Feature Friday: Margaret Blank, Fibre Artist: One-of-a-kind textile art

(if you can't see the text of this post, click to view it from the website as our font is white/light grey)

My name is Margaret Blank, and I live in the Hamlet of Mirror, Alberta, located about 40 minutes NE of Red Deer and equidistant between the City of Lacombe and the Town of Stettler. Though I was born in the small town of Huntingdon, Quebec, I moved to Calgary in the fall of 1976, with my husband of one year, Howard, who was from Vancouver. We lived in the NW of that city for all of our married life, and it was a wonderful place to raise our two children. However, Type 1 Diabetes took Howard’s life in August 2006, and soon I was homesick for the countryside in which I’d grown up. With a daughter in Edmonton and a son in Lethbridge, I knew I couldn’t move ‘back East’. What a delight to find the rolling hills and proximity to Buffalo Lake that I have in Mirror, where every street ends in trees.

I learned to knit about age 8; cross-stitch, embroidery and garment sewing soon followed. It was only in my forties that two girlfriends persuaded me to try quilting. They figured that slicing strips would be a good way to battle the stresses in my life, and they were right! That was about 1996. A few years later, when I saw my first exhibit of art quilts, I was gobsmacked. I just knew I had to try it! I have been studying textiles as an art medium since 2000 or so; my first instructor was Saskatchewan’s Anna Hergert (http://annahergert.wordpress.com/), who was living in Calgary at the time. Currently I am working on Module 6 of eight in the City and Guilds of London Level 2 Certificate program, Creative Techniques: Quilting. I am so blessed to have another amazing teacher: Linda Kemshall of Design Matters (http://www.lindakemshall.com/).

In April 2011 I had my first quasi-solo exhibit: a booth of my artwork juried into the Annual Lacombe Art Show and Sale. As a result of the show, I sold a couple of my larger pieces, and one of my art cards (framed). This year, because of my studies, I’ve decided to enter only three framed pieces into the “Gallery” portion of the show. It runs this weekend (April 20-22) at the Lacombe Memorial Centre, if you’re in the area! I’m delighted to have had my work juried in for a second year, and to have my daughter’s photographs, on stretched canvas, in the Gallery this year as well.

I’ve been a member of SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) for several years now, and have been part of its Visioning Project for almost three years. This has enabled me to focus on what I want to do with my artwork, and has given me confidence to enter competitions and shows. Currently I have a piece with the SAQA Trunk Show, “This is a Quilt!” that is touring Canada and will be part of an exhibit in Taiwan later this spring through December. I also have a piece in the Focus on Fibre Arts Biennial Juried Show, opening in Edmonton on May 3, and one in the SAQA Western Canada Regional Trunk Show, opening at the Central Alberta Quilt Guild Show in Red Deer in June.

I turn 60 in September. Given my long years of work and parenting, caring for my aging mother and my ailing husband, being responsible and ‘in charge’ all the time, I’ve chosen to pace myself and not get caught up in the drive for artistic success. My goals right now include finishing my City and Guilds Level 2 certificate, preparing for a full booth exhibit in Lacombe next spring, and enjoying the process of creativity. My biggest dream for myself would be to live long enough to use up my three stashes: fabric, fibre and floss!

I’ve been blogging since February 2003 – believe it or not! – and you can find me on the Web at www.margaretblank.com : Margaret Blank, Textile Artist. Please check the tab, “3F Creations” for more examples of my work. You can also find me on Facebook as https://www.facebook.com/MarginMirror -- and I have a “3F” page there too.

It’s been an honour to be a featured blogger on The Needle & Thread Network, and I look forward to “seeing” you in cyberspace!

WIP Wednesday #35 @ TN&TN

WIP Wednesday #34 & a NEW announcement! : )

WIP Wednesday #33 @ TN&TN

And the Winners Are...

To celebrate 10,000 hits, a copy of A Needle Pulling Thread is being given to one Canadian, and one non-Canadian.  The contest is now closed.  My random number generator daughter picked #14 and #30.  Lucky for her, that IS one Canadian and one non-Canadian.  

Congratulations to SHEILA IN NOVA SCOTIA and LINDA IN FRANCE.  

Woah - all the way to France!  Cool!  If you didn't win, don't worry.  We have birthday plans coming up too.  If you did win (Sheila and Linda) please email your complete mailing address to Monika at mysweetprairie@gmail.com and it will be sent to you right away.

