Let It Rain, Let It Rain, Let It Rain!

I've been invited to participate in the Naples Museum of Art's 2010 fund raising event "Have a Seat III - Fabulous Fabrics!" The funds raised will support educational programs, lectures, exhibitions and the endowment. Forty-one artists are participating in this event.

Each artist was provided with an umbrella. Most of the artists invited are painters. I like to use fiber in my creations - naturally! I thought about what do to for quite some time. I made several false starts, and then had one of those "Aha!"moments.

This beautiful striped taffeta took my breath away. I sliced it up and started sewing
around, and around, and around!
I may add a few more rows of stitching - but that will have to wait until next year!!
It's Christmas Eve and we've invited friends over to celebrate. I've got to start rattling some pots and pans in the kitchen pronto!

However you celebrate the holiday season, I hope it's filled with joy and love.

Queen of Tarts - Revisited

A few weeks ago I made the "Queen of Tarts" doll and have been thinking about what I might do to enhance her a bit. An article I read on making paper cupcakes gave me the idea to make a tart for her to hold.

The paper cupcake instructions were altered as shown here. Measuring from the rim, cut the bottom off of a paper cup. Cut a circle of plain paper (a bit larger than the open "bottom") and glue it in place.
White tissue paper was glued around the form and painted with cheap gold paint.
A circle cut out of foam core was smeared with a layer of ceramic tile adhesive and let dry.
Glue some fancy trim around the top edge of tart form.
Crumpled tissue glued into the tart pan and then glued the "tart" in place. Using a quilling tool, make spirals out of quilling strips and glue these on top of the tart and add a heart - of course!
Here is our little queen holding her tart. It really does look good enough to eat - and NO calories!!

Christmas Bustier

A few years ago, my husband presented me with a dress form for Christmas. It was something I'd always wanted. I love decorating "my girl" in seasonal attire. Here she is sporting a Christmas bustier. The "fabric" is made up of brown paper bags, painted, stamped; cut to size, stitched and decorated with Christmas trim. The skirt and necklace are Christmas tree garlands. I particularly like the tree topper I found on clearance a number of years ago!

This bustier is made in much the same way as above. Image transfer techniques were also added to the bags. This "Size 10" piece hung in an exhibit at a local art museum. The theme was "10." I took pictures of anything with a 10 on it, i.e. speed limit sign, street signs, house addresses, my toes, Richard's fingers, a dime and $10 bill - these two elements embellished the piece quite nicely making up the shoulder straps and bottom edging.
Here she's dressed for summer - embellished with additional paper, buttons, and trim. The skirt is a Christmas tree garland. This was bustier sold during my studio tour sponsored by the Naples Museum of Art.