AndiBeads

30 Days of Drawing: Day Fifteen

2011-12-15T15:28:00.001-08:00

I have this wonderful Fabriano journal filled with colored paper. It’s around 8” x 6” and is perfect for quick studies like this one.

I also worked on this large piece from my 14” x 17” Canson XL Mixed Media pad.

I’m really enjoying blending the colors on these pieces.

It’s nice to have such a large space to work in, and since I am doing these to play I am not stressing over how realistic the finished image is. It’s letting me explore different ways of laying down the color and apply the layers.

There’s still time if you want to join us!

30 Days of Drawing: Day Fourteen

2011-12-14T10:37:00.001-08:00

I just love the handles on these old kitchen utensils. From the top: potato masher, spatula and sieve. Or as I call them , Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear. Image size 12” x 15”

Detail. I used mostly Prismacolor pencils, with a few Derwent Inktense and Graphitint pencils for the details. The background is Grumbacher Acrylic in Payne’s Gray and Martha Stewart craft paint in Cloud, satin finish.

I promised a peek at the really big drawing.

This is on Strathmore 400 series drawing paper, and measures approximately 60” x 36”. I have to stand on a stool to reach the top of the drawing. I’m using graphite sticks in 3B and 6B. It started with just random marks but has evolved into this image. The working title is “Eclipse”.

See you tomorrow!

30 Days of Drawing: Day Thirteen

2011-12-13T14:00:00.001-08:00

Today I chose to go a little larger and also on a white background. It was more difficult to build up a good layer of color as the texture of this paper was very defined. I also was challenged by recreating the metal of the beads and buttons on this necklace. I’m pleased with how the turquoise bead turned out as well as the black bead in the lower right corner. Overall the drawing worked for me. I do think that I may pre-color the paper before attempting another drawing on it, at least if I go for another color drawing.

30 Days of Drawing: Day Twelve

2011-12-12T08:41:00.001-08:00

Yes, I did draw on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (also known as Days Nine, Ten and Eleven) I just haven’t scanned them yet. I need to find a more effective way to draw over the weekends.

I picked up some darker red pencils on Friday (I had to take my daughter to the airport, and since we were near the art supply store anyway….), so this morning I took them out for a test run.

I tried to avoid using the black pencil for the black beads. I think it turned out well. I enjoyed drawing the big cinnabar bead on the upper right.

Another red handle. Eventually I will draw the entire tool, but for right now I am enjoying the weathered look of these old utensils.

Something else is literally on the drawing board, I will post pictures of it when I post days 9, 10 and 11. Stay tuned!

30 Days of Drawing, Day Eight: Draw Hard

2011-12-08T09:55:00.001-08:00

When I was little, my grandpa worked at the General Motors Tech Center. He would bring home tons of Prismacolor pencils for me to play with. I think he’d be pleased to see that I am still drawing all these years later.

Today I finally got back into the studio for a little while, so I went a little hog wild.

You might recognize this necklace from the past two days of pencil and pen and ink drawings. The bone beads with the incised detail were a pain, but I’m overall pleased with how they turned out. I really love the lampwork beads and the detail in them.

I wasn’t ready to go back downstairs, so I did another drawing, this time based on a small sieve my friend picked up for me at a yard sale. I just love old tools. I wanted to detail the handle of the piece.

Here’s a different version of the same tool, from a large drawing I was working on last month.

I’m not sure what tomorrow is going to bring, but I know it will be fun! There’s still time to play along, head over to Traci’s journal and add your name to the caravan.

30 Days of Drawing: Day Seven

2011-12-07T14:56:00.001-08:00

Uni Ball Vision Needle in my Moleskine journal, worked on while waiting for my oldest son to finish class. This is the same necklace I drew last night, just in different media. I am hoping to get into the studio tomorrow and do a color drawing (or two or three….)

30 Days of Drawing, Day Six: Drawing Noir

2011-12-07T04:55:00.001-08:00

I wasn’t able to get into the studio first thing in the morning yesterday, so I ended up doing this pencil drawing right before bed. I’d forgotten how pretty the beads I used on this necklace were. I think today I am going to render them in color.

30 Days of Drawing; Days 3-5

2011-12-05T08:56:00.001-08:00

Now with more cowbell. If I had a cowbell to draw.

Saturday was a lazy drawing day, as my son had two hockey games and we had to run errands in between. So I did this quick gestural sketch of the game. Not every drawing has to be finished.

I drew this pendant from one of my necklaces before heading out on Sunday morning. The background is inspired by the many layers of paint on my drawing table.

I’m still working on how to render the bone beads in my piece. I’m much happier with how the bone turned out on this drawing than I was with the bone in yesterday’s pendant. Having the right tools makes all the difference. This piece mixes Prismacolor, Supracolor, and Neocolor II crayons.

I had so much fun with the light colors on the first drawing that I decided to do another rendering of a different necklace. The button in the lower left is kind of muddled, and next time I would leave it out of the picture. I also went with a different color scheme. The original necklace is dusty pale blue.

Yesterday I picked up a roll of drawing paper, 36” wide, and a few graphite pencils and sticks. The next few days of drawing may be process photos of a larger piece.

30 Days of Drawing, Day Two

2011-12-02T10:23:00.001-08:00

This is a drive-by posting as I have to go play Mom’s Taxi in a minute. This is a glass bottle I picked up at a yard sale and one of my Gran’s brass bell collection. Supracolor II pencils and Prismacolor pencils on chipboard.

30 Days of Drawing, Day One

2011-12-01T09:00:00.001-08:00

Traci Bunkers, of Bonkers Handmade Originals, is hosting a challenge to draw every day for 30 days. It will be a little tricky with the holiday season and all, but I have been getting back into my drawing and I decided to play along. You can find out more information about how to join us at Traci’s blog.

Earlier this week I started a series of small drawings on recycled chipboard, so for now I’m going to continue in that vein (smaller drawings also makes it easier to do a whole drawing in a day ;)

Last year I made myself a necklace for my birthday, and this drawing is a detail of one of my favorite beads from the necklace. I used a Derwent Graphitint pencil to lay down the initial outline (after drawing a guideline square in the center of the chipboard), then filled in the rest with Caran D’Ache Supracolor II and Prismacolor pencils. I’ve been painting in the backgrounds of most of the drawings with various acrylics. This piece is painted with Jo Sonja acrylic gouache, Martha Stewart craft paint in aqua glitter, and a thin wash of red iron oxide to provide the shadows. I like how the smooth surface of the paint contrasts with the rougher surface of the drawing.

You can see the other pieces in this series at my Etsy shop.

Studio Clearance

2011-09-01T09:50:00.001-07:00

Some of you may know that I used to own a bead store here in town. What most of you don’t know is that much of the inventory from the shop is still stored in my studio. With all the art making that has been taking place lately, I am finally out of room, and it is time to send some of the inventory to new homes where it will be used and loved. That’s where you come in.

I didn’t realize I still had so much Nymo beading thread. It retails for $1.00-$1.50 for a bobbin that averages around 64 yards. I have:

Nymo Size D (thickest size) 1 box of 26 bobbins assorted colors $13.00 + shipping

Size D 1 box of 52 bobbins assorted colors $26.00 + shipping

Size B (medium thickness) 1 box 45 assorted colors $22.50 + shipping

Size B 1 box Black and White assortment 52 bobbins $26.00+ shipping

Size 0 (thinnest) 3 boxes assorted colors 52 bobbins each $26.00/ box + shipping

Size 0 1 box 39 assorted colors $19.50 + shipping

I also have a box of assorted Czech glass round beads (druks) in 6mm and 8mm size. Colors in the box include White AB (white opaque with iridescent coating), Rose AB (clear iridescent pink), Rose Opal (opalescent pink), Rose Matte, Cream Matte, Bright Red Opaque, Sky Blue Opaque, and Hematite (silvery black). There are over 6,000 beads in this box, and the retail would be $400+. The whole box can be yours for $75 + shipping (they will fit in a medium flat rate box, so shipping is $10.95)

Finally, I have a box of mixed basemetal findings, including several gross of barrel clasps in goldtone and silvertone, spring ring clasps, hoop earrings and bead tips for leather cording. $20.00 for the box, plus shipping.

Leave a comment here if you are interested in any of these deals. Thank you!

The Art of Bead Embroidery: A Preview

2011-07-26T05:21:00.001-07:00

Over the years, my bead embroidered creations have drawn the most comments and admiration. I learned the basic techniques from Joyce Scott and Robin Atkins, and took them from there. I even wrote an article for Quilting Arts about bead embroidery. You could say I know a lot about the technique.

I am currently in the process of writing an e-book about how I do my bead embroidery, with tips and hints to help you make this simple technique part of your embroidery repertoire. Here’s a sneak preview of some of the work I’ll be sharing.

The technique can be used for jewelry, as in the two pins shown above. These are great for using those accent beads that you’ve been collecting but don’t know what to do with.

This piece is designed to be wearable, but it could also serve as an embellishment on a quilt or piece of wearable art.

A detail of “Grandpa’s Garden” a bead embroidered tapestry.

The full panel “Grandpa’s Garden” 2003, bead embroidered tapestry, approximately 10″ H x 30″ wide.

My e-book will explain how to make objects like this using simple embroidery stitches with beads. It will also include a gallery of work to inspire you and a listing of suppliers so you can get started on your own bead embroidery journey. I am really excited about sharing this knowledge with you, and love that in the e-book format I can go deeper than I was able to in the article. I will post when the book is closer to launch, I look forward to sharing it with you!

Sale at my Etsy

2011-05-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

Hey all, I am still blogging over at Andrea Stern Art but wasn't sure how many of y'all have joined me over there. I am running a sale at my Etsy shop , 20% off everything with the coupon code MAYDAY11 thru May 31st. I will be adding some of my new purses to the shop later this week, those will be included in the sale. Thank you!

I'm Moving!

2011-01-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

New year, new purpose, new blog. Please join me at http://andreasternart.blogspot.com/

Process and Progress

2010-11-29T15:15:00.001-08:00

I have been working on the coral piece, and managed to make a little progress before the holiday weekend.

I had beaded the corals or anemones in the foreground (I am not sure which, I guess I could just say “sea life”) earlier this fall when I was giving some one on one instruction to a friend. The ones in the back are embellished with Kreinik braid which I couched as well as used in the bobbin.

You can see the detail of the gold braid in this picture.

And you may have noticed that I decided to put the yellow angel fish lower in the composition.

I tried making another angel fish for the upper left corner of the image.

But he’s a little too pale for the rest of the piece.

I used some of my friend Diane Eyerman’s hand-dyed fabric for the blue stripes, and couched the outlines with Kreinik #16 braid.

You can see how well the sparkling braid complements the blue stripes. I guess this little fellow will end up getting his own quilt after I’ve finished this one :)

Puttin’ on the Glitz

2010-11-22T12:59:00.001-08:00

I have been in the studio having amazing fun with the box of Kreinik threads that arrived last month. After my first foray into trying the copper on my shoe quilt, I decided to start jazzing up the coral piece I had found in my UFO pile earlier this fall.

Here you can see a detail of the quilting I did using the Fashion Twist thread in color “Heather”. The variegated metallic finish of this thread pops out with highlights and really adds sparkle to the piece. It also sewed very well.

Here’s another detail, showing the octopus and coral. I used Fine Twist iris in “Golden Brown” to highlight the lines on the octopus’ tentacles as well as to circle quilt on the coral. I currently am sewing the suckers with Fine Twist Iris “Yellow”.

Detail of how I am planning on attaching the finished octopus to the bottom of the quilt. First I have to finish quilting the tentacles and then edge beading the whole applique. There is a thin layer of batting and the backing fabric is some of my hand-dyed twill, for even more stability.

Here you can see the circle quilting in the Kreinik Silver Gimp Thread in “Gold”. I initially quilted both corals with Madeira thread in a shade of orange, and I really like how going over the quilting with the metallic thread added depth to the piece.

Circle quilting in “Golden” Brown” and you can see how plain the background was before quilting.

And what is a coral reef without some fish? This applique was drawn onto a sheet of heavy duty (50 weight) Pellon interfacing, then sewn to the yellow fabric before being machine embroidered with Sulky and Kreinik threads.

Here is what an applique looks like in process. You can see the bobbin threads outlining the form and showing me where to stitch. This is on my hand-dyed fabric and supplemented with silk dupioni.

Here you can see how fine the metallic works, even in a free motion zigzag stitch

The finished clown fish, pinned in place. I am not sure where the fish will end up yet, as I still have to make a few more.

I also realized both fish are facing in the same direction, so the next fish will be facing the other way.

The piece so far, on the design wall. You can see some other work in process behind it, as well as the piece I did for the Lark book “The Artful Storybook” . Sometimes it would be nice to have a larger design wall, but sometimes it is really cool to see the layers of quilts on the wall taking shape.

Christmas in a Box

2010-11-03T11:50:00.001-07:00

I have loved Kreinik threads for years, using them as outlines on my smaller animal pieces and recommending them in classes to use with beads on embroidered pieces. Recently I was approached by a representative for the company and asked if I was interested in playing with some of their product. Of course I jumped at the opportunity and said yes. :)

Last week this wonderful goody box of threads arrived at my door:

You can see several spools of the newer thread designed for machine embroidery as well as samples of the embroidery braids and blending filaments.

And a color card of everything that is available. I am also excited to try those iron on threads you can see in the middle there. I can see using them to outline forms like I did with the bias tape on Safe Harbor.

They included some smaller samples of their trims, including some colors in the facets and chenille thread. I can see using them to make some Christmas ornaments or cards, and maybe another elephant or two. Won’t they make a gorgeous blanket on them?

I noticed a little bundle of what appeared to be threads inside each cone of the machine thread. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were the net thread bras. How convenient!

Then, because I already had a piece in process, I decided to give it a try on this piece. “Too Coy”, based on the painting I did for the Shoe Show at Ten Women Gallery.

I used the ZTCO Fine Twist Copper thread to grid quilt. Here you can see how sparkly it is. I was really pleased with how well the thread worked with my Pfaff 2054. I made sure to put in a new Metallica needle size 80, and adjusted the tension to 1.5. I set the stitch length to 3.0 to maximize the glimmer of the thread line and sewed. Smooth as buttah!

Next up, freemotion quilting with the metallized gimp thread and the fashion twist thread.

Imaginary Pie

2010-10-12T05:00:00.001-07:00

I was reading today’s post over at Havi’s blog when she mentioned eating imaginary pie. Which reminded me of the pie art I’ve made over the past year or so.

It started so innocently, as an illustration to a grocery list.

Then progressed to a collaged homage to my Mom Mom’s kitchen and her mad cooking skilz.

Then who wouldn’t like a little pie from the sky?

And finally, even the cake is starting to look like the pie :)

Where’s my imaginary fork?

The Sketchbook Project, Week Two

2010-08-03T19:57:00.001-07:00

I have been playing with my sketchbook in my copious spare time, which is why there are only a few new images to show you:

I began colorizing the image from a submarine. These are the Derwent Inktense line of colored pencils.

Detail of the coloring. I love how these pencils layer.

A submersible necklace of the imagination.

Detail. Wouldn’t it be cool to really have beads like these?

Then I went a little steampunk, with submarines which resembled fish. The angler fish makes me giggle.

This one was done without a base pencil drawing. I love the looseness of the sketched line.

Today I decided to go with a dirigible for a change. A banana dirigible.

I still managed to work in my happy fish and octopus motif. Hey, even a banana dirigible needs a sponsor!

Summer in the Studio

2010-08-01T19:02:00.001-07:00

Some days it’s good to just go upstairs, turn on the A/C and crank the tunes. Today was one of those days. On the turntable: The B52’s, Billy Idol and Aerosmith.

On the art table:

“Flower Girl” 4” x 4”, reclaimed cereal box, color photocopy of family photo, silk flower and shell button. I had painted the canvas last week, today I put the elements together.

While that dried (I attached the pieces using Golden Heavy Gel medium), I took this:

Added this:

And this:

The bird is from ArtChix Studios, while the circles are punched out from copies of my beaded moon piece.

