String Art Piece Finished!

 

This piece has been in the making for a year or two or three!  Bob stapled it to a wrap around canvas for me this past week!!!  

Bob working on getting the piece even on the canvas. 

We ended up using Textile Medium to glue the middle of the piece to the canvas, let dry then we could stretch the sides and bottom around for Bob to staple!   That's my beaded squirrel that Bob stapled to another canvas.  He wanted to see how he did the last one!

This was the original string art on layout paper.

I use soy wax and dyes to give it some color

Of course I had to make it brighter, so I added some Gelato crayons (by Faber-Castell).

Next the fun part picking out threads.  I used Madeira Lana and Sulky 12wt  threads, layered with batting and starting stitching!

Thread colors matched pretty good!

Slow progress since I made the original string art in 2019!

Tons of stitching!

Added border just to get it to fit a canvas.  I would have preferred to not have a border but unless I built my own canvas this had to do!

Quite a difference from the original.  HA

So now I can concentrate on my Horse #3 and knitting!  Until I get sidetracked with another project!  HA

String Art Work - progress is slow

This was the original string art piece before stitching.  I added additional coloring using Gelato crayons.

 Yes, it is slow going working on all the stitching I want to do on my string art piece! 

And I'm using Maderia Lana thread in the bobbin as well as the top thread!  Appears to be working just fine.

This was the back after I started with the deep purple stitching on the background.

And this is the back of the work as of yesterday, so you can see how much stitching I've already done...but I do have a ways to go!

I love the color of the threads I purchased and think it enhances the piece.  Still a ways to go but I'm happy with the progress so far.  It's a good diversion from other projects!  

Oh, I'm started a knitted cuff!  Well, I have to have a project to work on while watching pre-season football don't I!!!  And the football season is right around the corner as well!  I/We love our football!

Dog Progress!

 

And you thought this would be a sewing or art post!  Fooled you...well, actually, I can show some more progress on my 'string art' piece...about 75% finished with the background blue stitching...can't wait to start on the orange!

This way I can see my progress!

No, it's not an afghan for the couch!   I'm at the point on the poncho to start the seed stitch on the side edge so I can then bind off and block.  Then I'll pick up stitches to knit the cowl part.  And it's not even fall yet!  I may get this finished after all! 

With my back out the last week or so, I'm a tad behind in our dog lessons but the nice thing about Susan Garrett's online Recaller class you work at your own speed.  We have 40 weeks of lessons but the course is for a year.  There is so much information so I do spend time at night listening to Susan's Podcasts or watching video's for our lessons or just reading ALL the pdf files Susan provides.  Yes, there's a lot of information but I do so enjoy learning and teaching what we learn to our dogs!  Plus, we are encouraged to take video's and upload to our respective lesson for trainers to critique or assist us when lessons just aren't going as they should. 

 This won't seem like a big deal to most of you but my little Gigi used to jump up on the side of the cabinets and just continue to jump up and down when waiting for her dinners. Too bad I didn't take a clip of that!

I started out when she would jump just standing still and not saying or doing anything. After awhile she got the idea (without words! How cool is that!) And she started to just sit on her carpet/Hot Zone in the kitchen but as soon as the dish hit the floor, she would start to run and jump to get the food.

I then started to pick up the dish and she would actually back up - wish I had that on tape! - and go back to the rug/HZ. Now she sits and waits for me to release her to eat!!

I combined this clip to show both girls.  They are  suppose to 'search' for the treat and then come back to their mat/HZ (hot zone)...no matter how small it gets!  My big butt is in the way so it's hard to see little Gigi but you get the idea.  

And for those who don't follow me on FaceBook....we have the best farm to buy the best corn!!!  Bob and I go crazy for Weil's corn and I try to freeze as much as I can.  Today I cut off 16 ears and packaged.  I already have four other packages in the freezer from doing this about a week ago.  BUT the corn tastes SO good come fall!  Well worth the effort!

I put four ears in boiling water for 1 minutes then in ice water for a minute of two.  Each bag  holds 4 ears along with 1/4 cup of water.  One of my buds in Florida, thanks Nancy B.!, told me this about a year or two ago and it works great.  

So guess I need to get back to my dog lessons or Hilary's MIP lessons (yes, she is still doing some video's that I haven't watched yet).  This is our last module but another online class that I've loved for the past two years.  Now to produce some work, right!

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

Mono Printing String Art!

While waiting for my screen prints to 'batch', I decided to try some mono printing string art !  Is that such a thing!  HA Who knew...I wasn't sure it would work but I guess the original concept is mono printing.  It is messy but fun! 

This is a post I originally posted on creating  string art on fabric....and this is the post using the string art fabric in a quilt! 

I started out using a glass plate (8 1/2 x 11") which I covered the background in acrylic blue paint.  I used some old Setacolor metallic gold paint to soak the string in and then placed on top of the background.   And the process began!

This was the first string art I created and printed on layout paper.  Not bad...the paint was really thick so I was blotting with deli paper(s).

blotting above print!

 I continued to use the deli paper(s) to blot up excess paints.

Next I got out my 5 x 7 gelli plate....and here are the results!

These aren't that bad......

This was the last print I did and the best one!!  Who knew!  Hope I can use these papers in my collage work with Hilary's class!

If not, they might make nice fiber card once stitched.