2015 | Day 120

Day One Hundred Twenty

Whew -- and yay -- I finished outlining all of the circles on the really long linen snake.  Now I can start to fill all of those circles in with colors...I might take a day off from sewing tomorrow.  I have plenty of other projects in various states on done-ness I can work on.

2015 | Day 119

Day One Hundred Nineteen

Today I have been working on the super long linen/embroidery embellishments snake.  I've been working on him everyday for about a week.  All of those little stitches are very time consuming and it feels like I will never be done with this outlining of the circles part...I still have twenty-five inches left to go.

What I've been up to lately...outlining all of these circles with embroidery floss stitching.

These seven-and-a-half circles took exactly 45 minutes.

The backside of what 45 minutes looks like.

Overall view, top side.

Overall view, underside.

Today's accumulated work -- everything from left of the blue floss.  I still have 25 inches to go...let's see  how far I can get tomorrow!  After I finish the outlining I can start adding the colors again.

2015 | Day 118

Day One Hundred Eighteen

I am going to try to get back into the blog-post-a-day thing...starting today.  I won't beat myself up about if it doesn't happen again or when I miss a day...but I am going to make an effort to try.

Today my good friend Terri came over to shoot some of my 3D artwork...my plaster cloth guys and a soft doll.  These will be used on the website Terri is building for me.

Before Terri arrived I did a little bit of prep work.  I brought out all of the plaster cloth guys and one of my soft sculpture dolls.  I had to also vacuum several of them to get the dust off.  Then I sketched out the idea I had for the photo of me for the "about me" page of the new website.  In addition, I cleared out a makeshift photo studio area for Terri to work in...this involved taking down some artwork from the walls in a corner of the kitchen and clearing off the big marble top table so we could move it out of the way...MAN, that marble is heavy!!!

Bringing out the artwork to be photographed today...and vacuuming it all to lose the dust.

Trying to sketch out an idea of mine for the photo of me for the "about me" page.

Terri at work in the makeshift photo studio area.

Terri and I had a good time, brainstormed some basic ideas, shared a delicious pizza (with eggplant), had some great conversation/catching up time...and when I let the cats come out of the bedroom when we were all done and the kitchen was put back together, Bootsy performed on the cat exercise wheel so Terri could see it in person.  Oh...and Terri is storing  some of her artwork in my basement for a bit...we set up a table for her in the basement. All in all, it was a very good day!

2015 | Day 113

Day One Hundred Thirteen

This afternoon I have been playing around with some ideas for the continuation of the plaster cloth rabbit guy...just some early brainstorming.

As he is where I left off.

Trying on some cuffs + buttons and collar/lapel...needs lots of work.

As he is now...close up.

Maybe a tabby/rabbit guy?  Practicing drawing on a print out of photo.

I will probably not end up trying to retrofit him with my original idea(s) now that I have all of that paper on him already.  The time to add the plaster cloth collar, lapels, pockets, etc. was lost in the three months of recovery (and waiting) time...but no big thing.  I will work with him from this point and see what he wants to be.  Those other ideas could possibly turn up on a different creature as it is being built...who knows.

2015 | Day 105 (part two)

Day One Hundred Five (part two)

Wow -- three full hours later and the plaster cloth rabbit guy has pants...blue banana tissue paper jeans.  I am SO done for today -- I never ever should have worked that long...but the deadline is looming...I'm so far behind...but now I am already starting to pay for it...yow!

I won't be showing any more progress on this guy until after the juror's results are in -- providing, of course, that I end up submitting him for consideration.

2015 | Day 105

Day One Hundred Five

Too...many...choices.  I absolutely agonize over the selection of colors when it comes down to making a final choice for a project...every time.  There is still a very slight chance that I could get the plaster cloth rabbit guy "dressed" in time for photos for the upcoming submission deadline...thanks to a visit from my Universal Collaborators.  (I am still fairly limited with how long at a time I can sit without elevating my feet/legs...and how much my arms/hands can do...so that plays into the mix, too.)

With the suggestion to go with a very simple jacket, shirt, pants, shoes...rather than building up a collar and lapels and buttons, etc. with plaster cloth first -- I might be able to pull this off -- BUT -- will I be happy with it in the end?  That is the bottom line.  (I could also maybe fashion collar, pockets, etc. out of paper.)

I have not made a definite choice yet, but I have narrowed it down to a few options:

First I sorted through the unsorted pile for ideas.

Next I pulled out the new marbled papers I recently bought and put them into color groups.

I really like this choice...the solid-looking paper is really more olive than gold in real life...and it is the "B" side of a printed paper.

This dark blue paper could look like jeans.

I also like the texture of this other blue...but do I choose the tie-dye side...

...or the marbled side of the paper?

Or maybe pinks?  Marble or tie-dye?

The marbled side of the papers are gorgeous but they are very flashy with the metallic elements and will be tougher to layer little torn pieces together.  The tie-dyed side of the papers are even more saturated colors.  But hey -- how else would a rabbit guy dress?

Lots of thinking to do this afternoon...I need a color break right now.

