Blue Painted Purse

For this purse, I played with the assorted shades of blue and purple paint. Then I used gold Luminere paint and quilted with a holographic thread.

The beads on the bottom are some I made in my clay class.

Orange Painted Purse

I've been playing with painting on fabric. This time, I used some Luminere paint for the copper accents. I quilted the bag with one of my special verigated threads. Then, I used some of the buttons I made in my clay class. I've been experimenting with brass and copper luster on the buttons.

Kyoto Jacket - Side Two

I had fun picking out fabrics and putting this jacket together. The jacket is reversible, which is great because I love all of the fabrics I used and really don't want to "hide" any of the fabrics in a lining.

Kyoto Jacket - Side One

Painted Purse with Hand Made Clay Beads

I painted some fabric to make a purse. I had made some clay beads last semester, and I was wondering what I was going to do with them. I used them to keep the purse flap from flapping about.

Painting White on White

This is the latest painted blouse. I used some leftover white fabric with a subtle white design. I like how it came out.

Fabric Painting

This is my second attempt at fabric painting. I used more water and fewer colors. Then I grabbed a few leaves from the Mexican Bird of Paradise, a few stones and tried sun printing.

This is my first attempt at fabric painting and I discovered I needed to put more water on the fabric, more water in the paint, and use fewer colors.

My Body Doesn't Define Me

I never did like sex role stereotypes. People should be able to do the things they love to do without being critized for doing something only men or only women do. And so I made this quilt.

The uterus and fallopian tubes are made from metallic copper lycra. Yes, I have exercise clothes made from that lycra. I quilted the quilt with holographic thread. A fellow quilter introduced me to holographic thread a few years ago, and I'm not sure I could sew without it.

Anesthetic Doesn't Make It Go Away - What my mother said to me

These are some of the hurtful, hateful things my mother said to me and about me.

Don't be like your sister. One in the family is enough

You can't come with us to the cottage. You have to stay home and take care of your father.

You're not the only one in this family.

How come she gets all the boys and all I get are girls?
(This was about her sister in law who kept having sons and all my mother had were girls.)

You can't go to the party. You have to stay home and watch your brother.

You can't get married then. It's our bowling night.

Nobody likes you and you know that's true.

It was so peaceful while you were gone.

As I made the two quilts, I felt the memories growing smaller. Now, they don't seem to be a part of me anymore.

Anesthetic Doesn't Make It Go Away - What I wish I could have said

These are things I wish I could have said to my mother, but it wasn't safe.
The individual tear drops say:

Why won't anyone believe me?

I'd like to hit her so hard her false teeth fly out.

If I'm real quiet, maybe she won't hit me.

Motherhood requires something more than just being too stupid to use birth control.

Maybe if I'd been born a boy, she would have liked me.

Why did you steal the money I got for confirmation gifts?

I tried to kill myself when I was 11.

Art Injury

I pulled a hamstring when I was using the kick wheel in the clay studio, and I made a quilt to commemorate the event. On the right side of the quilt, I quilted "Ouch!" Across the top, "Art Injury." Across the bottom, "Pulled Hamstring." On the left side, "Massage," "Hot tub," "Rest."

Moral: before doing art, be sure to warm up and stretch out.

Healing Spirit Doll

This is the doll I made to remind myself that we do heal - both physically and emotionally. I made here while I was having some physical problems that while not serious were darned annoying.

Passover Doll

We were in a restaurant in Albuquerque the Friday before Easter when I saw many of the waitresses putting bunny ears on their head. I hoped that was for Easter and not what I was afraid it was for. And then a sculpture filled my head. I saw a doll with ears, wild hair, her heart on her sleeve, a tattoo on her chest, and the words: If it doesn't pay enough to live on, I don't need to know how to do it.

I was going to call it the Femist Backlash Doll, then I started thinking about Passover. Passover is a time of freedom from slavery. There are lots of things that enslave us - including sexist attitudes. And so she became the Passover Doll.

This doll also had a kiln surprise. The words on the front of her were in red, but they faded when she was fired the secnd time. Then again, how many times have women had to repeat themselves because men don't bother to listen to what we say?

Breast Cancer Angel

This is the doll I made in honor of a friend who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. I started squeezing clay, and this is the doll that came out of my hand. I had no idea I was going to make this doll. She also comes with a kiln surprise. I thought the glaze was going to be even, but there's a line shortly below the remaining breast. I've decided that's the radiation shield to protect the rest of her from radiation during radiation treatments.

Moon Rise over the Mountains

Rather than trying to make each piece the "right" color, I simply chose whatever glaze was at hand.

Flying Geese

Art Deco Tile

Chocolate Pot

I experimented by making a chocolate pot in my clay class. I used high fire clay and low fire glazes. After bisque firing the pot and then the final high fire, I used low fire glazes and fired the pot again.

Mirror Images

I've been playing with mirror images here lately. Some of the playing has been with fabric, some with tile. Here are a couple of the tiles. I haven't quite figured out how I want to put them together.