October TIF - part one.

Sharon has given the theme and palette on October 1st, but I did not find the time yet...
Looking at my studio right now is worthless: it is also a storage place for my daughter's stuff. So let's keep it for another year.
Working with the palette ? Yes, but:

• I don't know what to do with the palette,
• I want to make some ATC this weekend,
• my friend Annick lent me a book to browse, and I want to do so, and experiment some of the ideas.

The obvious answer to this dilemna is to do the three in one shot. That is ATC in the TIF palette, with new techniques.
So back to basics:

• sketchbook for some brain storming, and searching through the stash for the right materials.
  

• OK, the sketchbook is a bit empty, but already of great help to understand the colors proposed and try to reproduce them with the fabrics paints I have.
• The book: it is Fabric Art Workshop by Susan Stein. I would recommend it, it is full of simple techniques, by simple, I mean easy to use. And the projects proposed are inspiring. I've set my mind on some painting techniques, since I need fabrics in the palette colors and don't have any at hand. I've tried monoprinting from a sheet protector:
  Painting inside the sheet protector and mixing the paints:
  
  Applying to the fabric:
  
  Checking the result:
  
  

Right now, it is drying until morrow.

PS: Annick! She is a friend, a French lady, very active in our textile art group. She has just started her blog too. Please go and say hello: Les Zizouilles. Les zizouilles is an invented word for the little textile stuff we like in our group. But I guess it has many more definitions.

More sewing and TIF

This is what I produced today:and it is the best I can do this month for the TIF, espcially for the colors palette.

TIF and sewing

Thank you for your nice comments. I'm a bit behind in my blogging. I've tried to answer to you though.
And here is why I've been busy:
Last Saturday, we, patchwork bees, spent the whole day together. We made each one pair of pants. And I decided I needed a top to go with it. So I spent Monday in front of the sewing machine: In between, I managed to finish the July TIF:
Quite simple, eyelets and knots. To me it looks like a night goddess with stars.

Have a nice evening all!

TIF - July

This is what Sharon proposes for July:
The challenge this month is perhaps a bit obvious but I am going to ask …What is it to be at the half way mark?
For me three word lead to a mix of ideas. “Half”, “Way” and “Mark” all lead off into interesting directions that can be represented in all sorts of ways. So that is the challenge for this month
The colour scheme was taken from the screenshot of the design produced by the Flower maker I wrote about yesterday.

As I turned 50 a couple of months ago, I've done quite a bit of thinking about been half way mark, kind of at least. And I don't want to do that thinking again :-)
The palette, then? Not exactly my comfort zone either...
Oh by the way, I'm working on Sharon's course about Studio Journal. Right? isn't it the right opportunity to test what I've learnt so far? OK Let's go.
First painting the pages, with bubble wrap to add some interest. Then glueing the palette, for inspiration. So far, so good. What next? What about finding some threads that would fit? OK, that's easy too, although I did not know I had threads matching this palette. I just had to look at them differently to find they did fit.
What next? Inspiration? oh, A friend has sent this nice postcard by Anne Cluzel. I said I wanted to translate it into textile, someday. The day might be right here.
Technique? Fabrics? I don't have many fabrics that fit that palette, but I do have some felts, boiled wool and color catchers that do. Then obviously, the embellisher will step in. Oh, the difficult part is done. I just have to do it now.

Here is the journal:and the result so far:

I had a pinker hue in mind for the arm and the head, but it was a color catcher, and it disappeared almost totally under the embellisher. I've tried to put a second layer, but it kept disappearing. So I applied a greener felt, which worked OK. The background of the dress is a sturdier color catcher. With little bits of silk on top.

Now I have to think embroidery. I guess some kinds of eyelets...

TIF

This month theme is:

So this month the idea to think about is stories that are and stories that are possible.

Challenging as always... Even more challenging because I did not have much time for TIF this month. I even considered skipping that month altogether... but felt "guilty". So yesterday, TIF has been my afternoon task.

In the weeks before, I kept thinking of stories like paths that interlace. Kind of metro map. Hence the painted background. By luck, I kept a metro map from my weekend in Madrid, and I could use torn pieces of it. It is was I get yesterday, before and after stitching.

Stitched and reframed.
Now, I'd like to print some tags to add, such as "What if?" or "Which side?", etc. Hope I will be able to finish it before the end of month.

Anyway:

• I 'm glad to have spent time on it. I guess it is what this challenge is for...
• I confirm I'm not comfortable with collage or mix-media not involving fabrics,
• that won't be my best piece ever, I rather consider it as an experiment or an exercise.

I wish you all a very good week. Mine will be quite busy, with work, training for work, training for the show on Sunday and the usual chores.

May TIF completed

May TIF challenge sounded like this:

OK there is a few questions in the passage above but this month the challenge question is what do you call yourself and why?
Hopefully this will have everyone scratching their head but if you don’t like the challenge question you can elect to use the colour scheme instead.

The complete texte is here.

