Material Musings - Textile Art Project Update

 

Welcome to Material Musings where we will see the progress made in the current projects that I am working on in the studio.

I have been moving each of the projects on a bit at a time throughout the week, each of them has something different, and I tap into that depending on the sort of work that I want to do on each.

I have added the beading to this one and additional stitching and I think that it is finally coming together.  It definitely has been a journey getting them complete, I think that I assumed that they would take less time to complete.

This piece is made up of wax resist and dyed fabric, lots of slow stitching, and beading.  The figure that I use on the piece is one of my digital downloads available on my Etsy store - HERE

When you are approaching your projects don't try and rush through them, especially if you work somewhat intuitively, there is always something that catches your eye that wants to be added, so I just enjoy the process.

Next week on Material Musings I will be sharing some of the ways in which I source my fabric embellishments.

Before You Go

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Arts and Wellness Cafe - Creative Living

Arts and Wellness Cafe 

Welcome to the first of many Arts and Wellness Cafe.  It has been a minute and I wanted to share with you for the end of February.  Well here we are now in March and time has already passed so quickly.

In this Arts and Wellness Cafe, it truly is as if you passed by with none the frills and bells that editing can sometimes offer you.  

In this episode I share some of the projects that I have been working on and what I hope to get to over the course of the month.

I hope you are blessed and that you come back next time and spend some time in the Arts and Wellness Cafe.

I am Starting a 100-Day Project - This is Week 1

I am beginning another 100 Day Project - This year I will be sharing 100 Days of Leaf Art!

Starting a 100-day project is both exhilarating and a little daunting. But imagine the joy of seeing your creativity unfold daily, step by step, through a project that connects you with nature and mixed media techniques. I just love it.  You can check out some of the other 100 day projects that I did on the blog!

I have been creating art on leaves for a while now and have found some of the styles and techniques that I prefer. 

In this journey, I’ll be continuing to work with dried leaves, using a wood-burning tool, stitching patterns, adding fabric clusters, and layering mixed media elements to explore the beauty of leaf art and you will also see some of my favorite ones that I created previously as well as new ones.

Are you ready to make the commitment?

There is something special about committing to a long-term creative challenge. It pushes you to develop discipline, embrace new ideas, and uncover inspiration in unexpected places. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed at the beginning, but by focusing on one small creative step each day, progress naturally builds.

The 100 Day Project started officially on 22nd February.  I am sharing my completed leaves at the end of each week on a Friday, over the 100 days so today you get to see the first set of 7 leaves.  

Creative Tip: Experiment with different types of leaves or styles to see which ones work best for your style.

Encouragement: The hardest part is starting! Show up with an open heart and allow your creativity to flow. Give yourself grace to experiment without expectations. and don't feel pressured to post every day, decide on a posting schedule to suit you.

Want to go deeper? Join me in my Leaf Arts - Transforming Nature into Art course for guided lessons on leaf art techniques!  Yes, I have created a course to share my love for working on leaves, and I hope to work with more natural fibers over time.  Come and join us on the course and learn to create your own beautifully designed leaves!

Creating Faces - Mixed Media Art, FREE Background papers

Creating a Face: Transforming Free Papers into Unique Art

I had so much fun working on this page! There’s something special about taking existing materials and making them entirely your own.

For this piece, I started with the papers from the FREE Tier and reworked them.

These papers are designed to be versatile -you can use them as they are, or you can completely transform them by layering, painting, or experimenting with mixed media techniques.

Ways to Make These Papers Your Own

If you're looking for ways to customize them, here are some ideas to spark your creativity:

Paint Over It – Add washes of color, bold brushstrokes, or subtle shading to shift the mood and texture of the paper.  You can also do some mark making on the papers as well - or even some stitching.

Working with Background Papers

One of the things I love about working with the background papers is that they serve as a great starting point for your creativity. Whether you follow their existing designs or completely change them, the creative process is all about making it your own.

If you’ve used the free papers in your work, I’d love to see what you’ve created! Let me know in the comments - how do you like to alter and personalize your materials?

Access the papers for FREE on my Patron Page.  

If you would like to see the video process for these papers you can sign up for the 7 Day FREE Trial on my $3 Tier.  While you are there you can check out some of the other posts and digital downloads.