July’s TIFC Color Chart

Happy July 1st to everyone!!!  Another month, another TIFC topic and color choice.  As usual, I made up a color value chart to share with all of you.  Please feel free to copy and save it on your computer.

This month’s colors are not some of my favorites, but I did come up with a variation that has captured my interest.  Instead of blending the colors with black and white, I will be experimenting with blending them with colors I adore.  Eureka!!!  I can now play happily with this month’s colors.

That is a simple variation, but a very important one for me.  It is very comfortable to reach for and use my favorite colors for all my fiber projects.  It wouldn’t hurt to branch out and incorporate some new colors in my work, and it will be a wonderful learning experience on how to get from the warm based colors I favor, to the cool based colors I avoid.  

Hugs….

June’s TIFC Completed

This month, I started Sharon’s Encrusted Crazy Quilt class on Joggles and decided to use June’s TIFC colors for my block. 

I thoroughly enjoyed going through color variations at Color Wizard http://www.colorsontheweb.com/colorwizard.asp#wizard  and selected complimentary versions of some of the colors for my block:

The rich, dark, saturated shades are my favorites, and I thoroughly enjoyed selecting them for this block with a few lights added for some contrast. The upper left corner is a black cotton fabric with gold metallic speckles on it, and the long piece under it has some black netting with gold stitching attached to a variegated cream fabric. 

My collection of fancy fabrics is gradually increasing and I was able to use some shiny navy acetate, and a dressy lining fabric - the aqua center triangle - with a silk tie remnant next to it, and a diagonal multi colored silk piece towards the bottom.  It was hand dyed, discharged and overdyed by Jeanne Beck.  http://www.jeannebeck.com/

The gold piece is a tone on tone tapestry with a piece of dark brown lace angled over the edge. Unfortunately , the tapestry threadwork doesn’t  show up well in this photo.  All the rest of the fabric is quilting type cottons.

I’m really looking forward to starting Lesson 2 this weekend, and finding out what the TIFC will be for July.

June’s TIF Color Shading Chart

Sharon posted the colors for June’s TIF Challenge and I made a color blend chart for everyone again.  Please feel free to copy it, and I hope it is of some help in selecting your colors.

May TIF Challenge Completed

This month I focused on the theme of the challenge and used some of my hand dyed fabric that I over painted  with a metallic bronze.  The fabric layout is a result of a paper cutting design exercise led by Janet Root.  A font from Paint Shop Pro was used to print my response on fabric to Sharon’s question “How do you describe yourself as an artist? “

 

I simply say I am a fiber artist. Most people have a basic understanding of that concept, but quite frankly, I don’t think that fits. 

I am what I am.  Yes, I’m of the generation that grew up watching Popeye, and you know what?  He got it right.  I am what I am, and that’s all that I am.  And I’m darn happy living with that philosophy.

57 years of experience (as of May 29th) has taught me not to try and define who, or what I am.  Heck, I was born under the astrological Gemini sign.  I’m confused enough as it is.  LOL  Now you other people born under the twin sign know exactly what I’m talking about.  You get all excited and motivated about starting a project, only to have your other self say - oh look at what is being done over there.  Let’s make that too.  LOL

If I want to knit, tat a motif, make a Kumihimo braid, dye some fabric or yarn, make a beaded button, sew an item of clothing, embroider by hand or machine, crochet, make an art, crazy or traditional quilt, and on and on…. I can do it now, or try to learn how.   I can also cook a meal for my Dad, visit with my daughter, pet my cat, plant some flowers, read a book, and last but not least, be very grateful I married the right man for me.  Freedom is a blessing.

If I sell my art, that’s great.  I can afford to purchase more supplies, take a new workshop, buy some more books and magazines.  If I don’t sell it, I get the joy of creating it, and enjoy living with it, proudly displayed throughout my environment. 

So, yes, I would reluctantly say I’m a fiber artist, but I’m really a complex biological construct that is evolving and taking it day by day, having fun along the way.

May’s TIF Shaded Color Palette

After spending a wonderful morning at the Rochester Area Fiber Artists meeting I was delighted to see the color choice for May’s TIF challenge.  While I hardly ever use pastels, my married daughter and my father both love decorating with this color palette. 

