Wolf's Den

So 2 of the 3 scarves are ready, photographed and waiting for their photos to be finished with editing, so they can be listed in my shop.

DawnFire is taking abit longer as I'm doing something somewhat elaborate with the beads on that one.

Did finally decide to go ahead and list the variation of Cosmos I and II (see-here for example) , so that'll be listed as well. The variation is that this one doesn't have the sponge painting.

Ok, back to editing photos.

DawnFire, WiP, closeup by *WolfSilverOak on deviantART

Trio is 3 different Habotai silk scarves I am currently working on. Fresh from the pole, 2 are Arashi, 1 is Bomaki.

I'm also working on another beadwork piece, as yet to be named.

A piece just doesn't want to be photographed properly.

Case in point is my Spirit of the Cove piece.

I took 2 sets of photos of that piece. Both on sunny days.

tHe first time, they came out so badly backlit, that you couldn't edit the photos to see the details without ruining the integrity of the photos. Today, I retook them, and while I'm still not entirely happy with them, you can definitely see details and they were a vast improvement.

Knowing me, I'll retake them again sometime, in an attempt to improve them.}:)

But for now, I guess they'll have to do.

I have a new scarf waiting for its beadwork trim. I need certain charms to go on it, and have to wait until payday to order them. It's a very interesting scarf, one that Mark gave me the idea of doing. Not my colors, certainly, but someone will love it.

I am also getting ready, as soon as I move Max off the design table, to fold an Indigo base dyed scarf to prepare it for shibori. This one, if it does what I want, should come out gorgeous, with blue undertones and red and purple highlights.

I still need to finish my EBW Monthly Challenge piece. I still have roughly 12 more inches of branched fringe to do, then to attach the main componant and bead it. SHOULD be finished by next weekend, I hope. Also need to finish the commissioned piece for the guy from Mark's work. That will only take a few hours, tops, though, so not too worried about that.

Back to work I go...

Polished Bronze I by *WolfSilverOak on deviantART

Ocean Dreams has been listed for sale.




I have 3 more in various stages, that should be ready by Friday(listed by Friday, photos as soon as Thursday afternoon), in 3 different color palates. So keep an eye out. First come, first serve. Remember, there is only ONE of each. Colors can be duplicated, but there will never be another one of the very first ones.

I create something that just blows me away. That completely catches me off guard and vastly exceeds my highest expectations. That makes you not want to stop taking photos of it. Today, a piece has done that once again.

I wrapped this silk scarf the same night I wrapped the Water shibori. I just unwrapped it today.

I let it completely dry, then rinsed the hel out of it while still on the pole, washing it with synthrapol as well, to get as much excess dye out as possible. When the water ran clear, I let it drain, then laid it over the heater vent to dry over night.

I had a name for this piece before I even had it dyed. I knew what I wanted and how I wanted it to look. I got that and so much more....

( More... )

So this year I got a late start, but I finally got my seeds started last night.

( Continued.... )

So I was wrapping some Kona cotton for shibori, in an attempt to approximate what I created earlier. I knew my fingers were getting sore but little did I know that I not only developed a blister in the top bend of my right pinkie, but that I'd ripped it clean open.

I also have a blister on the inside of my left middle finger. Guess the left pinkie is toughened up enough for pulling FireLine, cause it's tender but no blisters.

That goes to show you exactly how hard I pull on the string when wrapping fabric for shibori.

Let that be a lesson to you.}:P

So I signed up for the shibori fat eigth swap on the Dyehard list. 8 fat eigths that you dye in the shibori style(any shibori technique) and send in for 8 different pieces of shibori dyed fabric by 8 other people.

I just finished unwrapping and washing out my yard of Kona fabric I did for the swap.


(Unwrapped from the pole, ready to be washed/rinsed)

I used Kona cotton and Procion MX Old Rose dye.


(closeup prior to washing)

I have a problem now, though.


(another closeup)

I don't want to cut it up now.

(One of these days I'll remember that it's 2008 not 2007 when I 'sign' my photos. *headdesk*)


(rinsing)

Heck, I liked what it looked like right off the pole, unwashed and unrinsed.}:P Ah well, I don't have time to do another, so I guess I'll have to cut this piece up.}:)

I do have 9 more yards of Kona, so I guess I best get to wrapping some more cause I want a piece for myself now! LOL


(hung to drip dry)

And of course, I know I'll need to dye up some to sell, as my hand dyes always did sell quite well. Guess I know what I'm doing this weekend in between workingh on my Bead Dreams beadwork.}:)

'Indigo Ferns', Sunprinted 100% Stonewashed Crepe De Chine Silk ScarfSOLD

MOST CURRENTLY Listed Items are now 50% OFF.

