Postcard from Lebanon, Ohio

What a weekend!  It was good to visit an old stomping ground of mine, even if I did not get to do any sightseeing or much shopping (outside of the quilt show). 

The show was successful for me, not so much financially, but in that I inspired a significant number of people.  I really appreciate the positive responses to my product line and finished art work.  Most of all, I am honored that I had several people approach me expressing their own desires to be more creative.  Keep reading my rambles here for answers to your questions of me.  I have much to get through here over the next couple of weeks from this past weekend.  Welcome to new readers!

Before I get to creative concerns on Thursday, I want to give my appreciation to several Lebanon, Ohio organizations and businesses.  First, the Warren County Historical Society for holding the quilt show.  I hope that it was a successful fundraiser.  Travelers to the region for next year's show or other reasons, I recommend the Shaker Inn Motel for lodging, a nicely maintained vintage motel.  Eat at the Breakfast Club early (the chocolate chip waffles are amazing), Houston Inn for an upscale meal, Doc's (great food, but boisterous bar atmosphere), and for a historic, upscale place with food well worth the price, The Golden Lamb. 

Next time, I will have some book recommendations for those of you who want to jump into art quilting and some thoughts on getting inspiration.

Collage with Vintage Textiles

I'll be giving a short demo each day of the upcoming Lebanon, Ohio quilt show on creating a unique fabric collage with vintage fabric and fancy pieces.

This is a finished collage, a very simple composition made from a fancy hankie, a hand dyed damask napkin, vintage ties and some pieces of my "scrap-lace" fabric technique.

Image and design copyright RPS

Over the next couple of weeks,  I will be working on a few more collages to showcase the items I sell at the quilt shows.  I'll post the progress here as they come together leading up to the show on the first weekend of March.  Here's the start I have on the two I will concentrating on:

Image and design copyright RPS

Image and design copyright RPS

Check back Thursday to see my next steps on these.

Postcard from Mutton Hill

The third Mutton Hill Quilt Show is now history.  Sales were moderate for me and I was quite successful with three of my show entries.  Most importantly, I met more people who are or want to be more creative and who appreciate my unusual hand dyed textiles and art work.  Thank you.  I am energized and inspired by all of you whom I spoke to over the weekend, and by all of the lovely quilts at the show. 

                                     

I want this show to continue, for the Summit County Historical Society, for the vendors, for the quilt crafters and artists, for the supporters of textile arts.  The show dates for next year are October 19 & 20, 2018.  Please consider entering a quilt next year, and come out to the show.  This is a show worth supporting, all of us involved with it want it to continue.  Consider making a challenge entry, the theme for next year is the World War I Centennial.

Of course, I must brag a little.  I won a second place in the Challenge class, the theme being “What’s Your Story?” 

Image and design copyright 2017 RPS

One of my boxes that are a specialty of mine won an honorable mention in the Fiber Arts category.

Image and design copyright 2017 RPS

This was the first time that a Fiber Arts category was offered at Mutton Hill, so I am very honored (and a bit surprised) to have won first place Fiber Art this year! 

Image and design copyright 2017 RPS

My statement for this little piece reads; “In July, the meadows around my rural home are filled with bright orange Butterfly Weed.  This is one in a series of felted and stitched pieces that captures the seasonal changes of the meadows.” 

I enjoy sharing my creative expressions with others, and I hope that I occasionally inspire others to try something new.

Last Two Vending Stints This Year

I was going to discuss the finishing of the purple collage, but I foolishly sent it off to the upcoming Mutton Hill quilt show without getting pictures of it.  So, that will happen later this month when I get it back.

Speaking of the Mutton Hill quilt show, I will be a vendor there, if you are in Ohio, please come out and see the show.  Better yet, buy some beautiful fabric.  I will have my hand dyed fabric of course, and I have recently purchased some great collections of vintage hankies and silk men's ties for fabric collage and crazy quilts.  These will be available along with other fun embellishing items.  I will be presenting a vendor demo each day on using vintage textiles, and I am also giving a presentation on the SAQA art quilt trunk show and SAQA Ohio's Art Quilt Gems. 

