Full Deck Challenge 3 Video Flip Through

CLICK HERE  to watch a 5-minute flip through of my finished ring of  altered shipping tags.

[edit added later - on the tag with the bits of what I called crochet by my grandmother - her work is actually tatting (thanks to the readers who gently pointed that out to me)]

Thank you for sharing this year-long collage-centric journey with me.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing.  Making your unknown known is the important thing."

Georgia O'Keefe

Forward Motion for Full Deck Challenge 3

I had wondered why the weekly prompts for Full Deck Challenge suddenly ended with week 44, and now I've found out that the organizer (Shana from Shanouki Arts on You Tube) has been swallowed up with real-life obligations leaving her no time to create videos (at least for the time being).

Instead she has released the remaining prompts for FDC3 and now I'm making my shipping tags to finish out the year.

The prompt for week 46 was FAIRY.

I cut this image from a reproduction copy of Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairies book.

And on the tag's reverse, I included the poem that accompanied the image.

Skipping ahead to week 48, the prompt was DANGLES.

I used a small piece of crocheted tatted doily edging, a scrap of flower punched watercolor paper, and another scrap of background paper.

On the reverse, another tiny snipped of the crochet tatting attached only along the upper edge so the edging dangles freely against the tag was added atop a used dryer sheet. (edit added later - thanks to the readers who pointed out that her handwork is actually tatting / I'll go in and correct my note on the tag as well as the edits I've made here).

Skipping further ahead to week 50, the prompt is WONKY HOUSE.

I immediately pulled out this photo of a wonky house created by Heidi B (SSOBB member from Germany) and used it as the front of my tag.

On the back of the tag I added a credit note for Heidi as the maker.

On my studio table, I've pulled pieces and parts make the remaining tags and then it will be time for a recap post (still pondering how I want to handle that).

* * *

In other news, the White Flower Farm amaryllis that Cherie surprised me with is showing signs of growth!  It's an apple blossom variety that produces 24" stalks bearing pink and white flowers.  Thank you, Cherie!

Quiltdivajulie

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"Kindness doesn't need a reason.  It's a quiet light that travels farther than we ever know."

Dede Hawkins

Full Deck Challenge 3 Update

Week 41's prompt was ZIG ZAG.  

I used several different kinds of pens and markers to draw freehand zig zag lines and filler on my kraft paper shipping tag.

The gel pen lines are metallic so the card has a bit of glimmer going on.

I had just finished binding the 40" scrappy Esperance runner so I snagged two very short trimmings and used them for the tag's back side.

Week 42's prompt was FEATHERS.  

My very first thought was the Emily Dickinson quote . . . 

Nerdy Bird is the main character in a childrens' book of the same name and I just HAD to use him on this tag.

I added the remainder of the quote on the tag's reverse side.

Week 43's prompt is CIRCLES.  

I used bits of old book pages as the collaged background and then layered an array of paper circles on top. 

For the reverse I used a black and white version of a free printable (I think from BB Henry) as the background and multiple stickers for the colors.

* * *

My shipping tags don't look at all like Shauna's altered playing cards but that's totally okay with me.  

You can see her Full Deck Challenge 3 Playlist on the Shanouki Arts You Tube channel by clicking HERE.

Hard to believe there are only 9 more weeks left in this 52 week challenge . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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"If you create for yourself, you never need to fear failure.  Every attempt leads to confidence.  Be confident in your artistic talent and it will show up in your work."

June Stocking

I'm Still Making

The second large section of Incandescent has been sewn together.  There is one more section with five rows and then the three sections can be turned into a quilt top.

When I pulled the October decor out of the attic closet that runs alongside my studio, I was delighted at how well the autumn oranges play with the colors on the design wall.  

Now I know the gift recipient of this someday-finished quilt is going to love it even more.

Earlier this month I mentioned a stalled altered book I'm working on that started with an aging Nancy Drew mystery that YS found in a nearby Little Free Library.

I've painted the front cover, leaving only Nancy's face and added some cut out words to break up the negative space.  The words below her neckline are 'remembering what matters.'

I've named this journal AN UNFOLDING STORY.

