Summer Garden Series – Janet Hartje

Janet Hartje’s solo show art quilt show entitled Summer Garden Series willl be hanging at Central Park, an indoor park in Woodbury, Minnesota, through the month of September.

Janet created the pieces using raw edge applique, fabric paint and thread painting.  She was inspired by photos she had taken at a garden show in Woodbury.

Also included is a piece representing Janet’s interpretation of tree bark, made for the Studio Art Quilt Associates exhibit at the Minnesota Quilt Show in June.

For hours and directions check out Central Park.

Wordless Wednesday — Postmark’d Art Celebrates the 4th

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Member Monday: More van Gogh

Last Monday we shared four of the fabric postcards that were created during the recent trade — all inspired by the master painter van Gogh. Here are the other four.

Debbie Geistweidt of Texas was inspired by Cypresses. Her fabric collage is covered with sparkling tulle and heavily stitched.

Jan Johnson of Nebraska was drawn to Sheaves of Wheat. I’m sure her part of the country had an influence.

Janet Hartje of Minnesota used a fused-raw-edge applique technique and Pentel dye sticks to create her Sunflowers.

Debra Svedberg of Minnesota said that she is intrigued by van Gogh’s use of the impasto paint stroke (visible paint strokes). She used embroidery floss to ‘paint’ Les Alyscamps. Her focus was to capture the trees as van Gogh did — vivid with autumn brilliance. I’m sure you’ll agree that she was successful!

There are ten themes to choose from each time we trade. Among the theme choices for our next round of trading are Chagall, Klee and Monet (we seem to be on an artist kick). I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!

First Friday Studio Tour – Janet Hartje

This month we travel to Woodbury, Minnesota to visit with Janet Hartje.

Do you call it a studio or sewing room?  Why do you think this is so?  Difference in starting point between quilting and art? Thinking of this as a business rather than a hobby?

I used to call it my craft space because I tend to do more than sew.  The past few years I have begun to think of myself as a professional. Visualize what you want and it will happen, right? Subconsciously you will work toward your goals. Think it. Be it. Have it.

My studio was originally the formal dining and living room space. Shortly after we moved in the dining room became my space (almost 25 years ago!).  When I purchased a longarm quilting machine three years ago the living space was added to my studio.

In recent years I’ve joined several organizations and through them I have learned a great deal about Fiber Art. I didn’t realize Fiber Art involved such a wide range of activities and was such fun or I’m sure I would have joined these groups sooner. My passion right now is the Art Quilt. I enjoy everything from visualizing the design, to controlling the color and pattern of the fabric, to the tiny embellishments that finish it. When I create my Fiber Art quilts, or postcards, I work in my studio to have access to as many materials and pieces of equipment as possible.

What do you have in the room?

A Bernina 185E is my primary sewing machine. It replaced a Kenmore that I loved — a gift from my husband on our first anniversary.  He knew even then, some of my favorite gifts involve sewing and craft items.  I still have that machine but after being dropped by a repairman it has never worked quite the same.  For our 25^th anniversary my sweetie gave me a Bernina.  I know most women want jewels but to me a new sewing machine was much better than jewelry.

My cutting table is two back-to-back IKEA cabinets with a covered board on the top. These cabinets hold plain white and black fabric which I hand dye, bleach or print. I also store tools for making rubbings, prints or sun dyeing fabric, specialty fabrics I use with my embellisher, interfacing, Misty fuse, peltex and some specialty papers for mixed media projects.

I have cabinets tucked in here and there in places that are most useful such as near my sewing machine, cutting table, by — and even under — my longarm.

Wall shelves hold paints, inks, paint sticks, metal pieces, adhesives and related items. The old wooden cabinet (from my childhood home) houses beads and other embellishment items.

I have two design spaces for visualizing and piecing together ideas for new projects.  The small portable one above my Bernina has a butterfly quilt on it right now. A larger flannel-backed tablecloth — secured by an IKEA hanging system — works for larger designs.  I have a quilt designed by Nancy Rink hanging there now. I’m considering how to quilt it.

Last year I hung 3M Command hooks in strategic spots to keep small tools handy. No more digging through drawers for them!

I have bookshelves for books, some of my class notebooks, finished quilt tops and my button collection.  I have the most recent postcard art I’ve received on display for inspiration — the remainder are in my postcard box so they are portable to take out to share with others.

Most of my fabric is in the fabric boxes on the shelves under my inspiration board and thimble collection.  I try not to keep too much fabric on hand.  Most of the time, I buy small amounts of fabrics.  It is all I normally need for an Art Quilt.  When I make a larger quilt, I usually buy only what I need, all at once.

Two units are devoted to my longarm: a bookshelf houses supplies, rulers, bobbins,and tools and thread is in the drawers of a small cabinet with the bobbin winder on top.

My desktop computer is quite old but it works well with the embroidery feature on my sewing machine.  I can connect my sewing machine to my computer and download a pattern to embroider. I don’t use this a lot, but it’s fun!  I would need to update my Bernina in order to use it with my new computer, so I keep my dinosaur around.  There is always something to spend money on in the world of sewing and we have to pick and choose!

