Tea Bag Art and a New Art Quilt Project

This morning I thought I would show you some of the projects on which I have been working. These tea bags feature stitching, stamping, water coloring, buttons, beads, etc. What I will do with them, I'm not quite sure. Right now I am just making one whenever an idea strikes.

Here's the first step for my new art quilt based on a photo (used with permission :-) posted on the Mereknits blog. Perhaps you would like to follow the process. First I slip an 8x10" photo into a page protector. Next, I use an ultra fine Sharpie to outline elements in the photo. The close up below shows that I also indicate where the colors change.

I bring the page protector to Staples and ask for a large print: in this case I requested one that is 20" wide. (The machine will automatically determine the length.)  Depending on the clerk, you might get a skeptical response that it won't work. Smile and gently insist that it does indeed work. Here's the proof . . . a 20x24" print out. 

Below you can see the photo, the page protector, and the large print out.

The next step will be to make a freezer paper pattern of this print. I have already begun painting some fabric to use in this piece. More about that in my next post.

Yesterday morning I had to get up at the crack of dawn, well, actually 6:30 but that's a tad early for me. (Retirement means never getting up before 7:30 unless you have a darn good reason.) I was heading to the other side of the city to go to a First Friday mass. My young cousin Miss T. and her sister attend a parochial school. Miss T. was doing one of the readings, and I might add that she did a very fine job. :-) Anyway, as I was crawling along in Boston traffic, I had time to read signs and billboards. Maybe it was the traffic, maybe it was the early hour, but I got to wondering. "SELF STORAGE " H'mmm . . . Why on earth would I want to store myself??? Where indeed would I choose to store myself???  Then in Watertown center there was a huge sign for "Eyebrow Threading." What's up with that???

 At today's Herring Run Quilt Guild meeting this morning I spotted this message that a child had scrawled on a dry erase board up on the stage.

I love people who are passionate about what they enjoy doing; spelling doesn't have to be one of them. :-)

Emma and I have just returned from a long walk in the warm, glorious sunshine. Time to go plant the pansies that I purchased yesterday, and later, I hope to finish the sashing and borders on a grandmother's hexagon quilt before my head hits the pillow tonight. I may have written that a few times already on this blog, but this time I really, really, really mean it. :-)