Selecting Fabric and Altering Fabric

Good Morning!
I am among the living. I'm not at 100% yet but that bug that jumped on me was a doozy.

Do you sometimes just need to touch your fabric stash? I do and I hope these two videos take you down that path and maybe another one that you haven't been down before. Remember I'm goofy about mixed media and this is where I mix it all together.

Inktense Faces

Just in case I don't get back here for a day or two, this five videos of 90+ minutes should keep you busy for a while.

Inktense Play

VIDEO No 3: Inktense Play
Just playing with Inktense and other media on fabric.

Playing the Videos

You will now be able to watch the videos. If the "play" ►arrow is in the bottom left corner, click on it and you can watch the video here on the blog. 

If you still get a privacy screen on the video, click on the video and it will take you to Viemo where you can watch it there. 

Please note that I am only changing the video settings when I post them here on the blog. So, for now you will not be able to see any of my private videos. 

There are 23 videos in the class. Eventually, they will all be for public view there at Viemo. I have 285 videos posted at Vimeo. Most are private class videos. Who knows, someday they may all be for public view. 

Enjoy,
Sharon

Inktense Color Library

Make an Inktense color library on cloth with all of your pencils.

Supplies are listed at the beginning of each video. You can pause the video if you need; however, for your convenience, I will list them here also. 

SUPPLIES FOR COLOR LIBRARY
muslin
freezer paper
micron pen
spray mister
Inktense pencils
brush
cheesecloth
iron and board

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WOW! yesterday was just like day one of a new class. A great thing except many were able to watch the video while a few were not. I'm sorry to say, I'm not sure I can help with that. 

A Studio Ironing Board

Just to get started with the class, Tree Castle Apron, here is a short video of me sharing how I made my studio ironing board. This is something I always wanted/needed and can't tell you how much I have enjoyed it. 

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It may take me a while to get the hang of presenting this on the blog. So, I wanted to let you know that I may post more than once each day or I may skip some days depending on time. Tis the season you know. I don't mean to string it out. It is just a lot to organize and post.

To keep up or watch in order, check the Class Index in the sidebar where each segment listed will be a link to the blog post.

Remember, because of privacy settings, you will only be able to view the video here at this blog. 

In The Spirit of Giving

What is this?

This is a free offering from my online class inventory.
I made a decision last year to close my classroom site and here I sit with all this good stuff.
Many of my "cloth loving" friends are discovering Inktense Pencils and I think I can offer a few tips.
In the spirit of giving, I want to share with anyone interested.

Here is how it will work:

• First, you can read all about the class, Tree Castle Apron below.
• I will post the videos, PDFs, and any other class content right here on this blog, The Cloth Side of Me. 
• It will show up as a regular blog post. This means as I post each class segment, it will be in reverse order.
• There will be a Class Index with links in the left side bar so you can enjoy the class in the correct order. 
• If you want to follow along, you might like to follow by email. The sign up for that is in the left side bar too.
• You will only be able to view the videos here at this blog.
• You will not be able to download the videos.

All you have to do is show up and enjoy.
I will be adding all of the class content just as it was originally presented.

♥ ♥ ♥ Tree Castle Apron ♥ ♥ ♥

a mixed media face painting and fabric collage project

 This is a technique and project class using
Inktense Pencils.

If you love painting faces, you will love discovering one more medium to paint with and one more substrate to paint on.

I share technique demonstrations from both my art studio and sewing studio. You will be able to follow along the videos and fun patterns to fashion a beautiful apron that you will want to wear every time you are in your studio.

This project is all about function and beauty. When you wear it while creating, you will feel special and full of inspiration.

 

You will need a sewing machine; however, if you love hand stitching, you can probably adapt with your own style.

A Prologue and Another Epilogue

After all was said and done, I had my own washing ceremony. It is simple. I ran Tim's Cloth through the washer and dryer on all normal settings. I've been anxious to wash it from the beginning. Not because it was dirty but because I wanted to see the "bloom" on the edges of the raw edge applique. It did not disappoint.

Another trip to the Garden Palace for a photo was the final stage of my washing ceremony.

♥♥♥

I do hope you, dear readers, were not bothered by all of the editing I did during this last week on each and every post of this blog. Actually, I edited each post numerous times. It was a nightmarish headache.

You may remember that my intention upon completion of Tim's Cloth was to make a blog book to accompany the gift. In short, I was not happy with the way some things were coming out and my only recourse was to edit on my end. I did and the book is on the way.

♥♥♥

This is the final chapter, another epilogue of sorts, of this project. But first, I wanted to share the Prologue that I wrote. I wanted Dear Timothy, the book, to have a preface to give my explanation about the how and why. To get the prologue at the beginning of the book, I had to trick blogger by back dating the Prologue blog post. It is the very first post of this blog; therefore you may not have seen it.

I'm sharing it again here.
♥♥♥  



Prologue
written October 2015

"Do not go where the path may lead,

Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

                                  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dear Timothy,
I found this quote on my Mother's fridge after she passed away. For many reasons, I hold it close to my heart. Tim's Cloth is where I veered off where there was no path and am now leaving a trail for you. 

When I first started down my own path, May 2010, I considered my audience to be all those known and unknown to me on the world wide web who might happen upon my trail.

