Art Camp for Women

Using Up the Odd Bits-Fiber Art by Lorri Flint

Whenever I finish up an art piece, I always have bits and pieces leftover.  After all the time I've put into creating the piece, the leftover scraps seem so precious...I can't throw them away and yet, I'm usually low on creative ideas at this point.  The juicy little bits get put in a plastic bag and tossed into a box with other leftover bits...never to be seen again.

I'm trying to declutter and use up some of my older fabrics and leftover pieces.  My posts will feature the projects I have made with my little bits and pieces.  Hopefully, you will be inspired to use up your bits and I hope you will share your results with the rest of us so we get inspired too!

My first project is a fabric Journal Cover using leftover pieces from the making of "Wired for Sound".

This art quilt is 41" wide x 62" high, the light background is composed of many black and white fabrics which were quilted and then painted with a thick layer of white acrylic paint and topped with glitter spray.  The guitar pieces are made from my hand-dyed fabric and are machine appliqued and embellished with real guitar strings.  The black you see is the photographer's backdrop - the guitar pieces extend beyond the edge creating a unique and varied border.

I took leftover pieces from "Wired for Sound" and used them to create a journal cover. 

I started with a piece of teal and fushia hand-dyed fabric that never seems to fit in anything I'm working on.

I pulled interesting pieces out of the big bag of scraps and collaged a composition.  The pieces were free motion machine quilted or satin stitched in place and the edge was finished with a zigzag stitch.

 

I put a Moleskine brand lined journal inside (purchased in a three pack at Borders)and held it in place by a pocket on each side and a piece of elastic cord down the middle.

 

It was fun and very satisfying to complete a project in just a few hours,  plus I used up a funky piece of fabric and a few bits.  The bummer is that I still have a big bag of scraps...

Photos at left, top to bottom:

Front view of journal cover 5.5" wide x 9.5" high

Inside view of cover

Back view of cover

  

New Year Resolutions

Can you keep a secret?

by Lori Wostl, Creativity Life Coach

Here's the secret: the best resolutions are the ones that we like the most. These are the ones easiest to keep. For example "I resolve to eat chocolate at least once a day!" Is much more likely to fly than "I resolve to do laundry every day."

My personal favorite this year is "Have an adventure every month!"

[This picture is of me on my January adventure which lead to another resolution "Adventures do not have to be extreme." LOL ]

Another resolution for this year is "Make art every day." This one, though I love it, is proving to be harder. So how can I make keeping this resolution easier?

To start with I signed up for some art classes that have assignments. I also joined a couple of online art groups. People in these groups have tons of ideas and experience that they are happy to share. These groups usually provide an opportunity to display my work and get input for problems. And I have an advantage over many of you - I will be attending Art Camp for Women three times this year.(And I consider Art Camp to be an adventure so I kill two birds with one stone.) These classes, workshops and groups continually remind me that I said that I want to make art every day,  making my resolution easier to keep.

My point is that if there is something that you love to do and you have trouble getting it into your life, you can do something about it. You can surround yourself with opportunities, you can learn more technique and you can box yourself in with deadlines and due dates until the things you want in your life become habitual and easy.

All of our lives are full to the point of bursting, but are they full of what we like?