Class Weekend

I'm at home today. I awoke at 415 with a splitting headache, to the point of nausea. It didn't get better when I got up, & I was unable to drink coffee (which I thought might cure the headache), so I ended up calling in sick.  I went back to bed & woke up a few hours later with just a dull ache on the left side & the nausea subsided, so I'm feeling better already.

Here are a few photos from my classes on the 3rd & 4th.

In the Surface Design & Embellishing class we started out with the "Straw Dying" that I learned last spring.

I gave each student fabric & a pair of bamboo socks for dying. Barb Russell really got into it. She used her socks to clean up her bucket when she was done dying her fabric.

The students did rubbings with oil pain sticks,

& I tried to show them how they can use foil & stamps, but at some point I felt like I had lost control of the class. By about 2 o'clock everyone was fried on overload. 

Sunday we did purses.

My students were great, & everyone did their own design. Ruthe had made her flap ahead of time, using a beautiful crinkled fabric that she then sewed on to Texture Magic, & got more texture. She put together a great bunch of buttons & beads, & took one of the fused glass bits that I brought to share (made by Mindy).

It was a great weekend. I took this shot of the Ravens & the moon outside of the Beartooth Restaurant after class on Sunday. I wish I'd had my telephoto lens with me.

Pins, Passport Purses, & Doodles

Today Vicki, her mom Glenda & I, are going to Sue's house to play.Above are pins I made to share with all the girls.

 When I fiished the pins, I had to find somethng else to do with my hads, so I've been doodeling.

These last shots are more Passport pureses that I made for the girls.

Happy Birthday Warren & Brandon

You all had such nice comments on what a babe my Brandon is. It's funny because the card I made for Warren says," Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art."-M. Breenbie... It seemed appropriate. Brandon is a good genetic blend of his father & my father, who Brandon looks a LOT like.
Inside I wrote "Happy Birthday to my favorite work of Art!" Warren appreciated it. :)
For you who are interested in the technical details of this Quard....I started with a piece of hand-painted cotton Batting (wadding for those of you who use that term), layered on a piece of paper towel. Yes, I said paper towel. It was one of the towels I used for clean up after one of my fabric painting sessions & it was too pretty to throw away! I sprinkled on thread bits (I save everything!), & 3 little pieces of Whisper (that cellophane like stuff Florists use to make bows for plants),a piece of painted Bounce (dryer sheet), the little quote (from my Cryptoquote that I do every day in the newspaper), & a piece of gold Tulle to hold it all down. Quilted with Sulky Holoshimmer Copper color thread, then a few more Bouce bits for frame & stitched right on to a card blank.
I just finished another Reversible Purse. I sent the last to my DDIL in Kwajelain. This one will be a sample for my class at Coupville Arts in the spring. (If you want to check out the classes, go to "workshops", Mine are Threadplay Apr. 28 & 29, then April 30 & May 1st, for free motion quilting & the reversible purses).
I really like the button detail on this side. It is fused glass from my friend Mindy Meyn. It took me almost 4 hours to get the beading done to my satisfaction, to hold it in place.
The reverse side includes a bit of the Calendar Girls Challenge fabric, just like the last, & I used several pieces of my hand painted Sheer silk to layer over the top of commercial prints to make them softer looking.
I used one of my Thread-paint Flowers, that will be part of another class at Coupville in April, for this side of the purse.
This last photo is just a little detail shot of some of the quilting.