Mandala CCXXVIII

(Above: Mandala CCXXVIII.  Custom framed: 29 1/4" x 29 1/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Objects include a metal turtle on a scrap of antique, burgundy fabric; vintage belt buckles; children's scissors; red Mardi Gras doubloons; washers; vintage poker chips; wavy hair curlers; blue Monopoly hotels; purple toddler snack lids; gridded, metal protectors for antique car lights; toy car wheels; blue, plastic lids; four, red checkers; red, heart-shaped rabies pet tags; pale blue and pink sampler spoons; and assorted buttons and beads.  Click on either image to enlarge.)

I finished this Found Object Mandala before going to Florida but didn't get around to photographing it until today.  It was fun to stitch despite the fact that I remember the popularity of the quilt fabrics from my own youth.  It is truly shocking to realize that the 1970s and early 1980s is now considered "vintage" ... at least as far as fabric is concerned! LOL! 

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXXVIII.)

I still like these fabrics and I'm totally in debt to the nice woman who shipped me this quilt.  I plan on using more of it soon!  The funny thing is, however, that the center piece ... a metal turtle ... blended in with the material so well that I had to remove it, add a scrap of antique, burgundy fabric under it, and restitch the turtle in place.  I know that the burgundy fabric is an antique.  It came off a curtain meant to enclose a bed.  It was ancient when I bought it ... in Amsterdam ... during the summer I graduated from college ... 1980.  Great fabrics remain great fabrics!

A fiber art retreat, new work, and more!

(Above:  One of several Relic Series piece stitched and beaded in the last two weeks. Click on any image to enlarge.)

I've been to Florida and conducted a most wonderful workshop in the middle of a fiber art retreat.  Before going, I was told that those coming would have their own projects on which to work.  Supposedly, some people would only be interested in watching my demonstrations. Others would elect to do some to the things I would be showing the group. Still others wouldn't be interested at all.

That's not what happened!  I'm pretty sure that all twenty-seven people fully participated in all the activities of my HOT workshop!  It was a total blast!  We even had 24/7 access to a giant conference room.  Plenty of space. No electrical issues despite several irons being plugged in at the same time.  A table of snacks.  Meals together at 9:00 AM and again at 4:00 PM. Fabulous talent at every seat.  Lots of great conversations and laughter.

When I conduct my HOT workshop (that covers my work with polyester stretch velvet, assorted soldering irons, and an industrial heat gun), I finish all my demos. My complete at least two pieces during the experience.  The first work is created on a scrap of fabric, generally upholstery material.  It involves fusing pieces of polyester stretch velvet onto the fabric, soldering indentations and grooves in the thick material, free motion machine embroidery, and both hand stitching and beading.  I call these pieces "Relics".  

Generally, I bring some from past workshops to each new group.  The second demonstration is very much the same except that instead of upholstery fabric as the base, synthetic felt is used.  Thus, the soldered holes go all the way through the project and the industrial heat gun creates work like my In Box and Fiber Stained Glass series.

A week before the workshop, I realized that I didn't have any Relics to bring as finished examples. So in anticipation of this need, I decided to make a few bigger examples.  My idea was to mat the larger Relics to a standard 20" x 16" presentation.  I figured I'd take them to the Smithsonian Craft Show ... just as matted work, not framed ... easy for people to take home!  

Several were made before the workshop and several more have been stitched since I returned home!  Unfortunately, I haven't been snapping photos of all of them.  The ones here are just a sampling!  I am having so much fun stitching them.  I plan on continuing ... at least through the coming week.

Meanwhile, the participants were using my materials and techniques to create exotic bugs.  Why?  Well, at least half of them belong to a group that have a challenge to create fiber bugs.  The resulting creatures were simply mind-blowing.

 

We were all having so much fun that I totally forgot to take any photos myself.  The bugs here were sent to me later.  I wish I had remembered because the projects created were so wonderfully varied.  The group oozed with talent.  There was even talk that I might be invited back next year to conduct my Found Object Mandala workshop!  I hope it works out!

