In addition to my coming YouTube class on Wool Applique and Embellishment by Machine, which I am hopeful will be out in early December, I have begun working on new project designs. Amazingly I don’t really have any UFOs floating around the studio, except my bed applique quilt using a Sue Nickel’s pattern that I have been working on periodically for more than a year. I would call that more of a work in progress than an unfinished object, though.
What I do have is a very long list of planned fabric art projects that I hope to also include in my youtube video channel. This has certainly given me a different viewpoint on my project plans when I am considering using the resulting fabric art piece or pieces in multiple ways including not only competition as in the past, but also sharing some parts of the projects on videos and in books. While I have the concept for a major work for competition underpinning my design thoughts, I also am thinking of pulling some samplers and small works from the same project to include in books and videos.
In the case of the great wool project, I have kind of been working in the other direction of building the samplers, videos, and book first and I am now coming up with a design for a major competitive work using these techniques. I already know what I am thinking of doing for that, but I haven’t got the design drawn up yet. I have pieces of it drawn, but not the overall design. So I am working on that. It’s exciting.
Considering that I want to rapidly launch a number of videos along the way, I am sorting through my long list to figure out the next video/competitive piece project. I am thinking it should center around free motion thread and decorative elements work and quilting. It may involve using a preprinted commercial panel, but I am not sure of that yet. So this is what I am playing around with in my design work right now. The overall design is always the thing that takes the most time for me. I know that a lot of fabric artists can just sit down and draw something, but for me it is a struggle. I have a concept in my mind, but getting it out of there into a form I can use to work on is always challenging. But it is still lots of fun.
Wool Project and Videos Update:
Sampler one part one. Here we have the simple shapes of the sampler in place, ready to begin the second part of embellishment/embroidery.
For contextt…here is my test and practice piece using the same dies. There will be a lot more special stitching though.
So my dear oldest son Ken saw how I was struggling to get setup to do videos in a massive tangle cords and equipment and he came to my rescue. He has installed some brackets around my studio so I can quickly attach a camera or a light where I need it. He has given me some instruction on the use of lights and a new light and diffuser. So with all of that, he has reduced my setup work and taken down the time from a full day of setup to a few minutes. The first video segments I am working with from this are also much better lit and easier to see overall. It’s amazng the difference careful planning and assistance can make!
Later he is coming over to help me with the audio so, unlike my original video that I removed from YouTube, you should be able to hear it well thorughout (and from his other work to see it as well)! What a great couple of sons I have!
All week I have been taping segments that will join together to show how its done and I will do a voice over script.
A box full of simple shapes ready to place on the sampler that I cut with my Accuquilt Go! cutter using five different dies I bought for other projects.
Here are the dies I am using for this overall project.
This has involved my sewing on my ssampler quilted wall hanging that is the subject of the first three videos. So I am taping a little while I sew, sewing a lot in between, and taping a little more. I do not think I could do this well in one continuous live presentation like I tried to do with the video I first made. If I were to go live, it would involve a little live and a little pretaped bits. (My current work jingle: sew a little, film a little, talk a little, sew sew sew) ???
Sew happy everyone! Shortly I will drop the discussion of making the videos and go back to mostly fabric art talk. I thought you might want to know why I wasn’t producing a lot of fabric art, but that has begun again! Finally! Cheers.