tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386Fri, 06 Feb 2026 22:37:58 +0000Surface DesignHand Painted FabricLinenStencilsHand EmbroideryPainting on FabricEmbroideryWearable ArtDesignHand PaintedBagsDIYFabric PaintingSetacolorBlock PrintingJapanese Boro StitchingMixed MediaNew DesignsOriginal ArtPaint and StitchPaintingStencilingStudioWeekend Projectnew skillsBlockingCollageDrawingsFiber ArtFlower paintingFurniture makeoverHand StitchingInspirationMandalaTime managementVintage LinenWholecloth QuiltingWorkshopsmarketingproductivityFIBER ART BLOG, APRIL SPROULEhttp://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)Blogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-1799897049264960353Mon, 27 Jan 2020 18:48:00 +00002020-02-13T05:23:54.978-08:00Block PrintingEmbroideryJapanese Boro StitchingSurface Design Hum Bird on linen with Japanese Boro Style Stitching. No, we haven’t left or closed down. But after procrastinating for the past couple of years, we have finally created a new website. Thank you all for your patience during this transition! The new site is now up and running. The website address is the same: www.sproulestudios.com The new Blog is part of the new website: http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2020/01/new-website-no-we-havent-flown-coop.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-7209732986087329935Tue, 10 Dec 2019 23:02:00 +00002019-12-10T15:10:13.794-08:00    I wanted to make a piece using these two photos of my son Tyler and his girlfriend Carly I took last summer in New Mexico. The first image is a doorway in Socorro, NM, and the second is an overlook of the Rio Grande Gorge near Taos, NM.  The title of this piece is What's Next?      I printed the door image on Jacquard's regular inkjet Printing Cotton, http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2019/12/whats-next-another-stitched-story.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-8405530074526947694Thu, 20 Jun 2019 03:39:00 +00002019-06-24T14:14:18.801-07:00 Finished. I accomplished what I set out to do, and I learned what to do and what not to the next time around.    I am working on a new little piece to try out some new techniques and materials. The size of this piece is 8.5” square.    Below is a section of the background I made from layering torn strips of cotton and silk. After basting down the strips, I stitched the http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2019/06/experimentation-with-hand-embroidery.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-7049182225788401130Wed, 15 May 2019 15:50:00 +00002019-05-15T08:50:21.892-07:00 On July 12-13, 2019, I will be a teaching a two day in depth version of this class at Village Sewing in Santa Rosa, CA. All work is done on your regular domestic machine.  In my machine quilting career, I have created just about every shape you could possibly imagine. One design tendency I have for quilting is to choose one or two motifs or designs, and then I do multiple variations of http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2019/05/workshop-feathers-ferns-and-furls.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-4927957847381755524Wed, 15 May 2019 15:16:00 +00002019-05-25T13:08:19.738-07:00DesignHand EmbroideryHand StitchingMandalaWorkshops Irene Brummer  Last October, I taught my Hand Embroidery workshop to the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association in Santa Clara, CA. We had a packed class with 20 participants. The skill level ran the gamut from people who had been embroidering for most of their lives to those who had never done hand embroidery before.    Everyone was remarkably patient and enthusiastic, and I http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2019/05/santa-clara-contemporary-hand.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-8768980221558286383Fri, 19 Apr 2019 21:38:00 +00002019-04-19T14:38:23.820-07:00CollageFiber ArtHand EmbroideryJapanese Boro Stitching    I have always admired artistic work done in a series. It is interesting to see where people started and what the initial impetus was,  where that initial piece of work led them, and what they gained from the experience.     I always seem to jump around a lot in the type of work I do. I am constantly looking, gathering ideas, being inspired, and wanting to try newhttp://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2019/04/working-in-series-japanese-boro.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-3146852827890547139Mon, 11 Mar 2019 18:59:00 +00002019-03-13T16:35:32.032-07:00Blocking    Over the past couple of months, I have been taking an online embroidery class. Although I have gotten really comfortable and confident in doing hand stitching without an embroidery hoop, I found that the hoop was an absolute necessity in experimenting with different needle weaving techniques.   These types of stitches are done by running the thread vertically the length of the http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-past-couple-of-months-i-have-been.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-2361781079074439169Thu, 10 Jan 2019 18:49:00 +00002019-01-10T10:49:45.806-08:00 Dec. 14, 2018, Award Ceremony at the Morris Graves Museum of Art with past and present recipients. I am the second shortest in the front row just to the right of center.    Last November, I was notified that I had been selected as one the of the Victor Thomas Jacoby Award recipients along with Nancy Kennedy and Sandra Kernan.     Victor Thomas Jacoby was a Humboldt http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2019/01/gratitude-for-victor-thomas-jacoby.