filming TV and DVD

I've been sleeping like crazy the past couple of days. Why? Because of this:

photo by Cheryl Sleboda

I headed out to OH for a few days to tape two segments for Quilting Arts TV and a new DVD. That photo up there is the set where all the magic happens.

This is my second time doing both and I LOVE IT. Which if you know me, you know how unexpected that is. The first time I did it, I was incredibly nervous, even made my brother make the trip with me. Before that I was the girl that hid from the camera and refused to be part of any kind of video. So when I signed on to film TV segments and a DVD workshop in 2011, my family and friends thought I was insane.

I came away from it feeling stronger and loving the whole thing, there's something really magical about it. :) So when I got the chance to do it again, I jumped on it. 

I won't lie, it's a lot of work. Both leading up to it and doing the actual taping but the things that are worth doing in life are never a snap. It's something I take on willingly.

Because everything moves so quick once you get there, I didn't get a ton of photos. (An entire day seems to be consumed in a matter of minutes.) But there were other cameras clicking away so I'll be gathering some up over the next week or two to post on the blog and facebook.

I do have a couple to share here, though.

The car was FULL. I labeled every last box within an inch of it's life to make sure I hadn't forgotten something. (It's still in my car, I've not had the fortitude to drag it back out and unpack it. Luckily the weather is warmer and the paint doesn't mind.)

I braved the trip (only a few hour drive for me) on my own with the help of a GPS I have affectionately named Sally.

 

It's my dirty secret - I was born without a sense of direction. I'm not kidding - couldn't find my way out of a paper box. I borrowed this one from a friend, I'll be getting my own now. It was the best thing in the world, made the trip a snap.

One of my favorite things about taping is getting to see other artists and all the people who work at Quilting Arts. That included Cheryl Sleboda who brought me coffee from Chicago!!

Seriously fun chick and artist - love her! :) I also got to have dinner with her and the night before went out with Judy Coates Perez, Sue Bleiweiss and Linda McLaughlin.

I'm not sure when the new DVD will come out, shouldn't be too long of a wait. I'm hopeful you'll like it as much as I enjoyed putting it together, it's always such a labor of love.

That's two of my secret projects finally out in the open! The studio still has deadlines but they are not as big so I'm looking forward to getting in there and getting back to work - after I clean it up of course. 

brutal reinvention

You can't get everything right.

But that doesn't mean you should cast it aside.

Imagine something new.

Let a completely different form take shape.

Reinvent. Always. Never stop transforming.

pondering eco coloring

I don't know if it's because spring is nudging it's way in or if the seams of my artist self are tired of being tied together so firmly. But I'm searching for new things, new ways to express through fabric.

I've been struggling with one item in particular - dyeing. I'm trying to make peace with the fact that I am leaving working with MX dyes behind. There are a variety of reasons for it, but I've decided it's not something I'm going to do anymore. But removing dyeing from my skill set is not something I'm wild about.

I've been researching a lot of different options. At first I turned toward natural dyeing but there are some chemicals there I'm not eager to get my hands on. Spice dyeing? Tea dyeing? Coffee dyeing?

Nothing was making me rush to the studio to experiment.

Until I remembered that I had this on my bookshelf:

I spent a long time reading it last night. It's not a formula book but it's a whole different way of adding print and color to fabric I hadn't considered before.


I can't call it dyeing (neither does India Flint, do visit her site, it's incredible) and durability of the color is very questionable. But for some reason I find that...exciting. There is a lot to learn about this method of cloth coloring, it will be something that takes quite a bit of time I think. And I will most likely also have to concede working with cotton, it does not create as vibrant of prints. I need to find some form of silk that I can make friends with (not a fan of the shiny flowy stuff, feels too formal to me).

I also found another eco artist in my search today online (Pinterest is proving to be a great resource). Elizabeth Bunsen also makes beautiful fabric. Aren't you intrigued by that?? And check out Lotta Heleberg. *swoon*

 While I was in the studio today, I remembered this experiment. Out of all the pieces I clipped to that crabby frog, the only one that survived not being blown away is this one:

It was outside for nearly a year. Through a rather unkind winter, I might add. It's been bleached by the sun (this photo shows it's original color) and to be honest, it's nothing exciting. But the idea of letting things sit and slowly transform is rooting quietly in my mind, taking hold.

