New designs

spirit2sew wrote

on 6 Aug 2009 3:04 PM

I'm back from my trip. It was one of the best we've done. In addition to all the cultural things, I had my eyes open for anything to do with fabric. I approached seamstresses and bargained with them to buy their silk scraps. It was so much fun and they had a huge variety of designs on the fabric... floral, geometric, variegated, and solids too. I don't think they had a tourist before who wanted scraps. Whenever I bought fabrics, scraps, scarves, embroideries, etc. after I bargained and paid, I gave the merchant or artist an "inchie" that I had made. Each one had my email address on the back. They were so surprised and seemed to really like them. What fun! I don't have any specific plans for the silk yet, but I'm sure it will get used. I have lots of ideas.

Approachable Art wrote

on 6 Aug 2009 6:19 PM

Welcome home!! Do you have any photos to share? :D

cousette wrote

on 9 Aug 2009 3:47 AM

These good news from you let us wait for photos, especially  those of the fabulous scraps ! ! we 're eager to see what this travel brought to your art !

Karen Christensen wrote

on 9 Aug 2009 4:11 AM

How exciting!! Looking forward to seeing what becomes of those fabrics and the inspirations behind them!

Belinda Spiwak wrote

on 9 Aug 2009 6:14 AM

That was a great idea. Glad you had an excellent time!  I am sitting here at Art Unraveled catching up on things before getting ready for a class.

spirit2sew wrote

on 11 Aug 2009 12:28 PM

I posted a photo of some of the silk and embroideries into the Photo Gallery Today.

betoncat wrote

on 24 Aug 2009 6:55 PM

I just returned from 3 years in Italy and I had a preschooler and 2 school age kids.  So, finding time to execute projects was very limited.  I have a sketchbook for those ideas I don't want to loose and took thousands of photos to go through and find inspiration from for the years to come.  Not to mention that Italy was our last stop on my military wife tour...so that is after living in other inspiring places such as Alaska for 4 years!  So, I have so many projects I know I want to do, and those that I don't even know are just waiting to come out.  Being overseas, you can be in places where antique means centuries old, not a hundred!  The history is amazing!  So I just photographed, photographed, photographed!   We have been back in the states for almost 2 months and I just got around to looking at the photos I took in the last few days there and they were amazing!  We were so lucky to have a clear day as we flew out of Marco Polo Airport and got great shots of Venice, Murano, Burano and San Michele!  Can't wait to see what I create using the photos themselves and the photos as inspiration.  And that is just a 10 minute span of time in our stay in Italy.  I took photos of doors, windows, bugs, flowers, floors, architecture, people, on and on. 

Enjoy your trip and enjoy all the memories, photos and sketches you bring back....and go for it!  Save paraphanalia too!  Who would have known I would end up in Cloth Paper Scissors for the charm swap when I saved gelato spoons!  Too much fun!

If you are interested in seeing the photos mentioned:  www.betoncat.com

or the charm swaps:

http://www.scambio.scambiocreativo.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20

spirit2sew wrote

on 26 Aug 2009 6:15 PM

I looked at the charms. How beautiful. And what a fun project. 

I returned with over 2000 photos! I know I want to make a series from a photo of brightly colored umbrellas in a night market. I don't know any details, but the colors and shapes should give me a variety of things to do with it. Also, I want to make some quilts with buddha images from the temples. Perhaps with some of the ruins we visited as a background. My husband took a great photo of a woman carrying a basket on her head with lotus pods that would make a great quilt. And I bought a lot of silk fabric that I want to use in making purses, cuff bracelets, and all sorts of fun things. The only problem is that school just started this week and I won't have much time (or energy) for art for awhile. In a few weeks I'll be used to it again and then I'll start making art on the weekends. I think I'll start with the umbrella project. 

betoncat wrote

on 27 Aug 2009 9:50 AM

Great number of photos!  Art for years to come!  I really like the umbrellas idea!  It is so much fun working on a project that comes from a great experience that you can relive while you work.  Enjoy the time you get to work, even if it is only weekends!