Edge Finishes and Rooted In Fiber Exhibit

Leaf Cluster VII - Sheila Mahanke Barnes ©2017

While I was not as diligent keeping to a daily "stitchvember" practice as I was to a daily "Inktober" one, the personal challenge did keep me regularly in the studio to complete the chosen leaf clusters for the second December exhibit I am participating in. Besides today's looming deadline for dropping them off, I also knew I'd be losing studio time to physical therapy sessions starting around Thanksgiving. They've been taking about 2 hours out of my day, three days a week in an effort to clear up a nagging leg pain that is probably tendinitis. It's a little bit of a mystery as to how I injured myself and quite irritating that it is so slow to respond to treatment - definitely tiring of the 3 times a day icing that I've been doing since late September. At any rate, both Leaf Clusters got completed by the end of November/stitchvember, completed that is, except for readying them for framing.

Leaf Cluster VII - detail

Does anyone truly enjoy the edge finishing process? I know I never have, even though I know it is the final design decision one can make before the quilt is done. There's the squaring up process which can get off, and if adding a binding, crossing fingers that the edges will not be all wavy once it is stitched on. I can sometimes avoid the tedious hand-stitching to the back but if not, I have to keep checking the front to make sure I haven't allowed the needle to go all the way through, leaving a bit of thread showing where it doesn't belong. Satin stitching or some similar decorative machine method can end up uneven and stretching the edge into the dreaded wave. When I started putting smaller pieces into frames, I thought that would solve having to fuss over these raw unfinished edges, but I was wrong. I still end up having to do something with those edges before attaching the quilt to something somewhat rigid. Sometimes that has been a loose zigzag stitch (still having to be careful not to stretch those edges), sometimes that has been Fray Check, sometimes that has been wrapping the quilt over stretched canvas. Every thing I do makes me nervous until the quilt slips into the frame and looks perfect.

This nervousness came back to me as I embarked on framing these two pieces, and it dawned on me that my reticence to take that last step was actually fear that during the process I would irreparably damage the piece and I'd have nothing ready to take its place so close to deadline. I could easily place the ruler wrong, especially on Leaf Cluster VI, where I was dithering on exact placement of the cluster within the frame. But I had to start cutting, deciding to do things in a slightly different order than I usually do. I had the pane of glass from the frame so set that on the quilt and marked around it with a permanent pen. Then I applied Fray Check along that drawn line and let it dry before cutting. I've always found it tricky applying the Fray Check to the cut edge which never fails to have a few stray threads sticking out along it. Fray Checking first worked really well on this piece.

A strip of 1/2" Scor-Tape has been applied to the top of the illustration board

Now to attach it to illustration board which would keep it stiff inside the frame, a must since I would not be using that pane of glass or a mat to hold it in place. I've done this different ways too, including machine basting around the edge, using an acid-free glue of some kind (applying a thin line of it around the edges and a few lines through the middle to keep the center from sagging), but also trying a double-sided scrapbooking tape. The tape didn't always adhere well to the fabric, and glue is inherently messy, so I perked up when I started seeing a product called Scor-Tape being demoed in the videos on Joggles.com. She often uses it to attach canvas to paper and warns that once it is down, there is no going back. It comes in a variety of widths and strikes me as a little expensive, but it is archival (which I've always been careful about) so when it was included in a store-wide discount, I ordered some up. I find it much easier to use than the scrapbooking tape I'd tried, and it appears to stick well to the felt backing of this quilt. I applied strips along the outside and across the middle which held the quilt in place just fine.

You can see that this is an inexpensive frame with no rabbet to speak of which is why I used the illustration board - easy to bend those metal strips over to hold the artwork in place. I did my usual of stamping my logo/initials and inking "label" details directly on the board. A business card with the rest of the exhibit-required information will be taped to the lower right corner.

Leaf Cluster VI - Sheila Mahanke Barnes ©2017

Add some eyelet screws and hanging wire and this one's ready to go! Leaf Cluster VII went through the same series of steps except it was Scor-Taped to foam core board because of the wider rabbet of the Nielsen Bainbridge metal frame it is placed in. Seriously, so slick once one gets over that fear of making a terrible gaffe during the process.

