Zip another month has passed by, summer is finally here in the south. I truly loved our mild spring. The windows were open for quite a few weeks, but now the hum of the AC keeps me company instead of the birds singing in the yard.

During May, I enjoyed the company of several talented women who joined me in a Mixed Media Surface Design class at The Artist League. Once a week, for 3 weeks, we met for playful experimenting with surface design. During each class, I showed them some techniques to add color and design to white surfaces (cloth or paper) and then they played.

I knew going into this class that I could never predict the final results. This wasn’t a project class; I didn’t want them to copy me. I wanted them to take a technique, then find something within themselves to create their own designs. Their results proved me right. I never would have been able to predict what they did. Each session I was blown away by the talent in the class. Master works of modern art were created from their spontaneous whimsy. If they wanted to try something different, I said “Why not?” or “Try it and see.”

I have 2 favorite parts of teaching. The first is watching the “ah ha!” moment happen, when the student realizes they can do something which once intimidated them. The second is when “I” learn something. In all the years I have taught, I cannot remember a time when I didn’t learn something during one of my classes. As the ladies in this class experimented, I learned with them. It was so exciting to watch how things developed. So here’s to learning, its so much fun, I never want to stop!

If you think this class sounds interesting, then join me for:
Fiber Collage: Adding Depth and Texture with Textiles
July 23, 2011 from 9:30 to 4:30
$40 member/$50 non member
Location: The Artist League of the Sandhills
For more information, contact The Artist League at 910-944-3979.

Ah Spring! Seeing the explosion of color all around me makes me want to paint everything.

Over the years, I’ve explored a great many techniques for adding color to fabric. Why? Because, sometimes pre-designed materials you find in stores just won’t work for a given project. Other times, you just want to create something that’s totally you.

For a fiber artist, facing a blank piece of fabric is very similar to a painter facing a blank sheet of canvas… the possibilities are endless. In fact, when it comes to surface design many of the tools available to the fiber artist can can also be used on painter’s canvas or water color paper. And, many techniques that the painter is using can be used by the fiber artist.

You may be asking what is surface design? Just what is says, simply a way to add design to a surface using a variety of techniques and media to alter appearances.  These days, the term is most commonly heard amongst quilting and mixed media artists. The use of surface design has played a critical role in the recent advancement of non-traditional art quilts. Quilters are painting their designs on fabric and quilting them to create stunning works of art. You can see some of this in action by viewing the works of Susan Brubaker-Knapp.

The exciting thing is that many surface design techniques that art quilters are using can, with equal success, cross media into traditional 2-dimensional artwork and collage. The processes are fun and liberating, because they open up opportunities for experimentation. Its like being a kid again…rules are few and its acceptable to break them.

Are you curious about surface design? Do you want to find out more? Better yet, do you want to enjoy some creative play? Then join me for a class at:

Artists League of the Sandhills

6-8:30 pm, Wednesdays, April 28, May 5, and May 12

Price: $50 League Members/ $70 Non-members

Class: Surface Design Using Mixed Media
Instructor: Nanette S. Zeller

Short synopsis:
During  this 3-session course, students will use creative play to explore a variety of surface design techniques using acrylic paints, watercolor pencils, Shiva Painsticks, and other tools. In class, the student can choose to apply the techniques to either fabric or watercolor paper, or experiment with both surfaces. The resulting designs can be applied to 2-dimensional surfaces, used as collage elements, or incorporated into art quilts. This workshop is intended to inspire both new and experienced artists to include surface design into their artwork.

If you want to find out more, contact the Artist League at 910-944-3979 or visit their web site at www.artistleague.org. I really hope you will join me and don’t forget to tell your friends. I’m sure you will have fun.

My absence from blogging is a direct result of being busy. I am a freelancer, which means I take up job opportunities as they come to me. Not one company can claim me as their own and I’m not stuck in a 9to5 lifestyle. Some people (like me) aren’t cut out for that. I get bored and try to find things that are different. I do some technical editing, I sell my own art, I teach when I can, and I try to get published.

It is truly a weird feeling to stop at a store that you’ve frequented for years and see a magazine on the rack that contains something your wrote. When my pincushion article came out in Quilts and More magazine this February, I was surprised to see it at all the grocery stores in town. I would see it and giggle inside, then poke my husband and say, “Look, its MY magazine.” The thrill has inspired me to try to  get published more, unfortunately, I can’t say anything about what I’m trying. You’ll just have to wait and see.

