My Sweet Prairie

- - - Saturday Stitches - - -

2012-02-11T11:50:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Saturday Stitches, where you watch me learn embroidery stitches! You can find all Saturday Stitches posts in the "Tutorials" link at the top of my blog. Enjoy!

Yesterday, I went to stitch with Margot. She was awesome - had everything set out including books and various sized threads. I came away with a Bullion Knot! I tried it before and sadly failed. This time, I nailed it! : ) Awesome. Thank you Margot. Cat tails, here I come!

Start like this.

a long enough needle is helpful

easy does it.

then back down where ever you want

Tada! There you go. You can make them as long or short as you like, with as many or little wraps as you choose. If you wrap ten times onto a long ending stitch, it will look like a cat-tail. If you wrap ten times on the perfect length, it looks like a wormy. : ) If you wrap ten times and don't stitch far at all, then it loops itself, which would be very pretty in a floral piece perhaps!

Have a good one!

: )

Experimental Collaboration Class Project

2012-02-10T10:27:00.000-06:00

As you might know, I'm taking a class at USCAD through a scholarship I so generously received from the Saskatoon Quliters' Guild. thank you! USCAD is the University of Saskatchewan Certificate of Art & Design program. I picked 3 classes to use the funds on: Hand Quilting, Artist's Memoir (a mixed media journaling workshop), and Experimental Fibre Art Advanced. Right now I'm knee deep in the Experimental class.

Woah. It's challenging.

It's not quite what I was expecting, though I must say that I didn't really know what to expect. People love felt, and I am not a fan of touching the stuff. So I went in expecting to work on my own project while trying out new techniques. Oh... I was waaay off base! Instead, each student was to bring an unfinished project and give it up to be completed by someone else. That would most likely mean that I would have to finish someone else's felted work. My world shrank for a moment and I thought I was in the wrong place. lol I stayed, figuring, 'hey - this is a challenge. There must be a reason. I'm bound to learn many things.' My contribution was this nest I started.

The women who adopted it LOVED it and it is now all stitched and beaded and even has a different, more compact shape. Very fun. I showed up rather afraid of what I might 'get stuck with'. Out came the felt. The same woman, Elizabeth, who took on my nest held up a natural grey felted MASK. No kidding! "I LOVE THAT!" I squealed across the room. It was a relief of her own face, though through felting it, the face resembles a much older person. I saw an ancient spirit. I'm sorry I don't have 'before' photos. It was just the face with holes for eyes, and some frayed pieces swooshing off the sides of it. After a couple of 3 hr classes, here's how I finished it!

Pretty different for me! There are yarns, crochet cotton, metalics, feathers, wood beads, and the backing is a cut piece of a sweater. I actually enjoyed felting. I even own felting needles now. That was kind of an accident though. Haha. I borrowed Emma's felting tool and SMASHED two of her needles after 30 seconds of felting, so I went out to buy her more over the weekend.

Last, but not least, here is proof to my husband that it's not 'duct tape'. It is in fact, DUCK TAPE! lol


Come on honey. Say it! Say, "you were right dear". : P

Things I Love Thursdays

2012-02-09T07:55:00.000-06:00

I love stitching,

and winter,

and white,

and a combination of those three.

Sedna's dress, detail

i love stitching snow and beading ice.

Yay! Wait... What's that? Do you hear that? I think I can hear Karen Ruane all the way from the U.K. shouting, "Whoopee! It's about time!" lol That's right, the Winter Dress is on it's way to becoming a reality...

My Sweet Prairie, 2012

2012-02-08T11:41:00.002-06:00

My Sweet Prairie, 2012, a photo by My Sweet Prairie - Monika Kinner on Flickr.

I added the beads this morning, and some extra chunky French Knots. 4x6". Done! ; )

Spring Greens

2012-02-07T11:04:00.000-06:00

I was up at 5 am! I guess I went to bed way too early. The house was quiet and I had all that quiet to myself. I spent 2 hrs stitching in the dandelions and some extra grasses & stalks. Another finish!

Spring Greens, 2012

Spring Greens (full of dandelions) was based on a photo I took two summers ago - the summer when every field was flooded. The browns in the background are stubble & dirt fields. The algae-covered water in the foreground is a flooded ditch by the road. This piece measures about 7x9". I personally love this one. There's just something about the colors that I love so much. : )

Bloom, take three

2012-02-06T13:38:00.000-06:00

Here is Bloom 3, all finished! I love it! It's 3 by 9 inches, vertical. I'll put it into a similar frame and matting as Twelve Trees. Take a look!

Here's some better-lit details...

: )

Happy Monday,

Sunday Snapshots

2012-02-05T11:21:00.000-06:00

My twenty minutes, hovering over the edge of someone's yard with my camera pointed at their snow bank...

This next photo is not upside-down. This is the way they were, poking out of the snowbank, with the contrast tweaked a bit.

Here is my favorite! : )

Love that orange star!

Wow. I love these. Hope you enjoyed them! ; )

- - - Saturday Stitches - - -

2012-02-04T18:06:00.000-06:00

At the last meeting of the Embroiderers' Guild, I was given a little project to take home. It was several candlewicking pieces that required only Colonial Knots. I had never heard of that before, so I learned it and now I'll show you! : ) So welcome back to another edition of 'Saturday Stitches' where you watch me teach myself to embroider!

you can see all posts by clicking on 'Tutorials' at the very top of my blog

A Colonial Knot is a little different that a French Knot. It doesn't make that little doughnut. It makes a good tied knot but wrapping the needle in a figure eight. Check it out...

bring the needle up, and then lie the tip over and under the thread like that...

Take the working thread and put it across the tip of the needle and then tuck it under again.

put the needle back into the cloth, close to where you first came up

Pull to tighten the knot a bit and then take the needle right through to the bottom.

And there you have it! It's pretty easy. They sure look lumpy and knotty compared the the French Knot. They would work great as pebbles in a small landscape I bet. hmm....

Have a great weekend!

Let me tell you about TN&TN

2012-02-03T19:15:00.000-06:00

In the fall, I opened up a second blog. It's not exactly mine though. It's a place for Canadian bloggers to link up and showcase their crafts. It's a place specifically for needle arts, Canuck-style. This includes quilters, sewists, knitters, hookers, crocheters, doll makers, lace makers, embroidery, weavers, and any other related hobby or art.

So far, there's a link party where you can hook up a blogpost mid-week. We have about 20 crafters sharing their projects regularly. Anyone can follow the blog (Canadian or not !). In fact, we encourage everyone to watch. We will continue to showcase "Works-in-Progress Wednesdays", but once we get to 100 followers, "Feature Fridays" will be added. THIS will be cool, because then you get to learn more about each artisan / sewist. If you are interested in being featured as one of our Friday spotlights, please leave your name in the comments section here: Feature Fridays @ TN&TN. Don't be shy! You'll get a permanent listing at the site that connects to your blog, online store, and any other links you want to. You'll also get one of these fancy buttons, courtesy of the fabulous Rita Penner. Thank you Rita. She has stepped up to gather the Friday content to our blog.

If you just want to follow, you can do that too. We are here for your viewing pleasure. Down the right sidebar are links to Canadian publications and the Needlework Pages (what a terrific resource!). P.S. The editors of these publications might just be peeking in now and then, so here's a great chance to be noticed. Head on over to The Needle and Thread Network to check it out and become a follower! Help us reach our goal to surpass 100 followers! : )

Click to Link: The Needle and Thread Network

Thanks on behalf of Monika K. and Rita P. ; )

Friday Finishes

2012-02-02T23:52:00.001-06:00

I finished it! I completed the dark little french knots along the reeds. I finished the details in the trees as well. I love the horizontal lines in the tree trunks. Yay! It's done.

October's Eve, 2012

This is one I will likely not do again, simply because of the sky. This one was hand painted/dyed and just happened to be so fitting for this piece. It was perfect, and completely accidental! I nearly tossed the sky until when I realized how strongly it resembled that night.

Onward...

Here's a wall hanging I've been tossing around in my head for two years now. It's a topography of the South Saskatchewan river & the farmers' fields. I did one before in raw silks, though there was no river in it. This is just the audition - all the pieces lying on the table. So far I like it. This is how I'll be using all those blue decorative yarns eventually. The fabric pieces you see are all taffeta.

Topography II

You need to imagine that with lots of stitches : ) It's pretty big compared to my little embroideries. It's maybe 20x30 inches or so?

And then I did a silly thing. I signed up to make 'I Believe in Faeries' postcards for the PostCard Cottage swaps. ugh. I swore I would take a month off because I have so many commitments in March, Oh March. It's pretty much ridiculous. Sooo many commitments. Sew many.

Happy Groundhog's Day!

Things I Love Thursdays

2012-02-02T07:19:00.000-06:00

I love foggy mornings.

It was a warm morning, and very humid. All the crystals started to stick to the branches. I love watching hoar frost develop.

take from my boys' 2nd story window : )

I am not good at photographing birds. Not at all, so I love that this little fellow jumped into the picture just as the sun came out. : )

Sweet! Happy Thursday everyone!

Work in Progress

2012-01-31T22:11:00.000-06:00

I was finally able to get more done on this piece... Eve's Glow. October's Glow. October Eve. (sigh) Still not decided on the title. I am really enjoying every stitch though. ; )

rusty French knots in the reeds to show off curls

I am still so very impressed with how those Wonderfil rayons really make the water look like water.

I'm also at the point of hand stitching this piece. I haven't shown you yet. It's a new take on Bloom. It's 3x9 inches... vertical! I love the feel that cropping things differently creates. Here's some pretty close-ups of the work thus far.

Bloom 3, in progress

Here is the first Bloom from last year, 6x8".

Bloom, 2011 (sold)

Now that I have more colors, I really look forward to stitching in the blanket flowers onto Bloom 3.

Check this out. I was wandering aimlessly around a department store, looking for treasure to perk me up after a week of tending to sick me and sick children. (Do you ever do that?) I found it! Bernat decorative bundles of yarn fibres. It's a 'scarf making kit' at Zeller's... but I have other plans for these pretties.

mmmm... couching, couching, and more couching : )

No kidding! Zeller's for ten bucks each. Nice. There's a heck of a lot there! I'm impressed.

Linking to The Needle & Thread Network! ; )

At Least There is Celery.

2012-01-30T22:39:00.000-06:00

Now that I'm on the mend, the last two kids are down with a cold. I have nothing to show but that fact that we've been juicing a lot. Sleeping. Fighting over the tissue box. Drinking much tea. At least there's celery!

Sunday Snapshots

2012-01-29T09:47:00.000-06:00

Some of my favorites from one year ago...

snooping around the Bessborough for a good view

on guarde! by Jack Frost

that little bud at the Mendel Conservatory

my fridge magnets

Happy Sunday!

Work in Progress - Nearly Done!

2012-01-27T22:52:00.001-06:00

I'm having a lot of fun with this piece. It has crazy colors, but it's all coming together so well. This is why it is good to have nearly 300 thread colors in your stash. ; ) Here is the hand-stitched finishing, part one.

This is based on a photo I took in October. There were pinks and purples in the darkening sky. Night was coming. It was windy out. I parked just past Grasswood and faced into the west for these shots. There was a flooded ditch, or maybe a slough lined with green algae and curly-topped reeds. Those trees are typical - when you can see all these bare top branches poking out above some leafy boughs. I wonder... if I leave this, will people think I failed to finish the trees?

I have this 7x9 inch canvas clamped into the universal craft stand and my Ottlite is on. WOW. These are no doubt my favorite presents from under the tree last month. I can see good color in the dark, and my work is being held for me. lol Brilliant.

I'm quite thrilled at the contrast of glowing burnt orange in the land with the teal and purple in the sky. I'm really happy as well with the way the water has turned out! It's rayon Wonderfil, and the reeds are cotton with some hand stitched. The pond reflects the sky colors really well!

the lower corner of the piece...

I added a lot of texture to the trees' leaves by hand. There's still lots more to do.

this is my favorite shot

The pink and blue sky is so reminiscent of the beginning of winter here. So that's where I'm getting the name... "Winter is Coming". Or should I call it, "October Evening"? `October`s Eve`. hmmm. I haven`t decided. Inspire me! Hopefully I will get all the stitching completed over the weekend. There are a few more highlights to add until it's done... Happy weekend!

Friday Finishes - The Canola Field!

2012-01-26T23:15:00.001-06:00

Ever so slowly, and I mean really slowly, I have been working on this little piece. I'm down with a cold, so it's stitch - sleep - stitch - sleep... I've done a few canola fields so far, and this is my favorite. I know. I say that each time, but it's because I feel like I get better with each piece. I certainly notice that each successive piece becomes easier to create and more enjoyable to make each time. So here it is!

I have yet to finish the edge and mount it to frame, but the work is done and I just love it. It's inspired by my first prairie photo ever...

2009

I snapped that picture from off the highway just south of Cochin. I stood by the ditch, facing the Day's Beach market garden. It was that first photo with the lush, lush ditch that inspired me to try to stitch out my first landscape. You know... "nothing to look at" on the prairies. Here's a whole bunch of nothing, I stitched in great detail ; )

By machine and by hand...

I think it even looks pretty cool sideways! : ) Bear with me... still under the weather. :(

I love sewing the prairies! : )
Linking to A Prairie Sunrise - For the love of color.

Things I Love Thursdays

2012-01-26T09:16:00.000-06:00

Bear with me... I'm sick. Husband is sick. Little boy is sick...
hmmm
I love not being sick. ;) I love being able to breathe. I love sleep. You get the idea...

the only place I want to be right now.

I do love these sunshiny days. It's warm again - above zero in January! I love that my oldest can walk my littlest to school. : )

that's right... she's wearing shorts again!

For the most part... I love that my girl has a mind of her own. : ) I love that my oldest boy is so incredibly responsible.

Did I mention that I love not being sick? (...trying to be positive here).

Then yesterday, a sweet surprise landed itself into my mailbox. I love how this cheered me up! : )

It's a fabric-collage garden postcard from Dorothy M. to say thanks for the workshop! Awe! Thank you Dorothy!! ; ) I love it.

Happy Thursday everyone!

WIP Wednesday

2012-01-24T20:17:00.002-06:00

I've been on the look out for dress forms / dress displays. We've had lots of snow and I've gone for several walks in it. I feel so infused and ready to continue on with my second wearable - A Winter Dress. Or perhaps just an arctic corset. We'll see how it transforms. Nonetheless, Karen Ruane (Contemporary Embroidery) will be so proud of me that I'm finally picking up the slack. I took her white-on-white embroidery cloth class last year online and fully expected to be done by now. But without snow through November and December, it just wasn't working for me. The timing must be right because a second dress form was just delivered to my doorstep. It's time!

how else to say thank you to a sewist for passing on some of her gear to me?

I made up this postcard with a print from Fabricland. I 'traced' it with variegated thread and popped it in the mailbox last night on my way home from guild. We had a garage sale there last night, and can you believe I came home with a bolt of the most perfect color for an autumn prairie dress!!?? Oooh I'm committed now aren't I? 2 more dress forms or dress stands are needed to buy or barter for, so drop me an email if you can help out. mysweetprairie@gmail.com

Last week I began an "Experimental Fibre - Advanced" class at university. I've been having trouble writing about it since that first day. I was expecting to be able to work on a project of my own using some techniques I've been wanted to try. Instead, we are asked to bring in an incomplete project and work on finishing someone else's. WHoa. Many of my classmates like paint and felt, and I don't (can't stand the feel of working with wool). Still, I want to put my heart and soul into this class. What on earth would I offer!?? I'm not sure sewing machines and quilting are embraced in this arena. But maybe that's just my own apprehension. Then I had the perfect idea (or so I hope). I worked all afternoon on Sunday stitching together a nest by hand. I used cotton thread and flax fibre to create something I can resonate with. It's texture, it's fibre, it's nature, it's full of intention... : ) I think it will be a wonderful palette for someone else to add to.

I am so proud of this. I am making more. I have plans! ; )

My hopes are that someone else in the class will thoroughly enjoy embellishing this sculpture in their own way, with their own story. I will need to work on a project on my own time using the skills I take from that class. There certainly is a terrific range of skills that those women hold! I'll keep you posted.

And finally - I have a pile of prairie. There are a good ten weeks until the Gardenscape show, and I'm feeling really terrific about what is done so far. I have 4 pieces ready for hand stitching. : ) This one below is about half way done.

My Sweet Prairie Canola field in progress (sideways)

There you go! That's where I'm at right now. Oh my! I heart fibre art! : ) I'm linking to The Needle & Thread Network and Esther's Blog too : )

Happy Chinese New Year

2012-01-23T13:31:00.000-06:00

What perfect timing! I just checked the mailbox, and there was a card from the "Year of the Dragon" swap!

4x6 postcard from Cheryl Coville

Woohoo! It even matches my outfit. hehe Thank you Cheryl! I love it! Here's a couple of cards that I made for the swap. They are in the mail today! It's a baby dragon about to hatch. I tired to make them cute, but I worry it looks a bit spooky. lol

I'm looking forward to the other cards I'll be getting soon. : ) You can see Becky's here.

Happy Year of the Dragon!

Pretties for You.

2012-01-23T09:02:00.001-06:00

Last week I saw crocuses at the grocery store. I just couldn't pass it up. I gave them to my daughter and they began to bloom. Nothing today but pretty photos. Enjoy! ; )

I love that ruffly stamen and the sparkle in the purple petals.

Have a great day. I'm busy stitchin' and will have more to show tomorrow...

Sunday Snapshots

2012-01-21T23:50:00.000-06:00

All photos are unedited, and courtesy of Jackie Frost : ). Enjoy!

South window - freezing, melting, freezing

ice firework bursts! North window.

Birds on a hill. : ) WOW.

That Jack... he's one cool dude. : )

A Terrific Evening with Crappy Photos to Prove It!

2012-01-21T12:02:00.002-06:00

Last night went really great! We got all dressed up and found a sitter. That doesn't happen very often. After more than 12 years of parenting, I can count our night-outs with my fingers once each. I'm feeling like I shouldn't bother posting because the photos or terrible, but I had a great night. I want to share it with you anyway.

Monika & Michael (p.s. It's his birthday!)

It was fun to watch people get closer and closer to my work. I love when they finally realize what they are looking at - all those little stitches. The wine was great. The food was great. Some friends came by and I even got a little wrapped gift of chocolates that I devoured on the way home ; ) (Thank you!!!). It was so nice to visit with Terry & Margot Lindsay. (Each colored name links to examples of their work.) They are both prairie artists - one paints and one stitches. Nicki Ault came by with some of her friends. She blogs and paints the prairie. You can see her work here. All of the craft council people were SO gracious to all the artists involved. Thank you for putting on such a wonderful event!

Of the items in the show, I really loved the soapstone and the glasswork too. The wood work was exquisite! I don't have photos to show you. I need to go back and take note of some of their names. I couldn't get over that storm photo taken by Craig Hilts, a storm chaser. That in itself is a craft I think! Yikes! Sunsets & sewing is much safer for me : ). You can see his photography here.

The bad news though, is that I was not there with 'bells' on. I was, however, there with a GORGEOUS bracelet! Thank you Grandma Coco for offering to let me test drive this gorgeous handmade beauty!

you can see a WAY better photo of it HERE. It is SO pretty.

It's Saturday now. There's a bit of a blizzard out there so I'm going to work on all the handstitching that is awaiting my with my new pieces. Hopefully I'll have lots of new things to show next week. : )

New Colors & Winner Announced

2012-01-20T01:05:00.000-06:00

New colors! Aren't you proud of me? I have piles of photos from every season, but generally I have done blue sky and green grass. Even when the grass is yellow, those skies were still blue. There's a stormy late-November photo that has been nagging me. It dawned on me that I have just the right sky, from my painting experiments last week! Take a look.

I realize that is extremely dark. The foreground has a ditch full of water, backed by reeds that have turned a gorgeous color! Here's how I have put it together...

That's more blue & purple than pink, but I love the contrast of the purple with the deep orange undertones. Here are the threads I've pulled out.

The mucky-green is the color of the surface of the water. I may or may not use these exact threads, but I put them by my machine and start filling in space.

Basic threadpainting started.

I am LOVING this so far. The colors in real life just sing and glow. I think it really gets the feel of that day when I snapped the photo. It's pretty magical. Crossing my fingers... Sometimes when I over thread-paint the horizon, things buckle on me a bit because the sky is minimally stitched. This time, I stuck some of this on the back. It's pretty cool! It's tear-away Sulky Sticky+ stabilizer (though I won't bother tearing it away). It comes on a roll that has a peel & stick backing. great idea! No fusible, no iron. I like that.

And now .... (drumroll please) the winner from is Wendy O! My random draw was done by my 8 yr old ; ).
Let me know your snail mail and I'll mail it out to you! Congrats and thank you so much for you lovely comments.

Alrighty then. Time to do some hand stitches. Have a great day everyone, and thank you again for all the beautiful words. : )

Things I Love Thursdays

2012-01-19T09:47:00.000-06:00

I love the comments under yesterday's post. You made me laugh, you made me cry. I don't know what to say but thank you.

I love winter. I love how BRIGHT it is. I love it's freshness. I love how it lets us know we are ALIVE.

I love this new blanket that fell so thick, and so full of crystals that sparkle. I love how low the winter sun is. It shines right though our back windows and out the other side of the house even at high noon. Everything fills with sunshine in the winter.

I love that someone felt compelled to buy this paper postcard and send it to me when they found it! : ) It makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it! : )

the back of this postcards credits the photographer!

Thank you so much Joy! Happy Thursday everyone. : )

ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND.

2012-01-18T17:14:00.000-06:00

Yeah! Like as in : 100,000 ! That's how many 'hits' my blog has had in about a year and a half. That doesn't include my visits. WHOA! I hope I have been some serious inspiration for some of you. I started this blog in order to let people see what I"m making - specifically, the people who had commissioned quilts or art from me. I thought they would like to see their piece as it is created. I never thought I would enjoy blogging so much. (It's easy for me - I journalled daily for fifteen years...)

colors, binding, buttons included in the kit for "Snips n Snails" quilt

To celebrate ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND times being checked out, you want a piece of me? I'll do a random draw Thursday night, and announce the winner on Friday morning. What's the prize? I have 1 copy of this magazine and one fabric kit (minus white fabric, batting, backing and thread). This is the summer issue of A Needle Pulling Thread, and the kit includes buttons, binding, and precut color strips to make this quilt. The pattern is published inside, and it features embroidery as well.

A Needle Pulling Thread, Summer 2011 pattern here

Skill Level: SUPER SIMPLE.

templates for the snails, mushrooms, dragonflies are in the magazine

All you have to do is leave a comment with your email if it's anonymous. Tell me in the comments what keeps bringing you back here. Is it the photos? The art? The fact that I am so darn funny? haha. Maybe you can't believe anyone would live in the prairies and so you keep coming back to see if I'm really still here? Let me know what it is for you, and I will try to keep it up. One comment/entry per person please.

Have a great day, and thanks again ANPT!

