Friends Fabric Art
  • Home
  • - Friends -
    • About Us
    • Making Stuff Blog
    • Archives
  • - Fabric -
    • Gelatin Prints
    • Dye
  • - Art -
    • Sonja >
      • Landscapes
      • Mixed Media Meditations
    • Ann >
      • Word Power
      • Art Quilts & More
      • Wearable Art
    • Ann & Sonja Collaborations
  • Home
  • - Friends -
    • About Us
    • Making Stuff Blog
    • Archives
  • - Fabric -
    • Gelatin Prints
    • Dye
  • - Art -
    • Sonja >
      • Landscapes
      • Mixed Media Meditations
    • Ann >
      • Word Power
      • Art Quilts & More
      • Wearable Art
    • Ann & Sonja Collaborations

Partners In Art

Bits & Bobs

6/5/2021

1 Comment

 
Sonja here this time. I've been pondering Mom's questions about the website and blog. The idea of revisiting some of our previous work intrigued me.  I started to get excited about this question:
  • "Would a focus on media and techniques be more useful?  Examples piecing versus types of surface design versus uses of materials such as skeleton leaves or silk cocoons."
The idea of revisiting some of the materials and techniques we played with and wrote about before sounds fun. It might help to focus my all-over-the-place approach to making art lately. I've got a bunch of different projects in progress. I have also spoiled myself recently by getting a new sewing machine. My old Pfaff sewing machine's computer gave out. I debated for several months about what to do about it. Do I get a basic machine or go all-in for a more "professional" machine with free-motion stitching capability? I finally decided I needed to invest in my artwork and picked out a fancy new Bernina B770 Quilter's Edition.

Mom and I made a trip to 
Artistic Artifacts in  Alexandria, Virginia to get it. We visited a bit with July Gula, the owner, and splurged on fabric, thread, and books in addition to getting the beautiful new sewing machine. The machine has amazing  technology called the "Bernina Stitch Regulator" to make free-motion stitching more precise. It allows you to draw with the machine while the stitch regulator controls the stitch length. 

I've been practicing free-motion stitching by making a robots lap quilt for my son Tyler who loves robots. It's ok if my stitching isn't perfect because Tyler will most likely use the quilt for making forts and drag it around on the floor. I found the robot fabric on the Spoonflower website.
I also spoiled myself with new stained glass materials and tools. My first project with the new supplies is below. I have some other circular drawings that I plan to make stained glass pieces with as well.

Circular drawings without mandala-type symmetry have been a recurring theme for me lately. Flowers are a great inspiration. I've been photographing some stunning flowers that have popped up in our garden. such as the vibrant tulip photograph below. When we got our house in Williamsburg, Virginia, it already had a well-established cottage style garden. I'm learning slowly how to take care of it and work around the hot summers here. I have no interest in weeding when it is 90 degrees outside.
Most of my projects are still in progress, but I finally finished up the art quilt below made with really elegant kimono fabric. The background fabric has silver threads woven through it. I've lost track of exactly when I started this piece. I got the background kimono fabric at the 2009 Surface Design Association Conference so it has taken me over 10 years to decide what to do with the fabric and then finish an artwork with it.
Picture
Other bits and bobs that I have started range from more small free-motion stitching practice pieces to quilting with fabric with artwork by Alaskan artist Barbara Lavallee to a small piece reminiscent of a kid's camp God's Eye project to a mandala-type beading project. Hopefully these won't all take over 10 years to complete, but there's no rush.
Keep creating!
Sonja
1 Comment
Renea Suttle
6/9/2021 07:43:17 pm

Great post Sonja! I've got a Bernina that is a free motion one as well. This has inspired me to pull it out and start working on some of those jeans that need mending and add a little art to them as well! Thanks for the info!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Mother & daughter, Ann Lee & Sonja Lee-Austin share their joys and struggles in their art and lives.

    Archives

    June 2021
    May 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017

    Categories

    All
    Art Quilts
    Embroidery
    Fiber Art
    Silk Art
    Textile Art
    Threads Of Resistance

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly