I guess I'm workng on a series?

Much like  "Swirls" from February of this year "Evening by the pond" uses a combination of materials to develop a very textural composition.

"Evening by the pond" was also inspired by a piece of lace paper. The paper lace I made is colored with Tsukineko inks. See my Blog post from 2/11/2025 for more information about paper lace making.  The paper lace and other elements are set on layers of fabrics I've hand dyed, and marked with paints, inks and makers. Also added are scraps of upholstery fabrics and trims. These layers are machine quilted to a backing and cotton batting. What looks like the base gray fabric is really one of two layers of that fabric.  The edges of the bottom gray piece is turned to the back and stitched to the backing fabric. In this way I was able to make a clean binding but still have that raw edge on the viewable top.

Added embellishments include. 

Embroidery and silk ribbon for the plants.  Vintage blue embroidery edging, yarn and trims for the water details and shoreline. Colored cotton batting, Angelina fibers and embroidery for the sky.

Like "Swirls" this piece is attached to 16" X 12" artist board which was painted brown.

One more quick note.

In getting ready for this post something just bothered me about the paper lace.  With the piece finished and in a photo I noticed a dark blue piece that was just to distracting. Luck for me it was easy to remove.  The thing is it reminded me how important it is to stand back a view your work.  Sometimes what works great close up really doesn't work at a different angle or distance.  So prop your work up and step away once in a while.

 Before. 

See the blue square in the center.

 No square. 

Much lighter looking.

I hope you have enjoyed this piece.

Thanks for stopping by!

MaryEllen

On now---SAQA SPOTLIGHT AUCTION!

 

The 2025 SAQA Spotlight Auction has started! The auction will run through April 5th.

Above is a photo of my piece, "Daisy Chains and Tricycles".  You can find my piece by adding my last name to SEARCH.  Or, just scroll through the SAQA auction site and see artwork from a host of SAQA members.

Check out: SAQA.com (view auction pieces). I think you will enjoy all the wonderful eye candy!

For anyone new to my blog SAQA or Studio Art Quilt  Associates is a non-profit organization that promotes art quilts as a fine art through exhibitions, publications and other resources. These services help link artists with others artist and various art professionals from around the world.  The Spotlight Auction helps fund many of these activities. You can learn more about SAQA at SAQA.com under ABOUT.

Thanks for dropping by! Have a wonderful day everyone!

MaryEllen

Experimenting with Paper Lace ---- "Swirls"

 O.K. everyone this was so fun!Making LACE PAPER!

So I was scrolling through YouTube and stopped at a post by Rose Wildsmith titled "Distressed paper fabric: trying a new mixed media technique inspired by Shelly Rhodes".  I have to say I was trying it out before the 10 minute post was done.  I will also be buying Shelly Rhodes book, Fragmentation and Repair: For Mixed Media and Textile Artists.

Below are the steps I used to make my lace paper.  

First I experimented with a few different paper materials that I had on hand.  From what I had laying around good old paper towels worked the best.  After finding a paper that would hold up I started the process in earnest.

Step one was to add a bit of color to my paper towels. I used Tsukineko Inks for this.  After the colors had dryed I moved on to sewing lines on the towels. My lines are about 3/4" apart. I set the machine to a long stitch and used a old needle. 

Next was soaking the paper towels.  I use a shallow plastic lid. Below you can see the fibers really starting to break down.

Rubbing the towels while wet and picking at the paper between the stitching lines further distressed the towels.

I then flattened the towels out and let them dry again.

Once dry I did some touch up color with the same dyes as earlier.

I also distressed some spots, with a quick spray of water in isolated areas.

My finished lace paper.

Finally I wanted to use my papers.

In the piece below I used a half sheet of lace paper with a thin brushing of watered down white glue on the back to hold it in place as I machine quilted it on my piece. 

Fininshed piece "Swirls"

10" X 12"  mounted on 12" X 16" board.

Lace Paper, hand dyed muslin canvas, wool strips, variety of upholstery fabrics, yo-yos, buttons, twine and vintage flower buds and tatting. Hot glue.  Machine stitched with cotton batting and cotton backing.

Below are three detailed photos .

I hope you enjoyed my take on lace paper.  

Please check out my inspiration artists: Rose Wildsmith and Shelly Rhodes.

Have a wonderful day!!

MaryEllen