We’d love to have you along on the trip! I’m thrilled to be co-hosting a fabulous trip to Ireland in June 5-14, 2012, along with my friend and fellow traveler, Susan Nelsen. She and I have had some wonderful textile adventures, both as members of a tour and as tour hosts. This amazing trip to Ireland and the First International Quilt Festival of Ireland promises to be another of those never-to-be-forgotten journeys.

  Just to warm you up with a little Irish flavor…..No, this isn’t a couple of escapees from a Lucky Charms commercial…..it’s actually Pam and Susan in our “going-to-Ireland-presentation” outfits.   We’ve found at least this elf-like approach draws a lot of attention when we’re about to talk about the trip to groups. They’re undoubtedly wondering how we could possibly be seen in public in these outfits. Oh well……anything to promote the trip!

Now for the details……we’ll be one of a number of tours to visit this unique quilt show held on a college campus in Galway, Ireland. Unlike any of the convention center super-shows I’ve been to here in the US, this one will be held in a number of the charming and historic buildings that make up the campus. Exhibits, vendors, Irish food and drink, and lots of quilters from all over the world will make up the show. Sound inviting? We’re totally excited and know this will really be something unique.

For all the details on the trip, the cost, the itinerary etc. etc., visit www.IQFOI.com. Once you get there…..click on the tours that leave from Seattle…..then click on the trip hosted by Pamela Mostek and Susan Nelsen. After all, we want you in OUR group! We promise you a fun and friendly adventure. We’re experienced travelers and hosts, and we know how to make you feel comfortable and at home…..even on the other side of the world …..or if this is your first European trip.

One of the things I enjoy about this type of textile tour is the opportunity to meet and travel with people who enjoy and appreciate the same things I do…..like textiles! It’s really a unique experience……but it’s not just a girlfriend thing. There have been husbands or male partners along on other trips I’ve been on….and I’m sure there will be on this one as well. I think they’ve enjoyed not only the places we’ve visited but also the chance to be surrounded by delightful and fun-loving women!  Just sayin’……!

Oh yes….and after three days at the quilt show, we’ll travel around the country for six days, visiting such places as the Ring of Kerry, Blarney Castle (yes, you’ll have a chance to kiss the Blarney Stone!), woolen mills, Dublin and way more. Check all that out on the itinerary on the website. We’ll travel on a comfortable bus with our own driver and guide who know the area well and will give us the inside information on the places we visit, which make it even more memorable.

Can you tell I’m trying to entice you with the Ireland photos? I haven’t been to Ireland before so I can’t wait to immerse myself in the “Green Experience”….everyone tells me how beautifully green it is. Can’t wait to see that. After all, green is probably my favorite color to use in my artwork. I’m sure that means I will totally love Ireland!!

If you have questions about the trip, don’t hesitate to email me at pamelamostek@gotsky.com or you can email from my website.  Susan and I couldn’t be more thrilled about this upcoming tour…..and we’re sure it will be one of those-adventures-of-a-lifetime. Thanks for thinking about joining us.

Keeping you up to date…..I will be selling my artwork at Spokane’s Inland Crafts, an annual sale and exhibition of fine, contemporary crafts. It’s really a lovely juried show with artists from around the Northwest……and I’m happy to be part of it all.

The photo above is of First Blush, a fiber collage that’s about 70″ x 60″. Definitely one of my largest pieces. That’s the good part…

The flip side is that I’m frantically creating art here in my studio, which at this point is kind of a Santa’s workshop kind of thing. I’ll have, of course, my hanging textile art, but I’ll also have some smaller pieces as well…….you know…Glitter Trees (which you can see on a previous posts) treasure boxes etc. etc. These are the things that take a waaayyy lot of time for what they seem to be. Good thing I like doing them.  After all….I know that everyone isn’t going to come in to my booth and pay hundreds of dollars for one of my fiber art pieces BUT they may spend $50 on a little treausre!

It’s all part of my goal of spending more time on my art…..less time on other parts of my work in the textile world. Wearing a lot of hats requires a lot of time. Translation: lots of late nights!!

So….if you’re near the Spokane WA  area on November 11-13, I hope you’ll visit me at Inland Crafts at the Spokane Convention Center. I’ll be the one with polka dot floor rug!

On another note….can you believe I’ve blogged two nights in a row!! Wow. I’m so impressed with myself. Don’t expect me to keep this up however……I need to get back to making Glitter Trees….

And I don’t mean the Wall Street market……although that’s vitally important, I’m talking about the REAL market for this time of year…..International Quilt Market in Houston. Well, I guess that’s only true if you’re involved in the world of quilting and textiles….but for those of us who are, it’s an important time of year.

