Happily Ever After

As a friend, you can't help but feel overjoyed when they find that special someone! All our childhood dreams of forever after and Prince Charming come true on our wedding day. It's the day that etches so many memories in our hearts and is the door that opens to a whole new world. You have someone to walk beside you through all that life brings, you have a hand to hold and shoulder to cry on. They are the half that makes you whole. 

With so many exciting new emotions to experience, this life milestone is to be treasured in a very special way. When it came time to my friend's wedding, I knew I had to make something she would cherish. This sweet friend, a year and a half ago, stood by me in our own wedding and now it was my turn to stand up in hers. Nicolina surprised me with a beautiful handmade quilt as a wedding gift. Every time I see that, I know the love that went into every stitch. It warms my heart and I knew I wanted to do the same for her. Time honored tradition models women gifting their friends with handmade treasures for their marriages, and I wanted to carry that on. 

This engagement photo caught my eye and soon became the concept for their wedding gift. I decided to make it about 6"x6" and then frame it in a shadow box. I started out with laying out wisps of fiber on a prefelt background. Actually a lilac prefelt, as that was one of her wedding colors and also a favorite color of mine too. 

After wet felting this layer, I added needle felted leaves using fiber and yarns. These then got wet felted as well. Then to the sewing machine! I am so inspired by the work of Scottish felt artist Moy Mackay who uses thread painting to add depth and dimension to her work. Different stitch sizes and thread colors and free motion movement allows one to draw with the stitches. I do this on my Janome machine and just a regular foot and a lot of back-stitching! It's pretty fun actually and adds so much to the piece. 

Then came the last and most challenging part.... needle felting them into the picture, including fun little details like her boot kicked up and curly hair. It was great to be able to capture a moment and transform it into the fiber medium.  I then mounted it on a linen background and framed in a 10"x10" barn wood shadow box frame from a local craft store. 

They loved it! So the next time you have a gift to give, stop and really consider blessing that person with your art. You will grow in your understanding and creativity. They will have something that with every stitch, thread and fiber, your love, prayers and blessings are being sent their way. Keep this tradition alive so someday our daughters and granddaughters will know the value in handcrafted. It's far more costly....the giving of ourselves, our talents and our time but it makes a priceless memory! 

Summer of the Sunflowers

I think sunflowers have to be the best happiness booster there is. Can you even look at one and try to not to smile? Impossible. They are the essence of carefree joy. Sunshine soaking into your outstretched arms. Endless skies and puffy blue clouds. Adventures and discoveries. There are a thousand good thoughts in each of their seeds and they show us to always keep our faces lifted to the sun. 

This summer, I had some sunflowers surprise me in the garden! They came up, presumably from seeds drop last year, and very early in Spring, I could see them pushing upward, each day gaining inches. They are now well over 7 feet tall and have given some glorious blooms. 

Our homeschool co-op planted a little plot of sunflowers that is growing nicely and that has started to bloom as well. I hope the kids will get to come out and see the miracle of growth and the fact that the little seed indeed has a giant plant inside! And to get to experience the same joy I have when I see those perky yellow blooms start to open up. 

I am working on an order of sunflowers for an interior designer. I played around with three designs and we settled on the ones with a long cording as the stem, which gives one the ability to use it as a tie-back for drapes, to tie on a purse, or more! They are all colors and shaped with a little fabric stiffener. 

We taught this as a class to the ladies in our felting group at the Elburn Library and they loved it. Planning on scheduling a class here at Esther's Place  in the next few weeks! And I got an order to make a wreath with sunflowers, too. 

So I'd say that this is the summer of sunflowers. What else can perk up your spirit and bring joy to the down trodden? An everlasting sunflower can! 

Memories Come Alive

This summer, I've been quite busy working on some really touching projects. I'd like to share these with you over the next few blog posts, so you can catch a glimpse of how my creativity works! 