All Silk Scarves- 50% OFF

All Chainmaille- 50% OFF

All Fabrics- 50% OFF

SELECTED Beadwork- 50% OFF

Everything not mentioned- 50% OFF


Prices have been adjusted already.

Involves these..



The 30 cups of Kona and dye that were in my closet a week or so ago. They've since been rinsed, dried, colors chosen for the Mariner's Compass Quilt that Jess will be helping me with and now they have been used in my latest project..

From this...



63 approx. 5"x6" squares spread across the design table and edge of my desk. (Anyone notice Max sleeping in the box?)

To this...



Sewn, by hand, into 7 rows of 9 squares, totaling 48.5"long x 39.5" wide. It'll have a 2" border around it and at least .5" binding, with ROUNDED CORNERS. }:P

The majority of the squares meet at the corners and line up perfectly. But there are a few that are off by a quarter inch at most. But that's ok, I have an embellishment plan to hide those imperfections.

Finished, it'll be approx. 51"long x 42"wide. A good lap quilt size. And this one, for now, will be mine. Maybe I'll enter it into a few shows, maybe I won't. Doesn't really matter, cause this one is being done for me this time.}:P

Now I need to go rinse the fabrics for the borders , binding and backing. More photos on the progress as it moves along.

Since when do the corners on an ARTQUILT have to be exactly 90 degrees?? They weren't made to have mitered corners. That's not part of the overall design.

Since when does the binding on an ARTQUILT have to be exactly straight?? They weren't made to be perfectly straight, for crying outloud. (On Fire At Dawn, FIRE itself isn't straight, and the design wasn't made to be straight either. Nor was it made to have an overabundance of quilting.)

Since when does there have to be, on an ARTQUILT, tons of quilting?? No one ever heard of less is more???

In otherwords, I just got the critiques from the first of 2 shows, and all of them say the same thing. And yes, I stated in the submission forms all of this. I don't think they read them.

Also, why can't they have an artquilt catagory intead of simply a Miniature catagory. Grr.

Overall, I got 'Satisfactory/Satisfactory+' across the board. Which is better than last year. So I guess that's something.

Several photos.. as well as beadwork..( here... )

I have 2 silk scarfs stewing in dye. No photos tonight, I'm tired , outta spoons and don't feel like editing them for upload. So you'll get them tomorrow evening possibly.

One in deep cranberry and spruce blendings. The other is suspended over golden pineapple and will have probably ecru done over the rest of it.
Should be interesting.

Mark got me 5 hospital/vet tech smock type shirts from work awhile back so I could wear them while dyeing. I guess he got tired of me ruining my Tshirts.}:P They're quite comfy and it's rather nice to be able to simply wipe my dye covered hands on my shirt without worrying about ruining it. LOL.

Wore the first one yesterday while trying my hand at 'shaving cream dyeing'. It's basically the cheating way of marbling. The first two Fat Quarters I'm not super impressed with, Mark likes them, says they look like 'pastels' (eww). So I bought more shaving cream today (hey, Barbasol was 99cents a can, don't knock it) and tried again with less water and longer stew time. I'm thinking the dye may need some Thiox to thicken it abit so it's not as runny when the shaving cream loses it's foaminess. We'll see.

Currently uploading nearly 1k in photos from my 2gig photocard prior to completely wiping it. This is taking awhile.

Heading the the Medieval Faire at Green Hill Park tomorrow. Must remember to take the camera. Black Diamond is supposed to be holding a demo there, even though they're not listed on the site. Hrm. Avi said she'd see me there, so we'll see. His parents are in town, so while we're going with a neighbor, Kat and Dale are taking them and we'll most likely run into them there. Had dinner with them tonight, was supposed to go to breakfast in the morning, but we're heading out too early to meet up, so oh well.

Mark wants to go to War of the Wings II now. He's been talking to the guy at work to see if he absoultely has to be there that weekend. He ordered his rapier stuff yesterday, to replace what was essentially stolen, and is waiting quite anxiously for it to arrive. *rolls eyes* And he's whining about his armor not being finished yet. *rolls eyes again*

Need to find the rest of my damn garb so I can alter the black skirt and white underskirt to fit again and find my green shirt as well as *my* belt. I know it's in the closet.. it's just a matter of moving the stuff in front of the door to actually get in there and look. Kat says she's not wearing garb(she doesn't have any), so not to feel bad if I want to go 'mundane', but I've been SCAdian long enough to know, even with a 6 year 'break', that I'd feel conspicuous about it.

