Silk Fused Padfolio and Teddy the Yorkie

Something positive evolved from my silk fusion breakdown! This wonderful little padfolio/worry journal/artistic sketchbook/to-do-list keeper. I've had padfolio envy since I've seen so many of these SueB Padfolio's blogged around the world. I could surely use more satin stitching on the edge practice but I really like how it turned out. I may change the cording and make a few silk fusion beads from Sue's latest lesson. This week's project is a silk fusion box and who knows, I may wake up at dawn Sunday and marathon box sew until noon like I did today. "What's for breakfast Honey?" uhhmm...hot pockets...


There are two inside pockets and it's satin stitched and fused together. My colors look a whole lot like Sue's blog header in fact! Such a cool easy-to follow project by the magnificant Fibre Artiste and Textile Art Educator Extrordinaire, Sue Bleiweiss
On Thursday, a little Yorkie dog came at me head-on in the middle of the street. No collar and no one chasing him. I stopped of course, got out of the car as he jumped into my arms. So what else could I do but take the little guy home and try to find his owner? We all fell in love with the little pooch, though he "loved" on my child's Hello Kitty toy just a bit too much! We found his owner Friday night and after many heartbroken tears and seeing him returned to his happy mom, we're now talking Yorkie shopping..... Goodbye Teddy! We all missed you this morning! Everyone except for our cats and Hello Kitty.

Seamrippstress Breakdown = 200 mgs of Silk Fusion Prescribed

And here we have a representation of the beautiful liquid essence of a woman's once colorful spirit dripping from her soul to the dirty garage floor. Good thing paper towels (dyed rubbish that she hordes like a crazy loon) are being splattered with her misfortune so that they may qualify for her job when she gets whacked. It's been a rough month. The thing is, I'm one of those welcomed folks who call you out of the blue to sell you advertising. And when I really get on your nerves, well that would be toward the end of the month and this one has ended short, very short of my goal.

I wonder how all of you x-corporate cogs turned your fabric fetishes into careers? Was it Etsy or teaching or are you just so talented that you knew you could make a go of it. Because I'm about to go to "It's a Stitch" and ask them if I can sell sewing machines! My DH wouldn't care for the pay but wouldn't I be a happy little retail girl!

Here is my map of Houston sales targets, maybe this will explain my numbers this month. Look at the pretty WIPs! Wouldn't it be nice if they were finished or made into something useful? Or even better, if they could generate revenue!

Thanks sincerely for coming to visit and inspiring me with your comments and prayers of joy, hope and divine peace : )

Doll Therapy Retreat: Allison Marano Woodknots Homework

I was happy to learn recently that I'd made the waiting list to join the Material Girl's Doll Retreat to be held in LaGrange, Tx March 9,10 and 11! Wow, but there's homework that must be completed and the retreat, well it's now only two weeks away! I spent Friday and Sat nights finishing the little guy's wired hands, feet, strange little head and pointed ears. He's a cute little "woodknot". (well he WILL be cute) I've promised him to my daughter who wants me to add a secret letterbox to go in his hollowed log. I also have to make a pin doll for trade! All of this in the midst of my Silk Fusion Joggles Class, the last lesson of Silk Dyeing and my Bernina Stitch Regulator Delight class at It's A Stitch tomorrow night! Thinking of using silk fusion pieces to make his little costume. I can't wait to hang out with the Material Girls and learn from Allison Marano at the retreat!

http://haha.nu/creative/creative-photos-by-chema-madoz
My darling husband sent me this cool link today. Go see the very creative shots of plain ole things.

My American Idol Prediction- Blake Lewis

Announcing the next American Idol....Blake Lewis. He's the beatboxer but the kid was the best tonight. Very DepecheMode meets U2...or NO the Smiths yeah the Smiths. Blake Nation wewwwhoo! I've wanted to see a rock/alternative win since Daughtry lost to...who'd America kick him off for? Anyway, so if you really wanted an update on another TV reality show you'd have tuned into your TV instead of my blog!

Letterboxing "Chloe's Hide"

A couple of years ago, Chloe reached into a tree trunk hole in our neighborhood park and discovered an airtight box that contained a tiny booklet full of stamped images, dates, messages, a stamp and pad, as well as a web address: www.letterboxing.org. What a thrill to find that these little treasures are hidden in cities and towns all over the world with secret directions posted on the website. She and her dad hid their own Letterbox this summer and this morning received an email from a family that had found Chloe's Letterbox at Herman Park. Today we decided to visit the museum's new Frog Exhibit and check out her little letterbox. WELL, over 11 families have found her box, stamped and dated it and tucked it safely away within the tree! I can't tell you how fun it was to look through her letterbox and see all of the personal stamps, dates, names and ages of children who've found it! The last entry was from an Austin family that had just found it today!

