Sometimes I use needlepoint as a color laboratory. I had such a fun time with this design. It's a take on a classic pinwheel pattern. The common element is a triangular composition of stitches.

Lots of texture make for a more interesting effect so you will find laid stitches using a variety of fibers.


Now, taking the triangle, I turned and flipped in a pinwheel fashion.

Move back and look at the three colorways from afar. Because of the value of the colors I chose, you see a different emphasis in each of the pieces. The top colorway pulls out the entire pinwheel, the one in the center clearly shows off the movement, the curves. The bottom one shows off the inside of the pinwheel, the pattern inside the curves. Do you agree?

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The fruits of summer.

It's official. Summer is here. It's been years since I've eaten fruit that had smell and taste. This year I've been lucky. There is nothing, really, nothing quite like a sweet dark red plum, (except soft serve ice cream).

There is a lot going on here at the studio. I am thrilled to be teaching three (!) classes at ANG Seminar in 2009. I know, it seems a long time away, but work on pieces for Seminar begins two years ahead of time. I can't tell you much about the classes but I promise some exciting, eye-candy offers. I will be teaching a Cyberworkshop for ANG and although that too is a long way off, we all know about the "time flies" thing. This workshop will be a bit of a departure from my signature work, which makes it particularly exciting to prepare.

I know I've been talking a lot about new designs in the works and you probably don't believe me by now, but REALLY there are some great new ones. So what's keeping them, you ask? All the other parts of my life.

In just 3 weeks husband, child and myself will be departing on a journey into the past. We are going on a week long trip to Poland in search of our roots. It will be an emotional journey to see where my parents were born, where my ancestors lived their lives and where, tragically, some of them perished. We will be 10 family members traveling together. Organizing, planning and executing the details has been overwhelming. From Poland we are taking our yearly trek to Israel to be with my family. Between booking hotels and tours, checking to see which summer cloths my little cutie has grown out of, making arrangements for the bird and making some hand-made gifts for my little nieces, all plans for launching the new designs have been pushed back. Luckily, Alexandra, my trusty assistant, has been taking care of shipping out orders and keeping the studio organized.

Oh, and did I tell you school's out, so keeping Nina busy is yet another chore, albeit a fun one.

So, go out and get some wonderful juicy fruit and enjoy a wonderful summer day!

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Niki's Colors

Hey everyone, I’m Orna’s assistant, Alexandra. I wanted to share with you all an amazing artist, Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002), who has been a huge influence on me. She worked in many forms, but one of the most amazing things she made was her home in Tuscany.

She called it the Tarot Garden, and it took 20 years before she finally completed it. I think it's important for an artist to make their home an inspiring place for them to live and work in, and a reflection of their creative spirit. Her colors were so vibrant and beautiful, Orna helped me pick out some threads and beads inspired by her work.

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My Ballerina

Yesterday was her first ballet recital. Just like in nature our little Tomboy caterpillar transformed before our eyes and became a beautiful, graceful butterfly. Here she is, mid transformation...

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not any old knot.

One fine day, my daughter Shiri brought me a gift. It was a book, a retrospective on the work of Diane Itter. I had never heard of her before but from the first image I was captivated. She used only one technique; knotting using a unique double half-hitch knot. This is what she said: "By limiting myself to one technique and one material I am forced to think of imagery - not any technical tricks or gimmicks." She created miniature masterpieces, celebrations of color and texture as well as form.
She succumbed to cancer at the age of 43. What an inspiration!

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fashionable fabric

I bought a new book titled "Fashioning Fabrics", edited by Sandy Black and published by Black Dog Publishing. It is a compilation of apparel by iconic designers as well as new comers and what they all have in common is their extraordinary use of fabrics. The pieces are not always what you would wear at your daughter's wedding (can you tell there is something on my mind...), but each piece is a work of art. I took a fast look at each page but tonight I will move slowly, page after page and A D M I R E!
This ensemble is by Manish Arora from India. At night, when I dream, this is what I wear...

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