The Work Continues

As another WIP Wednesday approaches -- indeed, can be linked to HERE aleady -- I thought I'd post a few things currently under construction.  The 15th Annual Lacombe Art Show and Sale is looming now, and I still have at least 4 pieces -- 1 modest size and 3 minis -- if not more -- to finish.

Here's the latest mini -- but first, the inspirational photo:

You can see there's a lot going on in the background.  Here's what I wanted to capture (with a bit of artistic license):

Bed and Breakfast (c) 2014 - 5" x 7" matted to 8" x 10"

And a wee detail shot:

WIPs include this, inspired by my cyber-acquaintance, Velma Bolyard, a very fine paper and book artist, who gave me permission to use her photograph.  It's taken me some time to put it together.  I plan to mount it on shallow (1/2") stretched canvas, but first -- beading.

V's Berries - WIP - will finish about 9" W x 12" L

This is just a close-up; the lines are to be embroidered as branches for the berries.  I have just the right beads...and only hope I have enough!

Another WIP -- I'm currently doing the hand-stitch on this, prior to trimming and matting it up:

Profusion - WIP - machine stitching done - 5" x 7" + mat

And then there's the roses piece...I will post more soon.  Let's just say there's a pro photographer coming over this evening...

Meanwhile...I'll be reading the posts over on The Needle and Thread Network while I stitch...see you there!

A Bit Behind...

The 15th Annual Lacombe Art Show and Sale opens in just over 3 weeks, and if I'm going to enter my "roses" piece in anything, I have about the same amount of time to finish it...So posts will be farther apart for the next while, even though I no longer have to travel miles to a library to do them!

Miniatures are flying out of my sewdio these days.  Here are two of the latest:

Boot Dance - (C) 2014

For Sale - (C) 2014

Because the above photo is a tad blurry -- here's a detail shot:

For Sale - detail

Yesterday I finished two more -- but have yet to photograph -- and two more are sitting on my cutting table as I type, waiting for me to get at 'em...

But not before I leave you with a taste of the roses, blooming despite the persistence of two or three feet of snow outside! 

Roses...stitching detail...

It's too early to link to WIP Wednesday over at The Needle and Thread Network...so I'll just say "see you later".  Have a great day!  :-)

P.S. For those interested, "Mark on the Body" has been updated.  Thank you for your support!

Short and Sweet

Sentinels (c) 2013

Another very full day at the Lacombe "Encore: Sale & Celebration of Creative Expression" show.  Each of us sold a small piece, and my daughter sold many of her lovely cards, and some book-marks.  Lots of interest in "Sentinels", but no one's taken it home yet.  It is particularly attractive to men (!) -- and I had two stop and tell me they liked it because they work(ed) as linemen.  That was a total serendipity for me and makes me smile just to think about it.

Another fellow stopped to chat about it even after his wife dismissed my work with  "I do that stuff".  He smiled and said, sotto voce, "She has to follow a pattern though; she doesn't do this" (gesturing toward the exhibit).  And he hung about another 5 minutes or more talking about art and sewing etc.

"Abandoned: House I" and "Watching" both received a great deal of attention as well; they're mounted on stretched canvas.

Abandoned: House I  (c) 2012

Both purchasers of my minis may also contact me for commission work (I have their names), which would be a real plus. The mother of one gal lives here in Mirror, so she was very excited to meet a local artist.  She's just moved into a new house and is still setting up/painting etc., so I may hear from her about a larger piece once she and her husband are settled in.

Another gal who is an art quilting student had a long enthusiastic talk with me about my work, and took a SAQA brochure.  Others took them "for friends" -- so I have only one left!  My stack of postcards is dwindling, too...

And...I survived the expected visit of a gaggle of women from church who breezed through to see my "nice little hobby".  I've been making a point of mentioning (conversationally, of course) that I spend 4-6 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, in my studio.  It's a small comfort that the jeweller in the booth next to me gets the same sort of comments.

I lost count of the number of viewers who asked me if I were Patti Morris (the SAQA Western Canada Co-Rep for Alberta) -- or if I knew her.  I'm always flattered because she does wonderful work, but I began to point out that our styles are quite different -- and that she works much larger than I do (at present, any way).  This brought puzzled looks.  Isn't one quilt very like another?  ;-)

Another couple of viewers had seen our SAQA WC exhibit, "Meet the Best of the West" and tried to recall my piece as I described it for them -- with mixed success.  However, they were excited to meet another artist from that exhibit to whom they could put a name and a face.

