Cindy's Threads

2011-09-03T18:39:00.003-05:00

I completed my shawl. Actually it is more of a neck warmer. It wouldn't go around my shoulders but I like it. It was my first attempt at a shawl.

I'm now doing a class at Craftsy.com called Mastering Lace Knits. It is a great way to learn how to knit. I get to following along with the instructor (Laura Nelkin) and just hit the pause button to knit to the point she is and then continue. It's like having a knitting instructor in your living room! I'm using a fingering wool with some nylon yarn that I hand dyed myself. Here is a photo of my beginnings:

Holden shawlette

2011-08-11T16:23:00.006-05:00

I started working on a shawl called Holden Shawlette. It is a free pattern and there is a knit along for it at Craftsy.com. It has a beautiful lace edge. The cast on was a bit tricky but once I got started, so far, it is working beautifully! A nice change from constantly knitting socks.

I'm using a Knit Picks yarn called Chroma Fingering in the Pegasus colour. I bought it when it was on sale & now wish I had been able to get some of the brighter colours. I'm not sure they have it any more. I originally bought this to make socks as it has some nylon in it but when I saw the words "hand wash", it was promptly removed from the "Socks To Knit" pile. I DO NOT hand wash socks!

But I'm sure it will make a very nice shawl.

30 Days 30 Lines-Day 2

2010-11-16T16:10:00.004-06:00

OK, some of these I've done on the same day but I'm not sure that I will get to it every day but I figured if I can do 30 pages, I will have done well.

I was concerned that looking at Melanie's drawings & other people's drawings that I might be too influenced by them to be able to come up with something original. I figured that was OK because sometimes the best way to learn something new, to feel comfortable in what you are doing & to find your own voice is to copy what others have done before you until you feel comfortable. I needn't have worried as I'm starting to feel that I am finding my own.

I actually love this piece. It just came to me & it is all the same type of line - just different lengths and directions.

Excuse the fingers but the book wouldn't lay straight!

Draw a line-1

2010-11-16T16:05:00.006-06:00

I loved Melanie's class so much that when she gave a challenge on her blog to draw 30 lines for 30 days I thought why not. She is doing hers on fabric but as I will be traveling soon, I decided to do mine in a small moleskin journal (you can't beat a moleskin).

Now, I am not a drawer although Melanie keeps insisting that anyone can do it. I'm starting to believe her. Her line drawings are turning into works of art. I'm still sticking with one type of line per drawing but it is coming together very nicely for me. I will come up with an idea and I just have to draw it. I am challenging myself, trying something new. I've always wanted to draw & be better at it. I know it is practice. I've been lazy.

But my Dad was a great artist. Why can't some of those genes have come through to me?

So, here is my first page. I'm using Pitt pens at the moment and oh, they write so beautifully!

Been awhile

2010-11-16T15:54:00.003-06:00

OK, yes, it has been awhile. So much has happened over the last few months & most of the time I just wanted to crawl into myself. But I've started trying to work more & it is helping. There is light on the other side.

At the end of August I took a workshop at Create It! with Melanie Testa. She is a fantastic teacher & every time I think of journaling, things she said in class come to mind. I'm finally getting there. It is all about layers but learning out to put those layers together in a way that works - I'm working on it. I'm also realizing that I need to find my voice. Not other people's voices. What works for others does not necessarily work for me but if I keep trying, I will find it.

I finally finished my journal page I did in her class. Took a bit & I couldn't quite figure out how to get it to come together but I finally got there. That is not to say that I won't make additions but for my first piece, I think it is not bad.

"Outback Wanderings"

2010-05-11T07:38:00.005-05:00

I was inspired by the quilts of Ann Brauer. She uses a quilt as you go method with all different types of fabric to create beautiful landscape style pictures. Something about the lines & the colours just spoke to me. I had to give it a try myself.

But I did have to be different! I do need to make it my own.

I love the colours of the Australian outback so I decided to start there. I sewed strips of fabric to a paper square. Why, I'm not sure. I like the stability that the paper gives but it is a pain to remove. I may have to figure out another method that works for me.

I haven't decided how I'm going to quilt this yet. I may just quilt in the ditch or I may actually embellish it with thread & beads, etc. I also had to work with the colours I have on hand. I obviously could do with more fabric! Oh dear!

But I loved the process & I LOVE the look! I'm going to have to work further in this style.

Third pair completed!

2010-04-18T18:46:00.003-05:00

I finished my third pair of socks while here in Hong Kong. Have started a new pair now & hopefully it won't be another year before the pair is finished. This pair of socks is a very good example of why you should finish the pair you are working on before moving onto another one. The yarn I was using for this pair of socks I purchased at Hobby Lobby. It has aloe in it. It was very nice to knit with & the skein was a little larger than normal sock yarn. So on the first sock I had knitted an extra 10 rows in the leg. Well, with it being nearly a year until I started the second sock, I had forgotten that! So one sock is slightly longer than the other. When I'm wearing them, only I will know & I always wear them under pants but they will be a reminder to always make sure I double check & measure the first sock & not just assume that I have not made changes to my pattern!

2 Down 1 to go

2010-04-04T23:30:00.003-05:00

I have finished my second pair of socks within a week. Mind you, I only had half of the second sock to complete on both. I still have one more pair to finish but it will take me a little longer as I have only just started the second sock.

These socks are made with bamboo yarn purchased from The Yarn Workshop that I dyed quite some time ago. You can see more about that here. This yarn has been a dream to work with. It feels nice on the foot so I'm looking forward to wearing them and seeing how they hold up to my huge feet!

I have found that I always seem to go through the bottom of the heel on my socks & through the toes before they wear out anywhere else. With that in mind, I have started adding strength to these areas but knitting just across the bottom of the heel part with a second strand of yarn. When I'm done with the heel part, I cut the thread to continue knitting in the round, I then start a new thread when I come to the heel section again. The picture below shows these cut threads, before I have trimmed them. I don't trim them right the way down but do trim to about 1/2 to 3/4". So far I have found that this helps the socks hold up better and those extra little bits of thread seem to get worn into the inside of the sock. For the toe area, I use two strands of yarn on the complete round of knitting, starting with where the decreases for the toe start.

One down 2 to go

2010-04-03T18:01:00.005-05:00

I love working on socks because with traveling, they are small & compact and easy shove into my bag. Generally I don't have to think about them but the heel part is always a little tricky, especially as I do something different to what is written in the books. I use double the yarn when knitting the heel across the bottom part. It requires constant cutting of the thread so that the double thread is only on the heel part. It is more of a hassle but worth it because it makes the bottom stronger. I do the same thing for the toe.

Because of the fiddle factor, I like to work on the heels when I'm sitting at home. The problem is that I usually have tons of other things to do at home so I rarely sit & knit. So, I have brought to Hong Kong with me 3 half finished pairs of socks. I finally finished the first pair. Yeah!!!!

BJP 2010 January

2010-03-25T16:41:00.003-05:00

I have now almost finalized my January 2010 Bead Journal Project piece. I was in Australia for January where it was summer while being winter back in my home in Chicago. I wanted to show that here between the sun & the snow.

