Graduated and back to work

So what happened in our house this week?

I graduated from Seminary with an MA in Biblical Counseling.

I had a nice visit with my parents who traveled three days from Arkansas to be here and celebrate with us.

Rachel, our recent college graduate, returned from her European singing trip and is sorting her life worth of stuff in preparation for moving to MI for graduate school.

I am back to finishing up the overdying and screen printing of the fabrics for the commission. here are the best pictures of all the fabrics I worked on.

I am working on the next activities for my city and guilds course (pictures will follow later today) and

I am getting ready to grade almost 60 students in two classes over the summer.

yes it is a full busy life.

Thanks for reading.

Last Exam

I took my last exam today for Graduate School.
It feels really good.
I have a full two days and then we head to Rachel's graduation.
I have one more week of classes to attend (they don't have finals just weekly 1/2 page posts on a web based site) then my graduation at the end of the month.
I wasn't as stressed as I usually am for these things. I think I just loved the subject matter- NT for ministry.
So I am off to bed not sure when I'll have more art to post.
Looking to take some pictures over the weekend. Need to think of a theme to work on for that...
Any suggestions?
Need to make business cards for my husband. He is my biggest fan telling people about my blog- perhaps because he is on it ?!?!?

Keeping Organized

So what is this you might ask....

I am preparing to make some samples for a commission. I was looking at the piles of fabric spread out on my worktable thinking about how each piece needed something done to it- put in a dye bath, or soda soak in prep for scraping or screening. I realized I have MANY decisions in front of me.

I am 50 years old and working three part time jobs- the studio work being one of them. If you are middle age you can see my problem. How am I possibly going to be able to keep track from one week to the next while switching between jobs what the plan is for 12 pieces of fabric? So I lined them all up. I wrote on a scrap of paper for each piece some descriptive information and it's current state (soda soaked already or not). Then I decided what was the next thing it needed (go in a dye pot, soda soak - an overnight procedure because of the drying time, or ready for more color). Then I had to decide what the next color to be applied was for each piece so they would all work together for the samples. SO many decisions made easier by those scraps of paper.

Then I realized that when I took five or so pieces off to go soda soak how was I going to match them up with the piece of paper so I would remember the next steps...The beauty of digital cameras!

Just take a picture and then you can refer back to it. It is working because I did this last Tuesday and today is Sunday. I have gathered up the now dry soda soaked fabrics that are ready for screen printing or scraping, brought them up to the studio, and put them back in their spot with their label. Ready for the next step.

Some of these fabrics are store bought. Two years ago I would have considered them done, unchangable. Not anymore. I can alter any cotton fabric in front of me now to make it work for the spot I want it in. How cool it that!

Stay tuned for the results.

Finally Finished Bahn Building!

I have finally completed my reproduction of the Berlin, Germany Bahn Building in fabric.

How long was I stuck on this - 9 months?

If you check my first blog post I put up a picture of the actual building.

But here it is again.

SO what was the hardest part?
Figuring out how to get the long curved side to stay attached to the short side (I used a tab with velcro on the end)

What was the most challenging part?
Well there were so many places I got "stuck" and had to come up with solutions.

Dying fabric the right shade of blue, making the sheer fabric to show differences in rows, how was I going to reflect the shiny windows and the shadow from the building across the street, figuring out the inside- i wanted something organic to contrast with the man made outside, the edges- i used an early American tool to make cording, the bottom, how was it going to stand up?...

What would i do different?

I wouldn't use timtex between the inside and outside layers. I would have done something else inside and used channel stitching to stiffen the layers so it would stand up.

Was it fun? Would I do another reproducation building?

It stretched me definately. I now know something of what goes into making a 3 dimensional objects out of fabric and so I have more respect for the work and technical problem solving involved...I might make some thing simpler to hold dried flowers...

I have a few more things I need to write up about it before my assessor signs off, but the actual construction is done.

Shed progression

Well, I am writing papers and a final exam in hopes to be all done by the end of April, so I am not doing too much artwork until Sunday. Monday will be my next designated day of art- no phone, no errands, simply working in the studio.

BUT here are more pictures of the shed preparation. Tim has cut all the trees down and our next door neighbor Matt is helping him with the clean up work. Tim has also gotten lots of leftover/odds and ends pieces of wood from the local building supply house at greatly reduced prices - that is what is under the blue tarps.

Look how nicely the wood and branches are stacked up! I am going to see if I can take the lines in this and make a printing screen!

I am thankful this has all been done safely. The last day of being in the trees was very windy. I was at work but fortunatly Tim's friend, John, was here on the ground helping with the ropes directing branches coming down. Tim ended up taking down that last tree and he didn't hit the house! He figures the total cost including paying helpers and the used equipment to climb the trees was $500 compared to the $5000 it would have cost to have a tree trimmer do the work.

The other thing I worked on today was putting in some cold weather veggies. Parsley, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and spinach. We bought some herbs but they are in various window sills for another month until the ground warms up some more. We decided we would try and use our one sunny spot for veggies and herbs rather than flowers this year. Tim buried a soak hose in the garden in hopes that we would also not waste water by watering from the top. Instead the water will go straight to the roots.

He is doing lots of research on Cisterns too. Since the township requires a retention basin for any new building (even a "shed") he is going to turn our retention basin into a cistern so we can store and pump out later during the dry times the water we have stored that came from the workshop roof. Pretty cool huh!

What I did on Monday

You asked to see what i did and here it is.

I have been very stuck on this Bahn Building for my Cityand Guilds course. I finished all but one edge and got the layers together so it will stand up. I need to finish the stair stepped edge with the trim I made using an early American tool used to make cording and then I need to create a base. The challenge is that this building has only three sides. The third longer side curves. I was going to use button holes and tabs to attach it to the short side so as to make it keep it's curve but i don't think that is going to work. So i am trying to figure out an alternate plan...

My idea was that since the outside seemed so sterile and man made to have the inside reflect non man made creation. The blue and yellow is working too.

So next post will be about our post tree cutting adventures.

A new Season

We are entering a new season at our house. I lost my health benefits and some hours at work mid March so I am switching to part time hours. One of my at-home days will be dedicated to doing art and one day to grade for CCEF's distance education classes. Both I hope will bring in some money to make up for what I lost. I am looking forward to being home more since my husband works nights. I'll actually be around when he is awake - that can't be anything but good for the marriage.

Here are pics of Tim cutting down trees in our back yard.

He was up about 60-75 feet and called for me to come take pictures. I did so and then I yelled up, "Be Safe!" He yelled back down, "Did you say you loved me?" I said "Good translation."

He will be 58 at the end of April. He decided that the last tree (of four) he would have to hire out to be cut because it was hanging too much over the house and wires. He said he got his money's worth out of the tree climbing stuff he bought on craig's list.

Tim is building a workshop outback for himself. When that is done then my new studio will move into his old space Whoo Hoo! Of course this is going to take awhile since money is tight but it is amazing how much building supplies he is finding that folks are giving away or selling cheap. A little bit here and a little bit there adds up to a new workshop.