UPDATE: WWW.LYSAFLOWER.COM’s new site will be going live September 5th, instead of the 1st. See you there!

Hello you! How have you been? How’s your summer been? A whirlwind, like most summers? Our family just got back from a typical family wedding.

In Italy!!! That part not so typical for us! For those of you who followed me on Instagram, you know what I’m talking about. It was marvelous. Like most people I love traveling but my two favourite reasons are:

1) I get caught up on my reading (I may need an intervention a some point. My stack of books is growing faster than they’re getting read). I was thrilled that I got through all three books I brought with me on our trip. Now if I can just resist buying more books…

2) Travelling gives me time to reflect on BIG PICTURE stuff. What I’m doing and why I’m doing it.

And with number two I’ve made these three decisions:

     1) I’m retiring my drawing project (at least for now).

     2) (so I can) Focus on my surface pattern and sewing designs.

     3) Create a website that reflects and shows my work more prominently. Still including a blog where I’ll continue to share projects, inspiration and my creative journey.

Which  means this will be my last blog post from this site. It also means if you subscribe you’ll no longer receive email updates from this site.

So how will we stay in touch then?

I will continue to use WWW.LYSAFLOWER.COM for my new site and bonus! It’ll also have an email subscribe.

I cordially invite you anytime after September 1st to visit WWW.LYSAFLOWER.COM. I’m beaming with pride about it. I’m so excited I can barely contain myself!!! It’s so pretty! I can’t wait for you to see it.

I’ve always been so grateful for, loved and enjoyed you all so much. Thank you so very much for all the support, comments and camaraderie you’ve been so kind to give…

Now, let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into over there!

I had this thought a few weeks back… “I think I’d like to get back into teaching again.”

Then funnily enough the chance fell right into my lap at Mini Maker Faire! Amy, the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild’s Workshop Coordinator, popped by our booth and told me she had an idea. We chatted for a while and, by the time she left, I was scheduled to teach a Block Printing Workshop for them in October! The focus of the workshop is creating repeats and printing on fabric. I couldn’t be more tickled! Wait, that’s not true, I can! The workshop is almost sold out already and they haven’t even officially announced it on their website yet!

Here’s the write up: Love fabric? Have you ever thought of designing and printing your own? It can be tricky knowing where to start. Join Lysa Flower and create your very own fabric with these three easy steps.

Step one: Create a design – Design a repeat block and various other repeat patterns.

Step two: Carve a block – Use the proper technique to carve a lino block with your repeat pattern.

Step three: Printing! – Ink your palette, roll, press and print. Your life will never be the same!

WHEN: Sunday, October 2nd, 2016

WHERE: Room C, Croatian Cultural Centre Vancouver (3250 Commercial Drive)

COST: $50 (VMQG members) $55 (non-members) , plus a supply fee payable to Lysa $20

TO REGISTER: email Amy at workshops@vancouvermodernquiltguild.ca

SUPPLY LIST: (what to bring):

Apron

Fabric (anything goes, any amount goes!)

Exact-o knife

Palette knife (if you have one, no biggie if you don’t)

Paper and fabric scissors

Lino block cutters

• Opus has Speedball starter kits with a cutter set (only three blades though) and a brayer for $29.90. (Kit also includes a lino block , water soluble black printing ink, a foam tray and an instruction booklet). To order online click HERE. Larger sets are also available.
• Opus also has individual Speedball Lino cutter sets of 5 for $16.50. To order online click HERE
• Michael’s has a Speedball Speed Carve Kit. It only has a V and U shaped blades with a wood handle (all other Speedball carving handles I’ve seen have always been plastic). However this kit also comes with a 4″x 6″ block, tracing paper and an instruction booklet). Online, there was no price listed and I’m not confident each store carries them. Perhaps give them a call before going down.
• Amazon has a Speedball Lino Carving sets for $8.10. To order online click HERE.

4″ soft rubber brayer BUT if you have a hard rubber brayer we won’t turn you away. AND if you already have a smaller one, bring it too.

• Opus has individual brayers ranging from 2″-6″ and range in price from $16.80-$22.80. To order online click HERE.
• Michael’s. I did see some online but again I’m not confident each store carries them. I suggest calling before going down.
• Amazon has a variety of Brayers and prices. To check them out click HERE

PROVIDED SUPPLIES: Lino blocks (enough for three repeat patterns), a variety of coloured inks, palettes, sketch pencils, erasers, sketch paper, tracing paper, test paper and fabric. Plus a take home resource list of supplies, inspirational links and books.

The goal is to set you up so you can do this easily at home. WARNING: it’s a teeny tiny bit addictive!

Here are a few other things that are in our booth. Aprons!

I created two kinds. One for gathering your garden’s harvest.