Camera's done transfering- 910 pictures, duplicates (of which there were probably 100 or so) not transfered. Heh.

Need to renew our SCA membership before that week too, so we'll have our blue cards prior to the event, or at least a receipt saying we're card carrying members, damn it. And hopefully some spending money after we pay bills.

Avi mentioned that she and Rook were planning to merchant at WoWII, I mentioned my chainmaille jewelry, gave her the website addy to go take a look at it and see if they would be interested in possibly carrying some of it. Would be a good place to make a little more money than what I am at Etsy. Been looking at Yessy too. Not a bad deal, no selling fees, a 59.00 yearly site fee. And a quick perusal reveals that while there are silk scarf sellers there, they are well above or at what I sell mine at, as well as totally different. A search for 'shibori' revealed nothing. Might be the place to try come Jan 1.

Have to find some steel wool. Got vinegar, just need the steel wool. Oh, and another spray bottle. Don't ask, just wait and see.

I'm fed up.

With what? Go here...

What am I doing about it for now? Getting rid of everything currently listed at rock bottom prices.

After Jan 1st, or everything sells, then I'll decide whether it's worth it to continue beating my head againest the brick wall there and trying not to be undercut by copycats or if it'd be worth finding another venue.


Don't worry, I'll continue to dye new stuff, it'll just get offered through here first until Jan 1st.

Oh wait, wrong song. Sorry.

Actually, I have 30 cups of dye in the closet.



See? All lined up in a row, each with a piece of Kona cotton in it. Stewing away. In a few, I'll had a solution of soda ash. No, I'm doing that tomorrow, that way I don't completely exhaust the dye and render it useless before I get every. last. bit.. erm, sorry. That way I can dye up a few silk scarves with some of the colors in there.}:P

The list reads like a grocery list actually- Butterscotch, Mocha, Eggplant, Vanilla Bean, Hollandaise, Harvest Wheat, Curry, Spicey Plum, Sage, Golden Pineapple, Cranberry, Pumpkin Spice, Watermelon and so on. Heh.

Why?, you may ask. Well, I'm auditioning colors for the only 'traditional' quilt I'll ever have a hand in making. This one as a matter of fact-



Cool, huh? I've always wanted to either make a Mariner's Compass or own one. Now I can do both. My friend, Jess, up in Vermont will be doing the actual piecing. See, it'll be a collaborative work. I'm dyeing the fabrics, she's doing the machine piecing and I'm doing the quilting and actual putting together of the quilt.}:P I'm thinking that maybe if I really try, I can get it done in time for next year's quilt shows. Which is why I'm really glad to have that quilt frame now.


Speaking of quilt shows, I went to Alpine Sewing to drop my entries off today. Man, I've been here over 6 years and always thought that place was just a sewing machine store. Not only do they have sewing machines, they have embellishments such as Angelina fibers, books and thread galore. I restrained myself and walked out with a nifty package of Angelina-




This stuff will look awesome on artquilts. Might even do a few FiberArt Postcards with it. Hmm...

Random shot of Dante-



She's got so much grey around her muzzle now. Her mask has faded so much. My beautiful girl. She can'tr get on the bed without help anymore. And has started occassionally having trouble with the stairs. I suspect she'll only be around a few more months at best.

Where were the Boys during all this picture taking?



On the 'storage' side of my design desk. In a rare moment, they were actually sleeping together. Technically, Aries is sleeping, Max is glaring at me. Heh.

Hopefully by Thursday, I'll have a few new scarves to list in the shop. I think I'll run the 10% off chainmaille again next month as well as a 10% off the scarves too. Might take the test Kona in the closet and make up 'grab bags' for artquilters and fiber artists and list them too. We'll see.

I think I'll go back to bed.


Ok, not really. I won't go back to bed. But I did successfully depress myself.

First I have 3 containers of fabric in dye to rinse out. After Aries decides to move off my arms again. Goofy boy is trying to cheer me up, methinks..I pissed Mark off abit. He asked if I was still coming over to Dale and Kat's for dinner...I replied that I never said I was going over for dinner. He gat all pissy and asked if I was going to come over for dinner. I said I hadn't decided yet.

I did say I wasn't going over there anymore. How hard is that to understand? I could careless what she's cooking for dinner. I said I wasn't going over there, I won't go over there. Deal with it.

But that's not what I depressed myself about.

