Steampunk

The theme for my February book page for the Purple Swap of the Fibre Fever group was 

Steampunk.

My inspiration was Steampunk artist, Mike Savad.

Thank you, Mike!

I began by creating a patchwork block with a variety of batiks that I believed would 

compliment the brass and gold of the gears and keys that I purchased on Amazon. 

Then I got out my Paintsticks.

I used my swirl stencil, but I had to create stencils for the clock ovals. Once the paint had set, I added Roman and Arabic numerals to the clock and the large swirl using a fine point permanent Sharpie.

After embellishing the clock with gold beads, a variety of gears, and a random trinket that I had lying around, I added a piece of silk organza ribbon in hopes of creating the look of steal pipes.

Well over 20 years ago, my mother gave me a box of old buttons. 

It's always like a treasure hunt whenever I pull this box off the shelf. This time, I came across the coolest button that looked like a little cup. I attached it, stringing gold beads through the button holes. After  a few more gears and keys were added, I finished the edges with the button hole stitch.

On the back of each block I create for this swap,  I create a block in Photoshop that includes the block theme, the date and place it was created, and my signature that I have scanned into my computer. 

I print this on V V Print washable cotton fabric sheets which you can find here.

The completed block was happily received by Catherine in Australia. 

My March block is underway. 

The theme is "Doors and Gates" and will eventually find its way to Finland!

Learning Something New...

We've all heard the expression, "You learn something new every day." 

This year, with much hesitation, I joined the Purple Swap in the Fibre Fever Group. After joining, I actually tried to get out of it, but one of the members convinced me to give it a try. Monthly, the group swaps 6" fiber art pages. I had NEVER made an art card or page....ever! Each person in the group chooses a theme for the pages they will receive.

JANUARY 2014

The person I was to make a page for this month was Anne in Germany. Her theme was "My Favorite Book." Being an avid reader, choosing one favorite book was almost impossible. How could I possibly choose one? After much deliberation, I chose Paulo Coehlo's book, The Alchemist. The decision was made simply because it is the only book that I have read three times.

For inspiration, I searched the internet for images of The Alchemist. When I saw this, the composition and colors grabbed me. 

Thank you, Kurt Hirsch (RekTruk) whose work can be seen on DeviantArt.com.

Here is my translation into fiber. I began by choosing several batiks. I used PaintStiks to achieve the look of stones or mounds in the sand and the halo around the moon. The moon is an appliqued circle surrounded by beads. I finished it off with some French Knots around his turban and machine stitching on his cape for detail.

The theme I chose is "Driven to Abstraction."  My first thoughts were of my love of abstract art. I wondered if I could come up with some catchy wording for my theme. Driven to Abstraction.....I liked it. 

When I received my first page from Maureen in Australia, I giggled at the idea of a person that had been driven to abstraction. How appropriate, however unintended, for a single mother of eleven.

After its arrival, I studied it for a while, and, honestly, it just made me laugh. 

How often have I felt like this picture?

Maureen could not have encapsulated this idea more appropriately!

I'm looking forward to next month. The theme I must work on is "Steampunk." 

This ought to be fun!