I had great aspirations to start experimenting with eco coloring for a big new piece I'm starting but if I'm being honest with myself, there are too many unknowns to me right now and trying to rush through them will not serve any purpose.

So until the studio shakes loose and I'm free to wander off into this unknown territory, I'll keep pondering and studying. The timing feels good as we are moving into the seasons with plenty of fodder.

more surrender

I've just completed an intense studio run that has lasted nearly four months.

Every spare moment has been consumed with working toward great projects and goals that I've longed for, things I've wanted in the deepest parts of my Artist self. And today I stepped back and took stock of what all I have done.

My breath caught and I felt...complete.

I told myself that when I was done, I would take a break. Treat myself to a vacation. But what I'm finding is my mind pulls toward my print table and all I can see is the paint flowing steadily into containers while I dream of new colors to mix.

The soft fluid movement of the pigment as it so easily adapts to it's new surroundings. A behavior I seek to learn in my own life, to be so accepting of change.

I want to see what it will show me next, almost like a gypsy's fortune telling crystal ball - it knows where I will go before I do. It keeps me tied to it, wanting more.

A break would mean time away from the threads and frayed edges, the stack of colors and possiblity.

No, I don't want a break. I want more making, more connection, more surrender. I feel almost desperate at the idea of being away from it. My studio practice has become so bold, entwining itself so deeply into my life that I cannot break away.

I do not think I would have it any other way.

book review: The Sketchbook Project Journal

Have you ever heard of The Sketchbook Project? It's an incredible project run by a Brooklyn based company called The Art House. They organize a wide variety of community art projects, the biggest of which is The Sketchbook Project.

From their website:  The Sketchbook Project is a global, crowd-sourced art project and interactive, traveling exhibition of handmade books. Our community is made up of over 75,000 people, and our permanent collection at Brooklyn Art Library holds over 26,000 sketchbooks from 135 countries around the globe. 

We invite participants from all walks of life to fill the pages of a blank sketchbook and send it back for inclusion in our ever-growing library of inspiration.

They've got a nifty little video that describes what the project is about:

In addition to their wonderful work bringing artists from the world together, they've put out a book:

Actually, calling it a book is wrong. This is a fully interactive 192 page experience.

Every page has a prompt and then a whole lot of blank space for you to do your thing. There are writing prompts, drawing prompts and they even encourage you to stitch on some of the pages. (Caught my eye, loved that they included us fiber-y folks.)

I had another long day in the studio again and afterward, took a break to start working in it:

It was very calming and the little prompt at the top of the left hand page that says FORGET EVERYTHING THAT WAS SAID BEFORE, THIS IS WHERE WE and then if you can see around my scribbles and writing, it says START about halfway down the page.

More then enough to set me loose. This is clearly going to be a great tool for unwinding at the end of the day. I'm truly impressed with it.

I noticed another thing today when I was flipping through it, the dust jacked comes off:

And it reveals a cover that you can scribble on like mad and customize to really make it your own.

If you like to journal but hate figuring out how to get around the dreaded white page, I really recommend giving this one a shot. It's a project all set up and ready to go whenever you are!

the turning time

I don't know that I could ever live in a state without seasons.

Yes, there are days when I go out my door and scrunch up my face against the 15 degree snow filled sky or curse the times when the temperature gauge hits triple digits but the turning times, the moments in between two seasons when one is trying to push the other out - those are my favorites.

There is a struggle for life, for position. The compressed timeline when the world hasn't decided yet which way it wants to be.

Spring is the most incredible to watch, there is a shudder to every moment while the warmer weather quietly nudges it's way in, trying to sneak behind the snow without winter noticing.

Art is much the same way, isn't it? The quiet moments are when the biggest things happen, a dramatic shift on an axis that we can barely keep our hands around. It's often nothing dramatic, just a single moment in the studio when you reach for one thing instead of what you were aiming for. And in the end, a breath rushes out of you when you realize you've found something new.

Always changing. Always evolving.

A constant spin around the turning time.

new paint! new colors! woo!

The studio is humming with project prep - and I'll be able to spill the beans in a couple of weeks! I have to admit that it looks a bit like a crew of drunk monkeys downed some red bull and then decided to have a rave in there but you know, it's home. What can I say?

This is the state of my print table:

So many wonderful things going on there!! :) Among them is this:

(And yes, I do store my bottles upside down like that. Easier to see the color.)

That there is a brand spanking new line of colors from my paint soul mate, Jacquard. They've been on my print table for a couple of weeks getting a good workout. Please notice the giant jug of Neutral Gray. It is about a third empty. (My paint shirt is nearly able to stand up on it's own at this point.)

The sliver of a view of the project next to it bears one of the lovely new browns they offer, Raw Umber. 

I can't tell you how excited I am for these. I'm one of those painters that prefers using pre-mixed colors. I love the reliabilty of it. I know I can mix my own but really, what's better then printing when inspiration strikes and just reaching for a color that's all ready to go??

Want a better view of the color chart? Here's a good one:

Makes my heart go pitty pat.

The first question I hear from artists who have not painted on fabric is, "Will this make the fabric stiff?" Textile paint has a medium in it that helps to minimize the effect. These are especially good at leaving the hand soft. You can still easily stitch through it and do all the normal things you would do with fabric.  Give them a good iron once the print is dry and they become permanent. Easy!

I can't wait to reveal some of the pieces I've made with them. I have great plans for future projects and if you're an earth color girl like me, I highly recommend these!! :)

let's talk cotton

It's no secret that I'm a dedicated cotton girl. Love the stuff. It's my go to fabric for nearly everything I work on. (Although I am considering straying a bit. I'm researching options. More on that later.)

I'm often asked what kind of cotton I use, what kind of dyes. Many of you already know this but I thought I'd give it a little talk on the blog too because I still get shocked looks when I say this:

I don't dye my own fabric. I work on commercial solids.

I know, I know. Trust me, it took me a long time to be able to say it without an apology in my voice. After all, real fiber artists dye their own fabric, right?

Many do, yes. But not me. There are a lot of different reasons for this. But the main one that drove me toward that decision was time. I've got precious little as it is and I want to fill it with writing and printing and about a bazillion other things. I found that when I used to dye my own fabric, I was dyeing solids since I prefer those for my printing. They don't compete with whatever I do with the paint.

Somehow it started to seem foolish of me to spend all that time and money and effort to create something that looked nearly identical to what was already on the market.

So I spent several months experimenting with every brand I could get my hands on of commercial solids. I tend to research the snot out of things because once I find what I want, I don't stray. I found the solids offered at places like Joann's fabric to not be so great. Super thin and really really limited colors.

In the end, I found my commercial cotton soul mate in Robert Kaufman's Kona solids. (And no, I don't work for them so this is not a commercial.) They are a medium weight which makes stitching through them by hand comfortable and they have withstood every kind of surface design I've thrown at it. Including discharge, holds up like a champ.

Plus the colors. Oh my. The coooooooolllllloooooooorrrrrsssss. (Makes my heart go pitty-pat.)

My studio is stocked with it. I still get crooked looks and head tilts when I say I don't dye my own fabric but in all honesty, I can't get upset about it. This works from me. It's awesome stuff and I make no apologies.

My eye has begun to stray to other fabrics, mainly linen. I ordered a fabric sampler from Dharma to learn what is what with the different kinds. Yeah, I know that's fabric meant for dyeing but I think I might have a solution for conquering the dreaded white fabric without having to use dyes (I'm not a fan of the chemicals either.)

So there you have it. Will I never dye fabric again? Well no, I can't say that. Because if I've learned one thing it's that things evolve and stretch and you just never know. I might stumble into a new project and find that dyeing it is the only thing that will work. Commercial solids suit my needs really well right now so that's where I'm staying put.

Happy Printing! :)

in the details

It seems like inspiration is in every nook and cranny of life if I can just slow down long enough to see them all.

I'd like to capture that deep blue and the way it bleeds out from one shape into nothing.

 

And the swoop of the orange plastic that shifts color depending on where you choose to stand in front of it.

I'm knee deep in prep again. The studio looks like a train full of monkeys hopped up on lattes tore through. It's almost become an experiment to see how big of a mess I can possibly make before the room begs for mercy.