On Monday, September 26, 2011, I understood my audience was you. Therefore, I began to address my post directly to you, Dear Timothy. 

Frequently, when I shared my thoughts, photos, discoveries, inspiration and explanations of construction, I found myself giving you bits of my learned experience in the form of advise to you. For example, one day I said, "...keep your eyes and heart open. And give your imagination a place to go." And on another day, "...sometimes we have to let go and just keep the beauty an inside memory." 

I hope you will discover these bits of me that I have left on this trail and know that my personal spirit, heart and soul is also left on the trail. 

I found the song birds and jungle birds; the shooting stars and wishing stars; the green moons and circles; the forest and jungle; the beast and dueling dragons; the flowers and garden path; the seasons and moon trees all there on the path that no one else had gone down. They are the spirit from my heart and soul....... 

And the love I have for you, Dear Timothy.

Epilogue

Epilogue

Dear Timothy,

I enjoyed every surprise, challenge and puzzle before me on this path. I also realized moments of pure joy.

I can't help but think about you keeping warm and hugged under the covers of Tim's Cloth. 

There are two things left to say. One is about the "storyline" still being blank. I think I will hold off on that until cold weather. I presume this is my way of not letting go yet. 

The second thing is a little puzzle for you. In one or more early post, I showed two components that did not make it into the cloth. I totally thought they were to be part of this cloth. Even though they are not, I chose to leave them in the book. Can you find them?  

With all my love,
Nana

The Finish

Dear Timothy,

Your cloth is finished!

I was trying my best to finish by the end of August. So I guess going over two days is good enough. I did my best. 

Your cloth turned out quiet large. As a matter of fact I had a hard time getting photos of the whole cloth. Turns out the only place that worked was in the Garden Palace on the parlor floor around noon.

Green Moons Forest

Around the big green moon

Dragoneosorus

dra-gone-o-so-rus

On the Back

Corners

Timothy, as with many of my big projects, at the very end and when all is finished and done, I am left without words for a few days. However, I will share here one revelation that merely came to me while trying to get final photos. 

It is about the dueling dragons. It is simple and only you and I will understand. I now recognize their symbolic presence on the backside. They came quietly from the dye pot and when they did, we both knew what they were. But who were they? They are us. You and me. Timothy and Nana. The dueling dragons. 

A Garden Path

Dear Timothy,

I left a narrow section between the log cabin and the fence border with several thoughts in mind about a connection. When the time came, well I'll just say that sometimes what is in my mind and what shows up in real life makes no connection. 

So I was back to square one, so to speak. Until out of the clear blue I remembered a left over piece of fabric that just might be so perfect.  And it was. 

I added a garden path around the log cabin. A garden path with leaves and flowers falling over it. I added a little bit of me and my love of flowers on the backside. And instead of a straight stitch quilting I am enhancing the leaf and floral design with simple embroidery stitching. 

Here it is. Five years ago I made myself and a dear friend an art apron with this gifted fabric. The textile design is very unique and I loved it so much that I really didn't think I could ever think of anything special enough to use the left over piece. It thrills me to add this garden path to the backside of your cloth. It feels just right and the perfect connection.  

I Think I Can I Think I Can

Dear Timothy,

Cause for celebration! I reached the last backside corner. All of the stitches from the front side are now well hidden with the stitching down of Grand Pa's shirts. I continue to stitch and stitch. I can see the end. "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can." 

Tim, I hope you remember the message in the child's book, The Little Engine That Could. It is a good lesson about hard work, thinking positive and perseverance.

Border Fence

Dear Timothy,

It's true. When it was time to flip it over and continue on the backside, I procrastinated. Not a good thing. 

But then at the beginning of 2015, I decided it was time to finish. I am determined to finish this year. 

So I sat many hours by the fireside and stitched. 

Then I stopped again. 

But here I am in June stitching. I finished the log cabin middle section. My plan was to create a fence-like border around the log cabin using Grandpa's shirt sleeves. I wanted them to look different so I did not run them through a green dye pot. 

You may remember when I started the backside using the shirt backs, I told you, "always know that GP's got your back". I thought a lot about that when I started the border fence with the shirt sleeves. Things like, now GP's got his arms around you. And I thought a lot about fencing things in or out and how symbolic that seems. I thought about borders and boundaries. 

I know, crazy Nana again. But do remember he is strong and I hope you will always feel his love as if his arms are really around you.  

Song Birds

Pink Song Bird

Song Birds

Song Birds

Black Song Bird

Yellow and Blue Song Birds

Yellow Song Bird

Blue Tail Song Bird

Green Song Bird

Song Bird

Song Bird

Summer Jungle

Dear Timothy,

It's official!
I have finished the stitching on the front side. As you can see, there were many little song birds in the summer jungle. Actually, I'm sure there are more but I am now going to flip it over and continue the backing. 

Summer Jungle

Last Jungle Corner Stitched

Dear Timothy, 
This is the last of the stitching left to do on the front side. Of course, there are lots of birds in this summer jungle still to be revealed. I've spotted several already; however, I think I will finish the quilt stitching before finishing the birds. And as cold as it is this week, I'm pretty sure I will be sitting in the chair happily stitching.

The birds make me happy too. 

Tim, listen to your heart to find your own happiness. And go for it.