Handbag commissioned by Cyndy

It has been quite busy in the studio lately!  I worked hard and long (and I mean really long!) to get a commission done. My friend, Cyndy Kempken, asked me to create a handbag for her with special pockets to meet her needs. The main challenges were using earthtones (not usually my thing) and working with upholstery fabric, rather than quilting weight cottons or silks. Cyndy also wanted me to do something “creative and arty” on the front. It was a tall order, but I finally finished it and delivered it to Cyndy yesterday.

Throughout the process, I shared the bag’s progress with Cyndy. I first did the pattern in some inexpensive cotton fabric. We made adjustments to it and then I started to create it in the final fabric. I found that I had difficulty with the fabric, but with the help of a walking foot, I was able to complete the bag. The front flap is decorated with a hand-painted cord I used to tie up a scarf I made. I knew I needed something to just dress up the bag a bit, and the colors in this cording were perfect for Cyndy’s bag. The strap, which you can’t see very well, is made from the strap of a handbag I purchased at Goodwill for $1! It was perfect, as Cyndy wanted an adjustable strap that would allow her more versatility. I couldn’t have created a more perfect strap if I tried!

Under the front flap of the handbag

Inside fo Cyndy's Bag

design is different than you’d expect. The flap does not go over the opening. Instead it goes over the front. On the flap, there is an iPhone pouch. You can barely see it, but it’s there on the front. Under the flap are two additional pockets. The top one is a zippered pocket for change. It has a gusset at the bottom to hold the weight and bulk of coins. Below that is an elasticized pocket for Cyndy’s keys. The fabric used for these pockets matches that of the interior of the bag.

And the inside has a different fabric with a magnetic snap closure. There are pockets meeting Cyndy’s specific needs. There is a pocket for her cosmetics, another for small jars (like liquid stevia), and finally, one for glasses.

I handed the bag to Cyndy yesterday. She was so excited to finally have it! As soon as I gave it to her, she put it on her shoulder and didn’t take it off! She was going to start using it immediately. I hope she loves it as much as she did yesterday!

More to come soon!

Now that the housekeeping is out of the way, I’d like to share some exciting news with you:

I’m so excited to let you all know that my fabric and fiber art have been accepted to be one of the 35+ artists represented in the Fountain Hills Artists’ Gallery in Fountain Hills, AZ. It’s the premier co-op gallery in the Valley area. It’s an honor to be among such fabulously talented artists in this co-op.

Art Quilt & Quilted Handbag Display at Fountain Hills Artists' Gallery

On June 1, 2011 new members were officially welcomed at an evening reception. I am one of only two fabric artists in the gallery, and the only one representing art quilts and quilted handbags. It was a lovely reception and a great way to meet the rest of the artists.

To the right, you will find a photo of my part of the wall. Below the area that you can see is my purse display. All artists in the gallery get to have a 3-dimensional area for non-wall art or other art, like prints, etc. Instead of a print rack (which most of the wall art artisans have), I purchased a retail purse display. The handbags hang on it, along with some of my pouches and cell phone purses.

Handbags, totes and pouches on handbag display at FHAG

In addition to the wall space, each artist has the opportunity to put some smaller, gift items in the gallery as well. In this “store” area, I have some small journals, original fabric collage greeting cards, smaller pouches, and art dolls.

As part of the gallery membership, I will be working there at least one day each month. When I go in this month, I’ll take some more photos of the gift areas and share some of the other artists’ art in the gallery. It’s really a lovely spot!

More blogging to come, I promise!

Pincushion Doll to #84, Ria Nirwana! Congratulations, Ria!

Arty doll to #111, Alice Stropel. Congratulations, Alice!

Ladies, please send me an email with your address so I can get these off to you!

Thanks to everyone for visiting. I hope you’ll visit again soon!

Once again, I am participating in the annual One World One Heart event. This is an international blog event that started back in 2007. It’s HUGE!

For some background on the event, I’m posting exactly what Lisa, the fabulous organizer of the event has to say:

WHAT IS ONE WORLD ONE HEART?

