Thrift Store Find

I like to visit my local thrift stores to see what I can find.  Several years ago I came across this little plastic box and opened it up to find a array of different laces, yards and yards of it for $10!  I wondered what I would make from them and now maybe I have an idea what to use them for.

Silk Ribbon Embroidered Needlebook's

I have been busy with a custom order.  Matching needlebooks with silk ribbon embroidery.  
I started with the dimension and did a quick sketch of the design of the embroidery.  Fabric choice and all the supplies you need.

Gold metalic thread is used to make the scroll work

I made 4 full bloomed roses

They don't really look like roses yet but wait for it.....

rose buds and leaves and yellow centers.

Now beading and french knots.

Add a pretty pink ribbon and all finished!

Older work

Some older work.   These are already posted on my blog but buried with years of blogging.

New Year

Happy New Year, belatedly.
What's new.  Catching up, here are some new items not shown yet from last year.

ACEO Tree of Life

This is what I'm working on now a Tree of Life ACEO (Art Cards, Editionas and Originals)

"It's All in the Cards"

We had our opening for the "It's All in the Cards" show my fiber art group is doing.  This is my piece I made for the show:

Venus Midnight Bloom                                                          
Debbie Smith

Giveaway!

We all like free stuff, of course we do!
The Quiltsy team at Etsy is having a free giveaway with lots of prizes and a shopping spree.
Go here and follow the instructions
http://teamquiltsy.blogspot.com/

One of the prizes is donated by me, my shop
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DebiDesigns?ref=si_shop

I donated a crazy quilted jewelry box

It don't cost you anything to post and you may win!

Midnight Chaos of Stormy Dreams

Textile Art and Surface Design Vase
This was made last year but I saw soemthing wasnt right with it so I reworked the copper spiral and like it musch better.
before and after

what do you think?

Human Trafficking

Dolls in the City
An exhibit to raise awareness and concern about sex trafficking in the Atlanta area.
At 2 Rules Fine Art in Marietta, GA
I made 6 small dolls they will be used in a short independent film and 2 almost human size dolls ages 12-14.

In 2001 I made a block for the "United in Memory" quilt being made in honouring those who were killed in the terroists attacks against the United States of America,  Here is the block I made:

You can see all the blocks made here:

http://www.unitedinmemory.net/index.html

Goodnight

Fall ATC's

I'm doing a swap with the FAT ladies " The signs of fall".  Here are my 4 ATC's I made to trade.  Black felt, free motion stitching, red and gold satin with Chinese print, tulle, coppery metallic thread and copper.

WCA of GA "The Ragdoll Project"

The Woman's Caucus for Art of Georgia is taking on a project to protest the human trafficking and child sex slave business.  I have been asked to participate.  I spoke to the woman who is spearheading this project and was told we will be making rag dolls without faces to represent the children.
The project is a offspring of what Philadelphia did last year
http://phila-wca.blogspot.com/2011/08/call-for-art-rag-dolls.html

It will be held here at the 2 Rules Fine Art Gallery located at Marietta Square in Marietta Georgia.
http://www.2rulesfineart.com/

Native American Earthenware 1200-1400

Measures 8 1/2" L x 42" circumference

Early Caddoan decoration on a prehistoric Southeastern pottery of the Crocket Curviliear design.   Red pigment (hematite) was rubbed into the etchings.  

The Caddo Nation is a confederacy of several Southeastern Native American tribes, who traditionally inhabited much of what is now East Texas, Northern Louisiana and portions of Southern Arkansas and Oklahoma.

I tried to depict the piece of ancient pottery with white thread stitching on black felt, the thread being the etchings that would be done on the clay.

This piece in the Fiber Art Fusion show

Uguisu

Measures 25 1/2" L x 17" W

This wallhanging was inspired from my deck of Korean playing cards they measure 2 1/8" x 1 3/8", I fondly remember playing this with my mother as a young adult.  In Korea the flower card game is called "Hwatu" ( 화투 ) which translates as "battle of flowers" another name for the game is "Go Stop".

The bird depicted in this wall hanging is a Japanese Bush warbler (Uguisu) English name Japanese Nightingale, which sits on the branch of a plum tree amongst the beautiful blossoms (Prunus mume), commonly known as ume or Japanese apricot. The tree originated in China and later was brought to Korea, Vietnam and Japan. The blooms have colouring ranging from white to rose to deep red.

The Nightingale is famous for it's beautiful song and is much depicted in Japanese poetry.

The plum blossom, which is known as the meihua (梅花), is one of the most beloved flowers in China and has been much used in Chinese art and poetry for centuries. The plum blossom is a symbol of winter and a harbinger of spring. The blossoms are so beloved because they are viewed as blooming most vibrantly admist the winter snow, exuding an ethereal elegance,while their fragrance perfumes the air at even the coldest times of the year. The plum blossom came to symbolize perseverance and hope,also beauty, purity, and the transistoriness of life. In Confucianism, the plum blossom stands for the principles and values of virtue.

Midnight Chaos of Stormy Dreams

in the show

Artifacts

Fiber Art Fusion and Mountain view presents:

Finished

What should I do with it?

New Year, New Art

Last night my Fiber Art Fusion group had a meeting and workshop. The workshop was using stitches to fill in the blank so to speak. One thing we worked on was a Elegant Feather that we made using the technique Jude Hill of Spirit Cloth shows us on her blog

http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/spirit_cloth/the-magic-feather-project.html

I was greatly inspired to work and finish my little project I had started the night before. I had in my mind to use my previous work to incorporate stitches on it. I used my computer and printer to make a little piece from an iron-on sheet that I ironed onto Kona white cotton fabric. Truth: the iron-on made the work greenish but I am doing stitches on it so it surely doesnt matter, I find I like the pre-treated cotton printable sheets in the package when I print something out that I will be working on. The colors stay true to the original.

In the first picture on the top left hand side is the iron on ironed onto the cotton, next to it on the right side is the original and the bottom piece is what I have worked on.

I started with the feather, filled in the circles with the blue and pink pearle cotton running stitches then did the green dmc floss back stitches. The piece did not look remarkable and was very dull looking. So I filled in the muted black and made it darker with 4 strands of black sewing thread as I can not find my embroidery floss anywhere right now, it works very well. Now i am finishing up with gold metallic thread and I really like this piece the more I work on it. Don't know what to do with it, maybe just make it into a small piece of art, incorporate it inot a larger piece of art or a needle case? What do you think?

Embroidery Scissor case

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80532890/scissor-case-accessories

I finished the new scissor case with it's matching fob. Black moire fabric, red silk ribbon roses hand embroidered, gold metallic thread hand stitched and beaded. White gimp hand sewn down over the edge.