More Stitching Needles

I have been working on this one for a long time.  I got a commission to make the evergreens from Gardenscape.  I had a big 8x10 one that sold as it was being set up for that show.  Then I got an email from someone else asking for it via facebook.  Gotta love Facebook.  So away I went to stitch this.  The first time I did the evergreens, it just happened quite effortlessly and it turned out perfectly lovely.  This second one?   I have been stitching this out for a long time on and off.  It went through the longest ugly phase I have ever had to endure.  I was so close to throwing this out and restarting.  I think the problem was that I began with such drastically different colours of thread - brassy orangy green and blueish emerald.  It was a lot of thread colours before I felt I had it appearing blended properly.  Usually I start with medium tones and then add the deep shadows and highlights.  I'm not sure what possessed me to start the way I did this time.  I think I may have just picked my favourite colours first.  (never doin' that again!)

But - I am SUPER HAPPY.  This is done.  It has so many colours in it and it's all done free machine on straight stitch.  There's no zigzag used.  That's all manually manipulated.  It's a lot of threadwork.

9.5" x 7" commission

This will be heading to Alberta - an old friend from highschool has purchased it.  I haven't seen her in years but she's been following my art on FB.  We used to sit in art class together waaaay back in the early '80's.  I think I have a sketch of her and a couple friends still from those days when we had to do some continuous line drawing samples.  (Waving - Hello Mrs. Deptuch!)

: )

Here is a detailed part of the threadpainting cropped square.

And here is the same portion in black and white.  VERY interesting!

A friend of mine is having her art in the paper for Weyburn ArtWalk & Join the Thread.  She had to see which have the most variation in value so that they are still appealing if printed in black and white.  That makes me want to view all my work in black and white to ensure it's not blaaaaah.  Smart.

Okeedokee.  Off to frame & box it up.  I'm so excited for her to get this!  It's awesome - I've been shipping a lot of work to Alberta lately.

linking to TN&TN and yes - I will be stepping away from that if anyone is interested in taking over that blog.  : )

Have a good day!

A Friday Finish!

Whew - it's done!  Commission complete.  This is the view from the Meota Highway, loooking across Jackfish Lake, Saskatchewan.

I just sent a photo to the woman who will be the new owner to see what she thinks.  She lives at this lake, so it's a personal piece for her.  It's quite big - will be in a 14x14" frame.  Much of the surface is done with sewing thread by hand.  All the pale stitches in the fields are hand work, and of course the flowers, grasses & fence wires in the foreground are as well.

s usual... I don't have a title yet.  'From Old Meota Road' ... that has a certain ring to it.  This new threadpainting will go the framing studio next week.  Hooray!  It sure feels good to get things done. : )

Just to make note - I'll be selling my wares at a local Christmas Art & Craft sale in Saskatoon on Saturday November 29th.  Keep posted and I'll share the details once I have them.

Have a great weekend friends,

Commission for ME (!) And one completed..

A commission for me.  YES!  Remember last year when I commissioned an illustrator to make a family cartoon for the holidays?  It was the BEST.  No regrets.  Now in anticipation of my new workspace, I've been dreaming up something special - something very personal and from my heart.  I approached a fibre artist that I consider to be SPECTACULAR.  I found her work on Flickr and decided to 'pop the question'.  She said yes!  I'm so thrilled.  I'll show you when it's done.  Her style is very specific (for lack of better term) so if I show her off now, you'll miss half of the excitement when I unveil the final artwork.  I am buzzing with happy over this.  I makes me understand how important of a role an artist has with a personal commission.

Speaking of commissions, I just finished up a threadpainting for a very special woman who is soon to be leaving the prairies.  She requested the grasses swaying in the breeze.   I just finished it up this morning.  I'm not sure yet what to name this piece, but it's a big deal I think.  She'll be taking this little bit of prairie with her, packed up in a box with her belongings, next to other boxes full of more of the same.  I'm not sure where she's going, but I understand it's a big move.  It was life changing for me the day I came back to the prairie.  It's bittersweet thinking about her leaving.

If you are reading this, I hope you love this and I sincerely wish you all the best on the next chapter in your life.  : )

Finished Friday

This one is a commissioned piece for B. in New Zealand.  I hope she likes it!  (**Update - I got an email from her overnight and she LOVES it!)

It isn't based on any photo in particular.  That is new.  I like to use my own source photos because I work hard hunting for and gathering compositions that lend themselves well to stitch.  I end up with this huge pile of personal resources and inspiration through each season.  I also find that using photos helps me with depth and distance.  This time, I think I did it!  The first time I tried a landscape waaay back when, it was so two-dimensional that it was embarrassing!  I think now I have done enough horizons, fields, trees, and foregrounds that I was ready to pull it off.

B. asked for a summer scene similar to Lakewood, but with water and more floral colours.  Here is a good close up that shows the colours a little more correctly. The photo above is not colour correct.  The original is much warmer like below.  More golden, more happy.

the 'glam shot' in better lighting.