: )  The Needle & Thread Network : )

Feature Friday: Monika Kinner-Whalen / My Sweet Prairie

Hello!  I'm Monika Kinner-Whalen.  If you ever meet me, you'll need to practice saying that right.  It throws people for a loop when I introduce myself.  It goes like this:  Moe - nee - kah.  (Not Mawnicka).  

Monika Kinner-Whalen, Saskatoon SK

I live in Saskatoon with my family of 5, and I started the My Sweet Prairie blog about 2 years ago.  I'm a full time artist who quilts, embroiders, and is learning to hook.  I've been doing art since childhood.  Quilting started about five years ago.  I discovered fibre art 2 years after that.  I suppose my claim to fame is my prairie thread paintings based on local photographs that I take, as well as my love for 'art-to-mail' postcard.  

'Wish You Were Here # 42 (sold)

It all started when I returned back with great homesickness to the prairies after living near the mountains for a decade.  Out came my camera.  4,ooo photos later, I was given a stack of fibre art and quilting art magazines.  I had never heard those terms before.  I was SO excited because I never enjoyed other art mediums nearly as much as I love thread.  I jumped right in and have been swimming along happily every since.

I work from my own photos and stitch scenes I love... 'Spring Greens' in progress

I was asked to list my top three accomplishments in the past year.  If you read my blog, you know there are about four dozen things I could list.  I'll try though!

#1.  A Prairie Dress.

This baby was a personal dare to myself.  I heard the term 'quilted wearable' and POOF!  There was this vision of my art on a corset style dress.  I managed to pull it off last fall for our quilt show.  This was a GIGANTIC learning curve for me.  It was included in an exhibit with the Saskatchewan Craft Council this winter.  Now it's going to Halifax!  I just got word of it's acceptance into the National Juried Show with the Canadian Quilters' Association.  I am a bundle of jitters!

#2.  I Am Juried

Earlier this month, my work was accepted by a jury for the Saskatchewan Craft Council.  The whole point to that is that I am now credited with the term 'excellence in craft'.  It also gets my foot in the door for some juried members-only opportunities.  I am super-thrilled about this achievement.

#3.  Featured Artist for ANPT

This was pretty significant too!  Last year, the editor for A Needle Pulling Thread magazine asked if I would be one of the featured artists.  After picking myself up off the floor, I said "yes!!".  That feels like a long time ago, but the issue just came out last week!  It is beautiful - they did a terrific job.  It's hot off the press.  You can find it in Indigo, McNally Robinson Booksellers, and local needle arts shops too.  They ARE NOT in the supermarkets or grocery stores. 

Shortly after that article for ANPT was written, I started THIS blog - The Needle & Thread Network!  Case in point - you can't find Canadian content in any supermarkets or grocery store stands!  I wanted to gather us creative Canadians together to have a platform where we can see each others' work and show off our talent.  I came up with the name so that it would be diverse enough to cover all crafts in the field of fibre.  I didn't want all the WIP Wednesday traffic on my blog because this was not a tactic to get more followers.  My agenda was to find all those Canadian needles-in-the-haystack.  ; )  Here you are!  This is awesome.  I hope you are enjoying the Network as much as I am.

machine stitched and hand embroidered (sold)

My future includes more opportunities to teach creative sewing locally.  That's been fun!  I have three art exhibits booked annually, plus one BIG show in Winnipeg next year.  (Stay tuned!!!)  I'm constantly pestered to do video classes or make a book.   Some day!  It's all in my head... but that's as far as I've had time for up to now.  I will continue with my art and my guilds (Saskatoon Quilters' Guild & The Bridge City NeedleArts Guild under the EAC), and my three kids and my husband and my pets and my big messy house... and that is lots!  It a fun ride.  I was a full time social worker / trauma counselor in the 1990's.  My Husband was a 'computer guy'.  Now we are both entrepreneurs.  We're a very close and happy family, doing what we love.  It's all good!

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

! TN&TN Giveaway !

Guess what?  TN&TN has now surpassed 10,000 hits / views!  Congratulations - that's a lot of people checking us out!  To celebrate, we are giving away 2 copies of A Needle Pulling Thread (I happen to have a lot of extra copies...)

This current copy includes patterns and projects by Canadian designers in the areas of quilting, sewing, knitting, crochet, needlepoint, rug hooking, beading, hardanger, embroidery, felting, plus much more (if you can believe it!).  Please identify the country you are living in.  We will select one Canadian winner, and one non-Canadian winner.  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and tell us where you are from..  The winner will be announced on Monday April 2, 2012.  Good luck!