Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites

I don't know about you but I have had a great week!  The university is closed for winter break, so few students to assist and no drawing classes for me this week.  Last Monday, a vacation day, was a play date with the FIVE.  We each worked on our own thing and I started the binding on the Black, White, and Red All Over quilt for my sister.  As you see not done yet.

I also got to meet Laurie Brooks, another Maine Artist. She was a guest of FIVE.  She is combining fiber and drawing in unusual ways. I am excited because it is putting together the two skills I am working to develop.  I will be following her blog as she develops this technique.

With the more relaxed schedule I have gotten to spend a bit more time perusing blogs this week--one of my favorite activities.  And other artists must have been having great weeks too because here is what I found this week.

Friday Favorites:
A new blog!  The link goes to the blog rather than to an individual post. She has a post on painting with thickened dyes AND a picture of her quilt for the SAQA Trunk Show AND a post comparing low-water immersion dyeing to snow dyeing AND a post....  I could keep going.  It is worth check it out if you have not found it yet. The artist's name is Elaine Quehl.

And another new artist!  Averil Stuart-Head is originally from New Zealand but now lives in Italy.  Her blog doesn't have any tutorials but her work is right up my alley (Thank you, Beth, for bringing her to my attention!) with lots of color and texture.  Here is what she says about herself "I paint with fabric. It is my favourite medium and I love it. It is tactile and soft. I love the feel of fabric and the different ways you can manipulate it."  Can't you just see her with some fabric in her hand just feeling it and a dreamy look on her face?  I know exactly what she means!

Elizabeth Barton wrote a wonderful post on drawing for fiber folks.  Is this just like serendipity all over again?  LOL  She gives 11 tips she has learned through study and practice.  I like the last one best.  Put the work on the wall and let  it "mature."  I always need to do that before I know if a piece is finished or not.  I thought it was because I lacked skill but if Elizabeth does it then it must just be the way good artists finish a piece.

The Sketchbook Challenge is having a Sketch-In on Sunday, April 17, 10 am to 4 pm in Westford MA.  At first I thought it was an event you could drop-in to play but it is a workshop with fees.  Be sure to check out the post for details if you are interested.

The Quilt Rat gives a lesson on painting on fabric.  She is using a variety of fabric paints and inks and does not go into depth on them.  She does show a step by step process of what she painted first, second, third, etc. and how she stitched it.  It is a good place for beginners to check out.

So sorry to end on a sad note but I just learned from Cheryl about the change in Southern Belle.  Southern Belle is a white muslin that is inexpensive and a pleasure to work with. Or was. Many of us surface design folks had chosen it as our "go to" fabric.  But according to Cheryl, it has changed!  Oh NO!  Have you found that true also?  If you are in the market for choosing a favorite fabric, you might want to take a look at Un-Multi-Tasking's Great Fabric Test.   Her favorite fabric also changed so she did a comparison test of 7 different materials comparing them on several different scales.  Good luck and let me know if you find the perfect fabric for surface design!