i hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that calm has set in after all the shopping, cooking, baking, hiding and finding the gifts you bought/made,

that wrappings and dishes have been cleared and that Santa left something you have been wishing for under your tree.

i wish you a  healthy and creative new year 2011.

i just got used to writing 2010, barely.

cooking up a batch of cranberry sauce

Happy Thanksgiving !

 this is  how i make cranberry sauce. it  is good any time of year if you find a bag of frozen berries in your fridge.  and you can change the flavors depending what is on hand.

 water to cover and sugar to taste, or follow the instruction on the back of the bag. i add grated ginger, honey or maple syrup, lemon zest, cinnamon, chopped apple or pear ,chopped up orange  in small chunks that include flesh and skin, halfed grapes, shopped up dried fruit bts, and a splash of Merlot.

 cook until the berries start to pop. cool .add nuts if you like a crunch and texture. this is  an adult sauce and my nieces preferred the canned sauce when they were young.

                                              yummo! i love this color .

Happy Thanksgiving to all !

pumpkin carols anyone?

October is almost gone and i am still having pumpkin dreams.

i love these colors and i have a challenge to finish with 3 other artist ladies , postcards of thankfulness and i am still in the  painting stage. they will not dry.... it is raining here so things will not dry. i blew out the hair dryer that was on its last leg and now in the trash  so i am  re-learning patience, again.

 even my feet stick to the hardwood floor with this much humidity in the air.

"frost is on the pumpkin,

 salt is in the air,

pumpkin headed angels 

are flying throught the air"

this little ditty came to me a decade ago while making some folk-arty figures for my Christmas Tree and i feel naked with out one around the studio the rest of the year. i painted a pumpkin on its gown and wrote out the words as well. this little dude tells a  tale of signs of winter? winter in Hawaii  as the waves build and send salt molecules into the air . he has quilted wings to lift him above the salty brine which swirls up seveal hundred feet and covers your windows and everything else .

have a great pumpkin day however you do it and God bless Charlie Brown.

baby quilt time

Oh Baby!

this is the baby quilt i made for my niece's' first girl a few years ago.

a lot of stars in vintage reproduction fabrics and girly colors are used  in here.
 Baby girl quilts are fun  to make and this ones echos the colors of the
Christmas Cactus we call Isabel as it was a cutting from my mother in laws plant on her front step years ago , that coral pink that i love with green.

hanging over the rail letting the low light of a winter sunset
 to back light up the quilt , it is a warm and cuddly sight and a delight to have made. what usually happens is that i grossly under estimate the time it takes from idea to a finished quilt, to fold and
hand over  the quilt to the  new baby's family.
 this one finished out about 35" square . 

and i have no idea how long it took..... 

but i really i love how it turned out!

So i  was most  happy to get a request this summer to make

this one below.

 a BOY baby quilt.

this little guy is made up  in the vintages reproduction fabrics reflecting the 1930's feed sack prints . i like the small conversational  type prints and tossed in a favorite of mine, a banana yellow and blue denim like  fabric i find  very appealing, pun intended. i made nine patch units and snowball units to get the overall look. the vines that surround the blocks are hand painted and i seem to use this framing method from time to time on quilts of various sizes as i can't go too long with picking up a paint brush or so it seems.

the quilt  is not done until the label is attached and dated and i always paint and customize my labels. and i seem to get my toes in some  photos as i go about barefooted most of the time.

 i sent it off  yesterday in a pillow case  made of blue plaid fabric echoing the colors of the quilt. all it needs now is a ribbon to tie it  closed.

Baby shower in 10 days so  i am so glad i made it close to the deadline which is always harder for me than making  of the quilt as i always  take way  more time than i think. that is why it is almost an impossible question for me  to answer when someone asks...how long did that take to make?
   

                                                               "  until now "

                                                                               

                                     

ps.... the quilt has reached the person that ordered it last summer at Hale'iwa Arts Festival
and here is the music to my ears that little quilt has caused...     

" Hi Sonja. The quilt arrived and it is beautiful. I am so excited to give such a special gift. It is incredible - and I see the TLC that was put into it. Thank you so very much. I knew the quilt would be great - but it is above and beyond "great".

Many many thanks. RW"

i am grateful my hands and eyes work well together

Now that makes my day!

                                         

shower trees and QH painters

Autumn has  officially arrived on the calendar in the land of somewhat endless summer  with  some of shower trees in bloom .

Here is a 

part of my class from Quilt Hawaii  last Summer 

 with some of the class painting and some at show and tell. i always loose a few  to photo sessions at the end who are camera shy

 so if you are missing  that might be why.

thank you all again for showing up and painting with me the colors of the islands, you are all amazing women and made a  most wonderful day for me ! 

i will ad more  pictures and copy later .

what i did this summer so far

                                

Here they are below, the  very latest painters of fabrics and flowers and ferns and yardage- all together on a glorious summer day  and they came  my way via quilt shows and art festivals ! we had a great time discovering that we all have a colorful and playful side and agreed this was a good time to let it  loose.  I provided the paints and atmosphere of playfulness along with odd and common materials and tools i use  most everyday when  i  paint.