Do you have anything, supplies, more machines, etc. tucked away in any other rooms of the house?

I do have some of my messier supplies stored in the basement such as art supplies, dyeing supplies and polymer clay.  I also have a room upstairs with some scrapbooking supplies. Many of these materials have multiple functions. There are more class notebooks in a cupboard in the family room.

How much horizontal surface do you have, and is it ever enough?

I don’t think quilters can ever have enough horizontal surfaces.  For instance, the small cutting table on top of my IKEA cabinets works great for small projects but for large quilts I usually put a protective surface on the dining table or other large surface to work.

Do you have to move piles of stuff to cut anything bigger than a fat quarter? Do you straighten/organize as you go, putting each fabric away as you cut, or do you clean up after a project?                               

I answered this partially by admitting I move to another room to cut anything very large.  I tend to pile as I work and keep everything out for a project until the project is finished, then I might put it away before I start the next project.  Neatness, is not something I am known for in my family.

How many projects do you work on at once and how do you keep them organized?

I am usually working on 4 – 5 projects at once.  For instance, I made Art Postcards, simultaneously, for two separate groups recently.  I worked on both at once because they each had stages where they needed to dry for a day or two.  At the same time, I made the pattern for the quilt I am preparing for Minnesota Contemporary Quilters, gathered the supplies to make a quilt for SAQA and started the butterfly quilt which is a challenge project for Minnesota Quilters.

I need to keep moving throughout the day. Sitting in one position too long creates problems for my back and neck which I injured in a car accident or I experience swelling in my left leg and foot where I have lymphedema.  So, working on multiple projects helps to keep me moving.  It also creates more mess!

Anything more you want to add about your studio, organization, working methods, etc., please do.

I like to get together with my friends to share ideas and learn new techniques.  I also enjoy seeing how other people work and often adopt new techniques or organizational ideas for my own use.  However, when it is time to make a project, I prefer to work alone.  This helps me to focus on the task at hand and gives me some time to visualize new designs with a minimum of distractions.

Visit Janet’s blog

Next Month: Evie Harris

First Friday Studio Tour – Kay Laboda

This month Kay Laboda of San Diego, CA, answers my questions about her studio.

Do you call it a studio or sewing room?

Sometimes I just say “my room,” but I’ve been saying “my studio” more and more.  This is the space I love to be in more than any other room in the house.  It’s very roomy, but I keep thinking I really do need more room. It’s where I like to create whatever the next experiment or project I have in my head.  Sewing is only one of the things I do.  I also make coiled pine needle baskets, and I like to crochet and paint.  I love working on projects and usually have more than three or four projects going at the same time.  There is a very large window that overlooks my garden, and I love sitting at my machine and watching the hummingbirds eat at their feeder.  It’s a very relaxing room for me to be in.

Why do you think this is so?  Difference in starting point between quilting and art?  Thinking of this as a business rather than a hobby?

Sewing is really just part of the equation.  The overall project can be a combination of designing, planning it out, painting, and overall letting the project talk to you through the process.

My quilting has always been about art with me.  It’s an expression of my thoughts and feelings, so it’s an art.  The fabric and quilting is the medium.  It’s my art outlet and I love working with the fabrics.  I started quilting five years ago when I was going through breast cancer.  I wanted something new and exciting to learn to do.  I also had been given a prayer quilt and wanted to learn to make them so I could give to others going through a tough time. It’s been an adventure for the past five years and I am continuously learning new things and techniques.

This is my hobby.  My family and friends are always saying I should sell my quilts.  But when it’s a business it’s not fun anymore.  There are always deadlines, and maybe not quite so happy customers.  I’d rather just do it for me, for gifts, just for fun.

What do you have in the room?

I have my main friend, my “Baby Lock” sitting in front of a large window overlooking my garden.  She actually can do just about anything I need, but I do have a larger dedicated quilting machine next to her that I use for larger quilts.  Then I have a new/used serger that I recently found at a garage sale for $25, then had to spend $145.00 to have it repaired.  So much for deals huh?  Now I just need to use it.  My TV and ironing board are to the left of my Baby Lock, along with my wall of thread.  Then behind the iron I have my bookcase of quilting and other craft books.

My laptop is next to the bookcase, sitting on a desk piled high with “projects I want to do next.” If only I were a cat with nine lives.

Then going on around to the left is my “stash.”  At the top of my stash bookcase is my favorite teddy bear I got for Christmas 50 years ago.  For some reason known only to that little girl at the time, I named him “Mouth.”  I’m still trying to figure that one out.

My small design wall is to the right of this which usually will have something up on it, even if it’s orphan blocks hoping to have some friends one day.  On around the corner still traveling counter-clock-wise is my closet which houses my bins of much loved scraps separated by color.  Next to the bins still in the closet is my much loved and traveled “Feather weight” friend.  I love that old machine.  The closet is also where I store some finished quilts and bolt of batting.

Around the next and final corner is another bookcase with a few of my giraffe friends, books listed on Amazon, and  bottom drawer of paints and dyes.  My main design wall is next to this.  In the middle of all this mayhem is my cutting and project table.  I designed and built it myself about four years ago.

