Melanie Testa's Blog
November 23, 2009
With my focus on journaling and drawing, I decided to make a pencil case for all that I will need to carry back and forth to figure drawing sessions. I had the machine quilting samples for the International Quilt Fest: Quilt Scene article I wrote and went at it.
The bag is modeled after a bag I saw while shopping at this pen store (scroll down). I didn't put the small pocket in as you see in the inspiration, though I wish I had, it would carry a sharpener and eraser quite nicely. A mod in...
November 13, 2009
A famine, then a feast. That seems to be the way of life, I think.
Just before Houston, I decided it was time to make a larger piece, based on the recent painting of a Wester Tanager in my journal and I set out. I printed in a flurry, with no true thought in how to get the thing printed and made rules up as I went. I then needed to put the piece aside in order to prepare for my lecture and forums. When I came back, I made the retreat and then caught cold. But still I worked on the piece...
November 11, 2009
...and then I have been quilting up a storm and not only that but, oh wait.
Hi. How you are? Long time no see. Sorry about that. Yeah. I was away for a lil bit there and for no good reason. Or maybe there were many reasons.
I will slow down.
I did get a flu a couple of weeks ago, and it hung on, clawing, scratching and biting. I am still coughing. But it is getting better-thank goodness.
The above is a detail of the piece I am working on right now and it looks totally different now. In that...
November 1, 2009
There are many things I should blog about, like the ten yards of fabric that came to my door on winning the Nature's Best contest, THANKS to you! Or the fabulous review of my book in Machine Quilting Unlimited, or the fantastic blog I found this week.
But instead I want to talk about the Recycled Journals I am now in love with. Have I talked about this too much already? I used some original pages from the book, Dreams their Meaning and Significance and layered them into signatures of 140...
October 26, 2009
Sometimes you just have to say it like it is. The statement comes out and then resonates.
I spoke about this a bit in my last post, I told you of Shirley, who approached me at Open Studios and whose name tag indicated that she was from New York City. Without thinking I reiterated where she was from and told her I was actively seeking friends.
So this post is about friends, both old and new.
Last week, I returned home from my new friend Shirley's house with a sense of excitement, vim and...
October 23, 2009
A few Houston recap items...
Carol came to at least my monoprinting demo and then showed up at Open Studios wearing a name tag purse using my pattern from this years Quilting Arts Gifts magazine. It is such fun seeing my designs in the wild, I had to feature it here.
But then...
Carol is a member of my very first guild. The one who gave me a scholarship to go to the Fashion Institute of Technology a little more than 10 years ago. And it was funny because I kept looking at her sitting and...
October 22, 2009
This is a difficult post to create because I forgot my camera in a store in Galveston Texas (it is being returned to me this week). So these photos are thanks to Jamie Fingal, Leslie Tucker Jennison and Sharon Hyll. Thanks gals!
This is a photo of me at my lecture. My first true lecture, where I created a set of slides to project and spoke for 50 minutes straight. It took a good three days to put the Powerpoint presentation together, fuss with the word prompts, read it to the empty apartment a...
October 12, 2009
October 2, 2009
Cate came up with the idea of a studio tour and I love seeing where people create. I couldn't pass this opportunity up.
This will be a photo intense entry and I am going to upload my latest Video Prompt too. I have put off blogging all week just for today.
This was given to me by Kristine Mays, it was intended to help me rust fabrics, but I have used it as art ever since. Kristine's work is great. She can create cloth out of wire. Just amazing.
Here is my video tour:
You can imagine that I...
