Collaboration and Creativity.........

We are very proud that during our "artist in residency" we have managed for the last few years to create new work that shows various ways to use our products,  enough pieces for our show booth to have a new look.  Speaking from my point of view this has not always been easy, I don't work like this usually, it takes a lot for me to get into the flow.   For me I cannot just call up those "creative juices" that are needed to create these new pieces,  so working collaboratively with my dear daughter has been a blessing....bouncing ideas with one another is a great way to begin our residency. 

Here are some more photos of our new work;

For that last couple of years we have limited the number of colors we were going to use to create new work for the booth, in order to give it a very cohesive look.  This year when all the colors were chosen my response even surprised me...but these colors reminded me of my childhood.

So....then my next line was something about "pinwheels"....I thought it would be cool to create a pinwheel quilt...using a pinwheel block....however; there seems to have been a "slight" bit of miscommunication, because this next quilt is what came about.

Next thing I knew dimensional pinwheels were appearing all over the studio,  then came the problem of traveling with a 3-D quilt.....

after a bit of a discussion the idea of attaching the pinwheels with snaps was floated out there and it has worked beautifully.  Then a friend suggested that we show how the quilt would look if the pinwheels were stitched down so.....

I swear two brains are so much better than one....when we bounce things around it is so much fun to create these new pieces.

When daughter dear began the large pinwheel quilt she had planned her stems and leaves to look a bit different than the end result.  However, after trying the first ones out they just didn't work, so.......  amazingly the next quilt came about because there was no way she was going to let them go to waste.

This quilt was the result of not wasting the leaves and stem....hmmm....I added a bit of wool and our new hand-dyed cotton velveteen.  It felt like this quilt created itself and that is a wonderful feeling when creating new work.

Thanks for stopping by....there are still several other pieces to come.

Overdue Photos' of New Work......

Our newsletter arrived in my Inbox announcing a sale on our hand-dyed burlap and I came to the realization that we hadn't shown any of our new work after our Artist in Residency this past April. Thanks to sweet daughters' efforts I thought I'd use those pics, show off a few new pieces and those of others who posted their work with our burlap on Instagram.

During our April residency for the last few years we concentrate on making all new work for our booth at shows for the coming year.  This year was no different; however our time in Paducah was shorter, we then taught in Peoria, Ill, came home and left soon for Spring Quilt Market, returned home long enough to repack boxes and leave for QSDS in Columbus, Ohio.  Whew!!!!  No wonder I didn't post anything.

We have been trying to show how we use our products in Home Dec, Quilts, Garments, 3-D pieces and Mixed Media.  The first 2 photos are of new pillow designs and the patterns are available on our website.

Flower Basket Pillow;
   This pillow uses burlap and osnaburg in Heather; a new color introduced at market.  The flower basket is wool applique, using Mary Flanagan Woolens.

Tuscan Bird Pillow;

We used Mint Hand-dyed Burlap for this pillow, scraps from our stash of commercial fabrics in shades of "tuscan" and "butternut",  because like many of you...we cannot resist shopping for fabric everywhere we go.  The embroidery was all done using our hand-dyed floss and perle cottons.

Kristin used a free cross stitch pattern by Southern Living to create this burlap zipper pouch.

These last photo's are from Instagram;  I must say I am very impressed with the variety of ways that our products have been used.  Thank you one and all.

Deborah Boschert highlighted a bit of our Kiwi Burlap in one of her art quilt collages. 

 

Olympic Wool Works Highlighted our burlap as background to her punchneedle design.

Mamajay55 (Instagram) used our burlap with cork fabric to create this dynamite purse!

 Right now we are dyeing like crazy, sooooo....hopefully I will have time to post a few more photos of new work.  I am also hoping to have time for a little "specialty" dyeing...maybe a few pics of that too.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Vacation...Over and Done......

As our vacation ended I wished for just a little more time, seems I have felt that way forever.  You see our vacation destination is the spot I have always spent summers, very near and dear to my heart.  While we are there we only have a sketchy connection to internet, which is absolutely wonderful in some ways and not so great in others.  Writing and loading photos to this blog is not easy and taking a laptop is just so impractical....so here is just a couple photos....

Wouldn't you hate to leave a spot like this?

Now...I grudgingly have to wrap my head around getting back to work and hopefully posting a bit of fun and creative blogs about what we are up to.  We will be just a tad slow as dear daughter will have to undergo another procedure in the "infected tooth" saga that has slowed things down for many months.

Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by.

Vacation Time....No, No..Please Don't Make Me Work......

You know that saying "I have spring fever"....well I have "summertime fever" and would much rather be playing every single day.  Right now I would much rather be prepping to head for the lake than work.  Grandson was very willing this past week to help me with gathering what we need, something tells me that's because he is more than ready to head north for fun, sun, water and family.  We decided that we would pile it in the corner of the family room so we could easily continue watching the World Cup.

