Susan Lenz, A Fiber Artist

It’s So Different, Art Piece 109

| Cindy Anderson

Creating art from polyester stretch velvet is very different; especially when 100% cotton is your fiber of choice. Over the last thirteen posts I’ve been sharing snippets of my love/hate relationship with this plastic material. This is my fourteenth and final post about the subject. Let’s take a look.

May, 2019 seems so long ago but that’s actually when this adventure began. Woodland Ridge Retreat was the location for the mind-bending class taught by Susan Lenz. While my anticipation was very high I never could have imagined the experience I was about to have.

It’s So Different, Art Piece 109 measuring 7 3/4” x 9 3/4” was assembled from polyester stretch velvet, felt and cotton thread. Details about the construction process can be found in my previous posts.

By the time I started this piece I was very familiar with Susan’s technique. My grasp of the concept made it easier to focus more on the desired outcome and as a result achieve a far more interesting product.

It’s So Different, Art Piece # 109

Some of the traits that make this item different from the other members in the family are:

  • Rather than similarity sized components this small art piece includes a variety of sizes and shapes and
  • Most of the felt was melted away which makes the cotton thread appear more predominant.

I am very pleased with with how this item turned out. To emphasize my appreciation, although it is not shown here, I have protected it inside a shadow box frame.

Reaching the end of a series is both exhilarating and sad; sad because it meant the Susan Lenz class had come to an end and goodbyes are always hard; exhilarating because I can finally move on and share newer accomplishments.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading about and seeing this unusual grouping of art as much as I have. If you feel inspired to share your thoughts, simply add a comment to my post.

Warm wishes for an a wonderful day!

Warm wishes for a wonderful day!

Purple Coneflower, Art Piece 108

| Cindy Anderson

After today there is only one more polyester stretch velvet art specimen to be revealed. This sequence has been sharing my most unusual art pieces thus far. Today’s focus will be on Art Piece # 108 Purple Coneflower. Links to the other members can be found here.

Started while attending the May, 2019 Susan Lenz class at the Woodland Ridge Retreat this is my thirteenth addition to the series . While most of the items I have shared thus far were self-directed, Purple Coneflower was a class assignment. The challenge was to draw a design on paper then convert it into a polyester stretch velvet project. I have a strong fondness for flowers, especially purple coneflowers, and as a result I decided to use that as the subject for my experiment.

Under the guidance of the instructor I put pencil to paper and converted my concept to reality. Once the image was ready I transferred the design to my preselected polyester stretch velvet. From there the process of turning my arranged fabric pieces into a finished item was exactly the same as the previously revealed items. You can read about the technique in the post I wrote about Neon Orange, Art Piece # 107.

Purple Coneflower, Art Piece # 108

I will admit that you might have to stretch your imagination a wee bit to visualize a purple coneflower, in the photo above, but I think you are totally capable. Achieving a realistic representation was never my intention; this was, after all, an exercise in abstract art. Once you are able to grasp my concept I believe you will see the resemblance. Purple Coneflower, Art Piece # 108 measures 7 3/4” x 9 3/4”. It was created using polyester stretch velvet, felt and cotton thread.

This brings to a close the story about the latest member added to my polyester stretch velvet collection. I now have only one more to reveal. Subscribers to my blog will automatically receive notice of the last posting in this series. If you are not a follower you may become one today by clicking on the provided button on my blog and then you too will always be up-to-date on my activities.

Thank you for visiting today!

Take care!

Neon Orange, Art Piece 107

| Cindy Anderson

Here we go again with yet another fiber art quilt debut! This 7 3/4” x 9 3/4” work of art took shape during a May, 2019 Susan Lenz class I participated in at the Woodland Ridge Retreat. The class focused on the manipulation of polyester stretch velvet through the application of heat. The heat source came from heat guns and/or wood burning tools.

Neon Orange, Art Piece # 107

The above specimen was my second attempt at experimenting with the technique. Named Neon Orange because of the bright orange rectangles predominantly displayed, this item is certainly an unusual exhibit of what can result when testing out new methods.

As was the case with It’s Melting this small fiber art quilt began with stacked pieces of polyester stretch velvet. The stacks were arranged on a piece of felt then connected together with cotton thread via free-motion stitching. It was important to use only cotton thread because cotton will not melt when subjected to a heat gun. If I had used polyester I would have lost the connections between the individual components. Rather than have one art piece I would have ended up with twelve small fragments. Having twelve sections would have been disappointing but not the end of the world. Each of the fragments could have been turned into pins, necklaces, etc.

Using tongs in my left hand to suspend my sandwiched fabrics and a heat gun in my right I circulated the heat across the entire surface until the desired amount of felt had been melted away. If you refer to the photo above you will see that some of the black felt still remains. To remove the remaining pieces I could have applied the heat for a longer period. I also could have used a sharp scissors to carefully trim away the leftovers. However, I chose to stop because I was pleased with the outcome.

I am very proud to have this specimen of melted polyester stretch velvet as a member of my portfolio. I now have only two more items remaining in this series to share. Don’t miss out on their debut. Subscribe to my blog to receive updates. If you would like to read about the other specimens click here.

Warm wishes for a wonderful day!