After 65

Hi everyone, It's been a busy time.This month I turned 65, quite a milestone I think. For a few months while approaching this date I started to feel old and finished. But after wallowing in self pity for awhile I realized that I could not give up on my dream of having a solo show in Toronto.So onwards we go.

First of all every day I need to take care of my body, especially if I want to do all of this stuff.I have become a high maintenance woman and it has nothing to do with hair, makeup or clothes. I do yoga so I don't get stiff, I go to aqua fit to stay strong without hurting my knees,I meditate so I don't go crazy in my head and I have to eat well which means taking the time to prepare food. Now it is 11 a.m. and I can start to sew.

Since January I have been exploring new and exciting techniques which I will share with you. I have been taking pics of all the steps in my new process so that I can blog about it.More to come as I am not quite finished with this piece.

But the Loose  Threads, Wendo Van Essen,  Pat Lemaire and myself, have been busy preparing for our next Fibre Art Retreat. My offering on this weekend will be everything to do with sheers.Layering,cutting away, burning and trapping are all techniques that I will demonstrate.Our theme is fish and below you will find my sample.The pattern will be in the retreat instructions.

Can you see the holes that were burned on the yellow to create texture?

Fish scales burned in the orange sheer on the pink cotton fabric.

We are holding our retreat at the beautiful Gananoque Inn and Spa  . Check it out, our rooms will be on the water, our work room is at the same level on the water,the food is great, the rooms are fab, and mini spa treatments are available for those who are so inclined.

Pat Lemaire will be covering all things to do with Shiva Sticks and Wendo Van Wesson will be teaching you how to make fabric sculpture. Come and join in on the fun. 

Email me if you would like me information. catelaw@ripnet.com

Paint and Cloth

Something new for me the last few years has been painting my own cloth. I have taken classes Bethany Garner, Mickey Lawler, Betty Ives and just recently Rayna Gilman. Below is my fabric painting experimentation completed in Rayna's class. I love to learn the techniques and then put my own spin on them.

A closeup.
Now I have been asked by a few people to set up a painting day for them, so that they can play as well. So here it is.

Paint and Cloth

A one day workshop in Cathy's back yard. You can choose Friday June 25th or Saturday June 26th. In case it rains, Sunday June 27th will be the backup day.

For more information contact me at catelaw@ripnet.com and I will send it to you.

Pat's Retreat

I spent a wonderful time the weekend before last with a fun group of ladies at Pat's Annual Retreat. I was the "newbie" this time and they all made me very welcome. We come from all different places and our interests varied but we sure had a lot of fun. Each person brought their own projects and we shared information along the way.

This is a detail of a sheep commission. I had decided to bring four pieces to finish and I was ready to sew until my fingers bled or I fell asleep at the machine. Friday night I hit a huge snag. Somewhere along the way I had sewn with bad thread. After finishing the free motion on my animals, I sewed them into the piece , layered the top with batting and backing and proceeded to quilt. First I noticed one small pop as the thread used in piecing the background broke. But not liking to reverse sew I soldiered on. More pops and then I just had to come to terms with the fact that I had to take the whole thing apart. Elaine's fabric is too fabulous to throw in the can. I took it all out that night and then put it away to finish at home. Below is the result of this week's work. It took me a day to iron, pull out the thread and re-quilt it. Now I am happy with the result and it can be delivered this week.

The next day went much better. It must have been the company. I finished my sample for ourLoose Threads Retreat at the Opinicon in Chaffey's Locks the end of next October.We will be learning bobbin work, silk screening on cotton, and lots of embellishing techniques with Wendo ,Pat and I. More to come later.

Below, lots of pics of our fun weekend. I should have made a slide show. Oh well I will tackle that idea another time. More to learn.
My roomie and swimming partner Sally busy at work.

A terrible trouble maker.

Consultations.
Hand and machine at work.


More trouble makers in the corner.
Our resident artist Bonnie Lemaire.

Much fun was had by all. Thanks everyone, I'm in for next year.

Taking classes and finishing things

To my dismay the first time I finished this quilt and hung it on the wall the sides were like the ocean waves going up and down . It was definitely not flat against the wall and I thought that I had conquered this problem a long time ago. One must not take things for granted after all.

I had come home from a class with Anna Hergert in Kingston and was so excited to start a new project that I finished this one in a hurry.You know the little voice in your head that tells you to finish a few things before starting down the next path. I learned my lesson. It took me one whole day to take out the sides, add more free motion stitching to bring it flat ( I cut out a whole inch from the facing fabric, no wonder it was wonky) and below is the finished result hanging in my living room.

I am now loving living with this piece.

Now for Anna's class. I had forgotten my camera but I can show you the end result of my time spent with her.

It has been quite awhile since a workshop took me to so many new places .I often have pieces in my head which I can't make because my technical ability has not yet caught up with the creative process. I just don't know how to make it happen,YET.

Anna is an amazing teacher, warm, supportive,giving of her expertise in a way that you know that you can do it. Below is a detail of my first little sample.

Hand stitching, I never thought that I would be embracing embroidery again! It is fab, especially when you use those lovely hand dyed yarn. Then using a craft heat tool to cut the sheer after you have stitched it on. Brilliant!. I don't know how much fabric I have wasted in the past trying to cut it just so. Oh , of course and using Shiva sticks to get those sheer shapes.

This works so well.

I roomed with my friend Pat and started second small piece in our spare time. I am not a late night sewer but we were up until 1 a.m. to work on this project.
The biggest compliment to Anna is that I went home and finished them both. I must also tell you that her work is sublime. You can check it out on her website.www.annahergert.com

She is also an amazing teacher. To take a class would be a treat .