I also played with another reclaimed cardboard house

The basic house shape waiting for embellishment.

The found textile I used to embellish the bottom half of the house.

Auditioning another bird (also from ArtChix Studios).

The bingo piece I chose to put in the gable.

The house is currently drying in the studio, while the cow awaits the decoration on her dress. I haven’t yet decided whether to go with more collage images or to paint or stamp shapes using Lumiere paints. We’ll see what inspiration hits tomorrow.

The Sketchbook Project

2010-07-26T17:11:00.001-07:00

Several of my friends at Facebook are participating in The Sketchbook Project. I was intrigued, so I checked it out. For $25, you get your choice of Moleskine cahiers in red, natural or black, and you can choose from among several themes, including the option of letting the organizers choose a theme for you. The books are sent back to The Brooklyn Art Library and will be touring the country next year.

I went with the theme “Dirigibles and Submersibles”, which felt like it could inspire some steampunk and fantasy creations. Once the book arrived, I let it sit for a few days while I pondered how to begin.

Finally, I picked up the book and began to draw:

Pilot pen over a pencil drawing.

The paper was thin, so I ended up gluing pages together. This page was collaged with pages from an old AAA guidebook, listing stations from Michigan. After I applied a thin wash of Golden Quinacridone Burnt Orange acrylic, I stamped the spread with a hand carved stamp. Once that all dried, I drew in the submarine and waves with india ink. Details are filled in with gouache and paint pen.

Here you can see some of the detail of the listings.

The third image, so far:

View from inside the sub. Pilot pen over pencil drawing. I plan on going back into both this and the inside front cover and coloring them in.

Future ideas include the view from inside a dirigible, and dirigibles and subs made in different shapes. (I’m thinking a banana dirigible would be really cool). Then, who knows? Right now, I’m having fun, and it’s a nice break from my other work. The rules do say that artists can diverge from the theme of their book, but I am enjoying the parameters at the moment and intrigued by possibly doing something similar on my own once this book is full. The possibilities are endless.

Shows, Shows and More Shows

2010-07-25T19:06:00.001-07:00

Over the past week I’ve managed to put in some good studio time. Some of the work has been for specific shows, while others have been play/spec.

First, the play. I have a set of Liquitex Basics 22ml acrylics, and I’ve been practicing my painting:

Cow Bird in process. This painting is based on my quilt of a similar cow and bird couple. Right now I’m still building the layers of color. I love how the table underneath is its own piece of art with all the layers of old paint on it.

Bunny Pierrot II, one of three rabbit pierrot paintings I’m planning. This one will be on the far right. The full piece will be 8” x 24” when finished.

I also committed to sending a shoe piece to a show at Ten Women Gallery, so I applied some of my painting practice to this piece, still in process:

I drew the shoes using a regular #2 pencil, then began layering in colors. The fish are a silkscreen I made based on a stamp I carved several years ago. This piece is 10” x 10”.

And finally, I mixed the media up in this piece for the Art Quilt Network Fire and Ice show at Galleria Evangelia:

So far it’s untitled. It’s based on the bead drawings I did last month, and I used hand painted paper which has been screened with the fish print. I sewed fabric onto that to fill out the image. It measures approximately 15” x 15”.

Detail of the painted paper and fabrics. I really like how this piece came together and want to play more with the painted paper concept. I would love to be able to get such painterly colors and crisp images on fabric. Maybe Jane Dunnewold’s new book Art Cloth: A Guide to Surface Design for Fabric will have some good ideas. We do have several dry days coming up and there’s nothing like painting in the yard. :)

Tomorrow I will share images from my work for The Sketchbook Project.

All in the Family

2010-07-21T11:39:00.001-07:00

This wonderful poster for Izzy’s upcoming show just arrived in my email. It was created by Ryan Spellman at the Athens Public Library. If you’re in the area, stop by and see the show. We hang it next Friday (July 30)

Boogie on the Bricks

2010-07-19T10:55:00.001-07:00

Saturday was the last day of the annual “Ohio Brew Week” festivities here in Athens, celebrating home brew and craft brew culture. The culmination of the week is an all-day festival of brews, tunes, and art.

This year we didn’t sample any brews, we grooved to the tunes, and this is the art we took for sale:

Handmade purses, assorted necklaces, magnets and collage paintings.

We didn’t have display for hanging items, so I made do with these old wine crates my mom gave to me. I think they worked pretty well.

One of the framed collages on display in the wine crate.

Collage pins made using old name tags. I love making these collages, they provide the perfect setting for all those odds and ends left over after making bigger pieces.

Izzy got into the show spirit as well:

He has really come a long way from his early polymer creations.

I love how he comes up with scenarios for his creations. The King Crab is multi-media, it’s made using shells and glitter as well as the polymer clay. This year he even has two pieces in the Youth Creative Art exhibit at the Ohio State Fair. It’s a great joy to see the pleasure my children take in expressing their creativity. Boogie oogie oogie!

From Concept to Finish

2010-07-13T13:25:00.001-07:00

I am in the process of going through my studio in preparation for a potential move. My husband graduates in November, and we are not sure where his next job will be. We’ve lived here for 17 years, which means there is a lot to go through. As part of the winnowing process, and to help support the family while he finishes his education, I have decided to offer a “Feature Quilt of the Month” for sale here on the blog.
This month’s quilt is my piece “Elephants in the Garden”, which was designed as part of a project proposal for Lark Books. I like working with this whimsical style of creating animal images, and relished the opportunity to return to my old stomping grounds to create this piece.

Most of the time a piece begins as a sketch in my journal. I play with colors and composition before scissors come near fabric. This is a sketch for “Elephants in the Garden”, done with Crayola Pipsqueak markers. I used my trusty black Pilot pen to outline the figures and to indicate the lines of the patchwork, etc. This is the image I submitted to Lark to propose a piece for the book “Pretty Little Mini Quilts.”

When the proposal was accepted, I began the quilt. Here you can see it in process. The background has already been pieced and the elephants appliqued in place. The metal yardstick is in place to help me confirm that the piece fits in with the 36” dimension requirement. You can see the sketchbook with the initial concept in the background, and my Iris carts full of pieces parts under my working table.

Elephants wearing their blankets and ears now, and the tree trunk is in place. I won’t bind the quilt until all of the pieces are appliqued into place. I embellish once the piece is bound, so as to not catch the threads from the binding process on the bulky embellishments.

Detail of the eye, which is a larger button layered with a smaller button, and the tusk, which is a dentallium shell sewn to the piece.
Detail of the palm tree. The shiny fabric in the leaves is cotton lame, and the dates in the center are three-dimensional, made with hand-dyed fabric from Judy Robertson of Just Imagination.

Detail of one of the feet, with a detail of the machine quilting and hand stitches using embroidery floss.

The finished piece, which measures 20.5” x 35.5”. After completion, I sent the piece to Lark, where it was photographed for the book. It returned home to me earlier this year, about the same time the book was available for sale.
This piece can be yours for $425.00, which includes hanging rod and shipping within the US.

Drawings Drawings Everywhere

2010-06-28T07:04:00.001-07:00

I have been reading The Confident Creative by Cat Bennett , which is a different kind of drawing book. Unlike most books, which go through the mechanics of drawing, this book talks about the spirit of drawing, with a few prompts and suggestions at the end. She talks about embracing drawing as a daily practice, similar to a daily workout or yoga routine, as a way to connect with yourself and your world in a deeper way. Product isn’t as important as process, though, as with any practice, daily application will show results over time.

With that in mind, I got out the giant clipboard and pad of paper from art school and drew this:

Jumbo red crayon on “Biggie” sketchpad, it is about 18” high by about 16” wide.

In this detail you can see the rough quality of the crayon on paper. Sometimes drawing is as much about the tactile nature of the process for me as it is about the results. Cat talks about this in her book, suggesting that the artist vary the drawing instrument or the surface on which one draws.

Birds are also showing up in my journal drawings. This is pen and ink in a Moleskine sketchbook.

Another prompt talks about drawing objects from your daily life. I still love exotic beads and have made several necklaces for myself in the recent past. These offer portable still lifes, and I can sit at Donkey Coffee and create a new world.

You can see my to-do list under the drawing. This practice isn’t about Art, it’s about seeing and focus. Later I can develop Art from these beginnings, if I choose.

I made this necklace for myself for my 40th birthday. It’s made with cool blues and greens, like so many of my necklaces. The sticker is from an organic cucumber I purchased at Whole Foods. I just love the farm’s name.

This year’s birthday necklace, including a note where I just phoned in the shape of the bead rather than giving it my full attention.

Whether or not these drawings turn into larger pieces isn’t the point. My intention with them is to spend some focused time doing something I love. So far I’ve really enjoyed it. Sometimes the simplest tools give the best results.

How to Display Your New Art Quilt

2010-06-22T11:43:00.001-07:00

One of the most common questions when selling fiber works is “How do I display this piece?” As you can see, hanging your new art quilt isn’t much different than hanging a print or a painting. When I ship an art quilt to its new home, it comes ready to display.

Smaller quilts (30” x 40” and under) come with a wood display rod. I use either 1/4” pine or poplar, which is drilled and sanded, ready to use.

Each quilt comes with a 4” sleeve on the back to facilitate display. There is an ease in the sleeve so that the piece will sit smoothly on the wall without unsightly bumps.

The piece can be hung using either 20 lb test fishing line, pulled taut, as seen above, or picture wire, as shown below.

Alternate options include nailing the piece to the wall through the holes in the hanging rod, or making one loop of monofilament through each hole and hanging from two separate nails or clips.

Pieces larger than 30” x 40” hang well on 1/2” pipe. Holes are drilled at each end and the piece is displayed using the two separate loop method. This is the way “Marilyn” and “Route 33, Summer Morning” were exhibited at the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Competition two years ago, and I have used it for subsequent exhibitions with great success. Shipping costs for larger pieces will include an extra charge for shipping a longer hanging rod, or you can elect to buy your own hanging device and waive the extra shipping fee.

Below, the small piece “Night Watch”, 11.5” x 11.5”, shown displayed using the picture wire and rod method.

Of course, no art should ever be displayed in direct sunlight. Should the piece become dusty, I clean the smaller pieces by shaking them out, while larger pieces can be gently vacuumed using a piece of window screen between the vacuum and the piece to prevent anything being sucked into the hose.

Take Me to the River

2010-06-04T08:40:00.001-07:00

Last week, we actually had half a day to take a ride out to Marietta and follow the Ohio River back down into Parkersburg. When I was a kid, we used to come down to Athens to visit my grandparents, and each trip included a ride in the country. I didn’t get it at the time, and spent most of those rides with my nose buried in a book. But time (and glasses!) happened, and now I love to go out and see the verdant hillsides when they are in full summer bloom.

Here’s Izzy, balancing on a piece of driftwood at the banks of the Ohio.

We took some bread for the geese. Here they are figuring out what’s going on.

The white geese were really persistent.

Marty was watching the boats on the river. We also saw several fish leaping out of the river. I have never seen that before, and found it really cool.

Sometimes when we are riding out in the country, I imagine what the insides of the old farmhouses are like. (Pilot Precise pen and Inktense pencil in Moleskine sketchbook).

And what the wildlife thinks.

And then I design pieces incorporating the colors, textures and feelings of those trips.

And finally, I go into the studio and create my own “ride in the country”:

“Safe Harbor” 15.5” x 15.5” Reverse applique, fusible bias tape, hand beaded, machine quilted.

“Midnight Snack” 16” x 18” (measurements approximate) Reverse applique, machine embroidery, machine quilted, fusible bias tape, hand beading.

“Summer Joy” 20” x 16” Reverse applique, fusible bias tape, fusing (in black circles), machine quilting, hand beading.

The progression of inspiration isn’t always this obvious to me, but each piece holds something of a place I have experienced, even if it is just a color that reminds me of the sky over Mound Road by my grandparents’ homes, or an object, such as a colander or water tower, that I remember loving since I was a small child. It’s always a surprise to have these flashes of memory in the middle of the long production process.

What shows up in your work without you realizing it?

A Little Bit High, A Little Bit Low

2010-05-17T07:10:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a studio day. Lots and lots of sewing ensued. Even a little wackiness (Lilo and Stitch on the DVD player, earlier McCartney on the turntable, some Shiva Nata in between to loosen up and calm down).

Butter and Egg Road, still in process, the photo print and the fence sewn in place.

A view of the printed out journal page, embellished with machine embroidery.

Detail of the stitching on the image. I outline stitched the main images once the piece was sewn to the quilt base with satin stitch.

The apron sewn down and the piece is complete with the exception of the sleeve and label. I really like how it turned out. When I was in college, my watercolor instructor told me “you really like to work high key”. I am embarrassed to admit, I didn’t know what she meant at the time, but I can see that in this piece. It’s very pale, with just the hints of reds in the apron and hollyhocks to make it pop. No embellishment needed.

And now on to the next piece:

“Day of the Cichlid”, machine embroidery with bobbin drawing, and reverse applique. The piece at the bottom is auditioning. When it is complete, it will also have cutouts like the top sections.

Detail of the bobbin drawing. I used crochet thread for those passages. Looks like this will be another high key piece.

Back to work, I have circles to cut out!

Moving Right Along

2010-05-14T11:56:00.001-07:00

Floral Medley is complete, including sleeve and label (usually the very last thing that gets done, ok well it is always the very last thing but sometimes it is months after the rest of the piece is finished).

Final measurements, 26.5” x 35” (67cm x 89cm)

Now it is on to the next piece

Butter and Egg Road, inspired by the colors at my Mamaw’s house. The apron was a thrift store treasure, and the hollyhocks are from a journal page that I scanned and printed onto fabric.

I am machine embroidering in the image to add a bit more color and texture. When that is complete I will either satin stitch it in place or use the black bias tape that I used earlier this year on a different piece.

The Pellon interfacing fence that I’m going to applique onto a piece of off white batik fabric. This will sit in the lower right of the piece and behind the apron. I may also apply the apron to a backing piece of fabric, using the same method I did for the doilies on Floral Medley. This makes it much easier to apply the threadwork to the quilt sandwich, and I’m really happy I stumbled upon this method while working on this set of work.

Back to the studio. Have a great weekend, y’all!

The Best Part of Waking Up

2010-05-09T12:16:00.001-07:00

Is getting to go to the studio and play!

This piece has been in process for enough years that I don’t remember when I made the yellow base. I have been purging the studio and came across it, and when I saw the colorful textiles in the Wavy Gravy movie, I knew it needed to be a floral scene.

The butterfly is an extra machine embroidered butterfly left over from the piece I made for The Artful Storybook. He’s sat in the pile of in process works for two years now. Doesn’t he look pretty flying above the flowers?

Here’s a detail of the picking process. I made these fabric yo yos when Izzy was an infant, they come in handy for so many embellishing chores. The crochet pieces are found objects from second-hand shops.

A different detail of the yo yos set in the center of pieces cut from the white doily. If you look carefully, you can also see the machine stitched detail on the poppies. I used crochet thread in the bobbin for that effect.

I chose to back the orange doilies with this African brocade from Becky at St Theresa Textile Trove. It will help with the contrast against the bright yellows.

And another detail of the doily as finished flower. I am going to go back in and add some veins in the leaves, either with beads or sequins, once the piece is ready for its final embellishment. The poppies were sewn separately and beaded separately before being appliqued to the background, and the stems are zigzag stitch done over rattail satin cording for extra dimension.

I love when a piece comes together like this. Everything here has been in my stash for quite some time, just waiting for the opportunity to be made into art. The finished piece will be on exhibit at the High Road Gallery in Worthington OH as part of the upcoming FABRICations exhibit.

You Gotta Give A Little

2010-04-24T07:13:00.001-07:00

But sometimes you gotta do something for yourself. Yesterday I met up at the local bead shop with two of my NaNoWriMo buds and we played beads. I was a little apprehensive going in, as I was on quite a limited budget and there is nothing more frustrating to me than to find something absolutely fantastic and not have enough cash to buy it, especially when it comes to beads.