New Work in Progress

2012-01-18T08:13:00.001-06:00

I got the motherload of thread recently. Creative House gave me some rayon Wonderfil thread to work with. Sew & Home is selling out of their thread so I went in and got some colors I needed for half price. Before all this, I had picked up some variegated cottons that were perfect for the fields I was working on from Periwinkle's. Even before that, I took advantage of a Christmas sale with Connecting Threads. They had solid cotton sets for 40% off and that just arrived at my door yesterday. Does this mean I have a problem? No. It simply means that I am over the moon. ; ) This photo is for you Kit. ; )

two hundred and seventy eight spool.

I topped all of my 12x12 scrapbook bins and I feel like a top chef with a fully stocked kitchen!! It's an all you can eat smorgasbord for a threadpainter! lol I figure that I've stared at this 2010 photo long enough now that I can attempt to pull this one off.

I set my photos in high contrast to help me 'see' the range of color, definition, and texture.

So, here's my 'Work in Progress'...

Fabric colors in place. no templates needed.

I don't trace or use templates. I go by sight, and work with my original photo nearby or up on my laptop screen. It's prairie. It's straight lines and a few proportions. This part is a quick process. Everything goes down onto a stabilizer. No hoop needed. I use Lapel Stick to put the general colors in the right places simply because I have a hard time waiting for paint to dry. This is the way I like to do it.

Next up - set the machine for free motion and away I sew!
...and sew... and sew... until hours later I get something like this:

Free hand machine work nearly done. Lots of definition yet to be added.

It's at this point when I become quite cross-eyed and unfocused. I usually stop here for the rest of the day. On day two, I'll be able to notice new things, and see exactly what needs to be added where. I was so surprised to notice water in this picture. I have stared at this photo for nearly 2 years and had never seen the water! Once I started thread painting, I looked deeper at the yellow in the lower right corner. It's a flooded ditch or slough with algae floating on top. !! Well, that sure makes things more interesting! Had you noticed the water!?? Go back to the photo and look behind the fat dandelions... I was actually in the process of stitching it when I realized what it was that I was stitching!

grasses coming up out of the water

After the machine work is done, I take another long break. After that, I add the things that I feel would look much better done by hand. (That would be every flower head.) Flowers just need to be individually stitched I think.

little french knots and seed stitches

There will probably be a couple afternoons of hand stitching to get all the forefront grasses and big dandelions in. This is my favorite part. I love handstitching, and i love to see how it brings the work to life. After that, I'll do one more afternoon to clean it up, sign it, and satin stitch the edges. For now, this is where I'm at with it. : )

work in progress, first thread painting of 2012

Linking to The Needle and Thread Network! : )

The Bobbin Thing. And BEAUTIFUL Thread.

2012-01-17T08:59:00.000-06:00

I was at Creative House the other day to see their new sewing lounge and inquire about teaching there. (Yes!! I plan to be teaching in the fall!!) When they heard me gush about my love of thread, they sent me home with this to try.

I know... excuse the left-over holiday party-polish. ; ) But seriously, check out the thread! It's by Wonderfil, and it's called Razzle. It's a big fat crochet-size rayon in my favorite color with sparkle through it! I have a regular 'red arrow' bobbin case for sewing, a 'blue arrow' for free motion and thread painting so that I don't have to fiddle with the machine's tension at all between threads. (LOVE that about Janome.) So I bought a third bobbin case and marked it with party-green nail polish to distinguish it from the rest. It's my "play" bobbin. What a liberating thing to not fear adjusting the bobbin tension! : )

I set the tension screw so that the Razzle cord could easily unwind off the bobbin. Then away I went. I didn't want to try too much because I really don't want to waste an inch of this thread. ; ) I put a green 50 weight Wonderfil cotton in the top (Tutti green variegated), away I went... basically sewing upside down. When you flip it over, you'll see the cotton top thread appears to couch the Razzle bobbin thread onto the fabric. Isn't that cool!?

This was just stitched down onto a scrap of stabilizer. What a cool thing. I'll couch with it on top too, feeding it through the foot. For now though, this is pretty intriguing....

perfect couching.

Thank you George & Wendy : )

One Woman's Trash is Another Woman's Treasure

2012-01-16T10:25:00.001-06:00

I saw another quilt blogger post about cutting up fabric, changing her mind, tossing the fabric, and then feeling guilty. She ended up posting her triangles of fabric as a giveaway. I was chosen! Thank you Rachel at Stitched in Color . My first thought was to use them as scraps for postcards. However, once I realized they were all the same size, I thought, "hey!? why not Dresdens!?" They just arrived, and I got to work right away folding them all in half with right side in, and chain pieced them...

always pretty in the window : )

Then I clipped them, flipped them right-side out and once they are pressed, they are all ready to go! I really love the fabrics of some of them. Since they are all 45 degrees, I will need eight to make a plate (8 x 45 degrees = 360 or one circle )

stitch, clip, press, flip, press, and now stitch again...

I know, that's not much of a tutorial. But aren't they sweet!? I plan to applique these onto a wallhanging. Maybe I'll hang on to this for when I take my hand quilting class at the Studio on 9th. Oooo I can't wait for that!

I heart Dresdens!

Sunday Snapshots

2012-01-15T17:24:00.000-06:00

: )

A couple of days ago...

Here is our front yard today!

And here is our back yard. : )

Believe it or not, everyone managed to drive through knee-deep snow to get to the postcards workshops today. What fun - and what a wonderful bunch of creative women! : ) I picked the theme of Valentine's Day, and look at all the lovelies they came up with!

Happy ~~Sunday~~ Snowday! ; )

Inspirations & Preparations

2012-01-14T16:11:00.001-06:00

Half-way through putting the supplies together for the Creative Stitched Postcards Workshop I'm running tomorrow at Heritage, I got side tracked. Hmmm. It seems to happen a lot in my studio. I think I'll blame it on the fact that I really should be cleaning it and sorting it all out. Instead, I started looking through photos. I need to think about a new collection for the next show & sale at Gardenscape. I came across this one... I took it two years ago during the summer when everything was flooding.

I like the horizontal layers and vertical lines. I picked out this one in particular, cropped it and set the contrast differently to bring out lines and colors. I had never noticed the blues before!

I really like the potential with this one. It would make a great chunky fibre panel to hang alone on the wall. I'm going to do it in thread first. So I sketched out the lines that will guide my stitches.

Next I put in the colors with pencil crayons. I've been hanging on to this box of pencil crayons since I first moved to Calgary in 1996! I bought them for a project I was doing at the time but I never ended up coloring it all in. I knew they would get used sooner or later!

That was easy. I'm glad I didn't bother hauling out wet paints for this. Done. I am looking forward to stitching this one! And this one...

Summer 2010

...and this one...

Summer 2010

I love all the color and detail and water too. It must be this 'winter drought' we are experiencing. Still no snow and extremely mild...

Okay! back to packing for tomorrow's workshop! See you Sunday. : )

I Am So Excited!

2012-01-13T14:44:00.000-06:00

Lookie! Here it is...

On Friday morning, before the gallery lights were on, my daughter and I stopped by the Saskatchewan Craft Council to pick up some paperwork... (ahaha) which I forgot, because I was too busy taking photos. The 'Seeds' group exhibit of emerging fine craft artisans in Saskatchewan is up until February 26th. There's my "A Prairie Dress" !!! and to the right of it is the "Knock Your Socks Off!" shoes that go with it.

I love this view from the back of the gallery.

I really look forward to meeting the other artisans. The reception is 7-9 pm on Friday, January 20th. I'll be there with my Husband Michael, so please say hello! (It happens to be his birthday FYI.) Don't forget to sign the guest register. ; )

The Affinity Gallery is also the office space of the Saskatchewan Craft Council. The address is 813 Broadway Avenue, Saskatoon. The gallery is open seven days a week from 1pm to 5 pm. Admission is free with donations accepted.

What will I wear? What will I wear? I told everyone I would "be there with bells on". hmmm...

Painted Sky

2012-01-13T00:30:00.000-06:00

I have no idea how to paint or dye fabric. I usually use blue sky fabrics that I can find in pre-cut fat quarters at Periwinkle Quilting in Saskatoon. I really want to make pink, purple, orange, and yellow skies. I want to try painting heavy clouds. I did a bit of reading online, and thought I would try brushing a wet paint across a damp fabric. I tired painting sheer, and I tried plain white cotton. I used the Dye-ne-flo paints with a wet brush. The Dye-na-flo is a liquid dye for painting silks as far as I understand. It is permanent when heat set, and won't add the weight of oilbars.

I painted the sky just as it looked that moment out my window. It looked so good! Then I picked up the cloth and suddenly the colors spread and turned all the definition into mush before I could snap a photo. :( I should have known better and let it dry. Oh well. Live & learn. So I put coarse salt across the clouds. No harm done... I might as well experiment!

Where the single grains landed, the paint pooled around and it almost looks like it was flowing or something! Look closer.

This will make a good sky piece to stitch trees over I think. ; ) It has good colors, but it's a little too abstract for my work I think (unless i do some abstract work). I won't throw it away. You never know.

Here's some of my first samples from last week:

On sheer:

On wet cotton fabric:

On recycled / reclaimed unknown white fabric...

You can bet my next set of art will have color in the skies. I'm doing fire colors tomorrow. I'm booked again for Gardenscape this year, and that show is at the end of March. That's not too long is it? I had better get to work and stop crocheting doilies and coasters! lol (But it's so fun!!)

Happy Friday everyone!

Things I Love Thursdays

2012-01-12T00:23:00.000-06:00

I love this January along the Meewasin trails! It looks like early November, except that there is much more yellow.

Hey look! I actually found some snow!

I love yellow!!! I love the gracefulness and delicacy of grasses. I love the air of the prairies.

I went to the river's edge to take some photos, and I love that I could run my fingers through the sand! : )

I love all the colors. I love to set my pictures on higher contrast to see the definition of lines & shapes.

Meewasin Valley, South Saskatchewan River January 2012

Mostly - I love, love, love Saskatchewan. I can't help it. It's in my blood I guess. I just get so much out of living here. I need all that land. I need all that sky. I need all the seasons to feel alive. I love wind, warm, cold, wet, dry...

Home.

How to Build a Nest.

2012-01-10T15:20:00.000-06:00

Here's my Carpal Tunnel Surgery update:

It never happened.

I chickened out after being admitted to the hospital! I went to a massage therapist twice with AMAZING results. I can type without my hands falling asleep. So I figured, hey! Why not attempt to crochet? I LOVED to crochet but it was the worst on my hands. I made this a long, long time ago. Like everything else, I didn't use a pattern. I just started crocheting and stitching by sight.

An old coaster...

I took a chance and made up another with some green & white. EASY. Easy on my hands. (I'm in shock.)

Spiral.

I like the shell motif in this one. I figured, what the heck? Let's make another...

Like snowflakes.

Because I don't have a plan, it ends up that no two are ever alike. They are so fun to make and they look pretty all over the black coffee table. I have this gorgeous mixed-thread brown yarn that I found in a bargain bin. Sometimes with fibre art, those are the BEST. I started to crochet the earthy brown yarn into a circle again. As I'm doing this, it's reminding me of a nest. So before I added the loops around the edge, I stopped and tied off. I cut several short lengths of the yarn and took them apart. I wove them in and out of the crocheted piece just as my bird does. And tada! Lookie what I made!

Nest.

I think it's naturally perfect, and I am going to weave it into a branch to secure it. No eggs, no bird... just the nest as you find it in the bush. I might add some weathered autumn fibre leaves about to drop. : ))) Just like farmers make great quilters, so do birds make great weavers!