But it's all good. I'm attempting to stay centered and enjoy the process of creating all the pieces that I am. In the end, it's all about creating, isn't it? :)

i ask, you answer

Have you ever looked at a piece of your artwork and thought, "How in the hell did I come up with this?"

Remnants Collage 5

Lynn Krawczyk

Do you want to understand the creative force that works with you while you are working? Or are you content to relinquish control to it?

marked

A view of my print table's busy surface.

My most favorite place in the world.  :)

winter stretch

I've always been a winter girl. I prefer the cold weather to the hot, the dove grey skies to the blazing sun. It's my nature and I always find myself settling into the rhythm.

But this year I've been restless. Moving quickly between snow storms and thaws and incredible art projects that need to be held in reserve (you've no idea how much it's killing me to keep my mouth shut, that is not my nature) and in turn, I've gone quiet.

Reflective.

The sun was a bright incredible odd orange yesterday when I was leaving for work:

I tried to capture it with my camera but the closer I got to it, the farther it skittered away from me. It was like trying to trap a bubble between my hands, it just wouldn't be held.

It feels like the season. It can't get a grip. We're covered in snow one day and opening the windows to the house the next.

The studio seems to be in the same mode. One moment there is an incredible volume of work moving through it and the next? It is preparing for the next project.

I've never experienced this much growth in my art in such a compacted period of time.

It's left me thrilled and weary and turning my attention with expectation to the new thing waiting it's turn in line. Some things I can tell you about in a couple of weeks. The other Big Thing has a ways to go yet and I promise I won't harp on it because really, it's a little annoying to keep bringing up something that I can't discuss just yet. I have so much hope for it that you'll love it that I want to ask you what you think, to know for sure. But I'll be good and wait until it's time.

In the meantime, I'm going to share with you the photo that inspired my newest project:

I love typewriters. I dream of one day owning an ancient Underwood but the turquoise and grey bodies of these have their own kind of charm I find lovely.

I've not been happy about the void here. I feel rude, neglectful. Maybe now that the winter stretch seems to be breaking I'll find my voice again.

pondering the evolution

I love hand dyed fabric. I really do. But I rarely dye anymore for a variety of reasons. It leaves me with kind of a gap because there is nothing more soulful then that kind of coloring on fabric. It sounds a little bit odd but I often feel like it has a memory and that the hand of the dyer remains present.

Since my own hand dyes are few and far between now, I'm constantly on the look out for interesting pieces. Recently Susan Atwell of Fat Quarter Quilt Farm did some snow dyeing and I fell in love with one of her larger pieces (nearly three yards).

(photo by Susan Atwell)


The patterning really struck me and the tone of it is perfect. Not shockingly bright but colorful. It's in that sweet spot of saturation, just the right amount of moody. I immediately began covering it with printing and paint in my mind so I knew it needed to come to live with me.

And now it has:

It's sitting on the sofa next to me. I keep nudging it around, watching as the different colors shift as I move the fabric.

No doubt I'll sit with it for a while before working on it. Partly because I have deadlines that need to be met but also because I normally do that with fabric I haven't dyed myself.

I find that I step around it, studying it and trying to find my place with it. I want to respect the work that came before me but at the same time, I want to really dig into it and well, do what I do.

Think of everything that needed to happen for this fabric to come to where it is now with me. Fabric was made. Dye was made. Items were shipped to vendor. Susan bought them. The weather was just right so she had snow. She had time in her schedule to dye them. I happened upon it on her Facebook page. I bought it. And now it moves on to it's next stage.

So many steps. So many things that this fabric will go through before it finally settles into it's final state. Such an evolution, so much energy going into it.

Wonderful, isn't it? :)

finding center

Drawing is not my forte.

But I scribble and swirl with the best of them. I found myself feeling out of sorts today, needing to crawl inside my own head for a bit. I put my headphones on, scrolled to some meditation music and dug my sketchbook out of my bag. I drew a strange looking tree. And then hatched it and doodled around it.

I could feel my mind relaxing and I wrote a single line on the page: there is always time to begin.

It's true, isn't it? No matter where you are, you can always begin and move forward. In those six little words I found my center again.

thermofax screens are back in the shop & giving back! :)

Hey gang, I know it was a bit of an extended break from Thermofax screens being listed in the shop and I appreciate all your patience while Jackie and I tended to life.