Chloe's Hide: http://www.letterboxing.org/BoxView.php?boxnum=25785&boxname=Herman_Park_-_Chloe

We plan to make a silk fusion booklet and hide another!!

And the frogs were lovely and resting warmly......zzzzzz

It was such a lovely day in the Chinese Gardens...

And look at these painted cowboy boots!

MAP to Chloe's Hide in Herman Park. Email me if you find it!!

http://www.letterboxing.org/BoxView.php?boxnum=25785&boxname=Herman_Park_-_Chloe

Silk Fusion Envelope

A little silk envelope for keeping....well... Notions maybe? Innocent enough. (Click on top pic to see my embossed script stamp extravaganza)
...Hmmmm...Secret love notes? Not that I know a thing about anything like that. Fabric cash stash you don't want your DH to find? Don't be ridiculous we don't need no stinkin cash stash. What-nots might you consider keeping in here?

This is our first project from SueB's Silk Fusion. I stamped the silk fusion piece with embossing powders and turned the heat gun on. Then, I didn't like the off-white cloth buttons I chose so I embossed them with metallic powder too. Next, we'll make a bag and I will start on a http://suebleiweiss.typepad.com/padfolio/

Silk Fusion!

Guess what... I'm taking another class! Sue Bleiweiss Silk Fusion from Joggles and it is really really cool! Just go see her blog. It's helped get me off the embellisher binge if for a fleeting moment. The process is similar to nuno-felting except textile medium is used to stick it all together instead of beating and rolling it 1000 times as needed for nuno-felting. The picture really doesn't do it justice but just wait until you see what I can make out of it!

Happy Love Day!

Made by my daughter with the embellisher.

"Mommy, this is so much easier than drawing!"

Embellished silk and whatnots evolving

My little Sunday experiment has moved into Monday night with hand-dyed silk habotai base over water-soluble Sulky stabilizer. Mmm I love how the silk rousches under the needles. I didn't like the red wool stripes yesterday but I'm feelin them tonight. I may cover them tomorrow. Funny how that happens. I'm infatuated with this needle embellisher but it sure helps to perpetuate my hermit-like tendencies.

I've started covering the silk in fiberish delicacies. I'll stitch a few wavies and loop-tee-loops to keep it together then soak to dissolve solvy and the little puncture holes. Then, I'll make something really damned fabulous...a little bag perhaps? Or wait! It's evolving into a web-eaten wacky apartment building from a dream.












I'm so having Manhattan fiberflashbacks. It could take a while but now I must need to needle-embellish the whole rest of the Big Apple. I embellished little ribbon curtains and webbies galore once the velvet windows materialized. Do you see an apartment building in there or is it just me? Not like a real one, more like a Dr. Seuss dream NYC apartment that's been eaten by colorful webs and a swarm of purple cotton candy? I could happen in NYC.

Sure, but now look at the mound of rubbish piled on my Quilter's Dream table. "Lucy! Juewgatta Lotta Cleanin to DO!"

Embellisher Foot Installed and I may never leave the house

Oh man, this is too much fun! I finally installed the switch plate and multi-needled contraption on my machine and here's my first experiment. I used wool rovings including the Angelina/wool mixture and whatever else I could find next to the kitty's fur. More 2 COME!

How to Discharge Instead of Washing Dishes and Other Important Shopping Events

Several of you've asked how I discharged the Bob Marley lyrics and it is very complicated but allow me to demonstrate:

First, you need these expensive supplies:

That's off-brand liquid dish gel with spot fighter (bleach) and a plastic bottle with a metal tip. Find the bottles in art supply stores where fabric, batik and dyeing supplies are sold or order online from Dharma Trading. Pour the liquid dish gel into the little bottle and write on your fabric. (Darker over-dyed fabrics work best or any dark commercially dyed fabrics work well too but only NATURAL fibers, ie cotton, silk)

Now for the fun part. Let it sit for a while flat and watch the chemical reaction! The dish gel will wick into the channels of the fabric. Leave it for as long or a little as you'd like and hold the fabric up to the light and check the bleaching from the backside to see your script or design materialize. I usually can't wait longer than 20 minutes or so. Rinse REAL good and wear GLOVES to maintain your dainty moisurized hands. Dry, press and Wahlaa!