However, flow was with me and the piece came together as if it were already waiting out there for me to find it, and within budget.

The entire necklace, about 16” long. The frog sits high up on my neck, hiding like frogs often do.

Most of the beads come from the local bead shop, but the frog is something I bought several years ago from Green Girl Studios. I had strung the basic necklace with the flowers, coral and yellow beads. When I showed my daughter, she said “It looks like a pond and needs a frog.”

I remembered that I have two amazing Bali silver frogs in my stash, and when I got home I set out to find them. They eluded me, but this fellow showed up. I looked for the other two beads, but this is the only one I could find yesterday, so I figured I’d try him out and see if I liked him. I think he fit perfectly.

Here is a detail of the coral and the yellow glass beads from China. I had planned on using some Thai silver from my stash as spacers between the large yellow beads, but I came across this tube of mixed beads I had bought several years ago at another shop, and the red discs fit perfectly into the look of the piece. It’s a perfect example of what can happen when you let go and trust and go with the flow.

Happy beading!

Reboot of Doom

2010-04-16T08:24:00.001-07:00

Here we are, April 16, over 1/3 of the way through 2010 already. I am revisiting my word of the year (“Metamorphosis”) and applying some of Havi’s Metaphor Mouse technique to an area where I want to see some change in my life this year.

An area I would like to grow in is that of physical activity/movement. A close friend has taken up triathlons, and when we are able to talk in person, he tells me about his rigorous training schedule. I am impressed by how he managed to fit in the training with everything else he has on his schedule, and I mentioned in passing that occasionally I have a desire to take my physical activity a step beyond what I already do.

He asked why I never have, opening a whole can of worms. Weight and body image were always an issue growing up, and I always felt judged by my size and food choices. Good was small body, small portions, the right foods. Bad was anything else.

But there was a mixed message in there. Bad was also an over-developed interest in what my body looked like and what I ate. I can still tell you the story of the one cousin who left his wife because he got into bodybuilding and became so “narcissistic” that he had no time for anyone else. And I’m not even going into how my daughter went anorexic just as I began my weight loss journey.

Suffice it to say, there are issues. But I still have dreams of having a body that is flexible and strong, and feeling light and un-self-conscious in it.

So where’s the problem? I have worked out before, I even have had that body, if for a short time, in the recent past. I have no desire to compete in a triathlon, or even a marathon (I much prefer yoga or weight-lifting to running). But what I don’t have (what I perceive I don’t have) is discipline.

Even the word makes me cringe. Discipline. Dry, hard, boring, no way out, discipline. Makes me stop dead in my tracks, better than almost anything else I know.

Enter Metaphor Mouse. Havi asks, “What are the qualities, aspects and attributes of the thing” both those that aren’t working and those that are?

Discipline=

judgmental
imposed from the outside
have to (“should”)
serious
humorless
inflexible
punishment
routine
boring
duty
no options
joyless
dry
better than
rigid (same as inflexible?)

Looking at this list, about the only thing I find working for me is “routine”, in the good way of “do a little every day and see big results over time” (with a slight problem at “over time”). What bothers me most is the lack of humor/joy, lack of flexibility and the judgmentalism inherent in the word.

What qualities I am looking for/are missing=

fun
flexibility
freedom
reward
choice
freedom
sovereignty
acceptance (opposite of judgmental, maybe encouragement?)

I am having a hard time coming up with a different word, but I found this link, also at Havi’s blog, and one of the words/phrases that pops up for “sovereignty” is “self-determination”.

It’s not quite a metaphor, but it works for the moment. It contains the qualities of flexibility and choice that are missing from “discipline”, and returns the power to me, which is what the “d” word kept me from seeing.

Here’s to Self-Determination!

Wishcasting Wednesday

2010-04-07T08:38:00.001-07:00

Every Wednesday Jamie Ridler of Jamie Ridler Studios asks a question on her blog, in the form of “what do you wish for?”. She invites people to answer the question at their blog, to be tenders of wishes at others’ blogs.

This week the question is “How do you wish to bloom?”

When I was growing up and I would complain about my circumstances, location, etc, I would often be told “Bloom where you are planted.” Eyerolls and sighs would follow, especially during the teenage years, but with time and experience I see that the advice wasn’t as dumb as it seemed to me then.

This year’s word has been Metamorphosis, and I am working on blooming where I am planted. I have been taking the circumstances and resources I currently have at my disposal, and have been working on transforming them into something to support my life. I may not physically move from this area, but I wish to grow beyond my self-imposed limitations and become more than I have been.

I wish to bloom my art and career, to get my work out to more of the world and see where it will take me. I wish to bloom myself, to nurture my body with regular movement, good foods and rest. I wish to bloom my relationships with others, by working on my communication skills and listening more and speaking less.

Today was a really good day for this question, as it is sunny and warm outside, with many of the spring trees and flowers in full bloom. My yard is filled with the violets I love so much, and the trees are starting to fill out with wild green leaves. It is also my birthday, a good time to reflect on what has passed and to look forward to what is to come.

Books in Bloom

2010-04-02T14:28:00.001-07:00

Here in Southeast Ohio spring has definitely sprung. I can see the neighbor’s magnolia filled with the creamy pink blossoms of the season, and the violets are beginning to fill my front lawn. It’s a riot of color and texture, yet as recently as two weeks ago, branches were still bare and the grass was barely green.

An art career is somewhat like this, growth can be going on just beneath the surface and from an outsider’s perspective it can seem as though nothing is ever going to change.

While I have been working on entering shows, creating work for sale, and updating my Etsy shop, the seeds I planted over a year ago have started to bloom. Two books have recently been released which feature my work.

The first, “500 Art Quilts”, is the kind of survey of the contemporary art quilt scene which I looked at with longing when I first started making art quilts and entering my first shows. It is one of the wonderful Lark “500” series which showcases the best in contemporary craft, and two of my works have been chosen to be included.

“Marilyn”, 2008, shown above, and “Bird’s Eye View”, 2007 were the two pieces chosen for this wonderful book.

The second book is an instructional book, and I designed a project for it, in a patchwork and applique style. “Pretty Mini Little Quilts” contains designs from 25 artists, with the main theme being that the quilts are under 36” in any direction. You will be amazed at how much creativity and visual impact you can fit into a small space.

Here is a photo illustrating how to sew the elephant to the pieced background.

A detail of one of the elephants from the quilt.

I am proud and pleased to be included in each of these wonderful books. The editors have done a great job, and I highly encourage you to check them out.

Years of Experience

2010-03-29T08:03:00.001-07:00

Years of experience have taught me that opportunities come from where you least expect them, and they come when you are not expecting them. Paying it forward and karma are never lateral actions, the good you do does come back, but never in the way you expect.

Take, for example, the massive show prep I put out over the last month. I was hoping for, expecting, intending, a great show, to sell the wonderful work I’ve been creating. To touch people and speak to them through my art.

Well, I did get the speak to people part. But I only sold one piece, and that was to another artist at the event.

I came home disappointed, sad, and yes, a little crushed. I indulged in a little pajama-moping time, and let myself take a few minutes from the constant go-go-go of creating work and marketing work and breathing work.

And I remembered the many times I’d gotten the rejection letter from Quilt National, and how those same pieces of work had gone on to other shows, winning multiple awards in several cases. How not getting jobs had worked out to free me to visit family, or to be available for other opportunities which were even better.

I didn’t do the usual beating myself up over prices, because no one even looked at the prices, so that couldn’t have been it. I told myself I made some great connections with local women artists who I’ve vaguely known over the years, and got to know them a little better. Connection is always good. I read the new Mercy Thompson novel.

I took Friday and Saturday, and then I posted the work to my Etsy shop. I kept moving, and I fully expect something better to come along.

Here are some pictures of some of the work I posted:

I will let you know when that something better comes along. Until then, I leave you with this:

Almost There

2010-03-23T14:48:00.001-07:00

Almost Heaven, West Virginia. Well, on Thursday, anyway. We leave bright and early for a quick and fun trunk show and presentation. I have been in the studio madly putting finishing touches on some pieces to take along, and today I set up some of them to see how they’d look.

To see how it could look, I used some wooden boxes I picked up at a photographer’s yard sale, as well as some wine boxes my mom bought for me back in her yard saling days. This enabled the work to be raised up and therefore more visible. The fabric is a piece of yardage from my at-home dye party last summer. I painted it using Setacolour fabric paints and the speckled pattern came from sprinkling the wet fabric with chunky salt and letting it dry in the sun.

A detail of some of the images. You can see the frames I bought at Dollar Tree to use for the larger collages, and the little easels I found at JoAnn that were just right for displaying the small 4” x 4” canvas collages.

The smaller pieces are beaded brooches left over from my beading days. You can see one of the free-hanging recycled collages in the foreground, and the wire and bead hanger I attached using scrapbook grommets. You can see one of the mini quilts in the background, attached to its canvas. I’m really happy with how those are turning out.

Finally, another view of extra pieces. I also have a half shutter door that I am going to use to hang pieces from, I think using mini bulldog clips and fishing line, but I need to test that out next. So far I am really excited about how these pieces are coming together, from the colors I’m using to make them to the process of attaching the images onto the frames. I was so happy when I found out the mini easels would work with the smaller canvases. They will be included with purchase to make it easier to display the work, always an important consideration when selling artwork.

Tomorrow I will put finishing touches on pieces. I ordered business cards from MOO.com and they arrived last week. I’m going to make color copies of the informational side and attach them to the back of each piece in addition to the price. I have two more quilts to sew to canvases, and the duck collage that is in this display needs some embellishment. I think that will be about it, and any extras that come home will go up on my Etsy shop over the weekend, at least until the next show.

In Process

2010-03-12T05:22:00.001-08:00

I have taken the cardboard bases I showed you last time and have been collaging like mad, using color copies of personal photos and images of my other artwork. These are still in process, I need to do a final basecoat, I think of gloss varnish, as opposed to my usual matte varnish finish, to help bring out the colors more. None of them have titles yet, and I may add grommets to the top corners and run colored wire along for display purposes.

All of these measure 5” x 7” or 7” x 5” depending on the orientation of the image.

The photographs are of my daughter. In the top picture she is wearing a crocheted dress that was made by my grandmother for my mother. I have a picture of her wearing it, and I’m sure somewhere there’s a photo of me wearing it. Now it’s back with my mom, who is planning on having it framed in a shadowbox. The bottom picture is from my Frida Kahlo phase, circa 1988. I took a lace scarf and some fake flowers from Woolworth’s to make her headdress, and bought real Gerber daisies from Kroger’s.

More art about art, this piece has a copy of on of my MOO cards.

When you have an interesting embellishing material, consider making copies of it to use in collage. This leaf is an Indian applique I picked up from Treasures of the Gypsy. I have a whole sheet of images of these appliques that I use for collage fodder in my journal and on pieces like this. I also crocheted the little purple flower, but found doilies work as well.

You can tell these are in process because you can see the difference from where I applied the matte gel medium to adhere the images to the cardboard substrate and the original painting. The background papers are both painted on the contractor’s paper, starting with a layer of gesso first. I’ve been cutting out stencils in addition to using the Print Gocco fish screen and Speedy Cut stamps. It’s been fun to put all the different patterns and colors together.

If I can find them, I have some coffee bean beads that would look cool on this piece. I adhere the three dimensional embellishments using Golden Heavy Gel medium, it’s easier to apply to a specific spot because it’s so thick and it fills in the gaps on the bigger pieces so that it will stick to the surface.

More of the Indian applique copies, a contemporary button and a vintage embroidered applique enhance the copy of the cow quilt I made for myself after my Gran died. I rarely make pieces that are specifically for me to keep, but this is one of them. Using the image in this way makes it possible for more people to see/own it, and enables me to keep the original. It’s kind of like licensing, but I am the one reproducing the image.

More buttons.

The seam in the cardboard really shows up in the photo, but isn’t quite this obvious in the original. The sunflower charms are fairly dimensional, which is why the heavy gel is good for adhering them. You can also see more detail of the fish print I talked about earlier. That’s the yellow paper I showed in a previous blog post. I am really happy with how it turned out.

I am also working on small canvases, 4” x 4”

On this one I used color copies of an old beadwork to make the landscape. You recognize our friend Bessie from the earlier images. I love her little purse and the bird on her shoulder.

Another one using my daughter in the heirloom dress. The sunflower is an applique left over from the piece I made for The Artful Storybook. It’s machine embroidery on fabric that is stabilized with Pellon interfacing.

We are all made of stars.

This one is 8” x 6”. I used some canvas I painted with Setacolour paints as the background for the photocopy. The star punchouts are from a sheet of scrapbook paper. The composition was missing something, and it occurred to me that I could use some buttons from my stash to fill in the corners. This is also when I realized I could embellish the cards. Sometimes the solution is so obvious, isn’t it?

When Life Gives You Lemons

2010-03-08T12:46:00.001-08:00

Make lemonade. When Life gives you lots and lots of empty cereal boxes, and an empty house, make art:

Layer one on this one was red, then I spray painted squirrels using the leftover wood frames from the wood puzzle sculptures that Izzy received for Hannukah. The next step was the bamboo shapes carved from Speedball Speedy Cut, octopus stencil based on my octopus bag of late last year, and finally another layer of shapes carved from Speedy Cut.

This one was simple Green Gold and Cobalt Teal, then I painted some big bubble tape with some Folk Art metallic blue and printed over that.

Deep ultramarine blue, then the octopus stencil painted with sequin waste to make the repeated small dots. The larger dots are more bubble wrap paint transfer.

Red-orange with a layer of bamboo print. Not sure what is going to come next, maybe Cobalt Teal somethings?

Top: Cobalt Teal, followed by Titanium Buff stenciled through sequin waste, then star stencil made by repeatedly punching construction paper with a star punch.

Bottom: Green Gold mixed with yellow, then stamped with the Speedy Cut shapes.

My favorite so far, bright red stamped with teal bamboo and then stencilled with polka dot octopus. :) Each cereal box was primed first with a layer of gesso.

Octopus stencil, cut from card stock.

Of course I could have done all of these if people had been home yesterday, but where my youngest son and my husband were out on a day long ski trip, it was much easier to spread everything out on the living room floor and just play. I love days like that, where my only responsibility is to myself. They need to come around more often.

Doubling Down

2010-03-03T10:40:00.001-08:00

Our Parkersburg show is three weeks from tomorrow and more prep is well underway.

First, the design wall, with all of the completed small works up to this point in 2010.

You may notice that Alice has the pink African brocade binding that I put on yesterday.

Now, on to the canvas prep:

The little screen is a Print Gocco I made of a school of fish last summer. I’m planning on putting them on several of the canvases. You can see my favorite Golden paint colors, Cobalt Teal, Pyrrole Red, and Green Gold in this picture.

Painting and decorating supplies, including my favorite Elephant brush (blue handle), several stamps I carved, a roll of sequin waste for texture, and the paint cup which looks like it has Strawberry Quik in it (mmmm).

Here’s one of the canvases, after a base coat of pink, with sequin waste stencil and stamping. I’m going to go back in and touch up the red spots after the piece has dried. This is the background for the tulip quilt I posted last week.

I also am making some paper for collage:

This is the inexpensive contractor’s paper that comes in big rolls at places like Lowe’s and Home Depot. I put down a base coat of gesso, let that dry while I was working on the canvases, then came back and painted it with a coat of yellow. Then I stenciled using the sequin waste and Cobalt Teal.

When that dried, I used this leather texturing tool (also from Lowe’s) and Quinacridone Burnt Orange to add another layer of texture. Once this is dry, I may go in with the fish screen or use the carved stamps to add more designs.

And finally, I came across these canvases in process while looking in the art supply room (aka the upstairs bathroom) for more texturing tools:

Yummy sushi fabric, multiple layers of acrylic paint, including the leather texture tool, and then a layer of modeling paste, applied through a piece of window screening. Izzy is making me a plate of polymer sushi for the center piece, I am still deciding what to do with the other two.