I have a question. The journal has a rough edge to it with almost a plastic feel although it is paper. The bead work has been mounted on an interfacing which is about 1/8" think. I decided to frame the work by putting a piece of ultra suede behind it. I really like the way it looks. At the moment these are just sitting on top of one another. Obviously I have to attach it somehow. I was thinking of using E6000 glue. Can anyone see why that would not work? I would use the glue to attach the stiff interfacing to the ultra suede. Once that is try use the same glue to attach it to the journal.

Suggestions? Any other options? I had thought about sewing the beadwork to an ultrasude band that I then slip over the cover but I do like the look of the framing.

All suggestions or comments appreciated. Thanks

Green Craft

2010-02-16T01:03:00.005-06:00

A few months ago I sent in a garment made out of dryer sheets to be considered for the magazine Green Craft. Today I found out that I have a 2 page spread in the magazine! I can't wait to see a copy. If you are in the States, check it out.

A Year A Day

2010-02-07T15:47:00.004-06:00

I may not be real good about getting a blog post every day but I have been good about posting to my flickr account a photo a day for 2010.

Check out my pictures here.

I will try to start posting them here as well. Here is the latest picture that I had posted.I'm at Port Macquarie NSW at the moment and the pelicans are here! I love them! This is just one of the many photos that I took.

January BJP

2010-02-07T15:36:00.004-06:00

This is the beginning of my BJP for 2010. It will be placed on the front of a small journal for me to write thoughts & happenings for the month. As I am in Australia this January instead of cold Chicago, I decided to try to blend these two differences together by starting with the yellow of the sun above and blending into the snow at the bottom.

Happy 2010!

2009-12-31T17:14:00.003-06:00

The beginning of a new year. I always love the beginning. All the hope for making changes and doing things differently than the previous year. A time to start fresh.

May your year be as peaceful as this photo taken on the first day of 2010.

BJP 2008 Finished!

2009-11-04T19:15:00.005-06:00

OK, it has been awhile since I have posted but life keeps getting in the way. I seem to be traveling so much that I'm not sure if I'm coming or going! I knew that if I didn't give myself an absolute deadline for getting by 2008 Bead Journal Project completed it could sit around for some time! So, I entered it into the Fine Art of Fiber show at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

For this past BJP project, I have been focusing on colour and the memories it brings to mind or the feelings that a specific colour evokes. I decided to work through the colour wheel and work on one colour a month. I was a little surprised by some of the words, thoughts and memories that came to mind while beading. Some of the words may not make sense to others but to me, the colours brought to mind specific memories so I tried to include those with my words for each month. I became very surprised at how I seemed to be drawn to the colour green. Red has always been my favourite colour but the green just keeps calling me!

Tsukineko Inks

2009-08-31T06:00:00.004-05:00

This photo doesn't do the colours justice but I will explain what I have done. I have the full range of Tsukineko Inks. Looking at the jar is not always a good indication of what the colour of the ink will be like on fabric so I decided to make myself up a colour chart. I based this somewhat on a colour wheel. I took each colour & painted a little circle of it & then wrote beside it what the colour was. Although it is not photographing the exact colours, it really is a good resource to know exactly what a colour is going to look like.

And it was fun to do!

Photos

2009-08-13T05:00:00.003-05:00

Well, it has been a while since I posted. It is summer and things just seem to get busy. My daughter is in South Africa learning how to tranquilize big game so we have a house full of animals at the moment. When I do get a chance to get some work done, I don't have time to post photos. Everyone is back to school next week so hopefully I will get a chance to get some things posted.

But one thing I really wanted to get figured out this summer was my camera. My youngest takes great photos and I wanted to know how to do the same. I have a decent camera but I wasn't sure what I was doing. I see photos on the web all the time that I LOVE but didn't know how to take those sorts of photos myself.

So, yesterday we went to Brookfield Zoo and spent the day taking photos. Our last stop of the day (before getting our Dippin' Dots) was the butterfly section. Finally, I took a photo like I've been trying to take & I love it! Now I have to remember how to change the settings when my youngest isn't around! :)

Fish Star Book

2009-07-03T16:17:00.004-05:00

I recently did a workshop with Melaine Terasaki at the North Suburban NeedlesArts Guild Summer Seminar. We made star books. I spotted the paper above for the cover and how could I not use it! My boys are big into fishing! So, I printed out a number of pictures of the kids & Bill with fish and added them to this book.

I even managed to a picture of the Blue Marlin Bill had caught some time ago. Here you can see clearly the picture that I printed onto cardstock to use as the background image. It was a picture I had taken of a pond that had hundreds of Koy fish in them. When you threw food in, they would swarm.

This is what the book looks like when you open it & tie the covers back. This is where it gets it's name of Star Book.

Taste of Chicago

2009-07-01T06:13:00.016-05:00

Yesterday Bill and myself went to the Taste of Chicago. This was the first time EVER that I had been. It is something that I've been wanting to do for a long time but we just never seemed to be able to get there.

It was an overcast day which actually worked out well as it was also cooler than it had been. So much cooler that I had to wear a cardigan!

Before we left, we had picked up a map so there were two things we wanted to try: Bill wanted to try the corn and I wanted to try something called Pork filled Banana Dumpling.

Here is Bill eating his corn. It wasn't too bad.

For my Pork Filled Banana dumpling (which I'm trying to eat here) I was actually a bit disappointed. Maybe I was thinking more of a Chinese dumpling. It wasn't too bad but it didn't really seem to have much taste.

Here is a close up picture of it.

We walked around trying all sorts of different things. New this year is what they call "Taste". For between 3-4 tickets, you can get a small version of one of the items that the stall offers. Where we could, we did get this. It allowed us to eat more things than we would have otherwise eaten. Actually, from what I could see, it was a big hit as most people were getting the Taste version. Unfortunately the stalls didn't have all of their items in a taste portion, otherwise we would have stuck to that size.

We had a great day. I'm glad we did it.

Here are some pictures of some of the other items we ate:

Potato pancakes with apple sauce

Pulled Pork Sandwich

Sweet Potato Hashbrowns

Funnel Cake (this was not as good as I would have hoped for as it was a bit tough. While we were sitting on the curb eating it we figured out why, in the back of the stall they had boxes of these that were frozen. They were not making these fresh but instead heating up pre-made funnel cakes. Funnel Cakes are ALWAYS best when made fresh.Here is a picture of Bill taking a picture of the food for me. I was making such a mess of my eating that he took the camera away from me :)

October BJP

2009-06-25T07:42:00.003-05:00

OK this is my October piece. Some of the words that came to mind while working on this piece are the same as the previous month and actually the same as November. But that's OK. These colours are in the same colour family.

The reason Vitamin C came to mind was because I remember eating Vitamin C tablets that were this colour. They actually had the words "Vitamin C" written on them.

This is still on of those colours that makes me smile. Happy colours.

BJP September

2009-06-18T20:33:00.008-05:00

For all of you who think you are way behind, I'm here to make you feel good! :) I have FINALLY totally completed my September piece. I have been working on other months but they are not in that "final, post on the web, show to the world" stage.