Watching it all accumulate is making me very happy cause it means vacation is getting much closer; however this little guys attitude says he's not thrilled with what is happening.  Do you suspect he knows he's not coming along?  He will have fun with the dog sitter, I can guarantee that but he still looks a bit out of sorts

Maybe his mood is being affected by all the other commotion in his "space"; take note of the quilt it is his, he knows that but he's not usually allowed to be directly on the couch...hmmm. The mood may also be because of all the commotion in the room...remember everybody here wants to watch the World Cup so this is what the rest of the room looks like.

Gotta get the work done somehow.

Today's games are over, so it's time to go into the dye studio.

Thanks for stopping by.

.

Woohoo....We are Teaching in Houston Again.....

We are so happy to be teaching in Houston at International Quilt Festival this fall.  Festival this year is a tad bit later than usual, Thursday November 8th through Sunday, November 11th.  Online registration begins after 10 AM Central Time on Monday, July 16th.  I thought I would let everyone know a bit ahead of that date so you can study the class offerings, there are many great looking classes to choose from including ours.  (not too prejudice am I?)


Between the two of us we are teaching 5 different classes listed below;

Thursday, November 8th from 2-5 PM:
         Blossoms-Flower Garden Pennant (#480) Janelle Girod

Little hand-stitching/embroidery projects are great for keeping your hands busy while on the go.  Learn how to manipulate cheesecloth to create the flowers for this pennant, then move on to easy embroidery stitches and embellishment techniques.

Friday, November 9th from 9AM-12PM
         Enrich the Surface (#541) Janelle Girod

Love embroidery but French knots give you trouble? Learn the Sorbello stitch and use varying weights of thread to create your free-form embroidery piece on an encrusted fiber background.  Discussion includes a variety of finishing/display techniques for your piece.

Friday, November 9th from 9AM-12PM
         Watercolor Landscape  (#550) Kristin Rodriguez

Looking for a new way to use your fabric scraps? Learn a confetti-style technique that gives your quilt a watercolor effect. Choose from a tree or flower scene and create a 12in square piece.  Learn how to create a base, choose fabrics, and place them effectively. Discussion includes layering, quilting, and finishing edges.

Friday, November 9th from 2-5PM
          Coloring on Fabric with Inktense (#573) Janelle Girod

Inktense gives you that painterly look without using paints or changing the hand of the fabric.  Learn a variety of application techniques that will allow you to create bold vibrant images or softer watercolor effects.

Saturday, November 10th from 9AM to 5 PM (with a lunch break from Noon to 2 PM)
             Textured Collages (721) Kristin Rodriguez and Janelle Girod

Join Girod and Rodriquez of “Fiber on a Whim” and work with a variety of textures/fibers as you create a collaged background. Hand stitching, embroidery, and beading enhance your work. Learn an image transfer technique to create the focal point that rounds out the piece.

Kits are provided for these classes, you pretty much just need scissors, thimble, straight pins and a willingness to "play".  Oh, for the Inktense class you will probably like an apron, old shirt or clothes that aren't your best.  We will have a good time and hopefully you will have a new technique or two to add to your "toolbox".

Thanks for stopping by.

16 Days in Columus, Ohio; Part 3......

One of the other fun aspects of QSDS (Quilt Surface Design Symposium) is the "Friday Evening Event", everyone gathers to raise funds for the scholarship fund.  Appetizers are offered, a bit of wine, the mapping out of strategies.  The reason to have a strategy are the wonderful donations of door prizes and the "artist auction" offerings.  Most attendees purchase several door prize tickets, hoping for the chance to win one of the items that have caught their eye.  BUT.....the artist auction offerings are the real focus.....competition is fierce, but with laughter and comradery.

The first Friday, we were fortunate to acquire "The Murmur of Conversation" by Seth Apter which has been proudly added to our art collection.  The colors and texture of this piece are stunning.

The second Friday, we got lucky again...this time adding "Inner Landscapes: Pink and Grey" by Heide Stoll-Weber.  This piece looks fabulous at home on the newly painted pale gray walls...that daughter dear assisted in painting this year.

Each year several scholarships are awarded to people with need of assistance.  For this reason the fun is also extremely important, making it possible for anyone with an interest in "fiber" to add a technique to their "toolbox".   We are very happy to lend a hand each year to that endeavor.

Check out the 2019 teachers and classes they will be teaching.  www.qsds.com

Thanks for stopping by. 

16 Days at QSDS in Columbus, Ohio part 2......

Well I figured that if I was going along to work the "shop" then maybe I could take a class too.  During the 16 days, there are 4 different sessions.  Two "5" day sessions, each 5 day session has a different selection of classes offered; and two "2" day sessions, again with different selections of classes.  So.....I decided a 2 day session with Deborah Fell on collage.

We created a variety of papers in a colorway we had chosen prior to arriving...play time with paint, paper and stuff, ah heaven.  It was surprising how many different things we had all brought along as "found" paper, fabric scraps or just stuff.  One student came back from lunch on Saturday with a few pieces she had found between the classroom and the cafeteria.  (and daughter dear complains that I pick up everything along a walk)  I was in good company in this class.

Here is a sampling of the papers I created to work from;

One afternoon I snuck into the classroom Seth Apter was teaching in and raided Kristin's work table in order to put a little pattern on my fabrics I'd brought for my collage class.