I was approached by a customer, who also happens to be a local art teacher, about a commissioned piece for her mom. We started talking about what she was dreaming up, and I asked her to describe what she had in mind. She told me about a place that was nestled in the hills of northeastern Iowa, a place pure and wild and serene. A place where the honeysuckle grew on fence lines and sheep grazed the grassy hills. Where a bubbling creek ran alongside a gravel road, where the happy peals of laughter of children running barefoot through the woods rang out against the clear blue skies. A place where home was good cooking, served around a table of love, in a farmhouse built from the ground up. 

She gave me a batt of wool raised from that very farm, undoubtedly housed in an attic for a good many years, waiting for the right project to come along. It was tied in twine, and wrapped in brown craft paper. As I opened it up, and unrolled the lofty vanilla colored wool, I pondered what stories that fleece held. It was now up to me to let the wool tell its story. 

I asked if she had any pictures of the farmstead. She did not; however, she had a watercolor she did based only on her mother's recollections, as there were no known photographs. 

I had an idea of what I wanted to create, so I started in on the background. This was not hard- a few hills, a clear blue skies, a road. I used her wool as the base, and then started adding merino wool on the surface. I used silk hankies as clouds, which turned out to be a stunning choice. Yarns, Lincoln wool locks and wool neps were used in the road and grasses at the base of the piece. I designed and wet felted it in one evening. 

The next thing, which intimidated me, was the house. I chose to needle felt it on so I could get the detail of every little window pane, nook and cranny. Feeling quite jubilant so far, I took it to the sewing machine to thread paint some depth into the landscape. 

So there it sat for a few weeks while I mulled over the honeysuckle. I wanted to truly make one feel as though they were walking along a road, when all of a sudden the scent of honeysuckles struck them and took their memories back to another place, and another time. 

Then it came to me! I needed to make it dimensional and all of a sudden, in a flurry, it started to come together. Flowers and leaves were felted using prefelts and some thread painting and the fence posts were wet felted. I sewed them on after meticulous placement, then sewed in a spacer to the back to give depth. Yes! This was precisely what my mind had imagined. What a joyous moment when concept gives way to conception that leads to creativity and completion. 

The last finishing touch was the wire for the fence. I rooted through my stash for a antique looking fine gauge wire, and plyed it on my spindle to achieve the  correct scale. That got wrapped and added, and now my fence line had some worn wire fences for the honeysuckle to trail along. 

As I work on projects, I get many curious customers who get a sneak peak of the process. This leads to great idea cultivation, many good suggestions and sometimes, downright brilliance. Such was my conversation with Jodi, who stopped in for some fibers and stayed to hear about my piece. She was drawn to the honeysuckles right away and exclaimed that her company, Natural Refinery,  makes a honeysuckle perfume that smells just like passing by wild honeysuckles on a warm Spring day. She said how much it reminds people of their scents of childhood and takes their memories back. All this was without even telling her about how my customer had earlier mentioned scenting the piece with honeysuckle! She kindly offered to bring some out so I could include it with the piece as a gift. 

I remember listening to John Denver's "Country Roads" while working on the piece and thinking how important it is that we take time to send out roots deep into the place we call home. Everyone deserves a place that makes them flourish while surrounded by love, joy and security. In the harsh world we live in, sometimes we have to search and wander until we find that home. Sometimes its just a place in our hearts, or in our dreams. It might even be our heavenly home in the skies of glory. 

I'm so happy to be able to transform memories into art. It's a delicate and precious calling that I feel blessed to be a part of. As the stories are told to new generations, I hope this special place will captivate their hearts as well. 

Lovely Lilacs

In my childhood, I have some pretty vivid memories of lilacs. These memories are actually pretty humorous, looking back, but as a kid, they kind of made me cringe. You see, I was raised with a mom who never minded going out and getting what it was she had in mind to get. Every Spring, she was on a lilac pursuit. 