But we are back and so are the screens! :)

(Like the new shop banner?)

The shop is fully stocked again for all your Thermofax screen pleasure. I think that taking a break from running the shop is always a good thing because it allows me to really assess what's working and what isn't.

There are a couple of small changes that I'd like to point out:

1. We still have LOTS of awesome Ready-to-Print screens but the category has shrunk down to the ones that are selling the best. It will be easier to manage and prevent us from standing in the middle of our studios hunting for that print out that we haven't used in a while like crazy women. And of course, we are looking forward to working with you to create custom screens of your own artwork - I always love seeing what you all are doing! :)

2. I have a limited paint color selection at the moment. The most populars like black and white are out of stock. I've gotten word that our beloved Simply Screen may not be made anymore so I'm working on getting more in stock but it will be a bit. In the meantime, there are still plenty of cool colors in the shop for you to fling paint at will!

3. Shipping prices have creeped. I know, I know. Bugs me too. I did my best to minimize it but the USPS is hiking their prices again and I have to follow suit. Know that I gnashed my teeth and said unladly like words when I found out.

4. I'm going to slowly be adding different things beyond Thermofax Screens to the shop over the course of the next year. Right now you'll notice The Written Sketchbook online class, the Secret Keeper Owl pattern and some of my smaller textile art pieces. Everything in the shop is tidied into categories so if these things don't interest you and you are ninja focused on Thermofax screens (which I so don't blame you), just look at the right hand sidebar of the shop's home page and you can click the category you want to only see those listings.

And now to the part that I'm most excited about...did you notice in my new shop banner where it lists what the shop carries it says, "GIVING BACK BY SUPPORTING CHARITY"? Yeah, I figured you did, you are all a smart bunch. :)

I've been thinking a lot about gratitude lately. Gratitude for a good life, for being an artist but most of all for being part of the art community. When I think about the way you all welcome me into your homes via blog or facebook or online instruction, well. I get all choked up to be honest.

And because I feel so fortunate, I've decided that it's time to pay it forward.

I'm instituting a giveback program in the shop. 15% of all Thermofax screen sales will be donated to charity. The charity will change every two months and I'll list the current recipient in the shop announcement (which appears just below the shop's banner on the shop home page.)

I'm a firm believer that the world changes not by big leaps and bounds but rather by tiny helping hands and one inch at a time. I'm feeling such peace at the idea of helping things move toward that goal.

Want to know who the first charity is? Thought you might. 15% of  Thermofax screen sales from January 25 - March 31, 2013 will be donated to charity:water.

It is entirely unfathomable to me in this day and age that ONE BILLION people still do not have clean water sources. And watch this video because there are heartbreaking elements to this situation that you may not have considered before (I know I hadn't, I was shocked).

They have many more videos on their YouTube channel.

I'm thrilled to play even a very small role in changing this - and with your help as well! So that's what's going on with the shop and the exciting new giving back program and I think that you'll love it as much as I do! :)

If you know of a charity that you think I should consider, please leave me a comment. I can't promise it will make it into rotation but I'd love to know about it! :)

Happy Printing everyone!!!

building a new website - choosing a web designer

In between everything else going on, I'm continuing on with the rebranding of my business to Smudged Textiles Studio.  As promised, I'm taking you along with me through the process.

I'm still at the designing a new website/blog stage. Last time we talked about websites was here. The debate was about whether or not I actually needed one. (I guess the title of this blog post is a spoiler since I'm talking about choosing a web design).

Today I'd like to talk a little bit about choosing a web designer. Because truly, I think this is the hardest part when it comes to deciding to have a site professionally built. Even though I'll be involved in the entire process, I'm giving up a lot of control by allowing someone else to create it. So the decision cannot be taken lightly.

Let's face it, everyone and their brother claims that they can design sites these days. Which makes it hard to tell if you'll be happy with the job that someone does for you. Add to it a couple of horror stories from people who have had bad experiences and it's pretty difficult to persevere in the search.

I decided that I would look for certain elements when I was shopping around. Here's my list:

1. An extensive portfolio of sites that he/she has already designed. Sites I could visit, not just snapshots showing the front page. I want to visit examples of current work so I can spend time on the sites and see if I like them.