I created this event in 2007. The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way. 2007 had roughly 85-90 participants and many connections were made because of it……friendships that are still going strong.
We had a strong showing the first year for sure, and then in 2008 we had just about tripled that number. In 2009 there were 911 participants, to say I was amazed is an understatement. 28 countries were represented in the 2009 event as well.
This is more than wanting to win something…….that is only the means…….in the end it’s about finding kindred spirits. Someone who may be fairly new to blogging, not sure how to navigate, find others and have others find them….Some are long time bloggers and in some cases well known in the blogging community. Whatever the case it brings all of them together. This is an INTERNATIONAL event that has and had participants from the US, Canada, France, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Malaysia, Brazil, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, England,Wales, Slovenia and more. It transcends geographical location, socio economics, political affiliation, religious beliefs……it’s a coming together like the giant community we are on this planet. If only it took a simple giveaway to create PEACE everywhere, in the mean time here we give from our hearts. We are not solving the worlds problems nor are we curing anything nor are we changing the world. We are merely generating a closer community between humans through blogging. What more could I ask for, my little idea has surpassed my wildest dreams of what it could become.

WHAT IS FRAN GIVING AWAY THIS YEAR?

Now on to the good stuff: What am I going to give away this year? This year, there will be two gifts available. Both are art dolls I made.

Doll pin-cushion

The first: For an artists’ holiday exchange in 2008, I made these funky doll-pin cushions. They were well-received by the recipients and we all use ours all the time. So, when I was talking with my friend Angie about what I should give away, I remembered that I had one of the doll-pin-cushions that I hadn’t gifted to anyone! Well, that made my decision easy!

I’m giving away this lovely doll pin cushion. She is hand-made by me. The face is a face I painted myself and then scanned and printed onto fabric. I added the hair, beads, embroidery, and buttons by hand. She was truly a labor of love. I’ve enjoyed having her here in the studio, but she’s ready for a new home. Perhaps it will be your home!

Funky Doll

The second is another doll I made. Like the other, she is hand-made by me. I made a few of these and intended to sell them, but they remain here in the studio. So, this one is up for you to win! Like the funky doll pincushion, she is hand-made by me. The face is another face I painted and printed onto fabric. I also drew the main image in the center and printed it on fabric. Some people have told me it looks like a rubber stamped image, but it’s not! I drew this when Dave and I went on our first trip overseas. It’s the ironwork from our first hotel in Paris, France. After printing the image on fabric, I added color to the fabric. The additional fabric on this doll’s front is from Vintage Kimono Fabric. She is sewn my machine with some quilting, but the beading is all added by hand.  She, too, is ready for a new home!

THE FINE PRINT:

To enter the drawing, please post a comment on THIS POST on my blog (Facebook comments will not be accepted for entry). Your email is required, but will NOT be published! It will only come to me – I need a way to reach you if you win! I will accept comments until noon Eastern time on February 15, 2010. At that point, I will add up the comments and use a Random Number Generator to choose the winner. The winner will be posted by 5 pm Mountain Time on February 15, 2010.

For the past two years that I’ve participated, I’ve made several new friends online. We correspond regularly. I look forward to “meeting” you and to becoming a part of your world! I’ll be stopping by all the websites of those who stop by mine so we can all get to know each other! Take some time to look at the main OWOH site to participate and to meet some other bloggers who are participating.

Personal Symbols WIP

But I’ve been quietly stitching here in the studio. It’s always a good way for me to contemplate other things while I keep my creativity going. It’s been a very good thing for me this past week. It’s not done yet. I need to add more beads, but I needed to take a break from it.

I have a busy week planned. I spent a good part of today running errands. Tomorrow I have several appointments and then Dave is playing poker with friends, so it will be a nice quiet evening here at Casa Saperstein. Then on Wednesday, I’m speaking about the Baha at the Fountain Hills Hearing Loss Association (HLA). I hope to get some time in for drawing in-between appointments. It’s been a while since I’ve spent time alone with my sketchbook, but that’s OK, too! I’m hopeful that Thursday and Friday will be quieter and that I can focus on art for the majority of both days. Next week is my treatment (already!), so I think that some art time prior to that is just what I need!

L’Shana Tova to all my friends who celebrate Jewish New Year.

Bead Embroidery Collage from Susan Sorrell's class

I interrupted my painting progress for a bit. I’ve been taking an online class with Susan Sorrell on Personal Symbols. I have always been intrigued by her work and I’ve also always found embroidery a very relaxing and healing thing to do. So, when I saw about her class, I decided to take it. Six weeks, online. I can go at my own pace. This week, we created paper collages on Timtex and then embroidered over them, adding in buttons and beads. Some people added lace and other trims, as well. I’ve posted my version here. Enjoy!