Now ... my second, finished demonstration was given in a random drawing to one of the workshop participants.  It was great! 

One more thing!  I am ahead of schedule on my 2025 Goodreads goal!  One of the reasons for retirement was to return to reading REAL BOOKS, not just articles on my iPhone but physical pages enjoyed for a good story and the pleasure of reading!  I just finished Frances Barry's Back Road and Better Angels, a 540+ page book documenting a 2020 cross-country, Lincoln Highway RV trip while interviewing people along the way about their views on democracy ... and considering "What would Lincoln Do?"  Before retiring, I could never have managed this great book.  It was outstanding.  I highly recommend it!

Mandala CCXXVII

(Above:  Mandala CCXXVII.  Custom framed:  23 1/2" x 23 1/2".  Fur coat hooks-and-eyes, a black curtain ring, and assorted buttons hand stitched to a section of an antique quilt.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

About a month ago, I received a box of goodies from an independent fabric store.  One of the people working there follows me on social media and knew that I would absolutely adore some of the old fashioned things that the shop is about to throw away.  Included were thousands of these covered, fur coat hooks-and-eyes.  Upon seeing them, I knew I wanted to use them but it took a little time for me to decide exactly how!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXXVII.)

These tiny gems remind me of the loden capes I wore as a child.  As an adult, I've seen them on fur muffs and stoles in addition to full length fur coats. (Living in South Carolina, I don't see them often and I certainly don't own a fur anything! LOL!) Yet, looking at the box of them, they seemed to ooze an aura of luxury.  I knew they could "stand on their own" if I could just figure out how to arrange them.

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXXVII.)

No matter how I auditioned them on top of a vintage quilt, I wasn't impressed.  Finally, I remembered the antique, rose colored curtains that another friend donated to my stash.  Like the hooks-and-eyes, this heavy damask spoke of a fancy parlor from yesteryear, an ideal place for posh parties and special guests ... who just might wear fur coats!  As soon as I placed a few hooks-and-eyes on this fabric, I was ready to stitch.  Beyond the mandala circle, I outlined the floral pattern.  Because I still have thousands more hooks-and-eyes, I might stitch something similar again ... especially if I find another fabric that sort of whispers to me, "I'm special! I'm fancy!  I'm elegant enough for visitors wearing fur!"  (Yes ... I sort of talk to my materials!  My artist statement even acknowledges a working partnership!)
 

Experiments

(Above:  Fugue 1.  Artwork is approximately 12" x 9" and matted to 20" x 16".  Click on image to enlarge.)

The artwork for the Smithsonian Craft Show is coming along beautifully.  I'm way ahead of schedule and I'm also quite nervous.  Why?  Well ... the unemployment rate in the DC area is climbing.  Even those who aren't in the midst of cutbacks are living in an environment of uncertainty. It is a scary time, especially considering the high costs involved in doing this sort of show. There are artists in my state who think the application fee is the only expense.  They have no idea that our booth rent is $2300.  Okay, I'm in one of the largest booths:  20' x 10' but the 10' x 10' booths are all over $1300 ... and that's before gas, hotel, meals, etc.  This is risky business.  To calm my nerves, I spent a couple days just playing around with a few ideas.

 

(Above:  Fugue 2.  Artwork is approximately 12" x 9" and matted to 20" x 16".)

 

Using the same polyester stretch velvet that I use for my In Box Series and my Fiber Stained Glass Series, I started fusing them to a canvas that was loosely painted years ago.  For the most part, the canvas was just splashed with runny acrylic paint and marked with oil pastels.  The arrangement of rectangles and squares are the same as my In Box Series.  Yet, the canvas substrata is entirely different and totally un-meltable.  My idea was to see how these shapes would work on a colorfully marked background and stitched with a variegated thread.  I liked the first one well enough that I made a couple more!

(Above:  Fugue 3.  Artwork is approximately 12" x 9" and matted to 20" x 16".)

