Journal

Random Musings on Art and LIfe

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How to Sign a Stitched Painting

August 20, 2021
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In preparation for my first gallery show, I had to solve the problem of how to sign a stitched painting. The pieces were finished. They were stretched on internal frames. They were absolutely ready for the packing crate. Except that… oops!… Nothing had a signature! Now I knew I could sign the back of the…

A Bit of Play with Kaleido-Designs

October 26, 2017
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There’s nothing like teaching to set a person’s mind to learning something properly. With my classes at the All Things Silhouette conference coming up, I’ve been doing a lot of playing with a concept I call Kaleido-Designs. I’m having tons of fun with this. When I designed the Kaleidoscope Rubbing Plates, I did the doodles…

Studio Essentials: Finding the Sweet Spot

May 25, 2017
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After three months in Chapala with  (very) limited supplies, I found my home studio more than a bit overwhelming. With several decades worth of art supplies on hand, it’s a miracle I get anything done! It’s time to remove the distractions and get down to a smaller set of Studio Essentials. Rather than just “thinking”…

Talavera Flourish Experiment

April 20, 2017
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Over the past few weeks, I started digging into the treasure trove of Talavera designs on the dishes in my kitchen. The sheer volume of possibilities was a bit daunting, so I picked a single design motif for a Talavera Flourish experiment. [Tweet “A single motif is a great place to begin a design experiment.”]…

BYO Batik: A Renegade Stencil Experiment

November 24, 2016

With time set aside for experiments with Renegade Stencils during my retreat, I decided it was time for some BYOB. In case you’re feeling like you’ve encountered yet another strange word in the “Shelly Dictionary,” BYOB stands for Build Your Own Batik. We’ll save the bottled spirits for another time! [Tweet “Build your own Batik…

Renegade Stenciling with Liquid Paints

October 27, 2016
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If you’ve been hanging around Cedar Canyon for more than a day or two, you know that I’m a huge fan of Shiva Artist’s Paintstiks. I love them for stenciling on fabric because they don’t run, drip, or seep under the edges of my stencils. So, imagine my surprise when an experiment with Renegade Stencils…

Water Lily Quilt: A Touch of Hawaii Without All The Work

September 29, 2016
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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] As I was looking through the original samples from the Paintstiks on Fabric book, I was reminded how far we have come on this Paintstik adventure. I say “we” because it really has been a shared journey. I have had the opportunity to teach thousands of students and readers to use Paintstiks on fabric,…

My Urban Computer Satchel is Finally Done!

July 14, 2016

At long last, my Urban Computer Satchel is complete! This is one project that turned into a marathon, and I’m thrilled to cross the finish line. [Tweet “An off-road adventure with an Urban Computer Satchel is finally over.”]   I used Brenda Miller’s Urban Computer Satchel pattern and her hardware kit. (I love, love, love…

Are Artists Cheating With Technology?

June 30, 2016
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I had interesting conversations with two friends during the past week. In the first conversation, one friend said some of the art quilters she knew were dead set against using “techie” helpers (even things like Thermofax screens) for making art. Essentially, the argument was we (those of us embracing a new tool) were somehow cheating…

Silhouette Glossy Vinyl for Fabric Art

June 9, 2016
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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] I’ve been getting a lot of questions about vinyl as the Silhouette for Fabric Art course gets underway. What works? What doesn’t? To answer these questions, let’s take a look at the new Silhouette Glossy Vinyl and answer the all important question, “Will it work for fabric art?” [Tweet “Do the Silhouette brand vinyls…

Renegade Stenciling At A Birthday Bash

May 12, 2016
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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] As much as I love playing in my studio, I’m still a kid that likes to play with my friends. Last weekend, I headed down to the Twin Cities for a bit of Renegade Stenciling with my sister Sharon.     We’re celebrating Sharon’s 4th Bonus Year this week. Four years ago, she was…

Add Zip To Your Zippers With Custom Vinyl Stencils

May 5, 2016
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Several weeks ago, I was working on my Urban Computer Satchel. After I added the facing strips to the zipper on the front of the bag, Art Brain called a time-out and tossed the whole thing squarely into Project Purgatory. She (Art Brain) was Not Happy with those little facing strips! To rescue a project…