That’s enough chatting for now, time to get back in the studio!

Alice in Finishland

2010-03-01T13:26:00.001-08:00

After about a month and a half of on and off work:

Basic line drawing on felted background.

Everything but the pinafore and sleeve.

The stitching is finished. My fingers are sore and I have watched all of season two of Torchwood and the series ending Children of Earth series, eaten dinner from a box and let the housework slide (oh who am I kidding on that one, the housework always gets to slide except when company is coming), but the stitching is finished.
Now I get to go through my stash and look for backing and binding fabrics. I probably will go with pink, if I have enough yardage in the right color. And I think there may be mother of pearl button details on the pinafore ruffles.
Just in time for the opening of Alice in Wonderland this week!

Show Prep

2010-02-26T14:21:00.001-08:00

Unchained Melody 6” x 6” applique, machine embroidery and quilting.

Detail of the quilting and embroidery. I used a piece of shibori dyed by Debra and Michael Lunn of Lunn Fabrics for the background, it provided perfect “flowing water” lines to follow with the quilting.
Next month a group of us are presenting for an agency in Parkersburg. Our coordinator suggested that we bring work that is at a $50 and under price point. This provided an excellent opportunity to create some works in that price range, which also can serve as studies for larger works.
The first decision was what size to create the work in. I needed something that was large enough to play in, but small enough to be portable and easy to hang. I chose to go with a 6” x 6” format, and each piece will then be sewn onto a painted canvas background that is 10” x 10”.
Subject matter was fairly easy as well. I am going with a mix of the cute animals I am known for, as well as some experiments with abstraction based on patterns found in nature.
Currently I have five pieces ready for the canvas. The most recent is the koi at the beginning of this post. His cheery colors made me smile on this day where the snow is flying outside yet again.

Tiptoe Through the Tulip 6” x 6” machine applique and quilting.

Red Bird III 6” x 6” machine applique and quilting, hand-dyed fabric, beads and sequins.

Day of the Cichlids I 6” x 6” machine applique and quilting, snow-dyed fabric and commercial batik.

Day of the Cichlids II 6” x 6” machine applique and quilting, snow-dyed fabric and commercial batik.
These have been fun to do, it’s a good opportunity to try out techniques or color combinations before moving on to a larger piece. I am excited to paint the backgrounds and play with the textures on those as well.
Each piece will be $75 + $5 shipping, and come ready to hang on a coordinating canvas. Email me if you’re interested in owning one.

When Life Gives You Art

2010-02-24T12:10:00.001-08:00

Make more art. This piece is based on the paintings I was doing late last year. Fusible bias tape, reverse applique, hand-dyed sky fabric.

Blue Skies 15” x 15” 2010

Detail of the quilting and beading. Since the originals in my journal have the white dot highlights, I chose to highlight with beads on this piece. It adds a certain charm, don’t you think?

And lest you think I’d forgotten, here’s another view of Alice in process.

Nearly complete with the stitching, I have to do the pinafore and the left sleeve. It’s a lot of off white. To help prevent boredom, I stitch while watching streaming Netflix. Currently my favorites are Doctor Who and Torchwood.

Detail of the stitching on the face and hair. I need to choose a color for her eyelids and outline her eyes in a light brown. So close to being finished. It’s time to gather the yarn for the next background.

For Aisha

2010-02-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

My daughter just tweeted that she would be building a protective hut against snow on the campus green. To inspire her, an image from the Franklin Park Conservatory:

I believe the show was called "Earth Works". This was my favorite hut in the courtyard, across from it was another built with chicken wire and plants. I still may build one in my back yard one day.

Opening Recap

2010-01-25T06:28:00.001-08:00

Two openings in two nights was exhilarating and exhausting and everything in between. The Women of Appalachia show is a beautiful jewel, with remarkable works by each of the artists represented. I was impressed with how many of the artists I already knew. I guess I’m not as much a hermit as I thought. Here I am in front of Garden Party, speaking with Piet (I hope I remembered her name correctly):

I attended this opening with a full posse, including myself, my husband, my son Izzy, NaNoWriMo friends Melinda and Andrew, and Melinda’s husband Jeff, as well as my friend from knitting, Sonja and my art group friends Lynda and Lanna.

The next night was the opening for the Women in Fiber show at Marietta College:

This is the first wall you see to your left as you enter the gallery. The two pieces to the left are by my friend June Baker, who also is a member of my art group. June started out with traditional quilting, and is also a watercolorists. I really like the piece with the circles. Tyger, Tyger hangs to the right.

We were joking that they were in such a hurry they could only put up post-it note labels. But each piece had an artist statement accompanying it. You can’t really see it in the next picture but it is there. I also am tickled by the arrow which seems to point out Red and White #4

The show is part of a multi-media project including the play “Quilters”. Here you can see some of the cast members in costume, admiring Marilyn:

I also met the sweetest King Charles Spaniel puppy whose name is Scout. She was decked out in an adorable white dress with red hearts on it, complete with a bow on her back. She was in attendance with her owner, Rob. I wish I’d gotten a picture of them to show you, but trust me, they were quite the sartorial pair.

I was so thrilled to be able to attend both of these openings. The energy was high at both, and each crew did such a great job putting together the shows. I spent Sunday in the studio working on new pieces so that I can attend even more openings, as well as making plans to attend the opening of The Artist as Quiltmaker XIV in May.

The Stern Workshop

2010-01-22T11:41:00.001-08:00

This has been a busy week in the Stern household.

Izzy is experimenting with food coloring and various foods for his science unit (we are studying cells).

“Hey Mom, why you taking my picture?”

We also have an upcoming show at The Plains Public Library, in addition to the two shows I already have work in, so it is up to the studio we go:

Izzy at his clay station. We spent a good half hour earlier this week cleaning up the old clay. He couldn’t be happier to have the extra room to work in.

A different angle. You can see the many plush creatures I’ve made from my own patterns as well as a few from Ravelry and books. My hats are off to the right, and that is a mini quilt hanging from my design wall above them.

Izzy wanted me to take a picture of him demonstrating how to make a bead. He uses Sculpey III brand polymer clay. I supervise the baking process. Izzy has been sculpting for nearly 8 years now, and I am amazed at how detailed his work is becoming.

Here he is decorating an earring part with Pearl Ex powders. I was watching him while I was seated at my sewing machine.

Not to be left out, I have been creating, too.

Yellow strips in process. I was having a tension problem and had put this piece aside while I figured it out. Finally I managed to dislodge the lump of lint which had made a home in my bobbin case and all was well.

Here is a closeup of the big yellow base. I added the ten long strips I pieced between yesterday and today. I am very happy to have my sewing machine working again. To the right is “Day of the Cichlids” in process and to the left are the completed White Queen and Frog Prince.

The family who creates together stays together!

Little Steps

2010-01-19T09:53:00.001-08:00

I read with amusement this article at MSN.com, about how Starbucks is increasing prices on their drinks to reflect the amount of steps each barista needs to put in when creating the beverage. I was amused because every so often an article on saving money pops up with advice like “cutting out a premium beverage a day will save you x amount of dollars over the course of a year.” The first thing that popped into my mind was “Wow, now I can save even more every year!”

Of course I’d have to buy that premium drink to save that money.

This principle is also brought up when someone is writing about diet and lifestyle changes. “Eliminate a pat of butter a day and you’ll save 30,000 calories during the course of a year” (exaggeration purely mine, I do not have time to do the math for you; here are the numbers to use if you’re so inclined: pat of butter = 100 calories x 1 year/365 days). Great idea, wonderful plan. But what if you don’t eat butter at all? Shouldn’t you already be that much thinner? I wish it worked that way. :)

The key is to analyze what you do eat, and to gradually introduce little changes that lead to big results. I learned this during my weight loss journey.

Instead of white bread, I started buying whole wheat breads.

Instead of white flour, I began using white whole wheat flour.

Instead of pasta or rice as a base for sauces, I began using a large bowl of salad. This is also a great way to increase your fruit/vegetable count, and there are a variety of greens out there to choose from. Right now I have been enjoying kale greens as my base. Adding the filler of the salad also satisfies my need to chew, and fills my tummy. I don’t feel deprived when eating this way, and I am getting needed fiber and vitamins so my body will be healthy.

I didn’t make all of these changes overnight, but unlike all of the other times I would start a diet at the ~~beginning of the week , beginning of the year~~, beginning of the day, they became habit, and the pounds came off and stayed off.

And just think of all the ~~art supplies~~ new clothes you can buy with the money you save on the premium drinks!

Two Shows, Two Openings

2010-01-18T06:56:00.001-08:00

This is a busy week for me, show-wise. So many of the shows I’ve exhibited in are too far away for me to get to the opening receptions. This week I have an abundance of riches as I am able to attend not one, but two opening receptions.

First up, Friday, is the opening reception for the Women in Appalachia show:

Garden Party 2009

Then on Saturday, we get to road trip to Marietta College for the Women in Fiber show:

Tyger, Tyger 2008

I am very excited to be able to attend both openings, and already have my outfit picked out. If you are in the region, drop by and see the shows.

NVC in Practice

2010-01-14T12:18:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I received an anonymous comment on the blog in regards to my list of 100 Things to Do in 2010. The tone of the comment was less than friendly, and while I can agree to disagree, I felt that this comment added nothing to the discussion, and since this is my sandbox, I chose to delete it.

If such an event had happened to me last year, I may have taken up the fight in the comments. I would most likely have been hurt, and possibly have even edited the post in response to what was said. It’s even possible that I would have taken a hiatus from putting anything on the blog for a while, and retreated back into the safe comfort of my living room.

However, doing that would not have helped me. And I would not be able to share my process of applying the principles of NVC to my response to the comment.

In Chapter One of Non Violent Communication, Mr. Rosenberg outlines the four steps to take when engaging in a dialogue:

1. Observation. What is being said or done that you like or don’t like?

2. State how you feel in relation to what you’ve observed.

3.What need is being met or isn’t being met because of the action you’ve observed?

4.What specific action can you ask for that will meet that need?

With these four steps in mind, I present the comment (“C”, the pertinent passages) and my response (“M”):

C: “How could you get stuck on feeding Koi? Surely fish feed is not expensive where you live??”

M: 1: “How could you get stuck” 2:Feels accusatory, and also I did not say that I felt stuck on feeding koi, just that that was number 38 on my list, 3: doesn’t meet my need for feeling understood and 4: I could ask that the commenter re-read my post to see that I did not say I felt stuck about the items on the list, rather the stuck was in making the items on the list.

The commenter goes on to give a suggestion for how to feed koi without spending any money. It’s actually a good suggestion (go to a local shop that sells koi and ask to feed them) and I probably would have left the comment up if that had been the only paragraph. I also would have commented on how we have a local succulent greenhouse with a koi pond, and that I could drive out there this spring and do just what s/he suggested.

C: “It's silly to waste time drawing pretty lines around a goal like "Gain 10lbs of muscle" when I could use that time to actually work towards my goals.”

M: 1. “It’s silly to waste time drawing pretty lines” 2: feels judgmental, uses judgmental language “silly” ,“waste” 3. makes me feel defensive 4: and I don’t think an ask would get a result from an anonymous commenter (hey, I have said I am practicing).

I could say something like “I’m sorry that you feel it is a waste of time.” I could ask “How do you keep track of what you want to accomplish?” This would acknowledge that this person’s process is different than mine without making any judgment about the different ways we go about doing things.

Applying the steps, and responding thoughtfully to what was said made today’s blog post possible, in more ways than one. Thank you, Anonymous Commenter.

I don’t pretend that I have a full grasp on the process, and I’m sure I probably got some of the steps wrong, but that is why I am blogging it here each week, to help myself get a better understanding of how it works and how to apply it in all of my communications. I invite you to pick up a copy of the book and read along.

Coming Soon to a Store Near You

2010-01-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

500 Art Quilts has arrived, I hold my contributor's copy in my hot little hands almost as I type (well, it would be difficult to type with a book in my hands). I can't tell you how honored I am that my work was chosen to be part of this book. Ten years ago I remember looking through similar books and imagining my work was included. Now, after lots of hard work and persistence, it is! I can count many friends among the contributors as well, thanks to the internet and being able to attend workshops such as Quilt Surface Design Symposium and one-on-one instruction at Susan Shie's Turtle Art Camp, my SAQA membership, and visiting my local guild.

This book is truly a feast for the eyes and spirit, and will provide endless hours of inspiration and delight. Look for it at your local booksellers toward the end of the month.

First, Let’s Fire all of the Hamsters

2010-01-13T06:05:00.001-08:00

Three of the pages in Goddess Leonie’s 2010 Workbook and Planner are set aside to make a list of 100 Things to Do in 2010. They can be fun, goofy, serious, playful, whatever you can imagine wanting to do during the coming year. Sounds great, doesn’t it? It is, especially with each number whimsically drawn and colored, the pages are so enticing. It makes me happy to just look at the pretty numbers.

I am stuck on number 38 (feed koi).

While part of me knows that I don’t have to have the whole list filled out at once, and to be honest, part of me is dragging my feet so that I don’t rush through the process, I also know part of me is afraid to put some things that I may really want to do this year.

Afraid that I won’t get to do it.

Afraid that I will.

While deep inside, the little hamster who is constantly runningrunningrunning on the wheel that is my brain is yelling, “You can’t do that, where are you going to get the MONEY to do that? Why bother even writing it down?”

And that is one reason I am stuck at number 38.

Many of the things on my list contain the word “make” or “sell”.

I don’t want all of the things on the list to contain those words. And yet I know there are things I want to create this year (and hey, maybe “Create” would be a better choice than “Make”, sounds a bit more lofty and maybe a bit less money grubbing) and I know that selling things that I ~~made~~ created helps to keep the family running, which is very important to me.

But I think the big block to filling the list is that anything which does not involve either of those words feels a bit like slacking to me. Like I’m not taking my responsibilities seriously. Again with the hamster: “How can you think of having FUN when there are bills to be paid? Never mind how can you pay for something like “have a spa day”, you don’t have time to even take a “spa day” because there is work to be done first.”

I know that I am more productive overall if I allow some “me” or “fun” time to happen. I know that my weekly day off results in lots of work the next day because I get itchy to be doing something. I need to bring this knowledge into the space where I am making my list. It is not only ok to have fun, it is necessary to overall happiness and, dare I say it, bliss.

I think maybe the hamster could use a vacation.

#39 Buy Hamster a ticket to Hawaii

How about you? Is anyone else working with this planner? How is your list coming along?

This Says It Better Than I Ever Could

2010-01-12T09:35:00.001-08:00

Yesterday took more time than I thought it would, even though it was the same 24 hours as any other day. This newsletter came to my inbox today and it says a lot about the things I have been dealing with in my personal life. I realized I am in need of finding some joy (more about that tomorrow), and hope that this piece helps you as much as it's helping me.

A setback can lead us to a better place — if we just let it.” -- Anne Wilson Schaef

Are you in the midst of a perceived failure? Perhaps you’ve been laid off from your job, you’re on the brink of bankruptcy, or you’re going through an acrimonious divorce. While you may wish otherwise, these situations are painful and difficult. They require that we face our deepest fears of inadequacy, lack and failure. It’s often during these difficult times that we turn to God and deepen our faith and spiritual connection. Author Paul Brunton states it this way: “When every situation which life can offer is turned to the profit of spiritual growth, no situation can really be a bad one.”

Our intuition is connected to a wiser part of us that sees the larger picture of our lives and knows what we need to learn in order to move ahead on our journey in this life. Patience, trust and faith are required after life hands us an unexpected blow. You were not sent here to fail. It may be hard to trust that the Universe knows what it’s doing and yet that may be the path of least resistance. You need to go with the flow and know that there is a new and wonderful life for you just waiting to be born.

Tough times never last. When you are experiencing a setback you fear you’ll be in it forever. However, generally speaking, most of life’s painful disappointments are relatively short-lived. It’s important to remember that we all experience failure at one time or another in our lives. As actor Mickey Rooney put it, “You always pass failure on your way to success.” Remember also that failure is an event or situation you find yourself in. You’re only in danger when you begin describing yourself as the failure.

