Layered, Tattered & Stitched

It is with great delight that I share with you the cover of:
Layered, Tattered & Stitched!
I am thrilled beyond words with how it looks!
Designed by the most brilliant Julie Barnett.
I may have made what is on the cover but Julie's soul is there along side mine.

(click on the image to view full size)

I keep looking at it and the trill is simply astonishing!
(can't you just image the projects that I have inside!)
There are numerous stages to writing a book,
Creating one is truly a collaborative project as it passed through so many talented hands.
I still have a few more editing stages that I have to do before I am completed with
Layered,Tattered & Stitched.
(you can pre-order your copy here)
The completed book will be out late fall.

looking back to go forward.

My future starts when I wake up every morning...
Every day I find something creative to do with my life.
~Miles Davis

(Ka Lae / South Point.)

My friend Dawn Supina has started to post interviews about bloggers
and how blogging has came to be in there life's.
I started my blog in 2005, so looking back on how my life has been impacted along with the connections that I have made as a direct result was truly eye opening for me.
You can read my interview here.


Dare to be yourself.
~Andre Gide

a more lyrical life: "The Art of Presentation"

"I love you not for what you are but for what I am when I'm with you"

~roy croft

("when I'm with you" poetry heart)

Today was one of these days that just fell into place...

All the little details seamed to be a lined.

the sun was out and the sky was blue.

I had some projects that needed to be completed and some parcels that needed to be boxed up and sent off.

("knowledge and the skill" packaging)

I have said it many times for me it the end results its the little details, warping things up and sending them off into the world, this is what truly brings joy to me.

(a small peek at one of 3 packages that went out today)

After picking the kids up from school I came home to this:

"The Art of Presentation"
A small interview written by Amanda Crabtree about what inspires me to come up with packing ideas. you can find it in the spring 2009 Belle Armoire jewelry.
It was a nice way to end my day ~

(I worked on a set of found poetry today.
here is just one that I completed: its layers of book pages sewn onto muslin
the words were circled with a graphite pencil. please click on the photo to read it)

sacrifice

I adore making these poetry dresses! They are the perfect size canvas for me. I have two sitting on my cutting table right now presently waiting to be put together; they will have more mixed media aspects on them.

I am not so sure why but I was not able to take descent photos of this dress however if you click on any of the photos you can see a larger image. In person there is a lot of color and contrast of the black thread against the deep cherry red fabric.

The unraveled hem detail is one of my favorite aspects of this dress.

the back of the dress reads:
"Charles DuBois poetry dress"
I name them after the person quoit that I used.

Reads:
"The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become."

this is a small mixed media detail... it has a paper element.

Red dyes tend to leave the fabric a little hard and crunchy, I like how this aspect worked out for this dress. (it makes me think that heavy starching may be added to my process next time)

(My sewn signature on the back of the dress.)

I have been busy writing a few article's and making items to sell at artfest next month.
I have been in a quite place in my head... nesting I suppose...
goofing around on facebook and posting photos of what is in my purse
(a true peek into my creative process for sure!)
I do this when I have a lot going on and need to find a new purpose.

A few days ago I wrote a article for the upcoming issue of art quilting studio based around how my creative process works and somehow as I was looking for a quoit to use in this post I came across this and strangely its very much how I forum ideas in my head ~

“My method is different. I do not rush into actual work. When I get a new idea, I start at once building it up in my imagination, and make improvements and operate the device in my mind. When I have gone so far as to embody everything in my invention, every possible improvement I can think of, and when I see no fault anywhere, I put into concrete form the final product of my brain.”
Nikola Tesla

one world one heart winner!

"Adrienne Rich Poetry Dress"

(this is the back of the dress)

(Brave heart detail)

"A wild patience has taken me this far"
~Adrienne Rich

Congratulations Joan your dress will be sent off on Tuesday!

Secrets of the soul

“My heart is pure”
My soul is you.

My heart is pure.

I am my beloved and he is mine.

“Lurking at her heart”
My heart.

Tonight.

Amazed, confused,

He found his power expired.

(The words “lurking at her heart” are hidden on the backside of this heart)



(detailed slide show can be viewed here)

I was asked to be a guest artist over at creative therapy
my challenge was to Create art around a secret.

To learn more about the secret meaning behind these pieces please head on over to

creative therapy.

A personal time out.

You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
~Mark Twain

I took last week off to recharge my creative batteries...
I think its important that we allow are self the time to take a personal time out once in a while.

I cleaned my much neglected house, I spent a lot of time in bed looking at blogs in hope I will win a few goodies from the one world one heart participant's.
I even watched a few movies with out a project in my lap!
But for the most part I was looking at different sites on fabric dyeing.

(take a look at my side bar for all the new links on dyeing.)

Then some how yesterday like a bud that is ready to flower,
I put on my art overalls and started to dye fabrics.

Silk Shibori Scarf

This was my first attempt at this process.
I was happy with my results.
( I am even wearing this scarf as I type this! )

Shibori is a broad-spectrum term that covers an extensive array of resists dyeing techniques including tie-and-dye, binding, stitching, pleating and clamping. That leads to fabric that resists dye and creates a pleated surface pattern.

This is a new direction for me, that I look forward to doing more with.

Inspired by my newly dyed pile of smoke and crimson fabrics that I made just for the sake of play!

(cutting table)

These hearts...

if you play attention to the little details on the hearts you will see that I was inspired by ruffled panties and bras.

I cut the hearts out of the muslin and combined them with the different kinds of hand dyed fabrics. the hearts were stuffed then I then used free motion and machine sewing along side hand stitching and heat altering.

"my flirting heart"

“Truth is a great flirt.”
~Franz Liszt

"My heart is burning"

My heart is burning with love

All can see this flame

My heart is pulsing with passion

like waves on an ocean

~Rumi

"Hope"

Hope is the dream of the waking man.

~French Proverb

"a faithful believer"

"A faithful believer to a faithful believer is like the bricks of a wall,
enforcing each other."


"desired"

“By believing passionately in something that still does not exist,

we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.”