Yes, I Want to Sew But.....

Yes, I want to sew but, 

I have walked into a magical world and I am enchanted.

I am pulled in by the brilliance of the colors.

Were they really hiding there all summer covered by a mask of green?

Yes, I would love to attempt to duplicate this beauty in an artwork

 but I can't draw myself away from this feast for my eyes.

I do have ideas to share with you. 

Believe me, I tried.

 But until the leaves fall, the ground turns brown and the skies are gray, 

each day will be an ongoing struggle to face my sewing machine.

Today, may you soak up the beauty 

and rejoice in the world God created.

One Lizard, Then Two, Three, Oh My!

Linda bought a new piece of jewelry, a charming lizard pin. 

Her friend saw it and bought her a second lizard 

and the ball started rolling. 

Now there are lizards on Linda's walls and framing her door. 

She even has a new lizard nightgown.

It seems everyone has a collection. 

Mine seems to be rickrack. 

I started like so many others with a package or two in my sewing studio. 

Then my mother cleaned out her sewing area and gave me a good supply. 

Hoping to use it and not store it, I incorporated it into some projects.

There it is, 

the suggestion that I love rickrack. 

I'm not saying that I don't. 

It has a certain appeal to me.

 But, the ball is now rolling. 

My sister, knowing that I found uses for rickrack gave me a box full.  

Maybe I shouldn't have used any of it, but I did

 and now received a bag full from a friend. 

 It is growing on me. 

Perhaps soon they will be calling me the Queen of Rickrack.

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

Sketching Lilies

I can't get those brilliant lilies out of my mind.

I find myself sketching them in various "poses".

Surely, I am captivated by their beauty.

Do I really need to transfer these ideas to fabric

 or am I satisfied with just drawing them?

But, I do have those perfect fabrics all ready to cut and sew.

Onward!

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

Finding my Way Out

Thanks for looking for me. 

You see, I went into my closet to find more fabrics to coordinate and 

it took me quite a while to find my way out. 

Now I'm not saying that I have a lot of fabric but.... 

I just thought I should pet each piece as I was looking and

 well, it did take a while.

I finally popped back out with fabrics and my pile grew

 

and grew

and grew.

Then to get a little fresh air after all that closet air, 

I opened the outside door and 

feasted, 

yes, feasted my eyes

 on these lovely, brilliant orange lilies.

Will these be the inspiration for my art?

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

Inspired by fabric? Then what?

Recently, I was asked the question "Are you ever inspired by a piece of fabric and where do you go from there?"

This led me to think further. Where do I go? How does a drop dead fabric turn into a completed project.

Some fabrics need to "hang" around for a while. I do mean this literally. I hang the fabric on my design wall until ideas start to pop into my head.  There are days when this happens quickly. There are other times when months go by before the inspiration comes.

I loved this hand dyed scarf and added silk yarn and leaves to it. Then what? Would I really wear it as a scarf? So, it waited.

Often, my "diva fabric" starts its journey by gathering all its friends. This, of course, means pulling fabrics out of my stash that coordinate or complement my inspirational fabric.

The pile of fabric friends may start out large or pulled in one direction but not all fabrics may become part of the final trip.

My scarf was not impressed with these so called "friends", 

rejected them, and sought other companions.

Yes, we got off to a rocky start.

 The group of "friendly fabrics" may be small but as I go along new friends are added.

These new fabric friends seems more to her taste.

There have even been cases where the "friendlies" went on the trip without the "diva". The inspirational fabric was just that, an inspiration for a quilt.

In this case, she was not to be left behind and adored herself royally. 

After all, she was the "diva".

The journey from fabric to completed project is always interesting. It may be a straight road or it may be a curving path with hills and valleys along the way.

Social Climbers

Sharon V. Rotz

What direction does your path take?

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

Hearts for You

Happy Valentine's Day.

We are all thinking hearts this week, 

so I wanted to share some of the hearts that I made.

I started with two fabrics, a light batik and a solid pink. 

After seaming them together, I enhanced them by using crayons over a rough texture. 

I set up my sewing machine for free-motion quilting and quilted a feather design.

Adding a touch of Lumiere paint in each feather provides fabulous detail.

I  invite you to join me for a class exploring these techniques.

"Feathered Art Quilt"

I will be at Sew Smart in Rhinelander, WI on March 13, 2014, 

and at Sew Smart in Wausau, WI on March 27, 2014.

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

The Art Quilt Blog

Too Much Winter? Think Flowers!

If your studio windows are covering up with snow,

and your birds are walking up to the feeder instead of flying in,

then this is the time to revive your spirit and draw inspiration from the 

Winter's Garden Show 

at the Riverfront Arts Center in Stevens Point, WI.

This exhibit features floral and botanical art 

and fresh blooming orchids.

I'm proud to have artwork in the show.

The orchids are for sale so you can bring your favorite home with you.  

Oh yes, the artwork, too!

Details and link on the Side bar - "Galleries and Exhibits"

Simple Joys of Sewing

Do you appreciate the simple joys of sewing?

There is joy in pressing over a crumbled piece of fabric and creating a beautiful smooth surface. As I press, I enjoy the pattern of the fabric, the texture as I run my hand across the now flat surface, and the anticipation of beginning a new project.

There is joy in picking up my rotary cutter, trimming the ragged edge and making those perfect cuts. Trimming the threads and revealing a clean edge gives me a feeling of order in my world.

There is joy in stitching. It is the joy of creating by joining of two fabrics together and then two more  until I have made a design.  

Today, I am thankful for small blessings as I work in my studio. May your day be blessed as well.

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

Color Overload

I am definitely finding it hard to stay inside and sew when I awaken to a world bursting with color.

I love the colors of fall and they will be inspirations for many of my future projects but now I am out in the world enjoying! The contrast of the brilliant reds and the cool blue is overwhelming.

May your day be packed with fabulous color.

Mark It Sold!

 Just wrap a cord around a bundle of fabric. 

Call it a grab bag and I am there. 

It doesn't matter if I can see the fabrics or they are hidden in a brown paper bag. 

I can't resist the adventure of scheming and dreaming of what I can make out of these random pieces.

With its vibrant colors and happy patterns, this purchase was a no-brainer for me.  

I can't wait to see where these fabrics will lead me.

Perhaps I will stitch them together into a pillow, such as this one that brightens my day every time I look at it.  My granddaughter loves it too, so in my mind I see her smiling face.

A double treasure!

What brightens your day? 

I hope you find it.

Linked to Off the Wall Friday

Is a Little Thing a Big Deal?

I was searching for a large pin, button, or clip to decorate a piece I was working on.

Nothing!

Nothing I had matched the picture in my head.

When I was digging through my button box, I came upon this large button. It was the right size but not very eye-catching.

Then I found this smaller button that just fit into the center of the large button.

Now where can I go?

A piece of matching fabric could help.

I covered the smaller button and placed it onto the large button.

Then I stitched and glued a small stone in the center. (I didn't think the glue would hold and the stitching left the stone a little loose, hence both stitching and gluing.)

Perfect!

Yes, a little thing is a big deal. 

I'm smiling!

Linked to Off the Wall Fridays