Yes, the question had me scratching my head. Thank you Sharon!
What do I call myself? Apart from a woman, I find the answer difficult. I'm certainly not an artist: although I need playing with needles and thread on a daily basis, I'm not as creative as I'd wished. And I don't think enough on what I do to call me an artist, not to mention the lack of technical skills. Textile art is a hobby, or a way to relax and to feel connected to other women of todays or of the past. Of today because this hobby lets me meet wonderful women, mainly in the cyberspace. Of the past, because we carry on techniques women have developped before us.
However, my job takes the greatest part of my time, and I like that job. But that's not a job that will save the humanity, just enable me to raise my kids properly and do a living.
Well, if I cannot put words on what I am, I certainly cannot represent those words with threads. It would have required a lot of thinking which I was not ready to make this month.
So I went for the second option, with those threads: I found it was a good opportunity to try lock stitch as described by J. Beaney and J. Littejohn.
Lock stitch sampler, on silk, embroidered with fancy threads, wool, silk ribbon, matches.

My main problem has been the loop. I wanted to use this fabric, but it requires a loop. And to move the loop as I went on, twice for each layer of each colum. I saw one a square loop, and I wished I had one! But I definitely love this stitch. It is as verstile as they say.

TIF

You can see the first step here.

For me changes bring an idea of a flower evolving, that turns out this way and even of a caterpillar evolving:
Now I have to find a binding idea and it will be finished.

TIF

I've started working on April TIF challenge, on the "how do you see change" theme.
This is going to be the background. The words in blue mean change, the other words are synonyms, at least in my mind.

I could not get a better picture, because of the weather. But I won't be able to blog before Monday and wanted to post of TIF.

Thinking about what changes mean to me is a bit emotional. I've just turned 50, my kids have left the nest, my life changes in several ways and though I enjoy it, it is a time of questions.

Misc.

Thank you for your comments on Madame Corbeau. I'm pleased you like her.
Maybe her cousins will visit her soon :-)

Solange has nominated me for "an award as a blog that brought her inspiration and made her appreciate the blogosphere!" that was passed over to her by Gunnels. Thank you Solange for your interest.
I should pass this award to 10 bloggers, but I send it to all my visitors, since you help me getting inspiration and are a great joy when I visit your blogs. You all deserve this award.

And if you don't know them yet, go and say Hello to Solange and Gunnels. Two great ladies.

Sharon has let us know our mission for April TIF. I quote her:

"...How do you see change? That is the challenge topic this month...
I was torn about a colour scheme but came up with this one. "
I have not decided yet which way I will go. But you should visit Sharon's blog to discover the picture from which this palette is issued.

And to end this post, I encourage you to visit TWELVE BY TWELVE. Those ladies have a lot of inspirations and talents.

TIF

I last I've found the time to work on March TIF project. I took my inspiration from a tutorial by Sarah Lechner for Fibre & Stitch.
Here are the cut pieces before embellishing. The same one afternoon later:
and this morning assembled into a book cover:

Most of the fabrics I've used are recycled ones, from old scarfs, sweaters and even a coat. The lining is a left over from a previous project.

TIF and Cyber Fyber Exhibition

Pfffff, I'm just a little bit late. I've just completed my TIF project for February.

One of my earliest memories is the kitchen. Because we spent most of our time in that room, and because my mother seemed to be very attracted to all the new appliances that appeared then. This is my interpretation of a kitchen of the 60's.

In the meantime, Sharon has announced the theme and the color scheme for March TIF.

The theme sounds like..."This months challenge is to do just that, pay attention to the tiny details. Sometimes the small things become emblematic for something larger."...

and the color palette isThank you Sharon for pushing me out of my comfort zones!

This week, I have received a postcard from Susan Lenz, in the frame of the Cyber Fyber Exhibition. This card is simply gorgeous. Thank you so much Susan for this swap and for organizing this exhibition!

TIF in slow progress

No, I did not drop out from TIF. It has just been progressing very slowly... I'm back to my routine now and spent the afternoon on it, watching a couple of TV series. I've done quite a bit.
The picture is full of wrinkles because I use a loom, and since I've used a blue fabric pencil, I cannot iron it. Ykes! So far, i've used stem stich, button hole stitch and sorbello stitch.

TIF

Sharon has launched the TIF challenge for February.
Have a look there.
This time, I'm working on the concept. What are you old enough to remember?
This brings me back to the 60'. Some songs that I did not really understand and seemed so mysterious. Images of the Vietnam war on the black and white TV, one in particular. And the obsession of my mother for furniture and domestic devices.
This is a sketch about that, that I intend to embroider in black and white.

Happy TIF to all!

TIF - finished piece

Here is the finished piece, with lavender and olive trees, for the TIF challenge.

TIF and misc.

Thank you Annica, Muum and Kylee for the comments on the socks. They were easy to make, and rather quick considering the size of the needles:-). As the yarn is variegated, it is a constant surprise.
I've been working on the TIF, developping the idea of lavender and olive trees. I will use a mix of machine and hand embroidery. Here is the first part, with the machine embroidery done. Now I have to populate the trees by hand.

TIF

Sharon has launched her new challenge for 2008.

We are going to Take It Futher.

This month, IT is either a concept, i.e. a person we admire, or a colors palette:

Since I'm not presently in an admiring mood ;-), I'll try the colors palette.

Even that did not seem easy, until I realized they were the colors of olive tree, olives and lavender, i.e. the color of where I live.

So I gathered all the fabrics and threads I could find that would meet the palette, browsed through pictures of Provence, revisited some books and magazines. The idea is not completely clear yet, but not very far. I think it will evolve this weekend.

Anyway, it is nice to see many blogs already reporting on TIF, and taking each a different direction.

Have anice evening all!