My goal/theme/journaling has been about colours & how they make me feel and the things that come to mind when I'm working on these colours. As I've been beading my butterflies I have been writing down these words and thoughts. For some words they may not make sense to others but they do for me.

If you had seen earlier posts, you would note that I was originally going to put these butterflies onto a patchwork background. I loved working with the patchwork and pulling out all of the fabrics to give me all the colours of the rainbow was just a joy! But when it came to completing the piece, I just couldn't get the words conveyed that I wanted, plus the butterflies were disappearing into the background. I like this format. Yes, I'm very visual with the words but I like that.

Here is a close-up of the butterfly.

I have also been working on other projects this past year and decided to continue with my theme of colours; the things that pop to mind when I look at a colour, or how different colours make me feel about different things. I will try to start getting some of these things posted. I know, I've been slack about posting. sorry.

I have more butterflies to add but I still have handwork to get done. Now that I know how I'm going to finish off the pieces, I'm rolling them out. Once I get the handwork finished for the edges, I will post more of these.

So, if you are behind, you can't be as far behind as me! But I'm catching up quickly! :)

Oh, and I love the idea of doing a new project. I already know what I'm going to do. Make journal covers for each month and use the journal to write my thoughts for the month, using it from year to year. I thought it would be interesting to see how my thoughts during a particular month change from year to year, particuarly when the first 3 months of next year I will be in Australia! Who knows where I will be the following year during those same months.

Popppies

2009-05-30T06:07:00.004-05:00

The other night on the news I saw a photo someone had taken of the poppies at the Chicago Botanical Gardens. As I live just a few miles away, I had to get there for myself and take my own pictures. They were nearly over so I'm glad we had a nice day. My daughter went with me and she kept taking photos with her phone for sharing with others.

They also had lots of beautiful coloured flowers. The tulips & daffodils were already finished but there were lots of wonderful violas and many other plants full of colour. Here is another one of my favourites.

Felt workshop

2009-05-30T06:03:00.004-05:00

OK, life is getting away from me & twitter, which will automatically update Facebook from my phone, is about what I seem to be able to get to at the moment. Anyway, here are the pictures of two of my pieces from the workshop. The first one is a bit washed out, I do need to try & get a better photo. The shapes were cut out felt glued on top before I gessoed over the whole thing. I have been trying to do another piece the same way but it seems that the gesso actually does go off over time!

My second piece the colours are actually richer than they appear. They have that lovely sparkle to them. I have all of the photos on Flickr so if you want to see more, click on the link to the right.

Felt workshop

2009-04-22T19:20:00.002-05:00

Today & tomorrow I am doing a felting workshop with Michelle Sales. We are having a lot of fun. I will post completed pictures tomorrow but for the moment, if you want to see some photos, check out my Flickr page.

Drawing with Paint

2009-04-22T18:37:00.008-05:00

While doing the class with Judy Coats Perez at IQF, one of the things that we discussed was a ruling pen. It is a pen that, pre-computers, was used with mechanical drawing. Now that computers do most of the work, they are hard to come by.

Well, I found something similar in Michael's! It is called a Fine Line Painting Pen by Lowe-Cornell, Inc. I found it in the section where they sell the inks.

This is a close up of the nib.

And here is a picture of what it looked like when I was drawing.

I had to thin the paint just a little with a bit of water but once I had it flowing, it worked beautiful.

I also tried using Tsukineko Inks. I like to experiment but there are no pictures as it was a disaster! It ran and would not give a smooth line. I also had a little bit of trouble getting the ink into the nib as I didn't have the little squeeze thing to do that with. I tried by using a syringe. Don't do it! It was a disaster.

On a related note, does anyone know how long it takes for red Tsukineko Ink to wash out of hair?

IQF 2009

2009-04-18T07:00:00.004-05:00

I have just spent the last 2 days in workshops taught by Judy Coates Perez. They were wonderful classes!

The first day we did Tsukineko Inks. I still need to take a photo of what I did for that class.

Yesterday the workshop was about whole cloth painting. This is my piece to the left. I am happy with the painting as I have tried this before & it never seemed to work. Now it does. Judy is a wonderful teacher. Next I have to quilt it which will add more detail. Once that is done, I may come back in with some more paints.

These were wonderful classes. If you ever get the chance, take a workshop with Judy. You can see photos from the class in my Flickr account. Still learning the camera so some of the photos didn't get the flash that they so desperately needed!

The show itself was wonderful. They had vendors selling everything that I just had to have! And even though we were in the classrooms, we felt like we were right on the floor when Pokey's Tweet came through saying she had spilt green paint all over herself so they were obviously having a good time!

Dyeing with food colouring

2009-04-06T11:39:00.004-05:00

For those of you that are just dyeing to know :), No, it is not possible to use food colouring to dye Fabric Dryer sheets. For some reason the colour will just not stay, even with a good amount of citric acid.

So, next try. I know that tea bag dyeing works really well but those vibrant colours would be so much more fun!

I'm finally getting some time in my studio. Hopefully soon I'll have pictures of work.

Xi'an, Shaanxi Provence, China

2009-02-24T19:46:00.005-06:00

We had a great time in Xi'an. Well, I did. My husband still thinks it is all a scam. I still think it is amazing that these soldiers were found after being buried for so long. Just imagine what else is out there.

The first photo shows some of the soldiers in Pit 1. There are 3 different pits.

We also walked the city wall. We thought it wouldn't be too bad, but after walking for 3 hours from one exit to the next and only covering 1/4 of it, we decided it was time to get off!

The trip was amazing and made me appreciate very much what I have at home. Everything is so backward, just getting around can be difficult. We were trying to find a taxi at one time & it took us 2 hours! We finally walked into a Hyatt hotel & pretended we were staying there to get them to get us a taxi. Taxis would stop but they wouldn't necessarily take you where you wanted to go!

I have more pictures on my Facebook account if you want to see some. I took 592 photos! If you don't have facebook, e-mail me and I will send you a link to my google photos.

Newspapers

2009-02-14T18:07:00.003-06:00

I do not have a lot of my fiber related supplies here in Hong Kong. I have some but more importantly, I don't have the space I have in Chicago where I can lay everything out & not have to move it until I'm done! So I decided to take a different approach to what I'm doing for the few weeks that I'm here. HK newspapers have the most wonderful colourful pictures! I have been collecting all the pictures I can find & yesterday I started cutting them out. Some pictures and stories I am just pasting into a sketchbook. These are my inspiration pictures, things to look at to remind me of the colours of HK & China. Others I am cutting out to use in collage work when I return to Chicago. I will post pictures of my sketchbook later. After I have pasted the photos into the sketchbook, I'm planning on going through with my coloured pencils and adding drawings, etc. I love looking at the sketchbook, the colours that pop off the page and so vivid.