Idaho Maple - Sheila Mahanke Barnes ©2011

I'm allowed three pieces in the "Rooted in Fiber" exhibit so I spent Sunday afternoon looking through my documentation binders for older pieces that would fit the theme and look good with these two, then digging said quilts out of a storage bin. I decided on Idaho Maple which is a 2011 piece using one of the squares of fabric printed during a 2006 experiment with stamping using actual leaves (see this post). Remembering the brief series that I did with those leaf prints back then is what prompted me to try another series with a different type of leaf cut into a stamp. It seemed a nice connection to make. Here's the Artist Statement I devised:  

My love affair with fiber is rooted in my earliest memories, watching my mother and aunt sew at the machine and hand-embroider tea towels, running my fingers over the motifs on the fabric in a quilt made by my grandmother, delving into my mother’s supplies at a very early age for a scrap of fabric, floss and needle to crudely embroider a mother’s day greeting to her. Since then, I’ve tried just about every needle art and sewn many pieces of clothing before discovering my true creative outlet in quilting. With everything else, I mostly followed someone else’s design and directions. With quilting, I found myself easily making changes to patterns and eventually striking out on my own to execute  original designs.

I worked my way from traditional quilting to contemporary “wall quilts” incorporating patchwork blocks to “art quilts” made of fabric enhanced with surface design techniques such as dyes, paint and stamping, sometimes embellished with beads and specialty yarns, and increasingly more often presented in a frame. Underlying my creative journey has always been the love and feel of textiles and an appreciation of the long history of the needle arts.

"Rooted in Fiber" is just one part of this three-part exhibit. Come join us if you can!

"Works in Miniature, Rooted in Fiber, & Beyond Form"
12/15/17 - 03/16/18
This exhibit features three themes in one. "Works in Miniature" will feature miniature art pieces in 2D and 3D, no larger that 8" x 8". "Rooted in Fiber" will feature the many wonders of the fiber art world.  "Beyond Form" will feature a gathering of abstract works.
Please join us for a reception at the Sandpoint Center (former Columbia Bank building on the corner of Fifth Ave. & Church St.) Friday,  December 12th 5:30 - 7pm

Validation

"The whole culture is telling you to hurry, while the art tells you to take your time. Always listen to the art."

Junot Diaz

I love it when I run across a quotation that validates my view or way of operating that doesn't seem to be "trending" in popular circles. I was about to embark on adding the last of the parallel line quilting on the latest Leaf Clusters piece, those very short runs between leaf and stem in the last of the gaps that you can see in the picture below. I'd first done all the lines that ran edge to edge, then went back in and quilted from edge until I ran into the edge of a leaf or the stem. When I'd done the first round of quilting, spacing the lines the width of the presser foot, I didn't pull the thread tails to the back and tie them off until all the stitching was done. That left me with quite a mess on the back, sorting out threads that had tangled and in some cases been run over as I quilted along. This time I quilted up to the leaves on one side, then paused to pull tails to back and tie them off before doing the same on the other half. Much better. 

Note those very small areas between upper leaves and stem yet to be stitched

But those short runs - I remember accidentally pulling a thread all the way out, undoing the 4 or 6 stitches altogether and having to restitch. They also demand precise placement of the needle at beginning and end so no gaps show between the end of the line and the leaf or stem it is headed for, and in the case of the stems, lining up with stitching on the other side of the stem. So with the addition of these lines, I stopped after each pass to tend to the thread ends.

Slow going. And I knew it would be. But I didn't care because I did not want to be backtracking over previously stitched lines to move from one area to the next, and I didn't want to do the "tacking" stitch at starts and stops, preferring instead the clean look of the even stitches. It's my personal aesthetic and I don't care if it takes me longer. And it was nice to run across Junot Dias's quotation (from a The Daily Beast interview) that validated my decision to work this way. In this "hurry up" society, and part of the quilting world that is always flashing "quick and easy" methods at us, it's nice to be reminded that speed is not always necessary, and how much you produce is not always relevant. It's ok to take your time. And for me, taking my time is part of enjoying the process.

