Category: fabric

Anne of Green Gables Custom Fabric Work

Posted on Posted in Art, fabric

I received an email last summer from Helen, who had just visited PEI. She had seen my paintings in a shop and was wondering if I had ever done anything with Anne. She was disappointed there wasn’t anything more cute and fresh of her here. She asked me if I could make some fabric pieces for her.

anne-diana

I’ve been so busy with other things I wasn’t able to get to these until now. I’m so glad I carved out sometime because I had so much fun working on them!  I love the Anne stories and  LM Montgomery. Her Emily of New Moon series especially. The way she describes the wind through trees or the beauty of a meadow …  that is what I’m always striving to achieve with my work. It’s pure magic.

Sneeky Peek

Posted on Posted in fabric, Illustration3 Comments

Here’s a little sneak peek of something I’ve been working away on that I am so excited about.

lovebook

“The Love Book” is a book I wrote myself, that will be fully illustrated with fabric pieces. (!!!) It’s being published by Owlkids Books, and will be released in the Fall of 2017.

I have never been prouder of a project. The message is straight from my heart and the artwork is so special to me. I hope the world will love it as much as I am loving working on it!

 

new custom pieces

Posted on Posted in Art, fabric, happiness, Illustration

 

I’ve been super busy lately, but I find it really hard to turn down requests for custom portraits. I feel very lucky people want me to do portraits of their loved ones. Each one is so special. Here are a few I squeezed in between bigger projects lately.

Speaking of projects… I’m working on some really fun ones right now. I can’t wait to share them with you. One is with these wonderful ladies, who I have to say might be the most lovely people to work with. 🙂 (yes, I did the backgrounds for those videos too!)

 

Summer show

Posted on Posted in Art, fabric, P.E.I1 Comment

 

Catherine, my studio mate,  Norma Jean Maclean  and I submitted a show proposal the to the Guild late last year. We just found out it was accepted and we will have a month long show this summer. We are all so excited!

I’ve been working away on these pieces for it. You may recognize the linens from our great fabric find last year. They are incredibly beautiful, it was so fun to work with them and give them new life. It’s been such a treat to do something completely creative. Now back to work, I have a very fun project waiting for me.

 

Studiotime in the Summertime

Posted on Posted in Art, fabric, Life

 

Nothing perks us up in the summertime like a visit down to my studio. It’s just the change of pace we need some days. It’s a quick 10 minute walk from home and we’re there.

I feel so lucky that my kids love going here as much as I do.  Ila is really into painting lately and when I’m feeling especially kind I will even let her use my grown up paints.

These visits give me little bits of time to work on things I have going. Like these paintings I just finished that are up at Youngfolk on Water St now.

… and this portrait I just finished for some of my favourite people (they are actually even cuter in person).

Fabulous Fabric Find

Posted on Posted in crafting, fabric, happiness2 Comments

 

Last week I came across this amazing vintage fabric score with my friend and studio-mate Catherine. One of her friends had told us of of a lady who had some amazing vintage linens in her basement.

When we got there I knew this wasn’t just any find. We discovered treasure after treasure.

A lot hadn’t even been taken out of the boxes.

There is a entire set of these lovely dollies. I’m thinking they may be a series of little portraits one day…

I decided to frame this gorgeous linen that had “heavy butcher linen” screened on it. I love the simplicity of it.

There was an apron with this tag still on it, made by the blind. It is so pretty and is now my painting apron, makes me so happy.

This piece is so pretty it actually makes me giddy. The embroidery is hand done, but so perfect that it looks like it was made by machine.

Not pictured are  yards and yards of amazing white linen I also got. Score of a lifetime!

Staying inside

Posted on Posted in Art, crafting, fabric, food, P.E.I

You might have noticed in the winter I tend to hibernate hard. There hasn’t been a lot of action on this blog… but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy.

I’ve been going in between our cozy little home and my studio.

There has been lots of  crafting,

eating,

reworking old ideas,

working on new ideas,

working on things just for fun,

there has also been lots of reading, knitting, and lots of family time. The days are getting brighter, longer, and I feel like I’m waking up from a lovely cozy dream.

when in doubt, hug it out

Posted on Posted in Art, fabric

I made this for the girls for Valentine’s Day. Words for them to live by, there’s not much that a good hug can’t work out.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Is January over yet?

Posted on Posted in Art, fabric3 Comments

I’ve had a nice little flurry of custom work this month.  It’s always such a treat working on these for people. I feel the timing was perfect as I find January a particularly brutal month. The mixture of flu paranoia and insane freezing cold weather don’t make for super fun times. These were a very happy distraction.

Is January over yet?

Painting Sale and other things

Posted on Posted in Art, fabric, Illustration, shop update

To kick off the new year I’ve decided to open an Etsy shop. I’ll be using it to sell my “You are Loved” prints and some paintings I’ve had around my studio. They are priced are priced to sell, so check them out quick!

In somewhat related news… society6 is running another free shipping event. You need to follow this link. If you’ve been thinking about getting something, now’s a good time to pick it up.

 

Ila’s monkey quilt

Posted on Posted in crafting, fabric, Kids7 Comments

Ila’s monkey quilt is finished! I used mostly outgrown monkey pjs for the squares… the ones she refused to part with and put in the bag of hand me downs for her baby cousins. Now she can have them forever.

Why am I spending my last few days of kids at school/babysitter sewing a quilt? That’s a good question. I have about a dozen different art projects I could be doing, but this just felt right.

Maybe I’m winding down, changing gears for the summer where I’ll have the girls with me and creative projects will have to be more like this. Something that can be easily interrupted, and doesn’t require all my concentration.

Or maybe I just wanted to do something special for Ila. She’s been having a real rough time lately. Lots of tears, tantrums, general super crazy behavior. I want to wrap her up in love, in the hope that my sweet Ila might return and this angry at the world and everyone in it phase will pass. Here’s hoping it works, don’t let me down monkeys!

making…

Posted on Posted in Art, crafting, fabric1 Comment

Making: monkey quilt for Ila (out of all her old clothes… and some from each of us too).

Planning: a fabric piece out of this amazing vintage embroidery.

Excited: that I will be making an installation for Art in the Open this year with my studio mate Catherine. It was the most magical night last year, it should be fun to see it from the other side.

 

2 new custom fabric pieces

Posted on Posted in fabric, P.E.I1 Comment

 

I just finished these 2 portraits for Romina in Toronto, who is a good good friend of my dear sweet friend Mo. Romina found out about my work in a round-about way and was surprised to find out I was friends with her best friend.

When I sent these pictures to Romina, she told me she teared up a little.  I feel so lucky when I get to do one of these portraits, and even more so when I know it’s going to such an appreciative home.

Charlie and the Bean.

Posted on Posted in Art, fabric

 

I just finished up these 2 custom pieces. The top one is for a little guy ‘s family I’ve done portraits of before. You can see the one I did of  his parents here.

The fabric piece is for a couple who recently moved to Chicago. I have them in front of Cloud Gate  (also know as “The Bean”) … it was hard to get a good photo of this one. I layered up different fabrics for the Bean and it’s so pretty in the sunlight. I also removed a heart before I sent it off, 4 is bad luck for the Chinese. Oops!

 

New work

Posted on Posted in Art, fabric3 Comments

Between illustration jobs and custom portraits I find it fun every once in a while to just play around and do something just for fun’s sake. Here are a couple of fabric pieces I just finished up.