Journaling

Every second day I check my lists for my Umbria trip which is fast approaching.  I am very prepared but I just feel better checking that everything is in place.

Yesterday, I decided to add a sketch in my journal from summer 2014. It is the journal I worked on during the summer that I had the idea to do the journaling trip to Umbria. I used it as a sample to show potential travellers what kind of exercises we'd be doing.

I wanted to time my sketch. I want to tell the travellers that a sketch is not a drawing. It should be something done very quickly. (I remember taking a sketching class a few years ago at the Toronto School of Art and the teacher made us sketch the actors in a movie. Do you know how fast they move and change position?? It was impossible.)

So I found a page in the journal that was empty and set off outside. 

I got so into sketching that I forgot to time myself!

I 'snapped out of it' when I got home, after I had added some colour with my water paints.

Oh well. It was nice getting lost in the moment.

One Year Ago

Well, the year has passed...

An entire 365 days...

A birthday bouquet from my special friend

since my last birthday.

You may remember my bellezza project where I took a picture everyday for the year...

from birthday to birthday.

It was more difficult than I thought.

I got out of the habit (aren't we all creatures of habit!!) when my camera died in October finally succumbing to the salt water that got in the mechanism that summer. I was without a camera for one week and that threw me off my game.

I saw beautiful things every day but may not have photographed them- because they were fleeting things, or by the time I got the camera out the subject had passed or the photograph didn't do the subject justice.

I plan to make an iBook of all those photographs when I get back to Canada in the Fall.

There is beauty in every day.

Spring Cleaning

It's that time of year again...spring cleaning. The class is later this year because the spring season just arrived this week!

Make this fun and easy zig zag quilt top using scraps!!

I am offering my annual Spring Cleaning quilt class where students use their scrap fabric and clear out their fabric bins.

I am renting a new space this year - Artscape Young Place, http://artscapeyoungplace.ca/flex-studios/

The studio is gorgeous and conducive to great creating. Lots of natural light and cork boards to pin up your work in progress.

Save the date.. Sunday, JUNE 1 @10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Please join me for a fun day of sewing and more sewing and chatting with friends. A light lunch is included.

For more info click here. Sign up soon.

zig zags found on a walk in Montreal

Past students say:

I had a very good day at the workshop on Sunday. As always your teaching was excellent and I learned a lot. You make everyone feel comfortable and encourage everyone to develop in their own way. () Thank you again for what you put into your classes. MDF

Your class was (as always) incredible.  You are truly an inspirational

teacher and I love the fact that you outline the design and we are then

encouraged to put our own stamp on things.() The day was so relaxing despite my hurrying to get something done and making mistakes that I then had to fix. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. Haven't finished a block on this one yet and I can't wait for your next class! Tempted to (ahem) call in sick tomorrow to work on the quilt! MM

I love your insights about colour and arrangement especially because your aesthetic appeals to me so much. I'd never have stuck with quilting at all if I'd have taken classes with a very traditionally minded quilter. You support people's efforts but also get us to think more creatively and critically about what we're doing and the choices we're making. And you give such helpful tips as well as explaining clearly the reasons for doing things in a particular way--it makes so much sense to follow directions when you understand why a method works. MDF

Happy Spring (finally).

Go for a Walk

It's always the same thing.

 Sila makes my front lawn blue.

I'm almost finished an art piece and suddenly I don't like it.

So I turned the whole thing over on my cutting table...

Two turtles sunning themselves...even though it is only 8 degrees out!

..and went for a 20 minute walk in my neighbourhood.

I saw some friends on the way. Bumped into my neighbour who says she has some men's shirts for my quilt making. (great!)

A mother robin made a nest on Easter Sunday and today she sits in it.
We have a perfect view from our family room.
I can't wait to see her babies hatch.

Getting some air is a good way to clear your head and reenergize.

Love those tiny yellow birds.

Family Support

My boys took care of the Easter feast and I had time to work on an art piece that has to be in Germany by May 1. It's crunch time!

in the background, detail of Marie Josée Danzon's textile art

While I was waiting for things to dry, I did some hand quilting and I am happy to say that I have overcome my fear of it thanks to your emails and encouraging tips and techniques.

I actually enjoyed quilting this mini quilt
which I pieced ages ago but lost in my studio.
(yes I am reorganizing the studio..it's spring clean up time!)

I think it was the frame that was a problem for me. Without it I can sew freely. Since I am quilting a mini quilt I think it works fine.

It really helps when you use a new needle that is super sharp!
The coloured fabric is 30's reproduction. Each piece of the 9-patch
measures half an inch square.

Got to get back to the art piece....

This is the hand-dyed
thread I am using
in my art piece.
 I bought it in Umbria at a market.

Unfortunately, I can not show you any part of the piece I am finishing up before it hangs at the exhibit. I will post about it in mid-June.

Yellow Blossoms

The colour yellow brings a little sunshine into my house on this cold winter's day.

Ten days ago I pruned my forsythia bush from my front garden and brought the branches in the house.
I placed them in a vase of water close to a south facing window.

The blooms are appearing now. Slowly they unfold their colour, their warmth, their sunshine.

Odd that I like yellow flowers but never add one piece of yellow fabric in my work!

Do Something Warming on a Cold Day

Maybe you have heard on the news about the freezing temperatures Canada is experiencing lately. Today in Toronto the wind is so cold I can barely stand it.

I changed the day's itinerary and have decided to stay in my studio and make some Bear Paw blocks. I started these blocks maybe a year ago. I store the blocks in a shoe box with notes so that when I return to it I remember the measurements I am using and whether the seams need to lay a certain way.

It's interesting to note the colour/fabric choices I make today. They are different from the blocks already made.

I use mainly darker fabrics from my stash. I love the plaids in this.

I have also added some unexpected fabrics, like the lime green and some pinks, even a bright blue. They add a little interest and lift the look of the ensemble.

Sewing is a nice way of keeping me warm.

By the way, now is the time to prune your forsythia shrub and bring those branches inside. Place them in a vase of water and put them in a warm place. In about 10 days time you'll have lovely yellow blooms to warm your home.

Tea with Marilyn

I had (virtual) tea with Marilyn Mirabelli of Simply Splendid Victorian Afternoon Teas.

My friend Gail decorates her garden with vintage tea cups.

You can find the interview she conducted on her blog while we had "tea".

La Stanza del Tè, translated is The Tea Room,
an art piece by italian Maria Teresa Sansotta.
made with tea bags, fabric scraps, crinoline,
 approx. 1m x 1.40m
It was a present to me from the artist
for my 25th wedding anniversary.

Marilyn has organized teas at my home on several occasions. I remember the Mother's Day Tea with fondness. Very elegant and right up to my high standards!

The tea ingredients,
including scones and fancy sandwiches,
always come in a fancy box!

Thank you, Marilyn, for your interest in my textile career.

Chateau Life

 After an intensive art-filled week in Paris, it's nice to let it all soak in...

to take some time...

time to reflect....

while walking around the grounds...

photo credit Sophia Reford

Château de Villiers le Mahieu

time for taking silly pictures.

This morning we went on an egg hunt!

easter egg location!!

Happy Easter.

Spring flowers growing on the grounds

Away

I thought about time after reading Judy Martin's blog.

When I am away...

I am in France

 away from responsibilities...

This has to be Paris

away from people who rely on me....

Spring in Paris

I feel that time stops.

To all my Toronto friends, "yes, this is a bee"
Don't despair. Spring will arrive in TO soon!

I am in Paris today.

I am staying at my daughter's apartment, walking distance to the Tour Eiffel