Isn't that cool!? It's my first official 'soft sculpture'. Oh trust me... there will be more!

linking up to The Needle and Thread Network. : )

Now a 'Card Carrying Member'

2012-01-10T00:38:00.000-06:00

Gee, I forgot to tell you! Last week, I officially became a card-carrying-member of the Bridge City NeedleArts Guild and the EAC (Embroiderers' Association of Canada). Check out this page on the Artists' Trading Cards! They look a lot like the postcards I love making, but these are the size of a playing cards.

I met these bold ladies over the summer at their open stitch nights. I say bold because I had barely become involved with the group when they officially decided that I was to be a guest speaker this spring. lol I found out by accident while attending one of their business meetings as a guest last fall. I sat there that night as they voted to accept the motion to have Monika be a guest speaker. I had a good laugh at that one! I looked over to one of the members and whispered, "oh gosh I thought when they said Monika, they meant me!" And she laughed, "yes - it is you. We just haven't told you yet." I was so embarrassed! lol So I attended a couple more meetings and decided I like them. They've taught me a lot already. I LOVE their work. Oh how I love their work! I saw stumpwork and bobbin lace and silk ribbon and pulled thread and ... sigh. I want to learn it all! I also really love the selection of books they bring each meeting. I took one home that's all on the work of Dutch/Australian Annemeike Mein. Look her up. Be prepared to be awestruck!! Her work is gigantic. I also found out about Canadian 'needlepainter' Tanya Berlin. She does her threadpaintings all by hand. WOW. Head spinning. Needle and thread knows no bounds! So much to learn. : )

It's the Simple Things in Life. It really is.

2012-01-08T23:45:00.000-06:00

This is the week that I deliver all the art to their new homes. It's always such an interesting time. Today was a simple day. Mrs. "P" lives close enough to me that I could walk to where she lives in about 20 minutes. Remember Mrs. 'P'? She bought one of my first pieces of art, with vigor! You'll have to go back here and read the story. I think it's a good one. Mrs. 'P' and I correspond via snail mail since she does not have email. I love getting letters from her. She lives in a seniors highrise and as it turns out, she loves my art. She went all the way to Gardenscape to buy the littlest piece last year. Now at this show in the Centre Galleries, she left payment with the administration for a third piece of small art. It was my favorite: Winter Comes at Night.

I lost Mrs. 'P''s number, and so I set out for a walk to drop off her art. It was seven degrees above 0C today! The school yard I cut through was bare and the grass was light yellow. It looked SO pretty with the blue, blue sky. The few clouds were all whispy like breaths, and there were lots of kids skating on the pond between my house and her's. It smells like fall and feels like spring. I am so glad I walked!

me in the glare

I got to Mrs. 'P''s unannouced. It was tea time and she invited me up to her place to sit for a visit. From her apartment, I stood at the windows. I don't get up high very often. This was many stories up. I was high enough to see far, far, far. I could see right over the city and out into the flat fields. I could see the entire horizon from left to right. She said her windows face east, and all I could do was imagine how much I would LOVE to be in her shoes each morning.

Mrs. 'P' fed me maple tea and sugar, along with some butterscotch baking. Heaven! : ) I started to tell her about me, but I'm not sure she was too interested. She didn't ask who I was. So I asked questions about her life. : ) She doesn't sew or quilt, and that's why she likes my work. We visited for quite a while, and I was so calmed by the quiet home with no one yelling at you "I'm hungry! He won't play with me! I need a band aid! Wipe my bum!" to which I am all too accustomed. Don't get me wrong - I love my kids, but oooh I love quiet too! I can't wait to live at her pace. Maybe I need a sabbatical.

Our family portrait on a postcard

I gave her a hug good-bye in the lobby and we went our separate ways. The whole way home, I smiled. I stopped for little conversations with strangers along the way. There was a dad checking out the ice with his boy, and a few people walking dogs or jogging. "Happy Spring!" I would say, and for the most part, the person would burst out giggling. ; )

I got home, took out my paints and brushed on a few skies onto plain fabric for the first time, and there is my day. Super-fulfilling. I feel rejuvenated. Tomorrow I figure out my teaching schedule, book babysitters, deliver more art, and head off to the guild meetings, cook-clean-cook-clean-cook-clean... you know the drill.

See you tomorrow!

Sunday Snapshots

2012-01-08T10:02:00.000-06:00

I took these pretties in the morning a few days ago from my kitchen window.

I went to show my kids on the viewing screen of the camera. They saw it upside down and thought it was the lake. !! Check it out! See the waves?

Woah. There's waves rolling in! : ) Now I want to go turn all my photos upside down!

Seeds. I'm in!

2012-01-07T17:02:00.004-06:00

I'm in! : ), a photo by My Sweet Prairie - Monika Kinner on Flickr.

Seeds: An exhibition featuring the work of emerging Fine Craft Artisans in Saskatchewan opens January 13 until February 26, 2012 at the Affinity Gallery of the Saskatchewan Craft Council on Broadway in Saskatoon. Curated by Stephanie Canning.

Whooopeeee!! : ) My 'A Prairie Dress' and the accompanying shoes I made will be on display there along with a dozen other artists' work. The gallery is open daily from 1 to 5 pm. The reception will be held on Friday, January 20th from 7 to 9 pm. You can bet that I will be there with bells on!!

Postcards & a BIG Thank You!

2012-01-06T00:50:00.000-06:00

I really need to thank all the amazing people who have been getting involved with The Needle & Thread Network. Not sure what that is? The link is HERE. I started it in the fall. It's an open link-up blog specifically for creative Canadian stitchers & fibre artists. I love to see what everyone is working on each Wednesday. I love to blog hop and meet like minded neighbors. We have about twenty regular women posting weekly and nearly 80 people signed up as followers. When I feel like that number is low still, I am reminded that Canada is only one-tenth the population of the United States... and then I think, "Wow! What a big group we are!". I can find a handful of American link up parties like this, but finding the Canucks is like finding a needle in a shag carpet. lol. So for this group, I am so very thankful! If you are interested, please sign on as a follower. Once we hit 100 followers, we will start a 'feature Friday' where you get to know these creative souls a little better and take a good look at their best creations or online products & art for sale. Please note - this group is open to embroiderers, weavers, fabric & quilt designers, fibre artists, crochet & knitters... anything related to fiber including home sewing and garments. If you have a favorite Canadian blog that fits this description, please pass this info on to them! ; )

And now, for some Friday Finishes! Well - I signed up for THREE swaps. (WHY MONIKA!? WHY!?). lol I couldn't resist. For one swap, I have to make three 'Self Portraits'. They are nearly finished. For the other, I have to make 'Year of the Dragon' themed cards... nearly finished. The third swap is for 'Embellished Owls'. I didn't think I would join this last one, but then I started staring at this fabric. I think it came to me from a swap via the mail. I'm not sure!

I have never used those self-threading needles before. I change thread colors A LOT in my work, and I must say that I absolutely love these! 'POP' and it's threaded.

I stared at the fabric for a while, and then after nearly three hours of sewing, I did this!

It's all by hand with two strands of embroidery floss, and ooooh it's so cute! It's so cute!

I did the borders with a decorative stitch, and then narrow satin stitch on the machine. There was the before & after shot. It turned out so lovely, and I adore the colors!!

sweet!

The question is, "Whoooooooo's going to get it in the mail?" ; )

Things I Love Thursdays

2012-01-05T07:58:00.000-06:00

I love needles that thread themselves.

I love how a bluejay can sit at the very tip top of an evergreen!

I love how looking at the land makes me want to sew! Gee, I got it bad. ;P

Floral Road, December 25th 2012

Happy Thursday!

A Pretty Terrific Province

2012-01-04T08:22:00.000-06:00

I dropped off my items for the next show at the Affinity Gallery / Saskatchewan Craft Council on Broadway. I stayed a while to enjoy the current show. There was a lot of fibre art - from felting / soft scultpure to art quilts to stitching on paper. There was also some beautiful woodworking! Check it out if you are in the area.

"A Prairie Dress" will be here on display with the Seeds show, Jan 13 - Feb 26, 2012

They also have a library for members. You can sign out anything that isn't currently on the newsstands. I took home some reading! Unfortunately, half the books I selected were from the weavers guild, and I had to leave them behind. Yeah... some day! For now I am reading these publications:

I picked up the UK's 'Stitch' from the bookstore on the way home...

Here's something you may or may not know. It's pretty big news for Saskatchewan, and really big news in the art world. We have a lot of galleries here. Art, music, theatre and culture is a pretty big focus in this city. As I flipped open the GalleriesWest magazine (fall/winter 2011), I came across this on page 16. I meant to blog it before, but I don't think I ever did! Check it out.

photo in magazine is 'artists rendering' (artist not named)

Isn't that incredible!? If you cannot read it, it states that a new $84 million dollar provincial 4-story gallery & performance theatre will be opening here in 2015. Ellen Remai donated $30,000,000 from the Frank & Ellen Remai Foundation. That made big headlines last summer being the largest philanthropic gift in our city's history. Apparently there will be enough funding for thirty years of exhibitions. WOW. A BIG thank you to her!

White Threads for the Birds

2012-01-03T11:30:00.001-06:00

I'm not a cat person. I like dogs. Mostly, I am a bird person. I love birds (and moose, and cows). I put birds in my landscapes a lot. They make me happy. For a while now, I've had ideas to stitch birds. That is as far as I have ever got with it though. Yesterday I tried some free motion quilting / thread painting with the machine set on zigzag a la Alison Holt. (By the way, I discovered Alison Holt's work AFTER I started my threadpaintings FYI. Look her up, she's awesome!) I was doing free motion with decorative stitches before, but the Horizon seems not to like it at all. It likes the needle plate engaged, and then I'm stuck with a straight stitch only. Plus, this technique is very difficult with a computerized machine. You need the old-fashioned dial model. Still, I gave it a try with Fiona. I used white thread on top and white on bottom. Generally, this old Kenmore has serious tension issues with free motion. I quilt trying a long time ago, so I'm pretty happy with my results this time.

great for grasses!

I see evergreen boughs and/or bird feathers.

Cool! I'm also loving the look of all white on royal blue. It reminds me of my mother's blue & white dishes. I thought I would jump right in and draw out one of my finches to stitch. Meet Cocoa. : ) He's like a little teddy bear. I love him.

Cocoa (my bird) and Star (Arwen's bird)

I hooped up some blue fabric and traced using the screen as a light box. I must say, I love love love my Bohin white chalk mechanical pencil leads!!

Tada! Very easy to do...

Yes - I could have drawn it free hand, but since my focus was to practice and experiment with stitches, I decided to just trace him out. I barely got the hoop under the low shank foot of my old machine! I outlined with straight stitch free motion, and then tried to fill in with the feathers / zig zag. It's not art... just an experimental sketch... I have to get used to sketching with zigzag! I like my samples much better than my bird here. Still - it's a bird. Birds make me happy. : )

I strongly dislike using hoops. I find it very limiting. I'll try some more experimenting my way - on buckrum, hoopless. It seems to be easier on my hands too. I could also come in and embellish things with white cotton thread. Things just always sparkle with a bit of handstitching. ; )

Speaking of handstitching, and white... we did get a teeny bit of snow, and so I'm feeling pretty inspired to get back to this arctic corset today! ; ) Karen Ruane will be so proud of me. I am her ultimate tardy student.

That's what I'm up to. Playin' around. I'll be starting two new commission soon, so keep posted!

Linking to The Needle & Thread Network.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Design Wall

2011-12-31T15:18:00.000-06:00

I finished one more quilt top as of December 31st! It's for me. I had a load of pretty bright floral fabrics. There were a lot of aquas and spring greens. I'm not a 'cool' color person, so I threw in some yellow/orange/red prints that seemed to be similar in scale. I wanted a pretty, simple, scrappy charm quilt. Away I went, cutting and sewing 4" squares together. I decided along the way (because I never plan anything) that I would alternate the warms and the cools.

cool on the left, warm on the right

Since nearly all the prints have white in them, I decided I would sash each 4 patch block with white.

