FYI: august classes start soon.....

the second set of summer's 4 week classes begin the week of august 8.....check out the classes available here! there is a board in the hallway with a list of classes if you are in the studio.

Learning to See

Rummaging through designs, fabrics, sketches, websites, etc. trying to decide what to post today, I looked up after pulling out an amazing memo sample from China Seas* and saw this red maple tree, a little bit worse for wear perhaps due to the unusually lingering hot spell it's seen this past month. The breeze was blowing, just a wee bit, enough to make the hazy sun light dance on the leaves, showing off the depth of color and texture of them. My eyes then noticed a similar dance on the beautifully leaved trees across the street, exposing the yellows and greens, bright and shaded. Can't you just hear the sound the sway of the branches make?

All this reminded me of an event here on the street about a year or so back. One day, I noticed a couple of people affixing money, one dollar bills, to a tree in front. This went on for about an hour and every so often I'd go to the front window to check out if anything else was going on. After it looked like they were finished, and no one was out there any longer, I left the studio under the guise of going to get some lunch at the Jewel up the block. As I walked close by to the tree, I took a good look at the money flapping off the leaves, then proceeded on my way. Returning to the studio, I went up to the tree, and took a few dollar bills off. On the back of each was a website that I misread to be for a Mission, stuffed the money in my pocket for a later give away.

So, about a month later, a friend of my nephew sees this Youtube video and forwards it on to me. The folks who did this were video taping the response to the tree, made a video about it and posted their findings. What they discovered, not so surprising to me, was not that people weren't taking the money, though many did, but that most people didn't even notice the tree, even though they were bending down out of the way of the low lying branches where most of the dollar bills were!

This day is so full of wonder, excitement and beauty at every turn. Too much time is spent in our own orb, that we don't see that the ordinary is anything but. Learning to take the time to be aware and see what is going on around us at this moment is one of the most inspiring and breathtaking things I can think of.

*www.quadrillefabrics.com

www.youtube.com The Money Tree

eak

Limited open studio hours this Saturday, July 30th

Please note that this Saturday, July 30th, open studio will only be from 1-4pm with James. We apologize for any inconvenience.

-Lillstreet Textiles

The Working Sketchbook

I decided to write about the working sketchbook because a lot of people think of a sketchbook as this pristine, beautiful, well laid out art journal. The fact is keeping a sketchbook, a working sketchbook, is about keeping a mostly visual notebook. A place to keep rough sketches, notes, plans, color chips, dyed swatches, photos, collages, inspirational quotes, and even the occasional grocery or to do list (after all you will want to keep your sketchbook with you at all times to catch those fleeting thoughts and inspirations...and, well, paper is paper when you need to make a list...lol). A working sketchbook is supposed to be messy. It is supposed to be rough. By all means, feel free to keep an art journal too. You can further develop your ideas in the art journal. But, the working sketchbook is your place to jot things down as they come up so you don't forget. If you are interested in checking out a book that talks about textile artist's keeping sketchbooks take a look at "Creating Sketchbooks for Embroiderers and Textile Artists" by Kay Greenlees here. It took me a long time to realize that it was okay for me to keep a sketchbook even though I don't draw all that well. Now I can't do without it. The important thing is to not be intimidated by the word sketchbook. They are not only for those who draw well. Below is a picture of a sketch from one of my past working sketchbooks and one of the textile I created from it (notice that the sketches are really rough...and that was all I needed to work). Above is a picture of a digital collage made of photos I kept in one of my sketchbooks.

videos

i was just nosing aroud youtube and came across these two interesting clips. the first is a block printing demo from india. i had no idea the block is struck by hand. and the pattern is totally created by eye.



this next clip shows what to do if your screen is too big for you to print alone....print in tandem!!!!

Textiles At Home

While doing some online research today, I was sidetracked by some beautiful images of printed textiles used in various homes, as part of an online house tour at MarthaStewart.com. From printed wallpaper, to curtains, quilts, blankets, and rugs - used in their traditional functional roles, or purely as decoration hung on the wall, these images are inspiration for getting into the studio and for learning new skills! One of the 1st reasons I was so drawn to working with textiles is the significant role they play in everyday life, and the difference that attention to those roles can make in the quality of living . . .

