I am putting the finishing touches on my first on-line journaling class Dream Journals and boy would I like to see you there. We will learn to use watercolors, resists, we’ll draw, paint, play and create journal pages that are richly layered and dynamic. All techniques covered in the class are taught in my book, DreamingContinue reading “Dream Journal, new online class offering”
Author Archives: Melanie (Melly) Testa
Clothing Construction=Love
I live in New York City where folks wear a good deal of black, it is almost a uniform, and a dull one if you ask me. I have made a conscious decision to wear printed blouses and clothing. I mean, I love cloth and color right? So I think it is high time I putContinue reading “Clothing Construction=Love”
Officially Sew-plies Crazy
Yup! It’s official. I have jumped off the deep end. I don’t think anyone but me is quite so excited about my Sew-plies purse, but I am. So far I have made 6 of them, and I will be making even more. They have struck my funny bone and I can’t stop. I honestlyContinue reading “Officially Sew-plies Crazy”
Dreaming from the Journal Page Give Away+
Dreaming from the Journal Page is a pretty snazzy book, if I do say so myself. North Light was very gracious to me when they heard I had been diagnosed with cancer and rather than flying me to home base to have step out photographs taken, they hired a photographer to come to me. ManyContinue reading “Dreaming from the Journal Page Give Away+”
Looking back.
Hey there. This blog post is a bit hard for me to post but one I feel passionate about and one I feel needs to go live. It is about cancer, recovery and ‘going flat’. Last year, on June 21, I had bilateral mastectomy without reconstruction. And as you might imagine, my thoughts, feelings andContinue reading “Looking back.”
Oooh. New.
Working with Victoria a few weeks back really gave me some incite into play, release, and welcoming the new and different back into my work with cloth. Victoria probably didn’t need to do anything at all. But she sat me in front of her machine, using her tools, and asked me to just do. SheContinue reading “Oooh. New.”
Small Work: Swan
I have been having some fun and experimenting. I am not ‘finishing’ the piece when I paint with dye. I am bringing the piece to an interesting place and allowing for the call and response of possibility. I originally thought this might be a Sew-plies purse in the Inspired to Quilt style, but it says, ‘No’. SmallContinue reading “Small Work: Swan”
Loosen Up, Melly!
I have been questioning what do do about dye. Should I continue to us it? Do I have the space to use it? Can I use it in a different way? I love working with dye, I love the vibrancy, the hand, the way it lays on cloth as you apply it. But being diagnosedContinue reading “Loosen Up, Melly!”
Flashcard Friday-A Wash.
Creating a wash, or in the case of this flashcard in particular, a wash gradation in two colors, is both easy and fun. The challenge is to prepare your work surface with everything you need so that when it comes time to paint your wash, you can quickly grab whatever you need. I like toContinue reading “Flashcard Friday-A Wash.”
Noodles, eat, shop, play.
Yesterday I went to the Fashion District to poke around in trim shops. This was the first time I brought my video camera and I was shy to whip it out. M and J Trimming was all for it, I asked if they were OK with my filming, yes. No questions. In fact it wasContinue reading “Noodles, eat, shop, play.”
Melanie Testa 