What are some steps you can take when life has handed you lemons and you haven’t yet figured out how to make lemonade?

BE PATIENT. This is a time of change and things need to happen of their own accord. There is little to be gained by trying to speed up the process. If it takes you longer to get where you want to go, there might be a reason for it. It is often hard to figure out the big question, “Why is this happening to me?!” when you’re in the middle of the crisis. Allow for Divine wisdom to play a role in your life.

HAVE FUN. When you’re out of work, broke and down on your luck, having fun may be at the bottom of your priority list. Nudge it up closer to the top. Come up with a list of inexpensive things you could do to enjoy yourself. There is no virtue in suffering needlessly while you’re going through a difficult time.

ASK FOR HELP AND GUIDANCE. If you open up and talk about what you’re experiencing, you may be surprised by how many friends you have who want to help. You don’t have to go through this alone. But if times are really tough or you feel you may be getting seriously depressed, be sure to talk with a counselor.

BE KIND TO YOURSELF. Now is not the time to beat yourself up for any perceived mistakes, or to wallow in “what I should have done.” One of the biggest challenges most experience in the face of failure is knowing how to love ourselves through the process. Keep your heart and mind open. You’ll find that insight and wisdom will come through when you most need them to guide you in the right direction.

PRACTICE POSITIVE SELF-TALK. If you're a pessimist, you're likely to spend a lot of time with negative self-talk. "I can't do this." "Nothing works out for me." Or, "I have terrible luck," are all common examples. Whether you're facing an upcoming interview or giving a speech, pay attention to what you're telling yourself! It will make a dramatic difference in how you feel. Make a conscious attempt to shift the focus on any pessimistic thoughts. Try saying things to yourself like, "I know I'll get through this." "What could I do today to stay relaxed?" "There are many things I do well and today I'll stay focused on those."

I’ll end with a quote from Richard Carlson who wrote the “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” series of books. “Let go of fear. The universe has an infinite supply of opportunity. There is plenty to go around. You may be surprised to see that something is coming your way right now!”

Some of my Favorite Things I’m really fond of the meditations at OrinDaben.com
They have one on creating abundance and another on finding inner peace which are two of my favorites. Best of all they’re fr*ee!

Fellow National Speakers Association member Sam Horn gave a great speech on what she calls "Serendestiny." I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

I often get emails from newsletter readers asking where I find my inspirational quotes. Here's a favorite site that's full of quotes on the topic of prosperity and abundance.

I just discovered Renee Stephens and her "Inside Out Weight Loss." She’s a coach, hypnotherapist and NLP trainer. Her podcasts are incredibly inspiring and very intuitive!

Closing My e-mail: Lynn@LynnRobinson.com
My Website: http://www.LynnRobinson.com
Archives of this newsletter are available at:
http://www.LynnRobinson.com/newsletter.html

Copyright (c) 2010, all rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute this newsletter as long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached.

The author of this newsletter is Lynn A. Robinson, M.Ed. Lynn is one of the nation's leading experts on the topic of intuition. Her most recent books include:

LISTEN: Trusting Your Inner Voice in Times of Crisis (GPP Life 2010)
TRUST YOUR GUT: How the Power of Intuition Can Grow Your Business (Kaplan 2007)
DIVINE INTUITION: Your Guide to Creating a Life You Love (DK Books 1999)

Lynn’s free monthly "Intuition Newsletter" is available at her website, http://www.LynnRobinson.com.

Women in Fiber

2010-01-10T18:02:00.001-08:00

Today I am delivering six pieces to the Women in Fiber show at Marietta (OH) College. I am thrilled to have work in the show, and very happy to go to Marietta, one of my favorite places in the region. It was the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory and sits at the junction of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers. The local architecture is beautiful, and I enjoy visiting the area whenever I have an excuse.

Here is a preview of some of the work:

Red and White #4 patchwork, applique, machine quilting, beads and sequins. Commercial cottons, commercial hand-dyed cottons (the wonderful grays are from Judy at Just Imagination).

Marilyn patchwork, applique, machine quilting, beads and sequins. Commercial cottons, polyester batting.

Route 33, Summer Morning patchwork, applique, machine quilting. Commercial cottons, hand-dyed silk, tulle, polyester batting.

The show runs through February 21st, and I am planning on attending the opening on Saturday January 23rd, from 6-8pm. If you are in the area, drop by and introduce yourself. I’ll be wearing green.

Etsy Update

2010-01-08T05:58:00.000-08:00

If you had told me ten years ago that I would be running a business with my son, I probably would have laughed, handed him over, and said "Ok, then, *you* can feed him." He was the most demanding of my children, and I often said that if he had been the first one, he would have been the only one. But time passed, I was able to get some sleep again, and he has turned into quite the companion and collaborator.

He works on his sculptures while I sew or paint in the studio, and he has started vending with me when we do shows. Two years ago he raised enough money to buy a bicycle by selling his sculptures, and his current goal is to raise enough money to buy the seeds for the garden he is planning (I sent for the Burpee catalog late last month and it arrived earlier this week).

To help, I made a section at my Etsy for his work. Today's Etsy update Friday is dedicated to him.

May I present World of Art by Izzy:

Learning a New Language

2010-01-07T05:30:00.000-08:00

I grew up with dysfunctional family patterns of communication when it came to any sort of disagreement or conflict, real or perceived. One side of the family would play the passive-aggressive cold shoulder game, while the other thrived on verbal confrontation. I was lucky enough to get the best of both worlds, being able to cold-shoulder like a professional, while also rising to the verbal “fight back” occasion when the situation warrants. I have also felt guilty about both reactions, and have taken the “don’t lose your temper, don’t be selfish” commandment from my childhood to new levels of self-effacement and putting everyone else’s needs ahead of my own to the point where there are times that I need to remind myself that it is indeed ok to take up space in this world.

I have struggled with this for my entire adult life, and wondered if I would ever find a happy medium that enables a win/win method of communication rather than the winner/loser paradigm I was all too familiar with.

Enter Havi and her wonderful blog. One of the books she recommends is Non Violent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg.

At first I was not interested in the book, because I assumed it would be full of woo-woo “everyone else’s feelings are more important than mine” advice, and I expected yet another lecture about how I was wrong and everyone else was right. I continued to read Havi’s blog, including the archives, and observed how she interacted with her readers. Slowly I was being convinced that I could at least look at the book. I didn’t have to take any of it seriously, and I gave myself permission to return it to the library unfinished if it was more of the “you are not a good person and this is how to fix yourself” jargon.

I opened the book a skeptic, and finished it convinced. I returned the book to the library and picked up my own copy because this is not a book to read once and be done. It will be marked up and written in and returned to again and again. Because, as Havi says at the end of each of her posts, I am practicing.

Mr. Rosenberg described the patterns of communication I grew up seeing in my family. He described methods of changing how to interact with people so that they feel heard, and how to better express yourself so that you feel understood. I was so blown away by what he wrote, and I wanted to share it with everyone I knew. I also knew that I would not be able to immediately apply everything in the book, and I didn’t know how to find a group to work through the book with, so I am choosing to do it here on my blog.

Every Thursday I will write about my impressions and experiences of what Mr. Rosenberg writes about, chapter by chapter, until the book is complete. You’re welcome to get a copy of the book and join in. I can’t wait to see what we learn.

Goals 2010

2010-01-06T05:04:00.001-08:00

Which sounds like that government education program from the late 90’s(?) “Goals 2000” but nothing like that. No standardized testing needed, no rote drills, and certainly no school necessary, unless of course that’s what you want to do.

2009 had a lot of good events happen, which I realized when I posted my year-end chicken last week. But as I looked over the list, I knew that, while great compared to my accomplishments list of ten years ago, the potential had been there for even more, and I had let that go by.

This year I am determined to be more change, and with that in mind, I pulled out my copy of Lisa Sonora Beam’s “The Creative Entrepreneur”. In it, she walks the reader through several stages of the goal setting process, and the book is designed for someone who may be more visually oriented, so there is a lot of collaging that can go on. I really enjoy this book, and have my business mandala on the wall next to my bed, but I was getting stuck when it came to choosing the goals for my Strategic Planner, and really really stuck when it came to making the individual SMART (Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-Bound)pages for each goal.

Then came Goddess Leonie and her Creating My 2010 Goddess Year Workbook and Planner (see link in sidebar). I am on her mailing list, and when the email came through, I clicked and peeked at the preview. It looked really pretty and I was interested, but I didn’t immediately buy, because I had memories of other systems I had tried in the past, and was afraid it would go the way of the many self-help books gathering dust in my shelves.

But something about Leonie and her website kept calling to me, and I bought a copy of the guidebook. It is 40 pages of colorful, whimsical drawings, questions to see where you’ve come from and questions to lead you where you want to go. I really like the way she writes directly to the reader, as though she were standing next to you and urging you on. There are pages to describe and collage how you feel about your body now, and how you would like to look by the end of the year, and a page for your word of the year in addition to pages asking you to list your goals and habits you wish to cultivate. My favorite is the page which leaves a bit space to write, draw and collage your bag of tricks, comforts and reminders to help nurture you when your path gets long or you feel like giving up.

And this is the first page of the goal-setting section of the workbook:

You print out the pages at home, and can put them into a decorated binder if you choose. I like that this option allows you to carry individual pages with you to work on, as well as adding additional pages with your own collages or extra printouts if you run out of room on the original page.

I will be working with this guidebook throughout the coming year, and each Wednesday I intend to post updates on what my goals are for the year, which is one of the goals I’ve already discovered through working in the book. Now that’s smart!

Is That You Moe Dean?

2010-01-05T18:55:00.001-08:00

For that someone special, a little bit of Roswell for a night on the town. Beam me up!

Before and After

2010-01-05T04:11:00.001-08:00

A lot of people on the web and beyond are talking about the changes we have seen in our world and ourselves since the calendar rolled over to the year 2000. I have been surprised as I take stock of the changes in my own life, and pleased to see the progress I have made in many areas, including fulfilling a 20 year dream to have a work included in the prestigious Quilt National exhibit, to win a major award with my artwork, and to become a Lark designer.

However, looking at the many things which have happened in my life during the past ten years, the most profound is the change in my physical body.

This is me in 1998, working on a piece at Susan Shie’s Turtle Art Camp. I weighed around 240 pounds, down a little from my peak of 249 pounds on a 5’1” frame.

And this is me in November of 2009, from the photo shoot for the Athens News Annual Manual, approximately 100 pounds lighter.

I didn’t have surgery, and didn’t do the grueling program I see contestants go through on The Biggest Loser. I did begin in the summer of 2001 because I had a contract to teach at ArtFest in Seattle, and wanted to comfortably fit into the airplane seat, but other than that, I did it for me. It took a combination of learning to eat better, learning to move more, and great determination to shop at fun places like Old Navy. It took me four years to lose that much weight, and it was hard won, but like all things worth the having, it was worth the wait. I couldn’t have done it without the constant support of my family, who listened when I cried because it was taking so long, and cheered me as I moved down the scale.

It was easy for me to discount the accomplishment because it did take so long that it never really felt like a huge dramatic change. I’d spend months in the same ten pound range, but slowly my body changed. I think the process provides a great example of how even small steps can lead to a long journey, as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other.

If I did it, you can too. In later posts, I will write more about the process, but for now I just wanted to emphasize that many resolutions are made at this time of year, and many are broken because maybe progress isn’t immediately obvious, and it is easy to become discouraged. It doesn’t have to be losing weight, it could be starting your own business, writing a novel, quitting smoking, going back to school. Find a friend, a support group, make a determination that the change you want will happen, and then keep at it. You can do it. What you need is in you, and you will be surprised at what you find in yourself during the process.

In the words of Winston Churchill, “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in,” and you will see results.

The Last Completed Artwork of 2009

2010-01-04T08:18:00.001-08:00

Last week I shared the embroideries for my new series “Alice and Friends”, including The Queen of Hearts and The Frog Prince, both of which were in progress.

I like to end the year on a high note, and try to wrap up at least one piece, and have another piece in process so that I can carry the energy into the new year. With that in mind, I present the last completed artwork of 2009:

The Queen of Hearts 14 3/4” x 14 1/2” hand embroidery on hand knitted felt, backed and bordered with hand-dyed twill. Commercial polyester felt and Crafty Chica embellishing glue from Duncan Enterprises.

And the pieces which carried over into the new year:

The Frog Prince

Alice

I am actively working on completing The Frog Prince first. As you can see, all that is left of the embroidery is half of the lily pad. Then it will be up to the studio, where I will find some backing and bordering fabric.

I learned a lot between making the two pieces. The first piece was made on a background which was a knit checkerboard. I had left the floats between each color change, since there were only five stitches for each block. I assumed that I wouldn’t need to wrap the yarn in between, and so made sure the floats were a little longer than normal, to account for the shrinkage which occurs when the knitted fabric shrinks in the felting process.

Overall, that idea worked, but as you can see here, there was a bit of puckering. The hand-stitching really helped to push down the ridges, but it involved stitching a lot in some areas because the initial stitches would get lost in the gaps.

For The Frog Prince and Alice, I wrapped the floats every three stitches, regardless of where they fell in the color change pattern. When I felted these pieces, both came out a lot flatter and a lot more even.

There is still the rough surface that comes with the hand-felted surface, but the ridges from the first piece are practically non-existent. I am fairly confident that this is due to wrapping the floats rather than the choice of yarn. I chose to use Lana Loft for the first piece, while the second piece is made with Ella Rae Classic, and the third piece is knit in Cascade 220.

The next piece will be a mermaid, inspired by some floss I found while searching for colors for the last three pieces, and the background of it will probably be a beautiful gray and blue colorway I found in Plymouths’ Boku yarn. The colorwork in that base will be provided by knitting it in the entrelac technique. I am excited to see how that turns out.

But first I’m going to finish The Frog Prince and make some more progress on Alice.

In the words of Willy Wonka “The suspense is killing me. I hope it doesn’t end.”

Full Moon Dreamboard/Word of the Year

2009-12-31T12:43:00.001-08:00

Jamie Ridler over at Jaime Ridler Studios, asks what our dreams are for the new year on this last blue moon of 2009. I chose to incorporate my word of the year “Metamorphosis”, and the perfect images popped up in the first magazine I looked through. The affirmations are from an old copy of Louise Hay’s “You Can Heal Your Life”, purchased for a pittance at the library bulk bag sale, and perfectly state what I am intending for the new year.

Wishing you all the best in the upcoming new year, and looking forward to sharing more of the journey with you.

Chicken for New Years? Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!

2009-12-31T06:04:00.001-08:00

Since I received the eBay award to purchase my laptop last winter, I have been able to accomplish a great many things online that hadn’t been possible until then. More updates to my Etsy, easier and faster queries to editors, even a NaNoWriMo novel last month. But the most important thing I accomplished was the ~~massive web surfing and reading of blogs~~ connecting with people online, like you, my readers, Naomi at Itty Biz and the amazing Havi over at The Fluent Self.

One thing I really enjoy participating in at Havi’s blog is her Friday ritual of listing the hard and the good that happened during the week. She calls it the Friday Chicken. I have found that as the weeks have passed, somewhat like the law of attraction people who tell you that what you focus on increases, the good has outweighed the hard, even in these difficult times.

Today she posted a Chicken for the Year, like Chicken of the Sea, but with less tuna. In lieu of Chickening at the comments over there, I am Chickening here with you.

So 2009, this one’s for you:

The Hard:

The massive ice storm in late January which knocked out our power and our water for two days. I could’ve dealt with the power being out that long just fine. I do handwork, so could still create, we have a kerosene heater, and it was cold enough to keep the food on the back porch in a cooler. But when the water went out, that was a deal breaker.

It looked so pretty, though!

Marty came thisclose to being offered a temp job in July. The interviews all went well, the guy really liked him. We were sure this was it. Then we found out the job went to someone else. It was spirit crushing and put a damper on all of August.

At some point we’re going to have to replace our kitchen cabinets. That point being when funding becomes available. We knew there was a problem with the sink, and it obviously is still livable, but it has become a “must do sooner than later” type of thing.

And I’m going to tell on myself here. As much as I am happy that my friends in my art group are showing and selling their work, it has been hard to watch them sell their work while mine comes home from the shows we all were in. Part of me knows that you can’t really compare why one piece of art speaks to a person over another. But that part of me that comes out late at night when I don’t know how the bills are going to be met next month wonders if maybe it’s because their work is less expensive, and if only you’d lower your prices my work would sell as well. Hard, hard, hard.

The Good:

My book came out in the spring. Well, not technically my book, but the book I have eight projects in, which was a really big deal, considering the initial query said they were only looking for 40 projects total. 1/5 of a book of my designs! Yay! And it is a beautiful book, too. The editors at Lark did a great job putting this one together.

My other book came out in September. Yes, again, not technically, but I have four projects in this one, and the beaded votive holders even made the cover this time. Another great job by the folks at Lark.

Netflix . Need I say more? Thanks to the wonder of streaming video and my laptop here, I can watch endless episodes of Dr. Who while stitching on new projects. Oh, and they send videos to your house as well.

Thanks to my Netflix account, my son and I had a wonderful July exploring the work of Charles and Ray Eames (check out their videos, I am especially inspired by the one featuring their studio space) and Sister Corita Kent . I took some leaps in my work, and we collaborated on a piece which sold at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles “High Fiber Under Five” show.

African Masks III, design by Izzy Stern 2009

Getting back into some physical movement. Not as much as I’d like, but more than I had been. Marty found a program which enabled him to go back to school for his CPA, and while he was in class, I made time to head out to the bike path. I’ve also incorporated more yoga and the Dance of Shiva into my days.

Connecting with new friends and old family through social networking (hi Emily!). Finding out I probably had more in common with some of my high school peers than I thought at the time. Being grateful for the opportunity to make up for lost time.

Then there are the massive little drops of good that manage to combine into a big pond of good. Having pieces headed out to shows in January, being invited to exhibit at the library, being featured in the Athens County visitors guide, more book proposals, more pieces being featured in other books, winning the award at the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts competition. All great things, and all the things that are important to list because they are small and tend to get forgotten in the daily grind of making more work and getting it out there. And lots of good to carry into the new year, getting 2010 off to a great start.

So there you have it, my 2009 Year End Chicken. It’s a great ritual and opportunity to connect with yourself and others, and I heartily recommend you check it out, and try a little chicken yourself. Who knows? You could be surprised at what you find out.

Alice and Friends

2009-12-28T06:31:00.001-08:00

Like many of us at this time of year, I am in the process of taking stock of the year about to end, and making plans for the year to come. One of my plans for 2010 include completing a series of images based on Alice in Wonderland as well as other fantastic creatures of myth and imagination, then finding a venue to exhibit the pieces. The name of the series is “Alice and Friends.”

Queen of Hearts, approximately 14” x 14”, embroidery on handmade felt.

Detail of the stitching.

Everything stitched, next up is the glue the spots onto the mushrooms and then border the piece.

Next up:

The Frog Prince, still in process.

In the process of finding the right color floss in my copious stash, I found some wonderful grays that are begging to be shells in a mermaid piece, and I have plans to make several of my previous quilts into embroideries in this method. I am very excited about this series, and looking forward to finding venues for it in the new year. What are you looking forward to in 2010?

What It Kind of Looks Like Outside Right Now

2009-12-19T09:21:00.001-08:00

Winter White, 2009 Patchwork with upholstery fabric and commercial cottons, crocheted applique

Detail of the patchwork and crochet.

Winter has a lot more color in the landscape than it initially appears. The flash of red cardinals, the remainder of green moss, the rich textures of all of the trees that line the hills that surround my home. Add a misty layer of a snowfall and you have the perfect composition.

If one has the pleasure of being snowed in with no place to go, it is fun to recreate the landscape in fabric. Just make sure the power and heat stay on!

That’s What She Said

2009-12-16T06:57:00.001-08:00

Friends don't let friends speak crappily.

I was at an art group meeting on Monday. That in itself was a rare thing, as I have been avoiding the meetings in general over the past three years. However, one member recently lost her husband and has become housebound due to her own illness, and since we were meeting at her home, I chose to attend.

We did our usual sharing of our work and updates on what we were doing professionally (many of us have had sales of our work, and I had just turned in a project for another book). It was all fairly light and fluffy, usual fare, but then our friend shared her journal with us, and how much harder the past month had become for her. Before we knew it, we were all passing the Kleenex. It was like that cemetery scene in “Steel Magnolias” , except no one was there to tell us to “Hit Ouiser”.

When we all were able to catch our breath, my friend said “You need to enjoy what you have today, because you just don’t know what will happen tomorrow.” (She said this in part because not only has she had issues in her own life, but another member had a major house fire, and my husband has been unemployed for three years, and another member had a heart attack earlier this year).

And whether she intended it or not, I heard the unspoken “Because tomorrow you could be hit by catastrophe.”

Which is why I had been avoiding the meetings in general for the past three years. It was easier for me to avoid the meetings all together than to stand up and say “Well, tomorrow could bring something great as well, couldn’t it?” (Which, no, I did not say in that room on Monday, but I did say it in my head; and now I am saying it here). Or to say “I believe we can sell our work and make a living at it” or “No, actually these hats are for galleries, not to keep my family warm, but thank you for thinking of them.”

I let my friends speak crappily. It bothered me, and I vaguely knew why, but today this came through my inbox, and helped me put a finger to it. I will have more to say in a future post, but for now let me close with this post from Christine Kane, who really sums it up:

Watch Your Language: 7 Tips for Big Results
by Christine Kane

A few years ago, I was in a car with the promoter of one of my performances. He had picked me up at the airport and was driving me to my hotel. On the way, we talked guitars. We got onto the subject of Olson Guitars, arguably the best guitar in the whole world. At one point, the promoter said, "Yea, well, in my entire life I'll never own an Olson guitar."
There was a time when I'd let a remark like this slide on by, even adding my own "me either" to the mix.
Now, I can't. Yoda steps into my head and says, (in his Yoda voice) "So certain are you. Always with you it cannot be done."
So, I turned to the promoter and said, "You are NOT allowed to say that!"
This is because I know the power of language. When you know that words become things, it's hard to let language slide.
I can't help it. I have a rule:
Friends don't let friends speak crappily.
Language is powerful. Words can create reality. Even if my promoter friend doesn't know how on earth he'd ever get his guitar, it doesn't mean he should cut off the possibility with his own words.
If you're wondering how to begin watching your words, here are 7 practical language principles for becoming a better creator of your life.
1 - Eliminate "never" and "always."
Never and always are words of hysteria. "I always mess everything up!" "I'll never figure this out!" "I'll never get an Olson Guitar."
First off, it's not true. If you always messed everything up, you wouldn't have made it out of the womb.
And second off, extreme words are designed to hook you. It's just your emotions taking a joyride. You're more powerful than that.
2 - Use AND instead of BUT.
"But" dismisses the statement before it. "And" includes it. For instance, "That's a good article, but it needs some editing" isn't nearly as encouraging as "That's a good article, AND it needs some editing."
"I love you, but…" is another great example of the dismissive power of "but."
3 - Avoid "Should."
Should is a heinous word for many reasons. It is victim-speak. It disempowers its object. It negates desires, thereby making it harder to make choices. It adds a nebulous energy to the decision making process. Use empowered language instead: "I could…" "I would…" "I am choosing to," "I would like to," "I don't want to," or "You might consider…"

4 - Stop calling yourself depressed.
Also stop allowing anyone to tell you that you are depressed. When you call yourself "depressed" or "obsessive compulsive" or "ADHD" or whatever - you're claiming this thing. You're calling it forth with the most powerful two words in our language: "I am." That creates very little option for the transformation of this condition.
5 - Delete the word "hate" from your vocabulary.
"Hate" has lots of energy. When you use it, you send lots of energy out into the very thing you "hate." Even if it's negative energy, it's still a powerful force, adding its charge to that thing. You're also depleting this energy from your own spirit as you say it.
6 - Be "great." Or "wonderful."
A disease of the creative temperament is a belief that we must be authentic at all costs. So we can't answer a simple "How are you?" without delving into an in-depth scan of our emotional temperature.
Try this instead: When people ask you how you're doing, just say, "I'm great!"
I used to think if I said this, then I better have a good reason for saying it, like I just won the lottery or something. I thought it would make me look suspicious, and people would start to wonder if something was wrong with me. But then I did it. And you know what? Most people don't care why you're great. You're saying it for you.
7 - Pay attention to the music of your speech.
You know how some people? They talk in question marks? And you have no idea why? But it makes you think you shouldn't really rely on them? And it makes you not want to hire them?
The music of your language says a lot about you. If you let your sentences droop like Eeyore, ("Thanks for noticing me.") or if you do the uncertain question mark language, take note of what attitudes are causing this. These patterns are created for a reason. Even if it feels like faking it at first, generate confidence as you speak.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?

Please do! Just be sure to include this complete blurb with it:

Performer, songwriter, and creativity consultant Christine Kane publishes her 'LiveCreative' weekly ezine with more than 8,000 subscribers. If you want to be the artist of your life and create authentic and lasting success, you can sign up for a FRE*E subscription to LiveCreative at www.christinekane.com.

WANT TO SEE HUNDREDS MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
See Christine's blog - Be Creative. Be Conscious. Be Courageous - at ChristineKane.com/blog.

Wishcasting Wednesday

2009-11-18T07:18:00.001-08:00

Every Wednesday, Jamie Ridler asks "what do you wish?" This week's theme is "What do you wish to embrace?"

This is only the second time I have answered her question on my blog, not because the questions are not intriguing, nor because I don't have any wishes, but primarily because I always feel like "What if I choose the wrong thing?"

This week, the answer came immediately. I wish to embrace uncertainty. I have been running from uncertainty for over three years, and it turned into a long range marathon in December of 2006. I am stopping now, and turning to face uncertainty, embrace her and welcome her into my life. Because, really, no matter how certain we think we are about our future plans, what we are going to do tomorrow, even today, that certainty can be swept away at a moment's notice. Life happens, jobs are lost, people get sick. Good things can happen unexpectedly as well. It's all part of the uncertainty.

So this week, my wish is to embrace uncertainty, and to enjoy the journey.

Painting, A Love Story

2009-11-03T13:51:00.001-08:00

When I was a kid, my dad would draw the most goofy drawings on our bills before mailing them. He painted larger versions of them on cars, making a “Dart Bird” on our neighbor’s black Dodge Dart, and decorating my uncle’s panel van when they drove down from Minnesota to visit one summer (when you have eight children in the family there weren’t a lot of choices of vehicle back then; mini-vans hadn’t been invented yet).

When I was five, he taught me how to draw a hot-dog horse (using the shape of a hot dog to draw a horse) and when I was eleven, he took me to the real art supply store (Lewis Art Supply on Woodward Avenue) and bought me a real sketchbook and a set of Buffalo markers.

I drew, and drew, and drew some more, filling that sketchbook and many more after that. I loved the control that drawing gave me. It was also neat and portable. Painting seemed to be something scary and different, at least the kind done with the Grumbacher tube colors. I also remember my grandfather asking when I was going to start painting, and giving me my first quart of linseed oil in a green and white checkerboard tin, even though I had absolutely no clue where to even begin to use it.

When I was seventeen, I received a set of acrylics for my birthday, and played with them some. There wasn’t the control I had with my drawing, and my attempt to recreate a photograph of luminous purple grapes fell flat. It was the time of budget cuts and jobs moving to Mexico and there weren’t art programs in my school, and my dad was lucky to still be working the afternoon shift as Shop Steward in his job as a metal patternmaker. I had to learn it all on my own, and I gave up and returned to my beloved pencil.

Over the years, I kept dancing with the idea of painting. I loved the idea of being able to sweep my arm and create a line of color that followed my motion. I also loved the photo-realism of Audrey Flack and Ralph Goings . I’d buy paints and canvases, and play a little, but then put them away, distracted by life and fear.

Recently I began painting again, inspired by the work of Lynda Barry. I gave myself permission to play, permission to make mistakes, permission to take time to learn. I have been having a blast.

I posted some of the paintings earlier this year, from my journal. Some have gone on to my Etsy shop, and now I am also painting on canvas.

Just Dessert, 2009 6” x 8”

Harvest, 2009, 6” x 8”

Mom Mom’s Kitchen, 2009, 12” x 9”

Each piece started with a blank pre-stretched canvas. I made color photocopies of either images of my work, or of old family photos, and collaged them to the base using matte medium. This gave a nice under painting, and adds to the content of the work when the image ghosts through the top layers. I drew on the canvas using my trusty India ink, and once that was dry, I painted the image using acrylic paints (a mix of brands I’ve collected over the years, but I am trying to move to Golden brand as I need to replace paint). Then I coat them with a layer of matte medium and two coats of varnish to seal.

Having the foundation of images already in place made the blank canvas a little less intimidating. It also helped the subsequent layers have a depth of color. I like the way the lines of each individual copy can still be seen in the finished work, giving it a quilt-like texture that I miss in traditional painting. Right now working this way is the perfect melding of the control of drawing and the looseness of painting, feeding both those needs in my soul.

Next up, paintings without foundation images!

Do You Know the Way To San Jose?

2009-11-02T09:32:00.001-08:00

The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles is hosting its “High Fiber Under Five” exhibit and sale, starting tomorrow and running through November 8th. This is an excellent opportunity to acquire works of art from many well-known fiber artists for $500 or less per piece. Whether you are just starting to collect art, or are looking to add to your collection, this show promises something for everyone.

I chose to send pieces based on my drawing experiments of this summer, as well as the piece which is based on my photo from the banner above. Here is a sneak preview:

Garden Party II, approximately 16” x 20”, available starting tomorrow for $450 This piece includes my hand-dyed and hand-painted twill, fabrics from the Stonehenge collection by Northcott fabrics, as well as machine cording.

African Masks I, 9” x 6”, but sewn to a 10” x 8” canvas, as are the other three pieces in the African Masks series. This one includes shibori from Debb and Michael Lunn, and commercial cottons. I collaborated with my son on this piece, he created the original drawing on which the quilt is based. This piece, and the other three pieces in the series, are available for $150 each.

African Masks II, commercial cottons, machine quilting.

African Masks III, silk suiting fabric and commercial cottons.

Unfortunately I was running right up to the deadline to finish African Masks IV, so do not have an image of it. It is red cotton on a base of golden yellow silk dupioni, also machine quilted.

I really enjoyed making these pieces and can see making more small pieces as studies for larger works. I am grateful to the SJMQ&T for inviting me to submit work for this show, it provided me an opportunity to try something new, and for a good cause. (All proceeds above the artist’s commission goes to help fund the museum and its programs.)

If you are interested in acquiring one of these works of art, you may call the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles at 408.971.0323 x14 after the sale starts on November 3.

Taking the Leap

2009-09-30T13:38:00.001-07:00

Like many artists, I keep a journal/sketchbook. I started this practice in earnest nearly 15 years ago, when, tired of buying a new sketchbook only to end up giving it to my children to draw in, I decided to keep the sketchbook no matter what. I gave myself permission to make the “worst junk in the world” as Natalie Goldberg said. I didn’t judge what I put in the book, I didn’t tear pages out, and until recently I didn’t go back into old pages to rework them or cover up stuff I decided was too personal for possible public consumption.

My journal has been idea generator, confidant, and catch-all over the years. I put it aside three years ago after the tumultuous spring, summer, and fall of surgeries, job losses and meltdowns. I missed it, a lot. I kept trying to come back to it, because I knew that working in such a safe space would help me heal from all the trauma my family and I had been through.

Finally I found the wonderful book The Creative Entrepreneur, by Lisa Sonora Beam, and by chance she was offering a summer special on her online journal workshops. I signed up for the PowerFULL Magical Visual Journal workshop, found a wonderful book at a local art supply, and I was off. Over the course of the past three months I worked that book until it was full, and in the process I was creating more work than I have created in a very long time, having the time of my life, and making work that I wanted to share with the world.

Selling completed art journals is probably possible, but not something I want to do at the moment, and I loved some of the work so much that I wanted to take it “offline” as it were and make some free-standing work. The watercolors I posted last month inspired some such paintings, and now I have also expanded the repertoire to work on canvas.

Untitled, in process. The background is a collage of color copies of a photo I took. I then painted the image on using India ink, and after that dried, I went back in with acrylics. The faces on the underlying photo aren’t as obvious in person, I was surprised and pleased when they popped out in the photo. I think the canvas size is 10” x 20” but I am not positive.

Here I am auditioning the piece with a separate snail I made by sewing unryu paper and painted paper to a Pellon base and then trimming. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to put him (her?) on, but after seeing the photos I think that I will attach this snail to the piece.

This piece is made in the same manner, but I used copies of an old family photo as the base. One thing I’m learning in this process is that it is easier to “read” the ink drawing if the base image is color instead of black and white. The lines tend to get lost in the darker areas of the photo on a black and white image. It is on a canvas that measures 6” x 8”.

Izzy also got into the act and has been painting also. We are planning at Etsy update, first tomorrow for some watercolors, then around October 15 with sculptures.

Scary new territory, but fun, especially when you have such an enthusiastic studio mate working by your side. I already have the next two pieces planned, and am looking forward to heading back to Blick for some larger canvases.

Excellent Opportunity

2009-09-20T09:20:00.001-07:00

One of the members in my SAQA region called me last Thursday with a request. Ellen Anne Eddy creates marvelous embroidered imagery and is teaching a workshop in Carmel, Indiana, November 2-5. Spaces are still available if you are in the area. I have admired Ellen’s work for years, and the techniques taught in her first book Thread Magic, helped me create my Picky Butterfly piece for The Artful Storybook.

You can view the brochure at the Embroiderers’ Guild website . More information on the class will be up soon at Ellen’s site where you can also see images of her beautiful work.

Stu-Stu-Studio

2009-09-16T13:50:00.001-07:00

It seems like September has only begun and here it is September 16th already. I have been working on several deadlines, one of which is the upcoming High Fiber show at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. No work will be over $500, and I am planning on sending 6 pieces. The piece above is one of them, based on the photo I took at the Franklin Park Conservatory. You can see the actual photo in my blog banner.

I started the piece by cutting some Pellon to approximately 16” x 20” and freehand drawing the log, the spiral and the leaf onto it. I then appliqued the parts onto a piece of hand-dyed fabric I made over the summer. The tree is made from the Northcott stone collection, as is the spiral. The leaf is composed of African brocade and twill that I painted with Setacolour paints. The splotchy effect on that fabric was made by sprinkling kosher salt onto the piece while it was still wet.

I did freemotion zigzag over satin cording for the vines in the background, and made zigzag cording with strips of hand-dyed fabric for the vines in the foreground. I also used freemotion zigzag to add details to the log and the leaves. The background was just random freemotion quilting, I am not an old hand at the “stipple” look yet.

Here is a detail of the log, with a better view of the bark details and the machine quilting. I am really pleased with how this piece turned out, and excited to begin the next to last piece, which will be three dimensional waterlilies on another piece of hand-dyed twill. But first I have to finish Garden Party I (the green water towers from August) for the local Women in Appalachia show deadline.

When it rains, it pours.

Fabric Gardens

2009-08-31T15:19:00.001-07:00

Usually when I do something like dye fabric, the product sits around for months or sometimes years before I actually use it. Not because the fabric isn’t beautiful, but because I am afraid that once I use it all up, it will be gone, and where will I get more? This is especially true of colors that I don’t know how to duplicate (like the inadvertent rust fabric of earlier this month), or just love so much that I can’t decide which *one* project it will go into.

This month has been somewhat different. I realized that I can buy more dye when it is time. I also was not able to run out and buy yardage at the quilt shop, and had to use what was on hand. This is both scary and exhilarating at the same time. There was a time when I would use the lack of being able to buy new stuff as an excuse to not make anything, and I am really amazed and grateful at how far I’ve been able to come from that old unhealthy pattern.

So far, with my new hand-dyed fabrics, I have made purses:

A sample for the private class I taught:

And an embroidery piece inspired by the ink paintings I’ve been doing in my journal:

I had, however, been putting off the most frightening project of all, an art quilt made using the fabrics. I wasn’t sure I had enough commercial prints in my stash to make a larger piece, and I wasn’t sure the colors I’d made were right.

I finally did get off my fence, and started to put together this:

Untitled as of yet, though it reminds me of the early spring greens of the local cornfields, and of the verdant growth of the plants at the Franklin Park Conservatory.

Pinning the appliqued pieced to a base of the new hand-dyed fabric. I also used some fabric I painted using Setacolour Paints on another fabric day this month.

Three of the towers appliqued to the backing, one to go!

Sewing the fourth tower to the background. I use a basic zigzag with a darning foot so I can make curves easily. I love the needle down function on my Pfaff 2054 most of all, I don’t know how I made these pieces without it.

All of the fabric used either came from stash or was the new hand-dyed fabric I made earlier this month (which also was stash, I just needed to put the stashed dye onto the stashed fabric). The finished piece will measure somewhere around 44” square, and I am in the process of quilting it. I really love the richness of the browns and greens together, and I am so happy that I stood up to those fears and started the work.

Not a Personal Ad

2009-08-27T17:50:00.001-07:00

Not a typical blog post from me, either. Creating isn’t always about the physical product, it is also about creating a life, and making lemonade when life hands you the proverbial lemon. Today I’m going to share a little about the mental processes I go through while still managing to make art.

Since receiving the EBay award last November, I have been able to upload images of my artwork more frequently, blog more, research galleries and shows, and more. Hits to my website are up, and I’ve been able to get a lot more accomplished in a fraction of the time it took while working on my old desktop.

The problem, if it is a problem, is that I became used to sitting at the computer for what felt like hours to do simple tasks like checking my email. Now that it takes less time, you’d think that would mean I had more time to do my work. You’d be wrong. What it really meant (up until now) is that I had more time to surf different websites.

This has not necessarily been all bad. One of the sites I found was The Fluent Self. Havi Brooks, and her duck Selma, offer regular blog posts on her processes involving getting destuckified in all areas of life. I find her approach different, refreshing, and actually applicable to many of my own personal areas of stuck.

One process she describes, which I have had trouble with, is the personal ad. The way I understand it is that, if there is something in your life you need or want, instead of writing an affirmation, or performing any other sort of “traditional” prayer or supplication, you write a request in the form of a personal ad. She blogs her personal ads, usually on Sunday, and says that the reader may respond with their own personal ad in the comments, or report on personal ads in the past which have worked, and how the desired request was answered.

I have written a few ads, and left them in the comments. I have asked for, among other things, a copy of her Shiva Nata DVD set, sales of my work to enable me to pay my summer bills, and a job for my husband in which he actually reaps the benefits of the work he does (in his last retail job, he was unjustly terminated before he could receive the five figure bonus he had earned, and in other retail jobs he has seen other people receive the promotions he has worked for and earned). But all of those ads felt weird, somehow, and I wasn’t exactly sure why. And I gave up on the idea of writing an ad, because at this point my wants/needs feel so overwhelming that it feels as if there is no possible answer, so what is the use of trying (I did win an award with my artwork, so I guess you could say that one of the ads was kind of answered).

In today’s post, Havi writes about the process of not being able to write the personal ad, and she suggests several questions to help you work with that stuck. She shared her answers on her blog, and I’m going to share mine here. It’s an interesting process, and I invite you to give it a try as well. There really is nothing to lose, and a whole lot to gain in terms of learning where any blocks you may have lie.

With that in mind, here are the questions, with my answers:

Question #1: Even though I don’t know what I would even ask for…

I do know I want things to improve. I would like things to be more routine, or should I say, I’d like to have a process that I follow so that I know what to do even when I don’t know what to do. (Kind of like having a workout routine to start the morning, or knowing that every day at 2pm I go into the studio and work on art until dinner time).

Question #2: Even though I don’t believe that there is any way on earth that this would ever work…

I want to believe. I want to comfort that little child inside me who is afraid that nothing will ever get better. I want to try. I need to let go of the idea that it has to be perfect the first time, and allow that it can be a fluid process that changes as my needs change.

Question #3: Even though I feel really, really uncomfortable when I just start to think about asking for stuff…

I need to realize that no one is a mind reader, and that they won’t know I’d like it or need it if I don’t ask. I also had an epiphany that part of the reason I have trouble choosing what to ask for is that we took a trip to Holland MI for the Tulip Festival when I was seven. We went to this shop that had all kinds of little knick knack plastic toys and I went nuts buying things there. Then we were in another shop with beautifully dressed “show dolls” in lacy, ruffled ball gowns, and I wanted one of those *so* bad. My grandparents were the ones buying everything, but my mom said “no”, because I had gotten so much “junk” at the first stop. Ever since then I have been afraid to say yes, in case “something better” would come along later that I would have to say “no” to.

I also have learned that asking for something puts a burden onto the person who is being asked, and if they can’t afford it, you are being inconsiderate and selfish.

Asking for something means that you are being greedy, and not satisfied with what you have. “Who do you think you are” is a big one in this part.

Now what?

Now I plan to sit with the answers for a while. Recalling that trip to Holland was a huge breakthrough for me. Realizing that I also am suffering from a little “all or nothing” thinking also is an eye-opener. I believe some journalling is in order to help work through these blocks. I will keep you updated on the process, and share any personal ads which may come out of it.

In the meantime, I suggest you check out Havi’s blog, and the great freebies she offers so you can see if you are one of her Right People. I have been able to take several of her phone workshops, and I highly recommend those as well.

You’re My Inspiration

2009-08-21T17:10:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week I posted some of the ink paintings that I’ve been doing in my journal, and I mentioned that I may look into taking them “off the page”.

This piece is the first iteration. It is based on the kantha embroidery technique I learned from Dorothy Caldwell. I chose a 9” square of my hand-dyed muslin. The piece was layered with two other pieces of fabric (for this one I chose a happy orange polka dot print from Robert Kaufman Co.). To secure the work, I stitched around the outside with a regular length seam, then used a longer seam to sew an “X” from corner to corner.

I used several types of pencils to draw the image, starting with a pencil designed to mark on fabric for the leaves. I noticed the image was fading before I even got to the end of the leaves, so I tried a prismacolor before finally settling on a good old #2 pencil. I knew I would stitch over the lines, so it didn’t matter that I couldn’t erase the lines.

The lines were stitched using three strands of DMC embroidery floss. I removed the basting as more of the image was stitched, making the fabric more stable. Currently I am stitching in the mountain area with purple floss. It always amazes me how stiff fabric becomes when you do nothing more than add multiple lines of stitching.

I also taught a private class this week, and needed to make a sample. Several years ago I took a class with Glenys Mann, and each morning she gave us a photograph to recreate, postcard size , in fabric before we could work on anything else. I thought this would be a good exercise to demonstrate to my student, and I found this beautiful photograph in a gardening magazine I picked up at the free pile of the library.

I chose to recreate the tree trunk, starting with a base of my hand-dyed twill from the dyeing extravaganza of earlier this month.

The green lines are zigzag stitch over satin rattail cord. I then layered a piece of red organza on top of the whole piece and stitched around the cording. The trimming was a real pain, but I stuck with it and trimmed off the excess organza. Then I re-learned the first rule of sewing: if the machine is acting up, first you rethread the machine. I had taken the main thread out of the tension disc to run a bobbin of some metallic thread, and when I started to sew, I ended up with the fuzzy loops of threads you see above. I figured out my mistake when I changed the bobbin to see the lines on the far right and far left. Pieces like these are go with the flow when I do them, but I will remember for next time!

Inspiration can be found everywhere. The question really isn’t “where can I find ideas”. The question is “which ideas do I pursue?”

Bon appetit!

Just Playing Around

2009-08-18T17:10:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it is important to take some time for yourself, to just relax and not worry about outcomes. I was stressing over the purses I’ve been making, among other things, and realized it was time to take a “me” break.

One way I do this is through working in an art journal. I have worked in many over the years, choosing different books depending on the media I was using at the time, or my preferred format for the image surface. When done “right” (which is just the way I do them, your way could be completely different and just as “right” for you) these books are a catchall of random thoughts, occasional quotes, grocery lists, cataloguing works in process, and more.

I had let the process go by the wayside over the past three years of working on freelance design, feeling like every minute needed to be devoted to something productive. Since these books are generally not for outside consumption, I could not justify spending any time working in one, even though I missed it dearly.

That changed last month when I signed up for Lisa Sonora Beam’s summer camp for visual journals and started working through her book “The Creative Entrepreneur”. I was reminded that working in such books is an important part of my process, and was necessary for me to get out of this place of stuck I’ve been wallowing in.

So first I purchased this, a 9” x 12” Aquabee Super Deluxe blank sketchbook, filled with heavyweight paper that is designed to take wet or dry media. I began working in it with no rules, and no expectations, just me and the page. I gave myself permission to put whatever I wanted on the page, and allow myself to go back in and work over pages if I wanted to hide something I had written earlier, or if the situation/my perspective on it had changed.

I also found Shelley Klammer at Expressive Art, and began doing a collage a day using old magazines from the library free table. The rule with these was that I would choose 2-3 images which caught my eye, and one phrase. I did this for about two weeks, with some eye opening results.

Finally, and this is where I am at the moment, I decided to pick up my copy of Lynda Barry’s book What It Is, which is about writing, but is a great inspiration for creativity of all kinds. I also checked out her book One! Hundred! Demons! after reading several of the interviews linked on her website.

In that book, she described her drawing process. It involves ink and a brush, on any paper which is available. It looked so fun I had to give it a try. My inlaws had visited China several years ago and sent me an ink set, which I promptly retrieved from my studio. Then I went to town in my sketchbook.

The results so far:

A bull and a seahorse, inspired in a way by the Percy Jackson novels my son insisted I read. I used some metallic pan watercolors on this one, and went back into the drawing with a white Sakura paint pen.

Hollyhocks and bees. The quote came from a large print Reader’s Digest I picked up at the library free table.

More sea life, and a tiger peeking in from another page. The big quote is from a story about an unusual fish. I wonder what secrets he can tell. Maybe the tiger knows.

My weekly grocery list/running tally of expenses. Makes meal planning easier for me when I can see it all in one spot. And it is more fun to shop when you have cool art to look at while you’re shopping, don’t you agree?

I started getting a little silly here. Is the spaceship taking off or landing? The yellow dots symbolize fireflies for me in this series. The fox looks like he is having a conversation with the mushrooms. I also love how the watercolors blended on the mountains in the distance.

Trumpet vines are all over town here in Athens. I decided to memorialize them in ink and watercolor.

Finally, a frog riding on a lily pad. I don’t think he’s trying to eat the fireflies, but I’m not sure. He looks like he’s having fun, though.

I did change from just using the ink stick and ink stone to using India Ink so that the watercolors wouldn’t make the drawing run, but other than that these are drawn straight from my head onto the page with no pre-drawing in pencil or anything. I added the quotes on some, and may go back in and journal on them. I’m also going to dig out my airpen and try drawing on some of the twill I have around here, to see how I like these in fabric. Some of the characters may also show up on the purses.

It was an odd, circuitous route, but I think my mojo is back. Sometimes a small detour is just what we need.

Uses for Hand-Dyed Fabric Part I

2009-08-02T18:13:00.001-07:00

I am not guaranteeing a “Part II”, just saying in the header that there are many uses for the wonderful fabrics we created last Monday, and here is one way I put the fabrics to use.

Many years ago I bought a bolt of 60” wide PFD twill from Dharma Trading Company. That fabric has come in handy for multiple uses, from using it as the base and backing on the pillow shams I made

(“Sunshine” airbrush and hand painted on twill.)

to a base for hand-embroidery

(That 70’s Fish, hand embroidery on hand-dyed twill, patchwork “frame”.)

