Two Projects

I have been creating, using my smocking skills for this first project. I have found those skills to be quite rusty but I am keeping at it and it is coming back to me slowly but surely. Above is a beautiful length of ribbon I recently purchased with the intent of smocking it into a piece of jewelry. It is all poly, totally loaded with floats on the back and gave me attacks of instant desire. I also purchased the other colorway offered as well and I am playing with that too.

You can see it's over 2 1/2 inches wide.  Here I have it on the pleater and it is getting five rows of gathering threads.

This project gives me something I can take with me to do pickup work as spare moments allow. I also can just have some lap fun while watching Netflix in the evening. It is taking far longer than I thought to get the ribbons properly pleated because I am just not pleased with my results, rip out the row, and do it again, and again. I know these skills are embedded in my fingers and just need to make that connection back to my brain. It will happen. Next project..........................

This is my daughter and her gorgeous hair. It's real and been that way since birth.  I am attempting, and I do mean attempt, to do her portrait in fabric. I have always been intrigued by portraiture. When in my last year of high school and later college,  I spent all my available summers and weekends as an assistant to a commercial artist. He was my dad's best friend and I was his only assistant. It was heaven and I learned so much. He made signs, oil painted exquisite seascapes and did portraits. He would have definitely dropped the first two to do the the portraits full time but his money was in the sign making and seascapes, living on Cape Cod. He was the nicest man ever and we had many conversations about portraiture and how he loved it. I think something rubbed off on me as it has always intrigued me but I have never attempted it other than a self portrait I did years back in oils. Somehow it got lost in moving at some stage as do many cherished things, sigh. His name was Si and he taught me how to use a hot press machine, great fun, design and build sets, colorize photos and so much more. I think of him often..............

Fast forward to some research I have been doing and I am attempting to do my daughter's portrait in fabric. It is a fascinating process but one that require focus unfettered by time restraints so it has been slow coming. I have gotten some of the face done and one eye and socket and I am pleased with that. The image has been digitally simplified, made into a pattern, and then fabric applied. After the image is complete at the fabric stage it will be much further enhanced with free motion embroidery, regular embroidery, some painting, etc. I am comfortable with the process and results so far although they can  look quite scary. This process appeals to me on so many levels, the surface embellishment, the interpretation of the subject, the painting, the thread play, etc, etc. so I am really enjoying it so far. Will it look like my daughter? Only time will tell.

I know this looks frightening but it is part of the process. It's sort of like when you redo the kitchen cabinets. You take everything out and heaven forbid anyone see the mess. But then as you organize and place, you end up with a beautiful finish. I did a lot of research to teach myself this blend of techniques. I say that because I have studied videos and books of three different artists and they each approach fabric portraiture quite differently. I am sort of blending the best of each. How "best" it comes out only time will tell. If it comes out well enough to show you all, and my daughter, I'll review the three different books and processes.

So that is what I've been up to. No garment sewing at the moment but it will come!............Bunny