sketchbooks, coffee & an AWESOME giveaway!!

You've heard of the Sketchbook Challenge, right? If you haven't, you're missing a really great time. The project is in its second year and the concept is simple - gather a group of artists and look inside their sketchbooks. After all, sketchbooks are playgrounds for artists and a real look at what goes inside their head.

Sue Bleiweiss is the organizer behind the project and now she's taken one giant fabulous step forward. Behold the Sketchbook Challenge BOOK!

I was super happy (like the jump up and down kind) when Sue sent me an email and asked me to be part of the book. She offered me, along with twenty other artists, a list of themes to choose from with the request that we dwell on them a bit in our sketchbooks and then translate the page into a piece of artwork.

I chose Simple Pleasures and I'm sure you will be quite shocked that I produced this:

Coffee anyone? (My love for it runs deep and I'm not at all sorry.) The way I keep a sketchbook is very different. In fact, you'll get an up close and personal view of that in the next issue of Quilting Arts, they invited me to write the Off the Page feature they are running in each issue. (Totally geeked about that!)

So I approached my contribution for the book from the angle of making a small dedicated art journal and creating another piece off that. Here is the art quilt I made from the journal up above:

I had a total blast creating these pieces for the book and obviously everyone else did too. The artwork and range of styles is truly astounding. I got a copy of the book a couple of weeks ago and have been slowly working my way through it and loving all of it. Plus - and this might be a weird thing that only I would put in the plus column - its a quirky size. Its smaller then the the standard size book, which makes it great for hauling around.

And because Sue knows how to throw a party, she's organized a wicked blog hop to celebrate the book. Today is my day to give away something of awesomeness and I'm proud to be the host for an 8" x 10" Gelliarts Gel Plate:

Just leave a comment here (about anything, just give a shout out) and you'll get in the drawing. I'll announce the winner on July 3 so don't wait - get commenting.

And don't miss out on the rest of the blog tour. There are two artists giving away stuff on each date and its really good stuff. Here's the full list:

June 26

Jill Berry

From Joggles - $25 gift certificate to Joggles.com

Sue Bleiweiss

Prize:  From Mistyfuse Three 10yd packages of Mistyfuse: a white, black and ultraviolet and a  BIG Goddess Sheet.

*******************

June 27

 

Violette

From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.

Kathyanne White

From ArtPlantae Today - The book Making Handmade Books: 100+ Bindings, Structures & Forms by Alisa Golden

*******************

June 28

Kathy Sperino

From Sue Pelland Designs - A Leaves Galore Grande size template, a Quilter's Chalk Line and the pattern of their choice from her website with free shipping (Continental USA) to the winner.

Leslie Tucker Jenison

From Mistyfuse -  A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.

*******************

June 29

Jamie Fingal

Prize: From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.

me! :) 

From Gelli Arts - an 8” x 10” Gel Printing Plate

*******************

July 2

Jackie Bowcutt - From The Thread Studio apackage of machine embroidery threads:

Lyric Kinard

From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.  Total retail value: $48!

and

From ProChemical and Dye  - A $25 gift certificate to ProChemical and Dye

*******************

July 3

JaneDavies

From Gelli Arts - an 8” x 10” Gel Printing Plate

Kim Rae Nugent

From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.  Total retail value: $48!

*******************

July 5

Carla Sonheim

From Joggles - a $25 gift certificate to Joggles.com

Carol Sloan 

From Mistyfuse -  10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.

*******************

July 6

Susan Brubaker Knapp

From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.

Diana Trout

From The Artist Cellar - A complete set of Artist CellarStencils - that’s 28 stencils total!

*******************

July 9

Tracie Lyn Huskamp

From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.

