Greetings Creative friends! Sewing Retreat in Chicago-Oct.5-8th Lots of new things are in the works…one of them will be a workshop/retreat in the Chicago area early in October. It will be a small group with lots of hands-on and personal attention for each participant. The focus will be tuning  your design eye and expanding your creativity with surface design & fabric techniques. The Original Quilt & Sewing Expo team is dynamite and I am looking forward to working them again. If you are interested in more information and registration, here is the link: http://www.sewingexpo.com/SewingRetreat.aspx Design Outside the Lines in Taos-Sept. 25-29 This is a favorite location  for The Design Outside the Lines Retreat. Marcy Tilton and I are celebrating our 12th year of teaching together. As the Aspen and Poplar  trees turn bright yellow against that turquoise sky with white puffy clouds…I am  feeling what has always inspired so many artists  and writers to call this area home. We will  come together in  the adobe studio at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House for lots of creative play, inspiration,  new  and re-newed friendships. For more information and registration: http://www.dianeericson.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=ReVisions&Product_Code=class-DOL-Taos&Category_Code=Retreats For more retreat information & photos (…and great fabric) : see Marcy’s site: www.marcytilton.com On my Design Table this month: Folding more drawing & printing into my bag designs My stenciling techniques are changing. I am combining more paper mask shapes with my stencil designs as I print-then drawing into the images with Tee Juice Pens from Jacquard (www.teejuice.com) for line and big poka dots! very easy and fun in even more great colors now. I combine my printed fabrics with more fabric collage, stitching buttons and other embellishment. Here is one of my studio walls with a display of finished bags CORRECTION: My last blog, called At Home in the Nest ( see my homepage to view it) featured a note about my sister, Kris, who is a fabulous craftswoman and creates whimsical birdhouses. The link was incorrect. Here is the correct link to see her collection of work: www.birdshackjunction.com enjoy, Diane

Dear Creative Friends, We are there! well maybe almost there…Spring is hovering and teasing us here in Southern Oregon with a stunning, warm spring day here and there. In anticipation of Spring, I have been in ‘Nest mode’ for a while. This is a new piece (right) I enjoyed making. I love combining natural materials with fabrics and other found bits from my stash. The ‘eggs’ are small painted houses. The bird is made from mens shirts. This interest in  making my own nests started with the variety of great sticks I would find on walks with the dog  earlier in the year…..Here is a link to my new article in the local newspaper on making your own nest: http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110428/HOMELIFE/104280332/-1/HOMELIFE03 As you can imagine….It has inspired MORE nests of various kinds  and sizes. NEST INSPIRED DESIGN- A collection of pins using fabrics and bits of treasures from my sash. This egg-shaped tote bag is very fun. The first design layer is stenciling and fabric pens. Next, I partially assemble the pieces. Now I am working on the surface ‘weaving’ together bits of fabric and threads to complete the nest. To take a look at my stencil collection, here is a link: http://www.dianeericson.com/c/STENCILS/STENCILS.html All of this nest/bird focus has me thinking about my sister, Kris.She is a very talented musician and craftswoman. I know she can do anything…and inspired by her rural lifestyle, one of the  things she builds are fabulous, whimsical birdhouses! This is one of them. Here is the link to her online collection: http://visitreno.com/birdhouse/index.php It is so important to explore our creativity in  various media….from cooking to decorating and sewing and beyond…exploring materials and themes  outside our normal circle can be like hitting the reset button on the computer: everything shifts and so much more is possible. I am continuing to explore my attraction to nests: What is coming up is a very  sculptural collar…and surface design that includes various nest /circular images. Nests on sticks like this one are for my flower pots out onto the deck and ready to go for spring and summer. I hope you enjoy the morning and your own nest building,                                                                                                                                                                     Diane

Dear Creative Friends: Happy Spring! I hear it is just around the corner now….. I am in the studio  enjoying on e of my favorite techniques: Brush painting and printing on   fabrics. My product of choice is DYE-NA-FLOW, by Jacquardproducts.com. It has the best hand on fabric  when I just want to open the lid and start painting.  Working  with sponges and brushes, I usually work on several pieces( and types of fabric) at one time. This way, if I am not excited about the results on one piece…I just continue working on the others. I like working on smooth silk pieces-shirt weights are great. This close-up on the left, is on raw canvas -one of my favorites. On this vest, and the Red Feathers Vest below, I have worked back into the painted images with Tee Juice pens, also by Jacquard. there are 3 sizes and I use alot of the fine and medium tip pens with accents of the jumbo. the jumbo pens make great poka-dots by the way! I work with several basic vest shapes- I used my Vest Collection #101 pattern for the basic shape o this garment. the pattern has 3 fronts and backs that all mix and match plus darted and non-darted versions to give you lots of design options.  I used a strip of striped knit fabric for a ‘trim piece close to the edge…and some silk fabric. I draw back into the images with the thin line and medium tip  pens  to pull the design together and give another scale of detail to the piece. I am very happy with the results! New Solo Show in the Art Center- This Red Feather vest is part of my new show in the Ashland Art Center, in Ashland Oregon for the month of March. The theme is about New Mexico Inspirations-from my travels and time in that magical part of the country. Come by and visit the show and my studio if you are in the neighborhood. From Canvas to  silk… Here is another brush painted piece: my Dragon top. Every year for my birthday, I create a garment to mark the change and where I am. I am a dragon and enjoyed creating this piece: recycling a shirt and replacing the collar and cuffs with ones I made from blue, pleated silk. I find when I am painting on fabric…I like the addition one or two other techniques or materials to give a more finished dimensional  quality to the piece. Think about what those techniques in your ‘toolbox’ that might lend more depth and interest to your work. I have added some hand embroidery stitching to finish this image. It was the perfect think…the stitches are applied like drawn marks…and are very complimentary to the painting, silk collar and mini grey elastic frog at the neck. It is spring! and I love persimmons as a design element. Everything about them shape, color, branches they are hanging on too. I painted some cotton/rayon blend pieces that I folded into a Torrii Collection Pattern #100 shirt. I let the painting suggest the colors to repeat in the collaging of the garment.  The lining is a crisp green apple green- with bound buttonholes and knotted ties going through to close the shirt. If you are feeling intimidated to trust your painting… I suggest you start with a large piece of fabric than you might need- and just have a good time painting…(maybe with your favorite music on) It is easier to cut out your garment piece from your favorite area…than it is to cut it out first and HOPE it will look good! Interested in coming to Ashland for a class? I will be listing spring classes on my next blog. Happy Painting, Diane