Flames Of The Forest

Oh, these are BRIGHT!

This first brooch I did with my usual layering of fabrics with the machine,

then layering some more by hand, and then embellishing the whole thing,

by hand of course.

On this piece I have let the edges be, but for a lot of my jewelry I sew up the exposed edges, and it can take a lot of time, like on this necklace:

And then I discovered fusible web.

I never knew about FUSIBLE WEB!!! 

The salesperson told me the kind I bought was non-woven,

whatever that meant. 

Anyhow, it was the only kind they had. 

So I bought a meter of the gauzy thing, and voila - new technique!.

This multicolored flower (brooch? fascinator?)

has the magic touch of fusible web.

Now I thought fusible web was useful for sticking two fabrics to each other, and maybe some kinds are, but this kind turned out to just be adhesive on one side.  So when I sandwiched the web between the two fabrics that I wanted to adhere to each other, it only stuck to one.

Still, I ended up with fortified petal shapes, and a fortified base shape,

and sewing the two together turned out much easier than my older technique.
Also, I didnt have to worry about the edges -

the webbing stops them from fraying!

I have much to learn about the different kinds of fusible webs out there

(is interfacing the same thing??)

but it looks like it'll be a fun thing to explore.

The New Black...

...is PINK!!!

Ok, only for me - but isn't it sweet?

: )

Captured Colors

A series of reds and pinks...

And a woodsy brown and green.



Fall In The Water

Observation:

The breeze sounds different in Fall.

Theory:
It must be because of the leaves being a different texture and feel.

Fact:

Fall is magical even in its reflections,

even when you can't hear the breeze, only see its results.

 

If the leaves are falling in your part of the world,

take a moment to marvel at it all...

Blue and Gold, and the Brocante Lux

Some older pieces, reworked.

This top one was a pendant, but it looks better as a brooch, I think.

So I removed the bail, refinished the back, and added a brooch pin.

This was a pendant too, and still is, but I trimmed the corners

 and rounded them, then refinished the back.

I wasn't satisfied with how these pieces used to look,

but after revisiting and reworking them, I feel ready to show them.

Next up is The BrocanteLux Art and Fashion Market, Nov.26;

check it out!

Manga and Mystery

Chilling out and taking a two-day break with some graphic novels...

Not sure I like Agatha Christie in such an abridged fashion.

The Tatsumi is fascinating, though. 

It's also very long - more than 800 pages worth,

but a manga eye-opener for sure!

Industrial Chic

Well, a little bit of industrial chic, and a little bit of shabby-industrial chic...

metal + fabric necklaces...

 

Still vintage, new, repurposed..

Still fabric, lace, cord...

Just ever so slightly edgier...

Also, a quick way to make something when you're in the middle of

a bunch of illustration assignments :)

Featured

I'm sharing page space in Niagara Interiors magazine with some

pretty cool Niagara artists. 

Not sure where they saw my work, but I'm thinking it's from the Brocante Lux exhibition in September.  The editor emailed me for my address and even sent me two copies of the magazine, which was great.

You can see the whole thing online here.

Ahhhhh - DEADLINES!!!!

So I had just submitted my pics for the first of the four books that form a series, when the publisher emailed me yet another book to illustrate - and this one takes precedence over the series, so I have to think about some new characters, and soon!  Meanwhile I still need to keep working on the other books, not to mention a whole different book from some time back that I have not yet finished.  Ahhhh!!!!

Sometimes when I'm faced with too many tasks I just do something else altogether to clear my head and gear up for the work - sort of mentally rolling up my sleeves by just letting my brain rest with a different activity than I'm pressuring it about.

So I made this little piece today while the NanoBot was also painting.  I love the shimmery summer colors in it (it's dark and rainy outside today) and the profusion of white, which is less stark actually than it looks here.

Today I also go to a book club meeting, and I want to make some apple crumble to take with me.  I made some last weekend for a small party and it was a big hit, so I'm gonna fall back on it for today as well!

Now back to work :)

More heart brooches...

Fabric brooches - gifts for some special ladies I'm thinking of...

The first of the five books I'm illustrating is DONE, and I sent it out for the publisher's OK.  I start work on the second one today, at least mentally :)

Meanwhile, these little fabric brooches are wonderful to make,

and I hope will be wonderful to receive!

It's actually way too nice outside to be sitting indoors with anything, though, so I'm not!

Hope you too are enjoying the outdoors this weekend!

Watching the leaves turn

"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn."

- Elizabeth Lawrence

Funky Fabric Jewelry: Heart Brooch

I took a break from my drawing work last night (one book half done - YAY!) and made this Fall-colored fabric brooch. 

The brown and orange-red shades are exactly

what's on the trees right now,

and the beads add more autumn tones. 

 It's a beautiful time of year, for sure!

Making (Dubious) Connections

I suddenly have five books to illustrate.  Yes, FIVE. 

Party!!!...not :)

So to get me warmed up to the task, I must play with something else altogether, of course, hee hee.

This is a lamp post down the street we used to live on. 

Black and white, and one wild color.

Got your creative juices flowing too?