Rusting Right Along

I haven't blogged in a while so thought I'd share some things I've been doing. Besides loving so many different media I am still compelled to create new and different things. I still love love love creating rusted fabrics. I've found some interesting ways to use them. I have some in a gallery near where I live. Here are some photos of work that I recently took into the shop. The shop is Art&Light gallery in Greenville, Sc not far from where I live. These pieces are for sale. Everything here except the photo of the sunset.
It's always a challenge trying to make art for a living. So when I'm not sewing and selling clothes I'm busy rusting, walnut dyeing and painting. I want to get an online shop going as well ...hopefully that will be soon.

I'm always open for words of wisdom if any of you would care to share how your able to live as an artist and make ends meet if you happen to do that.

The sunset .. I love the way that the sun seems to roll under the clouds like a mist of light rolling in.

And here is the link to the gallery i am in: http://artandlightgallery.com/uncategorized/tammy-millers-sustainable-forrest-art/#more-1072

Functional Art

WEll even though I haven't been posting I have been so busy creating. I have now been creating garments that I am trying to sell. I have been reconstructing some gently worn clothes into new and fun styles that I love. I have mixed them with fabrics that I have altered with dye or reverse dye if you will. I finally spent a little time photographing a few of them. I was able to use the dress form that I created a few years ago and used my front yard as a backdrop. The yard looks so beautifully green and lush. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get outside as much as I have in years past. I have had so many bug incidents that I am inclined not to go outside and even though I love taking photos of bugs, I am not happy about being stung three times by wood scorpions and one yellow jacket sting on the bottom of my foot. And no I wasn't walking outside barefoot. :) I have been sewing like crazy though.

As I go on I am hopeful that I will be able post my garments in an online shop. If you are interested in these items .. let me know!!! THanks for stopping over and as always I love hearing your comments.

Flat Out Under Pressure

A few weeks ago I participated in an event in my hometown called the title of this post. The purpose was to compete with other local artists to win a spot on a trash bin. Doesn't sound to illustrious but if you won one of the top eight spots you won a little cash and the top winner won an all expense paid trip to Tuscany. I thought that alone was worth the try .. cause you just never know. So I did the necessary things to enter and after 24 hours of effort. Oh you had 24 hours to create something and turn it in. Here is what I created. A collage of rusted papers and cloths and my painting and cutting and arranging and it all came together. I was very happy with the results of this work. I didn't win but that's ok because I had a blast creating. I had spent most of the day outside working on this because I just seem to be happier outside and while I was out there something kept buzzing my shoulder and when I looked I noticed it was a dragon fly and this made me very happy so I included him in the painting. If you look closely you'll seem him in there. So overall a good experience and if it happens again next year, I'll try again !!!! Oh and for those of you that have been following me I've just been busy so I haven't posted so much but I'm hoping to pick it up again soon!! ANd more photos to come too. THanks for stopping over and I'd love to hear your thoughts!!!

The Finished Quilt

I can hardly believe I finally finished it. There were so many things that distracted me along the way and I must say that I finally see how much of a commitment there is to such an endeavor. There are so many stitches in this. And no there are no fancy stitches or perfectly lined up edges .. but it still manages to be a wonderful  quilt. The edge that I decided to go with was a recycled dyed t-shirt. The wonderful ochre/greenish color just seemed to be the perfect compliment to the black and grey and greens in the main parts of the quilt. It has an overall earthy feel to it and I just have to say .. I was really really pleased with the outcome.

Several of you have asked about the discharged leaves on the dark gray fabrics. Those were done using actual leaves in my yard. I either painted or sprayed the underside of a leaf where the veins are and then pressed onto the fabric and then the other images I simply used a branch of leaves as a stencil and sprayed the area around the leaves. This left a lovely impression of the leaf shapes. The center Leopard that you will see in the full finished quilt on the bottom was painted freehand by me with bleach also .. I have given some thought to creating an online class of my discharge techniques with more detail of my methods. Leave me a comment if you'd be interested in that.

Probably the most unexpected outcome of having done this quilt was the joy that I had in giving it away. I felt as though I learned a lesson. If you've never tried it .. you should!!

So here is the finished quilt. I had to climb up a ladder to see the whole thing. I suppose I could have put it up on a wall but I really don't have a good one for that. .. The very last thing that I had to do was wash it to make sure that everything stayed together and that any parts didn't shrink up and change everything. I was pleased that it washed up so nicely and it was even softer than before, a great cuddle blanket. I shipped it that same day and the owners have it and their son Royce loves it. And that made my day. Thanks everyone that came and posted on the previous blog post about this quilt. It's meant a lot to me to have your comments.
And please feel free to leave any for this one .. Goodness and light to all of you.

The evidence of Gratitude

I know it's been a while since I have posted. I have no logical reason for this except to say that I have just been trying to keep up with my life. Even though I haven't posted in a long while I just haven't stopped creating. Sometimes life just interjects so much that I needed to retract from spaces that have made me feel vulnerable in the past. I have participated in Magic Diaries last year and learned many good things about stitching and continuing.. I am sad that some have stopped following me but I understand. A while back I posted a few photos of a design I painted on fabric. It was using the discharge process. I created it for a quilt that I was planning for a friend and used it as my diaries project. This quilt is a thank you for Karen and her generosity and then as I continued it came to mean so much more. You see there was a time when I had been through painful and difficult events in my life and one person stood out in my life to show concern and give encouragement. Karen's brother is that person.  I realized near the end of this quilt that I have invested a great deal of time in each stitch. The hardest part has been continuing when it seemed that no end was in sight. Oddly enough I never met him face to face yet he taught me so many things. It seems strange to say that.  With his help I learned the very important value in loving my self in a very literal and concrete way. Every day on the tip of his tongue was this phrase, "you can not see in others what is not inside of you" or "when you love yourself you won't feel that way" and many other things. His teaching really changed my idea of what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. And so even though this quilt will go to his nephew for his new great nephew. And even though this was stitched in gratitude for the gifts of Karen, this quilt is every much a testimony to the love and care and especially the time that Karens brother gave me. His name is Jim. He died several years ago ... at the time I didn't think that I would survive his loss ... but I have and his memory and the things I learned from him have great value to me and he lives in my heart always. So while it may not seem like much to those that have stitched many quilts .. this is a first of this size for me. Jim always accepted me unconditionally .. and this quilt isn't perfect .. doesn't have perfect stitches and won't have a precise and perfect binding on the edges. And that's just the way he would have liked it. So I just can't tell you what it feels like to stitch love and gratitude into this cloth .. for Karen and her new grandson and for Jim. I will always love you and be grateful for what you have given me.

 I love this quilt with all my heart .. it's infused with so much love and gratitude. My heart is swelled with so much joy. Thank you Karen for your kindness and continuing to be just like your brother by helping me, this is for you, with all my love. Oh one more thing I have added the binding since these photos were taken and as soon as the weather clears up I will take more photos and share the completely finished piece then. THanks for stopping over!!!  The botanicals are my own discharged fabrics and the inbetween animal prints are recycled garment pieces.

 Yes this was done on a fuzzy blanket. So the back stitches kind of disappear into the fuzz. It's been fun to stitch and keep myself warm this winter. I will miss this.