Through the magic of Paint Shop Pro, one positioning option

So here's a question for you. When I stamped this leaf cluster on that test print scrap, I specifically placed it down in the corner. I even made notes along the edges of the fabric about placement and which way was up. I decided it would look good in this frame, bought with several other frames when I wasn't sure which would work the best on the first Leaf Cluster I finished. It was a 10 x 10 frame, the same size I've been working with for the ones that went over stretched canvas before going in the floater frame. The piece of fabric itself is about 11 x 12 which is not big enough to wrap around the canvas, thus the decision to use a regular frame. But when I got the frame unwrapped to audition how it would look, there wasn't a lot of my little quilt showing through the window, certainly not ten inches. I got a ruler out to discover that the outside of the frame is 10 x 10 with the opening for the art being only 8-1/2 x 8-1/2. That's way more cropping than I thought I'd be doing. I decided that wasn't an altogether bad thing, so I'm proceeding with that frame, positioning it with the leaf cluster down in the corner.

Second position option - subtle shift to center

But of course, in the midst of moving things around, I suddenly had the frame positioned with the leaf cluster centered in the opening. And now I am torn, unable to decide which looks best. If this was your piece, or if you were a viewer at an exhibit, which would you think is the better positioning for this particular textile? I really want to know what you think.

As I've gone back and forth over the various decisions I've had to make on just this piece, I once again found a reassuring quotation to make me feel better about the time I've spent mulling my options. And I am taking it to heart:

"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely."

Rodin

Invaluable Feedback

ArtWalk 2017 - Columbia Bank Venue - not the order I had in mind but it works

It has taken me all week to decompress from and process my interactions with everyone who came out for the ArtWalk opening reception - really quite well attended and fun (but also draining) for me. It's always scary when you go in a new direction with your art, at least it is for me. No matter how excited one may be about it, the unfamiliar makes one question, "Is it any good? Am I on the right track? And will people like what I'm doing, want me to continue in this vein or return to my tried and true that they are used to and love?"

Some of the viewing public - as you can see, a casual affair.

These were my thoughts going into ArtWalk with the new series. It turned out my worries were unwarranted. These Leaf Cluster variations were enthusiastically embraced, and nearly everyone who passed by wanted to ask me questions and/or tell me which was their favorite and why (which is often not the case at these receptions). Much of what was noted confirmed what I already knew or felt, some were good ideas I had not considered, and in one case I received a fairly thorough critique that finally gave me some concrete reasons why I was so unhappy with one of them. I got excited again about the series, ready to continue as many said they hoped I would, armed with feedback that should help the next pieces be stronger. Here's how the feedback broke down.

Framing

I was a little surprised by how many noted the framing, though I've known for a long time how framing up smaller textile pieces can give them more presence in an exhibition. It leaves no doubt that they are art, and as the critiquing fellow artist pointed out, "It makes them look more like art than (very long pause) craft." I think she hesitated so long wondering if using that term "craft" would offend me. But I totally agree. I think having them all the same size framed identically also contributed to their impact.

That it was a series

Again, I was surprised at how many people remarked that they liked that I did more than one using the leaf cluster motif. Several also shared that they could easily see two or three of them hanging together. One twenty-something woman voiced that because they had such a modern look, they would look good hung vertically, one over the other - something I hadn't considered, but found exciting to consider. And best of all, one of our "elder statesman" icons of the Sandpoint arts community came up to me with a big smile, grabbed my hands and said, "I am SO GLAD you are working in a series!" Well, yes then, I guess I must continue on with it!

Leaf Cluster III - a crowd favorite due to all that quilting

Fabric and quilting choices matter

I was not surprised that Leaf Cluster III drew so much attention and was often stated as a favorite. I had an excellent location on the third floor tier with lots of natural light from the ceiling which is like one giant skylight. It accentuated the quilting on all of the pieces, but especially on this one. Everyone wanted to know how I did it, what kind of machine I used, and then after my explanations, was I crazy. Why yes, just a bit! I think I could use that garnet stitch exclusively and no one would tire of seeing it. Leaf Cluster II (below) was a close second, that wonderful batik drawing people in just as it had on Leaf Cluster I. Many couldn't decide between the two and I feel the same way. It was obvious from the many comments that people were being drawn almost as much if not more by my fabric and quilting choices than by the leaf motif, and that in the case of the two favorites, those choices went with and enhanced the image of leaves.

