Things I Love Thursdays

I love finding leaves that have survived the winter.

so ready to turn back into earth

I love learning new things, like how to mount, mat, and frame my own work.

I would love to learn to make something like these!!

an ad in Stitch magazine out of the UK, issue #69

I still love my new brown curtains.  I don't even remember where the red ones are.

I love how the neighbor's cat finally notices that we are all watching him from the window!  lol

...like he could go unnoticed?  : )

~Monika

Works in Progress Wednesday

Good news!  ALL of my framed thread paintings have now sold.  Right now I'm lying low and taking a few days of rest.  Still, in my head, I'm planning.  The month of April will be specifically to complete commissions.  There is Mandy's tree that needs to be finished (right Mandy?).  Gosh she's been waiting so long! This quilt really stumped me several times along the process.

just a corner of it here...

And Jesica's quilt made from her late grandmother's stash will be done too.  I've been slowly putting blocks together and spent hours pressing them.  I sent her photos and we've been discussing the arrangements before they all get stitched together.  That shouldn't take long once the layout is confirmed.  That stage - from blocks to completed top - is always very fast.

Finally, I'll be reworking this piece into a larger quilted wall hanging for a new B.C. resident who left the prairies.  She found me on Etsy and commissioned it from me for her own house-warming gift.  Sweet!  "Telephone Poles Along Highway 7" came from this photo.  I added a larger third pole on the right of my piece (see yesterday's post).

I just love working from my photos!  I'll make new works for the next showing of my work which will be on Sunday, May 29th with a group exhibit.  I have in mind:  trains, fence posts, more ditches full of wildflowers, and the old grain elevators too.  sigh.  I can't wait to start those!  I've already decided they will be more of the same style:  fabric collaged, thread painted & hand embroidered scenes under glass in frames.  Those were so well received, and so incredibly enjoyable to create. Here are some more photos I'm considering stitching out.

aren't they the cutest!!?

I can imagine layers and layers from this one.

this too!

I set them all in high contrast before I stitch them.  It brings out the depth and the understated details that can really make a picture POP.

p.s.  I'll let you in on a little surprise.  !!!  Actually, it's a BIG surprise.  I will be the featured artist in the spring 2012 issue of A Needle Pulling Thread magazine with my latest works.  I am going to work extra hard to make the most lovely creations I can for that issue.  The work in that magazine is truly stunning and incredibly tasteful.  Because they are all sold so fast, I will have to photograph my work through all the stages in high resolution.

Oh!  And the owl quilt which has been claimed for Baby Bell #4.  Yes... that will get done too!

For more works in progress from other sewists, check out Lee's blog at FRESHLY PIECED.
: )
~Monika

Tips on Tuesdays! -> Hanging Your Work

Welcome to Tips on Tuesdays!  This is a sharing post, so leave as many tips or helpful links in the comments section as you like.  There is no more sign-in code required, so hopefully people will find this easier now.  The topic this week is Hanging Tips.  The red link button on the sidebar links to all Tips on Tuesday posts.  ; )

First off, I have a Hanging Sleeve Tutorial that some of you might find helpful.  That's my first Tips contribution.  Click HERE to see it.

My second hanging tip is to use masking tape!  My friend Michelle taught me that when she helped me hang a show last year.  You can use a loop of masking tape to secure flippy quilt corners or to flatten rippled edges once the piece is hanging.  It works like a charm.  One little loop can also help to keep your picture frames from slanting.

I heard Pat from our guild mention that she hangs her art quilts with adhesive backed hook and loop tape.  Smart.

And finally, my grand plan from last year (that is still sitting in a box by the stairwell) was to hang a large quilt on a fancy wrought iron curtain rod.  It came with brackets that would hang the quilt out from the wall just a bit.  I had planned on putting a large display quilt up on our living room wall that I would change every now and then.  Have you put anything on display in your home or at an exhibit?  I'd love to hear any tips you have.  Please share it!  ; )

Thank you!
~Monika

Episode Re-Runs

What a weekend!!  Gosh, my head is still spinning.  I sold over half of my show and gained three new commissions.  I met and re-met so many wonderful people!  I was about to write in my journal about all the happenings, but I chose instead to do that here so you can be there too.  ; )

I love watching people notice my work as they walk by.  I'm always surprised at how they stop, backtrack, and go right up to the art.  I notice how many elderly gentlemen are intrigued by my sewing!  I don't know why that always surprises me.  But it does.  While the women come in groups and talk together and point, the men come alone and stand still and stare for the longest time.  I wonder what they are thinking??

