Home from Art Fiber Fest!

Sequoia Dorn at Reed College

I know I've been a slacker. Sorry Stephanie that I haven't blogged about AFF sooner. I think it had something to do with the wonderfully relaxed feeling I had the whole time I was gone and jumping back into everything at home. The kids were all sick and cranky, plus Adam has three major deadlines in July causing him to work a lot of overtime. Then of course I came down with the cold. With everything going on I have had to fight to keep that relaxed feeling. Instead of blogging I have spent my free time quietly working on my patchwork lemur. Plus my pictures aren't the greatest. When I'm in the middle of an experience I just don't want to take the time to take good pictures. You'll just have to use your imagination and fill in the gaps left by my lack of photography. So now its enough slacking and time to get back to work. Everything about Art Fiber Fest was amazingly wonderful. Short of a plus bed with a down comforter, it couldn't have been better. (And I guess there was the getting lost part in the beginning, but that all worked out.) The Reed College campus is beautiful--full of trees, a creek, and lots of sunshine. The dorms were like nothing I have ever experienced (except the beds of course). The first floor was more like a house, with a kitchen, dining room, living room with fireplace and a seperate TV room. There was plenty of room to stretch out, work on projects and act like we were in college again. The three dorms we used were around a grass courtyard and everyone had an opportunity to get to know each other. The dining hall was also not your typical dining hall. The food was nothing like what I ate in the Terry dining hall at the UW. I do have to admit that one day every meal included bacon. I was on vacation and going to enjoy myself.

Show and Tell, Saturday night, My lemur, house and bowl

My class Thursday was "Soft Sculpture Animals" with Jen McGahan. We had quite the zoo going. I couldn't do something normal like a dog or cat. I went with a lemur. And somehow he got BIG. I think he might be about life size, maybe a little bigger. I love my lemur. I'm almost finished with the blue patchwork and then I just need to add his tail. He definetly got a lot of looks over the weekend, especially when I gave him a shoulder ride around campus. I'll admit that his muslin bodgy and blue patchwork head looked a little creepy, but he is looking very cute now.

Friday, I took "Enchanted Felt Cottage" with Charlotte Lyons. I continued with the blue theme and now have a fun little house.

Saturday, I took "Treasure Nests" with Tammy Gilley. We had so much fun making fabric bowls. We were Tammy's first class ever so we had such fun teasing her and being silly. I now have a great purple and green bowl that I still need to embellish, but I love it. All my classes involved 3-D and hand stitching which was something new for me. I don't do a lot of hand work. But it was so relaxing !

I meet so many wonderful people. Everyone is just so nice and their stories are very entertaining! It great to be with people who just seem to get you. Here's just a few of the people to got to know better. If you're not here blame my lack of photography skills.

Sassy and Mary Stanley with our "Birds in Hats" thrift store find

???, Ruth Rae, and Tracie Lampe

Susan in her "Orb" wear

Lori, Terri, and Jen heading back from breakfast the last morning

Art-O-Mat Placards

My photocopied placards in the Art-O-Mat machines were rather lackluster. The colors and textures just didn't translate well. So I decided to make handmade cards. They are rather simple. I used little scraps I had laying around the studio and added my name and the saying "Dreams and other Musings." I think these better convey who I am and what my art is about.

More Little Feelings

Here's some more "I Felts" that are destined for an Art-O-Mat machine. Some are rather silly, but sure to put a smile on your face.

I Felt . . . (so many different thoughts!)

I finally had the opportunity this morning to finish sewing a bunch of little 2" x 3" pieces that I have had laid out for the last couple of weeks. Very fun -- I hope you enjoy them.

Simply ME @ Twelve by Twelve

Make sure to hop over to Twelve by Twelve and check out our identity quilts!

Who Knew the Wonders of RIT Dye?

The last week I have been having fun doing some quick dying with good, old RIT dye. It really produces some wonderful fabric. Plus it is easy and I can do it in my kitchen while supervising the kids. I bought some inexpensive plastic containers for doing one yard of fabric. Then I add the dye and pop it in the microwave for about five minutes. Rinse it out in the sink and a speed wash in the washer. Iron the damp fabric and Done! I managed to dye 20 yards of fabric in just a few hours (spread over a few days). The colors may not be completely colorfast, but I'm not planning on creating anything that needs to be washed. One day I am planning on a big dye session with Procion dyes, but for now RIT is filling the gap. The colors in my photos aren't the best. For some reason the shade around my house is very blue. Plus we, thankfully, have a bright sunny day. Oh well, you'll just have to live with my less than perfect pictures.