I think farm wives have always had a love affair with lilacs. They would take a cutting and plant it as soon as they arrived, setting down roots in their new home and giving their new surroundings the scent of familiarity. Old farmsteads always had a lilac bush, if not a lilac hedge. For such dainty beautiful flowers, the bushes were really quite large, woody and in the way. You'd have to keep it pruned or the lilacs would continue on their conquer of the world, one farmstead at a time. The beauty of the lilacs was that even long after the farm buildings had gone, the lilacs were still there. 

So my mom knew some abandoned farmsteads where the traditional purple lilacs grew and even one where the white lilacs grew. We'd pick a few bouquets every spring. I would quietly wonder when we'd get arrested and she and my brother would frolic around, picking armfuls of the sweet blossoms. 

One year, there was one of our usual haunts that was getting torn down for a housing development. My mom marched right in there and told them about the story of the lilac bush, and how it was the last bit of living history of the farmstead they were destroying, and that they were changing the face of rural America. All her years of protesting had served her well I guess, but if she could have tied herself to that lilac bush, I think she would have. She loves her causes, God bless her! 

I could have died. I shrunk into shadows as best I could for a thirteen year old and hoped when I opened my eyes, this embarrassment was over! The construction crew told her she should have on a hard hat to be here, but pick all you want lady, 'cuz the bush is coming down tomorrow. 

That was the death of yet another lilac and another legacy, and as those blooms fell to the ground, so did the the hopes and dreams of the farmstead. That farmstead would never again bloom brilliant in spring, or welcome the sounds of a barnyard, or grow food to feed our souls. But it did teach me something important that day, something that has stuck with me in the fifteen years that have passed since then. 

Stand up for what you believe in and have a voice. Tell the story if they cannot tell it themselves. It might be just a lilac, but in this world today, there are far more beautiful things that deserve to be treasured and are instead torn down and destroyed. Things that need us to tell their story. Those lilacs taught me that, and every Spring when they bloom, they remind me again. Whenever I see a lilac, I stick my head into it's heady blossoms to drink of their fragrant beauty. There's nothing like it in the world!

Sisters, Sisters....

Little lambs are often born as twins. Triplets are not uncommon, though, in the sixteen years we've had sheep, we've never had triplets. (I'm still waiting for that day!) So watching little lambs grow up with their siblings is a pretty common pastime. 

Having twins is preferred over just one, because it means for smaller lambs at the time of delivery, so the ewe has an easier time. Plus it's just doubles the cuteness! Siblings will chew on each other, walk over each other, fight each other for the teat, cuddle with each other and best of all, fall asleep on each other. It's quite priceless to watch their interactions! 

I've watched many lambs cuddle in close to their twin and rest their head on their back while dozing to sleep. There is nothing quite like that in the world! You know they are content and safe and love the little one they have been brought into the world to be with. You know it is a special bond, and even as they grow up, they will still stick by their siblings' side. 

I hope if you have a special sibling, you will take the time to show them some love today. Time and distance makes it harder today to stay close to those we love. It seems like so much gets in the way. We remember those times when we were close, when we chewed on each other, walked over each other, fought each other, cuddled with the other and even feel asleep on them. Take a moment to share a memory with them today. Even if it is just the picture of these two little lambs dozing on each other, share with them how much they mean to you. Life passes too quickly for us not to share those precious thoughts! 

And after the rain....

Tonight the sky quickly changed. I was in the garden, before sunset, trying to finish some hoeing before night fell. There was a lot on my mind... the picking day that lay ahead, the work that always loomed, the problems that I couldn't solve. 

I was overwhelmed. As I looked at the rapidly moving clouds to the north, I wasn't sure if we were going to get rain or not. As the minutes raced by, I knew it was heading our way. I was trying to overcome the discouragement and feeling of not being able to get ahead. Another storm? Really? 

My life had too many storms thus far. I was tired and worn out and as this one approached on the horizon, I glanced up to see the sky change to a radiant gold. Rain fell in soft splitter-splatters on my back, and in a brief moment, it began to pour. I had a sinking feeling. Another storm, another set back. 

