CQJP 2012 - March - Contrast

All the blocks I'll make for the crazy quilt journal project (CQJP 2012) are for me training blocks.

I want to get more used to stitching and have something like a social dead line / pressure to work on this :)

This time I wondered how a lot of different stitches would look like if I used just one colour and a very colourful background.

February block

My block for februar in the crazy quilt journal project 2012.

More than a little bit late but I try to get everything in order again. Still a lot emails to look through and answer...

This serves as an experimental playground for me to try stitches and what kind of effect I can create with them.

Circles, knots...

...ornaments...

...leaves...

I still love to stitch. But I think I prefer the simple ones and the knots :) Even if I like how the leaves look... they take too much time and patience for me to make. 

My challenge for 2012 - stop being my own worst enemy!

This is one part of my challenge. A challenge which takes part at my social life, at work, but especially regarding to creating stuff! It was and is easier for me to make things for other people. Somehow I need some kind of social pressure and deadlines. Otherwise sleep is sometimes more tempting or duties more demanding... 

But I want to make things for myself. That keeps me sane, that makes me smile and yes, there is something special to have and to use the things made by the own hands. I also love the things which were made for me! It is hard to describe because no, because one of parts why I love to create is that keeping the things in my hand I don't only see the present but every moment which went into its creation. Starting just from the idea in my head...

They don't need to be perfect. I love to challenge myself, to learn more and new things... There is nothing like the feeling of mastering new methods and techniques, nothing more cool than overcoming own fears (like how to use a electric jig saw!) and even more, nothing like the moment when you jump in your own abilities! Take crochet: Going from charts to freeform... Take polymer clay: From simple forms to creating deep textures... 

As I already wrote some time ago: I tried to set myself some limits for getting new stuff. I allowed myself only to take things if I have an idea what to make out of them at that moment. You know what? Nothing trains the brain and also the creativity more. No, didn't worked out for reducing or limiting my stash but did wonders to my own imagination!

This year I want to make a lot things for myself. All the things I already planned, already have the materials for, already dream to have... but always put to the side. 

One of the things I wanted to do was to enhance my stichting abilities. I am so into all kinds of garnish and decoration! 

Also... a big pile of small fabric pieces lying around helps...

So I take part in the crazy quilt journal project 2012. It works for me like a social deadline... Yes, I try to trick myself and even knowing it is a trick, hey, it works for me! ;)

Therefor I started sewing crazy patchwork blocks out of my stash... so I have already a good basic for starting to stich. 

The heart fabric was painted by my little sister Lachafa years ago.. when she really was still a little one! ^^ I never had a use for it but I kept it all the time. You see the single heart I stiched? :)

(and yes.. I'll make some better pics with better light. But still the dark season here...)

I played with dyeing some fabrics. This white fabric with roses was my test object. And now the pieces came into use...

A little fabric piece where I started to learn bubbles with fabric paints... also kept in my stash for years... 

The january block before...

...and after. Still having a lot of errors but every one helped me :)

And some of the blocks for the next months...

Some with stamped fabric like the violett pieces...

And no... all not ironed ^^

As you may see at the colours: All made late at night. Too late for ironing!

All the blocks are about 30 x 30 cm...

...this stripe of fabric pieces in the middle was a leftover from a quilt I made... five?... years ago ;)

The wrinkles are not so bad like they look on this pic!

And in the end the blocks will be joined :) 

That's why I won't use beads for the embroidery. 

As lovely as they are, cuddling with them is not the best idea...

Just the stuff lying aroung...

Another picture (collage) I made (also while being on formentera). 

As the title of this blog entry says: I made this with stuff I had at hand at that moment. I liked the picture which I used as the basic. From a spanish (or english? don't really remember) magazine which all family members already read or just looked through... I cut out some leafs also from a magazine and a butterfly... some text... 

Okay, you see it. Or maybe you can see it if you look at the picture in more detail (just click on it, this time I used a higher resolution for uploading than usually!). Because I painted over all the stuff so often that it is not always to see where I glued one piece over another one ^^

The text is a kind of wordplay in german... but not really to translate. You could read it as "to know science" or more "knowledge creates knowledge"... (and for the german readers, yes, it is not perfect, in one case a f is missing... but still, I like what you can read in this :) ).

Wissenschaft - Science
Wissen - knowledge
schaffen (schafft) - to create
wissen - to know

And also, yes, everything in this picture has a reason, even the number ;)

Some strange fish...