Hong Kong

2009-02-07T18:28:00.004-06:00

Well I finally finished one sock but didn't get a picture of it yet so I thought I would post a couple of pictures of Hong Kong instead. One thing you will notice, though. The pictures look a little hazy. That is not because of a bad camera shot, that is Hong Kong! It is always full of pollution, unfortunately. Days with nice clear blue sky are very rare. And if we happen to get one, I will be heading out all day to take photos. Checking the 7-day weather forecast on the Hong Kong weather page, is actually tells us that next Monday will be fine but hazy. Actually I just noticed that they changed it, thank goodness. It was a little picture of HK that was yellow - now would that be considered haze or pollution! :)

This is the star ferry from Kowloon side with HK in the background. This shows very nicely the "haze" I'm talking about.
This is one of the old time junks. Unfortunately she didn't have her sails up. When she does she is even more beautiful. We were walking along the water front on Kowloon side and were just about to head to the MTR (train) when she came along. Next time hopefully I will see her with sails.

Taken on the balcony of friends house. They have the most fantastic view of the other side of the Island, as it is know. The view behind us is Deepwater Bay with the yacht club. They were having some sort of race.

A view of Repluse bay.
Another view of Deepwater Bay. There is a golf club to the right and we have friends who have a membership. When I lived in Hong Kong from 1982-1992 with the kids, we used to have many birthday parties there.

Socks

2009-02-02T17:33:00.008-06:00

Being in Hong Kong is a little frustrating artistic wise as I have only brought my knitting with me. It is the easiest thing to travel with. But I am keeping a sketch book & have all these wonderful ideas of things to work on when I get back to Chicago. I will have lots of things to get caught up on when I get back but the kids will still be in school and my husband still in Hong Kong so I will have the time.I have, though, been knitting away. I have not yet finished this sock but this is the bamboo yarn that I hand dyed. I am loving the look and the feel. I'm hoping that it will also feel good when worn.

I have also started on a knee high sock. So far I'm also loving this too.
I still have a ways to go but without having to worry too much about shaping, it is the perfect thing to be working on when riding the escalator home. Hong Kong has this fantastic way to get from Central to Mid-Levels. It is this really long escalator system. There are lots of fun things along the way to see. We live about 1/2 block from the top of the escalator. The biggest problem is that it can only go one way. Until 10am in the morning it heads down. The whole thing is then manually turned around to go up the hill. I have seen them do it. It takes about 20-30 mins for them to go to each escalator & turn it around. It really is an amazing form of transport.

Happy Chinese New Year

2009-01-30T18:56:00.005-06:00

I know this is a couple of days late but better late than never. Here is a money tree to bring you good fortune for the year.Here is a lion dance out the front of one of the buildings on our street.
This year is the Year of the Ox. May it be better for you than forcasted!

Food Colour Yarn Dyeing

2009-01-20T18:23:00.005-06:00

OK, when I should be packing for my 2 month trip to Hong Kong, I'm dyeing yarn with food colouring! I bought bamboo & footscray from The Yarn Workshop. Incidentally, the person who owns this actually lives in Hong Kong. She directed me where to get the powdered food colouring & I couldn't return to Hong Kong without having used it!

Anyway, here are my results & I'm kinda impressed! Both yarns were dyed the exact same way and yet both of them came out totally different! Here is a photo of both of the yarns painted.

Of course, I was not thinking. It was food colouring. I could do this in the kitchen. I didn't need any safety precautions! Here is my reminder that next time, I need to wear gloves!

I microwaved both of these. Then rinsed, washed & balled! These photos don't show the actual beautiful colours but you can certainly see the difference! The bamboo is the lighter colour but it is actually very, very cool! I love the way both of these turned out. I will definitely be picking up more food colouring dyes while in HK

This is the bamboo in the skein
and then in the ball.

This is the footscray which is mainly wool in the skeing & then in the ball. During each process, just as with dyeing fabric, the colours were always changing.

During each process, just as with dyeing fabric, the colours were always changing. I loved the way these turned out & will definitely be doing it again soon!

October Done!

2008-12-27T06:00:00.003-06:00

Here is my October Butterfly. I have really been zipping along! Once I got all the Christmas gifts completed it was a little easier to find the time to catch up. The colour of the photo is not perfect but close. I have a new camera (Nikon D60) but I'm still learning so I'm sure I'll get better photos soon. The words with this have been interesting; including things like Vitamin C! The colours here remind me of oranges & we have been eating them to combat a cold. It is interesting to see that some of my words from last month & this month were the same. I'm sure that will happen constantly & I'm letting it brew. I know that the words that repeat themselves will end up being used more promently in the final piece, I'm curious to see where they will lead.

I actually have worked a lot more than just my butterfly. I have also finished the background patchwork that will go with this. I have realized that I am not perfect when it comes to doing the patchwork but I really don't mind. It is me. I am not perfect. I still don't know how all of these will go together but the thoughts are flowing. Seeing this piece sit with last month's piece, they really flow together. I am going to enjoy beading these as well. I think I am leaning towards making them 12 individual pieces so that I can move them around to create different colour patterns but still haven't decided on that yet. Until I do, I can't actually work with this background piece, but give it a little more time and it will come to me!

I have also been spending a lot of time getting things prepared for the 12 months of the project.
On this last picture you will see all the colours that I have pulled out to use for the butterflies each month. What you can't really see is that behind these colours I also have the strips that will be used to create the patchwork. Cutting the strips took a really long time but now I have everything set & ready to go. It will make the beading process flower better.

It all just emphasizes how much I love colours & my journey this year to actually record what each colour makes me think of is already putting lots of smiles on my face! Just pulling all the fabrics together made me smile. I have put the rest of the fabric that the strips were cut from into their own drawer. Opening the drawer & looking at the rainbow of colours makes me smile. It is easy to work in my workroom when I can look up on my design wall & see these strips, just waiting to be made into patchwork to compliment my butterflies! There is something about looking at a rainbow of colours that really gets my energy levels up!

BJP September Part 2

2008-12-18T06:48:00.005-06:00

OK, I couldn't stop! I had to finish the quilting part of my idea. This took a lot to get sorted out but now that I know what I'm doing, the rest of them will be quicker. The darker fabric in the middle is the fabric for my September butterfly. One of the colours on either end are the fabric for October 2008 & August 2009. My goal is to be working with colours for the year. I have found a way to make the colours flow from one month to the next using fabric and the beading on my butterfly. For my beading, I have decided that one of the beads from this months butterfly will also be used in next months butterfly. I couldn't put this down. I'm already nearly done with October. It will not take long for me to catch up!

As for the quilt part, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this but I'm sure by the end of the year it will come to me. Maybe everything will be put in one big quilt. Maybe my September Butterfly will be on this piece or maybe it wont. I will have to see. I will definitely be putting my words for the month on this piece but I'm realizing that some of my words for September and October were the same. I thought it might be interesting to see where that goes before I start adding the words to the fabric.

BJP September Done!

2008-12-17T07:30:00.002-06:00

Well, it is finally done! I could say that I'm all up to date & that I just haven't taken the pictures yet but then that would be robbing myself of my process. My problem was I had this idea in my head & I kept mulling it over & over & over. I wasn't sure it was going to work but until I had the time to actually sit down & figure it out, it would haunt my mind.

