With a HST value quilt, you pair together a dark and light valued fabric for each block, and they can then be arranged in a number ways.  I chose the ripple effect.  Amy Butler’s Cameo line had so many blues and greens it reminded me of a pond on a summer day.

Seriously, Amy and David Butler are amazing.  Their fabrics continue to inspire me. Love them.

p.s. The HST quilt is up for grabs.  If you’re interested, please contact me for pricing.  It would be lovely in your home, don’t you think?

Hopefully Trixie approves.  She does pay attention to details.

Now available in the etsy shop.

A few weeks ago I started to feel what I call a “lull” coming on.  Some people call them creative blocks.  I just didn’t know what project to start next.  When that happens I often turn to methods or exercises that yield quicker results to get my wheels turning again. One of these methods is called monotype printing.  A monotype is an image that is painted or inked onto a plate (I use acrylic plates [plexiglass]), then run through a press, transferring the image onto paper.  You usually only get one print from a plate, hence the “mono” in the name (although often you can print a ghost print, which is a second run that picks up any pigment left on the plate).

The above images are all monotypes, loosely based on some images of the rice fields of Cambodia.  On the first two, I inked the entire plate and rubbed away areas with a rag to produce the image.  On the last two, I did a combination of inking the plate and painting it, then adding some mineral spirits to produce a watery effect.  I think they all are hauntingly beautiful in their own way.

On a different experimental note, I took my first class in encaustic painting (painting with wax)!  This was SO FUN.  It’s a great way to collage, add textures, and experiment with a media I have never used before.  I big thanks to Beth Guipe Hall at The Outlet for her help and instruction!

I am delighted to show my newest print to you.  I was a bit nervous to begin this print because 1) I wanted to work bigger and 2) I wanted to carve into wood, not linoleum. What does that mean?  It would take a long time, a lot of [physical] work, and would be very easy to mess up.  And to make things even more difficult, I knew I would end up using quite a few colors.  By a few, I mean 12 (I think…I lost track).  Each layer was carved, inked, and hand burnished (hand-rubbed) to get this final result.

To give a little background on the origin of this image, while in Cambodia in 2011, we were able to visit a local school.  Once they saw us coming, “recess” began immediately, and as you can see, we made a few friends.  Once school was dismissed, we were walking through the neighborhood as the children returned to their homes.  That is where I captured the image I used for this print.

This print is now available in my etsy shop.

1. “Art Student Tote” by Anna Maria Horner (fabrics and pattern found at Crimson Tate: Modern Quilter

2. My newest drypoint etching, “Stopping for Lunch in Story,” (6×8″) on display now at the Indianapolis Art Center.

3. I joined the “Lucky Star block of the month” club!  Working on my practice star.

4. A glimpse of part of Mr. Hauger’s valentine.  Tutorial found here.

5. A new woodcut reduction in progress…three colors down, about five or so more to go.

6. More reversible pants for my nephew Brenner!  Love the three little pigs fabric!!

7. Take my friend Maria’s Reversible Tote class at Crimson Tate!  You can make this guy too!

8. My piles of half square triangles in various states of progress.  Hopefully these will turn into a beautiful quilt someday.

What are you working on lately?

I found a lovely “snowball” quilt pattern in a Kaffe Fassett book and I was on my way…and then I found out I was going to be an aunt.  Which of course means sew baby items like a crazy woman.  And that I did.  Then autumn arrived, and I looked down at the neglected pieces of this quilt and felt guilty.  I vowed to finish it for Mr. Hauger by the new year (and all the sooner I could trash the nasty snuggy).  So here she is, in all her beauty!

Good-bye nasty snuggy!  (I decided to show it in a pile on the floor so you couldn’t see all of the holes in it…)

The month began with the birth of my nephew, Brenner.  Isn’t he a cutie?  Now I have someone to model all of the baby clothes I’ve been making!

Around the end of November, I had the urge to sew something Christmasy…and why not choose a very time consuming tree skirt pattern that requires 54 strip-pieced triangles?  Actually, the pattern itself wasn’t difficult, and it was fun to play with different Christmas fabrics, it just took a little longer than I first anticipated.  And I did finish it by the second week of December, thank you very much!

Speaking of sewing, this year I thought I would get crafty and reuse some of my Christmas fabric for gift wrapping.  A few months ago I purchased Melody Miller’s book, Ruby Star Wrapping, and was mesmerized by her resourceful design and reuse of fabrics and everyday household items for packaging gifts.  I am already in awe of her fabric design and constantly drool over them at my favorite fabric store, Crimson Tate. Seriously, she’s pretty amazing.

Knowing I would be purchasing wine (from a local winery, of course) as gifts for some of my family members, I decided to make her “wine wraps” to cover the bottles.  I think they turned out quite nice, if I do say so myself.  They can be reused as gift wrap or even be used as a tea towel.

My post would not be complete without an update on the girls.  Since this was their first Christmas with us, we decided it was only appropriate to decorate the coop.

Although this is the second winter the chickens have seen (based on their age when we got them in March), we think this month is the first time they have experienced snow, since we didn’t really get any last winter.  We have learned they do not like it and prefer to stay in the coop (can you blame them?).  After the first couple of inches we received last week, it took a little coaxing (or pushing) from us to get them outside.  You can tell they’re less than thrilled (and conveniently standing on the patch of grass without snow).

And then came the “Blizzard of 2012″ this past Wednesday, and they haven’t left the coop since.  We’ve tried to lure them out with treats, and Mr. Hauger even made them a miniature snowman, but nothing has worked.  They’re quite content staying inside.

From our coop to yours, we wish you a very blessed new year!

Allow me to introduce you to the sweet face of Rocky.  Thank you to Kelly for the opportunity to carve this little guy’s portrait!

On a side note, as we approach Thanksgiving, I wanted to express my thankfulness to those of you out there who have always supported me and continue to believe in me and my decision to live a life pursuing my gifts and talents.  It’s been a year of ups and downs for me, and your support helps me persevere and carry on.

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”
― W.T. Purkiser

]]> http://www.melissaneeshauger.com/2012/11/puppy-love-and-thankfulness/feed/ 0 http://www.melissaneeshauger.com/2012/11/new-work-sunset-over-st-thomas/ http://www.melissaneeshauger.com/2012/11/new-work-sunset-over-st-thomas/#comments Tue, 06 Nov 2012 18:50:19 +0000 mhauger http://www.melissaneeshauger.com/?p=364 Another print completed!  You can find this one in my etsy shop as well.

Sunset Over St. Thomas, linocut reduction, 12×16″, edition of six

Approaching St. Thomas, linocut reduction, 9×12″

Now available for sale in the Etsy shop!

*Stay tuned…I have another St. Thomas print that should be done this week.  I hope to have it up on the blog and shop soon.