothes needed some dressing up.  This is long and short for the flowers and button hole for the leaves.  It came out so nice, the dish towel doesn't get used.  Someday this full end border will become part of something. 

Some of my pieces are mixed media.  This was my entrance into trading ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), with an online group with Connecting Threads.  I was terrified this would not measure up.  Now, even though it is not mine, it is still one of my favorites.  I printed one of my photos out, glued it to the fabric, and drew the leaves extending beyond the picture.  A couple of buttons and some buttonhole stitching by hand, and it was a go.  I have a bit of the scrap of fabric, and should probably make another for myself.  Someday....

This is the beginning of a reverse applique quilt.  I drew out the dove, one of several I have drawn.  I know an olive branch is not my first choice, and nothing else has come to mind.  It will sit and simmer for awhile.  If nothing else is found, I will use the traditional olive branch.  This is typical of my works.  They start and wait, then finally finish with a flourish.

Inchies are fun to make.  They are 1x1", and highlight fabrics patterns.  This coffee press needed a little more.  The beads were added.  A grommet(sp?) will be next, and a cute little tag it will be (for a coffee cup, a gift package, or a swap).  They are easy to do, easier for me with a blanket stitch, rather than the traditional satin stitch.  Oh, and inchies have releatives.  Twinchies are 2x2", and there are Tweens, which are between the two.  See how fun they are?

These inchies became part of a 'book' on an ATC.  The pages aren't there.  I need to add them.  The top opening will have a strip of ribbon, and the lower with a strip of muslin, written on.  I wonder who will end up with it?

This inchie and twinchie were combined.  This is one of my favorites.  I gave this one away to someone.  I should make another of this.  I might have just enough of this fabric left to do it again.  The charm reads, "Just for You".

 Zentangles are a fun way of doodling with purpose.  Google it and see some of the many thousands people have created.  I drew this on a fusible piece of quilting scrap.  My pen of choice is Pigma .005.  This is an inchie (1x1").  It needs to be fused yet.  A couple of pictures lower you can see another I made from the same scrap of fabric. 

A couple of inchies stacked to create another piece.  This time the cup from the same fabric as the coffee press above.

Another zentangled inchie.  Try it yourself.  WARNING:  VERY ADDICTIVE!

This art quilt is in a private collection.  Two sisters are in the works.  They are based on palm trees I looked at for a long time.  This set was across the street in Encinitas CA.  A red sunset set all of these in motion.  The background is machine pieced.  Everything else is handwork.  The fronds are from upholstery and quilting fabrics.  The beading includes stone and glass beads.  The embroidery is every stitch I knew at the time (I have made up more since then), and in a wide variety of fibers.  Based on color opposites, this red/green has an orange/blue almost finished sister, and a purple/yellow in the planning stages.

The following two are an original design.  I did it all wrong, and love the results.  I drew the bird based on a photo I took of it on Assateague Island.  Then, cart before horse here, I painted the background around the bird.  Just before moving across the country, I pieced the border, which testifies to why my pieced quilting is nothing to sing about.  To add texture, I embroidered the grasses while my husband drove.  Some were embroidered with the new hairy yarns.  Settled on the Pacific Coast, beads were added.  I tried to tarpunto the clouds.  Not!  I tore a nice gash in the first attempt.  To hide it, and save all the work done to this point, I took knitting yarn and couched it over every cloud.  They feel like a tufted rug.   A ribbon for the fin, and some funky thread for the flies, it was ready for hand quilting.   Fish Friday, Saturday, Sunday.... was complete.

Inspired to make my own original labels, although not add them as I should, I made this little label to share with others.  That is its only link to fiber art.  It was done quickly in pen & ink, and watercolor.

Ooops, in the downloading of pictures, this detail of the palm art quilt above was separated.  I see no way of moving it together, so here it is.  This was in the process of adding the embroidery and beads.  Because the weight of the beads was so much, I used rug hooking fabric inside with the batting.  Surprisingly, it never interfered with the hand quilting, and became soft and pliable.

This was a quick attempt to see if braid quilting could be done with various size strips.  The addition of the ice cream fabric border gave it its name:  Tutti Fruiti Patooti.  It was a totally fun, quick project from scraps.  Spontenaity is worth the attempts to venture into the unknown.  Scraps made it a no loss game that played out with jackpot of a win.  It has delighted many who have seen it.  Machine pieced, hand quilted.