I have been extremely busy traveling, making Christmas gifts, having family home, etc. but yesterday I forced myself to finish & I'm so glad I did. I will be working through the colour wheel. Along with this I am working on a small patchwork piece that will also have similar colours in it. Not sure yet that I will sew this butterfly to the patchwork piece for this month but the two will work together.

I have also been recording words that come to mind as I'm working. For September, my words are: Chinese, blood, happy, strong, favourite colour family. I'm hoping to incorporate these words somewhere in the finished piece but I will have to see.

Anyway, now that I have the process actually figured out, it will hopefully be easy to catch up. Now if I can just find a couple more hours in the day!

Christmas

2008-12-13T18:24:00.003-06:00

I've been working on more Christmas presents. I had my husband pick up some shawls for family members and today I made cases for them and tissue holders to match.

I have also been working on socks for my daughter. She will wear socks I make so I'm happy to make them for her!

Coffee Sleeve

2008-12-03T18:26:00.005-06:00

I have been working on Christmas presents. I thought that reusable coffee sleeves would be a great idea. Then I was in Hancock fabrics & found the coffee bean fabric. The inside is the fabric that the pocket is made from. In between the two layers is insulation batting. I made the first one & then thought it would be cool to actually put a pocket on the sleeve to hold a Starbucks coffee card. I now have about 10 more of these to make. Aren't they cool! (or should I say hot!) This is the small cup, they also fit the largest cup.

I have been working on my sewing and beading projects. I just haven't been taking pictures or writing on my blog. I need to change that. Whether anyone reads this or not, it is a great place for me to document that I've actually accomplished something!

If you want directions for this coffee sleeve, e-mail me. I put together directions for myself for next time I need to make a bunch of these.

Fine Art of Fiber this weekend!

2008-11-05T09:53:00.003-06:00

Fine Art of Fiber (FAOF) is this weekend. Don't miss it! Not only do I have 7 pieces in this show, but there are numerous other people who have made some wonderful pieces that will be on display.

There is also a boutique where you can pick up some wonderful gifts including kids gifts, scarves, hats, jackets, quilts, etc. It is well worth the visit.

The FAOF is held at the Chicago Botanical Gardens and is open Friday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. There is a preview night on Thursday from 6:30pm to 9pm.

I will be there personally on Friday from 10-12pm. I will be working in the exhibition gallery for Women's Journeys in Fiber. This year we have done Robes. It is well worth the visit just for that!

Where does the time go!!!

2008-10-13T17:55:00.005-05:00

Where does the time go! I took this photo of half of my September butterfly before I left Chicago for Hong Kong. This trip to Hong Kong was going to be the first time since I left in 1992 that I had been in HK for 3 weeks! I should have plenty of time, right? Wrong! I leave here in 2 days and I have not done 75% of what I wanted to do! I was going to try & blog every day about my trip and it just didn't happen! Next time.

I do have some pictures of Hong Kong on Picaso I will try to get more up later.

But for the moment here is half of my September Butterfly. the colours are better than what they are showing here, I hope. I'm working from a tablet laptop at the moment and the screen colours are now always what I think they should be. I'm happy so far with the way this turned out. I have to do the second side and then I will have to figure out how I'm going to make it into a butterfly. I know in my mind how I want to do it but let's see how it works once I start trying to make it into a butterfly :)

It has been wonderful being in Hong Kong. I went to the Hong Kong Stitch N Bitch knitting group. I was only able to make it to one meeting but it was a wonderful group of women and I look forward to being able to knit with them again when I'm back in January (anything to avoid the cold Chicago winters!).

Butterfly Beginnings

2008-09-14T20:29:00.006-05:00

I decided from the beginning that I wanted to do something 3-D for my BJP this time. Immediately the thought of a butterfly came to mind & I have been mulling over how to achieve this every since.

Of course, the perfectionist in me wouldn't let me start until I had all the kinks worked out but that wont happen until I try one, so that is what I did today. Here is the inner workings of the butterfly. I will be using this stiff interfacing (Stitch & Shape by Floriani). This is stiff but a needle will go through it easily. This will give me the shape of the wings and will give me strength for when I finish the butterflies. All of the butterflies will be displayed on a small quilt of some sort - at least that is the plan at the moment.
I have been doing an on-line Color Theory class with Judy Perez. I love colour but I have never really studied colour. Judy's class was the perfect opportunity to start that study. There are 12 colours on the colour wheel and 12 months in the year so the goal is to do a butterfly a month in one colour on the colour wheel, beginning with red (my favourite colour!).

I have decided to use batiks, well, just because I like them! I already have all of my colours chosen and they are very exciting! I will try to mirror image the beading and will start with red fabric, red beads but we will see how that goes!

Here is my practice piece that showed me that my idea would work. These wing pieces together are just shy of 3" long. Now, to go find beads!!!

August

2008-09-13T18:09:00.002-05:00

OK, I finally got my August BJP piece photographed. When I changed computers, turns out the new computer doesn't have a card reader so until I obtained one, I have not been able to upload photos. This was a photo that my daughter took of the baby pandas when she was working at Ocean Park in Hong Kong. They had only just arrived and she was there on a summer internship. She had such a wonderful view of the pandas. What a fantastic experience for a college student! She is now in vet school and I like to think that her working with pandas helped her get there.

Photoshop & Tablet laptops

2008-09-12T06:56:00.004-05:00

My daughter was required to have a tablet laptop for vet school. I loved it so much that I decided it was time to replace my old laptop with one. I'm getting ready to head to Hong Kong and with my husband retiring at the end of the year, I will be doing a lot more travel. My old laptop wouldn't close. Well, actually, it would close but if you closed it, you couldn't get it open again!

But I absolutely LOVE my new laptop. Now this picture is nothing spectacular but it was my first try at using Photoshop with the pen! Wow, what a way to draw in the computer! You literally draw on the computer screen! It was so easy to do (much better than Illustrator). A whole new world of experiment has just opened up!

Happy Labor Day

2008-08-30T05:49:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know it is early but I'm up early and had a minute to type. I have pictures to add but I now have a new computer. Actually it is my son's older computer but it was better than the one I had so I'm taking it over. But it is an Alienware computer. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a great computer but one more designed for gaming. Hence, they don't seem to think that camera card readers are necessary :) I have to wait until I can get a card reader for it, which is not a problem. See they have this really cool 7in1 card reader that also has a floppy disk drive. Why would I need a floppy disk drive? Turns out some of the computer programmes that I'm using are that old!

So have a great long weekend. I'm spending it by reinstalling all of my computer programmes. But the best thing is that 2 of my programmes that I use every day on my laptop because they wouldn't work on the desktop, now work on the desktop! Yeah!!!!!

Returning to Normal?

2008-08-22T06:27:00.004-05:00

OK, it has been awhile. I have been here, quietly working away but my life has not been my own. All three kids graduated in May/June and my parents were here from Australia for that. Then my husband was home for the summer. Now the kids have all returned to school, including my youngest who we dropped off at college for his freshman year. That was a tough one.

