Gelli Printing!!

My gelli plate has arrived and now I'm experimenting!!!!

What a mess!!

The FIRST RUN.

experimenting with papers and fabrics.

For now I'm working with what paints I have on hand and scrap paper and fabrics.

Above are a few of the tools I used. These are just things I found around my studio to get me started.

The rollers I used!  Not what I was seeing on you tube but it was what I had on hand.

I thought I had some very interesting things happen and I learned a ton.  I'm sure I'll expand on what I use for tools but you don't need everything to be perfect before you try something new.   Always be open to just trying things, you may just find your true voice because of the experimenting and the make dos.

Below:

Because this is a new craft for me I'm trying to document things like type of materials and techniques each day.  You can also see were I'm marking each piece with the day I made it.   Now I can return to the pieces I liked and build on the techniques I thought were successful.

Oh boy, this is like eating potato chips, you can't stop at just one.  Look for more gelli plate pulls in the future.  And then, of course, how I end up using them.

Thanks for stopping in.

Have a wonderful day.

MaryEllen

Pumpkin Patch. Fall holiday decorations with a crazy quilt twist.

Happy Fall everyone!

As you can see today's project are some fun embellished pumpkins.  These little guys are made using some of my own fabric designs and some easy embellishing.

Back in November of 2019 I did a post call Fun with Paint showing how to "pour paint".

Above is one of the canvas panels I worked on that day. This canvas panel is 11" X 6 .25.

These painting were so much fun to do and I loved how they turned out.

After that post I decided to try having fabric made from some of those paintings. I photographed the Canvases/painting and sent the photos to Spoonflower to be reproduced on fabric. Above is a photo of the original canvas next to the design printed on cotton fabric. (21 .5" X 17 .5").

To make the pumpkins I cut three circles, (Using all my available fabric) and set to work embellishing them. I used a variety of threads and stitches as well as beads.

I  ran a gathering stitch around the top and pulled tight. The balls were filled with leftover scraps of batting. Wool scraps were used for the stem and leaves. Fancy yarn was tacked in place as another embellishment. 

 I love crazy quilting and this little project reminded me of that look.

I hope you enjoyed this fun fall project.

Have a great day everyone!!

BLUE VIOLETS STUDIO

Hi everyone,

So today's post isn't fiber but I'm really excited to show you the work I did making a sign for my studio.

Originally I had planned on doing a sign for my laundry room. I've seen some cute ideas and I was thinking it would be a great addition to the room   However, the ironing board really didn't work with the wall space in the laundry room. After a few weeks looking at it just sitting in the corner of my studio I decided that was where it really belonged. So today I finished painting this cute piece for my studio.  I love it and it makes me feel so inspired to stay creative.  

In these days of quarantine any little push to stay motivated is important.  Making your space fun and a happy place for you can really make a difference.  I hope my project may get you thinking of ways to make your space special.  Remember it doesn't need to be fancy, big  or professional, just a touch of something personal to you!

Watch for the quilt in the background in a future post.

 Have a wonderful day!

Fun with Paint

I recently spent a wonderful afternoon experimenting with pour painting.
You can find some wonderful tutorials online, look for "pour painting" ideas.
I started with some old paint canvases. They had been used before, but I covered them with a good coating of solid white paint.  After they dried they were just like new, and off I went.
I started by using a mixture of white acrylic paint and white glue for kids as the base. I then added the glue to various colors of acrylic paint for the designs. I used what I had on hand; mixing various glue and paint brands.
These mixtures should be quite fluid but not runny. You want them to move around your canvas but with some control so they don't over mix and leave you with one solid color.
Again, you can find some wonderful tutorials online, and options for art products.

 My set up. Notice how I elevated the canvas so extra paint can drip off without the canvas sticking to the table.

 My paints poured on the canvas. Next you need to carefully pick up your canvas by the edges, and tip and tilt it around until you have your desired design.

   First try!  Now to let it dry. Over night would be best. Or at the very least several hours.

    
Round two. Here I used an  paint comb to drag the paint around the canvas.

  
And, more fun!
Hope you enjoyed see what I did, and decide to give it a try.
It makes a bit of a mess but the results are really interesting.

Paint-Embellishments

I came across a fun flower string painting video the other day online.  I had never seen anything like it before. I wondered if it could really work so quick and easy.  After a great time sharing the idea with some friend I decided I had to give it a try.  And it works!  Now I've researched it a bit more and found several videos on the subject (Many for kids. Camp project ideas, etc.).  So look for String painting flowers for more examples, ideas and instructions.

Here are my samples:

I tried Yarn--I found it too thick and too much paint.
I liked Pearle Cotton Embriodery thread.
I need more practice but I have the basic idea and more ideas for the future?

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