Paper and Threads

When we were standing on the Charles Bridge in Prague, a group of seagulls were taking off and landing right next to me.  I took multiple pictures and painted several of them when we came home to remember the lovely day.

I brought home a newspaper front page  from Berlin, Prague, and Budapest to use for collage.  I tore strips of them for this double page spread and glued them in place.  Then I painted on absorbent ground and allowed it to dry thoroughly before drawing and painting my gulls.

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I finally returned to live figure drawing!  It is one of my favorite art activities and I promise myself sessions once each month.  After September, we were on vacation, the City was recovering from Hurricane Sandy, and my husband and I moved my Mother to a nursing home and closed up her apartment.  I didn't know what to expect when I returned, but I loved one of the models and thoroughly enjoyed drawing her.  She was tall, thin, and extremely flexible.  And she had a fabulous head of hair!

 2 Minute Poses, including multiple head drawings as I concentrated on her face and hair.

5 Minute Poses:

10 Minute Pose:

20 Minute Pose:

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Last Spring two of my Grandsons asked me to make them Minky blankets.  Robbie, on the left, had a soft blanket that no longer reached from his toes to his chin.  Since then I made one for Callum, Annabelle, and Sydney - using a variety of Minky colors and prints.

After making each double-sided blanket, I had variable width strips of Minky that I just couldn't throw away.  So I ordered 12 x 16" pillow inserts and made matching pillows for each of them as part of their Christmas present. 

I also made a "giraffe-print" blanket and matching pillow for William, who will be one this month.  And I had enough leftover lime green to make a small baby blanket for Charlie who was born in September.  I spent all day at the sewing machine making 7 pillows and two blankets.  Happy time!

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I spend more time in my studio this month than any other time of the year.  Although I store art supplies and bookbinding supplies in there, it is really set up for textile arts.  I see photos of amazing studios in magazines, but I'm thrilled to have even the smallest place that is all mine in an apartment in New York City.

This space measures 7'3" by 9'9" on the blueprint, but those measurements are before the furniture and bookcases/cabinets were added.  Every inch is filled and most times I can find whatever I need for a project.  When this photo was taken, I was pulling scraps of Christmas fabrics from the green storage box that is in the front left, and making ornaments and stockings. 

This is the fabric ornament that I painted and posted in my last blog post.  It is machine appliqued and quilted.

Today I finished 16 of the Santa tree ornaments - to be given to our children, grandchildren, and some friends.

The last two days I also made large Christmas stockings for our two grandsons that were born in the last year.  Each of their brothers and sisters have the same stockings, with different designs, that we use here in our home on Christmas Eve.

For Charlie, who will be 3 months old by Christmas:

And for William, who will be one year old on December 18th.

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