Engagement gifts!

Recently I had a nephew get engaged.  Oh, it was on that special day of 12-13-14!  

In my day, we got sexy underwear as engagement gifts but I knew not to try that one!  I searched Google, like all of us, for what to give an engaged couple.  Mostly the answers were that no one gives gifts now.  However, Martha Stewart mentioned that if one feels the need, favorite recipes or a good cook book would be a special gift.

That was  what I needed to put me into motion.  Using recycled plastic bags I created a book cover for a notebook.  I copied the recipes from the Lancaster County Jewish Community Center cookbook.  Not only was this a favorite cookbook, it has family recipes, friend's recipes and isn't available to buy anymore. 

Here is the finished cookbook!

And here is a scrap of the recycled book cover.  This is fun to do and certainly quick and easy.  Just use a coolish iron to melt the bags together.  I did cut the pieces of plastic to create a balance of color. The trim is dyed selvedge from my scrap pile.  I stitched it on the plastic and glued the  completed cover on the inside to the notebook cover. So easy, can be wiped and looks nice!

A gauze scarf

What to do on a cold snowy day in January?  I have several silk gauze scarves.  I dyed them but they lacked body and interest.

Here is the scarf - very delicate to say the least.

   I had an idea!  What if I put this scarf between two pieces dissolve able paper known to me as Solvy.  I then put some dyed silk hankies on it and silk roving - on both sides.  And I pinned it all together.

Two days ago I decided to start stitching it.  I spent more than two days stitching it.  I thought I might run out of thread but I had just enough.  I used two different colors thread.  I knew that all the threads had to touch or it would fall apart when the Solvy was dissolved.  This took hours upon hours!

 Completed Machine Stitched with Solvy

Today I rinsed out the Solvy.  I love it.  It has a lot of texture and interest.  In the bottom photo, the silk hankies are visible, whereas the top photo has just the silk roving in different colors.  The edges are mostly the gauze scarf.   Available!  

A Holiday Gift! A Clutch Bag!

The Keene Art Tour is Nov 8 and 9 from 10 am to 5 pm - this week-end!

I have some new work to show.  A few nice clutches:

Here is one which is a textile collage!

The top is black velveteen. Of course it has a zipper, too.

This quilted clutch is created from my hand dyed and hand painted fabric.  

Also, the eco printed  upcycled blouses will be available.too.

Stop by #14 to see these in person.  

And exhibiting with me is Carol Corliss.    She does lovely pastels.  

Jody Halliday will have her creative jacket, too.

See you soon!

Eco Printing Paper - Just the beginning

After much experimenting and several steam baths, these are the handmade papers printed from my favorite leaves.

The leaves are from the sugar maple trees. They print on silk really well.  Not so well on paper.  I had to brush alum mordant on the paper twice before stacking them into a bundle.  The brown edges are from some wild mushroom growth I purchased a local farmers market.  It dyed silk very well but didn't keep its color on the paper. Good lessons to be learned.

This print is ok.  I printed this one twice.  It is obvious by looking at it.

What I didn't photograph are the papers which printed some live eucalyptus leaves which I found at a local florist.  Those prints were very pastel and the leaf print is boring - no detail.

Now, what else to do with these. I have been thinking about it all day!  

Gradation Dyeing of Cotton

For several years I have created yards of fabric that have been dyed in gradiation of color.  I used black which is the sum of all colors.  Photography shows it slightly brown. In reality, the color ranges from light grey to a very dark grey and green.

 From the bottom, this is four of the dyed pieces, the lightest value at the bottom,  They are 9 x 45 in size.  When I surge them together or sew them on the machine, I get interesting effects.

Here is part of a skirt I surged together.  The skirt has a zipper.  It is my simple design but I love it.

This is the skirt back.   There are more photos on my Etsy shop.

Etsy again!

  It is time to try old things again!  My friends all tell me that Etsy is where it is at!  So, today I have posted two upcycled blouses on my Etsy site.  Take a look and see what you think!  I will try to keep posting new art to create more interest.

I particularly like these two blouses.  The photography does not do them justice.  The local vegetation has so much color now that it is very inspiring.  I am collecting every day!  No wonder I found a worm spinning a nest in my art studio last week!  

This is the beginning process of eco printing on a silk blouse.  The leaves are still pliable.  I find them in my driveway!

Here is an upcycled silk blouse using the sugar Maple leaves, Sumac, carrots, etc.  One never knows what the final colors will be.  This was very purple before it was washed.  The Sumac leaves which are quite yellow in this photo were very green when they came out of the steamer.

Currently, these blouses are being sold at the Walpole Artisans Cooperative.  I will also have some for sale at the Keene Art Tour on November 8 and 9.