But I'm all ready to get back into sewing, beading, painting, working, etc. The North Suburban NeedleArts Guild is participating in the Fine Art of Fiber show coming up soon. We were asked to create a 5" square to be attached with other 5" squares that will be displayed as an example of the type of work that we do. Here is my entry.

October Finally Finished!

2008-05-03T16:59:00.004-05:00

October is finally finished! I had been trying to work with what I originally started on while in Hong Kong but it was just not working. Sometimes you just have to move on! October was a busy month. I spent 2 1/2 weeks traveling literally around the world with carry on only! An interesting experience :) I started in Hong Kong, we then flew on to Amsterdam where we were impressed with the amount of bikes! I have never seen so many. We then ended up in London for a meeting my husband was attending (the purpose of my ticket). This is my version of Big Ben. From there I flew back to Chicago. I was trying different things with this piece. I'm not sure how I like it but I have learnt some new dos & don'ts for beading so that is important.

Where the Lepricorns Play!

2008-04-26T13:58:00.004-05:00

March is a green month. It is the month that everyone is Irish (I am actually part Irish), it is also the month that the grass starts to turn green. It is a peaceful & fun colour.

When my kids were in grade school, for St. Patti's day, a friend and I used to go to the school early in the morning & leave little lepricorn foot prints. To me, March is the month of fun! Here I have a pool of green for the lepricorns to play in!

Froggy Fun

2008-04-25T10:08:00.014-05:00

I finished my first fabric journal. I know these pictures could be better but if I didn't take something as soon as it was completed, I may not get them taken! This process was a lot of fun & I have learnt a lot of things that I will NOT do on the next one! I don't like the edges, in future I will probably have them totally finished. I had originally tried doing a blanket stitch around the edge but it was very hard on the fingers. Maybe if I had a different type of batting it would be different. But the whole thing is a learning process & I'm enjoying it.

The idea for a frog book came when I walked into a new fabric store & there sitting on the floor was the most incredible fun eye fabric, on closer inspection, they were frogs! It was so fun & cute that I couldn't resist.

"Froggy Fun"

"Where is the food?"

This page has little bugs flying around :)
Where is the party?
This may be hard to read but the beads on the left spell "Party Time"

This says "Dinner time" and I tried to embroider what looked like grubs. The picture of the frog on the right is a photo of the frog that sits in my Dad's backyard. He actually grows grubs to feed it!

This says "Leap Frog"

This has beads spelling out the word "Ribbit" and my signature and date on the right.

Don't you just love the eyes! :)

April is finished!

2008-04-22T14:50:00.005-05:00

I'm so excited. I have been struggling with my work & I just wasn't happy with it. I'm still struggling with my February piece but I have decided, it has to be started over! I have been trying to stick to Robin's suggestion of always keep moving & you will grow to love it but it was not working. Being bogged down, I was having trouble moving onto March & April. Once I decided to just start over on February, March & April came flowing out! Here is the picture of my April piece. (March will be coming soon).
Everyone should have one special day of the year when it is all about them. My day of the year is in April so this piece is in celebration of me :) I had an absolutely wonderful birthday this year & a week later, my kitchen still smells beautiful from the wonderful flowers. Note to everyone - when sending flowers to someone who has cats in the house - don't include Baby's Breath! Receiving flowers had been banned from my house for a long time because I hated cleaning up the mess. Everyone ignored me this year but no one sent flowers with Baby's Breath! What a difference! I can enjoy my flowers & not have to worry about the mess!

Fabric Journal

2008-04-10T17:26:00.001-05:00

I have spent the last 2 days in a workshop with Pam Sussman. You can see a copy of her book here at Amazon.com. Her book is wonderful, well illustrated & easy to read. If you get the chance, you should do a workshop with her.
I finished a Muslin sample book using the French Stitch Binding & I have started 2 new books - a button edge with a Chinese theme of food! and a Muslin Journal with the theme of frogs. The picture below shows the cover. Can you spot the eyes! :)

But the best thing is that I have figured out how I am going to put my Beaded Journal Projects into a fabric journal. I'm so excited to get started!

I'm home

2008-03-25T18:24:00.002-05:00

OK, I know I have been bad about blogging but I have been busy. I've returned home after a school visit & I have the next 6 1/2 weeks to myself to get caught up on everything before all my kids graduate from their respective schools & my parents come from Australia for 3 weeks.

I have been knitting, beading, sewing. I will try to get caught up soon.

Here's wishing spring will come soon! It seems to be taking it's time in coming. It had better be a long summer to make up for it!

Socks

2008-02-29T07:17:00.003-06:00

I am still here. I've been working on family history research. But I was also in San Francisco & Las Vegas with my husband. He refuses to come all the way to Chicago in the winter because of the cold. Can't blame him actually.

Anyway, I made these socks on the flights. I loved working with the yarn but I will never use it again. There was a join in each ball plus, the balls were wound different. One I had to do from the inside & one from the outside. Very disappointing as I was trying to make them match.

I am still beading. I have decided what I'm doing for February so I'll try to get that done today. I still have one more day of February! :) February is Chinese New Year & this year it is my year, being year of the rat. I will be beading something to do with that.

December Done

2008-02-02T07:38:00.000-06:00

I am done with December although the colours of the photo are not showing quite what I want. The blue background is a really bright blue.

For me, Xmas should be when it is warm, not in cold Chicago, sitting on a beach somewhere. So I decided to bead my own Xmas tree on the beach. As I started beading this piece, I was remembering my favourite beach - Shell Beach, near Port Macquarie in NSW, Australia. I had some shells so I found a way to bead with them. Every time I look at this piece, I am reminded of my brother teaching my kids to body surf on this beach and the rocks where my eldest went fishing. The perfect beach!

Aussie Jacket

2008-01-22T21:03:00.000-06:00

I recently did a workshop with Elizabeth Mini. She uses the method I believe is called Stack & Whack for making some absolutely wonderful garments. I took some of my Australian print fabrics & started working on my own jacket. I loved working with this method. Instead of machine quilting the garment I am using beads. Here is a close up:

Aboriginies like to use a lot of dots in their paintings and as the fabrics I have are inspired or painted by aboriginals, I decided to sew the beads in a dot format.

In my quest to find out this year what it is that I want to do, I like this method. I like taking lots of different fabrics & making it into a jacket & I LOVE incorporating beads with it. Fingers crossed the finished product looks as good in person as it does in my head!

January Finished

2008-01-21T12:15:00.000-06:00

OK, I was working on this piece & then realized that I don't have to fill every single bit of fabric with beads. I didn't want to take away from my heart tree on the left so I started sewing the large beads as dots & then realized it was perfect! They look like snow falling & as I was sewing them, it was snowing! So, August, October & December may not be done, but January is! And before the end of the month!!!!! :)

Of course, the biggest problem is getting a proper picture of it to show what it really looks like. I am open to suggestions if anyone has them. Thanks.

Working on January

2008-01-21T08:35:00.001-06:00

I know I am behind with my other months but I had an idea for January & I just had to get it started! Hopefully by the end of the day it will be finished but as I have a few moments, I figured I could share so far.

