This Week at Sedbi Design Studio: Word Mandala Wall Art & Small Pillow Series

Word Mandala Wall Art
photo by Nita Lou Bryant

Wham! Wham! Wham! 

Things got a little noisy over at Sedbi Design Studio the other day. And let me just say that I might have taken up sewing far sooner if I'd known it would lead to getting to use a staple gun.

All this noise was occasioned by the process of making manifest a vision I'd been carrying around in my head for some time now. I'm talking about writing word mandalas on fabric and turning them into wall art.

What you see in the photos above and below is my very first version of this vision, a piece called Rages with Trout. I made it for a dear friend who is a fly fisherman, employing a phrase coined about him by one of his fishing pals. For me, writing word mandalas on paper is a journaling technique, a meditation, and a form of art. I've framed them on paper before as gifts for friends and family, but I have in mind nine kinds of different directions I'd like to go with word mandalas on fabric.  And now, with this whimsical piece, I have made a start.

Stapling it onto wooden canvas stretcher frames was the noisy part.

Word Mandala Art on Wall (view 1)
photo by Nita Lou Bryant

Word Mandala Art on Wall (view 2)
photo by Nita Lou Bryant

Next up, my small pillow series.

I've recently been smitten with the process of creating a series of small pillows. When I say small, I mean the kind of pillow that's just the right size to tuck behind your neck or your lower back. Below are photos of a be-tassled one I liked so well I decided to keep it on my own sofa. In fact, I'm leaning against it as I write.

Be-tassled Small Pillow (back view)
photo by Nita Lou Bryant

Be-tassled Small Pillow (front view)
photo by Nita Lou Bryant

Close-up of Be-tassled Small Pillow Applique
photo by Nita Lou Bryant

Finally, below is a photo of my current small pillow work-in-progress.

Small Pillow Work-in-progress
photo by Nita Lou Bryant

I can't really say why, with this piece, I decided to cut the image apart. I can only tell you that the great thing about being  in the studio is that it's a place where I feel free to do whatever I like. Sometimes this may involve scissors, sometimes (and alas for those who share space with me) the only thing that will do is

Wham! Wham! Wham!

--a noisy staple gun.

I'll post photos of the finished pillow next time I write.

Happy creating, everyone!