 

I figured that I might as well use all of the loosely painted canvas I had.  It was fun.  It was relaxing.  It kept my mind off the Smithsonian Craft Show!  The photos here aren't particularly great but I'm guessing they really don't have to be. (I prefer a little better alignment!  Trust me, the mats are cut correctly; they aren't wonky!)  These were the results of experimentation.  I knew that I would only put them in standard sized mats.  The photos show only a little bit of the mat.  Trust me!  The proportions are quite nice! LOL!

 

(Above:  Fugue 4. Artwork is approximately 12" x 9" and matted to 20" x 16".)

After finishing several of these pieces, I asked Steve for a title.  He was stumped but asked me what my intentions were.  I told him that I was experimenting with my own materials and using my basic design approach.  He said, "So, they are like variations? Right?"  I said yes and then together we googled for synonyms for the word "variation".

 

(Above:  Fugue 5. Artwork is approximately 9" x 6" and matted to 14" x 11".)

We considered several words until reading "fugue".  We both liked the suggestion of music.  We liked the suggestion of counterpoint, which when not applied to music means "an idea or theme used to create a contrast with the main element".  Yet, I think the word "interweaving" sealed it!  It suggests a relation to fiber art!

noun

noun: fugue; plural noun: fugues

1.

Music

a contrapuntal composition in which a short melody or phrase (the subject) is introduced by one part and successively taken up by others and developed by interweaving the parts.

 

 

(Above:  Fugue 6. Artwork is approximate 11" x 10" and matted to 20" x 16".  Hand and machine stitched with beads.)

While I was working, I noticed this scrap of paper and wondered if I could incorporate it on top of two layers of polyester stretch velvet.  It worked.  It didn't look quite right on the loosely painted canvas but there was a piece of upholstery material nearby.  Voila!  Another successful experiment!

(Above: Fugue 7. Artwork is approximately 12" x 9" and matted to 20" x 16".)

After that, I just continued playing with things sitting around my studio table, including a couple peacock feathers.  I'm glad I took the time to simply experiment.  It was fun!  If anyone reading this wants to purchase one of these, just write to me or leave a comment with your email.  Nothing is over $125!  You can reach me at mouse_house@prodigy.net.

 

(Above:  Fugue 8.  Artwork is approximately 12" x 9" matted to 20" x 16".)

 

 

(Above:  Fugue 9.  Artwork is approximately 12" x 9" matted to 20" x 16".)

(Above:  Fugue 10.  Artwork is approximately 12" x 9" and despite the fact that I didn't show even a sliver of the mat, it is a standard 20" x 16".)

 

Four New Windows

(Above:  Steve holding up two of the recently finished Windows.  Pardon the slight glare from the glass!  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Getting ready for the Smithsonian Craft Show has meant making new work including these five Window Series pieces.  For scale and presentation, I had Steve hold up two of them.  He smiled in one of the images but the glare from the glass was worse! LOL!  For the first time in years, I've decided to raise the price of these pieces from $265 to $275.  I don't take raising prices lightly.  It's hard to do, especially in this economy and with the fact that unemployment is hitting the DC area badly.  Yet the past few years, my costs have been gradually creeping up too!  Plus, lots of artists have told me that my prices are too low to begin with (an opinion I actually know to be true!)  Below are the photos I took of each piece before it went behind glass!  If you'd like to adopt one, please reach out!  Although I've returned to this work "for the Smithsonian Craft Show", it really doesn't matter if they get there.  If they find permanent homes beforehand, I'll simply create more!

 

(Above:  Window CCXV.  Framed:  19 1/4" x 17 1/4".  Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused to recycled packaging felt.  Free-motion machine embroidery using 100% black cotton thread before being exposed to unique melting techniques.)

 

(Above:  Window CCXVI.)

 

 

(Above:  Window CCXVII.)

 

(Above:  Window CCXVIII.)

 

(Above:  Window CCXIX.)