Leaf Cluster II - that batik made it a favorite

Imperfections are assets

As you probably remember, it took me some time to get comfortable with the way my leaf clusters had printed up. Initially all I could see was failed prints because the paint had not transferred evenly. My blog readers, my art group and some distance from those first looks at them finally brought me around as people pointed out how much they liked the unevenness in the printing, especially where it allowed the fabric to show through as in Leaf Cluster II above. And more than one non-artist looking at Leaf Cluster II remarked how much they liked the varying lines and texture in the paint across some of the leaves, and even those little carving marks outside of the leaves that I tried so hard to keep from happening because, and I quote "they add interest." Ok, ok, I've got it!

Leaf Cluster V - the camera caught more of the sparkly beads. Click to see.

Not everyone likes the same thing

Poor Leaf Cluster V. Even in this excellent light, it remained a very dark piece, but at least the beads were picking up the light. Very few people commented on it, except maybe to ask about the beading. And then one man steps in front of it and loudly announces that it is his favorite, that he likes the colors, the beads, he just likes everything about it, and seemed ready to argue its merits with anyone who disagrees (and a few standing nearby weakly said they liked different ones but he stood firm - hysterical!). So the lesson here is that variety is good, because not everyone's taste is the same. I did ask two women who had described what they thought was going on with the other leaves (those are floating in front of tree bark, that one is coming down a wall) what was going on with this one. The first women furrowed her brow and said she didn't know. The second one described my vision perfectly - a leaf that has landed on the water. We all see differently too.

Look! You can see the stitches! Wait - don't look at those stitches!

The value of a good critique

Leaf Cluster IV looked so much better hanging in this spot of natural light plus some additional light from the nearby sconce - the quilting actually showed up, and yikes! I also noticed that you could now see the thread too, which means my uneven stitches could easily be seen (I really did have some places where the stitch length got long in comparison to the rest of the line). It got more comments than Leaf Cluster V but I think only because it was easier to see. I still felt uncomfortable about it, felt it was the weakest of the four but thinking it was mostly because of the quilting. I had nearly 3 hours of reception to stare analytically at the group and consider the comments I was getting, and I still wasn't 100% sure why some were working better than the others. As the crowds thinned, another artist wandered over, another local icon who, with her partner, received POAC's 2017 Artist of the Year Award. She looked at my pieces for a bit and then began a critique that told me why some worked better than others and declared Leaf Cluster IV the weakest of the lot. She kept glancing over to see how I was taking what she was saying, but I assured her that her comments were very helpful and that I totally agreed that IV was the weakest but didn't understand why. Well, in her opinion it was the one leaf, the way it was turned, how the paint on the stem faded to nothing at the end and did not "attach" in any way to the outside edge. To her it looked lost and like it didn't know where it belonged. None of the other pieces had that problem to her eye.

Leaf Cluster IV in a different and better orientation

I decided to ask her if it would improve it if it were turned a different direction. Maybe, she said as she cocked her head to one side. Well, let's turn it then, which put it back in the original orientation I'd had in mind when I printed it, but changed when considering how the four pieces would look together. She sounded quite surprised at the change that turn made, said "yes it's better and here's why. Look at how that circle of quilting now seems to hold the leaf up. It knows where it is now." It's still the weakest of the lot, but better in the turning, which led us to talking about often you do have to turn your work this way and that, depending on where it hangs and what it hangs with. As for Leaf Cluster V, she sounded sorry for it because it needed better lighting, was not getting its due down there, didn't really go with the other pieces, all things I agree with. I so appreciated her taking the time and being so candid with me, pointing to specific things that I will know to avoid in the future, giving me tips about design that if I pay heed, will help me create stronger pieces as the series continues. Because, after all, that's kind of the point of working in a series.   

Deadline Met!

Leaf Cluster variations in the order I hope they get hung

I just finished transferring my several pots of flowering plants into their planters on the deck because . . . drum roll please . . . I delivered my four pieces of art to my ArtWalk venue for hanging yesterday and am free to putter without guilt. Based on info on the application form, I was thinking I'd have Monday to fiddle with pictures and paperwork and anything little thing that might still need doing, but midweek I got the e-mail from my "handler" that it would be Monday, not Tuesday, that work must be dropped off. I know, just one day's difference, but I'd already proven that at each step of the way, each week I'd left my intended work to the last minute. Ok, time to move the game plan up a day and indeed, it was late Sunday before I could put my feet up because all was ready to go.