2. Variety. I want a designer with a portfolio of sites that all look different. Why? Because to me it means two things: (1) He/she listens to the wants of the client and (2) I'm getting something unique. I don't care for web designers that use templates because I feel that if I'm paying for it, I'd like it to be custom.

3. A general sense of price. I'm wary of anyone who gives a blanket price without knowing my needs. I'm equally cautious of anyone who doesn't offer any kind of pricing at all. Makes me worry that I could be paying more then someone else.

4. A questionnaire. Web designer is not another term for mind reader. I want to be asked what I want - extensively. And not only that, I want to be asked what I dislike. It not only helps put me at ease regarding the not-entirely-in-control thing but also let's me know that my opinions will be respected. Important stuff.

5. Good communication. I don't want to wait a month in between emails. I'd like a realistic time frame for when things can be done and if I've asked for something that will take longer to build, I want to know. No promises that can't be kept just to give me an answer I want to hear.

6. Being able to do some updates myself. I know, might sound contradictory but I want to be able to add photos of new work on my own. I've no desire to learn to alter the site (which is why I'm hiring a pro) but simple details like a couple new pieces of artwork or changing text is something I'd like to do.

7. Testimonials. I want to talk to people who have worked with him/her and can give me specific examples of what they liked and disliked. If I don't know anyone personally in the portfolio, then I'll email someone in there who's site I like. Might sound forward but a polite email is perfectly okay.


I started by looking at sites of other textile artists and keeping a list of ones that I liked and who designed them. Does it sound like it took a while? Well yeah, it did. This is like shopping for a house or a car or even dating. You don't just randomly pick someone and hope for the best. I decided to take my time and really think about who I wanted to work with.

In the end I was down to two designers. My final choice is Holly Knott.

She ticked every box on the list.

There are many other designers out there and I'm not thumbing my nose at anyone at all. Holly and I are working through my wants for the site right now and I'm really impressed with her professionalism. I'm also impressed with her portfolio. You can tell that she is the designer for all the sites but if you visit the sites, they vary. That means she tailored it.

She also offers something I hadn't thought of - training. What a great idea!

Did it matter to me that Holly is also a textile artist? I'm not sure. I looked at all styles of designers but I did notice that I kept gravitating back toward textile artists who also did professional web design. To be honest, it's really appealing to work with someone who gets what I do.

So there we are. My thoughts on how to choose. It might sound a little general but it took me a while to figure out that those things were my top wants in a designer, I'm hoping that if you've been considering working with a pro that they will help you decide too.

In the next post about this topic I'll go over how to decide what will go on the site.

reclaimed textiles project - i need your help

I've got new artwork series on the brain lately. Probably because I have a solo show coming up later this year and possibly a couple of other selling opportunities.

I've also longed to do a type of large scale collaboration series for some time but the details of it were hiding from me. It decided to become clear in the middle of the night when I was supposed to be sleeping (isn't that always the way?).

I'm giddy and excited and can't wait to get started on it but there's one thing - I need your help with it. I'm excited to announce the Reclaimed Textiles Project.

My vision is a series of work that is created with discarded or unwanted textiles. This could be anything - clothing, tabelcloths, unfinished quilt projects that you'd rather bury in the yard then finish. Anything that is fabric, any content, anything you simply don't want anymore.

The work that I create from them will be available for sale and I will donate 30% of each sale to The Salvation Army. I love this charity and am warmed at the idea of helping them with their work.

If you want to send some orphaned textiles to me, here are the guidelines for doing so:

1. The textiles can be any fabric content - cotton, poly, rayon, whatever you have.

2. ONLY textiles please! I know textiles is a pretty big category but I'm looking for fabric or yarn. At this time I'm not looking to use baskets or paper.

3. Please send only clean textiles. They don't need to be pristine, in fact, worn out grungy items are welcome but please give them a spin through the washing machine before you mail them to me. Especially if they've been lurking in a part of the house unseen for several years.

4. I'm unable to reimburse for shipping - this is a donation on your part for me to make work that could result in a donation to The Salvation Army if sold. 

5. This is an ongoing project with no deadline. No deadline for you for sending something, and no deadline for me to complete the work. I'm like you, I have a lot going at once so if you feel that you will be unhappy with an undetermined wait period for work to be produced, please give your textiles a hug and keep them in your home.

