Fall Knitting Project

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Knit panels with crochet accents. Main yarn: Plymouth Yarn, Homestead Tweed, Burnt orange, 90% wool, 10% donegal, made in Peru Bottom band: Lang Yarns, Finn, 72% virgin wool, 28% acrylic, made in Italy I am new to using a knitting machine. My interest, I confess, is not in knitting garments with fancy stitches but rather combining different knitted yarn fabrics and textures together to create unique designs. I thought the Silver Reed LK150 Knitting Machine would be the perfect tool for my needs. They call this machine a work-horse and it is. This sweater is my own design by draping the dress…

Beaded Fringe Vintage Lamp

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I love to work with beads and I find it strangely relaxing. The hard part is choosing the beads you are going to use.

This dinning room lamp was missing it’s fringe; little holes holding nothing. I admit when I started this project it seemed easy enough. Make the same sequence of beads over and over again. When hung, each strand from a distance has colors creating a stripe that went up and down as the holes in the lamp edge made a bracket shape.

It took years. The lamp hanging there part strung saying “Remember me?” So I took beads in a little box with me and strung when I had time. Yes I remembered.

The Autumn Dress

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The autumn dance was soon and Josephine was so excited to go.

A shorter in length party dress would be so pretty and she wanted to look her best for such an occasion. Josephine most definitely wanted something with grass flowers. Grass flowers were all the rage; everyone would be wearing them.

With these ideas in mind she set out to the forest to find her dress and came upon one later that day. Around the waist a brocade of small rust and purple chrysanthemums with blackberry and huckleberry beads. Fading hydrangea blossoms made up the bodice and a delicate pansy jewel button dotted the front.

She was set.

Blue and White Tea Quilt

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Quilt throw

Machine quilted cotton

I have made a few quilts over the years and I thought I would share some. This Blue and White Tea quilt my sister and I made for a family member. This person likes tea, blue and white china and a splash of bright color here-and-there. At the fabric store we picked out all the blues that would go with a tea cup and pot fabric.

This quilt is constructed of squares and occasional four triangles making up a square. To give it a slightly formal touch we made the edging and binding out of a simple stripe.

Frightened Boy

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12″ x 9″
Pen and pencil on paper

This copy I drew at the Portland Art Museum in the Graphic Design exhibit hall. The work “Frightened Boy and His Dog” was created by Leonard Baskin in 1954. I found the work interesting. The boy is still with his arms wrapped around him, the hand is open like a gesture of needing help. The dog is unsure, paused – a moment in time. The fear itself is confident, bright, energetic and because we don’t know exactly what it is, frighting.

This weeks topic on Illustration Friday.com is fear. It’s fun to see what other illustrators have posted.

Nursery Rhymes

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Pen and watercolor pencil on paper.

Size: 14″ x 13″

Not being a water-colorist I have found colored pencils that you can brush with water easier to use. The color spread is manageable and you can get a combination of hard and soft color easily.

I managed to get a design job because of this illustration. Just goes to show you that what is in your mind to create will touch someone else’s heart.

Keep making things.

Chipmunk

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Acrylic on 2 in x 2 in canvas board
This painting I did with the aid of a magnifying glass and tiny brushes. The subject was derived from a photograph I took one Christmas. A chipmunk had gotten a hold of some holly I had put in a plant arrangement outside. This painting was entered in the Blick Mini Masterpiece Challenge.