And one for holding all your tools, you know when you have to hunt those pesky weeds.

Each apron has a clip for your keys and a unique back to it!

Then there are the chairs. I LOVE the chairs!

And last, but not least Hot and Cold packs, which after yesterday’s breezy weather was a delight to use!

Thank you everyone who came out to Mini Maker Faire. It was SO fun to visit with all of you!

Today it the day! Mini Maker Faire opens today! Lori and I have our booth all set up and ready to go!

Here’s a preview of the bandanas. I can’t even begin to tell you how thrilled I am with the way they turned out!

My dear sweet friend Jonna (@bespokeoutlaw on instagram) hemmed each and everyone for me! She did such a gorgeous job. I was blown away when she offered to sew them but then when I saw how she did them – M I N D B L O W N!

Lori had mentioned how hard it was to find bandanas large enough to tie in her hair so I made sure these were plenty big. Their 27″-ish square.

Getting ready for this show was an amazing experience. Especially with so much encouragement from those all around me. My father in law cut the wood for these boxes.

And my Mother in law put these together.

I painted them and ta DA! This is what a group effort looks like!

I’ll be posting about my garden aprons, chairs and the hot and cold packs tomorrow but for now I’ll leave you with a few shots of the kneeling pads. Made from up-cycled foam, these are covered with 100% cotton sateen washable covers.

If I see you this weekend GREAT! If not, thanks for all the encouragement and I hope you have a LOVELY weekend!

I placed an order with CLOTHO, a local printer in Vancouver! It didn’t seem that scary until I hit the confirm button. Why should I be scared? I’ve been dying to have my designs printed on to fabric for ages. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t afraid of anything CLOTHO might do. In fact, they were great!

Was it nerves about Mini Maker Faire? No, I don’t think so. First time jitters? Maybe. That, and realizing I probably should have ordered some test prints first!

When I held the freshly printed fabric in my hand, relief finally washed over me. It turned out even better than I imagined!

What am I going to do with all this fabric you ask? Let’s see, I’m covering four chair cushions…

making two types of garden aprons, one for holding tools and one for gathering the fruits of your labour…

… I’ve also made up some bandanas for either your brow, your hair or your outside garden table. Plus some Hot & Cold packs for after a long day of gardening- ahhh…

And, lastly some kneeling pads.

I also wanted to mention, while I was waiting for the CLOTHO fabric, I ordered these cotton twill labels from Mommie Made It on Etsy. I adore how they turned out!

As for the second scariest thing I ever had to do… well, that would be having to cut into the fabric. YIKES!

Right! At the end of last year, artist/author/friend Lori Weidenhammer and I decided we were going to do a booth together in 2016. At the booth we we’d be promoting her book, Victory Gardens for Bees, and I would create a bee themed fabric collection and garden themed projects. We set off to decide which venue would suit us best. We both agreed Mini Maker Faire in Vancouver was the way to go!

While Lori was finalizing her book that gave me to time to figure out what I was going to make for my fabric collection. We talked about making bandana’s so I knew those would be a must! The five images above are my bandana designs.

Before I knew it, hey, look at that, its March (almost April) and Elizabeth Olwen is offering another Skillshare class. Bada bing, bada boom DONE! Honestly, I wish it was that easy. This collection and I started off rocky and we had ourselves an old fashioned rumble. For a time I was worried that this wouldn’t come together. Feel free to take a peek here HERE in my classroom to see how it all went down. Oh and you’ll see my googly eye magnets, I’m especially proud of them. I made them myself! (Big GRIN)

One thing I adore about Elizabeth’s classes are her use of mood boards. This is an image that no one else sees and I used to try and skip this step. Not anymore! Hand on heart I will never skip this step EVER again. Even though no one sees them it adds so much flavour to a collection. I also have started including a written intention behind each collection. I wrote this for my new collection, which I call, “Just Bee”:

It would take us an hour and a half to drive to my Grandparent’s farm. With the first steps out of the car, I’d feel the sun on my cheeks and a cool breeze in my hair. I’d hear song birds with the hum of bees hustling around every blossom. The sky was blue and the air smelled sweet. They’ve long since sold the farm but those quiet days exploring the farm will always be with me.

I’m so relived that in the end it all came together! Phew! Like I said, we had ourselves a rumble. There were times it felt like, okay, this is good… to, oh? Wha? YIKES! It’s falling apart… ACK! What’s happening?!!… Okay wait, wait. This could work… Not bad… okay, I can work with this to… I FREAKING LOVE THIS!!!!!!

Then the cherry on top was when Elizabeth left this comment for me:

“Love love love! Oh Lysa, this is fabulous! And clean and fresh and lively and fun. So much good energy. I love all the interpretations on bees — like the hexi hive pattern, so clever. You clearly think wry conceptually about your collections and it serves you well. So pro!!!!”

