fusible art

Dancing Tootsies, Art Piece # 124

Dancing Tootsies, AP 124
| Cindy Anderson

I took a class led by Sue Benner in 2019. During a nearly week long adventure she shared her fabric fusing and mono printing techniques. On one particular day we were instructed to design an art piece based upon a photograph or drawing. My inspirational photo (sorry but I no longer have it) contained three abstract flowers. The photo below is of my first attempt to recreate or emulate the flowers.

Dancing Tootsies, AP 124
Dancing Tootsies, Art Piece # 124

I really had a great time designing and assembling this composition. My love of color and my fondness for bold prints was reflected in my fabric choices. To give my piece even more interest I added embellishments. Near the bottom a hand dyed strip of rickrack was attached and in the center of each flower I stacked a circle of wool and three beads. I have included a closeup of the embellishments in the photo below.

Dancing Tootsies, AP 124, Closeup
Dancing Tootsies, Art Piece # 124, Closeup

As with all other art quilts, this specimen was layered with a batting and backing. The art piece was quilted with threads that both blend and yet add sparkle at the same time. Dancing Tootsies measures 13”x13”.

I was in a very playful mood when I was creating the Dancing Tootsies. As I assembled the flowers I had a vision of them dancing to the beat of a song. Their imaginary antics made me giggle which got my mind rolling and well…the rest is history. Dancing Tootsies, with their jazzy attire and funny name make a wonderful addition to my collection.

If you agree that Dancing Tootsies was worth seeing just wait until you read my next post!

thank you!

Before closing let me thank you for showing an interest in my activities. I am grateful for your participation and look forward to your comments.

Best wishes for a wonderful day!

Cow On A Fence: Art Piece # 69

Cow On A Fence, AP 69
| Cindy Anderson

During September, 2019, I attended a class led by Sue Benner. While there I experimented with fabric and fusible backing. A variety of fiber art pieces took shape during my investigative adventures. This project was one of the specimens created. The composition consists of three layers of raw edged fabrics. A layer of fusible backing was attached to the wrong side of each. All three layers were then fused together.

Before adding a sandwich of batting and backing I attached a teal-colored border printed with multi-colored circles. The entire project was quilted with straight-line quilting using color coordinated threads.

The name Cow On A Fence was chosen by one of my friends. The cow is represented by the off-white fabric printed with green dots. The fence was constructed from a fabric with multi-colored spindles bordered by olive green top and bottom rails. In its completed state, the small art quilt measures 12 1/4” x 15”.

Cow On A Fence, AP 69
Cow On A Fence, Art Piece # 69

thank you!

Before closing let me thank you for showing an interest in my activities. I am grateful for your participation and look forward to your comments.

Best wishes for a wonderful day!

How Could I Forget

| Cindy Anderson

I’ve been focusing all my attention on finished art projects yet overlooked two very exciting accomplishments. The first occurred shortly before I left for my sewing retreat. Aside from the information I share on my blog I also post tidbits on Facebook and Instagram.

As I mentioned earlier, something very special happened before my marathon sewing extravaganza. After posting a photo on IG I received a private message from a friend. This amazing lady bakes and decorates cookies. By decorate I don’t mean she slathers a thick layer of canned frosting on top then sprinkles it with those itty bitty candies you shake from a bottle. No way! Her cookies are masterpieces. She painstakingly covers each cookie with unbelievably gorgeous images. Her cookies are a work of art. In fact they are almost too pretty to eat…but I wouldn’t go that far.

My friend’s inquiry asked about purchasing the item I had just posted. I’m sure you can imagine how ecstatic I was. After trading several messages the deal was sealed. With no time to spare, before I left for my northern extravaganza, plans were made to handle the sale after I returned home.

This is the item she purchased.

New Life for a Discard, Art Piece # 184

My friend is now the proud owner of this sweet little fiber art piece.

The other very unexpected surprise happened while I was at the sewing retreat with friends. In a previous post I talked of the many items I worked on. One of the projects was this one.

Cow On A Pedestal, Art Piece # 126

Part of the fun of being at a sewing retreat is being able to see the amazing projects of your fellow quilters. Cow On A Pedestal was one of the items I started while attending A Sue Benner class at the Woodland Ridge Retreat. I’m not going to give a whole lot of detail about it now because I have a future post dedicated to this specimen. What I will share is that one of my roommates approached me about buying the art quilt. She fell in love with it’s appearance and just had to have it for her collection. I was so honored. Shortly after we agreed on a price, money exchanged hands and so did Cow On A Pedestal.

Now how awesome is that! Right before and during my sewing retreat I made two sales! Who would have thought!

It seems only natural to mention at this point that many things on this website can be purchased. Items that are available for sale will have a section at the bottom of the post listing the purchase price, etc. along with links to available methods of payment. This is a new feature that I am slowly adding. My newer fiber art pieces will have the option to purchase added as soon as the post is published. Items that were shared in the past will be updated as time allows.

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks! ~smile~

Warm regards for a wonderful day!