It is cold & grey most of the time in January so I started with a fabric that felt like that. I then decided to do a monocromatic piece. Yes, the flowers look pink but in actual fact, in the right light they also look white. I pulled out all the beads from my white box & went to town. But this is the hardest thing to photo. The beads going around the edge are all the same, but they don't look it. They are more of a silver glow that really adds a sparkle to the whole piece.

What also makes this special is the heart shape beads on the left. A few years ago a close friend of mine died to cancer. Her husband passed onto me all her beads & buttons. As I was looking for white beads, I found the hearts in her stash & knew I had to use them.

So, I am feeling like I'm making something beautiful out of the awful cold weather we are having here in Chicago. Wow, when you get into a piece, it is hard to stop!

Painting on fabric

2008-01-17T11:28:00.000-06:00

Over the Christmas break, I started trying to draw more. I have always thought of myself as someone who can't draw but I've been working through the book Drawing For The Right Side of the Brain & it is convincing me that I can do this! :)

Anyway, this started out as a doodle drawing - something I have never done before. I decided to transfer it to fabric & paint it like Judy Perez does. Now, I have a long, long way to go before I could ever do anything like Judy does, but I was very happy with the process. I have a lot to learn but I'm willing to try & figure it out!

November Page

2008-01-15T07:26:00.001-06:00

Yes, I know this is a little behind but I haven't posted a picture of it yet. This piece is inspired by my trip to Shanghai. What struck me as we were landing was all straight rows of land with water canals on either side. These were obviously farming communities. Another thing that I also noticed - everywhere - was the bright blue roofs. Even from our hotel in the middle of Shanghai, looking out the window there were bright blue roofs everwhere!

Happy New Year

2008-01-07T07:34:00.000-06:00

Well, I feel like life has taken over & I have no idea where it has gone! I was looking through my list of "Where We Have Been" & noticed that for the past year, our family as a whole has traveled so much that I'm surprised anyone was every home! It has been forever since I posted (although I have accomplished some things). On the other hand, your probably never noticed I was gone!

But it is a new year and, at the moment, I only have one trip planned for May for my son's graduation. So, for the moment, I have plenty of time in the house to get some changes done.

This is a big year. All of my kids graduate from their respective schools in May/June. But the biggest thing is that my husband retires at the end of the year. Yes, he will be a young retiree. I'm not that old! :)

I have decided that this is the year to figure out what it is that I want to do. Something I have already discovered this year is that I really do not want to be making large quilts, nor traditional quilts. I love the look of them & I always seem to get pulled in to making one. I feel that if I'm making a quilt, I have to quilt it & I hate that part. I hate having to fight with it to get it in the machine. I just do not enjoy the process. I'm also not enjoying the process of the 1/4" seam as it just doesn't always work for me!

So, for this new year, after I finish what I already have, I will no longer try working on a large traditional quilt. I still need to give small art quilts a shot but the large ones are out! Boy, feels good to finally have made that decision. Lets hope I can stick to it as I do love the look of these quilts!

I have been doing a lot of beading & will get some pictures taken soon. I finished my November Beaded Journal Page. I was having a bit of a problem with October & it was holding me back so I decided to put it aside for the moment & move on. I have not started December but I know what I'm doing. I also know what I'm doing for January, just need to get working on them.

So, I am here & I am working. This is the year to figure out what it is I really want to do & to put aside the things I really don't like doing. It is the year to organize, simplify and discover.

Where's Cindy?

2007-10-31T12:26:00.001-05:00

OK, I have returned from my 2 1/2 weeks travels but I'm getting ready to leave for Shanghai in a couple of days. Took me forever to get sorted out after being away for 2 1/2 weeks.

This weekend is the Fine Art of Fiber at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. I have two quilts: Framed and Hong Kong Rain. I also have 2 of my bead journal projects (June & July) (Sorry, I'm not sure how to do the links to this blog but if you look down on the page you will see them. I will try to figure that out later).

I am also a part of Women's Journeys in Fiber which will be exhibiting their Purse-n-alities project. You can find me walking the halls of the Purse-n-alities exhibit on Friday from 4pm-5pm. If you happen to stop by, introduce yourself. Contrary to my name, I'm actually have dirty blonde hair and green eyes gal! My voice is even harder to miss with it's Aussie accent.

It is a wonderful show. If you are in the area, please stop by.

I have been doing some fiber related work. I'll try & get something posted before I leave otherwise it will have to be after I return. Only going for a week this time.

Hong Kong

2007-10-06T16:24:00.000-05:00

OK, lets see ifthis works. I am now sitting in Hong Kong in my husband's flat, working from my Palm! I have never done a blog entry this way.

I arrived in HK safely after a non-eventful flight. Ate in my favourite noodle place for dinner before heading home via the world's longest escalator. It is 5am in the morning at the moment and already about 85 deg.

I worked on my Silver Belle jacket. I am loving this pattern. Takes about an hour to do a round on the peplem as there are 428 stitches but it is getting there! I'll have to see if I can find a way to post pictures.

Time

2007-10-02T07:46:00.000-05:00

OK, where is the time going! It just flies by too quickly.

I have been doing lots of beading & knitting, just haven't pulled the camera out to take photos.

I leave for Hong Kong, Amsterdam & London this coming Friday & will not have computer access this trip. Hopefully when I return I will have lots to post.

Bead Journal - September Finished!

2007-09-24T16:57:00.001-05:00

September is finished! Unfortunately the camera does not really do justice to the colour of the beads. I love the colours and the flow of this piece. It really makes me feel like I've made something beautiful out of the chaos that is September!

I was going to put a boarder around this piece like I did for June & July but I really thought that would take away from the colours. Considering I feel the same way about my August piece (which I'm still working on) I have decided that they do not all need to have borders around them.

I'm also starting to think of other ways that I could possibly display these pieces. They are heavy so they do need some sort of support but how I'm going to do that, I'm not sure. I had been thinking about framing them but I'm thinking, although they are all a similar size, they don't all look similar & putting them all in the same frame, might cause them to detract from one another. I'll have to give some serious thought as to how to display them.

Silver Belle

2007-09-21T10:01:00.000-05:00

I have started a new knitting project. It is one of the Vogue Knitting Silver Anniversary patterns called Silver Belle. I could not find enough of the Debbie Bliss yarn in a colour I liked so I'm using Louisa Harding instead. I have joined a knitalong group that will hopefully not only be helpful to me but somewhere where I can help others learn from the mistakes I know I'm going to make :) I decided to start on the sleeve to get myself going. For the sleeve I only have to cast on 66 stitches. For the starting place where the pattern suggests, I have to cast on 428 stitches. I thought I would slowly work into this project :)

I have never knitted something with so many cables. I tend to knit simplier patterns using some of the fantastic yarns with lots of colours that you can get these days. So this will be a nice challenge. I have a lot of flying coming up in the next few weeks & I thought this would be a nice project to work on. Lots of uninterupted time!