Here is the shading chart from light to dark value of each color and as always, please feel free to copy it and use it as you work on this month’s challenge.

 

 

April TIFC Finished

My April TIFC piece is finished.  It was totally composed in Paint Shop Pro and went through 3 different looks.   I focused on the concept of change and liked the idea of documenting the recent changes in aviation - probably because of the copyright free photos available on the internet. 

The first version had the space shuttle in the middle and all the older planes around it.  I edited the photos, framed them and placed them around the shuttle, connected by blue woven trails on a grey, crumpled background.  The black and white photos looked great against the grey, and I liked the woven blue trails, but the arrangement wasn’t quite right. 

Onto the second version - between resizing, mirroring, using different filters and arrangements, the planes became unrecognizable.  I didn’t even save any of the working files from the second version.

Finally, the third version was the winner.  These are mostly black and white photos, so I thought it would be fun to frame them with an old fashioned film strip look and elimnated the space shuttle. 

This picture is small in my blog, but the first plane is from 1943, then onto 1945, an Elvis Era plane is next and then a plane from the present.  It struck my funny bone to see a plane on NASA’s website labelled Elvis. 

This isn’t fiberly, but it is my finished April TIFC and I wanted to post it as I’m part of the TIFC web ring.  

 

April TIFC Color Palette

This morning I created the color palette for April’s TIFC piece.   It’s free for anyone who would like to use it for the challenge.  The concept idea of change is intriguing though and that will be my focus for this month’s challenge. 

Warmer weather has finally arrived.  The first flowers of the year have opened - snowdrops - amid the snow - visible in the bottom of the picture. 

 

 

The bulbs were given to me by a dear neighbor who moved to North Carolina and every year when they open up, they bring back the fond memories of good times we shared, and the promise of Spring. 

Third Postcard - TIFC completed

The March TIFC fabric postcards are completed.  This last one - the dark value one - against the moire fabric is quite elegant - in my eyes.  Antique style Mill Hill beads were hand embroidered using my hand dyed 60/2 100% silk yarn in the feather stitch pattern. 

The center trim came from India and I realized when you cut a beaded trim, be prepared for a cascade of beads.  Next time I’ll sew threw the last few beads close to where I will make the cut.  No more getting on my hands and knees searching for little beads in the carpet.  

Coco - my Himalyan blue-eyed feline beauty - got interested in the project as she heard the beads bouncing from my cutting table on their way to the carpet below.  I could have done with a little less assistance. 

The 3 postcards were supposed to complete my March TIFC challenge.  Making the value color chart, selecting fabrics to match, then making the 3 postcards in colors I seldom use was a stretch for me.  Some surprising secondary color combinations were discovered and it was very good to learn how to create different compositions.

But I couldn’t stop there.  The postcards use all 5 colors together in light, medium and dark values.  Blending each individual color from light, medium to dark was also an option.  Soooo, when I sewed the fabric strips at the beginning of the challenge, I made 2 different groups.  One for the postcards and one for a black and white contrast sample.

Ever since college days, and my first class on Perception, I’ve been intrigued by creating illusions.  We use illusions every day - how we dress can flatter and balance a figure - or exaggerate an asset - furniture is arranged in a room to make it appear larger or smaller, our hair is styled to highlight eyes or great cheekbones, etc…

Color perception varies with what is next to it.  We know that, we’ve read about it in books, learned it in color theory workshops; but I wanted to make a sample and keep it hanging in my quilting room, so that I could see it in fabric.  

Ta, da the black and white contrast project was born:

I love it.  Each of the 5 colors in the TIFC is represented in 3 color values.  All thelittle strips are the same size.  All the black and white fabric pieces are the same size.  All the same colors are across from each other in the strip.  It sure doesn’t look like everything is equal, does it?  Oh, I love it.  I just love it. 

This tactile representation of a scientific theory is just what I needed to make.  And yes, now I really am done with the March TIFC.  The graph, the postcards, and the black/white contrast piece - WOW 3 for the month of March. 

What can I say?  I was thrilled to be added to the group, and got a wee bit enthused about it this month.   Now it’s time to get back to my regularly scheduled activities.

