Billie Bags Etc.

 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/floorartetc

Hello!  I'm Billie Anderson from Bigfork, Montana USA.  Bigfork is a small Village snuggled in on a Bay on Flathead Lake in Northwest Montana that is very arts oriented with many artists and galleries as well as a world class Repertory Theatre. The Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for musical theater, stage productions, dance, music, and educational programming in Northwest Montana. In the lobby of the Theatre is a 9' church pew that I painted a few years ago and sold.  The buyers donated it to the Theatre.  Needless to say I was so excited to see it there and to know that thousands of people will see and sit on it for years to come.

I'm a third generation Montanan and grew up in Bigfork and have lived there most of my life for over 50 years. My three wonderful adult children were born and raised in Bigfork with two of them living here and my oldest daughter living in Colorado with her husband and my  adorable grandson.

I am a Digital Artist designing digital collages, also known as photomontages, using Photoshop CS4.  I then have my designs professionally printed onto designer fabrics where I then give new life to military surplus laptop sized messenger bags by sewing the fabric onto the flaps.  I also make beautiful pillows and pillow covers with the fabrics.  My designs are also printed in a square format at a Professional Photo Lab online and I sell them in five sizes.

I am inspired by the fabulous Artists and Designers of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco Eras.  I have a collection of roaring 20’s Era Vogue books and magazine covers and also books on Erte’ a designer of the same era that I have always loved. I have focused all my time on designing and sewing for now. My plan for the future is to have silk scarves and wall hangings made using my designs.  The possibilities are endless.

I'm also an Acrylic Artist specializing in painting large wall Tapestries, Canvas Rugs, Fabric and recycled Furniture.  You can see my past painted work in this Portfolio.    

I’ve been an Artist and Crafter for over 40 years.  I was a Basket Weaver for many years, owning my own shop for 10 years with my sister-in-law where we sold our handmade baskets as well as other local artists and crafters work. I’m also a  Photographer and Chandler.  I learned to sew when I was about 13 years old and made clothes and costumes for myself and for my children for years as well as making many quilts. I love creating something with my own hands and ideas and I'm always thinking of something else to create.

My challenges are to keep focused on what I'm doing at the time and my goals are always to produce the best product possible. I have always loved and bought hand made Art and Craft items for myself and for gifts.

I am always available to answer any questions you have.

Location:  Bigfork, Montana, USA

Online shop:  floorartetc 

Languages spoken:  English

"I'm No Angel...But I've Spread My Wings A Bit"

Pillow Cover by Billie Anderson

Tags:  laptop, messenger, bag, pillow, cushion, roaring 20's, theatre, erte, collage, print

Marlis Egger Textile Art

http://www.marlisegger.ch

I’m a full time textile artist and retreat organizer based in the Italian part of Switzerland.  The retreats, TexArtAcademy, bring in students from around the world:  textile artists, patchworkers, quilters and all those who love to experiment with textiles and new materials.  Tutors are internationally known textile artists.  The workshops take place in Ticino, the sunshine state in southern Switzerland.

Artist Statement:  My work explores and documents the joy of playing with fibers. I choose to work as an abstract artist because I have always been intrigued by pattern and color. I use different techniques to dye, paint and print my own fabrics made from natural fibers. They are the starting point for my textile images.

I am most inspired by people I meet and places I visit. My camera is my companion. I take photographs for further reference, but also alter them digitally and print them on fabric.

I am open to new techniques and materials, but the point of departure for these experiments will always be fabric: the tactile attraction and the enormous quality of fabric, the suitability to manipulation, the quality of raw edges and hanging threads, the way painted and dyed fabric changes character, the flexibility to surface design. These qualities continue to challenge and to inspire me.

Location:  Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland

Brick and Mortar:  TexArtAcademy - Retreat in the Italian part of Switzerland

Blogs:  marlisegger (art), aroomwithaview (photo)

Social Media:  Facebook,  Twitter, LinkedIn

Memberships:  SAQA, SDA

Languages spoken:  German, English, Italian

Potato Blight | 20" x 16" | Marlis Egger ©2010

Tags:  surface design, hand dyeing, machine quilting, hand embroidery, thermofax printing, fiber artist

Linda Robertus

 

www.lindarobertus.com

My name is Linda Robertus. I am Dutch, but I have been living in Brisbane, Australia with my family since March 2007.

I started quilting in 2006, when I was expecting our third son. After a year of making quilts for my children I slowly moved into the 'art quilt scene'. An online screen printing class in 2009 (with Lyric Kinard at Quilt University) has heavily influenced my work, as has the fact that my oldest son joined a gymnastics club around the same time. My series of gymnastics quilts is still not finished! Recently, I have started using cyclists in my quilts. I am currently working on a second cycling quilt.

I like to try other techniques and materials from time to time, such as lutradur, lino printing, making a quilt based on a photo (photography is another passion, and I keep a daily photo blog)... And I love optical illusions and will try from time to time to capure them in a quilt!

In 2008 I founded Art Quilts Around the World; an international group where each member makes a quilt to a designated theme four times a year.

My online shops are Blue Jacaranda, on MadeIt (the Australian Etsy)  and on Etsy where I sell small handmade items. I also design and sell fabric on Spoonflower.