The Mutton Hill show is October 13-14, at the John S. Knight Center, 77 East Mill Street, Akron, OH.  Friday hours are 10-6, Saturday from 10-5.  Admission is $10, well worth the price for the quilts you will see and the vendors.

My last venue for the year is the Valley Quilt Guild show, October 20-21 at the First United Methodist Church, 1725 North Wooster Ave., Dover OH.  Friday 10-5, Saturday 10-3, admission $5. 

Latest Adventures

August is almost over, another month of neglecting this blog.  I have had success in other areas, take a look at the most recent batch of fabric I have dyed:

The bottom image is a mass of varied fabrics in a discontinued Procion color called Tea Leaves.  I really wish that it was still available.  It is a rather unstable color, prone to separation and inconsistent color across different fabrics, but that is exactly why I love it!  I don't have to tinker with it so much to get the variety that I desire.

The Coshocton Canal Quilters' show was a modest success for me as a vendor.  They have a nice new venue for the show, I will definitely be back there next year.

As always, thank you to those of you who made purchases, and I appreciate all the input on my fabric, quilts and ideas.  I am always looking to add things and improve.  I am delighted at the demand for vintage things... I'm searching for wooden ironing boards to have at the last two shows for the year!

In an attempt to get back to posting here regularly, I am trying something new: posting again two days a week, but I am only going to give myself fifteen minutes on each post day to get this out.  If carving out creative time each day is a challenge for you, I'm right there with you!  There is so much demanding our attention, and we must make time for things.  It is not easy!  I consider this blog to be a part of my creative efforts, and I have been getting overwhelmed by dreaming up posts that are far too heavy for all that I need to do in a reasonable amount of time.  I must remind myself to keep this as a light journal of my creative adventures, not a chapter in an art history book!

See, hear and taste

A week of my life gone, vanished in the process of doing my taxes!  Here's a quick report on my trip a few weeks ago to the annual Original Sewing & Quilting Expo in Cleveland.  This is the one held at the I-X Center, the former WWII bomber factory (later produced tanks during the Korean War).  Lots of history in those walls.

I saw the SAQA "Two by Twenty" exhibit - delightfully inspiring, as expected.  I noticed a few quilts whose edges were not bound in the traditional manner, looked to be just stitched very close to the edges to hold the three layers.  I will be exploring this "non-binding" in the next few months.

As I was anticipating having to pay a bunch on my taxes, I could not purchase much, but I found a few mixed bags from a couple different vendors:

Kimono silk scraps, and a bunch of fancy ribbons and trims.  I cannot resist embellishments!  I see more crazy quilt-type collages in  my future.  Stunningly, where I bought the most was not from a sewing vendor.  I purchased a small fortune of blended teas from SubRosa Tea.  I'm not much of a tea drinker, but their blends are quite creative and delicious.  I am enjoying Pina Colada, Spiced Mexican Chocolate, Cafe Latte, Strawberry Ginger, Chocolate Mint, and Coconut Truffle.  I appreciate creative and quality food as much as I love beautiful dyed fabric and art quilts.  To finish off this ramble on appealing to the senses, I have been listening this week to Verdi - Il Trovatore, Smetana - Ma Vlast, and Mendelssohn - Hebrides Overture and Symphonies #3 and #4.

Mark Your Calendars

Rags Paper Stitches will be vending at the Quilters' Market Day, Saturday April 22 in Fredericktown, OH.  I will have a little of everything; it is advertised as a "flea market for quilters."  I'm planning on bringing hand-dyed fabric, Creativity Kits, funky yarn packs, vintage sewing collectibles and textiles, commercial batiks, thread, patterns and more!

Looking ahead to October, I will again be a vendor at the Mutton Hill Quilt Show in Akron, OH, October 13 and 14.  I hope to have a few additions to my usual crop of dyed fabrics and vintage finds by then - perhaps thread, patterns and books.

If you are in Ohio, please come and see me at these shows!

