Grasshoppers & Yard Work...

We spent the day getting the flowerbeds cleaned out and put to bed for the winter months...

Here is a little journal quilt I put together with

Neocolor II Crayons

It is a sample for a class later this month.

Click Images to Enlarge:

Grasshopper

Brad got busy this morning giving the Thread Shed a good trimming

The ivy and vines were taking over!

The flower bed in front of the house...

The flower bed in back of the house...

Hollyhock.......Seeds

Those little round pods are full of seeds.

I pull them apart and the seeds fall out.

I air dry them for a week or so, then put them in a container for planting in the spring.

Cleaning out the front flower bed.

We filled the pick up bed twice!

Front flower bed cleaned out.

When the leaves fall off those trees...

We rake them onto the flower beds for mulch.

Thread Shed

All trimmed up...

I will miss the flowers this winter...

But without yard work to do, there will be lots of time to spend INSIDE the Thread Shed this winter.

Once these October Glory maple leaves are pressed in the phone book...

I will be able to use them over the winter months for jello printing, leaf printing, foiling and lots more......fun!

The best part of all this yard work is...

I trim all the fresh flowers and bring them indoors to enjoy.

Dahlias & Hydrangeas

I rarely cut fresh flowers in the summer months,

so this is a real treat to enjoy these flowers indoors for the next few days.

Pink Dinner Plate Dahlia

My Grampa told me, "When you work, you find money".

It was true, when I would clean out the couch cushions, I would find money!

I also believe, "When you work, you find beauty".

I am a little tired and sore tonight, but I am enjoying the flower bouquets in the house.

CLICK HERE to view my Art Quilts

CLICK HERE to view the Cattle

CLICK HERE to view my Design Wall

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full of Flowers,

LuAnn

Summer is winding down...

Summer is quickly getting away from us here in Western Oregon

I thought I would share a few photos of the flowers that are still blooming here...

Hollyhocks growing along side the Thread Shed

The Hen House is the little Red building on the right

Painted Metal Bed frames make a great fence to hold up the hollyhocks

Trio of Hollyhocks

Hollyhock Close-Up-View

Hollyhock Detail View

Sweet Peas blooming behind the Thread Shed

Oregon Wheat Field

We stopped by a friends farm last week.

We watched him cut the last of this wheat field.

I picked the Queen Anne's Lace in the foreground of this photo.

I pressed them in a phone book.

I have already sun dyed with them, and will use them this winter for jello printing.

Get your botanicals pressed before winter sets in!

As always, I am happy to share my photography with you.

Please use it in your personal art work if you are so inspired!

CLICK HERE to view more of the Thread Shed

CLICK HERE to view my Woven Quilts

CLICK HERE to view what's on the Design Wall

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full of Summer,

LuAnn

Painted Fabric Results...

I painted fabric a few days ago...

Click Images to Enlarge:

The majority of it dried quickly in the sun...

I wasn't able to show you the results of the last few pieces that were painted late in the day...

Remember this clean-up cloth?

Clean Up Cloth dried and pressed...

Detail of Clean-Up Cloth

The metallic gold paint was heavier and settled into the lower portions of the scrunched up fabric.

Clean-Up Cloths are my favorites!

Maybe I should just forget everything else and just make clean-up cloths?

This is the piece I painted with bubble wrap underneath it.

I painted this late in the day, with little sunshine left in the sky.

It never really dried properly, and I brought it indoors for the night.

I had to finish drying it in the morning sun the next day.

I want to try this technique again in the bright sunshine of the afternoon.

I think I will get more defined texture when this dries quickly in the hot sun.

Bubble Wrap Painted Piece

You can see circular patterns in the cloth

Detail of Bubble Wrap Piece

This was the piece that I sprinkled with ground up walnut shells.

It was one of my last pieces, and it was late in the day, with very little sunshine left to dry and sun dye this piece...

It never dried properly, and I had to bring it into the Thread Shed.

It was still wet the next morning....not what I hoped for.

I want to try this technique again in the hot day sun.

Walnut Shells

You can see a pale shadowing of the walnut shell design

Detail of Walnut Shells

The ground up shells give the fabric a grainy texture

I brought home some sand from the beach a few days ago...

I want to try sprinkling sand on painted fabric and see what happens.

That will have to wait until the Fabric Painting Workshop here on Thursday...

Stay Tuned!

Sunshine has finally arrived here in Western Oregon

Time to work in the flowerbeds...

Click Images to Enlarge:

After all the weeding was done...

It was time to set up the soaker hoses

The sun was shining at the perfect angle and you can really see the water spraying from the soaker hoses...

After a day of pulling weeds...

it was rewarding to see the flowerbed looking so pretty.

Tomorrow.....more of the same.

CLICK HERE to see my latest Painted Fabrics

CLICK HERE to see my previous post on Fabric Painting

CLICK HERE to view Textile Art Workshop Slideshow 2009

CLICK HERE to view my Tutorials

CLICK HERE to view Rust Dyeing

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn

Art using Flowers & Plants as Paint...

In spite of the very wet and cold weather in the Coastal Mountain Range of Western Oregon the Iris Bed is gorgeous...

Please Enjoy!

“Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas.”

― Elizabeth Murray

Click Images to Enlarge:

Brown Iris

Brown Iris

Brown Iris

Dark Blue Iris

Dark Pink Iris

Sky Blue Iris

Purple Blue Iris

Red Pink Iris

Sky Blue Iris

Lavender Blue Iris

Sky Blue Iris

You are invited to download these images and use them in your artwork if you like.

Click on the image to enlarge it, then download it to your desk top.

CLICK HERE to view Mixed Media Quilts

CLICK HERE to view Tutorials

CLICK HERE to view Printing/Surface Design Techniques

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn