What's In a Name Giveaway

In case you missed it (and if you don't subscribe to Cloth Paper Scissors online Embellishments newsletter, you missed it), I did a brief interview about this thing we refer to as paper-cloth or cloth-paper. It's both, really, so what to call it? We discarded Maper (material-paper) and Ploth (paper cloth) as too clunky. I'd love to come up with a great term that describes it, so I'm eliciting suggestions here.

Because I need to celebrate so many things...Stitch Alchemy has been hovering around the #1 spot in quilting, sewing and papercrafts on Amazon; this is my 500th blog post and our awesome Mustang Bullitt just won a trophy (unrelated but I'm still celebratin'), I want to give something away if you'll post your naming ideas in the comments.

I'll pick a random name as the giveaway winner on August 15 and mail them a copy of the Quilting Arts Workshop: Stitch Imagery DVD. This is a one hour dvd that will show you how to turn a photo into fabric art. If you already have that, we'll work out a deal for something else! Because I can't for the life of me figure out how to request your email address in my comment box, consider following me on twitter. I'll announce the winner here and there.

The first suggestions come from Debra A: CLOTHINPAPER or MATERIAL MEDIUM or ALTERED PAPER. All very compelling. What ya got for me?

Stitch Imagery Charm Bracelet

This project was created for Embellishments, the great newsletter from Cloth Paper Scissors. Here is a link to the directions, and be sure to sign up for the newsletter here to get great projects in your email.

Let the Drum Rolls Roll!

With glee, I accepted this package from the postman. Lovely Rebecca from Interweave wrapped it in butterflies and sent it to me overnight. This was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done, and it's a joy to see the final product sitting here on my studio table. Now I get to read the dedications to all the people I love and let them know just how much their support has meant to me. May all of your dreams come true, as mine have!

To celebrate this occasion, I'm going to have some giveaways...I have some artwork, some supplies and some extra copies of my favorite magazine Cloth Paper Scissors that I'd like to move out into the creative community. Check back soon.

Just Sketchin'

I've been enjoying taking my sketchpad with me around town. I often find myself waiting....waiting for daughter to be released from school, waiting for the doctor, waiting for lunch...just waiting. So I have been sketching scenes out of magazines. You may recognize some of these from the magazines you read! I find that this is a good way to make the big picture two-dimensional. Let the photo do it for you. Begin by reproducing the basic outlines, then embellish and go off in directions of your own. I use a Pitt artists pen and prefer glossy, coated paper for pen and ink. I'm learning to be brave and just let the lines flow without penciling them in first. These are all just spontaneous drawings. I edit and correct by going over lines again with the pen. Have confidence in your lines, then clean up afterwards.

Summer Photos

Just a few summer views around home. The first treat from the garden, the shadow of a fern in the woods and a reading nymph.

Poker Face

Jo Ann Bryan showed me her poker face with this great stitched image she made after watching Stitch Imagery workshop. She made this textile piece as a gift for her friend. I love the vivid colors and the fun subject. I'm a big Texas Hold'em player myself. Who wouldn't love to have that big stack of chips? Great work!

Poppet Work

It's funny. I think that my vision of myself differs from reality. My family is taking a course of DBT or dialectical behavioral therapy, and I am learning so much. In one lesson we learned that it's no good to ask for directions from Chicago if you live in Detroit but are simply in denial about it (apologies to my east side friends). Your directions won't work unless you are realistic about where you live. Well, I seem to have this idea about myself that I appreciate simple patterns. Realistically, I can't help but complicate things. I was going to just stuff these dolls, but I find myself embroidering them and beading them into oblivion. I may love to look at a spartan zen garden, but I'm more of a blowsy, overgrown garden myself. I can appreciate them in their simple state, but my hands must be from Detroit. I may try to stitch some up that are not embellished, but I'm going to have to admit that I am never going to create much that's not busy busy busy. If I have to ask for directions, I'm from busy (Detroit), not from elegantly simple (Chicago). Darnit. I'd hate to end up in Poughkeepsie when I was trying to go to Seattle.

Cheerful

This is the cheerful view of my desk on a slighly cloudy July 4 morning. Perhaps a little bit of stitching before I head off to a fireworks party on the lake. The colored fabrics behind the stuffed kitty poppet are some dryer sheets I dyed yesterday. It's a good thing my family is not very tidy, as I scored a bunch of these used ones strewn about the laundry room. From their disorganization arises art. Hah!

Complete Disregard

I believe that what we have here is complete disregard for the art. Hey, these pillows appear on season 4 of Quilting Arts TV, not to mention their foray into Cloth Paper Scissors. "Your pea is very comfortable but the pepper is crowding my style."