NOT that you can really READ it but doesn't it look cool! And here are a few complicated designs I've played around with:(I can't stick to one topic or technique for long) Just LOOK what I found today while on my round of sales calls at The Hen House , a quilting, felting AND knitting shop! Combed dyed wool with flippin Angelina Fibers mixed in it! It Screamed my name so I bought 3 of the 6 hanks left:

That Famous Lazy Girl Bag!!

So, do ya'll remember that little "burning layers" Lazy Girl Designs pattern purse I did way back - last week? Well, my new friend and awesome pattern designer Joan Hawley has made it the new lazy feature at Show Us Your Lazy! Hehehehe - love it! See all of Joan's incredible patterns at Lazy Girl Designs or ask any quilt shop for the latest....I've seen them at JoAnns Fabrics too.


A Big Texas Welcome to all of you lovely Lazies who've come to visit me here! Make yourself at home and do look around. This was my first Lazy and once you go Lazy, well heh...you know what they say! Any recommendations on patterns you've tried Lazies? Please leave me a comment...look I know you're pretty lazy, I am too but it's just a comment...it's not like making a dart or a flikin lining for heavens sakes! I think I'll make a burned or even a nuno-felted Wonder Wallet next...after a very long nap.

Discharged Redemption Song

I've been jammin to the soothing "electro-bossa songbook of Bob Marley" and I keep singing the Amazonics rendition of his classic "Redemption Song" over in my head. I told you I was planning on discharging the lyrics with liquid dish detergent onto over-dyed cottons! I stared at it watching the chemical reaction for a good 30 minutes while dinner burned.After I rinsed, parts of lit up. Bob Marley would be 62 years old this Tuesday and I just found out after I posted this. Has Bob been singing to me to post his message? Don't laugh....I wonder if I could liven up the lyrics with stitching. I think this piece of cotton was bright orange with red undissolved dye specks before I overdyed with black...or was it red....I really should keep track of dye recipies in case I ever want to reproduce something.

Not yer Granny's Quilted Hand Bag

This is what's become of my "Burning Layers" homemade fabric experiment! I used Lazy Girl Designs easy purse pattern that called for added embellishments. I think the fabric I made is embellished enough! I'm really proud of it as it's only my 2nd little purse. Aint it kewl!

It's lined with little pockets and I even used a magnet closure instead of velcro.

Move over Luis Vuitton!

Click Here to see the whole evolution of this project.
Check out textile seahorse and Lisette's facinating burned art pieces and a very good tutorial that i can't make the link work. www.thequiltingweb.com/Free%20pro%204.htm

Chocolat Centerfold in Art Doll Quarterly!!!!!

Click on to actually Read Mary's Article!

Yesterday my daughter and I wandered into Texas Art Supply looking for a few dyeing supplies (...ew and I found some Lutradur for $9 per giant roll yard). ANYWAY, I picked up the latest "Art Doll Quarterly" issue for the first time ever. I went about my evening of dyeing silk and velvets and at bedtime reading I'm casually thumbing through the pages, admiring the fabulous artist's dolls.... when WHAT to my flickin amazement....CHOCOLAT! I know that DOLL!!!! That's my friend MARY'S chocolate wrapper collage doll in a 3-page spread...all glammed out!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Mary on Chocolat and for another published article of your amazing work and your ability to make art out of ANYTHING. You are so famous.

Rough week. I think I'm gonna DYE

Nothing like a little dye-therapy to relieve the tension of working until 10pm every night this week. No worries, I'm close to quota and I still have a 3 whole business days left. Ew, that's stressful. Let's talk about dyeing silk.

I'm taking my favorite dye teacher, Marjie McWilliams http://www.fabricdesigns.com QuiltU silk dyeing class. The silk pieces are covered in plastic for the next 6 hours but you can bet they'll be posted by tonight. Since I'm not one to waste procion soup what with all those starving artists and all - I've stuffed and dumped silk velvets and silk gauze to see how they turn out. I'm overdyeing a few pieces of cotton and added salt to the left over dyes because I think I'm supposed to for cottons. Then, I plan to discharge with liquid dish soap and I think I'll write the words to Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" on the over-dyed cottons.

I'm so not excited about how my painted on and "blended" silk habotai lesson 1 turned out. My colors didn't really blend but looks like a pastely rainbow. This will be over-dyed next weekend:

This is how it's supposed to "blend" into orange and purples: