Studio Update

Well, I sit anxiously anticipating the new window for my Studio. For those of you that don't know, my studio is in the room the builder designated as the "media room" of the house, so no window! I've worked in here for 4 years without a window and am about to go crazy. I am a daylight person, being in a room without daylight is well, stifling my creative mood. So, this week I'm getting a window! It was suppose to be installed yesterday, but the window hasn't come in yet, so it has been put off to tomorrow or Friday, if it comes in.....
Now in anticipation of the window and all the dust from cutting the Sheetrock and hardy board, Jeff and I cleaned out all of my fabric, books, machines and trinkets on Saturday. This way it is going to easier to dust and clean when they are done. Where did we put everything? Well, I know most of you won't be surprised, we filled the three guestrooms! Since the window has been put off, a few things have come back into the room, like my Bernina, iron, some fabric to play with....
Pulling out all of my fabric bins ignited the urge to do some piecing. It has been several months since I just sat down and pieced a little quilt together. The twins are coming to town next week, they may need doll quilts. I have also gotten tired of looking at the chair I brought back from Aunt Marie's last year. I've bought the fabric and I think today is the day that it is going to start getting a new skin. It may need new guts too, but I hope it isn't too bad.... In this picture it is missing its arms and legs, Jeff has already stripped the stain off of them and I just need to pick out the new stain. Sounds like a good July 4th weekend project!
Okay, so here are before and getting ready for the pictures of the studio. After the new window is put in, I'll post the new pictures!
Thanks for following my Studio Adventure!
Jules

Self Portrait and Ordering Books

Morning! I just finished my Self Portrait. I love it! I can't wait to show it off at the Dallas Area Fiber Artists meeting Monday night. It only took me 6 months to complete this art quilt, I started it at a workshop we had with Sue Benner in January.
I've also posted a picture of the back of the quilt, I love it as much as the front! Gives me ideas for future quilts, whole cloth with the images just outlined, or find a place to hang a quilt that the front and back can be seen!
This morning I also ordered two books by Jane Dunnewold "Complex Cloth: A Comprehensive Guide to Surface Design" and "Art Cloth: A Guide to Surface Design for Fabric". While I was on Amazon I ran across "Color by Accident: Low-Water Immersion Dyeing" by Ann Johnston. Ordered it too. I think I have ample summer reading and future processes to try out! Let me know if you have read these books and what you think!

Self Portrait

I decided to work on quilting my self portrait today. This picture is the back of my quilt, I just love the way the back can tell another story of a quilt. Just the basic lines.
I have to listen to music when I quilt. So far this morning it's been Three Dog Night and Norah Jones while picking out threads and doing the outline of my face. Now it is time to work on my hair, my "Wild Child" part of the quilt, so I guess it is time to turn on ZZ Top, The Eagles, and Foreigner!
What do you listen to when you are quilting?

Weeping Angel Art Quilt

I spent the day finishing up this precious quilt. I transferred the image of the angel from the computer onto Jacquard's Extrav Organza. I hand painted with textile paints over the image, fused MistyFuse to the back, cut the monument out and replaced it with one I cut out of silk. The silk monument has been hand drawn with Fabrico Markers (I love these!). Next, I fused the angel and monument to this beautiful cotton organdy I bought a few years ago at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. I've been saving it for just the right quilt! Okay, anyway, I finished the quilt off with beads and sequins. Love these sequins, they were from one of those little packets you get with a top, in case you need to replace them...yeah, right...they go straight into my stash!
This piece measures 13" x 12.5" and is listed in my Art Fire Studio!

Summer Sale at StudioJules Art Fire Studio

Well, the summer heat has reached 100 degrees, so I'm having a Summer Sale and have marked all, yes all, of the "Fabric by the Yard" fabric to $1/yard and yes, that means the "Less Than A Yard" fabrics are less than a $1! All Trims are $1/yard! Handkerchief blanks have been marked to $2.99 each!
Visit StudioJules on Art Fire and enjoy the Summer Sale! It's the best way to beat the heat!
All hand dyed and hand painted fabrics are at regular price....for now......

