This and That!

It seems to be getting harder to find time to blog! I have been teaching fibre art classes this fall and going to Open Studio at the home of my friend Sandra. She teaches Mixed Media classes a couple of times a week. It is such a joy to go to each week! So I have been busy and I am trying to catch up with this collection of photos. Above is a photo of my art work from the Studio tour in October.

My friend Amanda Gonsalves, a wonderful Mixed Media artist. She inspires me!

My inchies before they were sent in to trade. They are on a background of paper recycled from my Rose Journal. I added bits of lace, sequins, and beads with a buttonhole stitch around the outside edge. The trade was with members of Cloth Paper Studios Yahoo Group. Thanks Anne Marie for handling the trade.

These are some of my Keepsake Wallets I made for Studio Tour. I sold a few of them. I sent 6 of them to the Magazine, A Needle Pulling Thread. They will be published in their Spring Issue along with instructions on how to make them! I am very thrilled to be a published author!

Here is some fabric paper I made before my sewing machine got SICK. I just love my electronic PFAFF with its differential feed. But I did not use a Surge Protector and it was somehow damaged. I was also sewing a small box using the above paper! I thought maybe my Pfaff was just rebelling. I took it to Sewing Machines Etc. in Burlington, Ontario. Nick was able to take it to the Pfaff factory for me and managed to get it fixed under warranty!!!! Yes! I am so grateful to Nick. So please patronize his store if you live nearby. I highly recommend Sewing Machines Etc.

These are some Zentangles from a workshop I ran for the Fine Arts Society of Milton. Deb Kopeschny was our certified Zentangle teacher. Contact her at deb@kopeschny.ca if you wish to have her teach for you.

This is a partial photo of my very first collage on canvas in a class at Sandra's Open Studio with Sharon Chalmers. Sharon is a very talented Calligrapher and Collage Artist. I absolutely loved doing this. It is nearly completed and I wish to add a very little bit of stitch to it. I used decorated papers, tissue paper, National Geographic images, paint, collage bits and gesso.

Bookmarks sold at the Studio Tour. I sold quite a few items and loved being in Waldies Blacksmith shop with 6 other artists.

Lastly, my forgotten inspiration page spread for my Rose Journal. I need to get back to my journal and finish it! So busy, so little time. Its hard to believe I am RETIRED! But I am loving living an art-full life!

Surjeet's Workshop

October 23rd and 24th I had the opportunity to take an embrioidery workshop with Surjeet Husain of the UK. She visited our stitchery guild in Oakville as part of her time in Canada to visit family and two other guilds. Surjeet is a very talented Indian embroiderer and painter. We learned about the textile industry in India and about Surjeet's journey as an artist. Eleven Million people in India are involved in textile industry in some manner.

Here is Surjeet instructing Danielle and Jayne. We each were given individual instruction and Surjeet wanted each of us to do an individual project. We worked on sheesha (mirrors) embroidery, pulkari and kantha stitches. It was a challenge for most of us.

Here is a lovely little bag that Surjeet brought from home for us to see. She brought many pieces of embroidery to share, all so beautiful!

Surjeet is showing us a small tree stitchery that has fabric appliques.

This large art embroidery is based on a painting of an Indian girl by Surjeet.

Overall, I had a great two days. I have admired Indian embroidery for a couple of years and have attempted a few embroideries myself. Now I have acquired a few new stitches to try on my future Indian embroideries. Thank you, Surjeet.

My Summer Obsession

Do you remember summer?
This is a photo of Port Burwell Beach on Lake Erie in late summer.
Gorgeous sky!

This summer I couldn't remember what I did. Oh yes, I went to Sandra's classes on Art Journaling at her Open Studio. I became possessed with this project which is still under construction. It is called 'The Rose Journal'. I was inspired with a doodle I did of roses and of course my mom's name is Rose ( sentimental meaning) . My favourite saying is: Take the time to smell the roses! This is the cover made of paper and fabric and machine quilted and hand embroidered. I added stitch to almost all the pages.

This is the back cover with only free motion stitch added.

Page 1
All of the edges of the pages are collaged and embellished.

I did a lot of collaging and painting on each page. Here I added a small stitchery on woven rug canvas.
Here I added a page of journaling, a drawing and a quote about roses on a paint chip.

One of our classes included a calligraphy lesson with Sharon Chalmers. R is for Roses.

Another stitchery from painted fabric. Every splash of paint became a stitched rose.

I love this painted and stamped page, the metallic paint just shimmers. I also added a painted and woven fabric stitchery. I embellished with embroidery of course.

Another rose embroidery and real rose petals collaged around the vintage photo. The painted and stamped page has small saying about roses in each frame. Do you like the button border?

This spread the one of the first I completely finished. It has vintage laces attached.

This page reminds me of 'Me!" I had blonde, curly hair when I was young. I now have that Passion for Art. The background is painted, collaged and painted again and again! The white paint pen is just the right touch.

This was the first page I worked on and it was totally frustrating. It has numerous layers of paint and collage. Sandra says that it must get ugly before it gets beautiful. Well, it was so ugly I almost painted black over the whole page until I stamped squares on it to integrate the images together. Integration is so important!