2015 | Day 103

Day One Hundred Three

Oh, it is disappointing...but it's not the end of the world...you know?  I don't think I will be done with the plaster cloth rabbit guy in time for the submission deadline.  The guy with the really long horns is nearly done, though, and I guess that is at least something.  I have to quit beating myself up over not healing more quickly from the accident...everything just has to take as much time as it needs...that's all there is to it.

Today I finished the first layer of very pale blue paper on the rabbit guy's head and hands.  I think it will take at least another layer to give it enough color, but I want it to stay pale blue.

The really long horns guy needs some sort of embellishment around his eyes and nose.  I am still working out what to do with him.

2015 | Day 102

Day One Hundred Two

Tsk, tsk...so many missing days in this year's blog.  I hope to get back to daily blogging eventually, but for now I am happy with whatever I can manage.

Today was about buckling down and choosing a main color for the plaster cloth rabbit guy.  IF I get him done in time (enough for photos, at least) before the deadline I will submit him for consideration in an upcoming show.  Fingers crossed...stupid car accident...oh well...if it happens in time, it happens.

I narrowed my choices down to four colors and then agonized over them and finally chose one.

The four color choices were pale pink, pale yellow, peach, and very pale blue.

It got down to pale yellow or very pale blue...and very pale blue wins.

I still have no idea whatsoever for how I will finish the rest of him...hopefully my Universal Collaborators will show up sometime during the application of the body papering.

2015 | Day 95

Day Ninety-Five

Well, you know I just can't leave things alone.  I can't do a whole lot today but I have been working on some more on the snake's embroidered spots.  Then I pinned the fabric onto the stuffing snake to see if I could get a feel for how it is coming along.  

I am glad I didn't make a wider line of embroidery because this could already be in danger of needing to be overlapped a bit.  I had some ideas for its belly but there is no room for that now.  I suppose I could rethink things and/or make the snake's body a little thicker -- but for now I am going to give this a rest for a few days.  Whew.

2015 | Day 94

Day Ninety-Four

A day of several bursts of energy...I will be paying for this tomorrow because I am already feeling it tonight..but it was like I had to keep doing stuff.  It's like my Universal Collaborators dropped in unannounced a few times...and it has been a long, long time since they've been by.

Here is how my day/evening went:

• 9:30 - noon:15  outlined more embroidery/embellishments circles for the snake
• 1:30 - 2:30        worked on the long horns guy
• 3:00 - 4:10        filled in the outlined circles 
• 5:30 - 6:20        plaster cloth rabbit guy repairs  (I can't believe it!)
• 8:03 - 10:10     more adding circles, outlining, filling in

The plaster cloth rabbit guy needed more work than I remembered...his one finger was cracked and I needed to try to even out the shape of his nose/cheeks/side+back of his head...I think it went pretty well.  

The second round of embroidery was a little worrisome because I had to crunch a couple of the previously finished circles in the hoop -- but it turns out they took it pretty well, even though you can see the stretched out edge of the hoop.

Okay -- that is way more than enough for one day.  In fact, that'll probably last me a couple of days because I am going to need some recovery time because I am having trouble pacing myself and getting back into the making-stuff mode...I want to do it all in one day.

2015 | Day 93 (after a long absence)

Day Ninety-Three (after a long absence)

Wow -- it has been a long, long time since I posted anything.  I had the car crash (2/17) and I still can't really sit at my desk for very long (I need to keep my feet elevated even more than before) but I worked on something tonight (ALL night) and I wanted to make a quick stop in at the blog.

I have been working in short sessions on a soft sculpture snake.  It was meant to be a submission for an upcoming Call for Entries but I couldn't get it done in time...not even close.  So instead I am working on it in small increments and I have gotten this far.  The body of the snake is 109 inches.  It was originally going to have a head at each end but now I will probably not give it two heads.  I pieced together a bunch of home decor weight linen (or linen-like) fabric rectangles and they will be the stripey body of the snake.  

Tonight I started on the embroidery embellishment part of the project.  I cannot believe how long it took.  I started in the late afternoon, took a short break for dinner and then got back to work...finishing up at a quarter after midnight...wow.  

A portion of the sewn together fabric rectangles -- I actually ironed the seams open on Wednesday (with Leann's iron and with the guidance of Leann and Joan).

Twink loves this project.

I am trying to explain to him that he needs to get up so I can work.

Circle templates and regular Prismacolor pencils.

One of these days I need to get some pencils/markers that are meant for making guide marks for fabric.

Tonight I learned I need to keep the stitches shorter than I had expected.  This guy will be for me so I am not too upset with the results, but I need to figure this out.

The back looks awful but it will be inside the completed guy.

Ha ha -- the fabric was in the embroidery hoop so long the indentation is really pronounced.  I imagine that will iron out later on.

Well geez -- I already can't sit here any longer, my feet and legs are starting to throb.  At least working on the snake keeps me in my recliner with the elevation.  I really really want to finish up two guys for another upcoming deadline (much bigger show) -- I hope I can get them done...those are things that have to be done in the studio in a regular chair (or standing up)...fingers crossed for that!

I am not sure I can make daily blog posts yet but I am going to try to at least do one a week.  It has been so strange not blogging everyday -- I lose track of time.