Inside the front cover - I kept the title page of the book and will keep it tucked in the pocket along with a card that includes the project's pertinent facts.

Each page has been collaged with a thin book page (most all in a mix of foreign languages) and I've started adding quotes and random passages I'd saved for 'someday' here and there within the book.

The addition of additional ephemera and text will be a longer term effort - I'll add bits and pieces as I come across things I want to preserve.

The idea for this journal came from a recent series of posts and videos from Meg of megjournals sharing the evolution of her 'creative commonplace' journal (a blend that includes elements from the traditional commonplace book as well as junque journaling).   

The part that makes me the happiest is that I am finally getting over my personal hangup about using my own handwriting/printing and adding it directly onto the book's pages instead of prepping it first and then gluing it into the book.  That's huge progress for me.

I also created my shipping tag for the Full Deck Challenge's week 39 prompt - stars.

I love this washi tape and it couldn't be more perfect for the prompt.  I added some additional sparkly stars using nail decals I picked up at one of the local 'dollar' type stores.

On the reverse I added five more sparkly stars and one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes quotes - "If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I bet they'd live a lot differently.  When you look into infinity, you realize there are more important things than what people do all day."

* * *

With the imminent arrival of October, I've realized I need to get Esperance quilted.  I want to get Coddiwomple quilted/finished along with Macnas-inspired No. 5 Vellichor so they can be used during the next couple of months before it's time to unpack the Christmas decor.  

Looks like I need to cut back on my daytime reading and spend a bit more time in the studio . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

Grandiose - The Flimsy

Grandiose, Macnas-inspired number 8 of 12, is now a quilt top.

So many different fabrics . . . 

468 rectangles cut at 2.5" x 4.5" and, in the case of Grandiose, 29 different aquas and at least that many different chartreuse greens.

52" x 62" before quilting, Grandiose will now go into the to-be-quilted queue.

Next up in the Macnas series will be No. 9 - Enchanted (yellow-orange/pink with black and white)

You can see the entire series (finished, quilting pending, or waiting to become a quilt top) here.

* * *

The prompt for Week 38 of the Full Deck Challenge is CHAOS.

I went with the chaos that happens when a new puzzle is opened and dumped out on the table.

This is the reverse side of the shipping tag.

(the pieces I used came from a puzzle I found at the $1.25 store)

The prompt is for Week 39 comes out on Thursday . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

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"Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.

Jane Austen in Sense and Sensibility.

Moving Forward Again

My energy is returning -- and while this post might look like I was crazy productive since my last post, it actually shows the results of a week's worth of "a little here and a little there."

Our September decor is out - sunflowers and apples with a few black and white touches like these ceramic acorns.

Every year after school started, my mom would take us to the apple orchard where she would buy a whole bushel of apples to make applesauce for the winter months.  The owner always gave each of us girls an apple and one year, I lost my first tooth when I bit into mine.

I've added another few rows to Grandiose (Macnas-inspired no. 8) so now there just a very few more to go.

I had hoped to have all 12 quilts in the series finished by year end - I now realize I'll be happy if I have all 12 quilt TOPS finished in 2025. The remaining four are ready for layout and assembly so I'm pretty sure I can meet this revised goal; and if 2-3 of them get quilted as well, then hooray.

The leader-ender block progress for Incandescent is moving this one forward on the design wall.  Once all the blocks are sewn and pressed, I'll do a bit of rearranging (maybe) before sewing the top together.

I finally decided on the alternate fabric for these 3" HSTs and got everything die cut so I can prep Xanadu (not previously blogged about) to become another leader-ender project as I continue my way through the series of Macnas-inspired quilt tops.  Each of the color stacks contains at least 4-5 or more different fabrics/prints/textures.

Once all the HSTs are made, I'll decide on the final layout - for now I'm happy to have this part of the prep work done.

Finally, after thinking about it for several days, I created my week 36 shipping tag for Shana's Full Deck Challenge 3.  

This is the tag's reverse side - as you might have guessed, the prompt was Flowers.

I also worked in many short sessions to create a total of 60 altered vintage slide frames.

This group features postage stamps with bits of torn tea bags.

Another group has bits of old road maps.