Report from Mutton Hill

Now that the much anticipated Mutton Hill Quilt Show is over for this year, I can get back to my life!  I will now be back to posting here on Tuesdays and Thursdays; I have many new ideas to get to in the next few weeks, thanks to some of the shoppers at my booth during the past few shows.  If you bought from me at Mutton Hill, thank you!  I'd love to see what you make from my fabric.  I have a long way to go with this crazy dream of mine to support myself with creative endeavors, but I have come a long way already on the journey.

Here is a view of my booth at Mutton Hill:

I managed to get a little bit of everything in there. Next year, I am considering a double booth.  I would love to have space to demonstrate techniques with some of the more unusual items I sell.  Of course, by next year I hope to have some patterns available, plant dyed fabric, more kinds of fabric, and a vintage sewing machine or two to sell.

I am still trying to unpack from the short trip, so I will adjourn here until Thursday, when you can look forward to my comments on a book I have just read about a singer-songwriter... some fascinating insights into the creative process that are universal to any art.

Transitions

Last week was a significant transition for me, and I did not intend to let an entire week go by without posting, but it did.  I have started a part time job, which will provide a little bit of predictable income.  After two years of working for myself, trying to make a go of this art and fabric business, I must do a little restructuring.  I'm not giving up on the business, I still want to keep it up, it just won't be on the scale that I had hoped for someday.  Although, who knows, sometimes amazing things have happened in my life, and I'm sure great things are still waiting for me.

Over the past weekend, I was a vendor at the current venue for the Inspired by the National Parks quilt show.  I was very impressed with the fabric interpretations of our National Parks, the exhibit is a excellent showcase of the versatility of the art quilt and the creativity of the artists.  If it is coming to a location near you, go see it.  I am now inspired to attempt my own pictorial art quilt over the winter.

Thank you to those of you who discovered me and made purchases at the Vendor's Weekend.  I will be at only two more shows this year.  Next up is the Town Square Quilt Lovers' Guild show, Saturday, October 8 (9-6) and Sunday October 9 (10-5) at the Caldwell Elementary School, Fairground Road, Caldwell, Ohio. Admission is $5.

The last show for me this year is the Mutton Hill Quilt Show, Saturday October 22 (10-6) and Sunday, October 23 (10-5) at the John S. Knight Center in downtown Akron Ohio.  Admission is $10, it is a fundraiser for the Summit County Historical Society.  This promises to be a fabulous show, with more than 200 quilts on display and great vendors (including Rags Paper Stitches!).  If you are in Ohio, don't miss it!  Please come out, visit and shop.  I'd always love to see what you've made from my fabric and embellishments.

I promise to have a creative post on Thursday.

RPS Show Schedule

The vegetable garden in pretty much in the ground, at least all the started plants have made it in for the season.  I still have some seeds to plant, but that takes less time.  Now for some rain… 

I have no way of knowing where readers of this blog live.  If you are in Ohio, I’d love it if you could make it out to a show this year to buy my stuff!  Here is a list of the venues to find me so far this year: 

July 9, 10-6 Art on the Hill, Mantua, OH (downtown).  I will have mostly finished art work at this one, but I will have a sampling of hand dyed fabric and some Creative Kits. 

Boxes in progress for Art on the Hill

 

July 16-17 (9-5 Saturday, 11-4 Sunday) Pieceable Quilters Guild, Zanesville, OH; Muskingum County Fairgrounds Veterans Complex, Brighton Blvd & Pershing Rd.  Admission $5 

August 12-14 (10-6 Friday and Saturday, 12-3 Sunday) Coshocton Canal Quilters, Coshocton, OH; Coshocton Presbyterian Church, 4^th and Chestnut Street.  Admission $5. 

Lovely dyed vintage damask tablecloths

Buy them, make beautiful things from them!

 

October 8-9 (9-6 Saturday, 10-5 Sunday) Town Square Quilt Lovers’ Guild, Caldwell, OH; Caldwell Elementary School, 44350 Fairground Road.  Admission $5. 

October 22-23 (10-6 Saturday, 10-5 Sunday) Mutton Hill Quilt Show, Akron Ohio; John S. Knight Center.  Admission $10.

 

That's it for now, I will post more about each one closer to the dates.  Later this week, I will have a review of an art show opening in Southeast Ohio.

 

 

What is a Creative Kit?