The fabrics are hand-dyed organdy and voile, I was so pleased that my marking making actually showed up very nicely on these "sheer" fabrics.  Paper behind them is a piece of canvas washed with the colorway I was working in,  Deborah suggested we make some papers that have a soft/pale colors.

After a couple hours of prepping papers, we started playing around with them;  this is actually a piece of Kraftex.  I decided I really like using this as my base for collage....love, love, love it. It held up so well to the paint,  (I could have used more water to get a better watercolor wash, but it was my first time working with it.)  stamping, dragging a fork with paint on the tines across it...and of course stitching.  These first couple of photos show me just fiddling around.  The blue piece is also on Kraftex and I feel is a great landscape.

Then I pulled a piece of canvas, to which I added painted Bristol paper, Lutradur scraps I had laying around, a scrap of cheesecloth and linen.

Next up was Evolon; which we started carrying about a year ago, but with our schedule this is the first time I got to play with it.  Using a color wash spray gave me a very soft background, adding a thin acrylic paint in spots worked well.  Little stamping and painted Mistyfuse added shading/depth.

As I looked around my table there were great things to add...an old piece of encaustic that I didn't like, bristol paper, cheesecloth, grunge board and silk.  It needed some other marks and the sewing machine gave me the marks I needed.

Here's a couple of photos of my wall;

This last one is still in progress, it needs some stronger marks and some stitching; but it is on the Evolon and shows a piece of the "sheer" fabric (believe it's the voile).  Since returning home I have not had time to return to "playing"....soon I hope.  Goal is to actually use the batik as a quilted mat behind the collage.

These are all from a two day class.  This is what happens when you have the time to create, when the atmosphere is thick with creativity.  You play, make new friends, eat and play some more.

Check out the schedule for QSDS 2019 at www.qsds.com

Thanks for stopping by.

16 Days in Columbus, Ohio.....

For the last 3 years we have had a "pop-up" shop at Quilt Surface Design Symposium in Columbus, Ohio.  The first 2 years daughter dear maned the shop on her own.  Years ago I had gone with a friend and taken classes, we had a wonderful time. Kristin had taken a class several years ago from Noriko Endo.  This year was the first time in many that I had returned, I did so because she registered to take a class with Seth Apter.  She had an amazing class, she and her classmates each created wonderful pieces of "book art".

Does she not look happy....this is how she looked every day for the 5 days of her class with Seth and everyone in that class glowed like this too!  Fantastic teacher!


Their work tables looked like this:

And this was a clean moment.

They each had a design wall near their tables to pin up their prospective book pages:

Once they felt they were ready these pages were turned into signatures.

The rest of the photos were taken by Seth Apter of Kristins' book:

Seth will be returning to QSDS in 2020; however there are some fantastic teachers lined up for next year 2019.  www.qsds.com 

Check out the schedule, tell your friends and join in the fun.  It is like summer camp for adults, you can stay in the dorm, eat in the cafeteria (yummy food) and enjoy the wonders of creativity in the "air".

Thanks for stopping by.

Whew....Finally ....Announcing Our New Hand=Dyed Velveteen

Since the last blog post we have taught classes in Illinois, vended at Quilt Market in Portland, OR and at QSDS in Columbus, OH.  This past week daughter dear had surgery and is hopefully on the mend..after a long year.  In between cat naps she is processing our latest addition to our product line.

This May at Spring Quilt Market we introduced our new hand-dyed Cotton Velveteen. We felt this would be a great addition to our line of textures. We have had fun making a velveteen rabbit, pincushions, and adding it in to art quilts here at the start. We can't wait to play more with it as the summer goes. We have been amazed by how well it has been received and are so happy everyone is enjoying it. We finally got a second batch dyed up and it is all now online. 

We are currently offering both 4 packs and singles at a great introductory price.  Check it out at www.fiberonawhim.com .

This week we will still be taking it easy and have the grandson here to entertain "us".  Hopefully I will be able to show you a few photos of the fun we had at QSDS (Quilt & Surface Design Symposium) in Columbus, OH this year.  If you have never heard of it, go check out their website, the teachers they bring together each year are very impressive....it is just like going to a great "art" camp for adults. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Arrived in Paducah....

We arrived in Paducah on Saturday and managed to get unloaded between rain showers.  For those of you who follow us on Facebook you may have seen that not so nice photo that my darling daughter/partner posted of me "resting" in the studio. We actually have managed to get our work space set up, the shop/gallery area is ready and open for everyone to drop by.   We have also managed to get some work.

So her she is at "her" workstation;

We are happy to announce that we are participating Thursday evening April 19th from 6-9 PM at an event at Ochre in the Coke Plant; 3121 Broadway here in Paducah.  Come on by and enjoy the featured art by us, Freida Anderson and Rose Hughes.  You will also find a $4 drink special (The Needle Punch) and complimentary appetizers by Mellow Mushroom.

 

Here's a peek at a piece we were working on finishing up yesterday;

Come on by during Quilt Week and say hi!