6. I will credit you in the artist statement of the piece as having donated fabric so please make sure I know your name and where you live.

7. Textiles from all over the world are wanted, not just the USA.

8. By sending me something, you are giving me full permission to cut them up, stitch them, print on them. Basically do what I please with them. So if your Aunt Edna gave you something that has great sentimental value to you and you'd be upset to see it altered, please don't send it.

9. Email me at FibraArtysta@earthlink.net if you'd like to send something and I'll provide the shipping address.

I hope you are as excited as I am! Can't wait to get started!!! :)

Edited to add: I've had some emails asking just how much stuff can be sent. While I appreciate the enthusiasm, I don't have the room to store tonnage. So if you could keep the size of the box you are sending to absolutely no larger then a 12" square max, that would be fantastic! Thanks! :)

stepping back

This week is flying by. And I'm spending each moment thinking about what I need to do next.

But what I really want is to live each moment fully.

I want to honor all the good things, slow down and really feel each one as it passes through. It's sometimes difficult to find the space to take a deep breath. Stitching helps, it's meditation breaks the spell of hurry hurry hurry.

...and the winner is!

The handy dandy all knowing Random Number Generator has given me the number 31.

So that means the winner of Lyric's Bead It Like You Mean It DVD is (drumroll, please!):

Nancy Gilpin

Congrats Nancy and I'll email you for your details! :)

Lyric's Beading DVD giveaway! :)

Do you put beads on your quilts? I do. I've got a giant collection in my studio to prove it. Adding beads is really meditative, much like hand stitching. It makes you slow down and you can create some really stunning effects!

But where to start? No worries, Lyric Montgomery Kinard has answered pretty much every question you could have about basic beading on quilts in her DVD, Bead It Like You Mean It.

She pretty much covers it all from what tools you need and how to handle different style of beads - seed beads in different sizes, bugle beads, chunky beads, what to use for the middle layer of your quilt, and tons more.

My personal favorite was the part where she discusses what to do with cabachons - which are giant beads that are normally pretty spectacular but have no holes. She shows you how to add them to quilts - it's great!

I love Lyric's teaching style, she's light hearted and really knows her stuff. Check out this promo she made for her DVD:

So great, right? :)

The thing I love best about learning from DVDs is that I can do it whenever and where ever I want. Here's how I enjoyed her DVD:

In my PJs, on the sofa, with the westie snoring nearby. Bliss. :)

Lyric is offering a very generous giveaway here on the blog. Anyone who leaves a comment on this post by January 15th will be in the running to win. (This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Sorry!)

So leave a comment, any comment (although I'd love to know if you are a beading addict) and be sure to include a way for me to contact you. (Anonymous comments can't be counted because I simply can't reach you!)

living a creative life - transforming my newsletter

I've got a newsletter.

Yep, got one. Haven't sent anything in a while. Just sort of sits there starting at me, making me feel all twitchy because over 500 people have signed up to hear what I have to say.

I've struggled with it. I've even talked about it several times here that I just don't know what to do with it. I don't want to send you junk. And I don't want to mail something once a month simply because I want to tick a box off my marketing list.

I've given it a huge think and have finally realized that I'm making it far too difficult. I have a lot of tips on how to integrate creativity into a busy life, they are things that I live by so that I can fit in everything that I do.

And I'm going to use my newsletter to share them with you.

I've sent out my first newsletter just this morning and the topic is The Written Sketchbook.

I can't tell you how passionately I feel about the role writing plays in creativity. It's gotten me through some really rough patches in my life.

At any rate, I will do my level best to keep the newsletters different from the blog. May not always happen (like this month's for example) but I hope you'll sign up and join me as we navigate through our busy live. The sign up is in the sidebar at the very top.

 Here's to a creative life in 2013! :)

tangled

There's always that odd little tangle of threads that collects no matter how hard I try to keep things tidy.

Picking through it to get to the needle I need is like stepping lightly through a labyrinth, a tiny little map of the stitching I've just completed.

what color are your studio walls?

Mine are yellow. (In case you didn't notice from the previous post.)