Once each of the 4 patches were surrounded in white, I started to refer to this as a quilt full of 4-pane windows. All good?

So I got the top finished and I love it! It's fresh, pretty, and just for me. I got some sunny, snowy photos out on the back deck. I showed my kids... "Look guys! It's a Windows Quilt!" My kids oohed and aahed and then one pointed out the WINDOWS LOGO. (WHAT!??)

No way! You've GOT to be kidding me! This was a total accident. I cannot for the life of me believe I just made myself a Microsoft logo quilt!!! ROLF. ooops.

Happy New Year's Eve! Hope you are laughing at this one! See you in 2012.

Thank You 2011

2011-12-31T01:14:00.000-06:00

Oh my, 2011 - you treated me good! What a year. I've met so many wonderful friends. I had so many incredible things happen: Three art shows, three art awards, a scholarship, patterns published plus a cover feature (thank you ANPT magazine), teaching opportunities, public speaking, commissions, and acceptance into a curated Fine Craft exhibit. My head is spinning.

Bloom 2011, in progress.

Owl Boxes quilt (sold)

another Owls quilt - auctioned

yup. ANOTHER owl quilt. Is there a pattern here??

HSTs = for Jesica's quilt, all her late grandmother's fabrics

my 3CS thread sketching tutorial

Mandy's Wall Quilt - all from her children's cloth carriers and booties

Kate's commissioned wallhanging

UFO

the cover shot : ) Summer issue.

oh gee - the paper too! I almost forgot. : )

lots and lots of fibre art, prairie inspired. Free machine and hand stitched.

I made and received dozens of postcards. 'My Happy Place' pictured above.

I learned some formal embroidery. I made tutorials. I joined a guild.

I made my first wearable art and entered it into a Quilt Show.

Winter Comes at Night, 2011 (sold)

As for 2012, my calendar is booked FULL for the first six or twelve months. : ) Seriously. Year of the Dragon? No kidding.

Winter Dress - embroidery work in progress.

I am so grateful - for all the support I've received from friends, guild members, mentors, and bloggers across the country. I'm grateful for the internet. I never thought I'd say that, but the exposure online has opened so many doors for me. Still, when it comes right down to it, I thank the local 'prairie lovers' for connecting with and appreciating my work. It's pretty incredible to sell half of a show via facebook before the art even makes it onto the gallery walls. It's been a lot of hard work, but so worth it. Someone told me if you love the prairies, it will love you back. (awe!) It must be true.

Hands down, the best moment was when I discovered a collection of used dryer sheets that my husband has been collecting for me in the laundry room. He commented on the sky in one of my pieces a long time ago. I told him that dryer sheets make the best clouds. I had no idea he was collecting a stash for me. That's some sweet support for the in-house fibre artist, isn't it!?

cheese cloth makes great clouds too... Poles Along Highway 7 (in progress)

Happy 2012 everyone! I hope you leave 2011 with no regrets.

Things I Love Thursdays

2011-12-29T10:56:00.000-06:00

Oh my gosh! I'm late... I love being in holiday mode because I have no idea what day it is! haha Hmmm... what do I love today? I love that it's still so mild out that we can walk around to enjoy the displays instead of view them from the ice-scraped window of our van!

We enjoyed Smurfy (Murphy) Crescent and counted 117 blue smurfs the other night! Brown Crescent was one of my favorites. The whole street does a Charlie Brown theme each year. ; ) I love the Peanuts gang.

They say that your favorite character says a lot about your own personality. My favorite is always Peppermint Patty. I guess that's true - I'm pretty easy going, unconventional, but often in my own little bubble. I talk to myself a lot when people are around. (haha) What about you? Who do you love?

Happy Thursday!

Last Week of the Year!

2011-12-27T13:32:00.001-06:00

I can hardly believe 2011 is nearly done. This has been one astounding year. This week is pretty quiet in my sewing studio, but things are steadily happening. I'm taking my "A Prairie Dress" along with the shoes and delivering it to the Saskatchewan Craft Council. THAT is exciting. The Seeds exhibit begins soon into the new year. (You can click on the info in the heading at the top of this blog for more details.) I can't wait to be part of a curated gallery show!

I also decided I couldn't stand it anymore and had to bring home some of this... fabric! It will be a charm quilt. I considered some other patterns, but when I look at the pretty country fabrics, I think a simple charm blanket is just right. I have some REALLY pretty surprises with this one... you'll have to keep watching to see.

Also this week, I am getting more massage work on my arms. One treatment has made a WORLD of difference on the condition and abilities of my hands. No surgery here... though the true test will come once I really get back to work.

I got some terrific hand-friendly gifts from my family this year. I have rose soap, almond hand & nail butter, a universal craft floor stand that holds the embroidery hoop or frame for you while you sit and stitch, and a really cool voice-activated computer program called 'Dragon Naturally Speaking' that TYPES EVERYTHING YOU SAY. No kidding. It's very intelligent. I can blab away, and the words just pour out onto the screen. It was just under $100 from Future Shop I think. (Office Depot?) It also types out every time you say, "Kids! Please keep it down. Mama is talking on the computer". haha. There are simple prompts you can say to delete those. ; )

Universal Craft Stand by Frank A. Edmunds & Co. (their photo)

On the homefront, we have a wee bit snow! I'm not sure how long it will last. It's still incredibly mild out. Speaking of weather, did you know that two of my photos were featured on The Weather Network? One was used in an online feature story, and the other was on their TV station this morning! Cool : ) You can go back to the last two posts to see the pictures.

Have a good week, and happy new year to everyone! Linking to: The Needle & Thread Network.

Christmas Morning

2011-12-25T23:41:00.001-06:00

Christmas Morning, a photo by My Sweet Prairie - Monika Kinner on Flickr.

Wishing everyone a happy weekend!
~Monika

Sunday Snapshots

2011-12-25T10:45:00.002-06:00

Christmas Morning, a photo by My Sweet Prairie - Monika Kinner on Flickr.

While you were all unwrapping presents, I was out getting some really terrific Sunday Snapshots! You can click on it to go to my flickr photo page to see the rest. They are all beautiful!

: )
Merry Christmas,
Monika

A Little Bit Sketchy

2011-12-24T08:45:00.001-06:00

I was recently inspired by 'Threadpainter' on Flickr. Her name is Sharon Begg from Ontario I believe, and she has ink line drawings posted that are all full of cross hatches and dots. It's gorgeous! I typically bypass the sketchbook phase with my art, going strain from photo to stitching it out the colors. When I saw these drawings on flickr though, I was wowed at what a great technique that could be for me to plan out the method I would use for handstitching. So I pulled up a couple favorite photos of mine that have not yet been put to fibre, took up my pencil and paper, and sketched these out. The first one is from yesterday's photos.

Not the best looking, but it gives me lots of ideas on how to fill in space with stitches. VERY helpful. Then I did this one...

That was from a very colorfully dramatic photo I took on Valley Road. It looks and feels MUCH different in black and white. I hadn't noticed the giant curved cross hatch of the huge cloud formation behind the perspective of the power lines. It gives me ideas on future angles of interest I could use in my work. I like the angle of the road there too, it mirrors the cloud. At the time of the photo, I only noticed the color. It was sun down. The lines & shapes were not the forefront of my excitement when I took this shot. In fact, the lines themselves are quite dramatic, aren't they!?

And then I did up the Tipi and rosehips photo. I love this composition very much.

LOOK how different it is when sketched! Again, in the photo, I loved the red berries on the white snow, and the light tipi against the blue sky. But once I sketched it out, I saw new things...

I LOVE that sky so much! It has such an awesome SWOOSH to it. Isn't that cool? I hadn't noticed the sky before, only the drama of the snow... which has no emphasis at all in the sketch. I guess I"ll be paying a little more attention to line for a while here. Lots to learn!

My 'Official' Winter Sunrise Photos

2011-12-23T11:55:00.000-06:00

Good morning! What a strange place to be - Saskatchewan 2011 in the dead of winter, with not a stitch of snow to be seen. Unreal! It was a very bright and lovely moment when the sun reappeared.

No white stuff anywhere. Here's the little crooked trees along the roadside as the sun made it's grand entry.

Sweet! Safe & happy holidays everyone!

Happy Winter Solstice Little Bear!

2011-12-23T06:26:00.000-06:00

I'm heading out this morning with the kids and another family to see the Winter Solstice sunrise. Soon, very soon, the daylight hours will get longer and longer. Sun up isn't until 9:15 today, so I thought I would share the pretty pics I took yesterday from my back deck. Here it starts...

And here it comes!

And it deepens...

And check out those colors!

And then about five minutes later, the sun was up and behind an overcast cover, and everything went grey. The sky changes SO fast! It got nice and sunny later and we spent nearly 2 hours playing on the frozen lake across the street in the mildest weather ever. Our family enjoyed turkey dinner and opened gifts last night to celebrate 'the longest night of the year'. It was awesome! Here's crossing my fingers that I can put these paints to work soon on those skies...

Happy Holidays everyone! ; )

Things I Love Thursdays

2011-12-21T23:48:00.000-06:00

I love massage therapy. I had a a one hour intensive on my arms and now my hands feel warm, nimble, and pain free. It's been a couple days and they still aren't going numb when I type!! Sweet!

I love these now paints I got. I hope to use them in my upcoming fibre classes. I definitely want to start painting our prairie skies and making my own background cloth for my art.

I love today! It's the Winter Solstice. Although we have no snow and above freezing temperatures, we celebrate tonight with food and gifts as we welcome the return of the sun. From here on in, the days grow longer. Right now, it's gets dark around 5 pm. We did discover that the lake is frozen enough to skate on!! I love skating!

WIP Wednesday

2011-12-20T17:20:00.000-06:00

Here's what I'm working on! The 'groovy autumn quilt' has a new home waiting for it, and so I'm working on a little label for the family. The mom wanted owls. : ) I had some of these little guys left over from an earlier quilt, and thought that would be pretty cute on the label.

Those 4 owls are to represent mom, dad, kid 1, and kid 2. I'm going to turn that brown fabric below them into a little branch for the family to perch on, and then I'll put the quilt information in the white part below. The binding is all on! The hand stitching went very well, and it looks like this quilt will make it under the tree in time. : )

Check it out! Before....

After...

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at The Needle & Thread Network....

2011 Finish!

2011-12-19T10:42:00.000-06:00

I actually finished it! I still have to handstitch the binding, but other than that, this pretty baby is done. Here's the quilt top from before.

Here's an example of these colors in nature. I know what you are thinking... 'those colors are natural?'

Those were photos I took in October of this year. That is when I made the top. I finally got to basting it over the weekend. I used Hobbs 80/20 fusible. It's heavier and stiffer than what I'm used to with the bamboo, but the quilted lines show up very nicely with this.

I particularly love where the groovy lines intersect!

This was one of my rare moments in quilting a quilt where I really think the motif adds nicely to the style of the pieced top, and the mixed bag of fabric designs. Sometimes I feel I overdo it, or make a wrong thread color choice. This one seems to sing, and the binding - makes it very festive too. ; )

A Groovy Autumn Blanket. Finished just a couple days before the first day of Winter! ;)

Just my luck! I never measured the binding strips. I just cut & pressed & stitched it on. There was about ten inches of binding left over. Whew! Now I can work on hand stitching it down on the backside over the next couple of days. That will feel goooooood! I love handstitching and so far it doesn't bother my hands at all. TYPING does. ;P

Enjoy the week everyone!