As an itinerant vendor in a heavily saturated market (quilting and sewing expos), I am constantly thinking of ways to package fabric and notions that stand out from the crowd.  One of my more popular brainstorms is the Creative Kit.  These “kits” are each one of a kind assemblages of hand dyed fabric, lace trims, fancy yarns and dyed vintage doilies.  The contents vary in amount, but an average kit contains three small cuts of fabric (12" to 20" length & width), three or four cuts of trim (10” to 18” each), three or four yarns (one to six yards in length each) and two or three doilies or other vintage fancy work textiles.   

 

I’ve been pleased with the initial reception of the kits, sales have been steady.  However, for every person that buys one, three more ask, “what do you do with this?” I’ve been explaining them as started kits for small art quilts and crazy quilts, but don’t stop there!  Use them for fiber art dolls.  Use them to embellish… anything – baskets, clothing, bags, purses, and hats, whatever it is that you stitch through.  Make fabric collages, postcards, bookmarks, artist trading cards.  Add the trims into pintucks, couch the fancy yarns with decorative threads.  Cut small designs out of the doilies and add them as textural design elements into an applique quilt.  Add a Creative Kit into the fabrics for a wall hanging kit and make it unique.

 

There are a few of my Creative Kits on my Etsy site (click on the link to the right).  Later this summer, I will probably not be putting the doilies in them.  I have not decided what will replace the doilies, but they will soon only be available by the piece at the shows I will attend, not online.  It is getting difficult to find the vintage doilies at a reasonable price.  If you like the kits with the doilies, grab them now!

Rags on the Road - Fredericktown, Ohio

I am pleased to announce that my first venue for 2016 will be the Fredericktown, Ohio Quilters' Market Day on Saturday, April 23.  Hours are 10 AM to 3 PM, admission is $5.  It will be held at the Fredericktown High School, 111 Stadium Drive.  It is a small venue, and they are advertising it more as a quilters' flea market.  Last year, there was a good variety of items for sale, lots of good deals.  Some of the vendors were quilt shops from around the region, others were individuals cleaning out their sewing rooms.

I will have a variety - my standard selection of hand dyed fabrics, Creativity Kits, vintage hankies and scarves, buttons, and vintage sewing collectibles.  I might bring along a Singer 99 in a cabinet.  I'll have to see how much room I have in the car!  I will also have a good selection of batik fat quarters and half yards, grab bags of notions and fabric scrap bags (sewing room clean-out). 

I have been known to engage in some trading at these small venues.  I am always looking for vintage sewing machine manuals and attachments, vintage damask linens, fancy hankies, scarves, men's ties, cotton lace trim, and any vintage sewing machine ads and other ephemera. 

Quilts, tanks and B-29s

I just got back from the Cleveland edition of the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo.  If you're a regular reader here, you are probably realizing that I like to unearth an unexpected story or connection to my textile art travels.

Here is this trip's history bit.  The event was held at what is now the International Exposition Center, next to the Cleveland airport.  The building was originally the General Motors B-29 bomber factory during World War II.  During the Korean War, it was the Cadillac Tank factory.  A proving ground was developed around the building for test the tanks.  Of course, now it is home to various trade shows throughout the year.  (I-X Center website) 

Much as I should be trying to sell my own fabric, I made a few purchases:

A small bagful of overdyed kimono silk scraps
Three small bags (three yards each) of assorted rayon ribbons
One Shiva oil paintstick
Two spools of WonderFil Eleganza perle cotton #8
Nearly two yards of a gorgeous flower trim, two different flowers in it.  The little orange ones are made from wooden beads!  No wonder it was $7.99 a yard.
Some thin ribbons in specific colors I need for a project
Three packs of Painter's Threads
A Ruffler - not a sewing machine attachment, the long wooden contraption in the center of the photo.  It makes a frilly strip out of thin fabric scraps for embellishing.  Suggested uses were garlands, flowers, garment edges.  Obviously, I am playing with it already, and I have some ideas of my own for using the ruffles.

I spent most of the day at the SAQA table, selling memberships.  Next year, I hope to be a vendor at this show.



A B-17, not the B-29s that were made in Cleveland.