Here's how I got there. When last I wrote I was all excited about adding beads to the last quilt, but a little concerned about the extra time it would take. And it did take longer than I'd hoped, even though it looks like so little. But I found myself truly enjoying the process, scattering the red beads this way and that in a manner I realized was a lot like the chicken scratch quilting stitch that has become so popular. I have to give a shout-out to my teacher and now friend, Mary Stori, who taught me everything I know about adding beads to quilts and who I think is still the best source of information on that subject. Any of you who have tried taking photos of shiny things will understand how hard it is to get the camera to focus and to catch those glints of sparkle, but I hope you get the idea and trust me that in person it glints nicely. Couple that with the camera getting confused about the true color of the fabric (it says blue, the fabric says greenish blue) and the red that sits on it (either too dull and dark or too bright) and well, this is as close as I could get.

Once the beads were on, it was time to measure, mark, cut and sew up the corners on the last 3 quilts so that they could fit over the stretched canvas with the excess pulled around to the back and stapled into place. (See this post for a bit of a tutorial of the method.) I'd already done that with Leaf Cluster II quite awhile ago so once I treated them with a UV protectant spray, all four pieces were ready to mount in the floater frames and hanging wires attached. Just that part took over 2 hours and I couldn't help thinking it was taking longer to get some of these pieces framed up than it took to make them! But when I flip them over and see the results, it is totally worth it. I ink label info on the back of the quilts before putting them over the canvas, then ink it again on the back of the canvas. A business card also gets taped to the back of each, meeting the exhibit requirements for labeling.

Now to take pictures and yes, the fight with the camera, lighting, accurate colors continued. The quality of the pics didn't have to be perfect for the paperwork (just an insurance requirement), but these are going to be gone til September (maybe one or two forever if they sell) so I tried to get some fairly decent shots before they were gone. Most have been tweaked to get the colors closer to right, but seriously, I can't figure out why each of these presented problems. Anyway, pictures taken, I printed out the contract and inventory sheet and a group photo, filled everything out and was done. I feel a bit like I have my life back!

Leaf Cluster II ©2017 Sheila Mahanke Barnes

Leaf Cluster II detail

This is the one I finished to submit with my application, cropping and adding a frame in Paintshop Pro. Does Leaf Cluster II not look like you remember? Could be that while I was working on the others, and its now wrapped onto canvas self leaned against the wall where I could see it, I kept turning it this way and that, wondering if a different orientation would look better. When I studied all four versions together to decide how to orient the last two, I decided this one needed flipping. Any of these, I think, would work in any orientation which is only slightly weird.

Leaf Cluster III ©2017 Sheila Mahanke Barnes

Leaf Cluster III detail

My not lazy art by virtue of that pebble quilting. I wanted Leaf Cluster III to look like a leaf resting on the ground, perhaps on a gravel trail or a cement sidewalk.

Leaf Cluster IV ©2017 Sheila Mahanke Barnes

Leaf Cluster IV detail

Still finding Leaf Cluster IV a disappointment. The quilting hardly shows, not even a shadow of it, and belatedly I'm remembering a different way I'd thought I might quilt it. I really want to redo it in a slightly darker thread and a different style because I do like how the leaves printed and how they are arranged. Ask me again after seeing it on display for 3 months; I may have a totally different take on it by the time it returns and decide it is just fine. By then I may have used that quilting idea on another variation. Lord knows, I still have unquilted squares and even unprinted squares to work on.

Leaf Cluster V ©2017 Sheila Mahanke Barnes

Leaf Cluster V detail

Alas, next to the others, even the addition of bright beads failed to lighten Leaf Cluster V as much as I would like. It's very much a night scene, really is still quite dark even in person. Think leaf floating on water in the moonlight. Again, I am anxious to see how it looks in the gallery. It may be just fine out of my studio. If nothing else, the beads and the sliver thread really do catch the light.

As always, you may click on any photo for a larger version if you would like to inspect details. Opening receptions are not until a week from Friday (June 16th). More on that as the date nears. 