As I said there is still some stuff I made while being on formentera. Like this little fish! Just a fast sketch with coloured pencils and a black fine liner... but I like him :)

Trotzige Herzen - Canis lupus

It all started with the idea of an image transfer. I had a lot of emails and talking andexperiments with Silke (from "für große Mädchen") about image transfer. Some of you may remember my image transfers with aceton. But there are a lot of other techniques around the net and the idea of image transfer which is not digital (although I also love and use digital image editing possibilities) has something tempting. An image you made with your hands during every step has another feeling, at last for oneself (or for me). Every step was made and touched with the own fingers. I love to fell the different structures, all the used papers, the paints and the acrylic media. This picture is for me. Or in other words: A lot if not all of the picture is me. Captures the moment. 

What happened during the night at late hours was simple. I was writing at my thesis. I love and hate it at the same time. There are so many ideas and solutions for scientific problems I had to solve. So much which I learned the hard and long was and in the end is a big part of who I am and rather important also of who I want to be. Science is about a never ending curiosity. The same drive which keeps me crafting. painting, sewing, whatever, keeps me in the laboratory. But this also represents the biggest problem. I don't have a real distance to something which in the end is work, a job. And with every work comes politics, small societies with their own rules, being completly dependent, nececessities which have nothing to do with the actual work in the lab but are sometimes even more important. This all is also in my thesis and to be honest: I can't stand it anymore. It will be finished (no if, no when!) to the end of july. Maybe some little corrections... but nothing more.

Yes, Michelle (from "Mich L in LA", have a look her mystery guessing is going on again!), for me it is like giving it away. :) All the weight which comes along with it. Do I fear a little bit what may come after this? Of course. But also I am eager to go this way. A lot of job applications already went their way, also an application to study a second time (medicine) and there is the possibility of apllication for research grants (already there are some people and ideas behind). One of this will work out :)

The "doctor" in germany is translated into english with PhD. But like with a lot of things there are differences due to the systems in the different countries. I have my diploma in biology. This is like having a bachelor and master. So I am a really traditional natural scientist. During my main studies in the third and fourth year we had to chose three main courses in biology and one main course from another discipline (the first two years are the same for everyone with really verything, from zoology to physics, from microbiology to informatic). I had neurobiology (I guess most of you are not surprised ^^), microbiology, genetics and for the non-biology topic, molecular medicine.

After my diploma work (which is done in the fifth year after the oral exams) I started with my doctoral work. This is a research work for about three to five years (for a Dr. rerum naturalis or short Dr. rer. nat, yes, all our doctor titles have different prerequesites ^^). 

I already gave you in my last blog post the link to PhD comics but maybe just have a look at this youtube video and listen to the song: So true! One wants to laugh and cry at the same time. This video was sent in minutes through all labs and institutes! 

But in the end it is not only a work which teaches ones a lot about the own research but also about oneself. A lot of people go through the same experiences like me. At least, I am not alone ;) 

Back to the night... I just had to work with my hands and not on the computer. A small and little project I thought because time is limited.

 I transfered the wolf (Canis lupus) skull on old paper sites (from the book - Trotzige Herzen, which means defiant hearts). I played with several transfers and then started to paint on one. I had an old newspaper lying below to protect my table. After adding more and more details to the old book paper and the skull I thought that it would be a good idea to add a body and just started to expand my painting from the book site to the newspaper.

I used laquer pens, acrylic colours, water acrylic paints, 3D acrylib body art medium, pens and a paint which is named Inka-gold from viva decor (I used lava green). I applied it with brushed, sticks, paper and my fingers. Especially the last I used a lot of times. I found paint in my hair, in my face, on my lips and also on my nails at the next morning. ^^ 

Sometimes this happens with me: Painting in a rush without thinking. I belive that it keeps me sane and that the result is something which has a lot to do with me. And yes, I can find myself in the picture and even with all the negative influences, for me, in the end it is not negative at all (but that'll be all what I am writing to this topic).

This was my first try. You can still see that I was to fast working because some colour is missing (or smeared) and some paper is left. But it is nevertheless really easy. I am preparing a blog entry for the future about some results with different glues and acrylics for their use in image transfer. The pictures are already there for some time but the text is still missing. ^^

The pictures are from Karen "the graphics fairy". I already used a lot of her bones and skulls pictures! :)

The lines of the lung are to fine to really pop out from the background. I'll keep that in mind for future projects. By the way: All the pictures were printed with a laser printer!