Judi Hurwitt  

From The Thread Studio apackage of Flaked Gilding Leaf:

and

From Blue Twig Studio:  A pad of Borden & Riley BristolPlate

*******************

July 10

Jane LaFazio

From The Artist Cellar  A complete set of Artist CellarStencils - that’s 28 stencils total!

and

From ArtPlantae Today - The book Botany for Artists and one package of Plant NotesBookmarks

Kelli Nina Perkins

From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet

and

From ProChemical and Dye - A $25 gift certificate to ProChemical and Dye

Incredible list, right?? Have fun!!

studio habits

Artist Lisa Call posted a list of questions on her blog about how she works in her studio. Some people in the comments asked about answering the same questions on their own blogs and I decided it sounded like fun. (Lisa is compiling a list of everyone who did it so be sure to go to her blog and check it out.)

Here's a look at my favorite spot in my studio (I've posted this photo before but I love it, it really represents the feeling I have when I work in there):

And here are the questions:

Is your studio at home or a separate space? 


Mine is in my home. Its a spare bedroom. I got to choose between two rooms when I decided to claim a space - one was little and one was much larger. I picked the larger one, figured I didn't need that much room to sleep.

I dream of buying a small house to turn into nothing but studio space. Although I battle the mess with a vengence in the one I have now, imagine the chaos I could wreak in 1000 sq feet.

 
How big is your studio?

Its modest. About 11' x 14'. But its alllllllll mine. I can leave projects out in progress and I've found that to be a significant thing for my art making. Prior to the studio when I had to constantly put things away and haul them all out again, I lost motivation real quick because it became too much effort. I can honestly say that I am more productive with a dedicated studio space.






Typically, how many hours a day do you work in the studio?

During the week? Almost never. My day job keeps me out of the house about 10-11 hours per day and by the time I get home, the most I can do is think about art. I carry a notebook with me during the week that gets stuffed full of everything that I want to do when I can get time to do it. So in a way, I work in my studio constantly - just in my mind. The most of my studio time is on the weekend. I spend the week planning and scheming so my weekend time is very very productive.


How many days a week?

Usually the weekends get the most action. And if I have a day off work, I'm always in there. Everything revolves around when I can sneak there and just work.


Do you listen to music while you work?
 
Yes, I like soulful type music like The Beatles and Ray Charles. And also rock like The Runaways. I tend to find one song and set it to repeat. It creates a kind of sound cocoon, blocking out everything else and after a while, I don't really hear it. But it removes any outside distraction and sharpens my focus.


Do you watch television while you work?



I watch movies when I'm doing the mundane tasks - like wiring work and adding labels or filling out paperwork. I need some entertainment for that kind of work, its as exciting as watching paint dry. But when I'm working on artwork, I can't take the constant changes of pace in dialogue and music - it breaks my groove.



Do you answer the telephone while you are in your studio?



Telephones are not allowed in the studio. That's why the universe created voice mail.



How often do you take breaks?



I don't like to stop once I start. I'll work about seven to nine hours straight without a break. Normally when I go up in the morning to start working I haul a lot of drinks and snacks up with me so I don't have to leave the room at all. I look like an art refugee fleeing toward safety.




Do you have any over-use issues with your hands or any other body parts?

My hands, and that's because I do so much printing on fabric and hand stitching and also the constant typing from writing so much. I actually need surgery on my left hand to relieve some issues there but its only uncomfortable so I'm learning to live with it and treat it. I'm right handed so that side takes the most abuse. But I've learned when to back down before it gets to a point that is painful.


If so, how do you manage them or compensate?

I wear an athletic wrist support on my right hand when I'm working (that includes typing) to help with fatigue. On the back of the box it says its great for people who do needlework as well so I'm not alone in this. I think you just have to be smart and if you have a problem body part (that was weird to write), you learn its limits and how to make it happy.


I am most myself when I am in my studio. I don't worry about judgement. I sing, I dance (badly) and I just make stuff. To me, that's what a studio is - the place where you can let go and forget the rest of the world.

How about you? Do you have a dedicated space - small or big or just a corner? Do you think it makes you more productive?

drunk on details

A detail of my latest Remnant Collage:

 

These pieces hold me in pause, forcing me to choose between breaking completely free and spilling out everything I want to say in one go - or sitting quietly and learning to leave enough space for those tiny thoughts that creep in and out when your mind goes still.