I've posted a few images here, but I recommend looking at all of them on the original website with an eye for the various uses of textiles.



Bedroom in Manhattan loft.


A wall hanging of handmade botanical wallpaper by Joan Nelson echoes the theme of the living room rug.

A colorful Dutch woolen blanket hangs above a bed designed for the master bedroom.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: MSL EDITOR SPACES

Want To Buy A New Sewing Machine?

Many of my students ask me what I recommend when buying a sewing machine. There are different things that I recommend when you are buying your first sewing machine: 



1. Try different sewing machines. If you go to Hancock, Joann Fabrics or a sewing machine stores like Singer Factory Distributor you will have the opportunity to try different sewing machines and compare them. You will notice which one feels the best to you based on noise and comfort level. Some are very user friendly and are easy to pick out after giving them all a try. All of these little details will help you in making a decision. In addition to feel, compare prices and brands. Ask questions, talk with the customer service people in the store. These are generally knowledgeable and will try to point you in the right direction. Getting to know the staff will also help you decide if you want to do business with their company. If you have to take your sewing machine back to be repaired you want to deal with a knowledgeable and friendly staff. Some place with good reviews are: Reasonable Sewing Machines and Complete Sewing Machine. Check Yelp.com for more review

2. Do research online. Search Google for the top 10 sewing machines or best rated sewing machines. There will be some that you have tried at the store, so this time check the reviews and compare prices. There will be a Brother CS-6000i Sew Advance Computerized Sewing Machine. I have worked with this one and it is nice. One of my students said that it was cheaper at Walmart. So you may want to check their website as well. If you are not going to work 8 or more hours per day on the sewing machine, this is a good option because is affordable, and it is easy and friendly to use. However, Singer is a good option because it is easy to find Singer parts, bobbins and technical support. I also have to say that we use the Confidence 7463 at Lillstreet and they seem very strong. If you are student at Lillstreet and have worked with this model, it is a good option because you already know how to use it! I find also 4 stars on the SINGER 4423 Heavy Duty Model Sewing Machine (It says heavy duty but remember that if you want to sew jeans use a jeans sewing machine needle and jean foot. If you are going to sew leather use a sewing machine leather needle and leather foot or put mashing tape on the foot presser so it is easy for the fabric to run). I haven’t try it but if your budget is very short this is one of the cheapest sewing machines with good reviews, check it on Amazon for reviews. Remember, these are only suggestions; the best sewing machine for you is the one that you try and feel the most comfortable with..

3. In my opinion, the best brands are: Janome, Elna, Bernina and Juki. They are a little pricy, but they contain more metal parts than plastic. However, I believe that you shouldn't have to invest $500 in a sewing machine if you can buy one for 200 or 250. We all love to sew, but unless you are going to be working 8 hours a day, a model that cost 250.00 will do just fine. (If you do work 8 or more hours, check out industrial sewing machines)

4. There are two types of sewing machines, one is a front loading machine with a bobbin case and the other is top load sewing machine without a bobbin case (this is the one that has a cover plate). I my opinion the second option (Top loading without a bobbin case ) is best for beginners. It is also quiet, so if you need to work at night you wont wake everyone up. However, I have friends that have told me that this option doesn’t minting good tension. So just try them first to be sure.




5. If you buy online, check the warranty, the shipping price and if they cover shipping in the case that the machine needs reparations.

6. The difference in buying at a local sewing machine store is that they offer classes on how to use your sewing machine and if something happens you can take your sewing machine directly to them for repairs.

7. Some sewing machines have too many functions. They are computers with sewing machines. In these sewing machines you can upload a picture using a memory card and the sewing machine it will sew over the fabric of your choice. (off course, it is bit a more complex than what I just described). I am going to be honest if you are learning to use a sewing machine and you are interested in sewing projects that don’t require embroidery and a large amount of decorative stitches then a standard sewing machine will work fine. The stitches that are you going to use the most are: strait and zigzag stitches (blindhem stitch probably). This doesn’t mean that you wont use the other stitches because some of them are very useful for stretchy fabric and specific projects. However, Most of the other stitches are for decoration.