Second Fabric Postcard Completed

The second (medium) color value fabric postcard in the TIFC was completed last night.  This one has clean simple lines. I was sorely tempted to add lots of flowers and leaves at the top of the metallic Candlelight swirl, but kind of liked the straight forward lines on this card.

The fabric strips were fused to the background in the first challenge.  This time I sewed some light weight interfacing to the right side and turned the strips to get a nice clean edge.  I then appliqued the section in place with a decorative stitch from my sewing machine along the sides using a PolyNeon Madeira thread.

Some decorative tulle I saved from something or other was next.  I fused some Wonder Under to it and it’s a very good idea to use a teflon sheet for this.  It’s messy as the fusible comes through the tulle, but I loved the little silver metallic dots on this tulle.   The overlapping design didn’t show well, so I edge stitched the strip sides with YLI’s Fine Silver Metallic thread.

The last step was drizzling some YLI’s Metallic Candlelight thread over the piece, and I do mean drizzle.  My first attempts to make a planned scroll or loops looked forced.  Then I just dropped the thread on the piece and let the thread do what it wanted.  Darned if I didn’t like the loops and draping better than anything I’d been trying to create. It was hand couched in place, and as long as I had a threaded needle in hand, I hand appliqued the long fabric strip edges. 

There is something quite soothing about hand work and while I love my sewing machine, use it a lot, and would not want to be without it, I am going to strive to have all my future projects have some hand work incorporated in it. 

To me, hand work is like the final touch before you send a child off on the school bus for the first time, or get on a plane and hug your loved ones good bye as you start a new journey.  It’s not a farewell.  It’s a “be safe, enjoy your time out in the world, I’ll be here when you get back” sort of blessing.

I can’t wait to mail these fabric postcards - spreading the spirit of creativity through the post office, one fabric postcard at a time.  

Light Value Postcard Finished - TIFC

The first piece in March’s TIFC has been completed.  There will be a total of 4 pieces: 3 postcards (light, medium and dark values) and one combination piece probably journal page size.  The light value postcard was finished last night. 

The center is the fabric selected from the color blending chart I made last week.  That chart was a valuable reference tool for me.

The center fabric was fused to the background violet silk fabric and sewn down with a pretty built-in decorative stitch on my sewing machine with Madeira rayon thread. 

The scroll was sketched onto a piece of water soluble stabilizer and then sewn with YLI’s Jean Stitch thread.  I selected a variegated pastel and sewed twice around the scroll. 

The lace flower on the bottom corner is from a fabric remnant of a dress I made for myself when my niece was married about 12-13 years ago.  I appliqued it in place with matching Madeira rayon thread, then hand sewed the glass donut bead in the center.

The upper left corner has a metal wire scroll I made on a jig I purchased a couple ofyears ago.  There is a fabulous site www.wigjig.com that has many wonderful designs available.  The pattern I selected was # 20 from the Twenty Pair of Earring Jackets section. 

Nothing tied in well, and I’ve been admiring Melissa’s Sweetheart Roses ever since I watched her tutorial.  Out came my box of silk ribbon.  Wouldn’t you know?  No white. Okay, there was a little yellow in the YLI thread and there was no yellow anyplace else on the postcard.  Onward with yellow Sweetheart Roses - directions are on Melissa’s blog - http://honeybeesbliss.blogspot.com/

The wire scroll was also couched with invisible thread.  I wanted to make sure a loop would not pop up going through the automated mail sorters at the Post Office. 

Adding the little yellow stamens to the white flower was the last step.  It really needed something.  A big white flower with a glass bead in the middle was too stark.  I couldn’t believe the difference those tiny little yellow leaves made.  Directions for those are on Melissa’s blog also.

Madeira rayon and a different stitch around the outer edges joined the top, center cardstock, and muslin back together.  Voila, my first of three postcards in the TIFC is completed.

I did not do a lot of embellishment on this piece because the goal was to maintain the light value of the center fabric.  The fabric had to be visible and not altered too much by the embellishments.    When it is placed next to the medium and dark value postcards, I would like the color blending to be a smooth transition.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to achieve that goal.