Funky Flamingos

I decided to give "Peanut" a break and do a little working on my mix media project. I painted this funky flamingo on fabric with some iridescent fabric paints and then added some free motion stitching. I know you can't see the stitching, but I think I did pretty well for a first attempt. I know, a big departure from my usual detailed portraits. Sometimes its nice to break out of that "box" and go at something with wild abandonment. That's exactly what I did and I had fun! I'm actually making a tote. I have attached the flamingo painting to the tote fabric with a buttonhole stitch and metallic silver thread. Next, I added some silk ribbon embroidery. The "tote fabric" isn't really fabric in the traditional sense. The weave is very much like a counted cross stitch fabric, but it is actually a soft, pliable plastic. Where did I find this stuff? Well, we had noticed that several of our fellow rv'ers had a type of "shade fabric" attached to their awnings. We inquired and were directed to a small town shop that made these sun shades. They had rolls and rolls of this stuff in all different colors and they would sell it by the yard. So, I bought a yard of a soft green, soft pink, and a green/purple stripe. I thought they would make great beach bags. So, I'm playing, experimenting, and stretching my artistic wings. I'm not done----not by a long shot! I see buttons, beads, threads, and fibers...............stay tuned for the next exciting chapter of "funky flamings, gone wild"!