"I Remember Laura" Art Swap Update.....

Hello blog buddies and Art Swap participants. I finally had a bit of time last evening and this afternoon to crank out a few art swap items. I got two quilt samples done and a set of three tags, so I thought I'd share what I have worked up so far. I hope you are enjoying the Monday Blog-a-thon themes and the Wednesday interviews (part 1 and part 2) with Laura Ingalls Gunn, next week will wrap her interview and the following week will be on her family history. I hope you will join in the blog posts,(you can view the posts and links here and here) anyone is welcome to participate or just drop by to read. This coming Monday we will be sharing family recipes and the stories that accompany them.

I was also visiting Kimberly, who is participating in the Art Swap, and she posted her tags today and they are awesome, so run over and take a peek. If anyone else has posted their projects, please let me know so I can leave a link in one of my posts. I can't wait to see all the great creations!

The first week of the Art Swap the art kit included a vintage nine patch quilt square and a picture of Laura Ingalls Wilder printed on muslin. These pieces were to be used as a base for a quilted collage creation by adding your own embellishments. The square could be left in its original form, altered, or used in some other way. I made one with the quilt square keeping its original form and the other one I altered.

My nine patch square started out with a graphic bold black and cream print, off set with a solid olive green square. Each square was tie quilted with a red yarn. I chose a color palette of black, off white, red, and a hint of green. I chose elements that reminded me of Laura or parts of her life.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge for better viewing.First I added two diagonal pieces of off white lace trim using fabric glue. For the top piece I adhered a strip of black grosgrain ribbon, into which I put five red eyelets and an old red plastic buckle, to the top of the lace. For Laura's picture I zig zagged the muslin print to a black and cream Japanese print paper, then repeated the process onto a black and cream print paper. I traced a frame shape on the back and cut it out, punching small holes along the edge for a lacy effect. I then mounted the entire piece to red card stock and trimmed. Using glue I adhered the piece to the quilt square, adding a black and cream bow to the to of the photo as well as Laura's initials to the the side. For the initials I used three stickers, which I stuck to red card stock and trimmed. I mounted them using round foam dots to raise them off the piece. For an added embellishment to the three corners that would show, I pinned on a gold safety pin and glued an old black snap over each pin closure.I chose an old bank receipt, dated 1809 for the amount of $100.00, to slide under the lace buckle strip, inking the edges with brown ink to age and gluing in place. This reminded me of the story where Laura, Almanzo, and Rose were traveling to their new home, Rocky Ridge, in Mansfield, MO. They traveled with $100.00, their entire savings, tucked into Laura's writing desk.For another element I found a copy of a note that Laura had written online and copied it off onto manila paper. The writing was really faint so I used a mechanical pencil and carefully traced over the writing. I folded the paper to look as if it had been mailed. I aged the piece with brown chalk, swirling it along the outer edges, fading it towards the center, and by rubbing the folds and edges of the paper with a brown ink pad. I placed it under the buckle and glued it in place.I wanted the paper to stand out from the piece a bit so I used some moss, dried materials, and paper flowers and leaves to achieve this effect. I chose elements that might represent Laura's beloved prairie grasses and flowers.In the remaining upper corner I glued on a but of green organza ribbon and tied a stub of a red pencil to it. This is to represent Laura's writing. Before traveling to Mansfield, Laura purchased a lined notebook and a pencil to keep a travel journal with along the way. Her daughter, Rose, said that Laura wrote three lines to each lined space with her little stub of a pencil.In the lower corner I added three black vintage buttons sewn on with red thread. I chose these as an element not only for their graphic quality but to represent Laura's stint as a seamstress, sewing button holes in men's work shirts. Laura did not like to sew but she did it anyway to help her family earn money to send her sister, Mary, to a school for the blind.The back of the piece is not complete as I will add a tiny bit of embellishment.I am still working on the hanger for the piece, it is a black clothes hanger which will be embellished. I plan to use the mini clothes pins to hang the art piece from. I used a black ink pad and rubber stamps to create the clothes pins, stamping out LAURA and another stamp for a bit of a design element.I have given the second quilt square a title: ''Gone With the Prairie Wind Bride's Dress" I think you must be wondering where I got that title, it was inspired by two of my favorite movies, Gone With the Wind and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.When I saw this quilt square, it reminded me of the scene in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers where Millie comes in wearing a dress that looks like it is made from a quilt. I started thinking it was possible to transform it into Millie's dress. I also thought how this could be my version of Gone With the Wind, prairie style. Can't you just picture prairie Scarlett accepting Rhett Farmers proposal? But, she heads into a hissy fit because she has nothing to wear.