Another viewer had a hard time referring to the works as 'quilts' because they weren't repeating geometric designs.  On the positive side, she concluded that my pieces weren't quilts (even if they might be quilted) -- they were art!  (GRIN)  (Okay...so what does one say when a viewer refuses to acknowledge the 'quilted' aspect of one's art?!  Now there's a topic for debate!)



In the manner of my friend Nancy Cook, I bought some art with some of my sales proceeds.  I love hand-made books and just across the way from us is a vendor called "Those Great Little Books", from which I purchased a beautifully bound lined journal.

Mine is bound in the 'Rustic' style you see at left, with a turquoise cover, tan spine, and an imprint of an aspen leaf in gold foil on the front -- appropriate to my work, which is filled with images of aspen and birch.


We came home very tired, and hopeful that many of the enthusiastic viewers will return to make purchases today. There's a necklace I want from the jeweller next to us!  All for now...

Off to a Good Start

"Day is done; gone the sun..."  and my daughter and I are winding down, readying for bed.  We've had a good first day at the Lacombe Art Show, each of us selling a small piece and receiving lots of positive feedback for our work.

Here's the way our booth looked early this morning at the start of the three-day event:

From one side....

And the other

We decided to mix Gina's photography (printed on stretched canvas) in with my textile pieces and so far it's proved to be a very effective presentation.  If your in Lacombe, Alberta this weekend, do drop by the Memorial Centre and check out the show!

Are We There Yet?

I don't know how other artists do it.  Have shows one after another, that is.  Maybe they have staff.  :-)  I've entered only one per year -- and for only three years -- but it's preoccupying me so completely that it's been haunting my dreams. I wake up making lists, and fussing -- and hoping I can pull it all off.  Even though I know my daughter will be here to help me that weekend, it's the before stuff that's been filling those lists. I think I'm keeping up but also hope I don't forget anything!

Meanwhile, "Wonder" has its sleeve, and has been wrapped for the trip to Santa Fe.  Here's what it looked like in one last photo, hanging on my living room wall the other evening:

I'm quite happy to let SAQA take its own photograph for the online auction.  :-)  That blue-on-white-with-metallic-thread-and-beads is one heckuva thing to shoot, especially for a 'point-and-click' person like me!

The price list is finished and all pieces packed and priced, with artist's statement and a post-card enclosed -- except for "Waiting for the Train", which may or may not make it in time.

I managed to get the sky and water quilted:

Then I began adding that silk ribbon I dyed last week:

I've got quite a section of long bull-rushes added since that photo was taken -- enough to know that I had to add in the puddle of water and the glimpse of a bush on the right, both in the original photo, in order to give the piece better balance.

See what I mean?  

That's done now, and I'm back to the embroidery, which includes cotton floss accents along with 3 colours of silk ribbon (so far).  I like the way it's progressing, but it seems to be taking forever.

The weather forecast is for 5-15 cm wet snow between later this evening and tomorrow evening, so perhaps an April Snow Day is just what I need to keep me plugging away and 'git-er-dun'.

OH!  And I almost forgot (again)!  Thanks to arlee for keeping me on the path of the New Moon and the TUSAL 2013.  Here's how my Ort Jar looked on April 10:

Whoa!  If you compare it to last month, you'll see I've been working hard!

And another OH!  Here's the finished sleeveless turtleneck top -- which now needs a wash so it'll be ready for Santa Fe:

I'm linking this up to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday; seeing what others are up to is like getting a cyber-hug and reassurance that "All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well".  Have a great weekend!

Fantastic Friday

Though my week got off to a slow start, I'm having a great finish!

First, the Big News:  the application Gina and I made for a shared booth at "Encore: 14th Annual Art Sale & Celebration of Creative Expression" in Lacombe (April 19-21) has been accepted!  Now the work gets underway to finish the miniatures, order packaging, finish the price list, prepare remaining dowels for hanging, label the pieces etc.  Yay!






And on that front, I've made progress with the miniatures:

1. "Pristine" is finished and matted:

2. And "Vespers II" is coming along.  I say that because...I finished it once, and had second thoughts:

As my mother would have said, there was just too much of a muchness in that pink sky!  So...

A bit of oil paint stick...et voila!  (The mat in the above photo is just perching on the piece; I have to wait another day or so for it to dry so I can heat set it and apply the matt properly.)