When I came home my idea that I couldn't make work is now possible. I pulled out these fabrics to look at while I pulled it all together. The wheels are turning and I will keep you posted.
Fabrics by Elaine Quehl and me.

This is a new project that I will be developing this month and it should be ready for the next round of classes in my studio.You will be able to make the cat in any colour and use any pieced top pattern to make the background.

BARGOON!!!

new fee schedule

Because of the economic times and the fact that my students have to drive here ,there is a new fee schedule in place for a one day class.

1.one person-$50

2. two people-$45 each

3.three people-$40

4.four people-$35

5.five people-$30

6.six people-$25

This applies to booking and payment in advance and patterns and worksheets are included.

You are welcome to book a private appointment for you and your friends to see what I have to offer. I will give you a tour of my studio and I do make pretty great tea. No goodies right now as it is too soon after Christmas.

I am now taking bookings from April to November, 2010, and I will be teaching one day per week. Hope you can come.

Visitors from Kemptville

Last Wednesday a group of ladies from Kemptville came out to see me to book some private custom classes in my studio next fall. This is my favourite way to teach. Classes in my studio specifically designed for the students who are coming. It gives me great freedom to take the class wherever they may need to go.

This year Marian, Tracy, Colleen and Lou came to learn how to make my "Tapestry" quilt. Three of them brought their projects with them on this visit and I am pretty pleased with the results. I love it when everyone goes in their own direction and makes their ideas happen. Look below.

Colleen's has a Christmas theme with rich dark colours and fabrics. Poinsettias were her flowers of choice.
Marian went for royal colours reminding me of spring. The waterfall is a lovely touch.
Tracy opted for a medieval horse and lion almost like a coat of arms. A lovely scene was added to the background. 

I am thrilled with all of your ideas and your hard work. Can't wait to see them finished, I just had to give you a sneak peak.

The classes I offer are

1. Beginners free motion

2. Advanced free motion

3. Butterfly project

4. Bobbin work dragonfly

5. From pic to quilt

6. Embellished jeans

7. Little bear

8. Three daisy wall hanging

9.  Funky folk art poster

10. Paint your own fabric

11.Techniques day- here you visit my studio and you decide what I will teach you.

12. Bobbin work

13. Working with sheers

14. Small projects made from your scraps

From Pic to Quilt Class

Ever wanted to know how I get from a picture to a finished piece?

Come and take this class from me in Bell's Corners Ottawa over three Saturdays. We will be having the class on Sat.  April  4th,18th, and 25th. You don't have to be able to draw, if you can trace you can do it. I will guide you through the whole process.

The class is sponsored by the Ottawa Valley Quilters' Guild and you don't have to be a member to take the class. For more information you can contact Jan at

  Dacbr225@aol.com

Animals aren't the only option. This piece was done by Sue Stewert using the same technique. For more examples in various states of progress check student work on this blog.

STUDENT WORK-5

Helen's finished piece. Her washer has been placed in off centre which makes a wonderful shadow on the wall.

Rita experimented with strips of fabric used on the wrong side and then added some extra colour.It made for great water with a brilliant sky.

Meredith's finished piece.

And a closeup.

We kept the our pedals to the metal and accomplished quite a lot in one day.

STUDENT WORK_4

Last Wednesday a group of four ladies came to spend the day with me. After touring my work we decided to do some curved piecing, free motion and put a washer in a hole. To finish it off we mounted our pieces on wooden frames.

Here is Joycelyn putting dome free motion machine embroidery in her work.

A closeup of Meredith's free motion circles. A great way to enhance the fabric and create some texture.

Joyelyn and Helen with their finished pieces.They are the top on the top row and they fit in nicely with my work.

Joycelyn's finished piece.

FALL PREVIEW_1

The last week of summer still puts me in a planning mood even 10 years after retiring from teaching. When the nights get colder and there is a chill in the air my mind starts organizing my life for the next few months. I am looking forward to sharing my work with like minded, addicted, fibre junkies and sharing what new things I have discovered.

This is what I am up to this fall.

1. Seaway Autumn Studio Tour on Sept. 13th and 14th.
I will be at stop #1 in Johnston with four other artists Joanne Zorzie, Bonnie Lemaire, Pat Lemaire, and Wendo Van Essen. At my table you will find my work large and small,postcards, journals, and my patterns. Come and have a chat.
Visit our website http://www.sast.ca/

2. Art With Loose Threads Retreat from Oct. 3-5 at the Opinicon Resort Hotel
Come and participate in a small and intimate retreat where three fibre artists will share with you what they have learned.These techniques can be used in all kinds of work, from fibre art , in your quilting, to wearable art. We will also try some painting on fabric.

Wendo will be showing you how to felt fibre and sculpt this moose head.

Pat will be demonstrating various embellishment techniques. Great for wearable art.

Cathy will share with you her new technique where she hangs washers in a hole . Small kits will be available for each demo at a reasonable cost so that all you have to bring is your machine and your favourite sewing equipment.



3.Then in November it will be my pleasure to participate in Fibreworks, in Kingston.
The weekend we have chosen is Nov. 13,14,and 15th. It will include a lecture on Friday evening and a two day workshop. I will be discussing how I use colour to give things life and you will be making a small piece that will use those colour concepts. We will try different free motion techniques as well as some bobbin work. I will also show you how to mount your work on a wooden frame.More info to come.