Location:  Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Online shops:

   Blue Jacaranda on Made It
   Blue Jacaranda on Etsy
   Blue Jacaranda on Spoonflower

Blogs:

   Quilt blog: lindarobertus
   Online art quilt group: aroundtheworldin20quilts

Memberships:

   SAQA
   QuiltArt
Languages spoken:  Dutch, English, German, French and a little Italian

Gymnastic Quilt Series by Linda Robertus

Tags:  art quilts, surface design, printing, thermofax, gymnastics, sports

Monika Kinner-Whalen / My Sweet Prairie

http://www.soopsee.com/profile/MySweetPrairie/

My name is Monika Kinner-Whalen.  I am a quilt maker and fibre artist living in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.  Much of my art is inspired by the prairies and my world around me.  I am an avid photographer and I often incorporate my photos into my work.  Much of my fibre art is smaller scale with much color, embellishment, and fine detail.  My quilts are all original and made from beginning to end by me.  I have some things for sale, but I do love commissioned work.  You can read about this process  through my Etsy Alchemy page.  My business name is "My Sweet Prairie".  As I delved into fibre art, integrating my photos with my quilting skills, I would try to think up names for each piece.  "My Sweet Prairie" fit everything I created.  And so that name fit perfectly for my business.

My quilts can be seen on display at McNally Robinson's Booksellers, as well as at The Centre Galleries on occasion (both in Saskatoon, SK).

Artist's Statement:  As a sewist and an avid photographer, Fibre Arts is the perfect marriage for me to express my love of the Canadian Prairies.  As I began to see my own artistic identity emerge in my work, I decided to moved forward through the use of Etsy, Blogging, joining rings, and becoming a member of quilt and craft guilds.   My mission is to continue creating, learning, and exploring mixed media and fibre art.  I work to expand my art and stay current with trends and techniques while maintaining a public presence for others to enjoy my work.


Location:  Saskaton, Saskatchewan, Canada
Online shop: MySweetPrairie
Blog: MySweetPrairie 
Memberships:
   Saskatoon Quilters' Guild
   Saskatchewan Craft Council
Languages spoken:  English

Spring on the Prairie, 2010  (4"x6") by Monika Kinner-Whalen

Tags:  landscapes, embellished, machine-stitched, handstitching, quilted, thread, yarns, postcard, prairies, quilts

Linda Matthews

http://www.Linda-Matthews.com

I'm an Australian now living in Central Florida and I've been a textile artist in one form or another most of my life. After landing in the US in 2001 I quickly discovered and fell in love with art quilting. I then spent quite a number of years traveling throughout the US teaching creative sewing and art quilting classes and workshops, as well as exhibiting my art quilts.

These days though I prefer to stay close to home in Central Florida where I still teach locally from time to time and where I also self-publish a series of instructional dvds which are full of fabulous techniques specifically for textile and quilt artists. I also get to spend lots more time in my studio where I now work exclusively with digital art and design, as well as processes for printing on fabric, and in particular textured fabric.

I’ve also rediscovered my love of “working small” and have developed methods for preserving my digitally printed textile art so that it becomes durable and workable and suitable for using on items such as handbags, purses and accessories. My current ambition is to produce textile art that is beautiful but also practical; art that doesn’t necessarily need to hang on a wall or sit on a stand to be admired, it can also hang on your arm or be carried about with you.

Working with new technologies that intersect with artisan crafts is challenging and rewarding; new methods melding with old techniques resulting in textile art that is different, fresh and exciting.

Artist's Statement: Making art with fabric and thread is both a creative and an emotional experience for me, and I find my direction changing every so often. The older I get the more difficult it is to let go and move forward, and learning the futility of fighting the muse seems to be my life's greatest challenge. The only constant in my work seems to be the desire to encourage and inspire the creative spark that lives in each of us and ultimately I think, that is enough.

Location: Deland, Florida, USA

Online shops: Linda-Matthews

Blog: linda-matthews

Membership: SAQA

Languages spoken: English

Daisy Art Bag by Linda Matthews

Tags: textile art, fabric art, digital art, inkjet printing, printing on fabric, digital grounds, fabric paper, wearable art

Blueprints On Fabric

www.BlueprintsOnFabric.com

We hand treat natural fiber fabrics - cotton, silk, bamboo, rayon and watercolor paper for a nineteeth century photographic technique called cyanotype. This process is also known as blueprinting or sunprinting. Each print created is unique and is archival.  (Photo on the left is cyanotype over batik by Linda Stemer.)

Each piece is individually hand-treated, dried  and sealed in a light proof bag - ready to print!  Full instructions are included with every order.

Mission:  The cyanotype process is one of the earliest photographic processes discovered.  The first book ever published with photographs was "Photographs of British Algea - Cyanotype Impressions"  by Anna Atkins - She is widely recognized as the first woman photographer. Examples of her cyanotype prints from the 1850's are in museums today and they are as clear and blue as the day they were printed!

We are dedicated to preserving this unique historical process and keeping the magic of cyanotype available for children, contemporary artists and educators of history, photography and surface design.

-Linda Stemer

Location: Vashon Island, Washington, USA

Online Shops:   Blueprints on Fabric
Memberships:

   Surface Design Organization
   Alternative Photography

Languages Spoken: English

 Anna Atkins picture from around 1850 

called "cystoseira granulata"

 

Tags: cyanotype, photography, surface design, sunprinting, blueprinting, nature