Fabric Book (in process)

I started this fabric book several monthes ago, or maybe even longer than that, I'm not really sure.  Anyway, I uncovered it in my studio the other day. (Yes, things have gotten a little messy and it was covered up.  Suffice it to say it's time for a little clean-up!)  Then I was inspired by this.  So I decided to get back to the fledgling book.  Here it is, even though it's still in the rough stages.  This is the front cover.

And below is one of the pages.

There is a flower/blooming/growth theme to this one.  I think that's probably true of alot of my artwork, now that I think about it. 
Have you ever made a fabric book or journal? 

Hearts.

Remember all that fabric I have been painting?  Well, I cut into a piece of it and whipped up a couple of little stuffed hearts.  One hangs on the bedroom closet door knob and one hangs in the studio. 

I. am. so. in. love. with. painting. fabric.

Last Friday I got a lovely package from Dick Blick which contained a set of Golden Fluid Acrylics, a set of Dr. Ph Martin's India Ink (colors!!) and a set of Dye-na-flow fabric paints.  This inspired endless hours of studio fun over the weekend.  (I heartily recommend strategically placing orders for art supplies so that they arrive on your happy doorstep on a Friday.  This gives you the WHOLE  weekend to experiment and play.)

So I painted fabric, and then I started painting on paper.  I had already started painting on a canvas board I had lying around. Paint, paint, paint.  Then this morning, I wanted to stitch.  I made a black quilted background for a wall hanging.  (No photo 'cuz it's just a plain black rectangle.)  I plan to applique/collage more of my painted fabric onto this background.  Not sure exactly where I'm going with that at the moment.  I am thinking circles . . .



Sun and Flower

This has been finished for awhile now, but I realized I never posted about it!  I designed this art quilt based on one of my drawings, and I posted some shots of it in progress in an earlier post.    I used a variety of red fabrics for the flower, including some red tulle to help hold all the little bits in place during the stitching.  Then I cut away the tulle in places to help create lighter/darker areas. The sun was simpler and didn't require any tulle to hold it together.  I did free-motion stitching in black for the sketchy lines, and that was really fun to do!  Kinda loose and free.   Overall, I'm pleased with how this one turned out.  And I'd like to do some more in this vein.

Getting ready for the third week of Flying Lessons, which starts tomorrow.  I am loving all my new friends in the group - and there's a whole bunch of them!  We are all learning so much from this course.  I feel like I have more to do than I can get done, but I am excited about it all, too.

What's up for you this week?

Watercolor and Pen

Did a little painting last night, just to relax,  Man, was I tired!  All this flying . . .

Fabric Painting Continues. . .

There's been more fabric painting going on here!  My head seems full of ideas and inspiration.  I just love how the colors meld together on the canvas. Neither of these are finished, yet, but I love to take photos of the process and then compare them to the finished work.

This is coming along well, I think.

There's not as much done on this one yet - mostly still just the first go round with the paint.

I am excited to try the Golden Fluid Acrylics.  I hear they are just about the best thing since sliced bread!  I have a set of these paints in my cart at Dick Blick.  Trying to decide what else to purchase ;)

The online course with Kelly Rae Roberts is fantastic!!  We are learning SO much.  It is all very overwhelming, but exciting! 

As part of this class, I have been having a difficult time trying to decide whether to keep going with this blog or start another one.  I have been trying out Wordpress to see if I like it, and boy has that been alot to learn!  Blogger is much more intuitive and easy to modify.  I love this little blog.  I love that I have been keeping it off and on for a few years.  I just wonder if it would be better to have a blog with my new domain name.  I seem to change my mind about this everyday.  Is there anybody out there?  Do you have an opinion?  If so, I love comments.  Or email.

Paint. Stitch. Draw.

Paint. Stitch. Draw. 
That sort of sums up what I do here at Sugarplum Patchwork!   
I paint. 
I stitch. 
I draw. 
I sometimes do all of the above on one day. 
Egads!  I sometimes do all of the above on one piece of art!

Anyway, here's a look at some things I've been up to recently.

First up: Paint.

More fabric painting in progress.  This is the first step - getting the background down.  Now it's drying time, and that can take a while because the canvas is quite wet when this part is finished!

Next up : Stitch.

This is a little mini-quilt I made as a Valentine for my husband!  These little quilts are quick and fun to make.  OK.  I know - if it was a Valentine it was made in February and that's not exactly recent, but it's the most recent one of these I have. (Yes, there are others hanging around our house.)

And last but not least: Draw.



This is drawing from my sketchbook from last month.  I have tons of these that I have never shared.  They are very close to my heart.

And there you have it! Paint.  Stitch.  Draw.

So, what have you been up to?

Hang On People! Big Changes Ahead!

Been giving this alot of thought for awhile now, and it's time to get serious about myself and my artistic desires.  So, I signed up for an online course with the fabulous Kelly Rae Roberts!  If you don't know about Kelly yet, go check out her blog/website.  The ecourse is titled Flying Lessons: Tips and Tricks to Help Your Creative Business Soar.  Great information, fantastic inspiration!


A tiny taste of Kelly's art.

I need to get clear about my goals with my art, gather up some courage and step out in faith.  I have tons of stuff I never show here, since it's not sewing related, and I need to change that.  So I have decided to broaden my little blog horizons.  I hope you'll come along for the ride.

Painting on Fabric

I picked up some inexpensive canvas from the store a while back and decided to do some painting on it.  It was great fun and this was the result.  I also started on another one, below.

So today I thought I'd work on this one again.  After an enjoyable afternoon, it now looks like this: