Finishing things is good

Trust me!!
I've been working tirelessly on my pieces for the show. And last nite, on Valentines' Day, a day of love, I finished a piece I love, in a technique that is near and dear to my heart. <3 <3
The Knitted portrait of a WWII Factory Worker is now complete. All the yarn ends have been woven in, and it is currently sitting pinned out on a foam rubber square drying from it's blocking process, which in knitting sets the stitches.
Here is a shot of it freshly pinned and sprayed early this morning.
Plus, the quilted piece is stitched together, waiting to have the quilting stitches done, and then the hand stitching details.
Though this weekend I tried my hand at quilling, since it is the one technique I'm using for this project that I've never done before. I made this flower and turned it into a card.
I'm feeling frantic and worried that the days are counting down, but things are moving forward and all I can do is do my best work.

Happy making to you all!

One Down, Four to Go

I finished and framed the first portrait. It's nice to have one completely done, but at the same time, there is still a lot of work to be done.

There is one to quilt-

There is one to knit-

There is one to quill-

and one to press-


Hopefully everyone elses' work is progressing along too. Now my only issue is that it's February, the 3rd day of it. Phil has seen his shadow, there will be 6 more weeks of winter, but I only have 23 days to finish the remaining portraits!

A Quilter's Thumb: Making this Possible

So I've been spending my time embroidering the WWI portrait. Thanks to my Quilter's Thumb, I've been able to work on it day after day. I think that little piece of leather with a small round metal bit in the tip is the best invention in the world! I actually started writing an ode to it the other nite when I couldn't sleep, but sadly I forgot all those wonderful words when I woke.
But here are some not so fabulous webcam pictures of the work in progress. I know the quality isn't great, but it's a webcam, and it was accessible. Got a lot to do, so back to the grind.

A Productive Morning...

.... Leads to warm fuzzy feelings of moving forward.
So far today:
-I bought color cards and color knitting books from knitpicks. This yarn is the perfect weight and has a huge selection of colors, so I'm sure to find just what I'm looking for!
-A flower press that you put in the microwave to dry and press in one step, and they say the color retention is good. I'm now thinking that if I pre-press and dry the petals they will be easier to manipulate into my image. Now I just need to decide on the proper backing material and finishing coat. But I have a friend asking a friend who works in the floral design field for an professional opinion, so let's hope for a good answer!
-Plus i got some quilling paper and 2 books from amazon too, so i now have my materials for that piece too and I was totally inspired by this quilled typography that DJ sent me the link to

Plus the fact that as of this weekend I have the final layouts for each of the 5 portraits, which means I can start the pieces. Time to pick one, and begin. I'm thinking of starting with the embroidered one, since I have all of the materials here. Once I get the outlines penciled onto the fabric, it's just hours worth of stitching to go.

Hope everyone else is starting to feel that forward momentum towards their goals for this show!
-Meghan

A rose by any other name....

Gearing up for the holidays makes me ponder what life was like at different times in history. I often find my mind wandering to some of those classic stories that involve Christmas. I think of "A Christmas Carol" as many do, but oddly, my mind always wanders back to the holiday scene in "Little Women". There was a war going on, but despite a missing patriarch, life seems to have moved on like normal. It makes me reflect on how in many was, despite the fact that we are in what appears to be a never ending war in Iraq & Afghanistan, life here on the homefront seems to continue on, much as it ever has.
With that, I've written my description of the portrait series. Here it is for you all
-Meghan

Archetype: Women of War
A series of 5 Portraits-

1. Revolutionary War- Water Woman, 2010
cotton & synthetic fabric, poly fiber batting, thread
2. Civil War- Bandage Rollers, 2010
paper, cardboard & glue
3. World War I- Red Cross Nurse, 2010
cotton embroidery floss, canvas
4. World War II- Factory Worker, 2010
wool yarn
5. Current Iraq War- Soldier, 2010
rose petals on canvas

A series of 5 portraits showing working women of character during great wars in American history. A Woman's place in history has always been defined by what they were allowed to do; their skills were valued differently by the times in which they lived. Each portrait is created using a traditionally feminine craft technique: quilting, quilling, embroidery, knitting and pressed flowers. These skills and pastimes were appropriate for a girl of good upbringing, one who shows her obedience to family and country by doing what is proper. Her value to society was defined by how well she could behave in social situations, and how masterfully she could preform these feminine skills. By using these craft forms as the processes for creating the portraits of these women who stepped outside societal boundaries in times of crisis, women who wanted to give to their country and it's fighting men a helping hand, the artist hopes to highlight the fact that despite historical leanings, women have been contributing members of the war front since the beginning. This culminates in the final portrait of the female soldier in the current Iraqi war. This piece is made using pressed rose petals, which, depending on color have specific meanings and were a way for a man to show his feelings for a lady without speaking the words. Here, being paired with the strongest image of a woman's role in war, of being an equal to the men around her, here she is made from petals, she is truly as delicate as a flower, and as beautiful as a rose.

Strong Women of Wars

So I've had one of those epiphany moments that wakens you in the night and forces you to write it down. Well, except for the fact that it was an early evening nap, and not at night that I was awoken, but you get the picture.
I want to make 5 pieces for our next show. Each of them will be made using a "traditionally feminine" craft technique: pressed flowers, knitting, quilting, embroidery & quilling. I want these pieces to be portraits of womens' roles during wars and the way they've been "allowed" to change over time. I want to do: The Revolutionary War Water Pitcher Ladies, The Civil War Bandage Rollers, World War I Red Cross Nurses, World War II Factory Workers & The current Iraq War Soldiers.
My plan is to use each of the techniques to make one of the portraits, so right now I am at the point when I searching for good reference images for each of the portraits I'd like to do, as well as searching out the materials I will need and the style for each technique.
I'm really looking forward to our next meeting, in a few weeks, but especially due to the fact that we are planning on visiting the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck. I've been wanting to go for years, and couldn't think of a better group to go with. And right about now, it's all you guys you are so supportive, that is making all this job and house stuff easier, Thanks!
-Meghan