September Bead Journal - Continued

2007-09-19T18:47:00.001-05:00

I am nearly done! I am still amazed that once I start, the ideas & thoughts just keep flowing. I LOVE bead embroidery. The colours in this photo are not quite what the colours actually are but I'm loving it. September really is a chaotic month. Next month is shaping up to be just as chaotic but should be fun. I'm off to Hong Kong, Amsterdam & London. I return for 1 1/2 weeks & then I'm taking my in-laws to Shanghai. Lots of travel. Lots of time to bead on planes :)

I think I'm going to put my 12 pieces into a frame. On June & July I have bordered the picture with twisted bugle beads. I'm planning on doing the same for this, just not quite sure what colour I will do.

I have not finished my August piece yet as it has a lot of black in it & I can only work on black when the lighting is really good. I was getting a little frustrated so I decided to move on for a bit.

Bead Journal - September Started

2007-09-17T16:56:00.000-05:00

I have put aside my August piece for the moment & have started on September. My fabric choice is based on the fact that September is always a crazy month with everyone heading back to school. So many things to get organized & straightened out. This piece of fabric looked the way I feel this month, a bit caotic but trying to make sense of things.

Framed

2007-09-03T16:56:00.001-05:00

I finally managed to take a photo of my latest quilt. I designed this last year while I was traveling in Florida with my husband. He had an urgent work thing he had to do so I sat there while he worked, drawing. This is what I came up with. I like this idea so I think I will work with it & make a few more.

I used hand dyed fabric I had done during my very first attempt at dyeing. The fabrics were done in a gradation from Sunshine Yellow to Chinese Red. I love the red colours that I get with Chinese Red.

Still Here!

2007-09-02T07:10:00.000-05:00

I'm still here. I now have everyone back in school & have been working away, I just haven't pulled the camera out to take pictures. I have been knitting a pair of socks, working on a cardigan for an upcoming show, been working on my circles and my August Bead Journal Project (yes, I know, I'm behind!).

I've also been scanning all of my negatives into the computer. A big huge job but I have a spare computer that is set up to the scanner so I just have to go over to it every 20 mins or so & change out the negatives. A lot of the negatives from when I lived in Hong Kong were starting to go bad. As they were all pictures of my kids, I wanted to make sure I saved them. I love now being able to have everything digitially in my computer, it's just the process is a bit time consuming. But it will be worth it in the end!

Sampler

2007-08-12T08:01:00.000-05:00

I have been working on a beading sampler while doing my other work. The idea is to do a sample of the different stitches that I'm using on my circles & monthly projects so that if I get stuck for an idea as to what to do, I have something to refer to. This is the same concept of what I did in Robin Atkins beading workshop except on a larger scale. So far this is what I have done:

and:

I have a backing of legal size acid free paper. When I get a little more done, I will post a full picture of the sheet. I love the colours of this piece of fabric as they are truly my colours :)

Circle 2

2007-08-10T11:53:00.000-05:00

This circle represents my daughter & she knows it :) She even told me what colours I needed to add. My daughter loves dolphins which is why I chose the dolphin fabric. I also beaded part of this while I was in Hong Kong with her, using some sequences that I picked up in Sham Sui Po. I am not sure if I have finished it yet so I'm letting it mule in my mind. I wanted to try the barnacle beading so I was thrilled to have a piece of fabric where I could try that.

I'm still learning the process of bead embroidery. I am far from perfect with my stitching but I am improving. On the other hand, can perfection every be obtained? Maybe my misaligned stitches give the piece it's own charm. Who is really to say the way I have beaded it is right or wrong. To me it is all about the placement of the beads & every single thought of the person I was beading about that came to mind during the process. For my own self, I need to learn to be less critical of my work. As long as I love it, that's what counts!

Circle 5

2007-08-10T11:51:00.000-05:00

This is my Circle Number 5. The numbers represent the person it refers to in my files. Again, I started with fabric that I thought would represent the person I wanted to bead about. Even the beads, Delicas, were used to show how this particular person likes to have everything lined up & in a row. I imagined them trying to straigten the lines of the fabric by beading straight lines.

Circle 3

2007-08-03T10:27:00.001-05:00

Here is my second circle that I have completed. Same process, chose a fabric that looked to me like the person this circle represents. I then chose beads that remind me of that person.

Circle 1

2007-08-03T06:42:00.000-05:00

(Note 10 Aug - I uploaded a clearer picture of this circle)

I am beading a number of different circles, each to represent someone I know, that will be placed on a robe as part of a group I'm involved in called Women's Journeys in Fiber. The meanings involved with these are extremely personal so I have to be careful about putting too much detail about why I did certain things on these piece so as not to give it away as to who the piece represents. As I am new to this process, I'm also wanting to try different things.

For each of the pieces that I am working on, I chose a piece of fabric that, to me, represented the person that I was going to bead about. I thought about who they are, what their likes & dislikes are, little things about them that I notice. I then started placing beads that I thought represented them. With every single bead I placed, I thought about the person that I was "beading" about.

I have already finished another one of these & I'm closing to finishing another 2. As soon as I get the pictures taken, I will get them posted.

July Beading

2007-07-28T08:24:00.001-05:00

Here is my unofficial piece for July for the Bead Journal Project. I was in Hong Kong for 2 weeks during the month of July. While I was there I noticed that it looked much greener than it had in previous visits (I lived in Hong Kong from 1982-1992 & as my husband still works there, I make frequent trips back). Because I felt things were green, I chose a green fabric. On this last trip I was also able to see the mountains clearly on a couple of days. This is a rare occasion now because of the amount of pollution in Hong Kong.

I chose things that meant something to me. The frog stands for a friend of mine who is Hong Kong who loves frogs. The Pacific Coffee stopper with the red beads is my absolute favourite coffee & their stores are always boardered by red & black designs. The mask is from the Shu Bruial grounds exhibit that I saw. My daughter was also working at a place called Ocean Park as a volunteer. Her last couple of days were spent observing the brand new panda cubs, hence the pandas.

I am still learning how to work with bead embroidery so my pieces are not perfect but they are getting there. I have a couple of other pieces that I've already started.

June Beading

2007-07-28T08:11:00.001-05:00

At the end of June, I took a workshop from Robin Atkins at Summer Seminar for the North Suburban NeedleArts Guild. She is running a Bead Journal Project on the web which started at the beginning of June. Unfortunately I was too late to sign up for the project so I am "unofficially" taking part in it. Here is my first project ever that I have done using beaded embroidery. I am hooked! I'm absolutely loving this process!

I took a fabric which I absolutely loved which happened to be a Chinese brocade with dragons on it. I started with the Chinese coin & worked from there. The number 8 is very important in the Chinese culture as it is supposed to bring luck. So, wherever possible, things were added or worked in multiples of 8.

So It Begins!

2006-02-03T09:42:00.000-06:00

Well, being the computer geek that I'm supposed to be, it certainly has taken me a while to create a blog! Of course, having a lawyer for a husband also reminds me of all the legal issues that could arise if one is not careful. That's the real reason I haven't created a blog before now.

But, after reading a number of blogs & realizing it is a great way to get design thoughts out there & have others give comments, I figured it was time I started. Maybe this is what I need in order to finally get myself regularly working on something that feeds the soul.

The only question that remains, will there ever be anything here that is even remotely worth reading by others? :)