Meeting the First Deadline

Friday was the deadline for submitting my ArtWalk application, so that was the focus of last week. I got a bit of a boost from my art group on Monday who encouraged me to keep working on this series, that what I had done so far was showing promise. Like me, they especially liked the "I don't care" prints and I assured them I planned to do something with them once I got the four 10 x 10's done. I chose to finish quilting the orange batik leaf print for the application since it was about half quilted already and would finish quickly.

Because this is going over stretched canvas, I don't have to worry what the back looks like, i.e., didn't have to spend time burying thread tails once they were pulled to the back and tied off. I still ink "label" information on the back in the event the quilt gets removed from its frame and canvas someday.

I got out my favorite instructions for mounting onto a stretched canvas (this would work for stretcher bars or panels too). It requires some marking specific to the canvas you will be using, reinforcing stitching, measuring and cutting out at the corners before sewing them up to fit snugly when the canvas is slipped in. It makes for neat and bulk-free corners and ease in then stapling the rest to the back. See this post for details.

Leaf Cluster II Sheila Mahanke Barnes © 2017

I got as far as the reinforcing, measuring and cutting out the corners when I ran out of steam. Didn't have the concentration left for that next step of stitching the corners together let alone the final stapling to the back of the canvas. I decided to work on my artist statement instead. In the meantime, I realized that this photo showing the cutout corners would be easy to crop accurately and add a "frame" to in Paintshop Pro - good enough for the application. I had planned to do the mounting of all four 10 x 10's at the same time, after all were quilted anyway, so I didn't feel too badly about my cheat.

In addition to filling out the application form with basic information, I needed to update my artist statement (which always takes more time than one would think) and edit per application instructions the file names of the other two quilts that would be submitted (they like a sampling of 3 pieces to help them in assigning venues and although they know my work well and don't require the pieces to actually be in the exhibit, I always like to submit at least one new piece with two that aren't too old). I had planned to burn my files to a cd, fill out the form I'd printed from their pdf and drop it all off at the office on Friday since I had an appointment nearby that same day. But I noted that they preferred the image jpgs be e-mailed and I had that pdf that I discovered I could fill out right on the computer and save, so I opted to attach everything to an e-mail and send it off - a day before the deadline! What a relief to have that done.

I've given myself a few days off to catch up on some other things and relax a bit, but I mustn't get complacent. I've counted it up and I have about 7 weeks til the final deadline, the day everything must be done, framed, and delivered along with a second set of paperwork. Sounds like more than enough time to complete the quilting on 3 more 10 x 10's and get them framed up. Or even to make more prints to broaden the variations of the final four. Then again, don't get too cocky - one must always account for life intervening...

That Leaf Cluster

Nothing gets one in gear faster than finally getting around to opening exhibit documents to discover one has a little more than 2 weeks to finish a new piece of art for said exhibit. And so I got the needed boot to pursue a year old idea and see if it would work. It's mostly been the thought (i.e. fear) of mixing up paint to match the color in the leaf cluster I'd brought home that was holding me up. Time to bite the bullet and just do it! But I'd not even tested my linocut since carving it so that was the first order of business. Just inked with an ink pad and tested on plain paper.

Test fabric on top, "real" interfaced fabric, linocut and leaf cluster on bottom.

A week or so prior, I'd already fused the two pieces of batik to Decor Bond and pressed an additional large piece of the batik to use for trials. When I found that day with a bit of time in it to do this, I was afraid to pause for my usual checking of procedure for fear I'd lose my nerve and/or run out of time. It's been a long time since I worked through the on-line linocut course from Dejanne Cevaal but I was pretty sure I remembered enough to do some printing on the fly. Mostly, I wanted to try to apply the paint without getting any on the ridges this method leaves as you remove the background. I started with Speedball Screen Printing Ink in brown, adding black to darken it. But I needed to get some dark red in there too and found myself grabbing some Oriental Red Pebeo Setacolor paint to mix in.  I dabbed a bit on a small piece of the fabric and thought I had the color pretty close. I loaded up my hard foam brayer and started stamping, leaving the Decor Bonded strips to near last.

