Recently in Here2There Category

I am away from my machine (and every other supply and tool I might normally use, including the ability to find a blue colored pencil should I want one - long story). There's a graphic novel series in progress - yep. But, I planned ahead, and I sent many projects on their way to Gooma8x before I loaded the car, got older, and left for my own version of stand by the balcony door and wish I could live out the plans in my head, which mostly involve walking to one end of the beach or the other, as far as I can go... and yet can't.

Machine shots are on the Here2There blog. I love these shots and, well, these pieces are fabulous.

I'm showing off our coffee sleeves in celebration of Earth Day 2009 (the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, in fact --- Earth Day pre-dates me. Really?!?!?!). Read the fully story on the Here2There blog. If you'd like to order one, let us know. Each is unique, hand-made, your favorite colors... even your kid's art is possible.

Whatever you do today, think about ways in which you can make a difference - and a change.

Ziploc bags may only be a few pennies each, but how many do you use in each lunch... multiplied by "x" number of kids.) I am surprisingly "green" in my fiber art. Many of you are familiar with the pieces I make using scraps and piles of thread that would otherwise be thrown away. I love that I can "reuse" so much of what might otherwise be trash.

I hope you, too, find ways to live more "green."

Taking a look at totes and placemats from the last several months.

I admit, I took forever in settling on the panels. The size of the computer is so small (a 10") that there wasn't a lot of real estate to work with and I wanted each piece to count I made more than one, in fact, and I was torn about which to use. But then I started on the back, and it was clear that the front shown here was the right choice for me and for this project.

Very rarely do I stop and make myself something, but this was something I felt I really needed... and I really wanted a form-fitting piece that I can just drop into my birdhouse tote. I did the panels. Opal then added a bit and quilted the pieces and put it together. The loop and button closure is simple, but perfect for what I need.

Most of these cards are out of my hands now. I posted the initial few from this series to Etsy, and those cards are now wrapped up and on their way out the door. The bulk of the cards, however, didn't get listed at Etsy. They'll be divvied up here and there for the shows this fall... starting tomorrow. And so, it was the perfect time for a bit of a retrospective. Now, in truth, last week, word from the North (that would be Opal) was... "Make more cards." Really, it's perfect, because I have another stack all ready to sew...

As I get ready to sort of say "goodbye" to a bunch of things I've worked hard (and lovingly) on over the last few months, I have been trying to pull together a gallery of sorts for Here2There. You know me, I love a grid, and so there was something quite rewarding about seeing this group photo come to life (courtesy, of course, of the folks at Big Huge Labs). I like seeing how everything hangs together in terms of line and aesthetic and overall feel. Whether I work with earth tones or brights or blacks and whites... there is something "me" in these pieces. Patchwork is patchwork, it's true. It's been around forever. But, I value the art of it... and I know personal voice differs from artist to artist no matter what medium you work in. I look at these... and I see me. I know they each bear my mark... my look and feel... my spin on color and line. And that... makes me happy.

By the way, thank you to Ann-D and Eva for letting me know there was an issue with leaving comments over at Here2There. Hopefully it's all set now... and we'll hear from you! I was starting to take the silence personally - and it was all my own fault!

I've got a small list of custom photo pillows I'm working on these days, in and around other things (like schools and job). The above is a snippet from a pillow I finished over the weekend. I think it may be my favorite yet. It's a first in a few ways, too. But, all in all, it follows the same approach I take to my patchwork pillows - a look that really is my own. This one, I love, and I love, love, love the black and white dots. For more about this pillow, see the Here2There blog.

But, the reason I'm really popping in today, other than showing off the tones of that pillow... which just make me crazy happy... is to let all of you know that we're doing a few shows in November and December... the first one is next weekend. What that means is that we'll be taking most things out of the Etsy shop...

We'll be working to replenish things there, but I wanted to let all of you know that stuff's gonna suddenly be moving around... and disappearing from the Here2There Etsy shop (as well as the OAmyOAmy shop).

Wish us luck!

(And, hey... we're feeling lonely on the other blog. Come on... be the first to leave us a comment over there.)

I'm excited to announce that to go along with our work with Here2There @ Etsy, Opal and I have started a joint blog where we hope to talk about collaborative fiber work, bird art, our studios, quilting, and more. I hope you check it out!

Something of mine has made its way into an Etsy Treasury - my first time! I'm pretty excited because it's very flattering to have a piece hand-picked to go with a themed grouping. This one is called "I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet."

As I've mentioned recently on the CMP, my new bird sketches are coming in handy with the range of projects I'm working on for Here2There. This pillow features a number of batiks I picked up on vacation in Oregon this summer. I bought a stack of fat quarters that day - and seeing how beautifully they work up, I wish I'd bought more! I love working with a full range like this. And, though this is a more subdued palette than I sometimes work with, it really speaks to me.

This one is one Gooma8x and I just finished up... called "Blue Skies." I love it because it's a real change for us in many ways, but especially in terms of color. You won't typically see a lot of blue from us. It's something we agree on. But, I had a wonderful time working with the softer blues in this one and building around four of our birdhouses. This lap quilt is larger than our other pieces, and I like that a lot. In fact, I tested it more than once as I worked on piecing the top, making sure I got it to a size I thought would be really usable... rather than just decorative.

I'm big on use!

I'm working on a set of 5 pillows for someone, 4 of which feature the same photo... but each is for a different person (a gift) and so each has been requested in a different color scheme. It's amazing to watch how the whole thing is transformed each time with new and different colors... and I know that each scheme will be perfect and special for the recipient. I love that. And I love the range of possibility in how it all plays out. Endless variety... endless fun... endlessly satisfying.

I showed one iteration of the green/gold/maroon color scheme the other day. After my customer (one of you! and my trusted guinea pig for this process!) selected this softer color scheme, the bolder one took wings with one of my birds. And this one now frames a family photo - and I hope it becomes a cherished piece in the house. I really do. I love the softness of this and the interplay of colors. And, I love, love, love this new background fabric I used here.

These are, of course, at Here2There, but I'm showing them off just because this "is" right now the work I'm doing.... and loving.

So, this is what happens when you work with custom color... you hear "green, gold, and maroon..." and you're off and running... but then later you realize those same exact colors could go a very different way. I finished up a (beautiful) guinea pig photo pillow today that uses a much softer combination of these colors. But... I liked this set, too... there's something striking and bold and yet inviting about them. So, a perfect frame for one of the new bird sketches. I'll show the other pillow soon, too.

New stuff in the Here2There shop.

I had to clean off the table a bit this weekend so that a meeting that needed to happen could happen. It was, I must admit, quite a challenge... to clear off even 70% of it. I probably shouldn't admit that... but it has become my workspace, really. So, I cleared it... and the meeting happened. And then, there is that wonderful span of time where the table is clear... and even as you start laying things out... there's a beauty to it... a structure... a sparseness (versus the sometimes chaotic clutter of creative process). This morning, I walked in to take a photo of something else I finished last week, and I was struck by the span of the table crossing to the bin of greens propped by the window... there's a wonderful tonal continuity to it somehow... three projects here... all almost complete. Nice. Satisfying. Soothing to the eye.

Happy Monday.