Something nagged at me to turn around. When I did, I was facing the most glorious rainbow- a double rainbow, in fact with a full spectrum of color. Those who know me know how much I love my color spectrum and this was incredible! Right away I burst into tears of joy. It was like God had whispered "I am here. Turn around. Don't face the storm. I am right behind you." And just like that, the rainbow grew and grew and grew. I dropped my hoe and started to run to the edge of the garden to get a picture. 

I could barely get the whole thing in one picture because it got so large so quickly. It was like He was telling me, "So can you trust me in the storm? I am bigger than the rain that pelts you. I am more glorious than you ever know. And I love you enough to tell you this. See my beauty? I am right here, and I want you to know that."

The rainbow lasted for only a few brief moments. When I turned back around, the storm clouds had broken into a Renissance-esque scene of sunrays bursting through heavenly clouds. I whipped my head back around to see the rainbow disappear, leaving only a peaceful wash of color in the sky where it once was. 

It was a moment as real to me as if God had spoken in audible words. It is something I will cherish for a lifetime, and something I hope, that in sharing with you, offers hope and encouragement for the storms you might face. Turn around. You might just find a rainbow there!  

Jumpin' for Joy

There are some times in life when you get those small joys. They can be seemingly minuscule- finding a close parking space, or snagging the last in your favorite ice cream at the grocery store. Maybe it's clean sheets you can snuggle under, or the smell of laundry hung out to dry with it's crisp freshness. For this little guy, it was fresh straw. Bright, clean, fresh straw. It might sound simple, but it's really got him jumpin' for joy! He can't contain the happiness and you have to admit, it just makes you smile. 

So many times in life, we focus on the annoyances and the frustrations. When those little joys do creep into our day, will we take the time to recognize them? Enjoy them? Be thankful for them? If we aren't careful, they slip right on by without us even knowing. 

So next time something happens that is unexpected and fills your heart with happiness, will you jump for joy like this little lamb? I hope you picture it in your mind and it brings a smile to your face. It surely does to mine!  

Fresh from the farm

It has been a whirlwind! The last month has been filled with so much excitement on the farm. My creative work has an ebb and flow, and during spring, my energies are focused on the new life emerging on the farm. 

Little lambs! 18 of them! We have truly been blessed this year. Our Cheviot ewes are wonderful mothers, many of them birthing on their own with little assistance, and nurturing them so lovingly. There is no bond like that of a mother and child, whether human or animal. It is so sweet to watch the love and devotion and outpouring of dedication of these ewes. And the look of gratitude on the lambs' faces,  their sweet baa's echoing throughout the barn, serves as the best applause a mother could ever wish to have. 

I feel a little bit a part of that as a Shepherd. We watch and nurture and take care of the ewes, and they graciously in return, endow us with their trust. I have spent so many precious moments in the barn. One such moment captured this image of a mother and lamb, and it speaks volumes. The bond they share and the preservation of a precious moment in time are captured by the lens of the camera. How precious! 

Prize Winners!

I wanted to give you an update.... my dress and vest both took ribbons at the MidAtlantic Quilt Festival Wearable Art Competition! The dress, Silver Lining, took first place in the ensemble category, and the vest took an honorable mention in the vest, coat or jacket category. 

Very exciting! And for more news, be watching at the Handweaver's Guild of America Convergence 2016  coming to Milwaukee, WI July 30th-August 6th. These two pieces will be in the fashion show there as well! 

I have had work in their Yardage Exhibit, All Media Exhibit, and Fashion Show, in the past years in Albuquerque, NM, Long Beach, CA and Providence, RI. Their event is every two years. It features a vendor hall, a myriad of classes, lectures and workshops, and great connections to the fiber art pulse in the region. 