For more suggestion visit:

http://sewing.about.com/od/sewingmachineindex/bb/buymachine.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_8908_buy-sewing-machine.html

Thinking about color

I really enjoy seeing how gray can be used in design.
I think it's interesting how it can change the feel of a color palette.
Here are some examples of interesting color schemes and patterns that I've been enjoying lately.
You can check out more from these artists in the links below.
-kate









http://paperbicyclecreative.blogspot.com

http://www.surfacephilia.co.uk/index.php?/pattern/flickr-test/

Summer Session Open Studio Starts Tomorrow!

Introductions

Hi everyone! I've been contributing to the Lillstreet blog for the past few months and realized I've never properly introduced myself. Now is a good time to shamelessly promote myself and also show you around my crazy world.

I've been taking classes at Lillstreet since the Spring of 2008, mainly in the Textiles print studio. Since then I've become a monitor in the department and also fallen in love with the whole process and world of printing, designing and dying fabric. The community feel, great classes and passionate artists and instructors at Lillstreet have brought me back year after year. Not to mention the turkey chilli and poached pear goat cheese sandwiches at First Slice.

In my other world, I recently became a freelance graphic designer after working in the corporate world for about 8 years. Feel free to check out some of my work on my web site, meramistry.com. I also finally opened up my own etsy shop called INDRIYA and did a couple of craft shows in the past year. It's fun but a ton of work. Currently, I'm working on an awesome textile design collaboration for furniture with Elizabeth Kumor, repeats instructor and interior designer (take her class if you haven't already). A lot of you may have seen us on top of the tables, trying to get that perfect print. 

Blurry photo of me and my booth at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair in Dec. 2010. 

My first craft show!

Pencil case screen printed and dyed with my collage art pattern. 

Sewn by Fiberista Nora Renick-Rhinehart.

  Flour sack towel hand dyed and printed at Lillstreet!

Besides that, my other half, Paul and our two cats, Big Boy and Little Mamma, enjoy quiet nights on the sofa watching Dexter or Madmen. I love the summertime because I get to use the heck out of my grill. I'll post some pictures of my tasty creations soon. In general I'm an obsessive iphone photo taker. I see so many random inspiring things throughout my day that I just have to capture them in a photo.

I think that about sums it up. Nice to meet you:)

Little Mamma (left) and Big Boy (right)

Lillstreet Drop Cloths @ The Homemade Bread Showcase

 

Visit the Andersonville neighborhood tomorrow, July 13th from 6:30-7:30pm (information above), and check out Lillstreet's lovely collaborative drop cloths from the Textile Department's print room.  The drop cloths will be on display alongside tasty homemade bread from our neighbors up the street!

For more info visit : http://www.meetup.com/Chicago-Amateur-Bread-Bakers

Let's Do It Again

Hello all!

I know you've been itching to take another screen printing class and I've got just the one for you! It's the Repeat Patterns class that begins 14 July and runs for 8 weeks this summer. Not only will you learn the technique of creating repeats, we'll also begin to develop multi-color designs, as well as investigate the importance of scale and proportion when creating overall designs. Come prepared with loads of ideas and fabric to practice with as you master the art of repeat patterns. The front desk at Lillstreet is eagerly awaiting your call as registration for this class closes tomorrow, 8 July - what are you waiting for?

See you soon!

Summer Camp

Lillstreet Chic took over the sewing room last week, and we had a great time learning about everything from screen printing and embroidery to pattern making and draping. Check out some of the work below!

Register for Summer classes *NOW* - Classes start next week!!!

Love taking classes at Lillstreet?

 

July/August classes start next week, July 11th- 17th.  What class will be you taking this summer?

Early bird gets the worm!  Remember to register early, as classes fill up quick.  Classes with low enrollment also get canceled if minimum enrollment requirements are not met. 

Don't wait or it could be too late! 

Click here to register...