Episode one:
A group of 4 women are at the display, pointing, chatting.  This particular group are also giggling and whispering.  I think that's odd.  I go up to them and say, "Hello.  These are my works.  Let me know if you have any questions."  They look at me, still giggling and one woman blurts out, "your prices are waaay to low".   : )

Episode 2:
A woman is literally bouncing up and down.  She likes my work.  She tells me they are farmers and she really wants a piece of my art.  Her husband (standing completely still) says, "Well then buy one.  I don't care.  They are all nice.  Just pick one."  She kept giggling and couldn't decide, so she took my business card and was still giggling as she left the area.
: )

 
Episode 3:
I arrive on the third day to volunteer for the first time in Hall A where the art is.  When I arrive, I introduce myself, and another volunteer says, "Oh it's YOU.  Did she find you?"  I have no clue what's going on.  Did who find me?  "The lady from the newspaper was just here, and she wants to talk to YOU." 
woah.

Episode 4:
A man stands at my display and is looking silently at my work for a long time.  He nods to himself now and then.  I walk up and say my thing, "Hello.  These are mine.  I'm happy to answer any questions."  He has a question.  He asks, "What school?"  ...Pardon me?  I don't understand.  He clarifies, "Where do did you go to school to learn all this?"  : )  I joke that I went to university for 8 years but came out a child educator and therapist.  He chuckled, shook his head, and took a business card.  He said, "I run a group that exhibits.  It's by invitation only.  I'll be emailing you." 
kewl.

So my work went out to cities and towns around the province.  That feels amazing.  I have commissions now in three provinces.  How did this all happen?  Amazing.

The BEST part of my weekend was connecting.  I connected with other artists, sewists, land-lovers, new friends, and old friends.  One of my friends from back in the Social Work days was there selling her art too.  Her name is Gloria.  It's been over fifteen years!  What a blast from the past.  It was just great to hang out with her all weekend.  As it turns out, she spends a lot of time with her family NEXT DOOR to me, and has for the past 4 years.  I had no idea.  WOW.  What a small world.  We are both shaking our heads and laughing over that one.  She does HUGE abstract paintings.  Gorgeous.  Go check them out if you like!

GLORIA

What a funny world!  : )
~Monika

Sunday Snapshots #30

While I'm at Gardenscape today, I thought I would leave you with this.  Enjoy!  : )

shamrocks in my studio window

Jesica's quilt blocks

sewing with cartoon owls always makes me giggle.

...and look what I found!

I did this nearly 20 yrs ago with chalk.  I still have that indigo mug.  : )

~Monika,
who is secretly hoping that spring will arrive soon please!!

Owl-right! : )

Wow.  Friday must have been my lucky day.  I was about to head off to Gardenscape with the kids when the phone rang.  Someone bought a piece!  And then the phone rang again!!  Someone bought a piece again.  Wow.  So I stayed in my sewing room for the day with phone, pencil, and paper nearby.  What to do?  What to do?  How about a quilt for no reason at all, no commissions and no exhibits in mind.  Okay then.  Cut, cut, cut.

Stitch, stitch, stitich.

Press, press, press.  Done the top!

It's wonky and happy and fun.  It even has purple without looking silly!  I love it.  The blocks 'wonk' in all different directions.  I cut up a fat quarter of fabric from Periwinkle Quilting & Beyond (Saskatoon) into sixteen charms.  I added coordinating solids from a jelly roll strip and then I cut them all crooked before adding the white sashing.  I decided on this because the owl branches were all angled and looking crooked anyhow.  So this works great.  I can't wait to find the perfect pretty variegated thread to do the quilting with. 

And get this... then I checked the mail. TWO PACKS OF FABRIC!!

thank you to my running pal Christie!!

I love the strawberries and teacups.  Also, all this rolled in from a swap I too part in.  Look at the landscape goodies!

Thank you Elizabeth!

And she even threw these in the bag.  More owls!

Awesome.  I mean, OWL-some!  And that's only the first swap pack of three I signed up for.  I'll be swimming in fabric, won't I?

'Swimming in Fabric'... hey now, there's an idea for the SQG theme show!  : )

~Monika

It's Up!

My dear friend Michelle Flowers, who helped me hang my last show, is partying in Australia for three weeks.  So last night I enlisted the help of my good friend Camay to be my helper while hanging the Gardenscape show.  (Don't my friends have cool names!?)  We arrived to the wonderful smell of live greenery and got right to work.

Camay, picking staples out of the display board.

I like where I am!  I'm at the end of the artists' loop in Hall A.  You can see the entrance doors at the far end of this photo.  From where I'm standing while snapping this photo, there is a lot of floor space, walls of daffodils, and a park bench to boot!  It's a nice place to sit (and the only spot to sit) in the art section.  On my way out I picked up my package with all the information.  There was an in invite to an artists get-together Saturday night.  Sounds like fun!  I even happen to know a couple painters there.

hehehe  how many ways can you spell it?  : )

As we left the building, there were cartloads after cartloads of greenery being brought in.  If anything else, you must go for the smell!  ; )  It's sooo fresh and lovely in there!

If anyone is interested in the art, you can't actually purchase it at the show.  You must contact the artist and arrange for purchase & delivery after the show.  As things are sold, sticker dots can be placed on the pieces I am told.  My post cards were to big to fit in the business card holders, so I actually nailed this basket to the display board!  ; )  It looks cute. 

~Monika
(thank you Camay!!)

Things I Love Thursdays

I love finding snippets of happy times from my childhood.

I drew this when I was 7.  I drew these a LOT.

I love finding reaffirmations that I am on the right path.

me again, grade three

I love that today, I'm still creating.  

I'm still getting those 'report cards' every time comments are made on my work.  

And yes, I still go show my mom the marks I'm getting.  : )  

And yes, she's still proud of me.

big Monika, still coloring.

: )

Winner / Winter Wednesday

No works in progress today!  Surprised?  I'm down with a cold, though I did put a few hours into piecing and pressing Jesica's fabrics.  That was something I could do without much thinking as I sipped hot tea and stared out the window at all the snow falling.  I decided to piece with Fiona.  I haven't seen her since I made her that fancy new cover.  : )

And oh! - Thanks for the entries!  The winner of the Lapel Sticks are PEG and MICHELLE!  Congrats to you both.  Now I have to cross my fingers and hope the post office is nice to me when it comes to mailing.  : )  Katrina spent over $10 mailing a little glue stick to me!  Isn't that crazy?

Thank you Lapel Stick, for your kind sponsorship and also for the wonderful compliments you left on my Facebook Page about my art.  That was a terrific surprise!

Have a great day.
Short & sweet.
~Monika

Tips on Tuesdays! -> Fabrics

Welcome to Tips on Tuesdays.  This is a sharing post, so leave your ideas in the comments section.  Links welcome!  The red button on the side will connect you to ALL Tips on Tuesday posts FYI.  The theme I'm revisiting this week is Fabric.

One problem I seem to have on a regular basis is purchasing a piece of fabric without any coordinated... just because I like it.  Then once it's home, I cannot make a decision as to what it looks good with from my existing stash.  Now, I could get around that by never buying single fabrics again,  but that isn't going to happen.  I'm a sucker for prints that make me happy, which often puts practicality out the window.

Then one day, while removing selvedges (the thick side edges of fabric) I had a eureeka moment.  Those strips contain every color used in the fabric itself.  So what an easy way to match colors!

This birdie fabric is a prime example.  I keep trying to match it with red or green or light blue... boring.  I had never thought of color #12 or #10 or #6 or #3.  Looking at those dots gives me lots of options.  I have learned to take the selvedge dot strip over to my stash and match from there.  It seem really easy to notice the right coordinates this way.  Works like magic!

I'm often surprised how many colors are in each fabric quarter I buy.  If you still can't find a match, then take the selvedge to the fabric store.  It really simplifies the process.  Consider solids too.

Tip #2.  Have you ever done this:  can't find the right shade, so you use a fabric upside down?  I've done it blues, and also yellows before.

Elle in Manitoba recently made a terrific blogpost on color.  

CLICK HERE

 (Thanks Elle!)

I need advice.  One fabric issue I have is with VERY large prints.  I bought a bunch of this red & white print, and WOW it's large in comparison to my other fabrics.  I think it's AnnaMaria Horner.

I just love these colors together, and was planning a picnic blanket.  I think my polka dots are all gone now.  It became binding on the St. Nikolaus quilt.  How do you use small, medium, and large print fabrics?  DO you mix them?  Do you only buy from one line, or do you stick with charm & jelly roll sets?  Do you have the kind of stash where everything goes together?

Please share!  I would love to hear your thought on this.
Thank you!!
~Monika

Gardenscape 2011 Art Show & Sale

Here is the big announcement with all the details... 

GARDENSCAPE

is a huge, huge 'Outdoor Living' trade show out at Prairieland Park each spring in Saskatoon.  It runs for three days next weekend.  The schedule is:

Friday, March 25 from 11 am to 10 pm

Saturday, March 26 from 9 am to 8 pm

Sunday, March 27 from 11 am to 5 pm

If you want to know how huge is huge, then get this!  There will be more than 450 exhibit booths, a Prairie Berry cafe, a bistro & wine garden with live entertainment, and nine different themed display gardens.  There will be exhibits, sales and demos on organic gardening, sprinkler systems, ponds, landscaping, seeds, trees, decks & BBQs, hot tubs, fencing... you name it!  There's even a backyard BBQ cooking show.

So why am I there?  

There was a call for entries from Saskatchewan artists who feature florals and landscapes in their work.  I'm not sure how they found me, but an invitation arrived in my mail box one day.  The Art Show & Sale will be located in Hall A.  There are 4 halls, so don't get lost!  If you are interested in any of the art, the idea is that you contact the buyer directly and make arrangements to purchase from there.  I am told you won't be able to buy art on the spot.  There are supervisors in the area that will mark pieces "sold" for you if you are interested.  All artists will have business cards in the room with contact information that you can take home.

my telephone # and email address are on the backs of these

I will only be there to set up the night before the show starts.  However, I will make every effort to be on the floor as a greeter on Sunday afternoon until closing.  I believe parking is free, however there is an entry fee to Gardenscape.  Admission is $12 per day, $18 for a 2 day pass, and people 15 and under are free.

FACT:

Last year there were over 26,500 people 

in attendance over three days.

So there you go!  You can see more by clicking HERE. 

Say hi if you see me!  : )  I'll be the one standing around looking all nervous.  : )  haha
~Monika

Sunday Snapshots #29

Look what flew over our house this week!

Here, you can suntan and play in the snow at the same time.  : )

It is the Spring Equinox.  Sun up at 7:15.  Sun down at 7:15.

Happy Equinox to you!
* * * * * * * * 

Speaking of spring, the Spring edition of several magazines are out now.
Here is back page of A Needle Pulling Thread magazine!  (finger... mine.)

Happy day!
~Monika

Fun in the Mail & a Giveaway!

Wow - I sure got lots in my mailbox this week!  I got more accu-quilt samples from Sandie in Alberta.  (Thank you!!)  She also sent along the tree fabric I needed for Mandy's wallhanging, which is terrific. I got a postcard from my inspire-me-to-run buddy, Christie.  : )  Here is the lovely card posing sweetly with my running shoes.

I love it!  My new cards came in too.  They turned out pretty great.  I'll have them with my work on display next week.  7 days left!

I also got my Lapel Stick that I won from Sunshower Quilt's blog.  It's this new funky glue for fabric.  I signed up to have them sponsor a give-away here on my blog too.  The fine folks at Lapel Stick send me a few!  They were very speedy, and emailed me some very kind comments on my work.  Awe- that made my day.  So, now I have 2 sticks if you are interested.  (One is mine.)  Let me tell you about it...

 
At first I thought, "Oh come on.  It's just another glue stick".  I'm not picky.  I use my kid's acid free nontoxic school glue sticks all the time in my sewing room.  It's really handy for my art.  I stick fabrics in place when I collage backgrounds.  I don't need hot irons for fusibles.  It's pretty handy.  You know how I hate pinning.  But I prefer this new product!  It's really smooth and applies like lipstick.  It dries really fast and won't gum up your machine.  It's temporary and non staining.  All good.  I think it's better than what I usually use because it's not gunky and sticky and lumpy like school glue sticks.  This stuff applies to fabric without pulling and stretching it out of shape.  I also like it better than wet glues because they seem to soak into the fabrics and they dry very stiff.  This stays flexible.

pieces glued into place before thread painting.

What else can I tell you?  It's a Canadian product, out of British Columbia.  I should add that it's a "do good" glue.  This company is involved in a lot of fundraising ventures with this product, including a huge percentage of sales going to Junior Diabetes Research Foundation.  Diabetes affectes my husband, cousin, father in law...  hopefully never my children too.

I used it again today to stick a quilt label on prior to hand stitching it.  It's VERY nice to not have to use heat.  Tell me how you would use it and why you think you would like it.  I will pick two winners by midnight on Tuesday the 23rd.  Good luck!

Bouquet, 2011

~Monika
Also, if you are interested, Sunshower Quilts is having another giveaway - it's for the Accuquilt Go Baby machine!  go check it out.  She's Katrina in Ontario.