Secrets Revealed...

You've seen lots of bits and pieces as I've been working on this piece, from the sketches back in the fall, to the thread sketching and lettering so I'm excited to finally share it with you. This piece was done as a GOE challenge, although I had started the sketches before the challenge was issued.  As soon as I hear that the challenge was 'secrets', this quote popped into my head and I knew what I wanted to do with all the eyes I had been working on!

Presenting...(imagine a drum role here)...Secrets Revealed

Machine Quilting Has Finally Begun...

I've had a lot of distractions lately, but I've finally got down to some machine quilting on this WIP.  Thanks to Anita at Cotton Mill Threadworks*, I was able to get the perfect variegated thread that had the warm grey tones I was looking for to compliment my hand painted fabric.
(*It's the best place to get thread!  If Anita doesn't have it, you probably don't need it.)

Here are a few photos of the machine quilting in progress:

Embellishing the Text...

I last posted about this piece here, when I had added the text using painted fusible web. Well, I've finally found my way back to it (life's been getting in the way!) and I've now finished another step in the process. I've layered the batting under the top (no backing yet), and free motion stitched around all of the text to outline it.













As you can see, I've also begun the hand stitching on the text to add a little more texture and interest.  So far I've just finished the first word, but I'll catch up on some TV listening and hopefully get all of this stitching done in the next few days.  I'm using one of my hand dyed cotton threads for the stitching. Once all of the hand stitching is done, I'll add the backing and then finish the machine quilting.  By doing it this way, any 'messiness' that may result on the back from my hand stitching will be covered!

The Text Is In Place...

The text is now in place and I'm ready to do a bit of thread doodling and then some hand stitch before I finish with the final machine quilting on this piece.

I ran into a bit of trouble when I was removing the paper backing from the painted fusible. I'm not sure if it was because I didn't water the paint down enough or if it was old fusible or some other issue.  I'll have to do some more experimenting with this technique to figure it out.  But for now, I'm ready to go with the next stage of the process.

I Needed More Eyes...

In Friday's post I had begun to put together the faces I've been thread sketching for the last few months.  However, as I was working on the piece this weekend, it became evident that I needed a couple more faces.  So, out came a stack of books and magazines so I could find some inspiration.

After doing a few rough sketches on paper I was ready to trace my drawings onto dissolvable stabilizer and then sit down at the sewing machine and thread sketch.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Fun of Working Intuitively...

Over the last couple of months, among other things, I've been sketching and thread doodling close up images of faces, focusing on the eyes.  It's now time to start putting together the vision I have in mind for this piece.  

The thing I love about working in the intuitive manner that I do, is that it becomes a bit like a giant puzzle.  I have a rough image in mind, but no real plan of attack.  I've cut each of the thread sketched faces out so that when sewn up they will have a 1/4" clearance between the seams and the thread sketching.  As such, none of the pieces has square corners.  This of course is in keeping with my mental image of the piece.

The fun comes in laying the pieces out in a rough layout and then attaching various strips of the hand painted grey fabric so that I can make it work and all fit together.  As you can see, I've also added some narrow black bits here and there just to give greater contrast and keep the eye moving.  Did I mention how much I love this processes?!

I'll keep playing with this over the next few days and hopefully I'll come up with an arrangement I'm happy with.  Back to it...bye for now.

A Few More Thread Sketched Eyes...

I know I said I was going to get started on the piece I'm planning with all of these eyes, but I decided I needed a few more...

Besides, they're just so addictive!

I've also been painting some more fabric to use in this piece.  Lots of messy fun in the studio!

Eye've Been Thread Sketching...

Okay, enough with the misuse of the word 'eye'!  But as you can see, I've finally got back to my machine and I've been thread sketching some more of the sketches I shared here, here, here and here.

Now that I have several of them stitched, it's time to start working on the piece for which I've been making them.  I'm not sure how long it will take me to put it together, but I'll be sure to show you when it's ready...or maybe even some sneak peeks in progress...

Eye Think Eye'm Addicted...

Here are a few more sketches of eyes...

...this will be it for a while so that I can actually get some of my favourite drawings done in thread sketches.

Oh Baby, You're Hard to Capture!

As I said in last Wednesday's post, I think I prefer drawing older, wrinkled people's eyes, but I wanted to capture some babies and children too.  I'm finding them so much more challenging with their perfect, smooth skin.  I just don't have as much to draw to get their mood on the paper.

Sometimes Wrinkles Are A Good Thing...

I'm back today with a few more drawings of eyes...

As I continue drawing these close up sketches of eyes, I'm finding that my favourites are the older people with all of the lines and wrinkles in their faces.  They've got such interesting character, and all of those lines seem to make it easier to capture their expression and mood.

It's All In The Eyes...

In addition to all the doodling I've been doing in my art journal lately, I've been doing some drawing in preparation for machine doodling of more eyes. If you're interested, you can see some of the eyes I've already machine sketched/doodled here and here.

Have you ever noticed how many fascinating faces there are out there?  I find myself looking for interesting faces everywhere...in my own collection of photos, in magazines and newspapers, and online...

I can't tell you how much fun it is to sketch close ups of eyes, and then just sit at the sewing machine and draw them in thread...it's becoming a bit addictive!

Here are a few more sketches I've done:

I can't wait to make some time for sewing so I can get these done in thread!

More Thread Sketched Faces...

I am having so much fun with these eyes/faces.  There's nothing as fun as doodling with a sewing machine!  Here are the next few faces I've finished.

I can't wait to get back into the studio to do more!  An idea is beginning to brew in the back of my mind for how I might use these in a larger piece.

Painting Fabric and Thread Sketching Explorations...

I've been spending little bits of time in the studio, when I can fit it in, to paint some fabric.  I started with recycled cotton bed sheets and left over pieces of muslin and used a selection of acrylic paints to achieve these wonderful, warm greys.

You may remember from a previous post of some of my photography, that I have a thing for eyes.  I think my husband think I'm crazy sometimes because we'll be watching TV and I'll suddenly be commenting on how incredible someone's eyes are...it's especially odd when it's an episode of Income Property or some such thing. LOL

Anyway, that preoccupation with eyes has prompted me to do a study of eyes.  I've decided to explore people's eyes by thread sketching them using black thread on this newly painted fabric.  Here's my first one.  There will hopefully be many more to come.  This is a perfect, quick 'art fix' that I can easily fit in during puppy naps.  Needless to say, I can't yet take Dime into the studio so I have to fit in my studio time when he's snoozing!

It's All in the Eyes

Last week I went to the zoo with a friend and we had a great day of walking, talking and taking pictures.  I was telling my husband later that it's funny how my zoo photos have changed since I was a kid.  I used to come home with a camera full of shots that showed the enclosures and if you looked carefully enough, you'd see the animal in the space, but they were always pretty small.  I guess that's partly due to the equipment, but I know I was always trying to get the whole animal in any shot I took.  

These days, I love focusing on certain aspects of the animal.  Close ups of faces, the hands and feet of gorillas, and in the case of these shots, the eyes...

They say that we can tell so much from someone's eyes.  I would love to know what some of these animals were thinking when I took these shots...

Now that you've been stared at for a while, let me leave you with this young male lion and his wonderful expression.  I caught him at the end of a yawn, but he looks likes he's having a great laugh, doesn't he?