cleared the bench

I had a bench-clearing day in the studio on Tuesday. There were things pending for the guild show.The red & white button sampler:


12 x 18 inches

And
My piece for the art quilters' challenge, Forms of a Dress. This challenge was my own idea and it took me way too long to come up with an idea for my own idea.


10 x 14 inches

And
A piece for the silent auction that I started -- gulp -- last year and didn't finish in time. It's been scowling at me from the workbench for about 10 months, but I knew it's time would come.


forgot to measure, maybe 15 x 18

So those are all done and out of the house.

On the weekend, I had the idea that the line work I've been doing in ink might be interesting on discharged black duck, so I had at it with the bleach. I don't do this very often and I forgot how fast liquid bleach can be, so I ended up with black stripes on orange panels, rather than t'other way around. So I added some Soft Scrub and left it overnight.

Rinsed out, this is still not even close to what I hoped for, but evocative. Of what, I don't know, but something will come of it.

show time

Inspired by the Infinite Variety show at the Armory (March 2011), my guild is doing a red and white challenge for our annual show in May. I hadn't intended doing a button sampler when I started, but I'm always charmed when I see one, and now I have one.


12 inches high x 18 inches wide (30cm x 46cm)
Old and new buttons, embroidery floss,
variegated cotton thread, red tulle, white muslin.
Grosgrain rbbon as binding, canvas lining.

Detail

 Maybe this will be the year that I finally learn how to use my digital camera. I was pretty good with my film camera but this no longer newfangled stuff remains frustrating.

everybody's a critic

I joined my somewhat local quilt guild in December. ("Somewhat local" means only a 35- to 40-minute drive.) There was a challenge afoot to make a 12-inch-square panel on the theme "music that inspires me." Thanks to the tons of snow that fell in January, the deadline was extended to February and I was able to put together something inspired by Leonard Cohen's song "Suzanne." Stella was underwhelmed.



Stella, with my piece: Her Place by the River ('Suzanne').

To be fair, she had been Working Very Hard All Day on something of her own and earned a nap. 

Cabin Fever by Stella

It's too late in the day to do any hoovering, but tomorrow I may introduce her to a little something I call "a broom."