Normally the screen printing ink doesn't need diluting but I didn't stop to think that the Setacolor paint is normally diluted before use. That explains why the mix seemed thick prompting me to add a touch of water. And why when I picked it up off the palette there were peaks of paint standing out from the brayer. And probably why I was having a difficult time getting the solid coverage I'd envisioned. Not that this partial coverage isn't a nice effect, just that it was not what I had envisioned for my little art piece. I think it should have been thinned more.

I began to rue the fact I had not taken the time to review my lessons. And when a few days later this book arrived, one I decided to purchase on the recommendation of Dijanne, I wished I'd had it to consult before my printing session. Just paging through it makes me even more anxious to get back to linocutting and printing.

But in the meantime, I now had my leaf cluster printed on my batik, layered over Hobbs Thermore batting and muslin, ready for some stitching. I'd left out that spool of thread on the left because as it sat next to the batik and the actual leaf cluster, I just KNEW it was the perfect color for the stitching. Silly me. My first stitching would be to outline the leaf print and then maybe add a round or two of echoing. So fixated on this solid leaf idea, I decided I didn't want the variegated right next to it so used the solid burgundy on the small spool. Ok, it matched but did nothing else. So back to the variegated thread, which I did test on a scrap. But once I'd done a round of it, I wasn't so sure, yet my stubborn nature that had deemed it PERFECT prevailed. I started stitching across the background and after half a dozen lines could see that this thread that looked so reddish purple on the spool variegated to a decidedly lavender purple on the fabric. Rip rip rip! Maybe I need to go with the orange across the background, but in spite of it looking good on the sample, it too variegated to an unacceptable color (bright yellow!) and didn't look right as it ran across the browner sections. 

It's only 10 x 10 inches but taxed my abilities

I stared for a long time at my thread collection, willing the right color to magically appear where I was looking (yes, they are mostly arranged by color), and finally allowed my eyes to roam upward where I spotted the somewhat light burgundy variegated thread. Thinking it was too light, I gave it a try anyway and it turned out to be the best solution. I know some experts insist it's the value of the thread, not its color that is important, but I sure didn't find that the case here. Of course, all those lines of stitching I'd removed left needle holes, so the restitching had to be carefully done to hit or at least cover them. Yeah, what fun.

I realized I was so fixated on the burgundy thread because my original leaf had shone hints of deep burgundy along with a very dark brown. But once I got out of the poor lighting in the bathroom where I mixed the paint and did the stamping, I wasn't seeing as much red in the leaves as I'd intended. I pondered if I could paint over the leaves or in some other way add some red to them. In the end, I decided the safest experiment would be to try my Inktense pencils. Remember, I was working on a tight deadline and there was no time for starting over if I screwed this piece up. A simple way to work with these pencils is to transfer color from the dry pencil onto parchment paper or the shiny side of freezer paper, then pick up the pigment on a wet brush. I chose a stencil brush to see if I could work color not only on top of the paint but into the fabric in those areas where the paint didn't totally cover.

I think it made a little difference, but overall, this is still just a dark reddish/brown leaf. Again, nothing wrong with that and it looks good on this fabric, but it is not the color of the original leaf that got me excited when paired with this batik. Not to worry, I'll be doing this again and being more bold when I mix up my colors.

This really was intended to be a trial run for a possible series using this stamp. My idea is to wrap the finished work over canvas and put in floater frames. But because of the dimensions of the batik strips (which started as rejected padfolio pockets), there wasn't enough for wrapping. So I always knew this would go in a 10 x 10 frame. And when I do that, I always attached the finished piece (after zig zagging the squared up raw edges) to either watercolor paper or cardstock for extra stabilization. Knowing that, I didn't have to worry about burying the many thread tails that got pulled to the back., thank goodness.

Time to dig around in the closet to see what I had in terms of that board and I discovered an unopened pack of illustration board I totally forgot I'd bought. Normally I'd put a heavy needle in the machine and sew around the edge to attach quilt to board. But this board struck me as thicker than what I've used before so I hesitated.  Maybe I could just use some glue or . . . I remembered this roll of double-sided mounting tape suggested by a scrapbooking friend many years ago. Am I getting lazy or just smart? It's archival so let's just say I'm getting smart in my old age.

