Spring 2023 Update

It’s May?! It’s spring?!

I’m tryin’ my darnedest to get spring going around here but Michigan has other ideas.

So while I wait for gardening weather, spring cleaning is happening and a bit of construction as well.

I am in the mist of working on illustrations for “A Horse Named Sky” which I MAY have mentioned comes out this fall!

The book takes place in the 1800s in the Sierra Nevada and willl include 100+ black and white illustrations. I know my fourth grade self would have died for this book. Making this book has been a celebration of an animal I love. Working on this project has added another dimension to my passion for horses. It’s not without its challenges though!

Some artists say that drawing horses is one of the hardest animals to draw. Leave it to me to take on a project like this! LOL Can’t wait to share it with everyone when it’s in print.

In April, Emmy Kastner opened up her studio in Kalamazoo and I road tripped across the state with fellow book maker Deb Pilutti to check it out.

Her studio lives above her family’s coffee shop and it gave us big studio energy.

Emmy reminded us the importance of play in art making and her studio was no doubt a reflection of this! She says she tries to begin her work day with experimenting and playing with materials.

It seems pan pastel fever is ripping through the state and Emmy has also had the itch for these smooth pastels. Emmy demonstrated using frisket with pastels, giving the illusion of cut paper. GOT to try it out!

Totally inspired. Thank-you Emmy. Highly recommend checking out her books (especially her NERDY BABY series) at the library or gifting to your littles.

When I got home I was eager to try Emmy’s technique but with all my things packed up right now, I could only locate some blue tape. Womp-womp.

Even so, I love the edge it created! Getting a variety of hard and soft lines with pastel can be tricky so this technique comes to me at the perfect time for me.

In case you missed it, in March I wrote an article for Muddy Colors “How to Speak Color.” I talk about the system for naming colors and how calling colors by their correct names can lead to better mixing.

To read, check it out here.

Let’s talk about some of my other projects! I told you all some time ago that the Tilda’s fabric collection “Windy Days” had my heart and I was going to do something special with it. Well, I’m making progress!

After “Quilt-a-Palooza” in Texas, I wanted to do something else with that Carpentar star with the tilted box. I created a border pattern and I plan to add another border with this muted blue-green fabric also from the Tilda Windy Day collection.

I have been obsessed with these “plus quilts” and have been wanting to give it a try but when it came time to make one, I couldn’t find any patterns I liked. So I made one up.

I plan to put this one up for sale when I get a chance.

Quilting on my Juki. This quilt has both the straight stitching quilting and free motion style.

I’m beaming with pride about this edge stitching and consistency in my stitch length on my meandering.

Well folks, that’s what I’ve been up to! Let me leave you with this note I found in my spring cleaning.

Simple enough!

I so appreciate you keeping up with my work. To keep in touch consider added yourself to my snail mail subscription.

Happy creating.

Kirbi