Middle Maiden Arts

Fishy Quilt Block Exchange

2011-10-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

I’ve just finished participating in Mary Lou Weidman’s Hootchy Fish swap. All 36 participants used the same background fabric, shooting for bright Kool-aid colors in a 14” wide block. One of the style suggestions I liked was to use a strata technique - strips of various fabrics sewn together to create a new fabric.

Each person could design their fish or fishes to be any height. Each of 12 blocks could be the same or different. I started with graph paper, a sketch and a plan to make all of the fish the same way in order to optimize time. I used a variety of markers to colorize my sketch and that’s when my plan changed direction.

With limited time for swaps and projects in general, I love to use projects like this to take off in a direction that is new to me. So why not paint my own fabric instead of sewing the strata? And wouldn’t that be faster anyway?

I’m a firm believer in making samples when dealing with colors and techniques - which covers just about everything. I knew that straight paint would be thick and I wasn’t sure I had enough paint to cover the yardage I estimated. I wanted to thin it but not have it bleed and run all over so I mixed it with Pro-Thick SH. I sampled my colors and paint style ona fabric swatch. Perfect!

I started by flicking a mix of Pro-Thick SH with Setacolor paints - once with a water blue color and once with a cool magenta color - on prepared for dyeing (PFD) cotton fabric. Next I painted slim wavy thick and thin areas.

The following pictures show the progression as I painted the waves of each color.

After completing the painting, I heat set it with an iron, washed it, and decided it wasn’t bright enough. By now I had less paint and realized that my sample methods should have included testing and recording the ratio of Pro-Thick SH to paint. So... I sampled that.

I painted the same fabric again using a ratio of 1 part paint to 2.5 parts Pro-Thick SH mix. I also heat set it again and rewashed. Here you can see the difference between round 1 and round 2.

I also used 3 orange/reds to paint the lips/beaks fabric.

I am pretty happy with the fabric and my fish. I think even stronger color might match the commercial fabrics in the awesome fish blocks I received. And no, it wasn’t faster than sewing strata but it was very fun to experiment and construct the fish! The button eyes can be sewn on in the location of choice and the design of the block allows for them to face either direction.

Art Under the Elms

2009-04-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

It's time again already! Next weekend (April 24 - 26) will be my 4th appearance at the Art Under the Elms show and sale in Lewiston, Idaho. It's part of the annual Dogwood Festival for Lewiston and Clarkston. I'll be there with my new crop of lampwork glass beads.

I didn't realize that I haven't written here for most of a year! I'll have to work on that. I think about posting quite often - but that's as far as it gets. I really do like to write as well as show and tell what I've been up too.

Beads by request

2008-04-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

Here are two beads made by special request to include math symbols. I had fun creating my own murrini canes.

Getting Started Again

2008-03-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get started again but I wasn't kidding when I called this web log "irregular ramblings". It's so easy to shrug off and go on to the next item on "the list".

I came across this writing in the introduction of Julia Andrus's book, Paper Transformed. "Such is the power of art. It is about relationships. What begins as an act of self-expression becomes a revealing connection when shared with others. Art truly is a universal language and there are countless methods and mediums through which we can communicate." Great quote and great book.

Last Septmber I wrote about the two murals I completed. The river floaters were painted for a parade float. The county fair mural greets fair goers in the exhibit building. It as great fun to hear that several groups of people had their pictures taken at the mural. I've since decided that I have some value enhancements I'd like to make.

Painting Mission Accomplished

2007-09-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

No pictures today but I'm happy to say that I accomplished a huge painting mission I set myself up for. One large 6x6 foot canvas to hang on a parade float and another yet larger painting 8x8 feet to greet fairgoers the the Clearwater County Fair. They were both well received.

I haven't done a lot of painting previously although I did create one last year for the same parade float entry. I know that pictures here are all important but I'm doing a little stress over all of the other projects I need to be working on. I'm currently viewing the world around me as additional paintings, much smaller no doubt, but I need to turn that off and focus on getting ready for Art and Soul Retreat in Portland in 2 weeks. I still need to make trades, 50 plus charms for swapping, order supplies, and get my bead supply ready for vendor night - not to mention take son to college in Seattle, take on new tasks at work and get ready for a retirement party before Art and Soul!

I would also like to catch up on what I've been up to between June and September. Wish me luck!

From Fish to Quilt and Glass

2007-06-09T17:08:00.001-07:00

Graduation was fun with a houseful of family and beautiful weather. The fish were a big hit, especially with the moms at the senior party! Some have migrated to my office and to other cubbies in the building!

Now I need to get my son's graduation gift quilt finished for the Clearwater Quilters biannual quilt show next weekend. I also need to get my postcards finished up to participate in the ISGB (International Society of Glassbeadmakers) postcard project. I worked on the torch for a couple of hours today testing some new glass - until the oxygen tank ran out.
It's fun to move from one project to the next with no downtime - really it is, I think.
Check out the final fish pictures below. I saved all the pieces - I have a plan to recycle them into ATC cards - later after the postcard and quilt!