Finances being slim to none, in true Scarlett fashion, she pulls her resources as an idea formulates. She whips Mama's best quilt right off the bed, rips the crochet edging from the pillow cases, rummages through the button box, and snatches the muslin curtains right off the one real glass window in the dug out! All the while she is muttering to herself about Papa being nothin' but a sod bustin' farmer! Why if they were back East, she'd be the bell of the ball in true fashion, dresses made by a dress maker and all!
Her eyes snap with determination as her fingers skillfully whip up a prairie style wedding gown in no time. The quilt is fashioned in to a full skirted garment with a tight fitting bodice. Mama's muslin curtains are just the right length and width for turning into sleeves, and there is just enough hand made lace from the pillowcase edging to sew around the bottom of the dress with enough left over for a generous collar. Great-Grandma's buttons, from her wedding dress, go perfectly on the bodice front. The crowning touch is the raspberry colored ribbon Rhett gave her as a Christmas gift. Scarlett skillfully weaves it in and out of the lace edging, and has enough left over for sash to tie around her two hand span waist.Satisfaction begins to fill her heart as she views her creation but it still needs something. Scarlett remembers the one treasure their family still owns that has not been sold to pay off debt or to keep food on the table. Mama's cameo! Now that her dress is perfect, Scarlett can don her Gone With the Prairie Wind Bride's Dress along with her prairie wildflower bouquet and tie the knot with Rhett Farmer with these words on her lips, "As long as I live, I shall nevah be unfashionable again!"With a few gathers, tucks, and stitches, I shaped the square into a bodice and skirt for the dress. Using a rectangle of muslin, I stitched up sleeves and glued them in place. I really did use old pillowcase edging for the collar and the dress trim. I wove the raspberry ribbon through the edging and then glued in place. The sash is more ribbon glued and tied in place. The bows on the sleeves are made from matching embroidery floss. Two vintage buttons are stitched to the bodice front. The picture of Laura was turned into a cameo for the dress front. I used a self covering button and placed the image of Laura's face centered over the button, gathering the back around the button and gluing in place without using the button back. I glued the button to black card stock and trimmed leaving a small edge. I used some scraps of twisted wire to edge the piece and a small silver heart from an earring to the top, adhering both with glue. The "cameo" was then glued to the top edge of the collar. I still need to fashion a little hanger for it. This is an example of thinking outside the square!

For week two of the Art Swap the art kit included three shipping size tags, some buttons, a strip of pictures of Laura, and some pages from one of the Little House books. With these and extra creative touches, three button themed tags were to be made. Here are my little trio of tags:I covered all three of my tags, front and back with book page images. I selected a portrait of Laura for each of the tags and then began my designs.

For the first tag I used scraps from the first quilt square I featured above. I matted Laura's portrait on red and black card stock and adhered to the tag. Using a smaller tag cut in the same shape, I covered it with a piece of an old sewing pattern, inking the edges of both tags with a brown ink pad to age. I tried an experiment and tried my hand at hand stitching a button hole like Laura did. It came out rather wonky but I liked it all the same. I trimmed the button hole with pinking shears and glued it to the small tag. I glued on a button and a thimble. For the final touch, I stitched through the small tag with red thread and tucked the needle through the button hole stitches. I then glued the small tag to the large tag, punched a hole in the top and added a bit of green organza ribbon. The back depicts a scene of Laura and Mary at Nellie Olsen's party. I still have a bit of embellishment to do to the back.For the second tag I added some floral printed paper and some pink hand made paper. I cut the portrait of Laura out and glued it to black card stock, trimming it into an oval. I gave Laura a lace collar with a floss bow. I glued the matted portrait to some gold metallic paper and trimmed with decorative scissors gluing in place. I inked the edges of the tag with a metallic gold ink pad and stamped the word "buttons" in gold ink under the group of four buttons. I made a double crepe paper ruffle for the edge of the tag, securing with glue and topping it off with a bit of lace. I put pink floss through the buttons, knotting on the back, and then gluing in position. I finished it off with a bit of pink hand dyed silk ribbon. This one still needs a touch to the back also.The third tag is simple in style using green card stock and two printed papers. The portrait is matted on green card stock, adhered in place with old buttons glued to the corners. I glued some vintage trim to the bottom of the tag, covering the raw edge with another piece of trim and three strips of layered paper, the floral print being cut with decorative scissors. In green ink I stamped the word "buttons". I secured a ribbon rose to the center of the lace and added some jewels to the dangling lace pieces. An iridescent green ribbon is threaded through the hole punched in the top with a gingham wired ribbon knotted and secured over the hole. This one also needs a little tweak to the back.I have one more set of tags to finish up and then it is on the week's three and four projects. Thank you to all the participants in the swap. I hope you are enjoying your creating time as much as I am!

Happy Crafting,
Miss Sandy