3. Two more are prepped -- that is, their backgrounds are in place.  First, a reprise of "Prairie Autumn" (the one I sold) with some slightly different fabric...

And then a new one, which will be called "Can You Hear Me Now?"  ;-)

Aside from the miniatures I went back to "Waiting for the Train" and added a few features yesterday.

You can tell by my attempt at graffiti that I never would have made it in the big leagues!  ;-)

Next up: the quilting, followed by the hand embroidery.  Dharma has charged my order to my credit card, which means -- I hope -- that they've shipped it, so I may just have the silk ribbon in time to dye it and stitch in those grasses and bull rushes and get it finished for the show.  Fingers crossed!

Linking this up with Nina Marie's "Off the Wall" Friday...and then I'm off to the studio.  Have a great weekend!

It Was a Lovely Party

I had such fun in February, celebrating my blog anniversary with all of you, Gentle Readers!  Thank you for tuning in, for posting comments and for celebrating with me.  I know a few new followers came on board during this time -- thank you for your vote of confidence!  I hope you'll continue to find my musings interesting.

Now it's time to wind up the final week of the party, by giving away the "Fabric Goodie Pack".  Once again I've called on my friendly Random.org...and the winner is Judy W of Explorations in Quilting and Life!  This really warms my heart, because a) early on last week, she admired the fabric; and b) she's a dear friend whom I first met at the SAQA Conference in Denver -- and who is going to be with me in Santa Fe, too...so I can bring her gift in person!  (I'll still e-mail you, Judy, so you have confirmation of your gift.)

A delightful way to start the day, the weekend, and a new month!

And on that note...time to get back to work!

Yesterday was full of paperwork, preparing the application for my daughter and I to share a booth in the Lacombe Art Show and Sale (April 19-21, Lacombe Memorial Centre, Lacombe, Alberta).  Here's the check-list:

• Cover letter; 
• Application form;
• Printed photos of:
• Booth set up (me);
• Table set up (Gina);
• Examples of recent art work (each of us).
• Up-to-date Artist's Statements - each of us.
• Cheque to pay entry fee.

Phew!  Once Gina sends me her Artist's Statement, the application will go in the mail!

The booth set up photo was a challenge, because it meant dismantling at least part of the stand that I use on an ongoing basis in my studio to hold a good portion of my fabric stash and supplies.  I decided to take apart only one side, and snapped this photo for the application:

(For an example of what Gina's table display of photography will look like, visit her blog post HERE.)

My stand has 3 sides, which I usually keep folded in a triangular wheeled base.  However, for the purpose of the show, they will be standing like this (photo from the same show in 2011):

For the 2013 show, I'm making a few changes:

• Hanging the pieces with their dowels, using S-hooks to attach them to the bare frame, rather than pinning to fabric;
• Adding a small hanging basket for my selection of wrapped miniatures; and
• Mounting a professionally printed banner with my company name along the top of the frame (the white space in the above photo).

I discovered the banner on Vista Print two years ago, too late to order it for the 2011 show, but have it now and will use it this year.  I've also just ordered a batch of post-cards to give away at the show and at the SAQA Conference, which follows the next weekend.

What else is left to do?

• Cut and prepare five dowels for newest pieces;
• Attach hangers to the canvas-mounted pieces;
• Order more clear packs;
• Finish up-dating my inventory/price list;
• Sew hanging sleeves on newest pieces;
• Make and mount five more miniatures and at least one mid-sized piece (est. 16" square, finished).

The seed stitch is finished on "Trio II", and it's mounted, thus:

I'm going to have to ask Gina how to zoom in on small works like this, so I can show you more details.  I really tried to do that with this one, but the results were all a blur.  You'll just have to come out to the show and see these "up close and personal"!  ;-)

That list ought to keep me out of trouble till Decision Day (March 22), eh?  And if we're not accepted...well...it will be a disappointment, but think of all I'll have accomplished in the process!

Hooking up with Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday...and heading back to the sewdio.  Thanks for dropping by!

How could I forget?!

It dawned on me late yesterday evening that I hadn't posted any photos from the Lacombe Art Show and Sale last month!!  These were taken by my daughter on her camera, and when she sent them to me I was out sick with that nasty cold.  I know: excuses, excuses... So without further ado:

My beautiful daughter with one of her photos, a glorious tulip printed on stretched canvas.

And here am I, standing next to my "Snippets: A Quilt Artist's Learning Curve".  

