Making something

...out of dyed felted scraps.  Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday, Marti

Wet felting practice a few days ago, and I made this little bag.  Does it look like a hippie bag?  Well, I am of that era.  Hollis and Annie were very interested in the bag also.  As soon as Annie was out of the picture, here came Holly. sniff sniff sniff...what's this....?  Love my Aussies!

Today is my 60th birthday and I am amazed to be typing this sentence.  How did this happen, this past sixty years?!  Life is good and I am hoping for another great year like the last one.  





Here is the final result of my surface design round robin.  I love the geckos and the dots and circles on the little guys really make this pop.  Suzi from Iowa added those last details that really make this pop, don't you think?  I am considering making this into a triptych (sp) and placing close to my papier mache gecko I made a few years ago.  He currently lives in my laundry room and I have room on an adjacent wall.

Gandolf RIP

 Gandolf died on August 20th.  It was a very peaceful death with his head in my lap after our vet administered a tranquilizer.  Seeing the pain leave his face is what I have carried with me the past couple of weeks.  He was a serene, gentle soul and I miss him.

 Here is Gandolf with his "don't mess with me" look.  Totally a bluff, he loved nothing better being brushed and hugged.

One final picture of Gandolf with his ears forward.  Always a sign of happiness!

Art Pillows!

Working with recycled sweaters is very satisfying because  1. it sews like butter, both hand work and when free motion stitching with the machine. 2. I feel good about reusing/repurposing something that might be headed for the landfill. and 3. I can get as creative as I want depending on my mood.  A simple pillow with nice lines and colors that please me or one wildly sewn with flowers and leaves.  All great fun!      

         



             

Practice practice practice

I spent the afternoon practicing my freemotion stitching.  LobsterFest is going on in Rockland this week and I found a picture on the Fest site that showed the glorious tents used.  In this piece, I tried to show the fog in the harbor and the clarity of the tents.  It did not turn out the way I expected it to (when DOES it?), but it was a really good exercise doing a sketch type of work.

What if....

I am playing with my wool today.  All has been gathered from the rag bag or the local thrift shops and washed in hot water and thrown in the dryer.  What would happen if  I used the wool as the background to free motion on?  The first thing I learned was rayon thread is too thin.  After some trial and error, I settled on a 12weight white sulky for the dandelion and a Superior cotton for the greenery.

 

In my very best EAE imitation, I freemotioned round pieces of white wool. I do like the end result and plan on making this into a pillow, stuffed with wool graciously donated this spring by Bilbo.

Below is a closeup of the leaves.  I placed tulle on the wool, free stitched the leaves and then cut off the excess.  (as taught in EAE's thread magic book).

Last Day of July

I took my camera today on my walk with my aussies.  

Below are a couple of shots that I particularly liked.

 

 

Just finished a small piece, yes, I am back to lupines. 

 

Looking forward to August!

My sheep, my pretties, my wool source

 Bilbo scratching his bum

 Bilbo and shy Thorin

 Gandolf up close and personal

 Precious waiting to be in the green pasture

 Little Lady

Legolas, aka Meanie

Dyeing wool using KoolAid

I am spending the day dyeing wool, using KoolAid.  Right now I have wool simmering in blastin' berry cherry!  This is such a fun, non-toxic method and my kitchen smells yummy.

                                                                                                                                                                       First I soaked the wool in warm vinegar water

 

                                               

Hot Red before adding the wool 

          

              Finally:  The darker red was a cookies and cream wool from my sheep, Thorin

Click on picture to enlarge

Two new pieces going to Archipelago

Precious

I love taking care of my sheep, watching them is so much fun.  Here is my first attempt - trying to convey their whimsy.  This is my ewe Precious.  I think there will be more sheep pieces.

Round Robin, Suzi's piece

I have added my contribution to Suzi's bunnies and will be sending it on.  I decided to hand stitch my appliques to stay with the more primitive feel of this piece.

Surface Design Round Robin - First Challenge

Suzi, In Iowa, sent this to me.  It seems beautiful already, a muslin with frayed edges, and I have been reluctant to *ruin* it.  However, a little seed of an idea has finally popped into my head.  I will post the results!

Surface Design Round Robin

I am participating in a round robin sponsored by the Five, a group here in Maine.  The piece I am sending was one of a batch that I snow dyed last winter.  I was going to continue working on it because of it's lightness, so I thought it would be a perfect piece for someone else to add to.

Something New

  I have recently become interested in silverplate silverware.  Lots of possibilities;  so far I have made planter markers, small bud vases and my most recent - a wind chime using a tea pot lid, two spoons and a knife handle along with found sea glass and shells.  Nothing fiber related here, but I love to find ways to use/reuse/repurpose stuff that is just gathering dust or headed for the transfer station.

Also, as of today, six of my pieces will be hanging at the Island Institute's Archipelago, in Rockland, Maine.   Below is a picture from their site, showing three of my smaller pieces on the second shelf.

FOUND

After six days and five nights, I found Pretty Boy!!  Lots of people in the Washington area were looking, lots of helpful calls, I so appreciate all their help.  He was hiding out around the Washington Pond area, and with all the rain we have had this past week he was pretty sad looking. 
A warm bath, warm blow dryer and a good meal, he is recovering.  I love a happy ending, don't you?

Murphy is Missing

Murphy has been missing in the Washington, Maine area since Wednesday.   Please contact me if seen.  271-1294 or martiwlew@gmail.com

It's Been a Long Time

My last post was almost a year ago and I have decided to give it another go, this time with a more consistent approach.  In my defense, much has happened in the past year, not the least being our recent  move to Newburgh, Maine, which is in the Bangor area.  Life happens to everyone, not just me, so I'll move forward!  I have been busy this past year and I have posted some of the projects I have worked on.

 A batch of mittens made from recycled sweaters.  Delivered and sold to Archipelago last fall/winter

 Playing with recycled plastic bags.  I first laminated, then cut, then did some weaving to create this bag.  Not great, but I will continue to experiment.

This is one of my latest pieces, entitled Spring.  The beadwork actually spells Spring in braille. I am not finished with the quilting yet, trying to decide what next.