Taking the time to do so is the hardest part according to my vast research  .

                                

Here some of their pieces are drying pinned to a cork board

and  belo , taking a Kodak moment in front of  their wonderful and newly made art fabrics are

   Sharon, Elaine, Carolyn, and Barbara,my newest painter in the pacific!

 .

                                 

                                                     and then in the afternoon,

 we took to the  shaded lawn with dampened  fabric spread out  and weighted  down on the  corners with small rocks and pinned to the grass with clothespins....  we painted some more this time with more than brushes.  as  the paint came squirting out of ketchup or is it cat sup ? containers thinned with water, (the paint not the condiment),  we make color appear on cloth with our hands and the whole body , bending over to fold  and smush the cloth  around, moving the paint  about and making a point that  i feel is for my self at least mostly  true, that we don't just paint with our hands or arm  or the brush in our hand  but with  the whole body, our whole self . that is most likely why i can't paint sitting down .

And that's another reason why i love the Hokey Pokey ...

'cause i can put my whole self in !!

after our  one yard pieces dried enough, i invite them to  pick one they could part with and rip them up into fat quarters and  we exchanged  with each other  our colorful fabrics.

and so went yet another  beautiful summer day 

 of art play

in the shade of a friendly tree  .

Hale'iwa Art Festival, 2010. the  short report

 i have only have one photo of the Haleiwa Arts Festival this year so far  as i forgot my camera  the first day and was so busy the second i did not take photos. i found one on creative grammie site that she took.  It looks like i am in the process of releasing  one of my gardening/guardian angels 

into the world .

  One  of the interesting  things that  did happened that weekend was that the staff of the Festival did a booth contest thing and out of 120 booths i landed in the top 10 i was told  by Saturday late afternoon. best designed booth was the criteria or decorated and i maintain all of my stuff and fabrics arts  are for sale with the exception of  some props, like the vintage Featherweight,  and containers and display things. Well, i must say i did sleep well  and didn't  think too much of it as i usually bring all this stuff to shows , much to my DH dismay . I brought a set of chairs to sit or wait in as in "husband waiting chair"... and a table and a vintage table covering and I use vintage bark cloth and chenille spreads on my display tables because i like them .I  put arrangements of flowers on  the 3 corner posts of the tent.  Did i mention this was outside ? and windy? we call them Trade Winds and they do cool things off. In my case i  also bring a box of small rocks and clothespins to somewhat anchor things down.

Sunday  morning i get the word that i was a top  contender tho  i had not won the contest even tho i had several folks that were cheering and debating for me to be the one who would have a large blue ribbon  pinned to their booth, blowing in the brisky winds. oh well, it would have been nice to have next years booth paid in advance but i was happy enough  to be in the running  doing what it is i do with fabrics anyway. Thank you creative grammie for taking  the photo below .

thanks to the HAF staffers that  boosted my spirits !

AND what a BIG surprise i had when Kathy Lukens and Jill flew in from the Big Island and brought me lunch!

you guys rock!!

i had a great weekend !

be well,Sonja

Summertime, Summmertime!!

 i am putting my feet up for a bit ,hanging out in my hammock with a stack of uncorked books, and taking a much needed  break from all this fabric and quilting and painting and chocolate consuming with new and old friends and summer fun.

July has been one heck of a wild ride for me including my birthday and i loved every minute of it .

Quilt Hawaii  on big Island was so very great.

the Hale'iwa Arts Festival a total blast

and my painting class of yesterday ...amazing good fun.

have a great weekend and rest o' the summer.

 if you have any pictures that you took during these fun events and July surely  was chocked full of them from where i stand, i would really  love to see them . email to me as i gather myself back together to compose .

sonjasew@hawaii.rr.com

Sonja

HI HO Come to the Fair!

the 13Th annual Hale'iwa Arts Festival

July 17 and 18Th will held at Hale'iwa Beach Park

just off  bypass road Kahuku side

I love this fair so much i still have all  of  my 11 name tags and memories.

come experience  amazing variety of music, food, kids art,community service info, and the visual art, oh the art !

 we are located  near first aid and water booths up front  #112 !