Sunday Snapshots

2011-12-17T22:17:00.000-06:00

Since the Winter Solstice happens this week, here are some photos to enjoy. ; )

courtesy of Jack Frost (2010)

Skating on the pond, 2010

The snow we do not have this year! Our backyard is bare grass right now. Above freezing this week. STRANGE.

Blackstrap Lake, frozen.

last Winter Solstice sunrise at Wanuskewin, 2010

Happy Winter Solstice Everyone! ; )

me & my family, 2009

This Little Light of Mine

2011-12-16T12:02:00.001-06:00

Let's face it. It's dark in the winter. We don't have a lot of daylight hours through these months. I tend not to do any handstitching or fibre art after dark because I just can't see the colors right. I can piece quilts, cut & press... but that's about it. So many people have recommended OttLite. I've seen them in Michael's, ranging from $100 to well over $300 a lamp before tax. Let's just say, I look over at my three kids and I think about how many bags of groceries that can buy. So I make do with what I have. I've bought the full spectrum curly bulbs. They are pretty bright, but I have noticed that my evening photos look wayyy too warm - almost orange! Yesterday I passed some Ottlites that were on sale for about $35 for the smaller foldable desk lamp, and into the cart it went! So you want to see the difference? Here are three photos I took without changing a thing on my camera. I took these with the flash off, and none of the photos were post-edited. See for yourself.

Photo #1 - The curly bulb - Hallogen lamp.

looks orange, warm like a sunset.

Photo #2 - Natural Light on an Overcast Day

Photo #3 - The Ottlite

Crazy difference! I typically post-edit my art photos by looking white things in the photo, and altering the hues until the white looks white. Now go back through the photos, and look at the base of my white Ottlite. See how clean, clear & white it is in photo #3? Sometimes when I take photos of my art, the white matting looks either greenish grey, or pinkish orange. The Ottlite looks pretty bang-on.

The only problem is... now I want a bigger Ottlite floor lamp! lol

Things I Love Thursdays

2011-12-14T22:22:00.000-06:00

I try to keep my blog positive so that it can be inspirational. I want to thank everyone for the out pour of support around my surgery, as well as my big chicken surgery-failure story. In the days before the appointment, it turns out that some lovely things were sent via Canada Post to my house. They just arrived. They were well received my me, as I was feeling like complete crap after returning home from the hospital. I got a little care package from my friend Heather Lair in Manitoba. She's been a great support to me in so many ways, though we have never met in person. Heather, I love your work, and I love the patch you sent me! I saw them on your facebook page and this red sky patch was my absolute favorite. I LOVE IT!

I love that red!

Isn't that PRETTY!? She also sent me stickers and a printed postcard with images of her gorgeous art quilts. (link in color) Heather, thank you so much for your kindness!

Remember how I said I love giraffes? Well this knocked my socks off! I got a postcard from my cyber-blogger-friend Cheryl a.k.a Grandma Coco, all the way from Ontario. She made me a giraffe. She happens to knit too, and she stitched one of her home made scarves onto it's neck! Sweet. Cheryl - thank you so very much! (Can I still keep it though I didn't get my hands done yet?)

I love those eyelashes! ; )

There are many, many more lovely messages that came via email from lots of wonderful people which I find equally as fabulous. And so, this Thursday, I love all of your kindness! : )

Have a great day,

The Easiest Challenge Ever - Just One Quilt

2011-12-13T07:48:00.000-06:00

This post is for all the quilt bloggers out there.

I am 'challenging' you to give up one quilt.

It's so easy. Pick a quilt, and pick a charity. Simply post the quilt for auction on your blog with a quick deadline. I did it, and I'm overwhelmed with how easy it was, and how much I was able to turnaround in giving with that money! I chose Plan Canada International as the recipient of the donation. I posted one small quilt - got four bids - and done. The highest bidder has the quilt. I have $200 to spend on giving. They cheque is in the mail for Plan Canada. Here's what a very generous bidder has provided - many, many Gifts of Hope. I picked gifts that were 'matched' by the organization. I hope that the winner is as excited as I am about all this! ; )

$35 was used to purchase this:

The Peanut Butter Project

This gift was matched fourteen times!! So that $35 also gets this...

"Help bring healthy, tasty peanut butter — made locally and packed with protein — to growing children in parts of the world where protein isn’t easy to come by. Your support will nourish them and help them grow into healthy young people ready to take on the world. You’ll also be supporting women’s peanut butter co-operatives, by providing training in peanut processing and business and marketing skills." (from their catalogue)

$15 was used to purchase 3 baby chicks. That was matched a few times, to get all this:

Those dozen chicks will provide a lot of eggs - and serve as micro financing as part of the "Because I am a Girl" project.

Here is my favorite part. This is what the remaining $150 has purchased: A motorcycle ambulance.

"While it may not look like what we’d call an ambulance, in Tanzania this motorcycle-powered ambulance saves lives. For people living in remote communities without healthcare services, this gift is a lifeline: it brings healthcare workers to isolated villages and it carries people from those villages to community health centres, where they can get the help they need to heal so they can get back to living their lives." (from their website)

Plan Canada is matching it SIX more times.

No kidding! 15 Peanut Butter Projects, 7 motorcycle ambulances, and a dozen chicks are set into motion all because one little quilt was offered. I hope this post inspires you to see how easy it is to give. I challenge you bloggers to do it!

Post a quilt. Pick a charity.

EASY!

If you would like to see how I managed my auction, you can click here to see the original post. If you do the same, feel free to leave your blog url in the comment section so others can find it. If you want to give locally, you can take all the money and head straight to your grocery store for a giant shopping trip that will go 100% to your local food bank this winter. There's the Red Cross too. The possibilities are endless. Cool? Cool!

off to a happy home...

***All photos in this post were copied & pasted from the Plan Canada International website FYI.

As Far As I Got

2011-12-12T18:34:00.000-06:00

Thank you everyone for all your support!

I was so pumped to have my hands 'fixed'. I went to the hospital, got admitted, got a big horrible needle full of big horrible feeling stuff right into my hand. I kicked my husband in the back of the head with my knee when that was going on. (Sorry Michael!) My palm went numb and then they prepped/washed my arm... And that is when my positive outlook had a panic attack. I couldn't catch my breath to calm down. All my trust in just fell apart, and they refused to do the procedure without putting me to sleep first. That involves a separate appointment. I felt like a BIG LOSER. I cried and nearly passed out. I don't know where that came from. Once I was home, I was in such shock that I slept for two hours. All I got to show for it is a numb wrist, a squeaky clean hand, and a pen marking from the surgeon.

My dear friend Michelle F. is setting me up with some massage and energy work in the mean time, which I am really looking forward to.

One day at a time I guess.

I feel a little like a dork, and a lot of nothing at all. I'm taxed emotionally. While I was sleeping, the gallery phoned to let me know that another piece had sold. My little 5 yr old got a paper and wrote down the number for me with a yellow highlighter. ; ) She's awesome. Thanks darling! ; )

see you soon,

Out with the Old, In with the New

2011-12-11T18:54:00.001-06:00

Oh my... I sincerely hope I don't lose any blog followers over this post! lol Here I go! It's my annual 'before & after' shots.

Ready?

Brace yourself.

Art is messy.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!!!

It's a nice space with vaulted ceilings and a huge 5+ ft wide window. But it's cleaning time baby! ; ) I spent a day and a half on this. Here's what I did. See the shelf on the left there? It's gone. I don't have closets, so now I have four bookshelves on the wall opposite to the window. It's terrific actually because you can't see any of my 'stash' from anywhere in the house. You only see the sides of the bookcases. It's brilliant. I can see my stash, but no one else can. Plus it's all free of direct sunlight.

So here is my revamped workspace! All are evening photos with artificial light.

Here's the tour...

As you can see, I can't stand to sew on a little end table. I've seen those 'studio' magazines. Ew. I need SPACE. Both machines have big, flush surfaces so there's never drag. The Janome is the perfect thread painter & free motion quilter. The Kenmore is terrific at straight piecing and finishing postcards. Both are on all the time. They use the same needles and bobbins which is very cool.

I had a huge cutting surface, but since I do a lot of small work I decided to use the extra surface space for more art... sketching or painting or photographing or framing or hand stitching. Here's that space now.

Night photo - but by day this is flooded with natural light & big blue sky in view.

My space has two large 'L' shaped desks side-by-side. I make surfaces even bigger with unused doors. Doors make perfect craft tables. They are HUGE : ) To the left of that photo is the other 'L' of this desk, where I blog.

There you go - all set up. My surgery is Monday afternoon, and then I'll have this to look forward to. Sketchbooks awaiting! An electric pencil sharpener is on my list. OH! Speaking of which, my holiday shopping is ALL DONE. Yup. : ) I'm feeling some major freedom over that one.

good night! : )

Long Night Moon turns Red

2011-12-10T08:44:00.001-06:00

Long Night Moon Eclipsed, December 10, 2011, a photo by My Sweet Prairie - Monika Kinner on Flickr.

I caught it! I don`t have the best camera equipment but it seems clear enough. I took this from my front yard around 8 am this morning. My camera picked it up a little more red than it was, but I don`t mind! ; ) Isn`t she pretty!

Monika

Pretty as Paper

2011-12-09T16:49:00.001-06:00

I finished all the stitching on the 'Scrappy Postcards'. They are VERY scrappy and abstract, but I just love them. They are all woven strips of very bright and high contrasting colors. Aren't they festive!?

: ) Off to the mailbox now. Aren't they pretty? The remind me of a mash of post-holiday wrapping paper. I actually made ten of them. haha. Those little scraps are really fun to use up! I think this is the last of my sewing for 2011. Carpal tunnel surgery is Monday. I'm feeling better about it - though I'll most likely panic when the time comes. They call it "Carpal Tunnel Release" now, and when I heard that, I had a good solid exhale (out with the bad). It seriously can't be any worse than public speaking! haha. ; ) kidding. Bernie - a quilter and an E/R nurse - has assured me that it will take five minutes. I can do that.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Linking to A Prairie Sunrise.

Things I Love Thursdays

2011-12-07T22:07:00.000-06:00

I love the idea of taking up crochet again after the carpal tunnel thing is mended. My hooks!! I thought I had to give it up for good.

I love all that white. I also love this pincusion flower from my garden last year.

I love that I will be able to finish Karen's embroidery class and get my arctic piece stitched up all pretty.

basted, waiting for more hand stitching...

I love that some of my lost dreams will return in the new year. That is amazing to me. : )

Happy Thursday!

What I'm Working On

2011-12-06T15:57:00.003-06:00

Did you really think that just because I put up a show would mean that I'd be taking a break? Not me. I pulled out those scrap bags that someone left 'free to a good home' at Periwinkle Quilting, and my began making postcards. I'm in a "Scrap Happy" swap where anything goes. Many of these strips are only a half of a centimeter wide, so I'm talking serious scraps here. ; ) I decided to stitch down the end of a whole bunch of strips in order to attach them to one edge of the postcard base. From there, I began to weave some in!

warp and weft, then quilt, then mail.

I just kept going until the whole thing was woven over & under. And then I made another. And then I made another. And then I made another... You get the idea.

Aren't they pretty!? They are all pressed & partially fused onto that stabilizer (it comes with fusible on it). I will trim all the loose threads and then do some stitching. My daughter who is 5 joined in on the fun. She's afraid to mail them though. She thinks they won't come back.

Arwen's postcards.