How is your “stuff” organized?  How do you organize your fabric?

I mostly like to organize by color, in twelve large baskets, but also have a couple of bins of both asian fabric and seasonal fabrics. It works for me as I can pull out the bin of reds and see what I have, or the bin of blues, etc.  It helps keep them from fading and from the constant dust.  I do have groups of strips folded on the top shelf.  I love using them for borders and binding. I also have two plastic bins in the closets that I put all my scraps in by color.

How do you organize your thread (color, weight)?

I really try to keep it organized by color, and then I have my quilting threads on the two bottom rows by number.  I really like the Superior “King Tut” thread in variegated colors. Then I have a glass bowl of specialty threads looking pretty on top of the TV.

Do you have anything, supplies, more machines, etc. tucked away in any other rooms of the house?

I do have another larger ironing board in the laundry room which is just across the hallway from my studio. Much to my husband’s dislike, I now have my embroidery machine on a table in our bedroom.  I ran out of room in my studio and had to put it on a table in a corner of our bedroom.  I promised not to take over the bedroom with my projects.  I suggested that we switch our bedroom for my studio, but he drew the line on that one.

How much horizontal surface do you have, and is it ever enough?

My worktable is 42” x 60” with a cutting mat on top that is 39” x 59”.  When I need a little bit larger space ,I extend the drawers out and move the mat on top over to cover the drawers.  It helps when pinning a quilt together.  When that’s not big enough, I do go to the garage and put out my two folding tables together. The are four cabinets for storage underneath the work table.  There are a total of six drawers and two cabinets with shelves and I have ran out of space.  The top of my table is always covered with fabric, books, bills that I forgot to put in the pay file.  I think everyone has a table like this.

Do you have to move piles of stuff to cut anything bigger than a fat quarter?

I have to move things to even cut a fat quarter.  Then when I want to actually lay out a quilt  to layer I find all kinds of things that I was looking for the past month or more. The problem with any table I have is I start a pile of “the next project” I have raging through my head.  The Road to California is coming up in a couple of weeks and now I have to start my two piles for the classes I will be taking on Friday and Saturday.  Both classes are with Karen Eckmeir; “Happy Villages” and “Scrappy Layered Log Cabin”.

Do you straighten/organize as you go, putting each fabric away as you cut, or do you clean up after a project?

I try really hard to put fabric away as I am done with it, but that doesn’t always work out for me when I work on four projects at a time. I am pretty good about putting the scraps in the bins as I go.  But then I will look at my table and there will be piles of fabric sitting there.  Then I will stop and put things away.  Otherwise, it makes me crazy.

How many projects do you work on at once and how do you keep them organized?

I have three to four projects on the wall at any given time.  The larger projects go on the large area behind my table, and sometimes I can squeeze in something else to one side of it.  Then I have another smaller area on another wall and one that hangs on a board covering the closet.

I counted one time that I was working on ten different projects at one time.  Sometimes you just get stuck on something, or bored.  Right now I have a Christmas project that I didn’t finish in time that I’m still sewing on the binding.  I have a Block of the Month project that I’m about five months behind with.  Then there’s the prayer quilt that I still need to find a backing for.  Oh, and how about the postcards I need to finish up from two years ago.  It goes on and on.  But this past year I did finish up about ten projects that I had started.  This year I am resolved to finish up the other ones I have in the hopper.

Anything more you want to add about your studio, organization, working methods, etc., please do.

I love being able to see everyone’s studio/working space.  Sometimes I see something that might work for me and make a change and love it.  So thanks for visiting my room.  Hope you see something that inspires you.

Visit Kay’s Blog

Next month: Janet Hartje

Hearts and Flowers

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The Palm Challenge – Janet Hartje

Janet Hartje is a member of the Rosie Quilters, formed in 2009 this small group of fiber artists meet monthly at the library coffee shop in Roseville, Minnesota. The library was the most central location for the eight-member group who live in the Twin Cities area. Good friendships and support for a diverse fiber art journey is the primary benefit of the group. Members of the group originally met through Minnesota Contemporary Quilters.

Early in 2011 the group decided upon their first challenge. Each member brought a photograph for consideration, one was selected, a 4-month deadline was set and seven members participated. Janet Hartje read about a call for local artists in Woodbury’s (approximately 16 miles southeast of Roseville) city newsletter. City officials were eager to feature month-long exhibits at Woodbury’s City Hall. Janet took photographs of a few of the completed quilts to show the exhibits curator — the exhibit was scheduled for November on the spot!

Here’s the photograph each member used as their inspiration:

And here are the quilts on exhibit. The artists (from left to right) are Nancy Wick, Zannah Martin, Stephanie Forsyth, Janet Hartje and Janet Hovde.

The artists below are (from left to right) Kathy Tuominen and Melissa Nellis.

Janet admits, “It’s a little addicting, the high you get from seeing your work hanging in a public space! We would like to find more venues to exhibit our work.” She’ll be scouting out new possibilites and the Rosie Quilters will definitely be challenging themselves again.

The quilts are being exhibited for the month of November at Woodbury City Hall. If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by.