swan-artegan

Maudlin In Mauve

2007-06-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

Jayden looks very serious in this pic, however she was happy to keep warm in this mauve, hooded sweater which has been trimmed in white eyelash by a very dear friend of mine, Colleen. And for extra warmth on that chilly day I put a mauve poncho over top made on the "Nifty Knitter" by her great-auntie, Brenda.

In The Pink Baby

2007-06-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist showing my grandbaby, Jayden in the pink hat and cowl scarf I made for her on the "Nifty Knitter". She didn't really want to sit still for this pic, what with squirming around and taking the hat off the instant I got it on her, but somehow I managed to snap one in a hurry.

Stitch'n & Gut-bustin' Laughs!

2006-10-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

These "ponshawls" were mostly crafted while having gut-bustin' laughs with my "Stitch'n Bitch" girls. We have quite a talented crew which includes quilters, embroiderers, a jewellery artist, knitters, crocheters, painters, fabric artists, a scrapbooker, etc. We also teach each other new things and give each other new ideas on crafts, decorating, life- you name it! Oh yeah, and the host for the day always serves a homemade dessert. Yum!

My Grandma Vera's 100th Birthday!

2006-08-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

My niece, "samlamb" has posted a pic of 5 generations of beautiful women in our family on her blog site. The pic is from Grandma Vera's 100th birthday party. Grandma Vera, who is now Great-great Grandma, was born in 1906 and has been a great source of strength and storytelling for as long as I can remember. Her life growing up wasn't an easy one as most 100 year young folk will tell you. She lost her mother when she was 3 years old and was brought from Saskatchewan to Tyrone, Ont. with her siblings shortly thereafter. Grandma, who was very tiny in stature was placed with an aunt and uncle on their farm and pretty much grew up doing all kinds of heavy, slugging farm work until Grandpa Charlie rescued her with horse and buggy when she was 16 years old and off they went to get hitched. Grandma bore 6 children and has lost Grandpa and 2 of her daughters over the years. I couldn't even begin to tell you some of the interesting stories Grandma has told me since I was a kid. They had so little but their lives were so rich. Grandma you're the greatest!

Green'n Funky

2006-07-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

This ponshawl was a little more complicated to make in that I wanted it to have different levels at the bottom. I was happy with the end result and really love that shade of green. The neck is unusual as it has a bit of a roll on one side. Hmmm,should I add glass beads to it or not? I have some fabulous glass beads in varying shades of green. Decisions, decisions.

Ponshawls With A Bit O' Fun

2006-07-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

This first ponshawl has teal blue and purple throughout and has been trimmed with sparkly, teal blue fun fur. The brown ponshawl is in deep autumn browns, trimmed with rich sienna brown. Love my loom!

Latest "Ponshawl"

2006-04-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

I've turned into a poncho making fiend. My daughter asked if I would make one for her (there's a possibility she was just being nice) and she was wearing it in a weeks time. I've decided to call my creations "ponshawls" because I've got some new ideas for more which will be a cross between the two. I'm really hooked for the time being.

Armchair Embroidering

2006-03-21T21:00:00.000-08:00

While visiting my sis recently, she pulled out a little item she had found amongst her mother-in-law's belongings after she had passed away. This item was handmade and turned out to be a handy little cloth pouch of sorts to hang over the arm of your chair to hold your sewing or embroidering tools. I decided to make one for myself and have found it to be very useful.

Love These Outfits!

2006-03-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

Just showing off my granddaughter, Jayden again. I love the outfits you can find for babies now! When my two kids were tiny the clothing seemed so conservative. Finally, when they were five and six years old I found some florescent colored summer tops and clam-diggers. They looked great and it was easy to spot them in a crowd!

Cozy & Fun To Make On The Loom

2006-03-02T16:47:00.000-08:00

This blue, slightly mohaired ponshawl came together before I knew it! It has a bit of maize coloring through it and goes great with blue-jeans. The red ponshawl is a shorter style and is in autumn gem tones with a hint of sparkle. They are truly very warm. Maybe I'll try a different style this time- more fitted or something, or maybe a shawl, or a vest..........

Keeping Jayden Warm

2006-02-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

It was inevitable that my one and only grandaughter, Jayden, would find her way to my blog site. She's four months old already so I think I've shown great restraint. This was a fun quilt project I worked on while she was still in her mother's womb. Monica, Jayden's mom, wanted the set to match a rug she'd been saving, so we had our design. She needed to keep busy while on maternity leave so she stitched the flowers on the pillows and designed the black one and it all came together nicely. After those few cold, winter nights, wondering if Jayden was warm enough,it seemed like a good idea to crochet an afghan for her too. Yes, I know, I worry too much.

Dazzled With Fabrics!

2006-02-12T21:09:00.000-08:00

When my sister, Sandra introduced me to the world of fabrics, I was dazzled beyond repair. I had been so involved in different types of painting for so many years that fabric only seemed a dim memory of simple dresses made from patterns for the working world. Sandra had made a number of quilts by then and, lo and behold, I began to take notice! She had such a wonderful sense of putting patterns and colours together it struck me that I just might be able to make pictures with fabrics. We went to Napanee to visit an old friend and neighbour of Sandra's whom just happens to be a professional quilter and embroiderer. Linda spent the weekend teaching us the basics of making a fabric wall-hanging and showing many of her fantastic works of art. The project I chose was quite a simplistic picture for Christmas, and I get a warm, happy feeling every time I look at it. Sitting by Linda's wood stove, hand stitching and gabbing while her rotweiller, Zoey layed on her back with her legs in the air will always be one of my fondest memories.

Beginnings

2006-02-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

Ever since I could grasp a pencil in my hand, sketching has been a beautiful, cathartic pastime for me. I remember having my younger sister, Brenda stand out front of our childhood home as my model. Come to think of it, she was really patient about it considering she was only 3 years old at the time which would put me at 5 years of age. Over the many years since then I've been soooooooooo fortunate to have been able to delve into other mediums by taking an abundance of different art courses and classes. I still haven't decided what I love best. Lately I haven't been able to decide whether to paint or make pictures with fabric. My sister, Sandra introduced me to the beauty of fabrics and I thought I'd lose my mind over the amazing array of patterns and colours. Doesn't it seem like the more you learn, the more you know you need to learn? I just can't get enough of it all! Anyway, here's a sketch I did while at a dear friends cottage two summers ago on Stoney Lake. Chris has been so kind as to invite our girls group there for four days every August. I was in need of a time-out, and sitting on a rock sketching Chris' cottage was just the medicine.

Savouring This Work In Progress

2006-01-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

This fabric picture began as a centrepiece for a quilt. However, I enjoy working on it so much that I frequently do other projects to savour the making of it longer. Since Christmas is my favourite time of year I wanted something a little reminiscent of the season all year round. See what I mean about fabrics? It's so much fun picking out colours and patterns to create whatever effect you want. I'm doing all the stitching by hand on the actual picture but will machine sew framing around it in burgundy reds, bronzes and creams until it becomes a queen-sized quilt. Until then, I'm going to continue hand stitching the sparkly white snow-flakes (they don't show up in the picture) sporadically until there's more than enough.