They are slowly growing in size. Two of the largest are in progress and I dreamt of a collage so long and vast it filled an entire year of making. Drunk on endless details...

an increbile blog tour you don't want to miss!!!

Sue Bleiweiss, the brain behind the Sketchbook Challenge, is celebrating the release of her new book by the same name! And she's really doing it in style - she's organized the mother of all blog tours to kick it off (the book comes out today so head on over and snag a copy!).

The book is made up of sketchbooks and artwork from twenty contributing artists along with technique instructions. Your's truly is one of them. I'll be hosting a stop on the tour this Friday (June 29th and the giveaway is awesome!) but there is SO much stuff being given away that I didn't want to wait that long to post the list of who is participating.

So here's the list. Every blog you visit belongs to an artist who participated in the book and I've listed what they are giving away below their names. So much cool stuff!!!

Have fun and see you back here on Friday!



SKETCHBOOK CHALLENGE BOOK BLOG TOUR LAUNCH PARTY

June 26

Jill Berry

From Joggles - $25 gift certificate to Joggles.com

Sue Bleiweiss

Prize:  From Mistyfuse Three 10yd packages of Mistyfuse: a white, black and ultraviolet and a  BIG Goddess Sheet.

*******************

June 27

 

Violette

From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.

Kathyanne White

From ArtPlantae Today - The book Making Handmade Books: 100+ Bindings, Structures & Forms by Alisa Golden

*******************

June 28

Kathy Sperino

From Sue Pelland Designs - A Leaves Galore Grande size template, a Quilter's Chalk Line and the pattern of their choice from her website with free shipping (Continental USA) to the winner.

Leslie Tucker Jenison

From Mistyfuse -  A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.

*******************

June 29

Jamie Fingal

Prize: From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.

me! :) 

From Gelli Arts - an 8” x 10” Gel Printing Plate

*******************

July 2

Jackie Bowcutt - From The Thread Studio apackage of machine embroidery threads:

Lyric Kinard

From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.  Total retail value: $48!

and

From ProChemical and Dye  - A $25 gift certificate to ProChemical and Dye

*******************

July 3

JaneDavies

From Gelli Arts - an 8” x 10” Gel Printing Plate

Kim Rae Nugent

From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.  Total retail value: $48!

*******************

July 5

Carla Sonheim

From Joggles - a $25 gift certificate to Joggles.com

Carol Sloan 

From Mistyfuse -  10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.

*******************

July 6

Susan Brubaker Knapp

From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.

Diana Trout

From The Artist Cellar - A complete set of Artist CellarStencils - that’s 28 stencils total!

*******************

July 9

Tracie Lyn Huskamp

From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet.

Judi Hurwitt  

From The Thread Studio apackage of Flaked Gilding Leaf:

and

From Blue Twig Studio:  A pad of Borden & Riley BristolPlate

*******************

July 10

Jane LaFazio

From The Artist Cellar  A complete set of Artist CellarStencils - that’s 28 stencils total!

and

From ArtPlantae Today - The book Botany for Artists and one package of Plant NotesBookmarks

Kelli Nina Perkins

From Mistyfuse - A 10yd combination package of Mistyfuse that includes 6 yards of White and 2 yards each of Black and Ultraviolet and a Goddess Sheet

and

From ProChemical and Dye - A $25 gift certificate to ProChemical and Dye

"the printed stash" workshop - super price deal! :)

Remember earlier this year when I posted about the online class, "The Printed Stash", that I'm teaching over at STITCHED? (If you're unfamiliar with STITCHED, you can read about it in my original post here.)

Here is a description of my class:

"The Printed Stash" is a technique based workshop. In this one hour long video you will learn the basics of Thermofax Screen Printing as well as more advanced concepts like printing layers. We'll talk about what images work best, how to choose colors and the depth that can be created with this process. We'll also learn Gelatin Plate Monoprinting. We'll create positve and negative prints, learn how to transfer your own doodles and drawings to the plate and how to use the plate on projects you already have in progress. While we won't work through an actual project in the workshop because its centered around teaching skills, we will talk about the different ways you can use the fabric you create by looking at various examples.