Car and truck in front of us in our traffic jam on the Autostrade from Florence to Milan

Before we get to Milan itself, we have to talk about the drive from Florence. It was supposed to be three hours. But we got into a traffic jam. on the Autostrade on the way there. It took an hour for us to get through it. While we sat there, I did what I always do when we have time. I drew! I don’t often try to draw cars and trucks, since they’re so complicated and I have trouble getting the parts to fit together on paper, but I was really with this one!  I was, however, much happier when we started moving and heading to Milan.

First two levels of the Duomo, Milan, Italy

We got lost on our drive into Milan, but we finally found our hotel. We stayed at a very trendy hotel, Hotel Straf. The first thing we noticed was the crowd of people outside the hotel – on cusions and ottomans that were on the sidewalk and in the street that was closed off to traffic. I was concerned.

We were tired, we wanted a cozy hotel room where we could sleep and relax. We found this hotel as we find most of our hotels, through the Frommer’s guides. It was listed as a “find”. Well, it was, um, different. Very dark and sparse – in the lobby, the doors, the walls, the furniture were all black. If I hadn’t seen someone go in to the elevator, I would not have known it was there!

Corner of the Breakfast Room, Hotel Straf, Milan, Italy

When we got to our floor, there were no doorknobs. There were instructions on the key envelope describing how to open the doors. Not homey at all! We were tired and hungry. Luckily, there was room service, which we called as soon as our luggage arrived.

This was the art in our room at the Hotel Straf

The room’s decor was quite sparse, too. Concrete floors and walls, black furniture (if you want to call a slab of wood furniture), and a large painting in black and off-white.

The next morning, we went for breakfast downstairs in the hotel. There was, well, some interesting techno music playing very loudly. The room was sparse – incredibly sparse.

Milan's Duomo with its Gothic feel

The techno music was jarring. It was an interesting way to start off the morning, even if it’s not our choice of how to do so. We shall never forget Hotel Straf for its trendiness and sparse industrial feel.

Center door to Milan's Duomo

We walked around Milan, exploring. Near our hotel was the Duomo, another amazing structure. I, of course, had to draw it and did! We were across the Piazza Duomo at a cafe when I drew this. It was interesting to draw it from so far away, with so much detail I inevitably missed. But I got a feel for it. As we got closer, though, I realized just how much artistry went into this structure – sculptures, frescoes, niches… Every time I looked at it up close, I noticed something else I hadn’t before.

Piazza Del Duomo, Milan, Italy

There was, however, quite a bit of incongruity in this part of Milan. There, next to the Duomo was a huge screen. On the screen, advertisements flashed. It seemed so out of place and I didn’t quite know how to talk about it. So, instead, I took the photo to the left.

Modern Sculpture next to Duomo, Milan, Italy

And you may see below it and to the left in the corner there is a red statue. It is outside of one of the museums, there was a large red modern sculpture that interested me. As we got closer, I saw that it was not just a red sculpture; it was also interactive with very dark music and dark text all over it. As we got closer, I noticed that there were steps leading into the sculpture so you could walk through it. We didn’t spend a lot of time there, but its incongruity next to the Duomo was intriguing.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II Historic Centre

We walked around the shopping area near the Duomo and just did some window shopping. There was nothing we couldn’t live without, with the exception of a new artist’s journal from the Fabriano Boutique. Otherwise, we just enjoyed our one full day in the city by walking around. We had a flight the next morning out of Malpensa and needed to go back to the room to pack. We decided to grab dinner at a little restaurant a few blocks from the Duomo, where the menu looked good. The restaurant was the Royal Cafe, and the food was excellent! A great way to spend our last evening.

Street View from the Royal Cafe, Milan

You can see some photos of our trip that I’ve not highlighed in the past few posts by going to my flickr set. Thanks for joining us on our trip!

First, an update on the wrist. I’m weaning off of the wrist splint and doing some strengthening exercises. As I type this, I have no splint on. It makes typing MUCH easier! I am able to write better, draw again, and create. Cutting fabric is much easier without a splint in the middle of your hand!

Painted journal cover for Victoria

I did some sewing to keep myself sane during this whole thing. Nothing major. Just some fooling around with the machine. When we were in Boston in January, I spent some time with my friend’s daughter, Victoria. I showed Victoria, a budding young artist, my sketchbook. She was excited to learn about how I used it and so I offered to get one together for her. One of the projects I worked on was a journal cover for Victoria. I decided that since she’s still only 7, it might be nice for her to have a cover that can be used over again and the journal itself can be replaced. I found a 5″ x 7″ 140# Cold Press watercolor journal, and I made  a cover for it out of fabric that I had painted. With the wrist problems, it took a long time and I finally completed the journal cover yesterday! I’m happy with the results and will put it in the mail tomorrow. I hope Victoria likes it!