This was done with threads, and hand dyed silk embroidery floss.  It's 5x5" and about to be matted and framed.  I think I will call it 'In Bloom'.

This is thread painting #6 to go to the other side of the planet!  Wow.  Thank you B.  : )

p.s.  if anyone is looking, I have a few thread paintings left from Gardenscape.  I put them in my Etsy shop.  You can find the link on my right sidebar.  Thanks!

Finished it Friday

I sent this off to it's new home in California on Monday.  LOVE the framing courtesy Cindy Moleski's studio.  I have to say, working with this client in particular was a very great experience.  She sent me the kindest, most artful words via email as I worked along on this piece for her.  It's hard to explain, but it was different.  She was so loving toward my heartfelt connection with my subject matter.  I can't explain it.  It's like she commissioned my joy.  ?  I won't quote her emails here in this post, but that is what it was like.  If I was passionate about a place, name, or color... then she wanted it to be part of the work.  Her commission ended up not only being a gift for her, but a gift for me.  THANK YOU. 

It seemed to have had an effect on the piece.  Autumn Over Blackstrap Lake ended up so warm, natural, glowing... just different from the rest.  It was more like a piece I would do just for me, no pressure to please anyone else.  There!  THAT is whet I'm trying to say!  lol

I also mailed off my forth threadpainting to the other side of the planet.  THAT still blows my mind.  Good gosh I hope it arrives safe & sound.  The original Jacarandas photo was taken by Jim Niesel, in Australia.  His wife commission it.  So - I cannot get credit for the scene or composition itself.

I had a precut grey mat in my studio that I thought I would try out.  The purples looked really good with grey, however, notice the yellow inside edge??

a sign that it isn't acid free?  tsk tsk

My framer told me she can spot matting that isn't acid free.  She told me to look for a yellow color where it's been cut.  Sure enough, against the white background this matting is indeed YELLOW!  So I headed off to Cindy's again and had an acid-free mat put in.

Good to know!
(Plus, it looks way better now...)

I added a few last minute stitches, including some green in the tree tops to the right.  It didn't feel balanced before.  I also added a sprinkling of fallen petals stitched onto the road to bring the foreground forward.  It was empty before.  My oh my there is a LOT of hand embroidery in this!  Here it is once again; the finished finished version of this threadpainting.  It is now off and circling the earth to it's new home 'down under'.

Safe travels!  And thank you to Jim & Yvette for the commission.  I can't wait to hear when it has arrived.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Things I Love Thursdays

Right now, I am loving purple.

I did it!  That's the jacaranda trees commission.  I just have to add a few more fallen petals onto the road side and I think I am done.  I really like the way the land is textured, and how the shadows of the trees worked out.

I hand stitched all the thicker threads in that piece.  They are like seed stitches in a pinky/purple variegated cotton.  It was days and days... and I didn't mind a bit.

And now for my next trick...

days and days of stitching...

I love silk ribbon so much.  It is such a joy to work with.  * sigh *  But I'm not done yet...

p.s.  Did you know that in the states, it's National Embroidery Month?  kewl.  : )

Have a great day!

A Big Finish for Friday!

First commission of the year complete!  : )

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

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

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

off the soap box...

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

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

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

Work In Progress

Commission # 1... 

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

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

You've seen this next photo...

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

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

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

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

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

Linking to WIP Wednesday @ TN&TN.

Threadpainting Autumn Blonde

Happy Autumn!  It's official.  The Equinox came and went.  It sure is pretty out there!

Remember when I had a show at my mom's lakehouse this past summer?  I had some sketchbooks of mine set out on one table to show the process I take for the people coming to see me art.  One photo in particular really grabbed one of the women.  "If you make that, I want it!" she said.  Yesterday I started...

the original photo I took last fall

this is the 6x6" background and the plans I had done beside the photo in my sketchbook

I pick out thread colors like a painter would prepare paint.

I lay down some thread using free motion sewing on my little machine

I am finished the free machine work

Now the 'pretty' starts:  I add rosehips, leaves, and more grasses by hand.  Detail.  Detail.

FINISHED!

threads cleaned up, edges finished.  Work Complete! 

Are you wowed!?  I am wowed.  I did this in all day, all night, and all morning... now I am done.  I am thrilled. I wish you could see some of the sheen in the heavier blonde grasses that I stitched by hand.  It really glows.  It's beautiful!  Off to the framer's I go...

: )))
linking to WIP Wednesday @ TN&TN

Finished it Friday Once Again!

WOOHOO!!  I am done.  This commission is now complete!  I have it mounted on mat board and ready to ship.  As with every commission I have ever done, there was a point where I was thinking, 'oh dear.  This isn't going to work.  I should stop.  Next time, no more commissions.'  The truth though, every time I push through and face my fears, I surprise myself.  I never fail to come out of it having learned a lot.  It is a huge challenge to get the fibre art to match what my expectations for the piece are - each and every time.  It's always worth it.  It's a learning experience.  Learning = growing as an artist.  All good.  I love this piece.  : )

"?"  name suggestions appreciated.  : )

Hmmm.  Still no name.  We loved the title, "Red Silos" but we quickly learned they aren't called silos.  hehe.  They are granaries.  I don't know if that word flows nice of the tongue.  I'm going to think on that a bit more.