(“Giraffe” hand and machine embroidery on hand-dyed twill.)

and even backings for larger quilts (sorry, no images of those).

This week I’ve been using the hand-dyed fabric on something new, handbags. I’ve been needing a new purse for a while. I’ve been carrying around my blinged out turtle from Target so long that one of the rhinestones I glued on 4 years ago finally fell off. And I didn’t know what else to do with all the luscious fabrics we dyed last week. I was also looking for something a bit more affordable and yet fun (look for a 1000 Markets shop update around August 15).

Presenting:

Sun, octopus and snail purses. Each comes complete with a heavy duty snap closure and a generous inside pocket.

I love this octopus with his ‘tude. The inside of this one is a bright orange with white polka dots, and I sewed sequin suckers onto him before adding the backing.

Each bag measures 9.5” high by 7.5” or 8” wide before seaming, and the straps measure approximately 72” around, including the body of the purse.

I have several more designs on the drawing board, including an owl, a chihuahua and a turtle, plus more variations on the three seen above. They are a nice respite in between working on the huge quilts for the big shows.

Dye Party

2009-07-27T17:31:00.001-07:00

Back in May my friend Anna mentioned that she wanted to change from working with commercial prints to using hand-dyed fabrics. I suggested that our group could meet and have a dye party, and if we each made yardage, we could possibly swap afterward, and we’d all have a bunch of new hand-dyed fabric to work with.

Today was that day, and though things didn’t work out quite the way I thought, they worked out so that fun was had by all.

First, a few pictures from part of Anna’s wonderful gardens, which are filled with plenty of surprises, including a labyrinth and frog pond. I took these while June and Lynda set up the tables in the garage for the printing part of the day.

A delightful perch for a frog and a woodland friend.

A little pink pig hiding out by a giant toad stool.

Once the tables were set up, the fun began!

Lynda and June were working with this “Aztec engine block” a wonderful machine part which Lynda brought for us to use as a printing image.

Izzy with our table of dyes and chemical water, ready to go.

Izzy going all Jackson Pollock on a piece of fabric.

June working on her shibori totem pole (fabric wrapped around a PVC pipe and tied with heavy twine).

We had all pre-soaked our fabrics in soda ash, and also had a little extra soda ash solution in a bucket for any impromptu dyeing. Anna over-dyed a piece of batik fabric she had, and Lynda generously donated some t-shirts for us to decorate as well.

Here’s Lynda helping Izzy print a tshirt with the Aztec engine block (using Deka screen printing ink). Lynda made a really cool piece by printing a length of fabric using the engine block and other shapes, letting it dry, then sponging thickened dye onto it after lunch. I wish I’d gotten a picture of it, but I was too busy dyeing my own fabrics, including these:

Thickened dye, painted and splattered on.

A detail of the red passage.

This piece looks a lot nicer in person. It came out really Monet-esque with the misty lavenders and greens. Anna donated this linen/cotton blend with a nice nubby finish.

This looks like it’s out of focus, but it’s not. The dyes were applied by sponging. By the time we were wrapping up, everyone was sponging their fabrics. I got the idea to use the sponges by reading Ellen Anne Eddy’s “Thread Magic” (thank you Ellen!).

One of my favorite combos, Sunset Red and Deep Yellow (I bought these dyes from Dharma Trading Company ).

And, finally, my favorite favorite favorite, because I’ve had tigers on the brain:

I accordion/fan pleated the fabric, holding it together with clothespins, then squirting the fabric with orange dye and then brown dye.

I don’t think any of us dyed pieces large enough to share, but we all had a great time and are already planning a batik day sometime this fall. Making art in the studio by myself is fun, but it is great to occasionally get out of the studio and make art with a bunch of great friends like these!

Tyger Tyger

2009-07-20T07:10:00.001-07:00

Let me start by saying that Boogie on the Bricks was fun as always. We did a little less than last year, but the rain stayed away and the crowds were good. The day went by very quickly and was a fun time for all. Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes in the comments, I really appreciated them!

Several years ago, I picked up Rice Freeman Zachary's "Living the Creative Life" and was inspired by the artwork of Kelly Buntin Johnson. In particular, I really loved her Tiger Intercessor. I emailed her about a possible barter, but as we were both kind of skint at the time, it wasn't in the cards. I still jonesed for something tiger, having loved them since I remember the clay tiger my dad made for me from an art kit we bought when I was 7.

Fast forward and several false starts later (beading projects gone awry, tiger colors but I just could not get the mojo to work for me) and I have made one iteration on the tiger theme:

"Tyger Tyger", completed in late 2007 or early 2008. It's about 54" high by 57" wide (I am so precise sometimes. Apparently if it hasn't gone to a show I don't know the specific specifics). Each tiger face was reverse applique on Pellon 40 weight interfacing, then appliqued onto the pieced background.

Detail of one face. I used all kinds of fabric in this piece, from Dutch wax batik prints from St Theresa Textile Trove to the marbled fabric seen here by Marjorie Lee Bevis in this tiger's nose. I based my pattern off the wonderful embroidered tiger hats from China, and went from there. Each tiger is different, and though they are made from the same drawing, each has his own personality due to the different fabrics I chose.

The blue and white stripes separating each panel were inspired by the striping on the selvedge of one of the Dutch wax fabrics, and were my favorite part of all at the end. The quilting and the stripes reminded me of the stitching on a baseball. And on the back I used some yardage I had bought of Detroit Tigers licensed fabric.

Sometimes, like the Rolling Stones said "You can't always get what you want/But if you try sometimes, you get what you need". If I had been able to acquire the Tiger Intercessor, as wonderful as he is and as happy as I would have been, I may never have made this piece, and that Detroit Tigers fabric would still be languishing in the art closet.

Ain't We Got Fun

2009-07-17T08:22:00.001-07:00

Here's a sampling of some of the necklaces I've made this week. I'm really liking the graphic quality of the Mexican ceramic. I've been reading "Learning by Heart" by Corita Kent and Jan Steward, and the glaze on the ceramic beads reminds me of some of the serigraphs pictured in the book.

I've also been digging deep and using some of my button collection as well as some of the more unusual African beads that I've been hoarding for over ten years. I figure it's time. If what I make doesn't make me happy, what is the point after all? Another lesson I'm taking away from this week's explorations.

If you are in Athens OH tomorrow, we will be vending at Boogie on the Bricks. I will have jewelry and other small works, both old and new, and Izzy will have his awesome polymer clay work. After that, I will be posting more of the jewelry to my 1000 Markets shop. Fun times!

Have a great weekend, wherever you are!

Jello Necklaces and Polka Dots

2009-07-14T12:41:00.001-07:00

Day three of madly making things for the Boogie on the Bricks event on Saturday, and today I am playing with some old Mexican ceramic beads we bought when we first opened our bead shop way back when.

This piece just tickles me. It reminds me of that “Mad Max” style from videos like “Synchronicity” by The Police back in the day.

Detail. The round yellow beads are the Mexican ceramic, while the black discs are coconut shell and the yellow discs are old Czech glass (I love rondells as a design element, I just can’t get enough of them).

Inspired by that piece, I went on to make several more (we bought a LOT of those beads, though most of them are tubes).

This one is the green and aqua range, with size of the beads around 12mm –14mm. I used some faux ceramic 6/0 seed beads to fill out the piece, as I don’t like to hide fun beads near the top of a necklace, where they may be hidden by a collar or long hair.

Detail of the green beads.

Another one, in the pinks, reds and oranges range.

This one is with larger beads, 16mm-18mm. I used rondells in between each donut, and two of the smaller tubes at the end. For some reason this series reminds me of Jello, so they are the “Jello necklaces” of the post title.

I am also using other beads in stash:

Choker, made with old horn beads (the long tubes), polka dotted lampwork from India, and wood and glass rounds.

This one is made with sandcast glass beads from Africa, aqua white heart pony beads from India, and more of the Moroccan ceramic rounds. I love the teal-ness of it.

And, finally, the polka dots. These glass beads were from Java, I got them at a really cool wholesaler called “Elephant Talk” when they were located in Charleston, West Virginia. They had all kinds of really cool stuff, from intricate lampwork beads, pendants shaped like corn, leeks, mushrooms and more, and those wonderful carved flying dragon puppets that you can see in funky boutiques. The other beads were ceramic discs from stash and more of the 6/0 seed beads.

The lesson that I took from all of this is that I need to remember how much abundance I have, and that I only need to open my eyes to see it. None of the beads used to make these pieces are new, they have all been sitting in my studio the whole time, just waiting for me to wake up and realize what I have.

Preparing for Boogie on the Bricks

2009-07-12T19:04:00.001-07:00

Every year for the past three years, we have vended at the Uptown Athens event “Boogie on the Bricks". It is held in conjunction with the annual "Brew Week” which is a celebration of small breweries, and is a fun family event during a long summer month.

This week I will be busy working on some jewelry to take, and here are a few pieces I made today:

This piece is made with porcelain, shell, and Czech glass. I wanted to have something a little fun and funky. I bought most of the beads at Hobby Lobby, and the rest came from my personal stash.

Detail of the pendants.

Side view of a cuff bracelet made with Moroccan tile beads and Czech glass “druks” (round beads). Each set of tile beads are strung on a headpin which is then looped at either end and then slid onto two loops of bracelet wire.

Combo top/side view to give you an idea of how the bracelet looks from a different angle. I used two magnetic clasps to keep the cuff securely on the wrist.

And finally, because I found the center beads while cleaning my art table and wanted to make something with them:

The round discs and the white bicone beads were what I found under my art table. The rest was improvised from my stash that I still need to put away from working on the Lark “Beading With World Beads” queries last year.

Detail view of the ceramic discs and wood and glass beads along the side. This piece is strung on “imitation sinew” which I believe is just a very heavily waxed polyester thread. It splits into smaller sections and knots up beautifully for this kind of funky work.

Detail of the original beads which caused all the fuss.

And, finally, something I did for me, which is still in process as I need to make a hanging loop for her.

What stated out as a mermaid type figure and which morphed into a seahorse. The funny thing is that I wanted to make a seahorse to go with the piece I was intending this for, but didn’t know how to go about it. I started this by beading the face cabochon (from Earthenwood Studio) and then beading the bead to make a vase/body. It needed something else, so I ran a line of peyote down one side and then chose to increase rapidly, creating the ruffle. All she needed was a little flat spiral from the base of the vase and voila! Seahorse! I’m going to peyote stitch a loop off the back of her head and run a chain through it. Hopefully I will be wearing her if you come by our booth on Saturday.

Winner!

2009-07-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who commented and entered for the drawing. The winner of the signed copy of Beading With World Beads is Upper West Side Writer. I will be emailing for details. Thank you again and happy beading!

Wishing

2009-07-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

Jamie Ridler offers bloggers to join together each Wednesday to express our wishes and support each other in achieving them. This week she asks what we wish to nurture.

I wish to nuture my imagination, to expand the ideas of how to make a living with these gifts I've been given. I've been so focused on the day to day existence that I've forgotten how to play and how to access the bigger vision which I know lies within me. I've found that struggling and stressing over how to make things happen hasn't worked so well for me, and it is time to take a different path. Growing my imagination and being open to the possibilities is what I wish to do now.

Check out Jamie's blog and join in! There's power in numbers and you'll meet some great new people along the way.

Her Name Is Lola

2009-06-24T11:57:00.001-07:00

As part of my pet portrait commission service, I am working on a piece for my friend T. I present Lola, in process:

The basic applique on a base of Pellon 40 interfacing.

Lola appliqued to her background, embellishment/quilting stitches in process. I went with this yellow fabric because Lola stood out from the background and the sunburst print gave a really festive feel to the piece. I know T loves bright colors and this felt like the right choice.

A detail of the stitching. I am using sashiko and DMC perle cottons so far.

And what is art if not inspirational, especially for the artist? Here is Lola in the Sky with Diamonds :

50 cent craft paint, Souffle pens, hand carved stamp and commercial stamp, star paper punch. This is in a Bee Professional series sketchbook, with heavy paper that takes wet or dry media. So much fun!

Detail of her face. She reminds me of a dingo or hyena, some kind of Trickster.

Art about art, sometimes the most fun you can have without leaving home. Though I surely would like to put Barry Manilow on ‘pause’ (“Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl….”)

An Open Letter to Governor Strickland

2009-06-23T14:23:00.001-07:00

Dear Governor Strickland,

I am writing to ask that you reconsider the proposed budget cuts for the Ohio library system. Libraries are so important now, more than ever, as people use their resources for job searches, resume help, a non-judgemental place where one can find out about services for people in need, and yes, even as community centers. In our small town, the library serves as a place for our children to go after school, and provides snacks and activities during the summer for all of our children. These budget cuts would be catastrophic, as our library would be shut down, leaving the children with nothing to do after school.

We have used the libraries when our power or water goes out; they are always a haven, especially for those who are elderly or who are home with small children, giving people a place to go which is welcoming and free. The libraries provide gallery space for local artists to exhibit, exposing many people to the pleasures the arts can bring into their lives. The libraries also provide low-cost meeting areas for groups of all kinds from La Leche League to local conservation groups, and programs for patrons of all ages, including yoga, writing, local history and more. The loss of these services would be devastating.

Please, please, please reconsider and do not cut funding to our libraries. They are too vital and too important to let go by the wayside.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Andrea L. Stern

If you are in Ohio, find out more about saving our libraries at these sites
Athens County Public Library (lists the budget committee members)
Save Ohio Libraries (Facebook page)

Beading With World Beads Giveaway

2009-06-22T11:43:00.001-07:00

The new book Beading With World Beads features 38 beautiful projects made with beads from around the world, including beads from Africa, Thailand, and Tibet. I am proud to have 8 projects included in this wonderful book, and am inspired by the work of my fellow designers. Today I put together this pair of earrings, inspired by “the good earth” pendant designed by Candie Cooper.

In Candie’s wonderful design, she dangled a bone face bead from a filigree star pendant. I took a page from her design and made the loop extra large on the wire so that the star pendants could dangle in front of the long bone spears. The piece is completed with Tibetan prayer beads, ostrich eggshell and carved wood beads. (Bone spears are from Becky at St Theresa Textile Trove, the other beads have been in stash so long I’ve forgotten where they are from).

Ok, I hear you asking “But you mentioned giveaway in the header of this post, where’s the information on that?”

Here’s the details. You can win a signed (by me) copy of Beading With World Beads if you are the lucky winner chosen on July 7 (Ringo Starr’s birthday :) You can enter up to three times, by

A: Leaving a comment on this post telling me what your favorite world bead is (mine has to be the wonderful Thai silver I used in the Temple cuff)

B: Adding me on Facebook and leaving a comment here that you’ve done so (I am Andrea L. Stern on Facebook)

C: Following me on Twitter, or tweeting about this giveaway. Leave a comment here and let me know your user name so I can follow you back!

I chose July 7 because it is Ringo Starr’s birthday, and he was my favorite Beatle when I first re-discovered them at age 12. July is also full of birthdays of my loved ones, including my Gran and my BFF for longer than I can count, Beth. I figured this is a great way to celebrate those happy days!

To whet your appetite, here are a few teasers from the book:

The cover, with delicious coral and turquoise Mumbai Melody by designer Jamie Cloud Eakin.

The Temple Gate Bracelet, image from the book, above, and on my wrist, below.

Silver Dragon necklace, live and in person (project is on page 104 of the book). Chinese turquoise and Chinese silver, with some African turquoise cones on the bottom.

Zambezi Journey, illustrated from the book and live and in person below. So simple yet so funky.

I really love everything about this book, from the designs (and not just mine!) to the layout and the photography. The editor Ray Hemachandra and crew, including the magnificent Beth Sweet, really knocked themselves out for this one. This is a volume you will come back to again and again for inspiration and fun. Remember, you have until midnight on July 6, 2009 to enter. I will choose the lucky winner on July 7th. Good luck and happy beading!