I’ll admit it, I LOVE teacher’s gold stars and that one, well that one was a pretty shiny big one. I can’t thank Elizabeth enough for her feedback, knowledge and her encouragement. Artist don’t always share their knowledge with one another, so when they do, it’s pretty incredible. I’m so very grateful. It’s not easy being a newbie.

Venue-check!

Fabric collection designed-check!

Next up: Printing the fabric!

On the 11th of May, I joyfully attended my friend Lori Weidenhammer’s book launch dinner. I can’t even begin to tell you how proud I am of her!  Lori and I met 16 years ago at a Momma and baby group in Vancouver. We were both transplanted prairie girls, her from Saskatchewan and me from Alberta. Her son had the BEST moose hat and Lori has the most contagious laugh! Seriously I LOVE her laugh. When I heard her laugh and saw the moose hat I just knew we were going to be friends!

A few years later we moved away from Vancouver. Somehow, thankfully, Lori and I continued to stay in touch. I remember the beginning of Lori’s love for bees and gardening. I also remember her telling me about her Madam Bee Speaker persona. It was so fascinating watching on Lori’s blog, Bee Speakers Saijiki, as she worked with various gardens and started to educate school children about bees. When she called and told me she was doing a book on bees, well, it was just perfect! It was totally meant to be. And totally a labour of love.

Fast forward to this past November, I received this little email from Lori, “hey wanna do a poster illustration for my book?”

“Um. YEAH I do!”

I was thrilled and excited just to be asked. I have to admit, one of my favourite parts of working on new designs is the research. Lori pointed me in the right direction and off I went, learning everything I could about Bees and Victory Gardens. This isn’t the exact illustration because… well you’ll see in the next two scheduled posts. I don’t want to spoil the surprise.

A few months after finishing the illustration, Lori and I met at Shatkea, the place she wrote everyday while working on her book. As we chatted I suggested we do some kind of booth together, either a craft fair or farmer’s market. We could promote and sell her book and I could do up some bee themed fabric and garden wares. We looked around and decided Mini Maker Faire would be the best fit. So that’s what we did!

Booth 2103, that’s where we’ll BEE! (see what I did there? wink, wink!) Save the date and if you’re in the area, pop by and say hi! We’d love to see you!

Okay, you know I’m a super duper Uppercase Magazine fangirl, right?! It’s my go-to magazine for inspiration and research. I keep each and everyone… and well, being gorgeous inside and out doesn’t hurt either! I’m super excited that they’re ALSO coming out with FABRIC! Fabric inspired from the magazines spines! SO SO pretty! I can’t wait to see in on the shelves!

Side note: Uppercase is coming out with an Encyclopedia set too! It’s going to be amazing!

At Quiltcon 2016 I was lucky enough to see Janine’s Vangool’s talk about how the whole Uppercase and Windham Fabrics team-up came to be. Mickey Kueger of Windham fabrics happens to be an Uppercase subscriber. That’s him on the right, in front of all the paper dresses that decorated their booth.

AND did you see the dress quilt?  It was A M A Z I N G. We were all smitten.

Okay back to the Uppercase, Windham fabric collection – keep in mind this is extremely condensed but basically, Janine sent Mickey an email about his subscription renewal. Which led to a whole Uppercase collection! What a great story hey! A short but a great one!

Fast forward a month or so later… so there I was. I had to make two flags for a swap.  On my studio table sat an Uppercase charm, a paper dress from the Windham booth and other un-put away Quiltcon bits. I knew I wanted to do something really special with my Uppercase charm pack and I wanted to make something really special for the flags.

Then BINK! A light bulb moment. Charm pack. Paper dress. Fabric dress. Flags… Ooo I could make fabric dresses for the flags AND for cards to send! Eeek!

I remember being told at the Windham booth they’d be putting up a pattern for the quilt on their site. I haven’t found it but maybe I heard wrong? Maybe it was just wishful thinking or maybe I completely missed it. They only have one MEE-llion patterns on their site! And that’s just the free ones. For real!

However, I did find their YouTube link for making the paper dresses. A little starch, a hot iron and some near misses with my fingers, a few buttons and bows later, I had all these pretty little dresses!

When my swap partner posted on Instagram the flags and card people were asking about them. And well, sharing is caring right. Have fun but we warned they’re a teeeeeeeeeeeeeeny bit addictive.

