Paper String Art Progress

 I was suppose to go watch our grandson play Lacrosse in a town about 10 miles from us BUT my back is so bad today!!!  I can hardly stand up or walk today! I AM so disappointed  because the games are so close!!!!  Darrin just sent a text that Nick got 2 goals and another text that their team did win.  They have two more games, one at 3 and one at 5 today and may play tomorrow if they keep winning!!  Hope I can make that game!!!

 My back has 'issues' (2 LS surgeries) but as long as I keep walking and exercise I can usually keep the pain at bay.  But wouldn't you know today it would act up!!!  It hurt when I went to bed last night but was REALLY bad this a.m.  I could hardly get out of bed and when I did it just kept getting worse!  UGH...ice and heat and Advil!  So, off to my sewing room to sit in my lumbar chair and sew! Or I should say off to the sewing room the girls and I went!  This was Kalee and I had to keep moving her tail so I could sew!  They have a large dog bed next to my machine but she loves laying behind my machine!  Go figure!

I had ordered more Madeira Lana threads for the string art piece and they arrived yesterday!  Good timing!  

I ordered a Hyacinth color which is perfect for the background.  So that's what I focused on today. 

 I'm about 50% finished with the background and I'm anxious to do some additional stitching on the flowers with a Sky Blue Lana thread.  I originally used Sulky 12wt for the inside of the flowers but I like the texture of the Lana thread so much better.  You can definitely see the difference in the texture.  The dark color is the Hyacinth and the sulky blue thread on the flower areas.

You can see how much of the background I have stitched today.  A ways to go but that's ok...I have this project as well as I've been working on the hand stitching rail fence quilt top...and knitting!  Nice I can pick and choose!  HA

Here's what the front looks like so far....  

Now I have to figure out where I am going to put all these paper stitched pieces or collages I've made.  I'm thinking of getting a large, large journal or else put them together in their own, so called paper book.  Similar to what I did years ago for my Art Diary...you can see a few of the pages on this post here.  Not sure I have any wall space left in our house or my sewing room!  HA

Another paper collage in progress

11" x 14" paper

 I showed this paper string art piece on my last post.  Friday I decided to start to 'work' on it.  This was how the piece looked when I first created the string art on paper, which is the flower image.  Then I added some soy wax and dyes.  You can see how I created this piece on this post.

I liked the colors but they needed to be brighter.  So what to do but get out the Gelato crayons (by Faber-Castell).   Hilary uses them in quite a bit in her work and has shown us how easy it is to enhance your art work or painted or dyed papers easily with these crayons.  

See the difference!  It's so much brighter and a big difference.  I even used a pale blue/gray to enhance the flower/petals before I added the purple/blue crayon.

Next up, using Judy's suggestion on needle size for sewing with Lana threads, I played with stitching on a small painted piece.  It's hard to see but I used both a light gray and copper Lana thread.  

The light gray gave me some issues until I started to loosen up the top tension.  Same with the burnt orange thread.  I did find I couldn't do free motion quilting.  I'm thinking I need to move a lot slower if stitching with the heavier thread(s).  

So I sandwiched some batting and started stitching!

This is a closeup of how far I got..not very...had errands to run but I'm pleased. 

Actually, I didn't have any Lana thread in the color I need for the blue area but I had a Sulky #12 wt thread and used that instead.  I also kept the #16 topstitch needle in.  Worked great!  

So guess that means I need to order more thread!  The blue appears to be more on the periwinkle shade of blue/purple.  Always need an excuse to order threads, fabric or crayons, right!

Correction from yesterday's post!

 UPDATE 7/15/2021!  A special thanks to Judy, from Windy Hill Happenings, for correcting the needle size to use when stitching with Madeira Lana threads...it should be #16 Embroidery Topstitch machine needles not #19!   Judy sent me an email letting me know of my error!  Thanks, Judy!  I do have 100/#16 needles but I sure would have had a heck of a time trying to find a #19!!!  I still have Judy's original email suggesting I use #16's!  Just not paying attention!  HA

You can read the original post here.

No Excuses....

UPDATE 7/15/2021!  A special thanks to Judy, from Windy Hill Happenings, for correcting the needle size to use when stitching with Madeira Lana threads...it should be #16 Embroidery Topstitch machine needles not #19!   Judy sent me an email letting me know of my error!  Thanks, Judy!  I do have 100/#16 needle but I sure would have had a heck of a time trying to find a #19!!!  