I'll post more photos once the stitching is all done on them. It will give them a real pretty finish. Now we have some extra holiday cards to send out to family! ; )

fun, festive, scrappy postcards in progress

In case you are just dropping in on Wednesdays, please go look at my last post to see what else I have done! ; ) My show is up! I am so completely overwhelmed with the wonderful emails that have been coming in from people who have seen my work for the first time. I spent some time on Monday phoning up people who had purchased my work last year to let them know that I have new work available. Almost all of them said, "I know! I've already been to see it!", or "Yeah, we went with a group of people to see it!". Wow! I only put the show up the day before. I am flabbergasted, and really thankful. I was at the Centre Mall last night with my oldest boy and had to laugh at all the hand prints and noseprints all over the glass of the Jade Gallery! lol

NEXT Wednesday, I will have my left wrist all stitched up. Monday is my Carpal Tunnel Release. I can't wait to be pain free! Crochet hooks and long sleep-filled nights, here I come!

I'm linking up to The Needle & Thread Network. We had twenty bloggers sign up last week! Let's see if we can beat that this week. Happy December everyone! Also linking to Esther's Blog! ; )

Last Show of 2011 / First Show of 2012

2011-12-04T18:30:00.000-06:00

This exhibit is a bit of both. I did it! I got it all up on my own in about an hour. I am so glad I got to spend time adjusting all the lights as well. I even got to help the woman in the next gallery with her lights! : ) So here it is...

I set out the pictures according to the seasons, from Spring on the left through to Winter on the right. The bars are kind of ugly, so I put my work in clusters and it came together pretty well. There are thirteen pieces in this show, five of which are already sold. They are simply marked as NFS (not for sale). * * * Thank you so much to all of you who are okay with letting me display your new pieces of art in this gallery over the holidays. I hope you'll be able to go there to see them in person.: )

I'll have to leave spools on the floor in every show now, won't I!? ; )

Please read the end of the last post if you are interested in any of the ones for sale. All the info is there. Thanks!!

Completion - It's So Near! : )

2011-12-03T16:14:00.001-06:00

Sigh. My last piece is done, finished, signed, mounted, matted, framed and labelled. It's late afternoon. The snow has been falling gently all day and now the sun has just come out. It's so bright and sparkly out there! I still have a few more things to do though. I need to pack for the morning. Here's what I cannot forget to bring tomorrow.

- masking tape or painter's tape.
Hands down, this is a lifesaver. It's helps to keep frames from hanging crooked. It helps to set pictures flush with the wall if it tends to tilt. It holds flippy corners down on hanging quilts as well.
- the sketch of how I plan to arrange the display. I planned it all out on the floor ahead of time so I don't have to think creatively when I get there. When I get there, I don't have much time. I learned the hard way that if I'm not prepared with an arrangement, only a half dozen pieces can take a couple hours to hang before I'm happy with it! lol
- microfibre shammy-thing. I can shine off all the fingerprints once everything is in place. Fingerprints can really show with the white matting behind the glass. Since people tend to come in closer and closer to look, it has to be sparkly clean!
- the curtains. Yeah - curtains. They are for the floor. In the Crimson Gallery, I put red down. This time, I have chocolate brown linens that will look great with all the dark frames (I hope).
- a few more decorative accessories. In this case it will be a white gate, a milk can full of wheat, and many spools of thread. : ) When I think of the pictures on the walls in an otherwise empty space, I feel it will look stark. I like to put my art in context. So, the farm items and all the pretty threads will be part of the story. I've seen the photographers' clubs lie vintage cameras all over the floor, and it was a real draw to passers by. The display is a 14 foot wall behind glass, so nothing can get tampered with.
- the art. haha I am very thorough with my to-do lists. This will be on my list of what to bring. Getting out of the house with three kids means I can easily forget my things while I remember theirs.

I don't need nails or labels. The Center provides all of that. I don't need measuring tape because the whole wall is horizontal slats. This makes it VERY easy to get things even. I won't be finished hanging the show until Sunday afternoon (did you read that Trista who thinks its funny to show up early and laugh at my nervousness!??). Ha ha! : ) Once I'm done I am going to breathe a HUGE sigh of relief and enjoy the holiday season! YEAH!!

Here's how it works. Everything will remain up until January 7th. If you are interested in purchasing anything there, you can go to the mall admin offices down the hall or email me at 'mysweetprairie at gmail.com' and they will put a sold sticker on it for you. If you want to purchase anything as a Christmas gift for someone else, I can provide you with a My Sweet Prairie card to use in place of the art until the gallery show is over. Usually the mall likes to leave everything up, and I am happy to ship/deliver the work to you in January.

All good?
All right.

Have a lovely weekend! Please check out all the other exhibits while you are there. There are SO many beautiful things to look at! : )

Wolf Willow & Prairie Lilies, 2011 (detail)

2011-12-02T15:05:00.002-06:00

Wolf Willow & Prairie Lilies, 2011 (detail), a photo by My Sweet Prairie - Monika Kinner on Flickr.

Friday Finish! This commission is done now. I am so proud of this one. I hope they love it. : )
~Monika

Sponsor Giveaway

2011-12-02T09:02:00.000-06:00

First off, thanks everyone for your supportive words around the carpal tunnel surgery I'll be getting soon. Bernie is a nurse and has assured me that the procedure is only a few minutes. I can do that.

Secondly, thanks so much to those of you who joined in on the charity quilt auction! The child sized quilt has been sold to the highest bidder - $200!! All of that money will be used to purchase Plan Canada's Gifts of Hope. It was an easy thing to do, and I want to encourage other quilters with blogs to do the same thing.

And now, the fine folks at Lapel Stick just informed me that they will give away their product to 2 of my blog readers!

They even offered to do the mailing themselves so that the winners hopefully get it before the holidays. We can't make any firm promises when it comes to the mail, so let's do this quick!

Here's the rules:

* Enter by leaving a comment. I need to be able to find you, so hopefully you can leave an email if you are 'anonymous'.

* You get ONE entry just because, by leaving a comment below.

* You get a SECOND entry if you become a follower at our Canadian link-party blog. You can find it HERE. Leave a comment here below to say that you are following that blog. It features WIP Wednesday posts from creative fibre-related bloggers/artists/crafters all over Canada specifically. Yes - I'm totally using this opportunity to push our membership to 100 so that we can start Feature Fridays and really show off the talent there. : )

* Contest closes Sunday, December 4th at 6 pm-ish, so that I can get the winners' addresses off to Lapel Stick for mail-out ASAP.

'What the heck is Lapel Stick?' you might be asking. You can read about it HERE. I use it all the time for sticking fabric down when I do my art or quilted postcards. They also supply me with samples when I run the postcard classes. Unfortunately, shipping this product costs about four times the cost of the fabric glue itself, so I think this is very helpful of them to mail directly.

THANK YOU LAPEL STICK!

Let the games begin! ; )
~Monika

Things I Love Thursdays

2011-11-30T23:59:00.000-06:00

I love this new tool of mine! I LOVE being able to frame things on my own. : ) I love that my husband bought it for me to put under the tree. I love that he let me use it right now anyways! lol

I love this wheat that Patti brought over. It looks so pretty in the sunshine! I love to photograph it.

I love giraffes. I know... seems off topic. I do though. And since I'm feeling EXTRA vulnerable right now, I bought this little buddy to cheer me up.

The tag says his name is James. I bit the bullet and made that call. My carpal tunnel surgery for my left hand is booked for December 12th. I kind of feel like passing out or throwing up when I think about it. I hate the idea of being cut. I'll be bringing James with me and I don't really care what the doctors or nurses think.

sigh

I would love your support, encouragement, sympathy, and / or humor right about now.

Happy Thursday to you! : )

WIP Wednesday #15 @ TN&TN

2011-11-30T00:03:00.000-06:00

It's Wednesday! Here's what I'm working on...

wrapping, wrapping...

I've been sorting my floss, threads & fibres. It's a great way to sort the little bits, and a great way to use up unwanted business cards. : ) Bigger stuff has been put in clear ziplocs.

I've been preparing to set up my art for Sunday! Whoa - I just had a sudden wave of nerves as I wrote that. lol I have decided to leave "A Prairie Dress" out of it since it will be part of the SCC's 'Seeds' show only a week after the Centre Gallery exhibit ends. So, I've been thinking and thinking about what to replace it with. I want something that will make people notice when they walk down those busy halls full of art. Suddenly, I had it! I phone up my friend Patti, knowing that show lives on the farm. I asked if she has an old milk can or two for me to use. She has something even better!! Check out what she left on my doorstep the other morning!! IT WILL BE PERFECT, and I'm setting it in front of my white fence gate : )))

Patti rocks.

I got my labels in finally! So I'm putting them all on the backs of each piece of art. I have nine in total, assuming that this one gets finished. It's already been sold FYI. It's not done yet. It needs a bit more thread work by machine and then I can embellish the flowers by hand. Here's it is so far...

There you go! That's what I've been up to. In the mean time, I've put my Snips n Snails quilt up for auction. ALL procedes go to charity. Bidding ends at midnight on Thursday Dec 1st. You can read all about it here:

In The Spirit of Giving

Linking to The Needle & Thread Network. If you stop by there, please join to keep up to date with what's going on. Even if you don't blog, you can still follow by email. Once we get 100 followers, there will be artist/stitcher profiles. All the best!

I Love Mail!

2011-11-29T11:57:00.002-06:00

Wow - what a haul this week. I got postcards from a variety of swaps I'm in. Check it out!

from Kate A. in Nova Scotia! thank you Kate : )

from Anne M. in Nova Scotia. Thanks Anne! : )

Poppy Postcard from Brenda T. in Saskatoon... full of french knots : )

Poppies from Miriam G. in Ireland. Lovely!

And Holly M. in New Brunswick mailed these to me just because she's so awesome. Thank you Holly! (her blog is HERE.)

A couple of magazines circa 2007. (Oldies full of goodies!) and Holly's art card on top. Sweet!

I picked up these at the quilt shop. They had a note on the bag: free to a good home. (! excuse the harsh lighting)

Thank you to whoever left these scraps! I can use them in my art, postcards, workshops, and my daughter even joined in on the crafty fun and made her own landscape. ; )

See you on WIP Wed! : )

Sunday Snapshots

2011-11-27T20:23:00.000-06:00

Today I took my two youngest out to Wanuskewin Heritage Park. There was Aboriginal art for sale, father & son hoop dancers, and a bannock bake over the fire outside by the buffalo jump. It was plus 10C and there was hardly any snow. How unbelievable! We had fun : ) Enjoy the photos!

It was all fun & games until our little white girl picked a handful of wild sage. The hillside fell silent. I apologized. (You aren't supposed to pluck things from natural environments like this - especially sacred plants.) She didn't know. No one said anything about it.

overlooking a snowless valley

I love the blond grass. It matches my son's hair.

I was just sad about how there is a real lack of the color red around here. We have our red skies, but in the land, it's scarce. I was thrilled to remember that the rosehips are plentiful... and very pretty against the soft blues and yellows this November.

I must take today's scenes into consideration for a future piece. ; ) LOVE those grasses.

p.s. thanks for the bids on yesterday's post. Keep 'em coming! Auction ends midnight Dec. 1st.

In the Spirit of Giving

2011-11-26T21:03:00.006-06:00

Hello! When I was a kid watching our 2 channels, I always wished I had money to give to Foster Parent's Plan. Those commercials always made me cry. Today, the same organization is called Plan Canada. I've bought gifts each season for a couple years now. They are the non-denominational group with the Gifts of Hope catalogue. Here's my idea this season... I am putting up my 'Snips n Snails' child-sized quilt for auction. They highest bidder by midnight December 1st will have the quilt mailed to them (shipping is on me). The money you agreed to buy the quilt for will be used 100% toward Gifts of Hope. I will post the "highest bid" at the bottom of this post as they come in.