All the others have different types of script or text in their windows.  All of these will make great bits to add into my journals and altered book projects.

There are lots of tutorials out there for altered slides - most of them completely disguise the original printed words and logos with paint or paper.  I tried one or two that way and they felt all wrong, so I went back to my ink pad method with little bits of collage.  

* * * 

I'm not 100% yet as my focus/attention span is still shorter than usual and I still need an occasional rest break, but I'm delighted to be doing as much as I am.  

We've also had some marvelously cooler weather which means reading on the back porch.

Quiltdivajulie

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"Everything has a value, provided it appears at the right place at the right time.  It's a matter of recognizing that value, that quality, and then to transform it into something that can be used.  If you come across something valuable and tuck it away in your metaphorical suitcase there's sure to come a moment when you can make use of it."  Jurgen Bey

Catch Up Post

Grandiose (Macnas series no. 8) now has its first 8 rows sewn and pressed.  Only ten more rows to go. 

The three-strip blocks for Incandescent are my leader-ender project whilst stitching the top for Grandiose.

For every two rows of Grandiose, I get thirteen finished blocks for Incandescent. 

Slow and steady.

Esperance is finally pin basted . . . 

. . .  and ready to be quilted.  

I have been thinking that I'll use the same amethyst thread used for Haru, but I am also wondering about a soft pink?

I finished cleaning up some odds and ends on the paper play table.  These four book covers have been updated and repurposed.

Two of them have papers bound inside using a three-hole pamphlet stitch.  

The other two have three-ring binders.  

The reproduction Country Diary book is filled with an eclectic group of papers while the postage stamp cover has a single sheet with notes to myself for the time I am inspired to fill it with papers.

(you may remember the postage stamp cover from this past spring's Postcard Swap - I ended up storing the postcards I received in a small wood box which meant the cover was fair game for a future project)

The prompt for Week 34 of Full Deck Challenge 3 (Shanouki Arts You Tube channel) is "happy scraps."

This is the front of my tag . . . 

. . . and this is the back.

I've considered several other approaches to this challenge for next year but I keep coming back to how much I enjoy working on these shipping tags.

Creating these tags, I've surprised myself since this is the first year-long (or any other) challenge I've continued for more than a few weeks.  

* * *

I've also just realized we are nearing the end of August and I had intended to make a set of six new placemats for September. 

I've pulled the fabric, pressed it, and will get it pin basted shortly.  I won't have them done by the first of the month, but they will be finished and in use before September ends.

 

Quiltdivajulie

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"If living life is an art, then only you can be the artist to make it colorful."

Sagar Gosavi

Eye Candy - Photo Heavy Post

Bits and Pieces - What started as a small ring-bound tag journal quickly grew to a large collection of assorted tags.  

The binder ring started at 1.5" but quickly moved to a 2" and finally ended with a 3" ring.

Bookmarks; leftover pieces of assorted papers; tags of all sorts from products as well as reproduction library, evidence, layaway, and others; with a few old photographs mixed in - they all became fodder for this project.

Here's another peek showing a different group of "pages."

And one more just for good measure.

I've already started gathering tags (mostly from products at this point) to make another one someday.

Full Deck Challenge 3 update - these are my two shipping tags for the "doodle" prompt.

The one on the left is completely my own while the other is my coloration of a book page.

And here are the reverse sides of my Week 30 tags.

Week 31's prompt is "rainbow" - but instead of being literal, I went scrappy with mine.

This is the tag's reverse side.  

And here is my ring of FDC3 tags so far (31 of 52). 

Junky Junque Journal - this was a longer term side project made entirely from junk mail pieces.  

Each was collaged upon using papers and stuff from my stash.

At some point in time, I'll go back and add a few of my favorite things to the waiting blank list.

This opened-out spread was created on a fold out ad from a local jewelry store. 

I'm very glad I made this as I've wanted to try out the technique for quite a while.  

Depending on the junk mail used, I could see myself making another one someday.

* * *

In the meantime, the sciatica flare up has eased and I can finally sit and sew without too much discomfort SO it's time to get Esperance pin basted and the top for Fandango sewn together.

Onward.

Quiltdivajulie