Five fish close up.

Treasure chest at the bottom of the fish tank!

The whole "tank" - rocks, anenomes, seaweed, treasure and fish!

The 69 Fish Project

2007-05-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

I survived and thrived at the Art Under the Elms and have been getting ready for our youngest's graduation this weekend. I always offer to help with my senior's party decorations. The party planners had an idea related to fish and I said I would make them. So here's how they started.

I like to use paper grocery sacks as my paper base and I have a random assortment of house paint to work with...

Next step was to cut out my fish pattern leaving a hinge on the top fin. It's really 72 fish but hey...

Time for the eyes and body art...

Next step was to feed the fish. The Party planners needed numbers on the fish for the random drawing of prizes. I could have made these one-sided critters and put the number on the back, but why go simple when you can make it fun. So we (as in my mom) attached the numbered tag to a plastic frog or centipede or who knows what, and stuffed each fish.

In this last picture, the stuffed fish are awaiting final closure.

Next step - create habitat. Stay Tuned...

Virginia Fatbook

2007-04-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

I recently participated in a fatbook exchange related to the Virginia Art and Soul Retreat. Each contributor made 55 pages - 4x4 inches. These pages were sorted out into 55 sets and bound into a spiral book form. The theme was childhood memories of artistic beginnings.

It's a fun challenge to figure out, to make efficient yet fun, and to complete on time.

Here are a few pictures - the lampwork glass flower heads I made, my 55 pages ready to mail, and a close up of the front of my page.

Web Change - more progress

2007-04-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

More progress with developing my website. I'm gradually getting the hang of css with the help of a great book - Build Your Own Web Site the Right Way Using HTML & CSS by IAN LLoyd. Today I have managed to move the blog off of my main page (created last week) to it's own webblog page.

For my next trick, I need to add the page links to the blog site. For now I need to get back to the lampwork glass bead business. Art Under the Elms is fast approaching.

This will be my second showing at Art Under the Elms. Booth 39 next to Talkington Hall. It's fun to meet and greet and I have some great booth help for the show. It's very well run. Off to the torch now...

Progressing

2007-04-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

The site is coming along one change at a time while I try to decide what I want it to be. A few changes for today but now I need to get back to the torch and glass to get ready for the Art Under the Elms art fair. I have 3 weekends left and much work to do.

A Girl's Just Got To Have Flowers

2007-04-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

Thinking of what to say isn't really the problem here. I think it's like the fresh white canvas and where do I start? Do I keep a separate more traditional website or do I start and stay with an organized blog page? What about the text size and the border on the banner image and the boring white background and on and on. Way too many decisions.

I just need to get off the dime I think and make a change a day. So this is the first one - a new post and a picture of a get well card for a seriously injured wonderful person that could not have flowers in intensive care.

I know - none of these are my glass beads - but I'm really happy with it anyway and the recipient is on the road to recovery.

Hometown Photo

2006-11-25T09:34:00.000-08:00

A Hometown Story: Sue White

2006-10-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

Vicki McLeod
www.clearwatertribune.com
Published on: 11/2/2005

Susan (Sue) White grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, MI, the third of four children and middle maiden of her family, sandwiched between an older sister, older brother, and a younger sister.

Her dad, Ed worked for General Motors (GM) as a mathematical engineer. Involved in the early development of computers, Sue remembers when he brought one home, set it up on a dial-up modem, and got it to print out a picture of Snoopy (all in letters).

Ed was also involved in seat belt development for GM and showcased their effectiveness by warning the family before hitting the brakes as he was pulling slowly into their carport, "We all just folded over and popped back up," Sue recalls, adding they all got the point.

Sue's mom, Midge, has "the same love of learning and sharing new skills" that Sue possesses. Midge took classes every chance she could and has never accepted an "I can't" attitude. "She just never puts up with that," Sue explains.

From sewing and knitting to stained glass and jewelry; Sue developed the attitude, "If Mom can do it; I can do it."

An "I Can" attitude, along with "encouragement, support, and the freedom to choose and live with your choices" are gifts Sue says her folks gave to all of their children.

"It's important to me to pass along all of the gifts given to me," adds Sue.

With six weeks "camping" by boat on the Great Lakes during summers, Sue grew to love the outdoors. A local cider mill became her favorite destination for birthday parties, followed by hiking in the county park.

Sue's high school had a farm/nature center, as well as an environmental studies program; she was part of both. Each semester, they'd take a remote backpacking trip, and Sue loved it.

When she graduated, Sue enrolled at Northern Michigan University, hoping to continue along a similar academic path.

Sue led environmental field trips during one summer - including a 200-mile canoe trip into northern Canada; a trip to Utah to climb its highest peak, and a trip to the coast of Maine and New Hampshire. She planted trees in New Mexico, and another summer, completed an internship with the Forest Service. To make ends meet, she mowed lawns and weeded gardens, anything to keep her outside.

Sue graduated with a BS in Conservation, and accepted a graduate assistantship with Western Michigan University in the Department of Geography gathering digital data.

