Betsy Makes Things

Did you miss it last weekend?

If you missed the opening last weekend at Dolce Vita it's not too late. The show will be up until July 31st. Some pieces have sold, but there are still many available. If you've had an eye on a piece you should check out the price- Everything is priced to sell. I'm lightening my load for my move this fall, which I'm really excited about. New larger studio space! Starting a household with my sweetie! Exciting! Ghost Gallery has a small selection of work on flickr- Contact Laurie the curator for purchase if you can't make it to Ballard. But, the work is even cooler in person, so go check it out if you're in the neighborhood! :-)

Strawberries!

My strawberries are delicious and did so well this year. Growing my own food is such a good feeling. I can't get enough of weeding, watering, harvesting, re-seeding, and sharing the bounty....So satisfying! And look how pretty!

I drove by the pea patch in Bremerton today.What a ray of hope. Seeing Kitsap do anything green, even if it's only one empty lot turned community green space, makes me really happy. Happy Weekend!

Up Up and Away

The show is up! The installation went great, the nice people at Dolce Vita were a joy to work with. And, as always, Laurie from Ghost Gallery worked tirelessly to make sure the whole thing could happen.  Soon, even the opening will be had and the show will be officially ON. Remember the opening coincides with Ballard's Art Walk and Dolce Vita is, as always, filled with luscious clothes and shoes that are perfectly in season. You're all invited Saturday. Here's the quickest of smallest of previews....
 
Now that the show is up, I started dreaming of new sandwich recipes instead of new embroideries. Time for a little stitching break. My creativity is now directed toward the peanut butter arts (more to come on that). Maybe just for a week, then my fingers will start to itch. :-)

Punk Rock Flea Market 6 & CRAFT-PURGE-TACULAR

It's Time for The Punk Rock Flea Market Again (scroll scroll scroll for the proper press release) and I'm ready. I have tons of pillows and piles of vintage like usual (see me here at the last market grinning from ear to ear because it is SO SO FUN)  BUT this time it's different because I'm saying goodbye to more than half of my fabric stash and craft sewing goodies. My cabin is filled to the brim now but my sweetie and I are joining households in the fall. So goodbye unique eclectic treasures- hello shared space. This is good for me on a personal level (I am so happy!) and certainly good for you on a craft level. I have great stuff and it will be priced to move. Vintage fabric galore & there will be PHAT fat quarters there for sure. (I'm a craft nerd)((you already knew that)). Don't miss it this Saturday June 6th! :-)
 

Punk Rock Flea Market returns to the Underground Events Center this summer! On June 6th, from 10:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night, the Punk Rock Flea will rock your world and fill the trunk of your car! The Underground is at 2407 1st Ave. in Belltown. For those of you keeping track, this is PRFM #6!

This is a full on flea market selling everything you can imagine, including records, clothing, furniture, computers, stereo equipment, housewares, haircuts, toys, videos, bicycles, tacos, falafels, vegan treats, skateboards, political propaganda, information from non profit groups, books, art, bike repair, baby stuff, tarot readings & whatever else we can fit into the space. Don't let the name lead you to believe that we only welcome vendors selling punk records, clothes etc. The "Punk Rock" of the name refers as much to the DIY spirit of the event as it does to any particular music or lifestyle. 'Nuff said.

As always, the market opens to the public at 10:00 am and bands will begin to play at around 6:00 pm. Vendors are welcome to stay for the entire event, but it isn't required. The 6:00 transition will be a natural moment for tired vendors to close up shop.

Once again, the space we are using has been generously loaned to us for the day by the Low Income Housing Institute, aka. LIHI. LIHI is a non-profit organization that builds homes for homeless and low-income people all around the Puget Sound. Your table fees and entry donations go toward paying insurance and advertising costs for this event. Once those expenses are covered, all additional proceeds will go to LIHI. You are most welcome to make additional donations to LIHI if you feel so inclined. More info about them at www.lihi.org.

In-Progress Dolce Vita Show Update

I've been stitching alot lately. Thank goodness my cat has been helping me!
Or so she would like to think. :-) As I get closer to hanging the show my little cabin fills up with more and more in-progress work. The finished work is up and hanging safely out of the way- But the new ones lay and lean everywhere is various states of creation. It's a happy, expressive, colorful, somewhat overwhelming, explosion of a mess and it looks like this:


Just for the record: The dog isn't even pretending to help.

Lions! Ladies! Linens! Oh My!

More embroidery lions to add to my pride of doily lions at the up-coming show... It's funny how you're drawn to certain imagery, isn't it? I'm really into story books (I have to admit, I have been for a while, though), ladies, lions and horses right now. What are you into?

Where the Fabric Collages Went

I'm busy getting ready for my solo show. If you've been reading you know I've been talking about it nonstop. Talking and thinking and planning and fretting and stitching. I started doing fabric collages a few months ago, and here are a few details from new pieces I've done using some of the same techniques. It's fun to break up the stitching with something fabricy but with more instant results. I loved layering paint and collaged elements in college so it's fun to return to it but with new teachniques. You know, blow off some steam. Embroidery is such a controlled medium- It's nice to make something messier just to change it up.
 

Friends Are The Best!

My friend Erin from way back in the day is the best. When you know someone over a really long period of time, you get to watch them grow and blossom. My favorite part of a long friendship is watching someone's proclivities turn into a diamond sharp awareness. I'm so proud that Erin will soon be graduating from a Graphic Design program and going out into the world to do something she was so meant to do. She made this for my upcoming show and opening(( Click on it- It'll pop-up big so you can see it )). It's pretty. It's like seeing your work framed for the first time. A breath of fresh air. Thanks Erin! And you're all invited!!! I promise there will be new new crazy new work there. Enough saturday night gratitude ~ Back to stitching!
 

En Plein Aire

Even though making stuff is my favorite thing in the whole world, sometimes being cooped up inside when it's beautiful outside bums me out. This weekend I came up with an easy fix: Move the studio outside.


I am so much happier and work just seems more fun when you do it on a picnic blanket. I'm not even sad I'm missing Viking Fest. Oh, And here's a new piece for the solo show I'll have at Dolce Vita represented by the Ghost Gallery in June and July.

I just found out I'll install June 7th- That's the day after I'll be vending a blend of vintage/crafty goodness at The Punk Rock Flea Market. That's going to be a fun weekend. I'm already getting excited! Ok, back to the picnic blanket. :-)

Layer One

I mentioned in my last post that I'm gearing up for a solo show. I want to post a step-by-step on he progress of getting ready. Here are some pics of the big stretched pieces I'm working on. I also layered over the top of some drawings I did last summer to take them in a new direction. It feels good to take old work and change it to reflect where my current interests are. Do any of you do that?

I could blab and blab at you about the details but let me just say getting ready for a show can jangle my nerves. Mint tea helps. :-)