AFF:Part Three:Keepsake Legacy Album

On Saturday I took the lovely Ruth Rae's Keepsake Legacy Album workshop. Poor Ruth was feeling under the weather for the entire time she was at AFF. But that didn't stop her from teaching a fabulous class. Plying herself with medication, throat lozenges, funny tasting tea and kleenex she was a real trooper!

I enjoyed learning different techniques to create a legacy album with bits and pieces of ephemera, both originals and representations. We learned that free-form stitching cane be done on our sewing machines using regular presser foots. I used a photo of my grandmother's family on the cover of my album which I am going to use to commemorate the ancestors of our family tree.

Ruth taught us to make pockets and tags and other compartments to hold photos and ephemera related to the subject.

Old lace and vintage papers combined with newer fabrics and trims, dyed, burned and heated to look old created some amazing pages.

Here Ruth is showing us how to bind or album. 

All the cold medication was making Ruth giddy and silly! Here she is with Penney, who taught me that turning your tension knob ever so slightly can make the difference between a smooth running sewing machine and a chugga-chugga sounding sewing machine. 
Penney also was my partner in crime when it came to any technique that involves heat and a burning candle!

AFF:Part Two:Enchanted Felt Cottage

On day two of ArtFiberFest, I took Charlotte Lyons adorable Enchanted Felt Cottage workshop. My cottage (shown above and below) continues to be a work in progress. It is so enjoyable to sit in the evenings at home and continue the embellishing process. Somewhere during the construction of my cottage I decided to decorate it with a House of Love theme, featuring 3 generations of wedding photos.

I used some vintage buttons and a scrap piece of embroidery in the gable. I chose the color scheme for the cottage based on the colors used at my daughter's wedding last fall.

The little aqua posies were leftovers from the favor boxes we decorated for my daughter's wedding. Next to the little cottage door (with the wonky stitched window panes) is a photo of my DH and I at our wedding. 

On the right side of the cottage, I sewed a metal jewelry piece embossed with a quote from Ghandi that says, "Where there is love there is life." 

I added a photo of my daughter and her husband from their wedding, some vintage button flowers, a piece of old lace embroidery and tiny aqua seed beads. Fortunately this was a hand-stitching class, which gave and my little Janome machine a much needed rest.

On the left side of the cottage, I did some "landscaping" with some felt & ultra suede trees trimmed with beads and a little garden of aqua beaded flowers. A mother-of-pearl window finishes this wall up.

An antique brass charm frame holds a well-known phrase from traditional wedding vows.

On the back of the cottage, I used some tiny frames to feature wedding pictures from my parents (on the right) and my in-laws (on the left). More vintage lace and Battenburg trim, and an aqua button top off the wall. 

"I do, I do" is typed out and mounted on a scrap of vintage paper. I used a single pearl in the center of the button to represent the pearls brides wear with their wedding gowns.

Here my classmates are busy stitching away - from left to right there is Tracie, Cindy, Pam, Charlotte.  Charlotte's class was very relaxing and restful and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to all her stories while we worked. She was so willing to lend a helpful hand and encouragement throughout the day. 

Here's Cindy, Juanita, Nicky, and Tammy busy at work constructing their cottages. I couldn't believe how quickly this class flew by!  I'll share the class I took with Ruth Rae in the next post. Until then. . . . . .

Happy Fourth of July!

AFF:Part One:Art Studio Journal

Oh what fun we had at ArtFiberFest...Oh, I'm so sorry to bore you by repeating that comment over and over again. But it truly was the best! I highly recommend that you try to attend an Art Retreat, even if it is right in your home town (right Tammy and Linda?) because it is so inspiring and you leave with so much excitement and renewed energy. 

My first workshop was taught by the talented Roxanne Padgett. Roxanne is super organized and brought a wealth of supplies and let us use them all. Not to mention the cute hand stenciled folder filled with goodies she put together for us.

Roxanne taught workshops on all three days and the one I took was called Art Studio Journal. In a way these journals reminded me of those cloth books we had as toddlers with all the interactive features. However, this one was for grown up artists with pockets and places to hold art supplies to carry along with you.  
Pockets, pockets, and MORE pockets. I think we were secretly trying to see who could create the most pockets inside our books. The page above features removable tags to hold fibers and a palette of watercolor crayons along with a paintbrush so you'll ever be without paint.
I had a bear of a time with my little Janome sewing machine in this class. As everyone else's machines were purring along quietly, mine was chug-a-chug-chugging the whole time in between the bobbin thread jamming up and my muttering choice words of frustration. I hope I didn't annoy too many of my classmates! Thank goodness for Reenie, who sat next to me and used her magic touch to get the machine moving again.....for a while anyway!
I used one of my needle-felted flowers on this page and made a note pad of paper back at the dorm to fit inside one of the pockets. There's even a place to slip in a pencil on the left side!

I used a lot of Amy Butler fabrics in constructing this journal. Love her fresh graphic designs and nature inspired color palette.

Here we are all working away on our various journals. Thanks so much to Suzanne who sat at the table behind me and let me borrow her pinking shears. Suzanne always comes prepared!

Next time I'll show you what I made in Charlotte Lyons workshop on Day Two!

Off To Portland

This will be my last post until I return from ArtFiberfest in Portland. I've been running around like crazy making sure I have everything I need to bring for the workshops. I'm taking classes from Charlotte Lyons, Ruth Rae and Roxanne Padgett. Charlotte will be also teaching a mini workshop along with Pam Garrison, and Reenie Hanlin. I'll be sure to take a lot of pictures to share with you when I get back.