December 25, 2012
Christmas Bells
This post card from 100 years ago couldn’t say it better,
“Bells are ringing Merry Christmas, May all Joy and Peace be Yours”
Merry Christmas to everyone!
December 4, 2012
Five After Six
This Twilt, “Five After Six” features Machine Felting with silk Ribbon Embroidery. I love the ethereal quality of the felted background.
A digital collage was scanned and printed on cotton and then felted onto flannel. Pink and Green dyed silk organza was felted around the picture.
Background embroidery and beads on the felted piece became the background for Spider Web Rose and French Knot Rose clusters of Silk Ribbon Embroidery. Dyed rayon pieces and verigated organza ribbon and embroidery were added on the sides. The felted piece was then stitched with beads and embroidery to a quilted crinkled batik background. As a final touch I added the heart buttons. An old clock face, two gears and a vintage button cluster compliment the clocks in the fabric print of the digital collage. I really am enjoying my Felting Machine.
For more info on the Twilts: Twitter quilts…….Twilts or see all my Twilts : Flickr Twilts Page. Click on the image of the Twilt to go directly to it’s high resolution image.
December 2, 2012
Felted Sampler
I have been experimenting with machine felting and this is my first piece. I felted dyed silk strips, metallic silk, netting and wool roving onto a white felted wool base. Embroidery, silk ribbon and trim were added. This piece is only 9″ x 4 1/2″. The machine I am using for the felting is the Simplicity with 12 needles. It’s alot of fun.
Click on the image to see it on Flickr.
November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving
I want to wish all my family and friends a Happy Thanksgiving!
1908 Vintage Post Card
Click on the image to see it on Flickr.
October 13, 2012
Vintage Envelope Needle Cases
I have been working on the Vintage Envelope Needle Case project for a while and wrapped it up a couple of weeks ago. In my Vintage Art collecting I have found a number of very cool Vintage Envelopes. I scan them into my computer, clean them up, add some digital art if they are plain, add a background and then print them on cotton. When they are out flat they fill approximately half of a regular sheet of paper. They are sandwiched with fusible batting and a back and stitched around the edges.
Embroidery, buttons, silk ribbon and all sorts of embellishments can be added. Add flannel or wool pages for the needles and you are ready to go.
This is one of my favorites. It’s a happy New Year card from Argentina, from one family to another wishing them Happy New Year in 1900.
I have created sixteen different Vintage Envelopes. Each Vintage Envelope design is printed on cotton and includes a pattern with instructions on how to assemble the needle case. You add your own embellishments. The price is $9.50 each plus postage. Email me if you are interested in purchasing one or more. They make great gifts.
Click on images to see them in high resolution.
Some of these prints are available on Etsy. Here
October 1, 2012
Time for Tea
I attended a Tea at Georgia’s Quilting Obsession and put together a series of Tea Collages for use with the charms I was planning to demo.
I thought they turned out pretty well and wanted to share them. The Tea pot came from The Graphics Fairy.
The background includes a letter and roses from late 1800’s vintage art that I have collected.
Click on either image to see them on Flickr. You are free to use this collage, just right click on the Flickr image and “Save as”. Enjoy!
August 2, 2012
Old Papers
This collage isn’t perfect but I like what I came up with. I digitally layered vintage documents, a post card and some envelopes inside an old book cover. When I finished all that I added the embroidered piece and the key. The flowers on the linen Twiltlet are folded on an Octogon paper base and then gathered. My silk ribbon students learned how to do them a couple of weeks ago.
I also added the French Knot Roses I love so much. Click on either image to see the high resolution version.
July 31, 2012
Summer In Bloom
“Summer in Bloom” is my newest Twilt. It includes tiny little pieces that I call Twiltlets. They are a great format for experimentation with bits of this and that. These four include, just to name a few things, trims, buttons, a picture on fabric, the corner of an old hankerchief, a heart paperclip and silk ribbon embroidery. When I mounted the Twiltlets on the quilted linen print I added gathered flowers and a vintage lace that looked like a little fence. So, I added a rose bush with French Knot Roses.
For more info on the Twilts: Twitter quilts…….Twilts or see all my Twilts : Flickr Twilts Page. Click on the image of the Twilt to go directly to it’s high resolution image.
July 21, 2012
Hope and Honey
My newest collage, “Hope and Honey” uses a vintage ledger sheet, a flower image, an image of bees and an image of bee hives.
The image that I want to share this week is the background image of the old ledger sheet. I found the ledger book at the Rose Bowl swap meet a few months ago. I love the way old writing adds texture in the background.
The images of the bees and the hives are from http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/ .
July 16, 2012
A Note in the Garden
I could just picture a turn of the century lady sitting in her garden with a cup of tea and her postcard from a dear friend, as I put together this collage, “A Note in the Garden”. I combined a number of vintage elements, a turn of the century postcard, an old deed, a vintage flower image, the etching of a wreath and the etching of roses in PSE6.
I enjoy the digital collage work almost as much as collecting the vintage elements. Swap meets, used book stores and antique stores are my obsession these days and I have found some wonderful things. I was up in the local mountains for a friends birthday and visited a used book store. I found a copy of Ben Hur from 1881. Each page of the 845 page book set included at least one black and white etching. It was a fabulous find. The etching of the flower ring and the rose etching are just two of the images.
This turn of the century post card is the image I want to share with you today.
I think the card dates from around 1900 but it’s hard to read so I can’t be sure. The fact that it only allows for an address on the front and no additional writing dates it from the that period as well.
Snips and Bits from Shelley's Studio 