What's Up in April!

Well, how is it possible that this is March 8th ALREADY?!!!  I must put on my St. Patrick's Day shoes and get busy preparing for my next Sparkles Workshop and upcoming Sculptural Pumpkin class at Nashville Needleworks in Nashville, TN...April 19th--21st! 

This will be my second time to teach the mysteries of that mysterious material in a class format, known in the needlepoint world as Sparkles, from Sundance Designs.  It is a tubular, metallic/nylon confection that comes in 27 colors.  (Although, sadly, only 26 are currently available.  One is on back order until mid summer.)  The kit will contain 1 yd of each available color, some Sundance sequins and beads, and 3 canvases with painted designs by me, on which to apply Sparkles. 

Let me just tell you that this material is a "party" on your canvas!  You are only limited in it's use by your own imagination.  I hope you will let me show you how to use it in this class, but hurry and sign up quickly because Time's A'waste'n!!  Call Emily or Lisa at Nashville Needleworks and have them sign you up!

The other class I am excited to teach  at Nashville Needleworks is the Sculptural Pumpkin. 

This project is designed to be stitched ' on the run', without stretcher bars, if desired.   The idea is that you can stitch one section at a time while sitting at the doctor's office, waiting at a red light, or standing in line at the grocery check out!  Seriously now...ya'll already do that, don't you, with portable projects?

Each panel features different stitch patterns, a variety of threads, beads, sequins, crystals, some unusual ribbon work techniques, and the use of memory thread. And, the project offers new and unusual techniques that are fun and beautiful!

The crows that have claimed residence in this pumpkin are not part of the project.  I advise you to obtain your own set of black crows to make this, otherwise very elegant pumpkin, a bit spooky!  Or you can insert dried or silk fall foliage or flowers, to spill out on the sides.  This tabletop decoration will transition from Halloween through Thanksgiving with ease, saving you the angst of deciding what to put on your coffee table or sideboard with the change of holidays!  Who doesn't like Easy?

I look forward to meeting some of you at Nashville Needleworks in mid April.   But remember...sign up soon or....snooze, you lose!

A New Year of Stitching!

Today, I listened to Maya Angelou on the radio.  She mentioned her grandmother telling her on more than one occasion,  "When you learn, teach!"  Maya said many other things in her radio message that were important and inspirational, but the comment about "teaching" struck a cord with me.

I never wanted to be a school teacher.  My father wanted me to be one.  He thought it would be the perfect job for me "to fall back on."  That must have been a common idea in my parent's generation …the idea that a woman should only have to work as a 'fall back' solution to spinsterhood (horrible word, isn't it!) or widowhood, or if her husband was no longer able to be the family's bread winner.  The idea of having a career was always secondary to having a family in the home I grew up in.   But I wanted to be an artist, so I pursued an art degree much to my father's consternation.  But also, to his satisfaction, I became a wife and mother to a large family.  I wanted that too, and happily, I loved it!

What I "fell back on", (envision a woman falling flat on her back, picking herself up, dusting herself off, and starting all over again!) when my marriage came to an end after 24 years, turned out to be my creativity, my art, as well my practical sewing skills.  The chance that I would put all those skills together into one package was a joyous surprise to me, and sadly, one that my father never saw.  He died young…too young…about the age I am now!  (That astonishes me to think of it! )  But I know he would have been proud of my artistic accomplishments and equally proud that I could earn money from them, let alone support myself and my family!

Needlepoint has offered me the world.  Literally and figuratively.  I have been able to travel the world and teach my art to others.  (It IS art, but that is a subject for another day...) And while I do not claim to know everything about this art, or that I know it 'properly', I can and do love to teach what I have learned, and what I know how to do.  Much of what I have learned is self taught, and much of it comes from other great teachers and mentors in the field.  And I would be remiss if I didn't say that I have learned much from my students too.  The sharing of ideas, the implementation of suggestions, new materials, viewing the magnificent work of others, (painted canvas designers and teachers and students) has contributed to my education and my own level of expertise in the needle arts, both as a designer and a teacher. 

2013 is  presenting me with so many wonderful teaching opportunities.  I am excited beyond words.  So, here is a little summary of my teaching schedule, as it now stands.   There is always room for flexibility, and maybe some of these dates and places will change.  But for now...this is what I have on my calendar.  I hope that I will meet many familiar as well as new faces in my upcoming classes this year! 


Beginning January 19, 2013--an ongoing 12 month project/class
BeStitched, Scottsdale, AZ
contact: 480-991-0706
A Princess Chandelier

February 22-25, 2013
The Nimble Needle, Atlanta, GA
404-843-8687
Sparkles Workshop; and Embellishment Class

April 19-21, 2013
Nashville Needleworks, Brentwood, TN
615-377-6336
Sculptural Pumpkin,  Sparkles Workshop

May 5, 2013
San Diego ANG, San Diego, CA
Sparkles Workshop  (See photo above of Sparkes, a unique tubular metallic and nylon material that can be used in many different ways on needlepoint canvas.)
contact:....to be announced







June 20-21, 2013
ANG Mile High Chapter, Cherry Hills, CO
contact:  scottie385@yahoo.com
Las Flores de la Noche

July 18-20, 2013
The NeedleBug,  Montgomery AL
334-270-0064
info@theneedlebug.com
Painted Threads/Las Flores de la Noche
Sparkles Workshop

                                    See Las Flores de la Noche photo above!