People are always telling me, not so much anymore, that I need to enter quilt shows, I need to join this club, or that group, etc..

But then I look up quilt shows on the net, and what I see depresses the shit out of me. I enter local shows(1 last year, 2 this year) and compared to everyone elses's entries, I feel so damned out of place.

For example- this is one of the B IG quilt shows- check out the quilts along the top there..


I don't do stuff like that. Compared to things like that, my stuff is so damned plain, I'm surprised anyone wants it. Oh wait, outside of my family and the one person who commisioned a piece, NO ONE DOES. (Seriously, outside of GIVING AWAY pieces to my family, and the one commisioned piece, I've yet to sell any on Etsy or anywhere else.)


Another example..

This was last year's Mountain Comforts Quilt Show, in Ferrum, Va-



Mine's the dark blues, greens and yellow one in the center-ish. Want more examples of how much I don't fit in? Here.. a couple more...




(Did I mention that the person who made this piece was FOURTEEN??!?? 14!!!)



And that's just a few. (I'd link the entire album, but I had to make the entire Photobucket account 'private' because PhotoFuckIt is a pain in the ass sometimes about screenshots.)

Then I get this month's issue of QuiltArt in the mail, and it makes me depressed.

And I see stuff like this(second one down), which is so damned similier, in idea and execution to my unfinished piece , that it disgusts me. And certainly doesn't make me want to finish the damned thing now.

But anyway.. I was browsing around the net, looking up quilt shows for next year, that possibly, maybe, don't require me to be a member of SAQA, or any other 'exclusive' club, and I see stuff on the websites , such as this one that only serve to further discourage me, because I don't do quilts or artquilts like that.

Call me insecure, call me a coward and yeah, I'll probably agree with you. But honestly, something like these, is too busy for me. And I realise that alot of people like 'busy', crowded looking quilts. But I don't, and I don't like making things like that.

I prefer simple, letting the fabric tell the tale with the quilting or beading embellishments being a side story, not the main focus. I don't like busy, I CAN'T DO busy, I've tried. Yet, everytime I look at something , it's got myriads of colors, hundreds of embellishments, and the fabric itself is nearly lost in the chaos.


Hel, I can't even do whole cloth quilts like this et alone 'thread painting'. I know, I know, it takes years to get that good. But then Ihear about people who've just started out and are being accepted into big shows, and even sometimes winning, and they look like they've been doing artquilts for fucking years.


So I guess I'll just putz along like I've been doing and keep doing what works for ME, some day, my style will come back around again, I guess.

In the meantime, I have fabric to rinse out.

Making binding for the latest art quilt piece I'm working on.

A piece that should have taken maybe 3 weeks has taken 3 months. Why? Because something happened while I was in Jersey, pertaining to this piece and I hadn't wanted to work on it since.

But I started it with the intentions of entering it into this year's Mountain Comforts Quilt Show. So that means I have to finish it.

The detailing is done. It's been washed and is hanging up to drip dry now. I'm finishing up the binding so tomorrow I can sew it on.

Thought about how many pieces I wanted to enter into the Mountain Comforts show as well as the Floyd Old Church Gallery Quilt Show. I've settled on really tossing it out there and entering 3 pieces- this one I'm finishing up, 'Wanderer's Garden' or 'Languishing at Midnight in the Garden of Rusted Dreams' or possibly 'Chaos' if I finish it in time.  Would love to enter 'Feathers', but there's no sleeve and it wasn't made to have a sleeve either.  'Phoenix Rising' would be a good piece to enter for next year.  It needs to tell me how it wants to be finished first.

Also need to put sleeves on the backs of the pieces for the Floyd show.  Luckily I have until Sept 22nd.

Sooo worn out today. Had fun though. Went to a cookout at Smith Mountain Lake.


We switched out the harddrives. Put the 80gig I had been using into the computer. The 160gig is a paperweight again. Mark's calling Dell on Monday about it. We had'nt wiped the 80gig from the last crash(2 months ago), so it still has everything from 2 months ago. So I ended up losing alot less than I thought I would, thankfully.

I had my music files, screenshots and photos all saved onto the 320gig external drive. So I didn't lose them either. Using the external, I can get my Custom Content for Sims2, most of my current families and such from the bro in law's computer tomorrow.


Got some cool information in the mail- an invite to the Floyd County Womans Club Arts and Crafts Fair Quilt Show 2007, and the invite to Mountain Comforts Quilt Show XIX, Oct 2007.

Now to figure out which piece or pieces to enter.....