Its still going strong - there is paint flying everywhere. And if you were on the fence about signing up, then Alma (the brain child behind the STITCHED community) has made it very very easy for you to decide to jump in - the price has been reduced from $89 to $40.

Yes, you read that right - $40 for TWENTY online classes!!! That's only FIFTY CENTS A CLASS! The only way it could be more affordable is if it were free!

After my time at STITCHED is done (the community will be open until January 2013), I'll be running "The Printed Stash" on my own for $30 and you'll have access to the class for two months. For ten dollars more, you can sign up for STITCHED right now and get my class and 19 others for six months.

So if you are interested in signing up, just click the link below and join the fun! :)

Click here to view more details

random random

Just a few tidbits that I'm a little too sleepy to organize into grand sweeping posts so I've got a list instead. Here goes:

1. My column for Quilting Arts has been renewed for 2013 - can I get a WOOT? :) More fiber artists to get to know and love and share with you all. I'm so in love with that. :)

2. My studio is a mess. Again. I can't decide if I should clean it or just move.

3. Anyone have grand ideas on how to make fabric organize itself? Its a chronic problem. One that has resulted in me simply throwing it on the floor. Oddly enough, that isn't adding to the zen calm clean space I crave...

4. The westie walked clear through the path of a sprinkler yesterday. Old man just decided he was going that way and nothing would stop him. Had I known that, I would have grabbed his bottle of shampoo and led him back and forth through the water with a cookie.

5. Lots of thunderstorms today. Love it when they rattle the windows on the building.

6. A bug the size of California is stuck to the screen door at this very moment. Luckily its on the outside. I'm convinced that if it gets inside the house, it will devour me in one bite. Perhaps I should seek therapy.

7. The shop is taking a break so I can focus on some big projects that are getting cranky and wanting more of my time. It shuts down tomorrow evening and doesn't come back until July 16th. Get those thermofax screens while the getting is good or wait until mid-July.

8. I discovered paint on the ceiling of the studio this morning. I don't even want to know how it got there.

9. Its getting hot outside. No likey. Bah.

Only got nine. Summer is a busy time for art making for me, always has been. It seems that all of the fiber world's big events happen in the autumn so I spend this time prepping and generally freaking out wondering how I will get it all done.

Its become tradition.

How about you? Do you make more or less art in the summer?

solo show at sandhill crane vineyards

Yesterday morning I got up early and drove out to probably the prettiest place on earth: Sandhill Crane Vineyards. Earlier this year, I booked a solo show at their lovely winery and I hung it yesterday.

Solo shows have been on my mind lately and I decided to start on the small side. When I heard that Sandhill Crane Vineyards was booking artists, it was a no brainer - lovely space, beautiful location and awesome people. What could be better?

Here are the necessary details:

Printed, Stitched, Collaged

textile and assemblages by Lynn Krawczyk

Sandhill Crane Vineyards

4724 Walz Road

Jackson, MI 49201

June 16-August 11, 2012

I shot a video to show you not only my work on display but also the vineyards:






I couldn't be happier with the whole thing. I decided to hang the work gallery style (single line) instead of double hanging to get more work up. I have plenty more that could have gone up but I like the clean appearance and it also allowed me to mix in some assemblages with the canvas work. Since the show will be up for the majority of the summer, having work left over will let me replace anything that sells.

My hope is to book one solo show a year so I'm already looking to 2013 for possibilities. I may already be too late as galleries book out so far in advance but I'm learning to look at spaces beyond galleries and realizing that there are so many possibilities out there - its really quite astounding.

I hope you enjoy the video and I hope if you are in the area that you will go out and see it. The space is lovely and the wine is awesome! I came home with a bottle of strawberry wine and its just lovely. Good things all around!

I'll leave you with some more photos of the grounds - enjoy!

carrying quietness

The blog has been slower then normal. Not because of lack of news but because I've turned inward, examining every nook and cranny of my artistic process.

And its made me feel...quiet.

