Alacrity Art

I recently joined a “zoo animal flat-doll trade” on one of the fiber art Yahoo groups I belong to. I chose flamingos. They’re just so…pink! Legs and beaks are Ultrasuede.

About a year ago, a friend and co-worker and her husband adopted two male orange tabby kittens – one a classic tabby, the other a mackerel tabby. They named them Jake and Ellwood, after the Blues Brothers. For my friend’s birthday, I made her a wallhanging of Jake and Ellwood. You can tell who’s who by the initials on their tags.

Here’s a close-up of Jake………………….and Ellwood

The real Jake and Ellwood…

I work with a wonderful person named Anna. I call her Anna Banana, and she calls me Claire Pear (a name I resemble far more than I’d like to). I decided to make Anna a little banana quilt for her birthday. It’s 4″ by 6.5″.

Lately I’ve been obsessed with the idea of creating my own handbags, totebags, purses – whatever you want to call them. Here’s one I finished last weekend.

My latest trade project is for the Yahoo group Art4Mail. Flat dolls are just what they sound like: they’re flat – like paper dolls – except these are made of fabric. I used faux suede for the eyes, noses, ears, and stripes.

Here’s a closer look at one of the Kitty Kat Flat Dolls I just finished.

Cotton fabric, felt, faux suede, thread, mettalic ink

Recently I participated in the “Sheep!” Fiber Postcard Trade through the Yahoo group artsnthemail. Needless to say, I made sheep of a different color!

One of my sheep for the postcard trade

In June 2004 I was fortunate to take a class from Phil Beaver. Phil, who lives in Indiana, took up quilting after he retired from a long career as a high-school art teacher. Within a very short period of time, his quilts were winning Best of Show!

Although I started this quilt in 2004, I didn’t finish it until last night! All the fabrics used for the sunflowers themselves I hand-painted in Phil’s class.