First of all,  I have to admit I got to market without my camera so you’ll have to put up with words only. Sorry about that…..I always much prefer photos, but……I’ll try to chat a little about it without the visuals this time.

For those of you who might not be familiar (probably lots of you) quilt market is the twice-a-year show where designers and other wholesale vendors go to show their wares to shop owners….and hope to sell to them, of course. What the shop owners order there will eventually show up on the shelves of  their quilt shops but sometimes that takes a while. In the case of fabric, it can be another four months or longer …..but it is coming and it will be new!!

I design fabric for Clothworks Textiles…..and they were showing my new line which will be in the shops in February……Poppies…and, I have to tell you….I LOVE IT!  I’ll get some photos on my blog and website soon…but you can see the whole line on their website at www.clothworkstextiles.com. Now, I want to make this perfectly clear…..I don’t ALWAYS love my fabric collections when they get to this stage, but this one is fabulous. Actually, my fabric for Clothworks is always really great….it feels soft and elegant and their artists do a wonderful job of converting my artwork to fabric. That means a lot to me……if my name is going on the side of it, I want it looking and feeling good. Period. Clothworks never disappoints me with this. Soo….if you love bold and dramatic, check it out on their site.

I also have a new book coming out this month…..Blended Borders which made a grand appearance at market as well. I did a book signing at several booths…..and there were actually folks waiting in line. Of course….there’s something about the lure of a FREE book….but I prefer to think it’s all about the book and not the free part! Truly, I’m very proud of this book too. More to come on that as well.

As far as my overall analysis of it all……I’ve decided that really anything goes….as long as it’s done well. In fabric you can see everything from lovely vintage to hot and retro…and all seems to be popular. Maybe the days of strong trends are gone…..just like in fashion, there seems to be a trend toward variety and I think that’s a good thing. Always fun to see all the goodies, though.

I always enjoy seeing friends from around the country that I don’t get to see any other time. Kind of an old-home-week with lots of work involved! It’s not easy making all that stuff look beautiful. Especially when it’s been shipped from all over the country and smooshed up in boxes and crates.

Ok…I think I hear that my granddaughter has arrived, so I’ll sign off for now. More to come soon. Stay tuned.

And this will be my first year as an exhibitor at this annual show in Spokane, Washington.  Three Peppers  above is just one of my pieces that will be for show and sale.

 Even though it’s my first time, this juried show has been a part of the regional art scene for years. In fact the  official description is the 26th Annual Sale & Exhibition  of Fine Contemporary Crafts. The dates are November 7-9.

 I’ll be showing my fiber art pieces…..both large and small. And speaking of small, I’ve done a number of little….like realllllyyyy little….pieces, just in case that’s what people are interested in.  Like, 3″ x 3″ fiber pieces mounted on canvas…..I have a great photo on my camera and promise to add it to my blog soon. Tonight, I’m too tired to download. Too many late nights in the studio getting ready for the show.

 If you’re in the area, I know there will be lots of wonderful artwork to enjoy….and, of course, purchase if you find something you can’t live without. Hopefully!

 For more information, check out their website at www.inlandcrafts.org

 Hope to see you there. I’ll be in booth 124! Come by and say hello…..and bring chocolate!

My collage quilt, Paintbox #1,  was selected as part of this year’s Quilt=Art=Quilts ……which I feel very honored to be a part of.

 The show focuses on quilts as art and is held annually at the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, NY. This is it’s 28th annual juried quilt exhibit…..and is certainly one of the most respected shows in the country.

It runs from November 2-January 4…..and for more information, check out their website

www.myartcenter.org

If you’re anywhere near by in the next several months, I think it would be a fabulous opportunity to view a collection of outstanding quilts…….since I live in Washington State and have a very busy schedule coming up, I won’t be able to see the show….Darn. You’ll have to enjoy it for me…..

It’s not exactly new……but I haven’t shown it online as I planned to enter it into this year’s Quilt National competition.

But, alas, I got my official rejection notice…..didn’t make the big show….so now I can show it other places. It was definitely a long shot that I might get it in the show….but…..I’m always challenged by the long shot!

It’s title is Crossfire….and I’m pleased with the movement that it creates. It was one of those quilts that I wondered about the whole time I was working on the design, but when it was done, I was happy with it.

 It doesn’t always work that way. Usually I have a good feeling about a piece from the beginning of it ends up being one of my favorites.

 As far as not being accepted into QN…..I know I’m in good company! It’s kind of the mother-of-all quilt shows….and being accepted is a huge honor. Oh well, I’ll try again in two years.

Very exciting….. I was pleased and honored to receive both a Juror’s Award and a Judge’s Award at the recent Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters show in Seattle.

And, needless to say,  totally surprised. Now you could be thinking that “everyone says that”…..and you might be right, but in my case, it couldn’t be more true. My raw-edged technique is not always wildly popular with judges. For that reason, I primarily enter shows that are more “art shows” than “quilt shows” at this point.