Mandala CCXXVI

(Above:  Mandala CCXXVI. Custom framed:  27 3/4" x 27 3/4". Found objects hand stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Objects include:  Part of a Grove Park Inn souvenir stitched to the lid of a bird bark container on a decorative plate; plastic sewing thread spools; decorative plastic pears; beer bottle caps; Masonic medallions; brioche molds; child's scissors; blue casino chips; yellow poker chips; a 60" measuring stick cut into four sections; assorted crochet hooks; buttons and beads.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

It seemed absolutely surreal to find another Grove Park Inn souvenir at the Pickens County flea market, but I did.  Thankfully, the old tin was just two dollars ... and the decorative element (the part depicting the Grove Park Inn) was easily detached from the ugly tin.  It didn't take long to stitch it to the birch bark lid but stitching through the lid to attach it to the decorative plate required a lot of effort! 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXXVI.)

There's almost a bit of engineering involved when designing these mandalas.  I'm constantly thinking about where my needle will need to travel in order to stitch all the objects in place.  There's also plenty of drilling to do.  Each one of the little pears has two holes in it!  The beer bottle caps only need one hole but five stitches!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXXVI.)

The sixty-inch measuring stick was also found at the Pickens County flea market.  It was in such great shape that I almost felt badly for cutting it into four sections and drilling holes every two inches ... but the results are great!  This is also the first time I've included a button edge that isn't on the perimeter!

 

(Above:  Mandala CCXXVI seen from an angle.)

Before stitching down the plastic sewing thread spools, I collaged anonymous photos/faces to the end that once was the label.  I'm really pleased by the way this piece turned out.  Hopefully soon it will be at the Grovewood Gallery ... right on the grounds of the Grove Park Inn!

Mandala CCXXV

(Above:  Mandala CCXXV.  Custom framed: 22 1/4" x 22 1/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Objects include:  A porcelain souvenir featuring the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC; a silver trivet; Topo Chico bottle caps; dominoes; honey tasters; pet rabies tags; cheese servers; red Monopoly hotels; emery-filled sewing strawberries; four wavy hair clips; thimbles; Scrabble tiles; and assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

This mandala almost didn't happen.  Why?  Well ... how should I put this?  Bluntly: I'm cheap!  At the Pickens County flea market, I found the little porcelain souvenir featuring the Grove Park Inn.  I picked it up and asked the old, grumpy geezer standing between this wares, "How much?"  His answer:  "Twenty dollars.  It was painted in Germany." (There's a mark on the back: Painted in Germany")

 

(Above:  Detail of the porcelain souvenir.)

I put the thing down and said, "Thanks".  I'm way too cheap to spend twenty dollars on just one object for my mandalas.  But ... I really wanted it.  After all, I've been represented by the Grovewood Gallery, a fantastic place on the grounds of the historic Grove Park Inn, for something like fifteen years.  In my imagination, I could already see that little dish on a mandala.  My mind could see the finished mandala on display at the Grovewood Gallery.  So, before leaving, I returned.  I offered fifteen.  He wouldn't accept.  I handed over a twenty dollar bill.  I'm cheap but I'm also madly in love with this series.

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXXV.)

Little gold beads were threaded to attach the porcelain dish to the silver trivet.  The trivet was then stitched to the vintage quilt.  Additional buttons were added through the holes in the trivet.  No glue!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXXV.)

After attaching the porcelain dish to the trivet, the rest of the objects for the center were selected and stitched.  The button outline came next.  Then, I had to figure out the corners.  Several things were auditioned but nothing looked quite right.  Finally, it dawned on me to tap into the Grove Park Inn itself. The complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On July 12, 1913, the Arts and Crafts styled hotel opened with a keynote speech by then acting US Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan. The exterior walls are granite boulders, five feet thick. If most of the furniture isn't Stickley, it sure looks like it is.  Roycrofters furnished the original decor ... and most of it is still there!  If you like Arts and Craft ... this is a must see place!  Knowing this, I used Scrabble tiles to literally spell it out!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXXV.)