Since we last met, I was happily selling kits for the “Early Bloomers” pincushion on my Etsy store, busy editing a sewing book, having fun inspiring new sewers in my sewing classes at the community college, and dreaming about what’s next. In the furry of activity, I visited with my aunt in the Bay area and helped her with the process of down-sizing as she moves onto the next chapter of her life.  Just a busy month of stuff going on … freelance style.

During all of this, Spring happened. The dogwoods are in full bloom, the daffodils have come and gone, the azaleas are preparing to explode. Its spring!!! My favorite season.

Here in the south spring comes early, but doesn’t seem to stay very long. And, that’s true for Better Homes and Garden’s Quilts and More, Spring 2011 magazine.  The spring edition appeared in early February and will be gone from the shelves by April 26. If you haven’t seen my article, make it a point to look for it or you can order a copy from my Etsy store. This 15 minutes of fame is fading from my life, like the tulips in my yard, all too quickly.

Through all of this I’m reminded, that life is short and you should do what you love. We’re all on a journey of hills and valleys which makes it especially important to stop and take in the beauty when it appears. Spring is a great time of year to remember that.

If you know me, you know I love animals. About 13 years ago, a little fellow came into my life. He was about 6 weeks old and was delivered, as a surprise to me, in a cat crate. Such a tiny little guy, but we soon knew he was full of attitude and would quickly outgrow the cat crate.

He came to us named “Luke,” as in “Luke Skywalker” from Star Wars fame. We decided that name just didn’t fit his personality. At the time, Desert Storm (the first Gulf War) was in full swing and there was one name that was frequently in the headlines. “Stormin’ Norman” Swartkoff. This Army General had an attitude that you knew would win the war, but you could also sense he had a big soft side. General Swartkoff’s personality, matched that of our new German shepherd pup. So, we decided to name our pup in honor of this Army hero. We called him “Storm.”

Storm filled the void of the child I would never have. He and I attended obedience classes and competed in agility competitions. He won ribbons and made me smile. Storm was always the center of attention. Always! And seemed to love letting me take pictures of him, such beautiful pictures. It was a sad, sad time for me last August, when I had to make the decision to put his old body out of pain. Although we had other animals in our home, Storm was my life. Everything revolved around him, he always needed special attention.

Around the same time that I had to make the decision, Quilting Arts Magazine announced their 2012 calendar contest. The theme: “Feeling Pet-ty.” I decided to use this opportunity to challenge myself and apply some techniques that I had been dabbling with. I definitely was feeling “Pet-ty.”

I submitted my entry “A Perfect Storm” and waited. Mid-January (a day before my birthday) I got word that out of hundreds of entries, “Storm” was one of  the 23 finalists. I had to pack him up and send him to Massachusetts and wait to hear the 13 winners. Yesterday, a day before Valentine’s Day, I got the word…Storm made it!!!! My buddy will be featured in the 2012 Quilting Arts Magazine. They won’t return him to me until late 2012, while he’s gone he’ll be traveling the quilt show circuit. I’ll try to catch up with him when I can.

So even after he left my life…this dog continues to be an important part of it. What a wonderful birthday and Valentine’s gift he’s given me! For without him, I would have never entered this contest. Little buddy, you have truly left your paw prints on my heart.

Note: In respect to Quilting Arts, I will refrain from showing a full photo of my finished piece. You’ll have to wait  to see it when the calendar come out later this year.

For months now, I’ve been hinting at a big secret that I wanted to share with you. Today is the day you get the news. I am officially published in a National quilting magazine, Better Homes and Gardens Spring 2011 Quilts and More. Yeah! Seems like ages ago that I submitted my pattern for the flower topped pincushion. I work in the publishing biz, so I know things take time. I really wanted to share the news with everyone, but in the biz its not really real until its on the shelf.

Its on the shelf now! So, go check it out at your local magazine rack. My “Early Bloomers” pin keeper will be happily waiting to see you on pages 26-29. Along with my pincushion, there are some great patterns. I adore the owl quilt and hamburger pincushion is pretty darn fun.