There was no way to escape the glare of the lights on the glass, but we did the best we could.  Each of us had 3 pieces in the show; none sold, but it was a weekend full of admiration, inspiration and appreciation for the wide range of creative souls who participated.  Next year, we're thinking of sharing a booth.  New textile pieces are under construction, and Gina will likely have not only photos for hanging but a selection of cards as well.

Thank-yous are in Order!

My day has been made -- again!

First, thank you to Monika and her capable editor, Rita, for honouring me as "Featured Blogger" on The Needle and Thread Network's Feature Friday!

As a result, I get to share my needlework story with others -- especially my fellow-Canadians on this same journey -- and to post this button on my page:

I gotta say, it's a beauty, isn't it?  :-)

And next --- thank you again to all my Gentle Readers out there, including the new followers who have arrived in the past week or so.  (You know who you are!)  It's an ego thing, I know, but it warms my heart to know that others are interested in my musings about my work, my art, my family and my life in general here in this wee hamlet.  Bless you all, and have a great weekend!

Finally....if you're in the Lacombe, Alberta area, do stop in to the Annual Lacombe Art Show and Sale at the Lacombe Memorial Centre in the heart of downtown.  My daughter Gina -- a talented photographer -- is displaying her works on stretched canvas in her first Lacombe art show, and I have framed textile pieces there too, all for your viewing enjoyment (okay -- I'd be less than honest if I didn't say I hope someone buys 'em!).  Both her pieces and mine are in the "Gallery" section of the Show, which this year is front-and-centre (!) in the Main Hall.  She and I will be there all day Saturday, taking in some artistic inspiration, enjoying the delicious refreshments, and meeting and greeting viewers and patrons.

C&G and FMQ

Today I focused on two things, which happened to complement each other perfectly:  my C&G Module 5, excercises 15 & 16, and the Free Motion Quilt Project, for which I'm playing 'catch up'.  

Yep.  I began by trying to catch up a bit with Leah Day, and made it through the introduction and the "Wiggle" exercises.  This is the stack of practice blocks -- with the best one on top, of course!  I have more squares of muslin and batting paired and ready to go as I continue this project.

At the same time in the C&G...

My current assignment for Module 5 of the City and Guilds Level 2, Creative Techniques: Quilting, involves Free Motion Quilting (FMQ).. First there were exercises in my sketchbook:

 You can see in this first one that I was stiff and stilted, even as I tried to draw a favourite design without lifting pen from paper.

 The second one was a bit easier to do -- in part because I've done it before on fabric, and in part because now I was getting warmed up.

 Now we had to try to fit a design around a central motif.  See how the scale changes to accommodate the motif rather than detract from it?

This was another example of trying to scale a quilting design to a motif -- to create texture and interest without overwhelming the motif.

In the end, I had to select a free-motion design and stitch it around a motif.  I managed to dig out a sample I'd created for an earlier module and activity, and use it for my sample.  Not my best 'pebbles' work (I have done this before, 2 or 3 years ago...)  but it got me back into the groove.  At the same time, I was able to follow Leah's advice to modify my stippling foot, to test out various threads, and to adjust my chair (by adding a cushion to raise me just a bit) so that future exercises will be a bit more fun and relaxing.

Although I may move on in the C&G (I think foundation piecing is next on the agenda), I'll be continuing with the FMQ Project, so stay tuned for new designs and photos of practice samples as I continue to learn and to "Polish the Process".

P.S. The following pieces in the 3F shop have been submitted for juries' consideration to up-coming exhibits:

"Nobody Here But Us" - 16.25" W x 13.75"L - for "Spaces & Places", the 2012 Biennial Exhibit of the Focus on Fibre Arts Association, Edmonton, Alberta

and...

for the Gallery at the 2012 Lacombe Art Show & Sale, running April 20 -22 at the Lacombe Memorial Centre:

Snippets: A Quilt Artist's Learning Curve

A Beach, 3 Boys

Hay Bales

You Have to Begin Somewhere

and on Friday, April 15 at 8 a.m., I began here, with my bit of floor space, delineated by masking tape, my table and chair.  I moved in my display stand, my sack of clip-lights, my box and bags, and began to set up.

In a couple of hours, my space was transformed into a pretty display, with my "3F" name emblazoned in black brush marker across the wide white tops of the frame, and pieces strategically placed for viewing.  I set up the table so at the back I could sit stitching, within easy view of visitors.  From there I worked, answered questions, and directed traffic.  I was also able to get up easily to help potential customers have a closer look at something.  This was also the view people got as the entered the door to the County Room; yes, my booth was immediately opposite that doorway!