I've never before had to think about why I do the things I do or how to explain them in any kind of order that would make sense to anyone else. I long ago married myself to the idea that the way I make art has an element of mystery that can't be pinned down.

I'm realizing now that that's not true at all. I have been looking closer and deeper at the way I make art for the past year, curious about how it happens and how I can be more present in it.

I've fallen in love with it all over again by doing that.

Now I'm trying to capture that in words and its not really difficult, just...quiet. It comes in small bits when I don't expect it and I can't help but wonder what other people will think when they read it...

So in the meantime I'll just sit in the stillness with it and let it have its say.

want to buy my stuff?

I've learned two things about my art supply habit: (1) it is healthy and (2) it is vast.

I spent today picking through all the things that I want to sell off and realized that there is still more lurking. I simply don't have the fortitude to get through it all. Besides the fact that my sister-in-law is letting me crash her sale with my stuff and I don't want to haul the whole studio over there (although I kind of feel like I already am.

Dooley thought I was nuts. He retired to his blanket and just sort of eyed me as I shuffled back and forth sorting things.

So here's the deal, if you are in the area and want to come shop, email me at FibraArtysta@earthlink.net and I'll tell ya where to show up. The sale is on June 15 and June 16 from 9am-5pm. I have not priced anything. I want it all to go away. So show up and make a pile and we'll work out a deal. (I'm a seriously motivated seller.)

I'm not doing online sales for this, I've already been asked. I may at another time but this is a show up in my area (I'm in southeast Michigan) and dig in kind of deal.

Want a preview of what I'm getting rid of?

17 different types of alpahabets (doubt any of them are complete but think mixed media)

An incredible amount of found objects that include polymer clay faces, little glass bottles, bottlecaps, teeny tiny watch parts, beaded fringe, ribbon (for trim) wire dress forms, charms, sadistic mugs (seen in the lower right hand corner), stencils, craft wire, polymer clay (just a couple), some rubber for carving your own stamps (again, just a little), a couple of paper punches and about a billion other tiny things in these bins.

And then there is fabric. A couple of healthy piles of cotton that include asian, african and batiks. That large green bag looming in the back is silk fabric. I'll never use it - it needs to be yours. I have patterns and ott lights and little strings of stuffed chickens and elephants that need a new home.

Books, magazines (super cheap, $5 for a dollar or 25 cents each), small storage items, pillow forms, a xyron machine, paper cutter and other odds and ends. There's a video for free motion quilting, free motion quilting gloves and a slidey mat - from the time when I thought I'd fall in love with working on a machine. Yes, you may giggle. (And no, the westie is not up for grabs.)

And last but not least, here are the beads. They all need to go. There are all kinds - seeds, squares, drops, charms, wood, glass, bugle - going going gone! They are bored with me, they've been hanging around for a long time and want to play at someone else's house.

So that's what there is. I hope you'll come haul away a pile and give it some love!

where i stand sunday - exploring indigo

I did something unusual yesterday - I took the day off to indulge in experimenting and just doing. Its been a long year and I needed the down time, so when Susie Krage (the Michigan rep for the Surface Design Association) decided to hold an indigo dyeing day at her house yesterday, I marked the date on my calendar and defended it with all my might.

Was a good thing too, it was a fascinating time. I had trouble getting photos because I was too busy shoving fabric in the vats. I so wanted to show you the way it came out alien green and rapidly changed to different shades of blues. Its magic, no other way to describe it.

Here are a few shots I did get of everyone's magic flapping on the clothes lines:

When I saw how rich and deep the color could get, I knew right away that I wanted some solid pieces to print on, here are two of them:

Imagine that loaded up with layers and stitching. (Kind of makes you swoon, doesn't it?)

Yesterday was the perfect picture of why I joined SDA in the first place. I wanted to be around other people who get it. I wanted to know other artists that hold their breath when the fabric comes out of the vat and turns colors and they get giddy over the possibilities.

I know that its unlikely I would know most of these women without the organization. Its also the reason I belong to Studio Art Quilt Associates - and why I decided to become a rep for them. Its all about camaraderie.

