Recycling some jeans!

This is so not artsy, but totally crafty. My theme for my journal is recycling/upcycling. I decided to work on recycling some jean material I had. These are my first attempts. OK, but not really making me super happy....so I went to pinterest for some more inspiration....

This is where I went next. I decided the 3D stars were much better. The first star on the left took me about 45 minutes, all the trim was hand sewn on. Not practical for a small Christmas tree decoration.Then I got smarter. The second and third star took me about 15 min each. So, here's my best Christmas decoration recycled from an old pair of jeans!

Heidi's Empty Nest

This is my own "literal" empty nest for my empty nest themed book. The description, "empty nest" has a sad, melancholy feeling attached to it, but, it isn't all bad, just an adjustment.  I started with the nest, zigzagging the frame, then using strips of black fleece cording cut along the stretch to raise the dimension of the nest, as a new dimension is emerging in my life. I left ends of the fleece cording out to represent twigs and loose ends, all good things that make up a sturdy nest. I spent a bit of time stitching the center of the nest round and round, maybe imagining where my energy should go next now that my girls are gone from the nest. Likewise, the blue stitching radiates from the center of the nest away, giving off energy, that is being captured by lots of new adventures. 

A new chapter. A new beginning.

Super!

It took me a while to settle on something for Heidi's theme, "What's your mood."  It hit me this weekend as my three year old switched from his Superman costume to Batman and asked me to "ride Batpods" together in the parking lot.  And with that request, I went from whatever mood I was in to feeling super.  Up, Up and Away!

  

Watercolor Quilt

My theme is exploration. Doing a sketch book is not something I normally do. I've typically not been someone who draws or paints, so I chose the theme exploration to inspire me to get out of my comfort zone and make some art. My sketches this week are watercolor quilts. There are two because I owe Heidi a sketch from last year. Her theme last year included textiles which reminded me of quilts which led to this. Each square was a kind of exploration. I did the top sketch first and I learned a few things and I made Heidi's sketch even better.

Looking forward to exploring with all of you.

What's your Mood? Yippee we're back!!

Heidi's Mood, September 2013

My sketch book’s theme is, “What’s your mood?”

My first piece is a reflection of my mood this fall. With my second daughter, Abby, getting ready to graduate this year, Jim and I are bracing ourselves for the next chapter. I chose ambers, golds and yellows to express my mood, based on the chart below that I found online from another quilter’s site. Some days I’m nervous and unsettled, some optimistic and accepting of our coming experiences sans girls. Feeling nostalgic and reflective, I added a gold threaded trim that I made from a scarf that the girls used to play with. The scarf still rests in our dress-up box, long forgotten (minus it's trim!).

Found at: http://daintytime.net/2010/06/16/mod-mood-quilt-1/

Color perception and our reactions to color are subjective. They are shaped through our personal experience as well as our cultural environment. Below is a list of colors and some of the emotional mind states associated with them. Notice how colors can have both positive and negative associations.

BLACK: tense, nervous, harassed, over-worked, emptiness, void, mystery, allure, fascination, independent, strength

GREY: anxieties, nervous, strained, depressed, forbearance, perseverance, patience, reflection

AMBER-GOLD: nervous, mixed emotions, unsettled, warm, rich

LIME GREEN: excited, anticipation, new growth, perceptive, motivated,

GREEN: average reading, active, not under great stress, growth, abundance, prosperity, gratitude, hope, satisfaction, contentment, fertile, envy, greed, jealous, heart chakra

BLUE-GREEN: charged but relaxed, calm, dynamic, refreshed, tranquil, patience, cool, motivated, fussy, egocentric

BLUE: relaxed, at ease, calm, lovable, sincerity, peace, tranquility, faith, trust, truthful, sad, arrogant, throat chakra

DARK-BLUE: very happy, love, romance, dignity, integrity, intuition, knowledge, fantasy, wishful thinking, third eye chakra

WHITE: frustrated, cold, confused, bored, vacant, bare, peace, innocence, purity, open, faith

BROWN: earth, comforting, nurturing, stable, grounded, cozy, secure, elegant, fertile, humble

BRONZE: jitters, anticipation, restless thoughts,

YELLOW: imaginative, wondering, ok feeling, optimism, understanding, cheerful, motivated, curious, self-assured, productive, solar chakra

ORANGE: stimulating, ideas, creativity, daring, wants, joy, enthusiasm, sexuality, busy, bright, cheerful, naval chakra

RED: excited, energized, adventurous, ready to go, passion, courage, power, will, desire, anger, root chakra

PINK: fear, uncertain, love, affection, harmony, gentleness

PURPLE: sensual, clarity, purpose is known, wisdom, spirituality, passion, meditative, awareness, crown chakra

Harnessing Synergy in Heidi's Book

When looking to create synergy with fabric for Heidi's book ("Textiles:  Color, Freestyle, and Synergy in Art"), I couldn't help but notice that I was experiencing synergy first-hand.   Some of my initial ideas (a quilting patchwork, a collage of ribbons) were dead ends. They just didn't feel right.  It wasn't until I honed in on this dotted fabric that things clicked.  Why?  I have no idea.  It's not like I have a thing for polka dots.  That's just weird.  By chance though, when I cut the fabric, it frayed, leading me to peel away some of the strands.  An idea was born.  It reminds me that when we create (art, writing, etc.), we need to experiment, explore, and be willing to start again.  Because when we trust in the process synergy is bound to happen.

Synergy in art

Synergy: the power that results when the combined efforts of persons is greater than the sum of their individual efforts. Abraham Maslow

Since my theme is textiles, color, freestyle and synergy in art, I was thinking about this as I created my first piece. I chose fabrics that I might not put together based on their color/style compatibility and just started freestyling. I spent a bunch of time sewing the striped fabric in a funky way....not sure I like what happened, but I am glad to have made an attempt at a new style. My favorite thing about quilting is that the layering creates a synergy. First you sew the fabrics together, then you put a backing down and quilt on top of that. Somehow, magically, this layering allows just about any design and color to work together. Synergy! 

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