We're going to make a weekend of it and go, my husband and I. We're thinking of camping at the breathtaking Kohler-Andrae State Park. It's right on Lake Michigan, with sand dunes, forests and quiet peacefulness. Then we can drive down to Milwaukee to enjoy some night life, food and of course, the show! It's a great get-a-way that's not too far away. And since the last Convergence I attended was Long Beach, I am already anticipating gathering lots of new supplies, ideas and inspiration. Stay tuned! I'll definitely  be sharing that experience with all of you. 

The Umbrella

This is my 2015 project for the Women's Journeys in Fiber, and our exhibit just finished up at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, where this photo was taken. What a fitting theme umbrellas were for 2015, with all the rain we had! Here is my story behind it, and a palette of inspiration.... 

What is Your Umbrella?

Natasha Lewis

Wet is my adjective for the summer of 2015. This season we have encountered a lot of rain! Small drops, big drops, it is all the same. Morning sprinkles or midnight thunderstorms, we have seen all that this wet precipitation has to offer.  Squalls that come out of nowhere or storms that build on the horizon that we watch rolling in, they pour down the rain never the less.

 Interrupting our progress, interrupting our plans; it comes and we can do nothing about it. As the wet drops come plummeting down from heaven, one tiny bead at a time, they nourish the parched. But too much, too quickly and it causes difficulties; makes simple things challenging and shapes our world with its force and power.

 What can we do but run for cover in a rainstorm? When we have not a shield, we become drenched and are left gasping for breath as we feel the rain soak us through and through. Yet under protection, we can be sheltered from what goes on around us. The rain can pour and yet our shelter, though small, can provide a sanctuary from the storm as it passes.

 How many times have we stood beneath an umbrella hearing the plunking of rain drops, watching them roll down and drip off its’ edge? In that moment, we feel uttermost gratitude for that refuge, the only thing that stands between our own comfort and the world’s harshness.  

The rain in our lives can come at any time- it can soak us, chill us, flood us out, unless we have our shelter.  What is that shelter for us? Does it look radiant, filled with a wellspring of joy, hope and faith? Or is it a community that embraces and upholds us until the rain passes? Do talents deep within us blossom and flourish with the rain and build for us a refuge we run to? We can find so many places to seek quiet while the storm rolls on.  We don’t have to stay alone in the rain, getting drenched. 

 Today, whether you are experiencing sunshine or in the middle of severe storms, we know rain is to come. When you start to feel those first few drops fall, what is the umbrella you want to be holding? 

Sophie's Mask

My mask was created from hand dyed silks, as well as lace, cheesecloth, muslin, tatted lace, and all kinds of fabrics, along with beading. Here is the artist statement.

Sophie’s Mask

      Natasha Lehrer Lewis

From a young age and all through to the end of our lives, we wear a mask of a certain sort. When we are children, we learn that sometimes being something different than who we really are can earn us friends, acceptance and a sense of belonging. We start putting on our mask then. It’s a transparent mask at this point, a lot of our personality still shows through.

 However, as we grow older a few more layers are added. A few of life’s hurts and scars build upon our transparency and we discover that it is easier to show people the mask rather than our real feelings. People ask how we are and we answer with half- truths because it is just easier than revealing what is deep inside of us. People ask us for opinions and we answer with half-truths because it is the socially-correct way to interact. Our masks begin to become more layered with the importance of our appearance, status and accomplishments and the real us begins to grow dim.

As we reach the end of our lives, our masks are built up of so many experiences and memories. Each adds a layer to the mask and sometimes when we are by ourselves, we take off that mask and reminisce fondly, or perhaps bitterly, or quietly and reflectively. Those layers have made us, they write our story. Who are we really? What shines forth from our inner soul- our true spirit- over the years of life that we have passed through?

This mask tells that story. Inside, the colors were selected to represent light, faith, serenity, and passion. These emotions shape our thoughts, our perspective and our drive for life. These shades also reflect some of the harshness in our character that shape us as well, things like greed, jealousy, anger and indifference that can affect every aspect of our interactions. It is hidden on the inside. If one puts on this mask, this is not what people around them will see. But we know it is there. We can reveal it if we so choose.