You can see the small elements in each of the windows.

This is a Close up of the back inside cover showing the freemotion stitching designs inspired by Leah Day's 365 days of Free motion quilting. So you can see how busy I was this summer and I still have a lot of details to add. Now I see I missed the centrefold page that has my inspiration doodle. I'll post it next time, hopefully all finished. Off to do Studio Tour for the next two days. I made 25 fabric collaged book marks and now my Pfaff is sick. She won't do zigzag for me. Next week the repair shop. Good thing I have my old Pfaff machine that still hums along nicely to finish all my bookmarks. Until next time, keep stitching!

Studio Tour and Inchies

These are my small wallets or purses for sale for the Fine Arts Society of Milton Studio Tour taking place on October 2 and 3. I have been working hard to complete as many as I can. I used recycled scrap fabrics from a costume maker in Toronto. They include decor fabrics, silk, linen and organza to make the base on top of a stabilizer. I have really loved making them.

I chose a variety of lining fabrics, but I really like the natural linen. I have found out it is hard to find natural linen since I have run out. I zizag the edges, freemotion quilt the whole base fabric and add hand embroidery and some beads.

This is the back of the one I made for me! I added my word of the year, 'Inspire' and my initals.

This is the front with my little leaves, a button, some beads and french knots on the decorator fabric.
Finally, my collection of inchies for a swap with Cloth Paper Studios social internet group. The inchies are scrap from the paper cover I made for my Art Journal I made this summer. Each is embellished with lace, beads, vintage lace or appliques. Such fun! I really miss doing my Stitch a Long one inch embroidery every day. I finished my 100 days a while ago and I plan to have it framed in the near future. It became more of a journal of my 100 days. Photos will follow soon.
Happy Stitching!

Impromptu Art

Art from Flowers!

At the cottage a couple of weeks ago I started playing with some flowers sitting on the table. ( Flox and a expired Rose of Sharon)

My new studio space before order.

One bird has finally left the nest!
This room has become my paint room and storage for all my felting supplies. More photos soon.

Crayon melted on cotton, acrylic paint wash, foiled in gold, machine embroidery and hand stitching

A few weeks ago, I was totally inspired by Canadian Fibre artist Wendy Feldberg. I read about her art and techniques in the new e-mag In Stitches from Quilting Arts. This is the end result! I highly recommend the e-mag, it is so interactive! I emailed Wendy to tell her how excited I was about her art. She replied immediately!

Close up!




Another melted crayon piece, with roses.
I plan to make samall purses from these pieces.

This was a UFO. I painted the fabric with Setacolours, set down some machine quilted lines and heavily hand embroidered it on holiday. Then nothing, set in a pile of UFOs, until I discovered Leah Day's 365 days of Free motion quilting on line. Wow, I was very impressed. I decided to make a journal of drawn quilting designs of Leah's. Drawing the designs helps you to stitch them continuously later. I ordered Leah's quilting aids and was thrilled with the Magic Genie Bobbin Washers. Free motion quilting has never been easier. The washer keeps the lower bobbin thread from appearing on the top of your quilt. You can easily used a neutral thread in the bobbin and any colour on the top! Heaven. I decided to machine quilt the rest of my piece and it looks lovely!

Pebbles in the Stream

Until next time, and much sooner! Keep stitching!

Sandra's Open Studio

This is my young friend Sandra, a very talented Mixed media artist and president of the Milton Fine Arts Society. We are learning all about altered photos at her home studio. She holds open studio once a week at her Brookville home, outside of Milton.
My first altered photo of my niece, Emily, with Sandra's two daughters.

The studio!!

Another altered Photo of my art work using a bleach pen

Sandra's organized studio

I am continuing to go to the open studio each week. I have experimented with decorated and painted papers, collage and making an art Journal so far. I have made several trips to art stores to buy medium, brushes and lots of paint. I also like to buy old or discontinued books for pages to alter. It is lovely just to play while doing art!

Carol Weibe and Cracked Paper Quilts

Carol's Grand National Entry for 'Off the Wall'

Carol's second entry at the Grand National Quilt Show

On June 12Th, (yes, friends I am late again with my blogging!) the Oakville Stitchery Guild hosted Carol Weibe of Cracked Paper Quilts fame for a day long workshop at Joshua Creek Studio. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day that was not long enough for all the work we did.

Here Carol is demonstrating some new techniques to our members. ( Heather, Diane and Janet ) Carol will be doing a workshop with Maggie Grey's Workshop on the Web very soon.

This is my friend, Sandra's work, in progress. Sandra is a mixed media artist and is very talented!

This is Linda's little gem with some paint and collage applied. I've seen the finished work and I love it!

This is my masterpiece, a definite work in progress. Can you guess the theme? The newest and latest trend I read about. The owls are my own drawings. I have two cracks so far and I plan to re cut the shape to be more owl like before painting. I've added some dyed paper napkins for the next layer of colour to peek through since I took this photo.