With the quilt permanently attached to the board, my "label" information can be penned on the back of it. When I do this rather than printing out a label, I use the initial stamp I carved as well. This frame had a Masonite back board rather than cardboard like so many cheap frames do, so it went on last. A business card with the name of the piece and price gets taped to it to meet the labeling requirements of the exhibit.

Leaf Cluster I by Sheila Mahanke Barnes 2017 - 10" x 10"

And here it is framed and ready to go (with no glass). I did have a black frame on hand but found a lovely mahogany brown one on a shopping trip that I think looks much better. I filled out paperwork yesterday and dropped it all off on time this morning. I do like it but have misgivings about its simplicity. Too minimalist? Will people view it with at most a "that's nice" or a shrug before quickly moving on? It's certainly not "great" art but I think it is ok "decorative" art. So I was a bit surprised and relieved at the accolades from the ladies checking in artwork today. They can be pretty deadpan as they do their job so to have them ooh and aah made me feel better and encourages me to keep working with this motif, exploring variations on this theme. 

Focusing

I could feel myself on the verge of spin cycle over getting my ArtWalk stuff together over the weekend. I should do this first, no this. Maybe start on that 4th piece. No, take care of this. Then I realized, just start with the easy stuff first. That would be printing out the contract and inventory sheet. POAC used to send out hardcopies through the mail, and I must admit to mixed feelings about the move to digital files attached to e-mails. I understand it is a cost-cutting measure, and POAC does have a very tight budget. But I do resent just a teeny bit having to use my own ink and paper.

Rift by Sheila Mahanke Barnes ©2016 11 x 14

Next, get Rift into its frame, since it was already mounted in a mat. I bought these Nielson Artcare metal frames because they have UV glass and archival mat board and mount board. I'm not using their mat, but I did think the mount board liner made sense. Of course, I had to clean numerous times to get the last of the dust specs off the inside of the glass. But I really like the way this looks.

Rift and Family (©2014) by Sheila Mahanke Barnes

Then it was time to dust off the piece from 2014 and make a few changes. I don't think I've ever done this before, but I was never comfortable with the name I gave the piece on the right. Something about it always said "family" to me but my lack of confidence convinced me that name would only make people scratch their heads. Rolling Along was what I ended up calling it and it has never felt right. It's been sitting in my living room for months now, long enough for me to hear it begging me to change its name. So I did. Took off the backing, blacked out the name and wrote"Family" in its place. I think these two pair nicely.

That was enough for Friday. Saturday I tackled getting the fountain sample into a frame. I'd bought some black foam core board not long ago specifically for this, to replace the very poor and flimsy piece of cardboard backing that came with the frame. And now I couldn't find it. Seriously, how can one misplace a 20 x 30 piece of black board? Ah - by placing it on the door side of the closet rather than the back wall of it. Clever me. I usually struggle with cutting foam core (it really shouldn't be that hard - I even bought an Exacto cutter specifically for this task) but this time it cut with ease. I forgot to get a picture of the back before mounting on the board, but generally what I do is lightly glue in a few places the piece to watercolor paper for support, running a long stitch around the outside. I write all the label info on this paper backing before putting it into the frame and adding the frame back. 

In this case I'd used some vellum drawing paper, because I didn't have to cut it to size. Later I realized it didn't have the same stiffness so I pinned it to the foamcore board in a few places. That's a sequin pin. This bit of security should keep the piece from sagging from the weight of the fountain. There's no glass in this frame.

This is how I deal with the requirement to put more personal information than I normally would on the back of my art when it goes into a POAC exhibit. I simply attach a business card and write the name and price of the piece on it.

I decided to add rings and wire which turned out to be the hardest part. The wood in this frame is very dense and hard and I had a heck of a time getting the screws in. But having a wire rather than one of the sawtooth hangers will please the people hanging the exhibit.

Eisenberg Fountain - Retreat by Sheila Mahanke Barnes ©2016 11 x 14

So pleased with how this looks! And now my three pieces are exhibit ready!

I had planned to work on a 4th piece yesterday - but I didn't feel well at all and was running a fever. To be honest, I hadn't felt well all week and it must have caught up with me over the weekend. So no 4th piece for ArtWalk. And I am fine with that. Today I filled out that paperwork and will deliver it all tomorrow.