Photoshop Portrait

I have survived the first two weeks of school, and have completed my first Photoshop assignment. Interestingly, this Photoshop project required no photos. Our task was to create a self portrait using the editing tools in Photoshop (selection, fill, paintbrush, …), without importing any photos. It is supposed to be recognizable (but not necessarily realistic), and say something about our self.

I used the profile photo on my blog as a reference photo, changing my hair and glasses to what they look like now. I’m not all that happy with the face, but the due date was fast approaching, and I decided it would have to do. Maybe I made the eyes too big, and maybe they could be quite a bit improved with the addition of some eyelids. And I was at a loss of how to deal with teeth.

I do like how the background turned out. I used the paintbrush tool to add “stitching”, and then placed a drop shadow behind it.

Back to School Sewing

Camilla goes back to school in two weeks. We’ve done some back to school shopping, and I’ve been making a dent in my fabric stash while creating some back to school skirts.

I was thinking I would make a tiered skirt out of this stripe fabric, but Camilla wanted something different, since I had made a lot of those for her in the past. I sketched out some options, and she picked out which one she liked. She says the skirt is “super cool.” I wonder if I will still hear this about home sewn clothes in a few years when I have a teenager.

There wasn’t quite enough of this green plaid to make a skirt the length she wanted, so I did a little more digging in the stash. I’m glad I didn’t have a larger piece of the main fabric, or I probably wouldn’t have added the contrasting trim at the hem. I like it better this way.

I have a half-made skirt for myself out of blue chambray. It has been tucked away for a year, because I got bored with it being so plain. Maybe I will give it a contrasting hem like this one.

I’m going back to school next week also. I will be teaching again part time in the Office Skills Computer Lab at the junior college. I’ve also decided to take a couple of classes. I will be taking C++ computer programming and Photoshop. It probably won’t leave me a lot of time for sewing or artwork, but I will probably manage to make a little time for some creativity too.

Camilla’s “Flower Garden” Quilt

Camilla finished quilting on her “Flower Garden” quilt.
The picture is her own original design, painted with fabric paints. She has finished quilting with embroidery floss, made a label, and picked out some fabric for the backing and binding. I helped her fuse the back onto her quilt, and sewed the binding for her on the sewing machine.

Succulent VII & VIII

I got two 5 x 7 pieces out of the current project instead of the one I was planning. I am looking for a good source for pre-cut double mats for framing.

And I had some scraps leftover to make ATC's. Two of the ATC's have some stitching to join some of the smaller scraps together.

Looking More Like Succulent Plants

Nearly done with this one.


I'm thinking about adding a pale wash over parts of the flowers to define better where there is a bit of overlap. Then I need to decide the best way to crop it for a finished piece.

These are Not Flowers

My current work in progress looks a bit like chrysanthemums or Dahlias to me. The plan is to add green. Maybe it will begin looking more like succulent plants then.

Radial Symmetry

This month’s Fast Friday Challenge is to be based on radial symmetry and colors from nature. I didn’t have to stretch my mind at all to fit succulents into the radial theme, and colors from nature could mean anything.

Imperfect symmetry is more interesting to me than perfect kaleidoscope type symmetry. Nature is full of not quite perfect symmetry, and rather lacking in much that is perfect.

Radial symmetry makes me think of circles, so I began by painting some white fabric with circles. This will be an under-painting when the quilt is complete. Many of my green succulents have a bit of red or yellow in them.

I have traced some succulent shapes onto interfacing. I will place it behind the batting, and quilt the shapes from the back, and then add more paint.

When I am done, I plan to select a section which can be matted and framed, and turn the remainder into ATC’s.