 “Details”( Drawn March 2016 )  18″ high, 14″ wide-  2″ deep

I don’t recall how I came to be on Abby Glassenberg’s newsletter BUT am I ever glad I did! I’m always thinking about her posts long after I’ve read them. She’s not afraid to go against the mainstream and say, hey, this is how I see it. I loved Abby’s insightful post about being an online mom. She’s challenged Alex Vernonelli’s, from Aurifill, behavior (I think we all truly thank her for that). Not to mention, through an article she wrote for the Craft Industry Alliance, she spearheaded conversations that resulted in raises for Quilt Festival Teachers. Needless to say, I look forward to her newsletter popping in my inbox and reading her blog.  Oh and Abby also has podcasts, which I love to listen to while I work away in the studio. They are, of course, excellent!

Most recently, in October of 2015 Abby and Kristin Link from Sew Mama Sew co-founded the Craft Industry  Alliance. When I was at Quiltcon this past February the consensus was, if you’re not signed up for it you should be! So I did. 

Um, so yeah, I think the secret’s out. I’m a fan girl. darn it, I was hoping to keep that under wraps but I can’t. I was so thrilled when Abby accepted my Stash Drawing Project invitation. I did the drawing in late December/early January. I knew Abby was moving into her new studio in February which you’ll see is a gorgeous space (photo credit to Lisa Neighbors)! I contacted her again in March so we could include it with her stash drawing. I was all set to do this post. But one thing kept nagging me, I couldn’t put my finger on it… Then I had an ah-HA moment. The drawing sucked. It fell flat,  the composition didn’t work. I don’t know why I didn’t see it earlier. Maybe it was the rush of Christmas and the New Year? I have changed things up a bit. People in the past have sent me their fabric to draw from. However, I know that ‘s a pretty big ask. This was the first time working from a photograph. Could that have been it? But I’ve done plenty of drawings from photos before. In the end it didn’t matter why. So I redrew it. And I’m SO glad I did!

I adored her vintage cotton and feedback fabrics. It would have been so disappointing to have botched those. I did try to save the other drawing but yeah, it’s fire wood now. What can I say, every once in a while it happens.

I’ve also changed the format from 5 questions to: finish this sentence. My goal for this Fabric Stash Drawing Project, is that it’s for those who participate. Abby was the first one to give this a go and I LOVED her answers!

Without further ado:

Hello, my name is Abby Glassenberg.

You might know me from my blog, While She Naps or from the trade organization for craft professionals I co-founded, Craft Industry Alliance 

I sew stuffed animals and dolls. 

I started sewing when…I was in 8th grade Home Economics. I got a C- on my project, a pair of very wonky Bermuda shorts, but I was excited about the potential of sewing and bought a sewing machine with my Bat Mitzvah money. 

The first piece of fabric that stared off my stash was… fabric from my mother-in-law. She liked to sew home dec like pillows and table cloths. She gave me left over fabrics from her basement and I sewed a monster with them.

The best advice I could give about starting a fabric stash is… search flea markets and yard sales. Lots of people give away their fabric stashes and that’s a great way to begin building without spending a lot of money. This way you can experiment without any real financial consequences. Later, once you hone in on what you really love to sew, sell the rest at your own yard sale.

If I decided to move into a tiny house, I’d have to downsize my stash. When I moved into my tiny house, if there was a windstorm that (WHOOSH) blew all the fabric out of my arms, the fabric I’d chase for miles to get back would be… this tiny pile of beautiful vintage feedback fabrics. They were given to me by an old friend who found them at the dump near her house. I love them because they’re prints that you don’t see anywhere else. They’re totally unique and the color combinations are so beautiful. I only have a small piece of each, but they’re perfect for special details like a teddy bear’s ear lining.

And all while Part 2: Surface Design was happening during the first half of March, this was also happening – creating and designing this puppy!

A big thanks to my husbands helping hand. He did inspire this quilt but also picked the most opportune time to ask if I needed the roller before this shot. He’s always there to keep me on my toes!

After spending so much time on the computer lately it was really nice to get back to my sewing machine.

BUT then this happened…

A power outage. They’re always so convenient, especially when you have a design and a quilt due all at the same time. We were 36 hours with out power. Let’s just say I LOVE POWER! I thought I was grateful for it before, now I really, really appreciate it!

Luckily I was able to hit all my deadlines before rushing off to our annual San Francisco trip. I found this stowaway in my pocket, I have no idea how he got there but I decided to show him the sites!

And of course what would  a trip to San Francisco be with out a trip to Britex Fabrics.

The day after we got home from San Francisco I was off to the Creative Stitches show to work my shift at our FVMQG booth. I didn’t get as much time there as I liked but I was happy to be greeted by these lovely ladies, Darlene (left), Brenda (top), Vera (right) and Peg (seated).

Phew, it feels like it’s been quite a whirlwind! Mix in Spring Break and ooft! I’m happy life is starting to get back to normal. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming!