A Big Finish for Friday!

First commission of the year complete!  : )

Overlooking the lake in Autumn - inspired by a photo I took last year as I was on my way home from teaching out of town.

And here's the 'glam shot'...

There was some discussion on my Facebook page about changing thread colors on the machine.  Yes, as a threadpainter, you have to do it a lot.  It's no different than how a painter dips her brush into paints.  It's really not a big deal.  I joke at my friend who says, "I could do what you do but I won't because it means I would have to change the thread!?  Forget it!"  : )  I have to chuckle.  I encouraging my students by telling them that it's certainly not the hardest thing they've ever done!  I giggle that people are so wowed by the changing of the thread.  It's getting the thread in the right spot, doing what you want it to that takes determination and courage.  Whipping a new spool onto the machine is a pretty mindless activity, especial the new machines with the self threader.

off the soap box...

To answer:  Yes, many changes:  eight down one side of the finished edge, sometimes four to five colors in each tree, but if that is what it takes then that's what you do.  I deeply enjoy the process.

My favorite part is the handwork.  There are always things that a machine cannot do.  I love to add single stitches.  The bring things to life.  (Apologies if this is really scary up close!)

Thank you so very much to D. who commissioned this.  Once again, I learned more things about my own technique.  This was good for me.

Things I Love Thursday

Thank you!  I LOVE the entries that have been coming in for the "Our Prairie in Fibre" show.  Mmmmm....  Please keep them coming and don't be shy!  I have a lot of entries coming to my inbox at "Monika at mysweetprairie dot ca".  I haven't picked up the ones that have been dropped off at the Craft Council yet.  I hope to see some doll entries.  Maybe more wearables, quilts?  Big or small, straightforward or quirky...  send it in or I will have to come find you! : )  The call is linked at the top of my blog.  If there's an artist you think would be a great fit, please send me their name so I can look them up.

canola and flax - commission

I love when deadlines change and you get more time than you thought you had.  It's happened to me a LOT in January.  I would like to pass on the fun and let you know that my call deadline will change to Saturday, February 7th.  There was a typo with "Sat Feb 4th" (no such date).  It makes no difference to me, so if you need the extra ten days to send me some prairie fibre entries, there you go!  : )  Don't be shy.  Whether you are a seasoned veteran or just beginning, I might fall in love with it.

The other great news is that I've been called to present in a school classroom again.  Super!  Maybe some day I will really be able to roll all my art and Social Work together.  I have friends who have gone the art therapy route.  Maybe some day...

Stay tuned - I'm off to get some more art framed.  I will be back to show you tomorrow.

* * * I hope something fabulous comes your way today. * * *

Thanks everyone for all the compliments and encouragement.

Work In Progress

Commission # 1... 

The hills at Blackstrap Lake, SK was the inspirational photo I'm working from.  Let the threadpainting begin!  : )

Building the 'under painting'...  the land beneath the trees and bushes.

You've seen this next photo...

I add more and more - honey, ecru, chartreuse, gold, sage green, grey, peach, pumpkin, ochre...  It might look like a mess to you in the next photo, but I know where I am going with all this.

Coming together, little bits of thread by little bits of thread.

I eventually finished the machine work over the weekend.  I'll post it later this week.

Now for the magical touch - HAND STITCHING!  woooo - I am loving this piece.  It just sprang to life!  : ) 

I'm still not done but close!  Oh, so close...  I can't wait to show it off!  : )

Linking to WIP Wednesday @ TN&TN.

Sunday Snapshots

Beautiful birds this morning... courtesy of Jack Frost.

Birds flitting through the air!

Birds soaring through the trees...

Look closer...

 See it right in the middle, past the branches and leaves?

Wings spread 

as they sail 

down...

Or perhaps they are taking off.  

What do you see?

I like that flock image upside down as well.  

See below?

Thank you kindly Jack.  Happy Sunday to you!

Saturday Stitches - Running, Darning, Lacing

Hello!  Welcome to Saturday Stitches - a weekly embroidery tutorial.  Remember, if you are looking for any other stitches, you can type in the word you want into the search box at the top left corner of this blog.

Link to all Saturday Stitches posts here.

Thanks for the comments last week!  I'm glad you liked the Aida cloth tip.  Today I'll show you variations of a single, simple, plain old stitch.  Here is the running stitch - simple spaced dashes.  They make great quilting lines if you want to add stitches to your modern quilts.  In decorative embroidery, they serve as a foundation for weaving, interlacing, and even attaching crocheted borders.  In this photo below, I am using a double blunt ended needle.  I know that likely looks odd.  When you do any type of weaving or lacing with a sharp tipped needle, remember to simply turn the needle around and weave with the blunt eye end.  This way you can avoid snagging the threads and the fabric as you slip the needle under the stitches.

The Darning Stitches are essentially masses of running stitches, with the spaces typically smaller than the stitches.  Rows of these were used to secure fabric that was falling apart (is - darning hols in socks).  In artful stitching, these make great filler stitches for fields, walls, buildings, and backgrounds.

I took out a mixed fibre pack and attempted to play around with these in an abstract way - three stitches at a time but a little wonky.  It's not really my style but it was an interesting experiment.

See you next Saturday for more!  Happy Stitching,

Things I Love Thursday

I love my fairy godmother.  Whoever she is...

I made a silent wish for the new year.  I wished to get more involved in projects working with children... more community based projects.  Within days I had three opportunities land on my doorstep.  I kid you not.  THREE.  It feels spooky and perfectly beautiful all at the same time.

my brown eyed daughter with the brown eyed susans

Two opportunities involve doing creative sewing with children.  I LOVE working with children.  They are masters at non-conformity / pure creativity.  I'll tell you more when and if these do become a reality.  Here's hoping the program funding comes through!

simple fibre art projects with a 7 yr old - Postcards !

The third that came my way is the opportunity to teach hand stitching at The Mothers' Centre on 20th Street in Saskatoon.  ISN'T THAT COOL!?  Remember my friend Michelle?  She helped me hang my very first solo show four years ago.  She is my Aussie friend - a mom, artist and energy healer who I met through a parenting group here.  She just received a grant to put together an art program for the people who use the Mothers' Centre.  She is approaching specific artists to teach a variety of techniques and crafts that can be utilized by the women as they have conversations on mothering, womanhood, and other soul-searching topics for the purpose of healing and self realization.  HAND STITCHING is one of the skills she asked me to introduce in an afternoon workshop.  !!  : )

OH WOW.

wow!

Valentine Postcards in a Kindergarten class.  xo  How can you not love this!?

I love the potential of all this.  I am so buzzed about it.  The social worker in me is jumping up and down with joy.

You bet I said yes.  

One of my favorite moments was last year when I introduced art to the sewing classes and sewing to the art classes at my old highschool.  The Special Needs teacher had me spend an afternoon with her students doing fibre art as well.  THAT was an amazing few days: rooms full of teenagers - boys and girls of all abilities - all doing hand embroidery and busy and smiling.  Yeah!  Bring it back!  : )

the new supply box I added to a highschool art classroom...

* THANK YOU UNIVERSE *

Sometimes, you just have to wish - and then let it happen.  I believe that if you have to force something to happen, then it is not meant to be at that time.

(There you go - for all my friends on Facebook, now you know my big announcement.  NO I am not pregnant!  lol)

Happy Thursday!

She Sews, She Scores!

Over past several days I have been working on two commissions.  One is for B. in the USA.  She asked for a threadpainting of Blackstrap Lake from the photo I took last fall.  It's coming along really great.  I admit I had to stare and stare at it for the longest time to figure out where to start.  After I agreed, I took a good look at the photo and was overwhelmed with how much landscape is in this piece.  Now I have the 'underpainting' pretty much complete and can now move forward with adding all the trees.

Incidentally, I often work sideways or upside down.  Turning a piece allows me to see things I may not have noticed before.  It's helpful!

For the next phase of this piece, I have all my colors pretty much pick out.  Each tree has a lot of highlights and deep shades.  I have no end of autumn colors in my stash.  Literally - boxes of threads.

beginning my selection

The second commission I have started is from Y. in Australia.  It's G O R G E O U S  - a photo her husband took.  I started selecting me threads...

I have made a good start stitching out this one, however I feel I don't have just the right purples.  So - a shopping I did go.

Sad news - Creative House Sewing & Education Centre will be closing.  The owners are retiring and their building along with both businesses are for sale (the second being Broadway Embroidery).  They sent an email out at the beginning of the month that they are having a sale on everything (20 - 50 percent off).  I will really miss them.  And that space - it is so sunny and beautiful.  pout pout.

So to support my friends in their retirement, I bought my purple thread from them.

And pink thread, and orange thread, and variegated thread, and cotton 12 weights, and rayons, and metallics, and prewound 100 wt bobbins, and hand embroidery needles, and packs of machine needles, and wooden crochet hooks, and loads more hoops for teaching, and fabric...

AND

...two sewing machines.  Yup.  I picked up the last of their Janome classroom sewing machines for my own teaching.  SCORE!  ps - if you are in Saskatoon, they are on Ave I between 20th and 22nd st W. and open Monday to Thursdays only for the rest of the month.  They have TONS of Wonderfil threads, Bohin notions, and beautiful fabrics too.

Okeedokee - off to work on the threadpaintings!  : )

Talk soon,

Linking to TN&TN for WIP Wednesday

Sunday Snapshots

When January feels like Spring...

... it makes me long for this again!!  I can't wait to sit out on my deck to stitch in the fresh air.

(Yes - a BIG teaser here...)  Tell me you want it too!  lol

not a recent photo...

* * * sigh * * *

Well at the least I have been very, very happy with the sunshine.  Through the cold, it's been truly wonderful to see that blue sky nearly every day.

Blue sky makes me happy.
Always.

Happy Sunday!  Have a beautiful day.  : )

Saturday Stitches - Chain

Good morning!  Welcome to Saturday Stitches, where you watch me learn formal embroidery stitches.  You can find all the Saturday Stitches tutorials in the tab at the top of my blog.  And YES - you can Pin these images.  : )

Here is the Basic Chain stitch.  The trick is to have the stitches inside the loop of the last chain, so they link together.  (Excuse these first 2 photos - they are OLD.)

You can also do them on an angle like this:

See how you begin and end the stitches inside the loops?  It isn't recommended that you weave the needle like this.  In my guild (Bridge City NeedleArts - EAC) they suggest you stitch up, stitch down, stitch up... It keeps the stitches cleaner looking.  You have less twisted threads, and you avoid distorting your cloth.

A good way I like to practice new stitches is to use a grid, or Aida cloth.  See the photo below?  It makes everything straight and if you make a mistake, it's easy to see where you when wrong.

Aida cloth is also a great way to practice putting together stitches for crazy quilting border designs.  It's great to try different colors of threads, different weights of threads, and different fibres (silk, cotton, variegated, ribbon).

Below is one more variation of the chain with an open end.  It creates a wider chain that resembles a ladder.

It's like a quilt pattern.  Depending on the colors and fabric choices, you can make completely different looking quilts.

Incidentally, did you notice my needle?  I just got it and I love it!  It's a double blunt-ended cross stitch needle with the eye is in the middle.  It's actually very nice to use.  It was weird fot me to go back to a regular needle.

Here is the beginning of a sampler of detached chain stitches using a bit of everything from my fibre packs.  I started with the heaviest fibres first, and used the thinnest last.  Each cluster has three detached chains worked out from a central point.

Quite useful on quilted postcards or pillows or needle cases...  : )  or ...the backs of mittens, the lower border of a curtain, etc etc.

Have fun!

Things I Love Thursday

Thursday already?

I love...  mornings!

I absolutely love getting out in the mornings.  Thank goodness it has warmed up - above zero on January!  Wow.

I love my poochie.  I have come to the conclusion that he is really a boy trapped inside a dog.  We lie together on the floor in the sunshine and cuddle and stare into each other's eyes.  He follows me everywhere - even sits outside the bathroom door waiting for me.  He is like a toddler.  Too cute.

Buddy. 

I love mornings so much.  In fact, it makes me wonder why I stay up so darn late sometimes, working into the night.  I have never been a night owl.  Heading out in the mornings when no one else is out just feeds my soul.

AH!  It feels like spring!  I love this!

Out for morning walks in my Jammies. : )

Thanks Buddy - for bringing more love and play and cuddles and fresh air into my life.

One more thing:  I love that dogs don't play video games or watch TV.