This is a close-up of the better part of my table display.  By the end of the weekend, the sailboat card had been purchased, as had 3 of the 'trading cards', which folks seemed to want for gift cards and/or bookmarks.  That was it though.  No other sales.  Still, the display generated a good deal of interest -- it was the first exposure to fabric/fibre/textile arts for most of the visitors.

I came home fairly satisfied, with assurances from other artists that the first year is a 'getting to know you' year, and that next year would be better re: sales.  It was a very full and generally exhausting weekend, but kernels of ideas are already beginning to brew for new work.

And...well, the good thing is that I plan to enter two of the unsold pieces into "Connections Across the West", the latest Call to Entry from SAQA Western Canada.  The photos are ready to go; I just have to write up what the submission requires and send it off.

As for my grant application, no news yet.  I keep hoping that'll mean good news in the end.  Stay tuned!

Overheard II

More fun at the Lacombe Art Exhibit, generating comments such as these:

• (in front of a larger piece) "What's the purpose; d'you use these for pillowcases?"
• "Oh-h-h-h-h my!"
• "I'll take this one.  And it's worth more than $10.00 you're charging." (re a framed 3 1/2 x 5 card; he paid twice the price and refused change.)
• "I do a little bit of quilting, but nothing like this!"
• "Are you the only textile artist in this show?"
• "I'll take this one, and this one..." (re: ATCs)
• "Hi; I'm back" (turning to friend) "Now you've just gotta see this."
• (with thumbs up signal) "Definitely the best display in the show! Love it!"
• "Boy, you sure can do a lot of different things with fabric!"

and....

• "Well, this is a nice little hobby." (twice, two different speakers)

The best part is the smile that appears when someone looks at a piece she/he likes.

Overheard

at the art quilter's booth on Day One of the Exhibit:

• "Wow!"  (more than once)
• "That's a lot of work."
• "I don't have the patience to do something like that."
• "That's really nice."
• "I see all those stitches, those teeny-tiny stitches."
• "How long does it take to do something like that?"
• "Did you stitch that or did the material come that way?"
• "This is just beautiful!"
• "Now there's a big talent!"
• "How do you hang these up if they're not framed?"
• "Do you do all this by hand?"
• "That brings back memories."
• "That red square.  I really like that red square."
• "I quilt, but I can't do anything like that."
• "You thought all these up?"
• "I'm looking for the distressed paper."
• "That looks like an areal view of a farm."
• (same piece) "That looks like the coastline of New England."
• "What's 'fused layering'?"
• "I bet you have one of those real quilting machines."
• "I didn't realize it was fabric till I got up close." (twice)

and the inevitable: 

• "I dye fabric and make art quilts, but I don't presume to be an artist."

Sigh.  On to day two!

Makin' a List

My back yard, April 14, 2011

...and checkin' it twice, as the wet April snow fell most of today.  It's eased off now, thank goodness!  So, here's my List for Lacombe:

1. Display frame and spotlights: CHECK.  (Packed them yesterday under sunny skies.)
2. Extension cords; camera and batteries; fabric to cover frame; clips to attach fabric to frame; ties to hold frame together: CHECK.
3. Pins to attach unframed pieces to fabric panels; masking tape; measuring tape; step-stool; power bars: CHECK.
4. Large table cloth; framed cards and art pieces; picture stands; price list; business cards: CHECK.
5. Unframed art pieces in packaging with dowels; ATCs: CHECK.
6. Starbucks travel mug for coffee: CHECK.

Have I forgotten anything?  I could pack a bowl for a draw prize...

My brain is numb.  I plan to gather up some hand stitching to take with me so people can watch me work (sort of an 'unofficial demo')...

I think it will be early-to-bed-and-early-to-rise tonight.

Monika Was Right

(L) "Sail Away"/(R) "Sponge Print I"

About the postcards, that is.  Don't they look great in their frames?

(L) "Sprout"/(R) "On the Way Home"

I'm In! I'm In! I'm in!

The 12th Annual Lacombe Art Exhibit and Sale, that is!  I got an e-mail from one of the organizers this morning, and should have written confirmation in the mail soon (posted last week).  WHOO HOO!  


(Click on poster at left to enlarge, so you can read the details!)