In the midst of the wrist issue, I had some other health issues. I’ve talked before about my chronic illness on this blog, but rarely about things that are not related to that. Well, these issues are not related to my chronic illness, but to just being a woman in my 40s. Women’s stuff. Basically, I am having a hysterectomy on March 18th. This is a decision I am completely comfortable with. For over a year, we have tried to manage my symptoms with medications and this is no longer working. It is time for a more permanent solution. Adding to this decision is that I am also part of a family that has a history of ovarian cancer, so while the surgeon is in there, I’m going to have her remove my ovaries. Better safe than sorry. The surgery is scheduled to be laparoscopic, assuming all looks good when the doctor gets in there. We’re hopeful that it will be an easy surgery.

Six weeks after the surgery, I expect to be “released” from my restrictions. A few days later, we are actually heading out to Europe. Dave has been asked to speak in Venice, Italy at a conference. Last year, wen we were in France for another conference, we talked about our wishes to go to Italy this year. Well, life is pretty amazing. and it’s like the Universe heard our wish and it was granted! We are going for two weeks, and, because it is so soon after my surgery, we’re planning a relaxing trip. We’re just going to focus on Norther Italy – Lake Como area, Venice, Florence, and Milan. We do expect to go back at some point in the next few years, so we’re saving Rome and Tuscany for that time. I know myself well enough to know that I would push myself in Rome. Florence will already be pushing it, since it is toward the end of our trip, but I won’t miss seeing the David statue and the Duomo.

So, since my surgery is a week away, I’ve been preparing for the trip. Dave and I spent time booking hotels, renting a car, scheduling flights, ordering my allergy translation card, updating our passports… All the things you need to do before a trip. Our itinerary is set, but leaves us some room for day trips and such. Now, I just need to learn some Italian phrases so I can get around, order food, and ask for a bathroom!

So there you have it, my update. I hope to have some drawings or other art to share with you soon.

Desert Sunset Landscape Quilt: Completed?

Yesterday, while I watched MSNBC and listened to the 9/11 memorials, I needed some sort of creative distraction to balance out some of the horrors that were being relived on my television. I didn’t want to hide from it, I just wanted to be present, but not without a way to work through it. I’m not sure that makes sense to everyone, but for me, my art has always been a sort of therapy – a way to work through tough things – and on a day as filled with emotion as 9/11, I felt a need to keep my hands moving on something beautiful.

I am also still recovering from my treatment, so I needed something that was grounding for that. Enter hand sewing my landscape quilt and then adding embroidery. Yesterday, after I’d embellished with all the embroidery I felt the quilt could handle, I knew it needed something else. So, I raided my supply of beads and I added them between yesterday and today, finishing up this morning. (Click on the image for a larger view, where you can sort-of see the beading.) I’m happy with it, but I’m going to let it sit on my design board for a day or so until I can be sure it’s done. At that point, I’ll consider adding a border and then adding the backing.

In the meantime, I’m going to relax and get through the continued fatigue and nausea from the treatment. I am really ready for it to go away now…

Desert Sunset Quilt in progress

I realized that I haven’t been updating much other than with the CreativeTherapy catalyst responses. But I’ve been doing so much more.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been doing lots of journaling and collage “just because”. I often do this just because I have a lot on my mind that I just need to put down and work through. Don’t you do the same? Teesha Moore’s method of journaling, for me, is a very healing and intuitive process. When I was younger, my journaling was a good escape from, well, growing up! I used mostly free association writing and did no art as part of the journaling. Now I use collage along with the free association writing to work through things. I’m feeling much more centered from the quiet week of introspection and, well, right now it’s not really something I want to share.

Desert Landscape

I am, however, happy to share two projects I’ve been working on.

I’m getting ready for my treatment tomorrow and I will be going to the infusion center for it. So, with five hours of treatment ahead of me, I needed a project to work on. Yesterday, I attacked my fat quarters and pinned together two landscape quilts to work on, shown here. I used the method that Jane LaFazio taught at Art Unraveled. It’s a really neat process to watch the quilts come together.

I’ll update more as they develop. I hope your week is off to a great start!