Still Playing

From time to time I take some play-time and obviously that play time is now. For several days now, I’m playing. Playing with colors, papers, fabrics, glue, threads enz….I’m doing some repetitive exercises but every time in a different way. The more I do, the more I find other ways to do the same. “All the roads ARE going to Rome”.
Those exercises are giving me the peace I miss since we’re back from Marseille : I was truly overwhelmed by all the beauty of the region.
Lucky you, Vero !

I glued pattern paper on fabric and then painted the surface. Then I was soo stupid enough to add salt on the surface.

Once dry I can assure you that I had to rub the salt to get rid of it.
But… I obtained a nice effect.
And I laughed for at least 5 minutes because of my ‘distraction’.
This is the result of my paper-fabric :
For the moment it’s only layered down – not sewed yet.

I played with EQ and made some positive/negative images, once you see the profiles, once you see a vase.




“I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. “
Thomas Jefferson(1734-1826)

Write you soon
Nathalie

Sketch journal

Using a sketch journal is addictive.
The more you do ;
The more ideas you get;
The more you try out,
The quicker your journals fills and
then again more ideas.
This is a real brain- and creativity-training.
Almost the Olympics.
This day(Friday) was so strange with a lot of rain and 5 minutes later the sun was shining like she never shined.
So my collage colour of the day was yellow because it didn’t rain any more in the early evening.

Making those colour collage make me aware that the most used colour in magazines is green. It’s the same in nature : green, brown and bleu.

Another fun exercise is “découpage” :

folding paper and cutting some random pieces and when unfold you have ‘snowflakes’.
It’s a bit like origami.

Cutting in a special way you obtain positive and negative spaces

The design above should be fun to make in fabric with a repetition of the design.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new”.
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

write you soon
Nathalie

Spam and collages

I have been SPAM-attacked ! I received more than 3000 messages.
Result : I have not been able to send any mail to anybody.
Thus : I want to thank Susan from wildonionstudio.com and Louise from louiseschiele.com for their nice personal comments. Go visit their site, you won’t regret it.

I’m playing with colours lately and having fun. It’s a return to the basics.
A refreshment bath. Nothing new but some ‘forgotten’ elements are saying hello again.

I worked on light colours : white, cream and grey.
So I made collages with the ‘lights’. Such a variety in those ‘colours’.
The light colours have a calming effect on me. Make me peaceful, not that I’m a ‘warrior’ by the way.
It’s maybe the reason that when surrendering in time of war, they showed the white flag ?



I continued the sketch of Frioul’s flowers and I added some watercolours after I noted all the wanted details with words. Long time that I used watercolours and I should use them more.

The workshop with Sharon Boggon (link at Joggles and ‘in a minute ago’)) is already a hit.
It is one of the most active workshop I have followed. I have to restrain myself not going too much to the discussion-group. If you read everything that is written, you need at least 1 hour a day.

"The only way to make your PC go faster is to throw it out a window".
Robert Paul

Write you soon
Nathalie

Sunny Landscape

This day is so gray that everyone would turn depressive : a lot of clouds, a lot of wind and a lot of rain.
So I decided to finish a funny little project : “Sunny landscape”.

I sketched a simple landscape on Avalon.
Then I putted the Avalon in an embroidery ring and started to ‘free-machine-embroider’.
After I finished to embroider, I made my background : a simple stipple quilted quilt.
Once the Avalon solved in water and the embroidery dry, I stitched the two together.


I have a new quilt idea for my future workshop with Ellen Lindner ,
’Design your own Nature Quilt’ :


I took this picture on the Isle of Frioul while being in Marseille. These flowers were the rare ones we saw on the island. They look so fragile and yet these are so strong.

“Though we travel the word over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not”.
Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Write you soon
Nathalie

Exhibition

Ellen Lindner asked me if she could put a picture of my ‘Remember René Magritte’ in her student gallery (see her link at right). I gladly said ‘yes’.

About galleries :
I’m having an exhibition at the end of the year : starting on 13 December till 16 January.
At first, I didn’t want to accept but on the other side : this is giving a HUGE kick !
The title of the exhibition will be : ‘From Patchwork to Art Textile’
This exhibition will show my evolution from the first steps till now. I’m so excited the culture department of the town nearby asked me. I already had exhibited some work 5 years ago, back then, it was with other quilters.

