I Was Blue Over Flax

Earlier this summer, I put out a request on the My Sweet Prairie facebook page for people to notify me if they are on the road and sight a flax field in bloom within reasonable driving distance from my city.  Because I work from my own photos, I want to get some on my camera.  My friend Carol-Lynne did just that!  (Thank you!)  She posted easy directions to 2 fields within an hour from here.  So a couple days later I packed up my kids and we went on a road trip.  We drove and drove and (boo hoo) we never did find that flax.  My mother was kind enough to send this photo taken near her cabin by her friend Howard.

thank you mom & thank you Howard!

It has Jackfish Lake just past the trees.  I wasn't sure I would use this because it's all one color, but look at what I have done so far!  (Deb and Becky - I won't even begin to count the French Knots this time!)

Flax at Jackfish, work in progress

Still, I'm a little disheartened that I couldn't spot that field that Carol-Lynne told me about.  And then I saw it!  Want to see!?  These are my photos.  I took them this week.

Flax in Bloom!

It's not just any 'Flax in Bloom'.  It's MY flax.  This is growing in my front yard at the bottom of the newly planted apple tree!  I was careful not to mow the plants down when I did the lawn.  After I watered the tree (in my pajamas), I returned back out front (still in my pajamas) to snap, snap, snap away with my camera.  Yes, I smiled and waved at the neighbors as they drove to work.

Look at the blue blue pollen!  click the photo for a closer look

going to seed - one Flax flower left here

Let me tell you I am just too happy about this!  I took nearly fifty photos.  Maybe some day I'll stitch macro florals.  I'm not really drawn to that right now, but it was terrific to really study this plant up close.  Linen fabric is made from flax.  Did you know that?  The flowers bloom only at a particular time of day so they are easy to miss.  The plants grow quite tall and straight so when a breeze comes they move easily in waves that resemble water.  When I lived in Calgary I saw a home where the entire front yard was flax instead of grass.  I'll never forget it.  It was the loveliest thing ever!  Can you imagine?   How tempting.  For now, I'll reseed these in the back yard I think.

See you tomorrow!

~Monika
...who is tickled pink : )

Stitching Summer

First, let me get this out:  O M G it's been HOT.  Please rain, please rain...  It's been twenty degrees first thing in the morning, and wayy too hot for me to run.  Then it nearly doubles for the whole day.  Needless, to say, we've been either in the water or hiding inside with the A/C on.  I'm definitely a spring/fall kind of woman.

heading out to stitch under the shade tree

ok.  Thanks for listening.  : )

I am very happy to say that I made it to the Bridge City Needle Arts stitch night!  They meet weekly through the summer.  My husband actually told me to get out of the house because I was getting bitchy about all the housework (though I still did laundry and dishes into the night as usual).  The stitch group was terrific and I got 2 solid hours of handstiching done on 'Boundless' from my photo of the post surrounded by dandelions.  I spent yesterday doing another several hours, and I think it's done!

Boundless II, (detail) 2011

If you look really close, there is alfalfa, dandelion blooms, dandelion puffs, blue aster, and goldenrods.  I am really happy with this one!  The dandelions look like dandelions.  It's going into a dark grey woodgrain frame that really brings out the blues & the post in this one.  I'm not sure who is getting this one.  It is being purchased as a birthday gift for a loved one.

inspiration for Boundless.  photo by me, 2010

And more great news!  Some lovely woman left a couple of embroidery scroll frames up for grabs at our local quilt shop.  I now have one for my landscapes.  (Thank you!!)  What great timing with all this hand stitching I'm doing.  I bought a small rectangle one from a garage sale earlier this year.  It has the felted work on it.  Now I have a really long and narrow one which is just fantastic for my landscapes.  While I was with the Bridge City NeedleArts group, I was able to find out how to attach the work to the frame.  'Stitch it on with unwaxed dental floss!' said one.  Smart. 

I have one last thing to show you.  Now that the mail is moving, look what my mother sent me!!  I have it pinned up on my inspiration wall.  She knew I was looking for a flax field.  A friend of hers took this photo.  This is the view from the highway. 

view of Jackfish Lake / Day's Beach SK

You will see (bottom to top) blue flax, blue lake, blue horizon, and blue sky.  Isnt' that hilarious?  There's no sense of up or down or depth in this with the exception of the tree tips to anchor you.  I'm not sure I'll do this entirely, but I'll use features of it in an art piece.  I might crop it vertically for a long panel and play up the blue & green with lots of distinctively different texture.  It is an amazing sight!

Now to take a day off and re-organize this mess!  How did that happen so fast?

See you Sunday,
~Monika

Tuesday Off Topic

Spring on the Prairie III (detail) 2011 by Monika Kinner-Whalen, a photo by My Sweet Prairie on Flickr.

Hello! I've been busy busy and unable to get a Tips on Tuesdays post done for this week. It was a well lit day for me to get all my photography done before putting my eight new art pieces under glass in their frames.

I'm done! I have uploaded my 4 favorite shots of each piece into my flickr online photo album. To see them all, simply click on the photo in this post, and it will take you to my flickr set. From there, simply click "older" over and over to see everything I've just uploaded. ; ) That 'newer/older' button should be near the top corner of the photo when you go there.

easy?
You'll know you're done when you see my old stuff from Gardenscape.

p.s. All pieces are for sale and will be in A Needle Pulling Thread Magazine next year.

Have a great day!
~Monika
...who REALLY feels like she's accomplished great things!!

Works in Progress Wednesday

What am I working on?  I've been plugging away at creating fibre art landscapes for the group exhibit I'm part of on Sunday, May 29th.  Here's some of what I've accomplished so far.  All will be for sale.  All will be printed along my article as the featured artist in A Needle Pulling Thread magazine, Spring 2012!

work in progress... lots more to free motion stitch on here.

the beginnings of Field of Flax, featuring french knots in periwinkle

finished!  Saskatchewan, my home.  Based on my photos.

Deep Summer.  done!  : )

Boundless, based on my photo of dandelions and a barbed wire fence

I think I may have enough time to create one more piece before I begin to mount, mat, and frame all my work.  I also have to prime and paint the display board I have.  The exhibit is a fundraiser for Friends of the Forestry Farm House, and the upcoming event was showcased in the SUN this past weekend.

the quilt shown is by Elizabeth Cuming who makes incredible art featuring heritage buildings

This Spring Art Show & Sale will be from noon to 5pm on the last Sunday of May, out in the Superintendent's Residence building there, which is a beautiful old heritage site at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm, Park, and Zoo.

click HERE for a list of the artists involved, and details of the event.

Thanks for stopping by!  To see what other quilters are up to, head on over to Lee's at Freshly Pieced.

Have a great day,
~Monika