I got quite a few pieces dyed up. They haven't been washed out yet and kind of look stiff and a little unbecoming right now so I'll wait to show you them until they've been prettied up.

I will say that I'm probably going to set up a mini vat in my studio. I'd always been a little hesitant about indigo ever since I read that you have to feed the vat to keep it active. (Brought to mind this. I'll name the vat Audrey II.) Turns out it just wants a little taste of thiox now and again, I can handle that.

All in all, a happy day. It never ceases to amaze me just how much there is to learn with textiles. They are a never ending source of inspiration.

please allow me to introduce you to...

...Windkracht 10 from the Netherlands...

These lovely ladies are the latest group I wrote about for Quilting Arts in my series of articles, Replenishing Your Creative Well.

I have to tell you, not only are they are a lot of fun but there is an incredible amount of talent there. They were a joy to get to know and I just know that you will love them as much as I do. You can find their article in the latest issue, the June/July one.

And I'm incredibly excited to report that the series of articles will continue into 2013 as well! SO happy!! :)

keep calm and write on

I decided it was time to claim a permanent space for my writing. Not only do I write for articles but also fiction. And it got to a point where it was feeling like I was being rude to it by not giving it its own space. After all, the fabric has plenty of space to play, why shouldn't the writing?

I have a table in my studio that used to be my primary work table before I got my print table. Its small, from IKEA, and works well but not for printing and large projects. So its just kind of been hanging around, acting as a catch all for things that needed to be put away.

No more. Cleared it off, bought my laptop a new large friend (seen on the right) and made it a designated writing space.

I couldn't love it more. :)

Keep Calm and Write On. Indeed.

my worst habit

Hey, did you hear that thump sound? That was life running me over. Holy cow, the past couple of weeks have been a frenzy. All in a good way but its been a trial just to find a moment to catch my breath.

I decided yesterday that today would be a studio day. Period. No messing about. There are deadlines, of course, to be tamed but more then that, this is home. And I'd been away for too long.

When I walked in, this is what greeted at me:

This, my friends, is my worst habit in the studio. When I'm working on projects, I toss the fabric on the floor when I am done with it. You can see some small attempt at breaking the habit with an array of baskets (note how well they work) but obviously, its not something I'm near ending.

I decided it was time to fold and sort and just restore order to this corner. (I've at least trained myself to throw them in the same corner so they don't take over the whole studio. But still...do you think painters throw their paint tubes on the floor when they are done with a color? Or potters grab a hunk of leftover clay and throw it against the wall to just get it out of the way? I tell you, its a troubling habit...)

So I did just that. I sat down on the floor, turned up the music (Rosie Thomas today for some nice mellow sounds) and started sorting and folding. I classify my stash in four categories: commercial prints, commercial solids, hand dyes and printed.

Here they are, all tidy (it'll take me a nano second to destroy them again, don't be fooled):

I even found bits of my beloved mistyfuse in the mess. Blasphemy, I tell you.

Notice the big white laundry basket is still there? Want to know what's in it? Here, take a look:

Future Remnant Collages, that's what. I'm so happy to have found a way of working I want to stick with for an indefinite amount of time but the amount of scraps it is producing is becoming an issue. I used to be able to corral them into a small cute dollar store baskets. Now I need the family size laundry basket and they are threatening to spill over the top even then.

I wonder if its possible to drown in fabric scraps? Might just find out the answer to that...

I did pull some fabrics while I was tidying for this:

That will hopefully be an entry into a local fiber show. I promised myself that I wasn't going to add anything to the list (its been an issue, I just want to do it all) but I love the venue and I love the people pulling it together and want to at least submit for it. We'll see. The background is the most time consuming, after that I can fling paint and just work with abandon.

The remainder of the studio time is going to be writing. Which is just as good as working with fabric, I love them equally as well. So thrilled to have this time and can't wait for an upcoming week of vacation at the beginning of July. No traveling for me - allllll studio time. Is there anything better I ask you? :)