No Friday Favorites Again

Nothing is finished but lots of good beginnings.

First, I have been designing my next art quilt for Art Quilts Around the World. The theme this time is Carnival.  Maybe I should do a disabled boat?  Nope.  But my design does include this shoe. Check out the Krewe of Muses.

And here is the proof for my second dry point edition.

I have also used our blizzard as an opportunity to try Beth's tutorial for Quilt as You Go.  Here are 6  13-inch blocks.  I have made 25 blocks so far and will soon start putting them together.

And when I need to sit on the couch and veg, I have been doodling.  Here is the beginning  of a flower garden.

I Heart U

Still Thinking Valentine's Day

Friday Favorites

I am making progress!  Yeah ME! 

I got my first assignment finished for my online class with Lisa Call.  I used my self-portrait art quilt for the Art Quilts Around the World blog as a beginning point for a series about being comfortable in my skin.  Here is a link to that post.  As part of the first assignment I had to critique the work.  Lisa said I did a good job but then I have had the benefit of taking art classes in a university setting so I have some background in that type of exercise.  Anyway, that leaves me just 2 assignments behind from being sick.  Maybe I will have a snow day tomorrow and can work on them.

I have started carving my second dry point series.  I am planning to incorporate some stitching in this series to have the three different types of line--a printed one, a hand stitched one, and a machine stitched one.  I hope that I can finish the carving today so I can proof it.  Keep your fingers crossed, please.  I have also ordered 3 yards of silk organza to print on.  Doesn't that sound wonderful!  I hope it doesn't take too long to ship.  I think it is coming from India.

Friday Favorites

Win a subscription!  That totally works for me.  And besides possibly winning a subscription you get to maybe keep a tiny little postoffice open.  You just need to send a postcard to Jane Davies.

Okay, so perhaps most of my Friday Favorites have to do with Jane this week.  Jane has a new DVD out named Scribble Collage: with hand painted paper.   It looks like a great DVD for making paper backgrounds for my dry point prints and maybe print paste book covers.

What's for dinner?  You could be showing us at the International Quilt Market and Festival 2013 in Houston. Call for Entries on-line entry open March 29-May 17 so you have time to cook up your favorite foods in your favorite style of surface design and quilting.

I couldn't finish my Friday Favorites without a call out to April Martin' untitled etching that her Mom posted.  Well done, April!

Getting into the Spirit

Popsicles

Strait and Narrow Path

And this is what happens when you doodle during church.

A Feather For Beth

Does it look like a crow feather?

First Dry Point Edition

I made the changes to my copper plate and ran an edition of 10.  I thought I would show you the process.

Here is my copper plate all carved and ready for printing.  It is 5 inches by 7 inches.  There on the left is the tool I used to carve the lines.  The carving is called dry point because no acid was used to etch the lines.

 

Next step is to spread etching ink onto the plate using a plastic card.  After working to get the ink on, then you scrape off as much as you can using the plastic card again.

Taking off the ink takes multiple steps.  First I used the card. Then I use pages out of phone book to rub off more ink.

Now the plate looks like this but there is still too much ink on the surface.

So, I rub the plate with a tarletan and then wipe with a soft cotton cloth.

Once the only visible ink is the ink in the scratches, then the plate is ready to go on the press.  UMA has two presses, Charlie and Lucy.  I am using Lucy.

The paper is centered over the plate.  The paper has been soaking in water because damp paper will take the ink better.  The paper can't be too wet so it does get dried with a fluffy towel before going to the press.

 

Down go the three blankets and the press table is cranked under the roller.

On the other side of the roller, up go the blanket,s and the paper is peeled off the plate. Did it turn out?  

 

YES! ONE done!  Only 9 more to do.