New Extreme Embroidery Project

Not long ago, I bought a Yazzii bag. What is a Yazzii bag you might ask, well...at my last retreat, one of my friends had a small bag with her. She had it filled with her wool applique supplies. She had decorated the front of it with the cutest wool applique project. I really loved it and thought it would be very useful, and decided I "needed" one. I ordered one that was a bit larger than hers. This is what mine looked like when I got it. I put the ruler beside it so you could see how large it is.

(I know, I know...you are saying what's the big deal--why did she want one of these "ugly" bags.) Well, this is what my bag looks like now. I decided to draw a design and use my "extreme embroidery" to decorate the front of the bag.

I took the "ugly," undecorated bag with me on our trips to Colorado, Arkansas, and Lake of the Ozarks (which we did the last three weeks). I worked on my "extreme embroidery" for the cover while we were gone. It is REALLY a good thing I can stitch in the car. I finished it during the trip and appliquéd it to the bag when I got home. Here is how I did the finishing.

I blocked the piece and colored around the edges of the embroidery using my black Pentel Gel Roller for Fabric. (In this picture, you can see I have colored around three of the edges--not the top.)

I finished coloring the edges and cut it out.

I was a bit concerned about the middle of the embroidery piece being too loose, so I added MistyFuse the front of the bag. (Just enough so it would be covered by the embroidery.)

I also covered the back of the embroidery with MistyFuse and ironed it (MistyFuse to MistyFuse) to the bag. (Jane Dunnewold told us in a class I took from her that if you want something to stay fused when using MistyFuse put MistyFuse on BOTH pieces.) After fusing, I used a blanket stitch to attach the edges to the bag. I'm pleased with it.

I got my "large" Yazzii bag from Amazon here, but it is available from lots of places. The bags come in other sizes and colors. Mine is about three inches deep and has eight different pockets along with a deep compartment where I store balls of pearl cotton. I'm really happy with it. (I'm not affiliated with Amazon or Yazzii in any way. I'm just a happy customer.)

I'm off to visit my sister and head to another retreat (my first of three in October)! I'm hoping to have some retreat photos to share with you. Stay tuned.

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23rd Annual Juried Art Exhibition at Krempp Gallery

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had a piece juried into an exhibit here in Jasper, IN, at the Krempp Gallery held during the month of September. Well, yesterday I finally had a chance to see the exhibit.

This show is an "all-media" show. There was only one fiber piece in the entire show (as often happens in exhibits like this)--mine...

My piece, "Then We Pray"

This piece ("Residuum" which was labeled "mixed media") by Gweneth Dunleavy. I would consider it a fiber entry too (although she didn't list it as such in her description).

There was sculpture

(Top--"Aquagirl," limestone, by Eric Harmon; Middle--"Pseudochlea," foam and fiberglass, by Bob Zasadny; Bottom--"Hyperbolic Parabolids," foam and fiberglass, by Bob Zasadny)

(Left--"Crossing Over," mixed media, by Pamela Deaton; Right--"Safe Haven," mixed media, by Pamela Deaton)

and LOTS and LOTS of drawing and oil painting (again typical for an "all-media" exhibit).

(Top Left--"Southwestern," Honorable Mention, oil, by Wyatt LeGrand; I didn't get the name of the apple painting; "Great Gray Pumpkin," Honorable Mention, acrylic on canvas, by Kathy Houghton; Left Middle--"Shop Talk," pastel, by Laura Pommier; Bottom Left--"Building Demolition," Honorable Mention, oil on canvas, by Todd Snyder; Right--both pieces by Charlene Jobe, oil on linen)

I think it is always interesting to see what the juror chooses for awards. The top left was given an "Award of Excellence," the top right was given an "Award of High Honor," and the bottom was given the "Best of Show."

(Top Left--"Sentinel," oil on canvas; Top Right--"Shenandoah: Daughter of the Stars," oil on canvas; Bottom-"Sisterhood," pastel, by Laura Pommier)

Of course, I haven't shown you nearly ALL of the exhibit. If you'd like to see it in person, it will be open through September 30th, 2016. The Krempp Gallery (in Jasper, IN) is open Monday-Friday-8:30 am-5:00 pm, Thursday's- 8:30 am-7:00 pm, and Sunday's-Noon-3:00 pm.

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