I’ve been making pincushions for several years. The basic shape was simple, but the toppers just weren’t working for me. You’ll find several renditions if you look back through the pages of this blog. In an attempt to streamline my sewing process, I developed a unique zinnia flower design. The pincushion was so easy to make I decided it was a good project to pattern and kit. Thanks to the folks at Better Homes and Garden Quilts and More magazine, the pattern is available in their Spring 2011 publication. Thanks to my Etsy shop you can purchase the kit to make one in any of the three pictured colors.

This is exciting for me for a couple of reasons. Not that I haven’t been published before, but you may have missed the handful of articles I wrote for now-defunct e-magazine titled Fibre and Stitch. And I’m sure its unlikely you saw the 1995 publication of my graduate research in Wilson Bulletin (a scientific ornithological journal). This publication is different because it is a widely distributed National magazine and one that I love to read.

The other reason it excites me is because my godmother had faith in me. When I first got word of the acceptance, my godmother told me she always looked at the Better Homes and Gardens quilt magazines (they have several) and hoped to find me published within it. I couldn’t tell her then, but I can now…her dream came true and I am so happy that she should live to see it. Today a copy of the magazine and one of the pincushions is heading her way with my love.

I’m blessed in many ways. I’m also happy to know that the next half century of my life I will be working in an industry that I love. I’m glad you’re joining me on this journey. Here’s to a life filled with textiles, wool, misc. fibers, and dreams.

Note: This is a quarterly published magazine that should remain available until April 26. Can’t find it? I have some for sale on my Etsy shop along with the fabric kits and the crushed walnut shell filling to make your own pincushion.

I received an order of hand dyed wool fabric this week from Weeks Dye Works. I love this stuff! I use it to make my pincushions. I love the fact that it is soft, but that the dye process has already felted the wool. It won’t easily unravel when you try to stitch it. I also love that their dyeing process creates a mottled effect. The colors aren’t equally saturated throughout the piece, which gives your project some character.

I’m a designer; I take fabric, textiles and fibers and develop projects. I have always loved making stuff for around the house. In the past year or so, I’ve spent more time designing things that could be sold (see my etsy shop) or projects that I could use to teach. So besides the pincushions, I have another idea to use Weeks Wool. Problem is finding the time to get the idea out of my head and into a prototype. Sometimes I find, just having the idea sit in my head for awhile helps me work out the kinks in the design.

So with ideas of future wool projects dancing in my head, I opened the box from Weeks and was surprised to see a couple of samples of their hand dyed weavers cloth (Thanks, Kelly!). Oh dear! I knew they carried other types of fabric, but I never saw this in real life. This stuff is wonderful. Its all about the “hand” (how it feels when you touch it). My experience has been that most people use this fabric for embroidery, but lately I’ve been seeing a lot of new designers are using unusual fabrics, like linen, in their sewing projects. Linen and weaver’s cloth are old timey fabrics, that are getting a revised appreciation from the trendier designers like Rashida Coleman-Hale with her “I Love Patchwork” book. So, when I touched the Weeks weaver’s cloth my senses were sparked. This fabric feels so good, I know something cool has to come of it. So stay tuned to see what I do with it, my brain is humming.

Note: I am going to start selling Weeks wool through my etsy store later in February. Stay tuned, I’ll let you know when its available.

I’ve been putting myself out-there the last couple of months and the rewards are starting to pay off. In the past month, I have been offered a variety of teaching gigs. To start, I’ll be teaching basic creative sewing classes at the community college. I know I”m going to find these classes rewarding. So many people are intimidated by it all. So many of us have been told we “can’t” do something for one reason or another. Sewing isn’t difficult, but it is a skill. When we’re not “perfect” when we start something, we just tell ourselves we can’t and give up. It takes time to perfect a skill and that’s why I chose to teach these classes. I get such joy from my sewing. If someone thinks they want to sew, I want to help them get there.

Other teaching opportunities have opened up, to include teaching surface design at local non-profit artist group in town. I’ll post more about this when the details are finalized, but I have to say I’m excited to share my joy of creative play.

In other news, my big secret will be revealed next month. I am so anxious and excited about this, but I must wait until I’m told it is OK to share the news.

My big news for this month was hearing that a piece I submitted to the 2012 Quilting Arts Calendar competition was selected as a finalist. The winners will be selected mid-February. I am so honored to be a finalist, I know the talent that enters this competition. Quilt artist Susan Brubaker Knapp is also one of the finalists. I met her a year-or-so ago and have been a fan since. Her work inspired me to create my entry, so you can imagine my honor to be in her company as the Quilting Arts staff makes their final selections.