Nope, I have no excuse for not blogging except for the fact I had no pictures or stories to post!  And we all like to see pictures on blogs, right!  So now I have pictures!  Nothing earth shattering but I just wanted to do some artwork.  After I finished laundry, hosed/scrubbed off the deck (birds are messy so this is a weekly effort!), took both girls for early walk, prepped dinner then off  downstairs with both girls to do paper collage work!   This is where they lay while mom does her thing!

And this was my end result...13" x 11" paper collage.

This was a piece I collaged a few months ago.  But take note of the edge or borders.  I didn't put borders on this piece, it was just laying on my drop cloth.paper when I took the before picture!!  I may just attach this piece to it!  Who knows!  I'll have to play with it some more!

 I cut out some leaf mono prints I did over a year ago to add to the piece....

Then I added some stamped/painted tissue paper, other painted papers, etc. to the tops, sides and bottom.

For a quick, and I mean quick, project, it's not all that bad!  Fun to do...now to figure out if I want to attach to that drop cloth/paper piece and to quilt it.

Next project..............This is a string art paper piece on paper I did, which I found while picking out papers for the collage above.  You can see some of the string art pieces I did on paper here.  I'm thinking of stitching this bugger...it fascinates me and using some thicker yarns might really show up all that orange.  Especially after having some emails from Judy, @ Windy Hill Happenings, I may try my Maderia Lana threads!  Thanks for your suggestions on needle size, Judy!  Judy suggested using # 19 machine embroidery needles for the Lana thicker threads.  I've used #12 Sulky before with good results but never success with the Maderia Lana, which I use for hand embroidery often.

This was one of my finished string art pieces on fabric I finished awhile back (2018), called 'Nemo is gone Fishing'.    

Maybe I will play with that technique again on paper..although, I think I have a few of these already on paper! As well as on fabric!   Hoarding paper is  as bad as hoarding fabric!

I don't need another class but.....

 This post is more for dog owners so if you're not into dogs, see ya on my next post, which I hope will be some textile work!

Girls in their HZ (hot zone)

Back in 2015 I signed up for Susan Garrett's online dog training class, which I loved but, to be honest, I let life get in the way and didn't finish all the course.  I kept all my notes, DVD, etc. and from time to time would 'give a lesson'.  Our two dogs are pretty good girls...of course, Gigi has some aggression issues and Kalee's LOVES people.  Kalee's love of people means she'll jump on people like crazy when they come to the house.  I feel bad when she does this (not everyone loves my dogs...I don't know why! ha) so I thought I need to get back to training lessons for her.  

And our Gigi isn't the best behaved when folks come to the house.  Because Kalee is so excited, Gigi doesn't know if she's suppose to kill or kiss them!   Because of her fears, she needs to think 'kill' to protect herself.  Also, our dogs bark so badly when delivery trucks, dogs or people walk by the house.  And they won't stop.  So, I just happen to notice Susan was having a sign up for her Recaller's classes and I signed up (again)!!!  I know these are issues Susan can help with in her class.  

No, the bad habits we've instilled in our dogs will not be gone the first month.  But I do know some of the training from the original class both the girls know and behave so well.  If I can continue for a year, I know we'll have success.  Already, they are responding SO well with the barking!  It's kinda funny because Kalee will lie down (after one or two quick barks!) and look at me!  Gigi may need a little more reinforcement but they will both go lie in their beds until I release them. 

The course is run with Game Days, which you can do one a day or stay on a 'game' until you and your dog are comfortable with the lesson (they are called game days and not lessons).  There are 40 games but you get so much support for the year from the trainers.  It's a fantastic program and I know the results will come if I continue to learn and be consistent with my dogs.  It's usually the issue...we give our dogs reinforcement for bad behavior and wonder why our dogs do what they do.  It's a matter of I know what I should do but it's 'what I do' that will give me the dogs I want.  

So I've committed on my blog and I will finish this program!  And for those wondering, Hilary's class is finishing up after two years.  I have loved that time with her and I will refer back to our 'lessons' for when I get back to some printing fabric and papers!  Until then, I have knitting to finish, a hand embroidery rail top and a beaded bird to finish - oh, got a Rx for readers from my eye exam that I am going to order online to help with those tiny beads and hand sewing!  Stay tuned!