On the outside we do see that inner soul shining out, beaming like a ray of light. Where else could it shine forth but in the eyes? We see in one eye that it is stronger, more brilliant. The other eye is clouded by the mask. The layers are more transparent around the eyes as our light melts away the mask’s layers. Wrinkles and creases form in the fabric around the eyes and forehead, years of worry writing their story upon our mask. There are tear stains on the cheeks from hurts that we feel, symbolized by cheesecloth. The lace represents an outward grace that we put on, it is knowing how to look and feel so we can appear full of poise and dignity. Even the mouth is covered in light layers of lace and silk, as we realize how essential it is to let our words mask our inner light.

As you work towards the edge of the mask, the fabrics become heavier and more layered. They are bits of memory fabrics, each one signifying a layer of life. These small bits are added with time, experiences,  and lessons that shape who we are.  Their varying textures and shades of white add dimension and interest to the mask. Each moment, day and year that goes by in our lives, we add pieces to this mask, in essence, it is never finished but an evolving piece of who we are.

Let us not focus on the mask, but instead on the light that is melting through our layers. Beads highlight and draw your attention back to the inner soul that is permeating the layers we’ve built. Gleaming, shimmering and reflective beads, they are like sunbeams dancing, raindrops lingering, and glory radiating.

Like the way that heaven meant for a bit of the Creator to shine forth in creation, let us turn our sights to allowing the inner soul to shine forth. Life may suggest otherwise, but we cannot accomplish anything more successful, attain anything more glorious, or offer anything more inspirational than this: being who we were created to be to the world around us. 

The Mask Project

For nearly three years, I have been a member of a group of a very creative ladies called "Women's Journeys in Fiber" . Started by Jan Gerber in 1998, it has met for the purpose of challenging it's members to explore a subject and create a specific piece in fiber from that process. Over the years, they have had the themes Mantles, Circle, Botanicals, Purses, Robes, Hats, Aprons, Footwear, Shifts, Masks and Umbrellas. 

I like to describe it this way: we take a iconic women's item and art-ify it. We construct these entirely from the ground up. There are meetings held routinely, and we are given a year to each theme; usually about six months to create and six months to exhibit. 

Our pieces are exhibited at three locations; the Chicago Botanic Garden in November, the Anderson Arts Center in Kenosha, WI in January and the Chicago Flower and Garden Show in March. Along with the piece, we also submit an artist statement for the piece. This allows you to see more in depth to the heart of the artist and is a crucial aspect to the viewer. 

It's a wonderful way to submerse yourself in creativity while working as a group with our different backgrounds, beliefs, ideas and inspiration. A challenge, but a joy and always a stretch of one's artistic intellect. 

#challengeonnaturephotography

I got invited on Facebook to the #challengeonnaturephotography by a friend recently. You are nominated by a friend to post seven days of nature pictures, while also nominating a new person each day you do this. 

To be completely honest, I saw flashbacks of failed Amish friendship bread going through my mind. I'm supposed to share this thing with seven other friends? Then add flour each day to my starter, then keep it at room temperature, then divide it, then add more stuff, ahhhhhhhhhh! Sure the bread was great once you made it, but a rigmarole to get there! Then if you don't share it, you end up eating Amish friendship bread forever. And heaven forbid you wanted Amish friendship bread but didn't have a friend to share a starter with you! Never did a more lonely feeling exist. Any-who....

 I decided I wanted to make the challenge a little more personal. I wanted to post a picture I had taken and the project inspired by it. So much of my work is influence by nature and the creation surrounding me. Everywhere I look, I see inspiration. 

Though I haven't yet finished my full seven days, I am enjoying the process. The catalyst behind this was to get more images of nature circulating on social media, something I'm completely supportive of. I hope it has achieved that, and perhaps even, inspire people to take more notice of nature. 

So check it out. Google #challengeonnaturephotography and take a few minutes to be awed.