My inspiration for all of this occurred in August. I had to make the difficult decision to put my old and sick German shepherd dog out of his misery. For 12 years, he was part of everything I did and making this decision rocked my core. His passing forced me to think about what I was doing with my life. I realized I had gifts to share, so I decided to really pursue teaching opportunities. I also realized that I have a passion for what I do. Creating things is more than just a hobby, it is the core element of my being. So, I am placing more focus on creating and then sharing what I make with others. This year I am hoping to inspire people as others have inspired me. It took “The Perfect Storm” (aka my dog) to show me the road.

Today is 01-01-11! How cool is that? Not as cool as 11-11-11 (which will happen later this year), but cool none-the-less. In honor of this cool day, I wish you  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

They say an optimist wants to see the New Year in. A pessimist wants the old year to leave. Which are you? Or are you a little of both?

This year, I think I’m more of a pessimist. Although last year wasn’t horrible, I did have enough things happen to me for which I’m grateful are over. This new year holds promise of some great opportunities for me. I’m scared and excited in the same breath. Each day we wake with a new clean slate, but its the start of a new year that seems to hold such great promise in life.

This past year, I’ve realized how important my creative life is to me. The last few weeks, I have been very busy making things. It gives me such comfort and pride. Often it amazes me with a little bit of thread, I can make things, like the sock rabbit pictured here. Since I got my copy of Socks Appeal by Brenna Maloney, I have wanted to create a sock critter. Today, I took the time to make this cutie. Such a simple and fun design. I love just looking at the pictures in this book. Brenna has made some adorably cute critters.

This year, I will use this rabbit as a reminder to stop and take time for the things I love. I hope you do the same.

I see shiny doorways waiting for me in 2011. It always seems that when one door of opportunity opens, another one closes. This past year, I watched doors close behind me, but not as many new doors opening. I guess that is how it sometimes goes, doorways are not synchronized to work simultaneously. Sometimes you have to watch several opportunities to their completion before one new one presents itself.

The good news is as I am moving forward on my journey, I planted seeds for new things. It takes awhile…but I’m starting to see the potential of my efforts. Friday, I received the community college catalog and there it was, the sewing classes I developed are advertised and I’m already getting great response. No worries about canceled classes here.

Tuesday I’ll be pitching another class to someone else. This one will emphasize my skills as a C&T Surface Design Ambassador. You can see an example of my surface design in the featured picture. Surface design is a wide ranging variety of concepts that focus on altering fabric with paint and other media. In July, I’m scheduled to teach fabric painting to the local guild.

I have some other ideas to pitch around town and the big secret that I anxiously can’t tell you about until it happens. In the mean time, I’m working through what I have and where I’m going. This year I’ve discovered a lot about me. I’ve always loved to teach, so I’ll be teaching. And I’ve re-discovered that I love making my own painted fabric. My new work features painted fabrics that I made a few years ago and am finally figuring out what to do with it. I think I made a full circle. These fabrics inspire me, but they also remind me that sometimes you have to step back and review what you’ve been doing in order to move forward. All it takes is to continually put one foot in front of the other and it all will work out.

In the last few weeks, I did something that proved to be startling and which removed a creative slump that I’ve been in. I am amazed at how simple this task was and the extreme impact of its results. I probably shouldn’t share this advise, because someone may try to bottle the tip and sell it as the cure-all for all the world’s woes. Yes, it was that earth shattering (at least for me). Since, you are my friend I trust you with this bit of information. Cherish this advise…are you ready?

I cleaned my studio! I know, such a simple thing. It was amazing the cool stuff I found “almost” finished! I was inspired and excited about finishing these projects, because I didn’t have to fight the overloaded work table. I can actually sit down at my table and start working whenever I want. I don’t have to push piles of stuff around to find that 1″ of free workspace. Ahhh! I’m ready to create and can begin whenever the will strikes me.

Of course there’s the everyday life stuff that still gets in the way, but when I find those free moments I can zip up to my studio and create for whatever time I have. I’m amazed at how much more productive I am. The pincushions shown are the result of the cleaning spur. They were ready and waiting for me to add the flower toppers. With just a little time, they were complete and ready for sale at Artist Alley in Southern Pines and on my Etsy shop.

So now the trick is to keep things neat and tidy, so the creative energy keeps flowing. Stay tuned, I’ll keep you posted on my progress.