Creating – One stitch at a time!
Flora and fauna are the subject of two prints I photographed. This dragonfly with hearts was photographed at Sandy Lake in Nova Scotia. It hovered on this stalk of grass almost as if it was posing! I love this image so much that I enlarged and printed it on aluminum. The metal adds a depth and luminosity that is so different from a print on paper.
There are so many places to hang these beautiful and durable pieces. With only one nail or screw required they are also very easy to install. The dragonfly and Queen Anne’s Lace metal prints be available soon in my online shop.
Queen Anne’s Lace is considered to be an invasive weed, but I love this flower. It’s so light and airy. This photo was taken in Margaretsville, Nova Scotia. I isolated the bloom from a large snowy white bank of them.
More of the Flora and Fauna series greeting cards available in my shop, have a look around!
Part way through the year and there are ebb and flows to the 100 Day Stitch Meditation Journey, continuing – one stitch at a time.
Anne and I participated in Quilts at the Creek this past weekend. So many beautiful quilts, new, old, modern and traditional. I took a few photos in between selling hand dyed fabrics, scarves, presenting a trunk show and visiting with friends old and new!
I had every intention of getting out into the show and taking photos of the beautiful quilts old and new on display. The reality is I didn’t even take these. I sent my son out to take some and he managed to take 2! They were so blurry, I can’t use them!! LOL!
Our great aprons made by Anne blended perfectly with the fabrics and threads we were selling!
Luckily, the 3 quilts I entered were close to the vendor’s pavilion and so I did run out and he took a couple of me and my quilts. Just a tiny bit less blurry.
The original title of this post was: Quilts at the Creek 2019 – last show! So happy to announce that this is not true. Seems that (TRCA) The Toronto Region Conservation Authority that manages Black Creek Pioneer Village know a great thing and they will be taking over from Valerie Prideaux. So contact Black Creek and let them know what you love and what you would change about the Quilt Festival. They are looking for suggestions and volunteers too.
Here is to another fantastic quilt show in 2020!
Don’t worry there will still be an amazing selection of Maria’s jewellery available, but not at this price. Maria’s star is rising and so are her prices. So, the prices in my shop will remain only until the end of the month! Along with a new lower shipping cost!
Pick one pair for yourself and another for a gift! Christmas is coming…
😁
Colour all around! These gorgeous hand dyed items by Anne Peters, a textile artist and passionate dyer, will be available for 2 days only. Anne of @dyeforfun and I will be sharing a booth and our love of shibori dyeing next weekend at Quilts at the Creek festival.
At 1:00 sit down and relax for 45 minutes while I do my trunk show in the Wilmot Town Hall. I will be showing and talking about my love of indigo and snow dyeing using shibori techniques. I will be bringing some of my quilts and fabrics to illustrate the techniques I use to create one-of-a-kind scarves and fabric. Then step across the Town Hall Green to see the items available for sale in the vendor located just steps away in the Event Pavilion area.
Come and see us, our indigo and hand dyed shibori cotton fabrics, kits, variegated perle and embroidery cotton threads. I am also bringing snow dyed fabric and scarves. A cornucopia of colour, texture, and designs will be available!
Anne has some bundles and fat quarters of shibori and hand dyed fabrics and thread that are greatly reduced. She is clearing out colours and designs that she is no longer dyeing to make way for her new ones. Visit us to see what she has available. But don`t wait!
Anne and I will be in the vendor’s pavilion from July 27, 2019 – July 28, 2019 @ 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Quilts at the Creek at
Black Creek Pioneer Village
1000 Murray Ross Pkwy
North York, ON M3J 2P3
Canada
Come and say hello!
I have been waiting, not patiently, for spring to arrive so I could do some indigo dyeing. Finally, it got warm enough and last weekend my friend Sheila and I set up a dye vat.
One of the first into this spring’s dye bath was a pale turquoise cotton crinkle scarf. The colour was not intense enough and it was boring!
Handwoven organic cotton makes a luscious scarf, with a super fine crepe texture. I absolutely love the result. It is the scarf on the right hand side below.
These three indigo dyed crinkle scarves are so easy to care for. They can be machine washed in gentle and machine dried too. Ideal travel companions, wrapped around neck, shoulders or folded under to rest your head. Twist to pack, shake out and wear. You will always be elegantly dressed! Bon voyage!
Very little time being spent on the stitch meditations. I have been working on a minimal modern quilted art piece. That project has been progressing well. It is a combination of machine stitching on my hand dyed cotton and hand stitching too. I am excited to be working on a larger artwork.
Creating – One stitch at a time!
I am so fortunate to be collaborating with a local craftsperson – Maria Nunes. Her hand made crochet jewellery is beautifully designed and crafted. Maria learned to crochet as a child, growing up in Portugal at a time when there was still no television, not even electricity! In school they were taught to knit and would make simple scarves and hats. At home, Maria’s mother taught her to crochet to make doilies, table scarves and trim for her ‘enxoval’ or trousseau.
Maria has continued to crochet and over the years has made many household items using traditional patterns. Recently, she has changed her style to reflect modern tastes, creating handcrafted pillows, wallhangings and of course jewellery!
Variegated, ombre, and with colour changes over very short areas have been a challenge for me. I have had to rethink my process as well as the amount of dye used! But it has been so much fun! I will also be indigo dyeing this spring and I can’t wait to see the jewellery she makes. I gave Maria all the indigo dyed cotton thread left from one of my projects. All of the pieces she made have been sold! It shows that blue and white is a much loved combination.
Magazines, and books are still places Maria finds inspiration, but more often she finds herself turning to Pinterest. Inspiration for her designs also come from working with the materials. A bead, the colour of the hand dyed cotton thread can start her on a new design. More and more often her jewellery includes beads, they really excite her with opportunities!
Maria believes that crochet is a dyeing art. She has tried to teach the next generation but with the competition for TV watching, and the internet with its so many social media outlets, it is a hard sell. Maria finds that crocheting is a relaxing and imaginative art. It has a calming effect allowing room for imagination.
I am collaborating with Maria on dyeing some new crochet cotton. More experimentation with colours, ombre effects, indigo and more. Follow Maria on Instagram @maria.n.designs to see what she is creating.
Very little time being spent on the stitch meditations. I have been working on a minimal modern quilted art piece. That project has been progressing well. It is a combination of machine stitching on my hand dyed cotton and hand stitching too. I am excited to be working on a larger artwork.
Creating – One stitch at a time!