Visiting Armenia

A few weeks ago, I have to admit, there were only two things that I knew about a small country called Armenia. One of course was the horrible genocide of the Armenian people and the other was a memory about the news from the 80's  regarding a big earth quake there killing thousands of people.

And now I had the great opportunity to visit  this small, very well hidden country, bordered by Turkey, Azerbaischan, Georgia and Iran.  It was a wonderful trip, even though I could neither read nor understand their language. The food was wonderful, communication is very difficult, but the friendliness of the Armenians helps and makes traveling a special and inspirational experience. They have their own alphabet, and you can see some of their letters in my short slide show. If I were a traditional quilter I would for sure use some of the very elaborate stone or wood carvings as  quilting patterns. But I am very sure the memories and pictures of this trip will become part  in my future art work. Have a look at my slide show to get a small impression of this very special country.

Quilt National

'rejections', detail

Very exciting news. My piece 'rejections' made it into QN' 09. For more information about QN' 09 please visit their web site  http://www.quiltnational.com/

Jewelry piece of the month

The sound of this bangle is what makes me want to wear it all the time, and yes it reminds me always of summer, sun and sand beaches.

Without words...

Wall street as an inspiration can be fun too! 

Fall

Fall has arrived, it seems not only in nature but also in the economy or politics. I am just wondering if I should start using dollar bills instead of fabric, since I have mostly fabric that keep the 'value' and quality if I am careful and take care of them. And that is what my customers expect and rightfully so. Nothing to worry about I will not turn my art blog into a political blog even though it is very hard to separate the two of them in times like this. Ok let me go back to my art work, but it is for sure a challenge to be creative and positive with everything else being so negative. But be sure to look for my piece 'Hindsight' which is in the works at this moment. 

Canvas Corners

Since I have been struggling with achieving good corner when I stretch my work over the stretcher bars I thought I share my little tips with you. Maybe that makes stretching art work for somebody out there a little easier. I don't have any special tools except my electric staple gun.

The painted canvas made it difficult for me to turn the corners in a way that I liked. I looked at several books and web sites that sell art material and found good help, but I was still not happy with the result due to the thick-and stiffness of the material. So here is what I do. 

Step 1. Center the art work. I secure the art work with one staple on every side and then make sure the placement is right. You do not want to have to redo all the stapling believe me.

Step 2. Then I start the corners: I first fold excess fabric in two folds to the outside. That gives me a good idea how much to turn under in the next step.

Step 3: Then I turn one corner of the fabric 'under', I hope the picture 'explains' that better than my words can. Make sure the corner is very tight. 

Step 4: Next I staple the other side of the corner down. 

Work your way around the frame always stretch one side and then the side across. 

Jewelry piece of the month

This months jewelry piece is a beach glass piece again. The dangling beach glass pieces make a lovely sound, reminding you of your last days on the beach, that is if you like your jewelry to make sounds.