 

all in atropical setting with Ka'ena point view and  the trade winds blowing.
we hope for the trades!
AND if you come early you might hear the bagpipes!

for more info check out HAFs site:

http://www.HaleiwaArtsFestival.org/

Last painting before QH show...

i have not posted in weeks as i am preparing for Quilt Hawaii,
next week
 and Haleiwa Arts Festival mid July.  

my , how the time flies when making art and art fabric .
one thing leads to another and  then you feel like the "Family Circus", an old  comic strip  with foot prints all over the place.

and yesterday was the Summer Solstice , longest day of the year

  AND  then the sun sets and you still have more ideas than energy....oh, well.

 here are a few  of my fabric  samples  not dry yet  that  i am working on to finish up a few projects.

watching paint dry........

these might go on to become yummy fat quarters.......

or get put into colorful projects...

i heard today that there are still a few openings in the Heliconia painting class , #303 it's Friday July 2 .
so if you are  on the Big Island near Waikoloa, stop by and check us out!

i always bring some extra supplies for the last minute sign ups .
have brush  will travel!

http://www.quiltventures.com/

be well ,
 Sonja

sonjasew16@gmail,com

My painting ladies at Quilt Hawaii 2008

Why do these  ladies  look  so happy?

well for starters, they are in shady patio on the big Island of Hawaii .

 and  they are painting fabrics

and as some of our fabric are almost  dry ,

 some of us have started to dance  because that is  what the light hearted feeling of making art does this  to some of us...myself included!

(or i might break into song , usually a rock and roll line that strikes a cord.. )

here are some of my "painters of the pacific"  in action.

 (a few went out for ice coffee or something so i didn't get  your mug shot)

Meg!

 in a  balmy , comfortable atmosphere with encouragement, paint, and new and renewed friends , a day like no other is created  that is full of  laughter and color.  these faces are in the art journal of my heart as i love to paint and i love to share my paintbrushes with folks like these. i bring the paints  too and serve  them up with a spoon to your palette.what is you favorite color....today?

we are getting  our next class together on  Friday July 2 , 2010

#303 ,  Heliconia flowers  and fabric painting

at the Waikoloa Beach Marriot Resort  and Spa

on the the big Island Hawaii.

i hope you can join us ! Aloha, Sonja

 for information   and registration  go look at :

 http://www.quiltventures.com/  update:
Sorry to say they QV do not come to Hawaii any longer.
This  venue lasted until 2013 making 20 years of quilt show history.
I showed and taught with QH from 1999 to 2010.
What a fun decade!
Aloha and Mahalo Faye and Ellen for your venture in the Pacific!

We  ALL had a great time,
 a great decade for me to paint and share !!
Aloha nui loa, Sonja

seacups

"seacups up held by seaweed "

was the working title for a postcard exchange i recently completed in one of my  online trading groups that goes by the name of Fiber Art Traders . the theme was bras and the format was to be a postcard . that is my favorite size to work in when short attention span is me. i let that simmer in the part of my self that makes stuff up . out of paint and fabric, mostly . i don't know exactly where that is but if left to stew something ususally surfaces. after painting and quilting and  bead sewing and sparkle adding , i sent this  off to Tasmania  to my  assigned trading partner . i sent it without  a cover or envelope so i was glad to hear it arrived in about 10 days or so. we all added a little pink ribbon to our cards as well.

good bye peewee

his name was peewee .he was with us 19 people years. he was found by my husband at a job site  just days old .

when his eyes opened and he was cleaned up he stole our hearts.

about ten years ago i got a pair of litter mates  because i though it would be different to have regular cats raised and socialized by their own kind. peewee didn't agree and disappeared for months . turns out he was just next door and he didn't like kittens and returned  when they were months older.

when we moved he held out three weeks in the surrounding woods before returning to the fold. he clearly had ideas and standards.

 he liked NPR radio, tuna , and sunset walks with us and the other cats.

 he had been declining in health the in last year, rarely leaving the deck.

he was last seen walking down a grassy slope 3 mornings ago .

                             "he who must be obeyed" will be missed.

coke break

i belong to a several  online trading arts groups for fabric and mixed media. these folks are from all over the USA and  some are international as well.

 the horse card above was  the one  i made for the art4mail group .  what a joy it is to get something in the mail made by someone by hand with an idea they are reaching to communicate  into a composition  4" by 6" in size .  i joined in on a "western roundup" theme exchange  last year  because i am a horse lover since forever. 

armed with a idea and an old photograph , i  set to work  to fill in what  that theme or idea  might look like to me . this will change as i go along , adding this, subtracting that and  this evolves  if i am lucky  into art to mail, or frame or keep. sometime it doesn't work and i start again. or scrap the whole deal and start over.

 a memory of my horse  Rojo Diablo, some  photocopies , some thread,  a few beads,  and  a few hours later i had my cards ready. i like to make one for myself as well . the old photo was taken after a 4Th of July parade in a small California town by my mom. horses like soda and sweets and i had to be careful not to bump his teeth as he finished  the last of the coke. 

sometimes  people will  ask "where do you get your ideas from?" i often answer , where do i start?  

Happy Easter

 A Happy Easter to all!

like the onion-domed iris

i am awakening  and opening to the  spring.

sending peaches a postcard

Just last Thursday someone  asked me about Peaches  my pet rooster. i said he is  fine. now i have not seen him since that morning and still he is missing.  wild dogs? poacher? old age?  last year for an art exchange  with the theme " for the birds"  i drew and painted and quilted and beaded  a postcard depicting his handsome likeness. it is so odd not to have him walking along side me at feeding time  and muttering his chicken speak . five years and some is time to get to know a pet.