Sept 27-29, 2013
In Stitches, Atlanta, GA
contact:  404-816-4612
projects to be determined…



October 19-20, 2013
ANG Natural State Stitchers chapter,   North Little Rock, AR
contact: lizettet@comcast.net
Santa Rita Prickly Pear,
Sparkles Workshop

Santa Fe Enchantment!

It has been just over a week since I returned home from EGA's Santa Fe Enchantment, 2012.  I promised a report, but how does one convey the enchantment that Santa Fe, New Mexico really is?

How does one convey 'on paper', or in this case, on your computer screen, the aroma of cedar fires   and caramel corn in the plaza, and roasted chiles, and the rustling sound of the golden cottonwood leaves, and the crispness of cold air on your cheeks?

The world famous Hatch chiles drying in the sun....acres of them!

Ristras!

Sage along Canyon Rd.

Miles and miles of cottonwoods along the Rio Grande.

Cottonwood leaves on the plaza grounds.

My sister Dorothy and I left on a Friday morning, my car packed to the hilt with stuff for classes and stuff to sell at the EGA midweek Trading Post.  Luckily, there was still room for the two of us!  Traveling with a much loved sister is priceless! We rode and laughed, and talked, and laughed, and talked and laughed some more.  We never ran out of things to talk or laugh about, which must be a 'girl' thing.  Most of you will understand that.

Back seat!

Trunk, all trunkekated!

Arriving at Buffalo Thunder Resort, things continued to run as smoothly as our travels.  (NO Glitches!)  The hotel staff was great!  We loved our suite!  French doors opened out onto a ground level patio, even though we were on the 3rd. floor!  Our view was of the distant golf course, the mountains, and always, the moon rising brilliantly white and round!  (We only saw that view, because we were up and out the door at 7:30ish every morning, attending to business, and didn't return until evening.)

The Bellhop was a Magician!

Room with a view and my little iPhone camera did pretty well capturing it!

I taught two classes, Santa Rita Prickly Pear, and Las Flores de la Noche with my sister Dorothy assisting me, because of the size of the classes.  Thank you Dorothy for your kind nature, patience, and ability to connect and help where help was needed.  Both projects involved the same process....stitching the subject in white cotton floss (DMC) and/or white Flair, a sheer panty hose like material by Rainbow Gallery.

Santa Rita Prickly Pear

Las Flores de la Noche

 After the subjects were stitched, students were instructed to saturate their canvases with water...getting them good and soaked!  Shocking I know!  Next, they mixed a textile medium with acrylic craft paints, and proceeded to add color to their stitched work, allowing the paint to extend into the blank canvas background.

This was scary for many...but I was proud of how eagerly they all launched into the work.  Some had their own vision, and others just went with the flow.  (of the paint....sorry...could not resist!)  The best part was that these 'painted thread' projects are mistake proof!  No matter the skill or level of the painter, no matter how worried one is with that process, the outcome is always successful!  Truly!  I am not kidding!  I've never seen a piece that didn't turn out beautiful!

And now I have to apologize to the Santa Rita class.  Alas..I did not take photos of your individual pieces.  So, the photos here are primarily of the Las Flores de la Noche class.  As you can see, each student did beautiful work!  They had a limited color palate to use, but the range of colors they managed to create was remarkable!  We laid the canvases out to dry in the sun.  Luckily, we had big french doors that led to a large patio and lawn area. (And long windows all around the room!  I'm telling ya...we had the very best classroom lighting and space in the entire seminar!) After lunch, classes convened for more stitching, and in the case of Las Flores, a bit more painting with Crayola fabric markers and the use of stencils.   We added more color and texture in each class by stitching with Caron's Watercolours and Wildflowers, Sundance beads and sequins, Kreinik metallics!  In the Santa Rita class, they created flower petals out of strips of torn organdie fabric and used Sundance beads and Kreinik metallic to create thorns on the cactus pads!

Santa Rita Class Pieces

Las Flores de la Noche Class Pieces

Celebrity Elizabeth Bozievich in her designer smock!

See our great windows!

This lady was a darling!  Cute and feisty, she worked harder than anyone in this particular class...and was determined to reach her goal, which she did! 

I consider this experience, sharing these projects with a collective total of 71 Santa Fe Enchantment students,  to have been an enriching and joyful process for ME.  I think too, it must have been for them as well.  Sure, there were a few problems to solve or deal with, considering....(egads!  I forgot to put in a single strand of DMC in the kits, but fortunately, found a substitute.  And the room, though bright and beautiful,  had a 1/2 high wall divider in it, which we worked around. That said, after reading the class evaluations, I believe that 99% of those attending agreed it was a great time, well spent and that they enjoyed it as much as I did! 

PS....will the student who asked me about having the remainder of the prickly pear jelly we snacked upon (spread on crackers! Yum!) please contact me?  I can't remember who you are, and I'd like to send you some.