Accepted at the University of Montana as a graduate student in land use planning, she packed up everything that would fit in her car and, with just $400 to her name, headed out west toward Missoula, to look up an old friend.

At her friend's suggestion, Sue put in an application for Clearwater National Forest and headed to Kalispell to visit other chums. While there, she received an offer to come and mark trees on a timber pre-sale crew. Though "not exactly sure what that meant," Sue says "it was outside work" and she accepted.

Assigned to spike camp

Assigned to a remote "spike camp," an hour past the Canyon Work Center, the rule was that they couldn't hire just a single female to work with the crew; it had to be two. In a humorous twist of fate, the "other female" hired to work with Sue's crew and bunk in her tent was, in fact, a young, man from Tacoma - one Tamee (Tam) White.

When Tam checked in for work, the oversight was realized, and another gal was hired to take that spot. Tam was sent to work with another crew

Sue and Tam didn't meet until later in the summer and didn't get to know one another until the crews moved in to the work center as winter neared.

By season's end, Sue decided not to return to graduate school, and both she and Tam returned the following year.

Sue says Tam was a "creative go-getter" and "natural leader," destined to run the crew. He also drove a "hippie-van" and motorcycle and with his love of the outdoors - the two hit it off.

In the spring of 1980, on Mt. Rainier -with a poem he penned on a piece of birch bark and a glass doorknob with a metal-fashioned ring in hand-Tam proposed to Sue.

The following fall, near Tam's home in a small chapel on the Pacific Lutheran campus in Spanaway, WA, the two were married. Sue walked down the aisle hand tucked under her dad's arm (with the glass doorknob hidden beneath as a surprise for Tam).
...
In 1987, Sue and Tam broke ground on their dream home. With trees Tam had selected from their property, he constructed the timber frame and house, with help from Sue. In 1991, they moved in to what Sue calls their "work in progress."

Along with continuing her work with the Forest Service, Sue has continued pursuing her artistic endeavors as well.

She had dabbled in photography and jewelry design in college and rekindled an affinity for fiber arts and weaving when her kids were little. (Her work has been showcased in Handwoven magazine.)

"First, think you can"

A member of the Clearwater Quilter's group, Sue has presented programs on art quilting techniques, felting, and even drawing. Anytime she teaches, she says she drives home the message, "First, think you can."

A bead magazine spurred Sue's interest in her latest endeavor - glass bead making (called lampworking due to the oxygen/propane torch used).

When Tam surprised her with a glass bead making kit, Sue began teaching herself the craft, reading everything she could and taking classes when possible. (Her lampwork beads have been purchased by jewelry artists in several states.)

She is also studying the art of faux finishing and has learned how to make her own wallpaper (the entryway in her home is covered in the handmade papers).

With an insatiable appetite to learn new things, Sue isn't satisfied. She really wants to learn to paint - specifically, "fun portraits of children."

Sue's interest in drawing was first sparked years ago when Jessie was in grade school at Orofino Elementary School (OES) and Sue sat down one evening with one of her daughter's school pictures and attempted to draw it. She surprised herself at how well she did.

With no art program at OES, Sue "began to look for ways to bring more art opportunities into the classrooms." Inspired by drawing books written by Mona Brooks, Sue contacted her and was able to line up some workshops with one of Brooks' trainees.
...
With her kids growing up, in 2001, Sue took on a "final" major OES project - the tile mosaic that flanks its main entrance. Involving all three sixth-grade classes, Sue says it took nine months to complete.

With a desire to continue teaching, Sue developed drawing classes, which she titled, "I Think I Can" and has taught ages ranging from kindergartners through senior citizens. An Idaho Commission on the Arts, Arts Education Program grant has allowed her to teach in surrounding communities.

As a Natural Resources Information Manager for the Forest Service, Sue continues to enjoy the challenge of her profession. She uses geographic information systems (GIS) and much of the focus of her job comes down to how things are laid out spatially across the forest. "I work with a great group of people and the time passes quickly," says Sue.

Having recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, Sue remains "extremely appreciative" of Tam, whom she says has "worked hard to build us a great home and family." She admits, "I sometimes push a little extra with my creative projects but he's there providing support when I need it."

Sue is also proud of their kids.

Though she admits once worrying that as a "working mom" she "wasn't passing on the many skills" she learned from her own mom and grandmother; Sue says "Interestingly enough, they are finding their own ways in the creative arts fields."

According to Sue, Jessie is studying graphic design, Eyler is studying digital film production, and Shelby, a high school junior, is a "budding entrepreneur" who has already designed several web sites.
...
This weekend, Sue will participate in the annual Patchwork Bazaar held at Orofino High School. From a beginning many years ago selling fresh pressed cider with Tam and stained glass; this year, Sue will be selling her glass beads and jewelry.

With a new business called "Middle Maiden Arts," she hopes to not only sell her wares but offer classes one day as well. Speaking of her varied interests, Sue explains, "For me, it's about playing with color, pattern, texture and the sharing of how to do it."