I wasn’t very ‘fibre-active’ yesterday evening.
A lot of work in the shop and I overworked some hours : went directly from work in bed. It doesn’t seem it will be better today : the shops in the street are holding a ‘garage sale’ evening tonight and we also participate.
Just hope the rain will not me the ‘fun breaker’ .

This is a little colour exercise I made.
I embroidered some words on the surface : “Besoin d’Amour’.
It’s a word association I made after I ripped some magazines apart for the colour chips I needed.

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year. “
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Write you soon
Nathalie

Collage

Made some colour exercises.
I chose random words and made a collage of those words.
I used : ‘summer’,
‘passion’
and ‘pale’.
I tried to work in an impulsive way.
And I have to admit : I’m a control freak !
Those words made me think about other words, so I also wrote them down.

I also will do the same exercise using fabric.

“Only the curious will learn and only the resolute overcome the obstacles to learning. The quest quotient has always excited me more than the intelligence quotient.”
Eugene S. Wilson

write you soon
Nathalie

Cutting Junkie

I have many sketchbooks, all of them have a different size.
I carry a little (yellow) one (6 x 4 inch) in my handbag- I prefer little handbags.
This little sketchbook is also used as notebook : when I’m eating out and the presentation of the food is unusual : I make some quick notes. Or a terrific recipe…
I also use that sketchbook as post-it or agenda.

The next size I use is 8.5 x 6 inch, I have 2 of them. One in my bedroom and the other at work. I also have an in between, 7 x 5 inch, I carry that one when I’m taking holidays.


The biggest one , 8.5 x 11.75 is only to be used in my studio. I use that one to work further on the ideas I wrote in the other ones.

Early, this morning I started cutting colour chips from magazines. Not the most pleasant work but then I had the idea to use the ‘photo cutter’ .

My paper chips were cut in no time. I now have to look for another magazine to cut more.


“Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Write you soon
Nathalie

Audition

I finally started auditioning the fabrics for the big version of the ‘Old Wheel’.

I will add more colour than in the original picture. And I will only use fabrics from my stash. It was a great adventure to search for the right fabrics.

I rediscovered some once so loved fabrics. I spent more time looking at the fabrics I didn’t need than the fabrics I actually chose.

The reason I started this blog was to have a journal about the what’s, how’s and why’s and to see an evolution of my ‘work’.

I wanted to have a written report about my work otherwise I won't remember the little story behind a work I made in 10 or 20 years.

“Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”
John Wesley (1703-1791)

PS.:
Thank you ‘Old English Teacher’, I'm glad you told me.

Write you soon
Nathalie

Sketching II

Sharon Boggon from a Joggles-workshop asked us to sketch a Van Gogh in sewing lines.



That’s what I did, but with a twist : I sketched some lines so I could use it as appliqué.I highly simplified the design using geometric shapes !

Another fun exercise was to use common objects and make a frottage.
Once I used the correct pencil I hadn’t any problems any more.

I feel like in kinder garden again.
“The undertaking of new action brings new strength.”
Evenius

Write you soon
Nathalie

Unfinished work

For all those one who are thinking that I finish every thing I make.
Here are my UFO'S :

exercise in thread painting,
I started after reading the book 'Threadplay' from Libby Lehman.
I underestimated the time I had to spend to sew those circles.
From time to time I take that top and threadpaint as warm-up for another work.
Sooner or later it will be finished.




The second UFO is a 'ghost-idea', I made this top with an idea in my head, but forgot to write my idea down. It was made using Dena Crain method of 'structured fabric'.

This one was started in a class conducted by Debbie Babin, but due to family-issues I wasn't able to continue the lessons. With the TAG-project in mind I know I will be able to concentrate me more on this Floral Pizzazz. I also absolutly wanted to only use my own hand-dyed fabric. I will have to change my mind about that ; a woman's privilege !

This last Instant Art Quilt has been made in a workshop conducted by Ellen Lindner. It's the third in the serie. The hand-dyed fabrics were choosed and layered by my youngest daughter. We only have to agree if we want to add some appliqué or slice it and sew it on a special way. We are in full debate.

I hope you enjoyed all those UFO'S !

I want to thanks all those who commented the 'Old Wheel'. My heart warmed up to high temperatures with all those compliments. Thank you again.

"I've learned that you can't have everything and do everything at the same time."

Oprah Winfrey (1954- )

write you soon

Nathalie