 I don't know when I'll be taking this mandala to the Grovewood Gallery but that's where I intend for it to go ... unless someone wants to adopt it beforehand!  $450 and it can be yours!

 The complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mandala CCXXIV

(Above:  Mandala CCXXIV. Custom framed:  18 1/2" x 18 1/2".  Found objects hand-stitched to the back of an antique quilt.  Objects include:  An Empire State Building souvenir/coaster stitched to a decorative ceramic dish; plastic thread spools; copper-colored beverage can tabs; model train signs; doll clothes hangers; yellow Monopoly hotels; plastic Irish/shamrock tokens on top of natural wooden poker chips; four, white plastic toy monuments; antique capacitors; assorted buttons and beads.  Click on either image to enlarge.)

This mandala used one of the last scraps of an antique double wedding ring quilt.  The quilt was in dreadful condition and this piece was the worst of it. Tattered is not a word strong enough to describe the pitiful pieces of patchwork ... but I LOVE THE YELLOW, the hand-stitching, and (most of all) the fact that this quilt was loved for ages upon ages.  How could I not give even this piece "a second life"?  In keeping with this approach, the frame was built from scraps left over after framing some of my hand-stitched In Box pieces.  Even the linen liner was built from scraps.  I'm always happy when so many things that might have gone to a landfill come together into something special!

 

(Above:  HOME !!!  320 North Church Street, Central, SC 29630 !!!)

Weeks ago, Steve and I applied to have our place on the upcoming Pickens County Ag+Art Tour, May 3 - 4 from 9 to 4 each day.  This week, we got the news:  WE'RE GOING TO BE ON THE TOUR!  This totally free event is also functioning as our official Open House!  The organization needed a recent photo of the place.  This is how it looks right now!  We are excited!

Lancet Window CCXXXVIII and Mandala CCXXIII

(Above:  Detail of Lancet Window CCXXXVIII.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

The artwork for my Smithsonian Craft Show booth is coming along quite well.  Retirement time has everything to do with it!  I only wish I knew for which size booth I'm creating.  Booth assignments haven't been made yet.  Maybe tomorrow!

(Above:  Lancet Window CCXXXVIII.  Framed:  31 1/4" x 11 1/4".  Layers of polyester stretch velvet fused on recycled synthetic packaging felt, stitched with 100% black cotton thread, and exposed to melting techniques.)

For those unfamiliar with how high-end, interior shows are run ... well ... first an artist applies.  Each application has a $50 fee. If selected, an artist must confirm participation with a deposit.  In this case, it was $500.  Next comes a contract and choices for booth size and location.  There are several options.  These include 10' x 10' without a corner location; 10' x 10' corner; 10' x 15' without a corner; 10' x 15' corner.  The Smithsonian Craft Show has other interesting options too!  These are based on the layout of the Smithsonian Building Museum in which the show is held.  There's a giant fountain in the middle of the spacious ground level.  Booths around the fountain are highly visible and more expensive.  Also, the four corners of the floor end up being 10' x 20'.  These are odd spaces with only ten foot access.  I've been in a 10' x 15' corner (1st choice) and one of the 10' x 20' spaces (2nd choice).  I've applied for these same spaces again but don't know what I'll be assigned.  Obviously, I can't "pay in full" until I know what booth size I'll get!  Please know, the total will be more than $2200 one way or the other.  This is scary!

 

(Above:  Mandala CCXXIII. Custom framed:  12 3/4" x 12 3/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a scrap of an antique coverlet.  Objects include:  A cheap, plastic belt buckle designed to resemble a silver dollar; expired pet rabies tags; model train women and men; keys; and assorted buttons and beads. $195.)

 

In order NOT to worry about the Smithsonian Craft Show, I'm still stitching Found Object Mandalas.  This one was specifically designed in order to use a scrap of the antique coverlet as well as leftover framing moulding.  I'm really pleased that these pieces didn't get thrown into the trash but got this second life as art!