I need to thank YOU Heather Lair (if you are floatin' around in quilter's heaven, listening over our shoulders...).  Heather, in one of her famous joyful generous moments gave me packs of her favorite sewing machine needles when I stayed with her in June.  She was so excited while telling me about the virtues of microtex needles.  She said I MUST try them.  Because they are so fine and sharp they don't leave those giant puncture marks that the 90/14 topstitch needles do.  It doesn't matter to me much except when it comes to skies.  I never want to punch holes in the big blue prairie sky.  In fact, I had stopped doing any stitching into the sky on quite a few of my pieces because I felt it would not enhance the scene at all.  I bit the bullet with this commission and decided to try Heather's size 70/10 microtex needles with my rayon thread.  Wow.  Sure enough,  you can't even see the holes!!  It's fabulous.  WOW.  Thank you Heather.  That was some extremely useful advice.

Come to think of it, everything Heather Lair has ever said to me was 'extremely useful'.  : ) 

Heads up!  This weekend is the Broadway Street Fair.  If you head down there, you must step inside the Saskatchewan Craft Council to see what is in that gallery right now!!  Oh I could have dropped to my knees.  It is one of the most beautiful and breathtaking shows I have seen there.  That's all I'll say.  You have to go see for yourself.  : )

Tonight, I am off to a friend's sewing studio for a night of fun projects!  I promise to show you tomorrow.  Aren't you curious!??!  (hehehe)  After all is said and done, there will be a give-away involved in the next post!  Yipee!

See you then,

End of Summer - Catchin' Up with You : )

Oh, it's the end of summer.  I have mixed feelings about that.  The days are good and hot (REAL hot), yet the sunshine is crawling further across the floor of my home every afternoon.  Today was a big work day.  It was Kari's last day of summer employment.  **Notice I didn't say last day period.  I have really enjoyed her companionship over the summer.  I think we have a long friendship ahead of us.  (Thank you Molly for the match-making.)  I'm writing this at 8 pm and still not done revamping the sewing room.  What a big job of sorting and organizing.  Look what she brought me this morning!

Yes, it's a little brownish-charcoal colored ball of yarn, quite small in the palm of my hand.  (wool?  yarn?  What is the right term?)  It's a very special little brownish-charcoal colored ball of yarn.  It's BISON hair!  It's the natural color as far as we figure.  It's especially sweet since I stitched a few bison onto a postcard this summer.  That turned out to be a big hit.  I want to stitch more of that beautiful beast.  Now I have this yarn!?  How authentic is that!?  COOL.  Kari - you rock.

You know that when most bloggers disappear, it's because they are up to something BIG.  Not me.  I just tended to home and family and school supply shopping.  ; )  I did finish up my little silk ribbon floral though!  I think I'll lace it and frame it up.  I don't know if it's perfect, but I sure love, love stitching with ribbons.

about 7x9"... hand dyed silk ribbon & yarn.

: )  If you follow my facebook page, you might have seen the photo of this in progress.  I was working on it outside.  As I threaded up another ribbon, I looked over to see a giant dragonfly had landed on the flower petals!  I clicked a crappy cell phone picture and posted it.  I thought that was a good omen.  Isn't that neat?

This commission is nearly done.  There's some finished touches I have planned, so this is still Work-In-Progress.

work in progress...  about 6.5x9"

It's looking pretty lush in the foreground, so I don't know if I want to put birds in the sky to balance it or not.  I will add a bit of yellow poking out from behind the buildings to pull it all together.  I've stopped stitching into the skies on some pieces.  I can't decide on that either.  To FMQ or not to FMQ?  hmmm... I'll wait and see what she says.  : )  I can't wait to photograph the final piece!

I should take this time to let you know about upcoming classes in Saskatoon as well.  If you sign up to my blog via email, you probably aren't aware of the running announcements at the top of my blog page.  Here you are:

* * * TEACHING * * * @ Creative House in Saskatoon. Call 306 652 0455 to register.
Creative Quilted Postcards Workshop Monday Sept 9
Handstitching 101 Wednesday Sept 11
Beginner Threadpainting Monday, Sept 16

I believe the maximum class size is larger now as they can seat up to 12 students instead of 6 or 8.  That's good news!  I likely won't be running anymore Saskatoon classes until the spring.  Also, please note that Creative House is open Monday to Thursday only unless you make an appointment via telephone.  So, if you are calling to book for those classes, you should avoid calling on the off days.  : )  If you need more information about the classes, you can find that in the "Workshops" tab at the top of my blog as well.

Okay!  Have a great week.  I'm linking to WIP Wednesday @ TN&TN.

(and WHOOPEE the blog has hit 500 followers!  Thanks everyone!)