Attended the Focus on Fiber Retreat2008-Fabulous!

I had a wonderful time in New Symrna Beach Florida at the Focus on Fiber Retreat
I met some wonderful talented, encouraging and most of all FUN people there.



Bella stole the show! Thanks Tommy for bringing Bella to visit us!


I ended up giving an impromptu demo of how to make paper/fabric. Afterward, Marion Shirk, the origami expert, presented me with a little paper purse she made with a piece of it.

I happened to have some beads; she had some wire to contribute and I was able to customize and finish it there on the spot. Now, we had the original crowd who watched the demo wanting to learn how to make the purse! Okay, time for the second demo! I think the origami was much more challenging to do than making the paper/fabric. Somewhere between the mountains and the monkeys ears, I fumbled around a managed to make a "beginner" purse; no where near as polished as Marion's!

Several impromptu things happened at the retreat. We danced to tribal music outdoors in the amphitheater. The breezes were blowing right along with the drums. It was a new experience for me....not one I was completely sure about, but one that definitely opened my mind to using my body in a creative way. We all were amazed at how much better we felt mentally and physically afterward.....and, hungry! Now the food was actually the best part! WEll, almost the best. It was a close second to the art.

We also had a wonderful yoga instructor visit everyday and did simple yoga outside as well. She also provided massage which I definately took advantage of.

We worked independently in open studios with huge tall windows that made you feel like you were working outdoors. There was only natural (jungle) foliage visible through the windows.






Handyed fabric

Hand dyed wool by: Janet Bernhardt

Yahoo Group Created-You are invited to join

I have decided to create my own Yahoo Group.
Title: Studio Quilts-Goldilocks And Friends
the link for this group is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudioQuilts-GoldilocksAndFriends/
This group is directed to those who share the interests associated with Fiber Art.
I will be posting news there about my work, exhibitions, travels and teaching schedule.
I will also share news about Fiber Art topics and events.
I started the group last weekend and there are already 8 members. It will be fun to watch the evolution of the group. I hope to have you as a member.
Fondly,
Debbie Babin

Mini designs from within

I have discovered mini designs within a large design.

This quilt titled: Flower Market, size: 26"h x 28"w, is a good example of this. The end result of the design could be better. I like it howerver; it did not receive good reviews.

I discovered what I like most is the mini designs within the complete design.

Each measure about 3" x 4".

The thought of breaking it into sections is tempting. I am not ready to cut into it just yet.

I would love to hear comments; what do you think?

Honor of Leaves

This is my most recent art work. Title: Honor of Leaves, size: 12" x 18".
I am calling the method "crossover collage".

I decided to dedicate my first piece to leaves which are my favorite motif.

I have been working for the last few weeks making and gathering an assortment of things to have a collection to work with.

My experimentation with paper and fabric combined, turned out to be very interesting! I learned a lot. This piece is actually a combination of "fragments" from trimmed quilts, that I always save and paper collage. The fragments are the same type that I used to make the vessel (see my post-My recent Article Quilting Arts, 12/2708). The detail image below, shows buttons, the focal point leaf and some of the fragments on the right. The focal point leaf is made from layers collaged "fancy" fabrics. It is sewn to a piece of hand painted kimono silk. This is hand stitched to a piece of hand painted rag paper.
The paper is attached with glue.

There are numerous details with several collage layers. miscellaneous details, embellishments, fabrics and papers.

Black kimono silk lines the back while the edges are finished with binding made from hand painted kimono silk.


Now I am trying to decided whether to mount it to a canvas base or leave as is.

Home For Sale in Calvert County Maryland-Waterfront

Okay, why not advertise my house on my blog? My husband and I have decided it is time to restructure our life style and relocate. Our home is on the market now. To see the virtual tour go to: http://idx.imprev.net/03782F07/37305/504813 These virtual tours are amazing!

Our home is wonderful and gorgeous. It is on St. Leonards creek near Solomons Island.

We have 2.5 acres that is mostly waterfront. The house is too big now that it is just the two of us living here.

We are considering a move to Sarasota Florida. Anyone that has information about Sarasota, please share it with me.

I sure will miss my wonderful studio. I plan to establish another one just as nice if not better.

We are excited about the possibilities.

If you would like more information, please let me know. We have three pages of details about the extras in the house.

Quilt University Class: Floral Pizzazz Has Begun

My new class: Floral Pizzazz opened yesterday. So far about 25 people have signed in out of the 62 that signed up. The people span the globe. There are people from: France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, England, Austrailia, Canada, Mexico and more.
I am pleased to be working with such a diverse group. I will post reports here as the class progresses during the next seven weeks.
If you tried to sign up and didn't get in, there will be another class opening in April. Watch for it in the newsletter.

February news

February is usually not a fun month for me and I use it for re assessing my work. Now that winter has set in, I long for spring and summer. Luckily my studio is in the basement and has no windows. As much as I would love to have natural light in my studio the benefit is to not know what the weather is. If it is cold and dreary, I can work without concern. If it is nice and warm outside, I won't be tempted to stop working. Either way, I get my work done.

I have been experimenting with collage lately. After studying with Beryl Taylor last summer, I rediscovered my love of paper I took an inventory of my supplies and realized how much paper I had! This was collected over the years and stored away. I also have a lot of litho prints that are left over from when I owned a gallery. They are old, out of date and I have no idea what to do with them. They are not appealing to me or anyone I have shown them to. Everytime I go into my storage area I stumble over the enormous print rack stuffed with prints in plastic sleeves. These are a sore spot for me but I can't bring myself to pitch them.

Recently I decided to gather all of my paper, ephemera, paints, embellishments, etc. and set up for collage work. I have two wall paper books and watercolor paper. I was thinking of what else I could add and then it dawned on me: The prints! Do I dare tear them up?? Is this against some "art law". It felt like it was however; I decided it was only paper and began to tear!
How cathartic that was!! I started with the ones I liked the least. The Civil War officers had haunted me long enough. After I tore them and made fabric paper with them, Robert E. Lee never looked so good to me! I was so excited that I gained a whole new level of interest.

I made two large sheets, about 36" x 30", of fabric paper using both the wall paper and prints. Both were nice and thick and when the sheet was finished and dry it had the feel of leather.

Next I had to start making little bits of miscellaneous ephemera and painted papers to have a collection to draw from. Now some of the weird embroidery thread and junky costume jewelry can be considered. All of a sudden many of those things I saved or bought, but didn't know why, became useful.

All of this preparation took longer than I expected. I started out with my favorite design of a Kimono. Using a nine patch as a layout, I proceeded to make nine little kimonos; how tedius this was! Fiddling with the tiny pieces and details wore me out quick. I am accustomed to working fast and spontaneously. I vascilated back and forth because I also love details. As I plugged along, I had second thoughts about this working style; I wasn't getting anywhere. The kimonos looked nice but the layout was to structured and had no focal point. My work room was a mess and I was not enjoying myself. I felt the frustration building and knew any time I could easily abandon all of it. I needed something to click; and low and behold, it did.

I was hesitant to cut into the wonderful sheet of fabric paper I had made; it was a work of art alone. However there was one section that I thought stood out, so I cut that part out. I did not like the mechanical look of the cut edge and I knew I needed to change that. I decided to use my favorite motif-leaves, and make a variety of leaves with multiple materials.

Now things were coming together. I knew I was on a good track. All of this took about three weeks of pondering, creating and gathering.

Once my mind was open, new thoughts rushed in. This moment was what I was hoping for. I am enjoying this process now. I have hope I can continue along this path for a while.