 
 

Mandala CCXXII

 

(Above:  Mandala CCXXII.  Custom framed: 41" x 41".  Found objects hand stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Objects include:  Twelve, bright orange squeaky crab toys; half of a birch bark container on which a metal medallion is stitched; a porcelain plate; brass hinges; orange and blue plastic lids; Tinker Toy connectors; honey tasters; textile loom perns/spindles; blue casino chips; antique Hill Toy yogurt lids; four (upside down) deco ashtrays; red Monopoly hotels; blue Mardi Gras doubloons; expired medical devices in clear/blue plastic containers; assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Yesterday I blogged an almost forgotten Found Object Mandala.  Mandala CCXX was designed, stitched, mounted, and framed in a single day.  Okay ... it's small ... just 16" x 16".  Some pieces miraculously come together in short burst of time.  Mandala CCXXII isn't such a piece!  This one took weeks.

 

(Above:  The unfinished crib quilt.)

I knew it would take time from the moment I lay this vintage quilt top out on my floor.  I bought it at an antique mall for twelve dollars.  Generally, quilt tops don't interest me.  I need the quilt, as in the thickness and strength of three layers.  A flimsy quilt top just doesn't work as the substrata of a Found Object Mandala.  Yet, this one sort of called to me.  It was entirely hand pieced ... nice, straight, tight stitches.  The fabrics used weren't all ideal ... remains of a few dresses or other household fabrics that had outlived their usefulness.  This was truly "patchwork" ... the origin of modern quilting, the ultimate way to use and reuse what was on hand, the touch of yesteryear, the way "second life" resonated with some anonymous woman.  I had to buy it.  I ironed it.  In my stash, I found a never-opened piece of batting for a crib quilt!  Quickly, I stapled a piece of a vintage damask tablecloth to my stretch bar. Next came the batting, then the quilt top, and finally a layer of bridal tulle/netting over the top (to protect the fragile seams and areas of slight damage).  Then, I quilted it ... by hand.

 

(Above:  The piece in progress.)

After several evenings, I was ready for the found objects.  On the floor, I'd laid out the center, the brass hinges, the spindles/perns, the circle of crabs, and even the vintage yogurt lids.  I thought this would fill most of the area, leaving only the corners needing additional attention.  But, more space was left open.  I wasn't sure how I wanted to fill it.  The piece was leaned against the living room wall for more than a week.  I just looked at it, occasionally laying it flat and trying other objects.  I didn't like anything until curved lines of layered buttons occurred to me!  Voila!  I could finish the stitching!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXXII.)

After the last button was attached, I mounted the work.  Often, I know which framing material will by used by this point ... but not this time!  That took more thought ... and more time ... too!  I liked the slate bluish gray moulding a little but not a lot.  Finally it occurred to me that I needed the blue liner between the artwork and that bluish gray outer frame.  Of course, I didn't have a blue liner (and frankly, I don't even know of a company producing the perfect blue liner!) but a little acrylic paint did the trick.

 

(Above: Mandala CCXXII seen from the side.)

It's magical when a piece flows perfectly together in a single day, but it is also wonderful that some pieces need time for careful thought!  I'm really pleased with how this Found Object Mandala turned out!

Mandala CCXX

(Above:  Mandala CCXX.  Custom framed: 16" x 16".  Found objects hand-stitched to a block of a vintage quilt.  Objects include:  A brioche mold on a decorate china dish with an antique button; green and purple toddle snack lids; rabies tags; blue toy men on horses; brass screw eyes; pull tabs from cans; four fabric swimming men; assorted beads and buttons.  Click on image to enlarge.)

Well ... I almost messed up my system!  How?  Well ... I forgot to blog this piece.  I also forgot to put it into my inventory book ... but I did create a label for the reverse side.  The title is on that label.  So ... it is now blogged out of order! LOL!  Perhaps happened because this was one of those mandalas that flowed perfectly from initial idea to last stitch.  Honestly, it was designed and stitched in a single day.  Sometimes that happens.  Sometime a piece takes weeks!