 While working on a large, traditional quilt, the scraps sitting off to the side began attracting my attention.  In fun we claim they speak to us quilters.  This came together and was intended to enter a show/auction to support the homeless.  Unfortunately, the death of a brother-in-law means the piece remains waiting for a home of its own.  Someday it will fulfill its destiny.  All the fish in the sea have a place to be; but, what about me? it sang the whole time I worked on it, and still does.  The whole phrase became the title.  Part would not do.  For short reference it is called All the Fish in the Sea.

With small remnants and fat quarters, I piece together blanks.  Then the funky shops get added.  I can think of lots of funny names to play on words for shop names.  I would never want to run these shops, but have to do something with the names.  Among them are artist studios.  Artists are prone to make things with the themes of other's employment, and rarely ever their own.  To acknowledge the artists the art shops will remain part of my repetoire.  I have piles of blanks with novelty fabrics hinting at the shop.  More will be displayed from time to time.  If you will look closely, you can see the yo-yos are embroidered with Mountain Lakes, an original embroidery stitch I created.

Cloth, Paper, Scissors (or sister publication) announced a call for entry for ATCs.  I misread the instructions and thought ATCs were anything smaller than 2.5x3.5".  I made this 2.25x1.5" piece from a print out of one of my graphite drawings, hand embroidery, wire, beads (for safety) at the ends of a broken Christmas ice cycle.

Sometime I pile bits and pieces together by coordinating fabrics and colors.  This is a detail of a mini quilt.  Again, those yo-yos get fun detailing, in this case embroidery.

I live in Florida.  That called for an orange tree mini quilt.  This is as far as it has gotten so far.  It just makes the Floridians laugh out loud.  That is success.

 Water squirts are real, and I experienced them in Hawaii, when we lived there for 3 years.  Some bridal fabric was perfect for showing their transparency.  It was hard to applique though.  I learned how.  All handwork, with beading and embroidery.

One of the most fun, and inspiring artists I know became a Valentine postcard swap partner.  This is the front of her postcard.  I used upholstery fabrics to fill a request for vintagre.  It is one of my favorites still.

Oh look!  Another shop.  It's too hard to read here, but the name is Flowers in the flag banner over Bloomers.

This is the corner of a post card.  The batik was so fun, all it needed was outline quilting and a funky border, with piping and beads, to call it complete.

That 50's Thing was made from scraps.  The beaded edge was Holiday Trim sold at the big box store.  The embroidery is Mountain Lakes again.  It's such and easy stitch, it goes on everything.

This is a little quilt, where I experimented with more 3D.  Based upon pebbles in a stream, I created the dimension, then beaded it.  It became part of a private collection in Japan.

This is the back of Brenda's Valentine, which is above.  Again the program rearranged my placements, and they are no longer together.  The elephant edging came from dismantling the beads from upholstery edging.  They were definately fitting for the vintage "Victorian" look.

Sewing 3/4" strips together, then cutting into various projects was fun.  This time they became the furrowed rows for a farmer's field.  The sun is a cabachoned ceramic coin.  It made a fun mini quilt.

After many years without quilting, and while living in Hawaii, I was drawn again to it.  The renewed interest took me on many tangents.  A paper making class at the University of Hawaii Manoa, culled all the classes papers into this crazy quilt.  The final measurement is 2.5x5'.  Not only are my classmates and my papers in the piece, but other prints from my drawings and printmaking are there.  The shells were paper cast into real shells.  Some of the papers included bark cloth and tabacco cloth.  This was the first use of shisha embroidery, using a mirror from a discarded compact  As people viewed the quilt, I notice how the quilt changed, and they became a part of the piece.  Now I include mirrors in many other pieces.  I did not want to do a quilt for the final project, but the instructor from New Zealand thought it was a good idea.  Heading her advice has launched me along a very exciting path.  Thank you Gale.

The remainder of these are postcards created for the fun of it.  Many were given as special thank you's to waiters and waitresses who went the extra to please me.  I hope they inspired a few to try them.  I know one gal did make a few, and shared hers with her grandmother.  The goal was to delight, and in some cases it did.

Save those scraps.  The beaded yo-yo is my technique invention.  They are called Yo-Yo Delights, and you will see them time and again.  Eventually, there will be a book, I so hope.

See the Yo-Yo Delight here?  I love the colors in this one.

http://www.artbyrobbinneff.blogspot.com/
http://www.robbinneff2011.blogspot.com/
http://www.robbinneffphotography.blogspot.com/



More quilt scraps and a pretty Yo-Yo Delight.