Mary Felder Art - Art Quilts, Mixed Media Collages, Photographs

My Contemporary Fiber Artists Of Louisiana (CFAL) group recently sponsored a wet felted vessels class with Sharon Costello.  I created "Circle Dance" with a flat wool piece that I made in class.   I embellished it with beads, thread and a center flower.  The flower was created with thread and water soluble Solvy.  It is mounted on a quilted and painted piece of commercial fabric.  I plan to finish it with a plain black frame.  As you can see, It looks good in a vertical or horizonal position.  The class was lots of fun and Sharon Costello was a talented teacher.  I will post vessels soon. Circle Dance

"Hibiscus Abstracted" A friend brought a photo of a beautiful Yellow Hibiscus to one of our fiber group meetings.  We each interpreted it any way we wished.  I took lines and curves and colors and created the piece below. "Hibiscus Abstracted" is machine and hand embroidered.  Beads, hand dyed ribbon and Swavorski crystals were added.  It is ready to hang.  Below is this piece matted.

My fiber art group chose "discharge" as a technique to explore.  I used Decolourant on a piece of commercial fabric depicting sea shells on a sandy beach.  Decolourant is very easy to use.  I stenciled the circles and used a brush for the wavy lines.  If you make an error with Decolourant, you can wash it out.  It only activates when it is ironed.  Other members had interesting results using bleach gel. Sea Treasures "Sea Treasures" is discharged with Decolourant, machine quilted, beaded with small shells and a large shell is added.  Sea shells have always fascinated me.  I recommend that you read "Gift From the Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindberg.  In the book, she says" One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can only collect a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few".

I am part of a small group that meets each month to try new fiber art techniques.  We made silk screens and used them to create a piece that was 8.5 by 11 inches.  I use an old Thermofax machine to prepare my screens.  I screened circles onto a piece of my hand dyed linen.  I then used metallic thread and green thread to emphasize some of the circles.  I began with flower circles but changed them for buttons.   The various sizes and shapes of the buttons represent diversity.  They are connected by the circles. We are all connected in some way.  I love the quote by Chief Seattle that says we are all bound together - that all things connect. This is the beginning of "Connections".  The circles have been screened  on and embroidered by hand and machine. "Connections" with flower embellishment.   I took these off and added buttons. "Connections"

Amid the noisy revelers and the screaming fireworks The New Year eases in, shrouded in smoke and fog It brings the promise of a new beginning You can put aside the heartaches, harsh words and failures  of the past year- and reach for the gifts.... Faith - the substance of things hoped for - the evidence of things not seen.   Grace - freely given love and favor. True friends - loyal in your trials and triumphs. The belief that your bruised soul will be soothed and you will be covered with a blanket of peace and serenity. And inner courage to support you till you are strong enough to stand alone.         E. C. The first day of this new year is overcast and rainy, but I took a walk and looked for inspiration and something beautiful. Look what I found - a lovely camellia. 

Life's Patches "Life's Patches" was donated to the Alzheimer's Quilt Project.  I made it in memory of my Uncle Joe Herbert.  He was such a wonderful, gentle man who suffered from this illness.  I will never forget him.  Hopefully, a cure will be found someday.

Fences The background is my hand dyed fabric stenciled with a thermofax screen.  Beads are from an old piece of jewelry. It is machine quilted and mounted on a painted canvas.  This piece can also be hung in the other direction.