Doodle art

Recently, doodling became a way of letting go. First I made a background.  Pick whatever colors I wanted, you say?  Okay.  I will and did.  But then it sat on my desk for two months.  I wasn't sure what I wanted it to look like or show or say or ...

You all know what I mean.

 

Last week lots of things went on at work that were so tragic and overwhelming I had to find a way besides journaling to release some tension, stress and grief.  I checked in on my favorite doodle master, Dawn Sokol Devries, via her website (http://www.dblogala.com/) and her books for inspiration.  The results of that time are below.  Although not as skilled as Dawn, I really enjoyed it.  I struggle with the letting go.  Give me a blank page to draw on and it remains a blank page.  I can copy anything I see (to a certain degree) but original drawings sometimes are a struggle.  But I'm very pleased with these doodles so far.

 

Try it!

 

Simple String Backpack Tutorial

Recently I got on a kick of sewing little backpacks.  First one for me and then I thought of all of the people in my life and all of the fabric I have in my stash.  So....guess what I did...Yes, made five more.  They were mother's day gifts for my mother, sister, niece and best college friend.  I got to keep two for myself!  Yay!  The lovely brown and white floral below as well as a royal blue canvas backpack. 

What I did was adapt several tutorials and ended up with the following:

1.  Cut two 18" wide x 1.25 yards long.  Sew them right sides together; turn and press. 
2.  Fold the fabric in half with the outside fabric well on the outside; press along the fold. 
3.  Cut two fusible web squares (2" square). Insert them in between the two fabrics and place one on each side (internally) close to fold.  These will stabilize the grommets.  Iron in place.
4.  Fold the raw edges down 1/2" and press.  Fold that same edge down 1.5" and press.  This makes the pocket for the cords. 
5.  Stitch the pockets in place.  THEN match up the pockets and stitch the sides from bottom to just below the pockets. 
6.  Use your grommet maker or pliers to add a grommet to both corners of the drawstring bag. 
7.  Use rope, ribbon, drapery cording or whatever you want to make the drawstrings.  You'll need two (2) 3.5 yard pieces.  Thread one through one pocket and back through the other (u-shape) and then through the grommet on the side where the two ends are .  You can either tie it or stitch it.  Thread the 2nd cable through  the pockets in the OPPOSITE direction of the first one, then through the grommet on the side of the two ends.  Again either tie it or stitch it. 
8.  DONE!  It is now lined and washable and very easy to pack. 

a sweet little drawstring backpack...

Sunday is Journal Day!

At least for me and over 15 other people who have signed up for my journal making class at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library this Sunday (9 June) at 1:00pm.  We'll be making journals like...  this one or this one or something totally different! 

Check with the library to see if there are any empty slots!   We will also have a gallery setup to watch the class if you are so inclined.    Hope to see you there.

Spring is here and so are classes

Spring is here in the Chicago area. The trees are gorgeous with their little buds and flowers. Having all of the windows open allowing the breeze to sweep through the house and freshen everything up is one of my favorite things. Recently, though it's been about cleaning out drawers, closets and cabinets. I find I need less and want less as the clutter can be overwhelming and even restrictive. So many new ideas and ways to look at things are coming at me without that clutter. I look at everything and see potential for another piece of art -- a quilt, a wallhanging, a canvas, and a journal. Inspiration comes regularly and at unusual times. As spring continues and summer approaches I wonder what other ideas will come to me. What classes can I take that will either teach me a new technique or just be a chance to share creative time with other like minded artists? What classes can you take to do the same? What new idea could you do with friends or even at your children's parties?

Check out the link detailing the classes we offer. Please contact us at sharilynn@twistedfiberstudiodotcom.

Happy Spring!

 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxtGe5X6YapYM25rLU1kMWtYeWM/edit?usp=sharing

Reminds me of my husband's sweet and loving proposal.

I imagine Bogart and McCall in a scene looking like this one.

Girlie dress...always a favorite for me. 

Classes now offered

Some of you know that we are teaching classes on various techniques and projects. It has been communicated mostly by word of mouth but it's time to put it out there --- so to speak. We are available to teach at your library, park district, community center, home, party, wherever! Our classes are fun, informative and some might say a little crazy (all in a good way).

As a natural extension of our desire to learn and share what we learn, it seemed like the "right" next step for us. We are continuing to develop classes that showcase techniques for you to use. We are almost professional students ourselves, taking classes from nationally renowned artists, learning techniques to use in our own artwork.

Our classes include:

Upcycled Book Page Wreath: Festive, elegant, recycled, and simple to make wreath from the pages of a book - literally!

Petite Images: Take a small canvas, use a little paint, fabric, paper, magic (and lots of other craft supplies) to make a petite treasure to hang on a wall near you!

Handmade Journals: Create a journal that fits your personality and recycle at the same time! Take a hard cover book, various scrapbook and watercolor papers, duct tape and heavy thread to make a basic journal. With the addition of collage, paint, ink, stamps and stencils, you will start simple and evolve into a unique, colorful, fun, and one of a kind journal for your art, thoughts, souvenirs and more.

Journal to Go! Get started faster with an easy button and string journal. Quick, fun, and limited only by your imagination. Or turn those maps you collect on your travels into a travel journal!

Handmade Flower Brooch and Hair Clips: Using your scrapbooking supplies, silk flowers, glue and findings, make your own hair clip or brooch.


We have several classes booked this spring. Email for details or to set up a class in your area.

New Journals!

I know it seems I've fallen off the face of the planet, but no not really.  Many areas of life kept me distracted from posting but not away from creating!  Four new journals and some lovely felt flower pins and hair clips.  What do you think?

 and then there is the jewelry -- felt flower pins. 

I have more to make but they are really fun and easy to make.  Tutorials are available on the internet.  Check them out and enjoy!

Accordian Journal

Well, the exploration continues into journal styles.  I happened across this idea and sat down with the supplies I had in the house (yes used my stash).   It's about the size of a wallet, with small mailing envelopes as the pockets and the pages of the journal.  The base is an old cereal box cut to size, paper to cover it, envelopes, ribbon and a button.  But now that I'm looking at it again, what if I used fabric instead of paper to cover it?  FYI the "button" is actually a scrapbooking brad that matched and some ribbon that just wrapped around to close the entire thing. 

This journal is going on my next trip to collect all of my little souvenirs but it would work for just about anything, receipts, coupons, lists, anything.  Enjoy! 

  

Thank you to the...

great group of ladies at the Wauconda Area Public Library who took our wreath making class last night.   Sue and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves; you are all a whole lot of fun.   All of the wreaths created with book pages are fantastic and will look wonderful in your homes.  See for yourself - here are two photos.

  

 

We are looking forward to coming back this summer to teach more classes.  Yes the journal class is definitely on our list.  See you soon and enjoy!



Thursday's class

This past Thursday, I was at the Indian Trails Public Library, to teach my handmade journal class.  What an uUnbelievably cold and windy day.  The class wasn't going to be very large but this wonderful January-in-Chicago weather may have chased a few away.  We had a small but fun class.  A young lady joined her older sister, thinking she'd just hang out with us.  My immediate response was "she can make one too."  Her sister had assumed that she couldn't since it was a class for teens BUT all we had to do was help her with the sharp tools (awl and needle) and she could make her own journal.  An art book as she named it. 

We all thoroughly enjoyed her skull decorations with their googly eyes (thanks to Sarah Heimsoth at the library for finding those).  Very nicely done.  I hope you can see the detail in their photos below. 

Do you see the eyes? One of them has one red eye and one black eye!