The Project of the Day

I'm trying to get several things done at one time....trying to wrangle myself into doing smaller, day or two projects and not ones that take me weeks to complete. My attention span is waining at the moment, but I'm having trouble changing my scope and making decisions. This week I have been working on my "Angel Series", trying to make some decisions, how to paint, how to quilt, how to embellish....all while new quilt ideas are running through my head! What to do!!!!
So here are the pictures of the "Angel Series" quilts that are in progress...



This quilt background is hand dyed cotton organdy. The angel I took from a grieving angel statue I found in a cemetery. It is photo transfer on silk organza and then painted with textile paints and fabric pens.



This is the same angel but I wanted the monument to be different, so I traced it out onto silk with fabric pens and wrote the last two verses to Psalm 126 on the monument.



Now, several months ago I took a "Self Portrait" workshop with Sue Benner. The workshop was put on by the Dallas Area Fiber Artists group. Well, par for the course, I couldn't get happy with my self portrait and it has remained incomplete and in the "I'll finish it later" pile in my studio. Well this morning I got up and decided that today was the day to work on my self portrait and this is what I have gotten done. I have a hard time "stepping out of my box" sometimes and really have to force myself to do it, so this self portrait shows my body in a formal, traditional manner, but my hair! It's the creative side of my jumping out and going full force into the colorful world I love.

Just as God Created Art Quilt

Several years ago my cousins' wife started a group in East Texas to support the families and children of Down Syndrome. Each year they have a Buddy Walk to raise money for the East Texas Down Syndrome Group. This year I have been blessed with creating a quilt for them to raffle off at the time of the Buddy Walk. Creating this quilt has been a joy and a blessing for me to be able to participate with this group in this way. With their permission, I am posting a picture of the quilt in hopes of raising awareness of these precious children and their families.
My thanks and love go to this group and especially Chris, Lisha and Alex.

Sunset

Isn't this beautiful? I took this picture when we were on our cruise last month. I printed it off on cotton and then enhanced it with Fabrico fabric markers and Shiva Paintstiks. The canvas is covered with hand dyed silk organdy that I bought a few years ago. It measures 14x11.

What am I working on now? Well, I have several angel pictures scattered around the studio and on my work wall. My "Angel Series" is underway and I have several different processes that I'm testing out and working with right now. Hopefully I'll get far enough along on one of them today to be able to post tomorrow.

On to New Work

Now that a busy May is out of the way, June is going to be a month of "Art Quilt Accomplishment". I have one quilt on my table to finish painting, then quilting and then my slate (aka work-wall and work-table) is clean and ready for new work. This morning I have been busy sorting through pictures and fabric, trying to decide what to work on next. There are three quilts stitching through my brain right now, we'll see which one ends up on the work-wall first. Who knows, maybe all three will end up on the table and wall at the same time! Hmmm...maybe it's time to try some new techniques too....whatcha think?
Time to turn up the music and get busy!
Happy Stitching!

Dancing Olivia

This past weekend our sweet friend, Olivia, graduated from Round Rock High School. Olivia danced with the RRHS Dragonettes for three years, so I thought I would do a special quilt for her to take to college and hang on the wall. I took this image from a picture that was taken of her during a solo she was performing during a competition.
Olivia, may you always dance and enjoy the freedom of the music!

Oxide Gallery - Main Show

I'm very excited to announce that three of my pieces have been accepted into the Main Show at Oxide Gallery in Denton, Texas. Oxide is a great little gallery with a variety of artists. Tonight, Tuesday, June 1, 2010, is this months "Gallery Night", so I will be there to meet the other artists and art lovers. If your in the area the gallery will open 6pm to 8pm for the event.
What pieces of mine are showing? Well, here they are!


Sunflower with a Passion for Color



Color Explosion



Dancing Angel