Circles in Spring: Teaching in Switzerland and announcing a workshop in Ireland

Lake Erie

According to the calendar, Spring has arrived, although it still appears to be late Winter here along the shores of Lake Erie. 

The clock is ticking and I've been preparing for teaching a 4-day session for the Texartacademy in Mugena, Switzerland soon.

I'm looking forward to meeting new people and seeing new vistas. 
And I can't wait to meet Marlis Egger in person who is founder and organizer of TexArtAcademy.

Two of the stitched works I'll bring with me 

One thing I do like about Spring is tree silhouettes before they leaf out.

 A small work using AU VER À SOIE SOIE D'ALGER®silk thread.

And here is the same piece as of last evening. I've added 2 more shades of blue as the circle expands.

I like to stitch the circle shape because it has deep meaning for us. It is universally understood and can be drawn to be filled, empty, partitioned like a pie, colored or not, dimensional or flat, and no doubt, many more renditions can be expressed using the circle shape. 
 

For me, the circle represents time.

I plan to bring these time-based works and others with me when I teach in Mugena, Switzerland beginning Thursday, April 11 - 14, 2018. 
I think the circle will be a good place to begin our lessons. 

HERES THE IRELAND ANNOUNCEMENT

I've been invited to participate in a Linen Biennale in Northern Ireland this Summer at the Millennium Court Art Centre in Portadown, 

I don't have all the dates and details, however, I will travel there to install my work and teach a one-day workshop. Introduction to Meditative Hand Stitching. 
Probably end of July? Because the Linen Biennale will be held from August 1 - October 31, 2018.
Email me if you want to know more. Especially if you live in Northern Ireland and want to take a little class from me. 
my email is info@christinemauersberger.com
 

Fabulous Aya Fiber Studio!

In early March when the weather was cold in Cleveland, I taught a 3 day Mindful Stitching workshop at Aya Fiber Studio in Stuart, Florida. Where we enjoyed temperatures in the high 70's. 

Suzanne Conner owns and operates Aya Fiber Studio and has created a perfect place for productive work. With mild breezes wafting through the open doors to the marina, and yoga on the deck provided by one of her studio assistants, we were in heaven.

Here are a few images of work that was created as the result of the "mindful" exercises I gave to the participants. Including stitching our breath.

 in no particular order

End of Winter Work

I left a gray and snowy Cleveland on a Monday and landed in West Palm Beach, Florida to teach a 3 day workshop at Aya Fiber Studio in Port Salerno, Florida. 

It was a grand workshop and I'll share pic's in the next post. 

A week prior to leaving, I started a new piece. The working title is Blue Water.

Sometimes I get asked whether I begin with knotting my thread. I do not usually, but rather leave enough of a thread tail to be able to return to the beginning point and weave the loose thread into my stitches. 

I'm also asked whether I draw out my pattern on the back.

 I do draw a few guide lines in pencil using a compass or a piece of pre-cut circular cardboard as a template. 
Then I begin to stitch the first circle on the back side and I use my favorite embroidery hoop (Clover USA embroidery hoop)  until the working area grows larger and I must switch to either a larger hoop or use no hoop at all. 

The circle is growing and I've used 3 shades of Soie d'Alger  silk thread. Each thread is a single strand I've pulled from a 7-strand skein.

I'll post more pics when this progresses. I like to post on Instagram more often than to write a blog post so please follow me there at @christine_mauersberger on insta.

Next, I will share some images from my workshop in Florida.