Shawkl’s ICQC 103 Mixed Media

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

I am part of the Embroiderer’s Guild of America (EGA) through a local chapter, and I recently came across a little hedgehog-on-a-log piece that Terry Vanderslice designed as an introduction to raised embroidery (also known as stumpwork). I knew I wanted to try it for two reasons: 1) practice with bullion knots and 2) how to turn a bead into an apple! I was all set to try it out, but I wanted to see other variations just for ideas; I came across Margaret’s version over at The Sharp Needler. After studying it, I had the courage to change up this design, too. So instead of a hedgehog, which I have never seen out in the wild, I attempted a possum (or, for you people that are sticklers for mainstream spelling, an opossum). Practice on bullion knots will just have to wait another day.

When I was a teenager, my cousin and I found a baby possum and I nursed it back to health. Its mother had been hit by a car and she and the other babies were all dead. My little guy/gal was so teeny that its eyes weren’t even open yet. Back then, the humane society and the local zoo were the only consultants for wild animal rescue, and neither had any advice on what to do. My mom knew someone who had rescued a possum using honey water, so I fed it with an eye dropper. Eventually it opened its eyes and grew enough strength to actually hang from my finger with its tail! My dog let it hang on to him as he walked around, too. It slept in my popple, in a birdcage when I had school to attend. Until one day I came home and it had passed away 🙁 Rest in peace, Baby Speedbump. (And rest in peace, Marbles, the best dog I could ever have had.)

Anyway, as far as this motif, I think I will change it a little more before the end. For one, I don’t like how the eyes turned out. I also need to lighten the coat up a bit, and add more ground maybe to really settle it all together (Margaret’s just looks stunning!). But the bead apple? Super easy. And I got back into using wire to shape leaves (which warmed me up to a more ambitious piece to be seen next time!).

 

See more posts related to:

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Looking for more cases of the Crafties?
Stitch Club: Kaur

Stitch Club: Kaur

Saima Kaur led a TextileArtist.org’s Stitch Club designed to make us smile by stitching brightly bold and whimsical figures, and I was inspired by ancient South African rock art.

read more
Stitch Club: Edwards

Stitch Club: Edwards

Priscilla Edwards led a TextileArtist.org’s Stitch Club where we learned to make a wire frame and use batik wax to form a sculpture. For whatever reason, I decided I’d make a sailboat!

read more
Hexie Dreams + Template

Hexie Dreams + Template

My Hexie Dreams quilt, which was carefully fussy cut and hand pieced by me, then hand quilted by my gramma, is finally finished after three+ years of work (and avoidance). The proof is in the stitching – persistence pays off!

read more
Stitch Club: Dias

Stitch Club: Dias

Cassandra Dias lead a TextileArtist.org’s Stitch Club workshop on embroidered landscapes, and I was inspired to recreate a honeymoon photo of France’s Pont Du Gard.

read more
Hello 2024!

Hello 2024!

For the start of 2024, I’ve been playing with drawing, paint, and watercolor pencils to get a feel for the media.

read more
Ida Andersen Lang’s Tutorial

Ida Andersen Lang’s Tutorial

I followed a water color pencil tutorial by Ida Andersen Lang to work through some techniques to set me up for a successful Mixed Media 2024 journey.

read more
Stitch Club: Boschert

Stitch Club: Boschert

Deborah Boschert lead a TextileArtist.org’s Stitch Club on creating a mixed media art quilt. I based mine upon a visit to a new town and restaurant.

read more
Finds and Things

Finds and Things

A random post about some art supplies, vintage finds, and an AI-generated experiment for future crafts.

read more
Stitch Club: Stone 3

Stitch Club: Stone 3

Sue Stone’s third workshop with TextileArtist.org’s Stitch Club prompted us to use text in our piece, so I recorded a trip to Shawnee National Forest.

read more
Stitch Club: Stone 2

Stitch Club: Stone 2

Sue Stone led a TextileArtist.org’s Stitch Club in her well-known portrait style, and I was inspired to capture a man in a hat in four variations.

read more
Hexie Dreams 19

Hexie Dreams 19

My hand sewn fussy-cut EPP Hexie Dreams quilt is all ready to go to my gramma for hand quilting. Check out a few of my embellished hexies, and come back in the future for the finished product!

read more
My Village Quilt

My Village Quilt

I present to you My Village Quilt, based on the Urban Village Green quilt: a four-year-long project that tipped the love-hate scale finally over to love.

read more