Regina left a comment on the last post asking this:

"I have a question about your photo, not the actual post. I'm getting an addition put onto our house so that I can have a studio instead of just the dining room table and closet space. I wanted to paint the walls yellow (and I see that's what you have). Another artist suggested white so that there isn't any color reflection on photos or on the fabric and the true colors are seen. Do you find any problem with having yellow walls?"

Good question. Thought we'd give it a little talk.

My studio used to be my bedroom. I'm fond of the color yellow, find it peaceful so I painted it that color when I slept in there. I admit, I was too lazy to change it when the space became my studio and now that I'm so deeply entrenched in that room, I shudder to think of the effort and fortitude that will be needed to empty it so the walls can be patched and painted.

Do I like the yellow for a studio wall color?  Yes. And no.

I love color. I'm actually a bit of junkie about it. So I like being surrounded by something so lovely.

At the same time, it does create issues when I take photos. The camera does not appreciate the competition and it often adjusts itself to take it into account.

Last April I decided to have my artwork photos professionally done. Best decision I ever made. There were a lot of factors involved with that - mostly revolving around wanting to work larger - but I admit that the color issues I had with taking photos in my studio contributed. Can I blame it all on the yellow walls? No. There is inadequate lighting and my undying optimism that I don't actually have to hang a piece on the wall to get a good photo to take into account as well. But, yes, the yellow walls didn't help.

I really don't think it effects my color selection when working with fabric. I'm really myopic when I'm working on something. A bomb could go off next to me and I wouldn't notice.

I guess this is the long way of saying that when I finally do muster the courage to do an overhaul of the studio - one that involves emptying the room and patching/painting the walls - I'll most likely go with a neutral color wall. White or off white of some sort. I am more often finding myself wanting barer walls, maybe to offset the riot that goes along with art making.

How about you? What color are your studio walls? Do you think it matters?

nano second printing...

This week is busy.

It makes me anxious, the separation from my studio. My normal routine revolves around large blocks of concentrated work time toward the end of the week.

But I'm craving the stillness that settles on me when I stand at my print table and push paint into fabric.

So I'll rush in, print and head back out, letting the time that I'm needed elsewhere serve as the drying period for the new work. I'll do nano second printings, quick and to the point but oh so necessary.

"a month of moments" daily practice

First day of the new year.

A wide open schedule of possibility and a clean slate.

Its been on my mind that I want to do a daily art project. But let's be honest, who am I kidding? While the idea of making something every day appeals to every part of me, there isn't enough time to do it.

I used to lament that I didn't have enough time to do everything that I wanted to. I realized something this past year: I have the same amount of time as everyone else and I just need to get over that I won't get more. In other words, I learned to suck it up and work with what I've got.

It doesn't stop me from wanting some kind of daily practice, though. I really loved my Where I Stand Sunday posts but after five solid years of that weekly photo post, I ran out of material. And that's fine. But there was a great satisfaction that came with the project and I've been missing it. I felt that I was building something, I felt that no matter what else was going on in my life, it would always be there.

So I've been brooding on the topic. I do a lot, how in the world could I fit in more?

Then it became clear. I was watching a news special about social media and a portion of it was dedicated to Twitter.

I've not been able to get into Twitter. Partly because I resented the idea that I needed to keep up with something else but also because I had no clue what to say. Still, its always something I've kept in my peripheral vision.

And now I know why.

The problem with how I viewed Twitter was that I couldn't imagine anyone being interested in what I'm having for lunch or where I went shopping. And I don't really want to make it a regurgitation of the blog.

But what if it was simply a daily reflection? What it if was a brief condensed pause about a feeling or small thought? What if it was a mini journal?

I love the idea. But I admit I panicked slightly because let's face it, the day is jam packed and I'm not sure I can always come up with something. Then I noticed this in my news feed on Facebook:

Its a really cute, simple no-stress project from JustB. blog.

Ok, Universe, I can take a hint.

So here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to take the little prompt from this project each day and write a Twitter post about it. I don't promise that it will be spectacular or life changing but I like the idea that the word is provided and I can do it with it as I please. I also love that it keeps me writing each and every day.

Some might be silly, some might be flash fiction and some might just be downright boring. But I'll be there. Everyday.

If you'd like to follow along with me, here I am on Twitter.

Here's to a new daily practice. :)