If you are interested, all you need to do is email your bid to me

HERE : mysweetprairie@gmail.com.

Once the announcement is made as to how much the quilt has sold for, I will contact that person with info on how/where to send payment (snail mail or paypal). The quilt will me mailed once the payment to me has cleared. At that time I will order "gifts of hope" in the winner's name. I'll post the gifts so everyone can see. The winner will remain anonymous unless I'm instructed otherwise. Cool? Here's the quilt.

embroidered mushrooms, snails, and dragonflies

the binding

retro 70's solids, straight line quilting

Look! It's practically famous. It was on the Summer 2011 cover issue!

The quilt measures approximately 64" x 48", has 80/20 Hobbs batting, and a flannelette backing for extra cuddliness. The auction has now ended. Congratulations to the highest bidder!!

"E" put in a bid for $200.oo

SUPER!

"C" just bid $160.oo

Whoopee! : )

"P" just bid $150.oo

Thank you! Talk about turning up the heat! : )

"M" just bid $65.oo

thank you!

* * Bidding to start at $ 49.oo.* *

I will update it as the bids come in! Charity auction ends Midnight December 1st.

thank you!

- - - Saturday Stitches - - -

2011-11-26T13:07:00.000-06:00

Saturday Stitches will resume in the new year. Thanks for your patience! : )

Children, holidays, deadlines, and carpal tunnel surgery will be taking presidence for a bit. I will still be posting with my right hand... : ) You can click on the 'Saturday Stitches' tab header at the top of the blog to see all related posts. Enjoy!

Twelve Trees, 2011

2011-11-25T14:15:00.001-06:00

Twelve Trees, 2011, a photo by My Sweet Prairie - Monika Kinner on Flickr.

Friday Finishes

2011-11-24T22:24:00.000-06:00

I have been no-net for 2 days. Here's the proof that it's all good. I got many things accomplished. I finished the second 'Flax at Jackfish Lake' and it is stunning. My second-time-arounds really go together easier and the colors just all seem to fall into the right places.

Flax at Jackfish II, 2011 (detail)

I love the way the evergreens sink into the flax field!! I love the slight curve in the foreground. I love the land on the other side of the lake. I am super happy with this one.

I did a lot more work on the Wolf Willow & Prairie Lilies from the last blog entry. The wolf willow has been stitched in. I may add some light silver highlights. The post is in. I did a few more grasses, and then began looking for the right color to stitch in the prairie lilies.

Wolf Willow & Prairie Lilies in progress... SOLD

Yeah. Really. It's spoken for! My head is spinning - half my work is sold already! I am just aching to go thread shopping. Oh let me tell you! lol

Notice there were no prairie lilies stitched in yet?

I looked through my stash with no luck. I recalled that I had red dye left over and died some floss I had made yellow earlier. No luck. I even dunked a brown skein into the red to see if I could get the right color. Nope.

New dyes. Useful, but not what I need right now.

I went to Periwinkle and the floss was either too rusty, or too light. What a tricky flower! I'll try one more shop... In the mean time, I made up this little baby! I started it a couple afternoons ago and have been plugging away at it. It's complete. I've signed it and everything. It's a row of trees up at Cedar Lodge as you look back over to the canola on the other side of the lake. You can't see the water of Blackstrap Lake from there because the hillside is VERY steep.

Twelve Trees. 3" x 9"

That's right folks. Monika put trees into her art. Sorry that's blurry - I snapped a quick pic in the dark to show you. Once it's finished and I get a sunny day, I'll do a retake. Believe it or not, I bought the right size of matting and frame first! This one was a surprise finish. I had planned to put the curly dock at Bergheim Road into that frame. I suppose I can get more. I'm really glad about how well Twelve Trees worked out! Those tree lines are everywhere, planted as windbreaks around farms. I love how they were planted in a row and properly spaced, yet the trees are certainly individual. They have a lot of character. p.s. I did recreate each trunk as they were. I thought they deserved that. ; )

Have a great weekend! Happy Turkey Day to my American friends.

Working on One More...

2011-11-22T19:10:00.000-06:00

I was planning on putting "A Prairie Dress" into my display at the Centre's Jade Gallery (which would look REALLY terrific in there!) but now I'm thinking I can't. It needs to be delivered to the offices of the Saskatchewan Craft Council very soon. Wow - I still can't believe I am saying that! This new show I was accepted for is called "Seeds" and runs Jan-Feb 2012. It is specifically for emerging Saskatchewan artists who are in the first five years of their career. I am only 2, so I'm thrilled to be able to get in on such a fantastic opportunity! The problem is that now I have unplanned extra space in the Centre gallery (which is a large public display wall behind glass in one of our biggest malls in the city). Remedy? One last piece...

work in progress...

YOU might not be able to see it, but I can. It's bare, bare bones right now. It's going to have an old post in it. The inspiration for it is from these particular photos I took in July, one of which is incredibly teeny. I was hunting for good compositions to stitch.

I may incorporate these prairie lilies too.

how lucky to stumble upon wild prairie lilies! (our provincial flower)

We'll see how this one turns out! I know I'm going to enjoy stitching in all those silvery grey leaves. Can anyone identify that for me? Is that what they call wolf willow? There was a lot of it this summer.

I've also decided to try something different. I've had this cropped shot on my desktop for some time now. I took it at the end of Bergheim Road, just before getting back onto the highway from Bernie's this fall.

this is a perfect example of a crappy photo that could inspire something great.

There's no sky in the shot, but I love the colors and I think it makes an interesting composition. I also think I'll have to try this one in a large scale at a later date. Can anyone identify those dark dried up plants by name for me? They were seriously abundant this year too.

...off to do more stitching : )

Linking to The Needle & Thread Network.

A Very Merry My Sweet Prairie

2011-11-22T07:48:00.000-06:00

Saskmade Marketplace on 8th Street in Saskatoon now has four of my snowglobes. I was going to put some in the gallery, but 4 is all that's left. Each shatter-proof globe has 2 back-to-back little stitched landscapes in them. The globes are being sold for just over $30 with commission going to the store. They are pretty cute! I won't be making more of these until next winter. If you buy one, I hope you have fun with it.

p.s. I pulled my art out, finished them, & stitched a little surprise into each one before delivering them to the store.

I hope you love the details! ; ) Saskmade Marketplace is open until 8pm on weeknights right now, and they are open on weekends during the day. You can also find them on Facebook. They have a lot of delicious local food products in there as well as art, crafts, and skin care products.

And to Nova Scotia's Thistle Quilt Guild - our postcards are coming your way! Our guild had a little show & tell of ours on Monday night and then addressed them all to you. : )

Flourish is Loved : )

2011-11-20T23:35:00.002-06:00

'Flourish' was a lot of work. I spent the longest time on it, and it has the most hand stitching of all my pieces. In the end, I believe it turned out very well. I love the feeling it gives me when I look into it. It has a beautiful glow. I'm happy to announce that is has been spoken for! Congratulations to the new owner : ) I'm so excited about that, and I sincerely hope you love it. It will be displayed over the holidays at the Centre in Saskatoon if you would like to go see it.

Now, off to do some serious postcard swapping! I have 2 guild meetings today and we're mailing cards off to a guild in Nova Scotia! Fun. See you all soon.

Sunday Snapshots

2011-11-20T00:23:00.000-06:00

I am really enjoying learning new things.

Fiona (my Kenmore that looks like an ogre but is really a princess) has all her bling goin' on. : ) Some machine techs seem get a kick out of this. Others are just left completely bewildered. It's like a car full of bumper stickers. There's no way you'll sell it. Once you sticker something, you have to keep it. I love this machine.

Here's my daughter turning a Centaur into a Pegasus. We call it 'Pegataur'. She's weird like me. ; )

I'm linking to A Prairie Sunrise's blog again today. Her theme today is 'for the love of... food'. Here is an apple, cut crosswise. Did you know there was a perfect star in there? I bet you'll never cut an apple any other way again! ; )

Happy Sunday everyone! Stay warm : )

- - - Saturday Stitches - - - and a Mentor for me : )

2011-11-19T00:00:00.007-06:00

Hi and welcome to Saturday Stitches where you watch me teach myself as many embroidery stitches as I can. : )

Here is the button pic, and here is the URL to all related posts.

I needed more texture in a piece of my art, so I pulled out some ribbon embroidery books and stitching ribbons I collected along the way. I did simple Straight Stitch first. I think I pulled it too tight and it didn't lie flat. So I tried a Japanese Ribbon stitch. It's very pretty! Take a look.

very easy to do, makes great petals & foliage!

I went around and around with different lengths, and it sure makes a pretty flower! I also tried a Lazy Daisy Chain - also makes a really pretty flower. I need more practice to not twist the ribbons though. My second attempt already looks better than the first doesn't it? See the twists? (You don't want that.)

hey... practice makes perfect right?

I can use those, but it still wasn't the shape I'm looking for. I want to stitch some prairie lilies into the foreground of a piece. They need to be very narrow at the ends and wide in the middle. Maybe the right size of ribbon would make a difference. I'm definitely looking into more silk ribbon embroidery. I just love it!

In the mean time, I want to say how incredibly fortunate I feel. You've heard me mention how many times Margot Lindsay (local embroidery artist) & I have crossed paths. I was so excited to learn about her! I was even more thrilled to 'accidentally' meet her at a show I was in last May. After seeing my art, so many people strongly suggested that I meet her. At that May show, I watched one older woman with snow white hair looking at my work. She came back a second time and told me it was 'very, very good'. She told me her name, and the smiles and conversations began. It was her! What serendipity! In the end, she gave me her phone number and invited me to stitch with her some day. And that is how I finally met Margot.

As the story goes, I never got around to calling her over the summer. I was so busy with the kids, and that dress. I happened to see Margot the next time at our Quilt show and was tickled pink to be able to show her my prairie dress in person. What are the odds!? She really loved it. I think (hope) I genuinely impressed her. ; ) That was a very humbling moment for me. I think sh'es been a prairie stitching artist for a very long time.

Finally, we made a date to get together. As I write this, I have just returned from my first visit over to her home and studio. She was SOOO kind. My gosh - what a sweet soul. She explained lots about her process to me. She gave me a tour of all her art that was in sight. In her sewing room, she opened container boxes upon container boxes to show me all the things she's collected, dyed, cut into strips, a decorative yarn or thread in hundreds of colors. She showed me samples... WOW. I have wished for a mentor for so long. This is really incredible. I felt like red riding hood finally arriving at grandmother's house. (No wolf, but that forest I've travelled through was a lot of work!)

Embarrassed after seeing all her incredible work, I told her I had brought a piece of mine to show her. It was my re-do of Bloom. She studied it for some time and seemed very impressed. She pointed out a lot of things she liked, and oohed and aahed over the teeny stitches. She loved the teeny purple stitches and the long stitched free-motion grasses. o m g That was a strange moment: humbling and exciting at the same time. It's easy to show my work to someone who doesn't do what I do. This was all so different. I'm pretty happy, and happy that I'll have an opportunity to learn much from her.

She sent me home with this. Thank you Margot!

It might look like a pile of left overs to you, but it's like being sent home with a big bag of candy! I had to hurry home to pick up the kids from school, and so I only had an hour with her. On my way out, she suggested we get together to stitch next time. Oooh I can't wait. She gave me some great ideas for alternative backings that are easier to stitch through than what I use. What a GREAT visit! I wish I had my camera to show you. I came away so enriched in so many ways. : )

The funny thing is, after school, a woman came to pick something up from my house and saw Bloom 2...

...and she bought it. (Thank you!!!) This will still be on display for the show.

What a day!

What a year. My goodness. I truly believe I am right where I am meant to be. Things are just unfolding.

Happy stitching! Thanks for listening.