The APNQ show is kind of my local show, living in Washington State as I do, so I enter it even though it is a quilt show…..and a great one at that. Lots of variety in the categories with everything from hand applique to art quilts.

Sooooo….. you can see why it was truly a surprise. One of the most thrilling things about it was that I received the Judge’s Award from Yvonne Porcella, one of the three judges. She has been one of my own personal “rock stars” of contemporary quilting for as long as I can remember. Her appreciation of my quilt was really an honor.

By the way…. the show included lots of wonderful quilts. I’d call  this year’s show a “stitching show”….as many of the winners were expertly and heavily quilted.

Here’s my quilt….and the ribbons!

Meet Green with Envy, one of my two entries accepted into this summer’s Quiltfest, sponsored by the Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters.

It’s a great show, and I’m pleased to have my work as part of the exhibit. If you live in the Northwest, and haven’t yet visited the show…….you’d better make this your year!  Check out the info below…which is from their website. They said it perfectly…so why should I try to reword it!

Since August of 1994, every two years Seattle is host to the Pacific Northwest Quiltfest, a biennial juried and judged international competition among quiltmakers of Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Northwest Territories, Oregon, Washington and Yukon. The quilt show takes thousands of man hours, hundreds of volunteers and showcases over 300 of the finest quilts in the Pacific Northwest region.

There are many talented and well-known quilt artists from this wonderful part of the country, and many of them will be in the show. There will be outstanding quilts of all types….from the very traditional to cutting edge art quilts. That’s the kind of show that I enjoy…..a little of everything.

My other entry is Five Apples ….quite a bit different than the abstract quilt above, huh. I like working both ways but probably enjoy the abstract the most.

The show is August 8-10, and I’ll be attending with three of my friends….kind of a girlfriend trip. All of us are involved in the professional quilting world….so just to go to a show for FUN is a great treat. No booth, no teaching, no meetings….just a fun weekend with lots of quilts to see and fabulous vendors to buy from. It doesn’t get better than that.

For more information about the show….checkout their website at www.apnq.org

Hey, maybe I’ll see you at the show! I’ll watch for you!

Here’s another quilt in my Vignettes Series. They are all small, nearly abstract (if that’s possible) or maybe abstract….depending on your point of view. I mount them on painted canvas for hanging when they are completed.

I primarily use hand-dyed fabrics with lots of decorative machine stitching and hand-stitching. Sometimes I finish them off with beading….and sometimes not.  I’m totally hooked on the hand-stitching part of it….in fact, I’ve even been called a little compulsive about it!  That’s for another post, however….You can see a little of the hand-stitching in this detail shot. Naturally I have to have a stash of hand-stitching threads too. …..what a delight. I also sometimes add a little textile paint as an accent as well as you can see here.

I love beading…but not all the time. I don’t want it to become a crutch to save a so-so quilt. You know what I mean….if you’re not totally thrilled with it at the end, there’s always that impulse to throw on a few beads to pull it out! It’s still all about good design, and there’s no covering up bad design with beads. That said….beads can be an irresistible frosting on the cake of a great quilt.

I certainly don’t want to sound “anti-bead!” Horrors, no. I even wrote a book about beading and decorative stitching on quilts (Dazzling Quilts published by Martingale & Co.) You can check it out on my website if you want to see some over-the-top beading. Nevertheless, be cautious with it and make sure you are spending the time it takes add the beads to a quilt that is already awesome.

You can see this quilt, Vignettes 10, as well as others in my Vignette Series at the Angel Gallery at 423 Sherman Avenue in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. If you live nearby or will be vacationing in beautiful Northern Idaho, stop in and see them in person.

Besides quilts from that series, I have others there for sale as well. I couldn’t resist showing you this one……Ravishing is part of my Paintbox Series….and one of my absolute favorites I’ve done. …Enjoy.

A collection of my art quilts are currently on exhibit at The Artist’s Tree in Spokane, WA……for those of you who may be in the vicinity. They will be there until April 26.

I’ve included a number of smaller pieces that I’ve mounted on painted, stretched canvas……which works well for that size. I love handstitching on these small ones. It’s fun to create a variety of patterns and sizes of stitches….which is something you can’t do as well with a machine.

The address of the gallery is 828 W. Sprague Avenue in Spokane. If you’re in the neighborhood, I hope you’ll stop by. Of course, if you’re on the other side of the country and feel like a quick flight to check it out…..that’s OK too!

Here’s another example of the small, mounted pieces. I really like the light, subtle shades in this one. Most of the hand dyed fabrics in both of these pieces are done by Anna Turner of Spokane…..a really awesome dyer!