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-8928500577704041395Fri, 07 Dec 2018 22:57:00 +00002018-12-07T14:59:00.825-08:00DesignEmbroideryFabric PaintingHand EmbroideryHand PaintedLinenMixed MediaStencilingStencilsSurface Design    A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and before you know it you have something wonderful, quite different, and really fun to wear. I have wanted to make one of the Japanese style aprons to wear as a tunic or top for quite some time.     My theme or story for this piece is my little front garden. It is quite wild and unruly, but it gives me a great deal of http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2018/12/linen-tunic-my-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-603750236397731810Fri, 07 Dec 2018 01:00:00 +00002018-12-07T07:18:33.927-08:00    In recent months, a new business has been brought to my attention: the  San Francisco School of Needlework and Design (SNAD). It is conveniently located right on Union Square, and several nearby parking are listed on their website. I have not had the opportunity to visit this establishment in person as yet, but I have found ample eye candy and information on http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2018/12/a-valuable-resource-san-francisco.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-8803243722086216300Thu, 08 Nov 2018 22:01:00 +00002018-11-14T18:11:54.834-08:00 Left: That is me on doing a demo of my printing technique. Right: Kate's stamps.      Thank you to everyone for making the Block Printing on Fabric workshop a huge success. Thank you Denise for taking all of the great photos, and I especially appreciate all of your hospitality while I was in town.      This class was held at Village Sewing in Santa Rosa, CA. Mosthttp://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2018/11/block-printing-on-fabric-workshop-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-5697592628716562237Sat, 13 Oct 2018 01:46:00 +00002018-10-16T10:30:31.367-07:00 Finished Size is 16" Square  Note: I have seen similar quality plain linen napkins for over $20.00 each in local stores. I am always trying to come up with ideas for really great gifts  that are functional  and personalized, but they also don't take eons to finish or tons of supplies. So with the holidays nipping at our heels, I wanted to share my technique for Easy Mitered http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2018/10/linen-napkins-with-easy-mitered-corners.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-8456509616483238205Thu, 06 Sep 2018 00:50:00 +00002018-09-19T06:32:02.120-07:00Block PrintingDesignInspirationLinenNew DesignsSurface Design    For the past two years, I've been taking an online course called the Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design to learn about art licensing. I am finally beginning the last module next week. One of our recent assignments was to design a collection of tea towels. The designs had to be hand-rendered, geometric, and mostly non-representational.    I often get asked http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2018/09/inspiration-where-can-you-find-it.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-1299259303561626320Fri, 10 Aug 2018 02:15:00 +00002018-08-09T19:15:56.534-07:00    We are having a Contemporary Hand Embroidery workshop here in my studio on August 25, 2018, so I have been exploring lots of new ideas utilizing my hand stitching.    I have this marvelous friend, Kate, who is one of the most remarkable people I have ever known. Although technically she is not old enough to be my mother, I look on her as a mother figure because she is suchhttp://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2018/08/kates-pillow-fun-to-nth-degree.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-115826936787511896Sat, 02 Jun 2018 20:08:00 +00002018-06-02T13:08:27.125-07:00        I just got in a new shipment of gorgeous Linen, and I could not wait to use it in some new projects.      This is a  fairly simple Embroidered Linen Pillow project I finished last week for a friend. It started with a simple square of white linen and a basic line drawing. I really enjoy working with just a general plan in place and letting the work http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2018/06/contemporary-hand-embroidery-on-linen.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-7239070137088177638Wed, 27 Apr 2016 19:43:00 +00002016-05-28T19:35:08.627-07:00BagsEmbroideryHand Painted FabricLinenPaint and StitchStencilsSurface Design This is the last of my linen bags. All of the others sold very quickly, and I am very grateful to those of you who purchased them. Each bag seemed to find its way to the person who was the perfect fit for each one.  The bag exterior is 100% Linen. It is hand painted, hand embroidered, and machine quilted by me. The interior of the bag has a laptop, iPad compartment, 2 side pockets, a http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-moth-bag.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-8851771340245420477Sat, 13 Feb 2016 17:47:00 +00002016-02-29T22:45:11.830-08:00    It always feels sooo good to finish something!    I have just finished my tenth hand embroidery pattern called Hearts: Broken Open. This piece was absolutely a joy to work on, and it was quite challenging from an artistic standpoint.     I wanted to illustrate a concept that I first encountered some time ago in a book by Pema Chodron, titled When Thingshttp://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2016/02/hearts-broken-open.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-6199739661854592191Wed, 16 Dec 2015 00:11:00 +00002015-12-15T17:38:56.991-08:00Hand EmbroideryLinenPaintingPainting on FabricStencilingSurface Design    I am hoping that if I actually get caught up with the Christmas rush and customer's orders, I make the time to finish up a couple of my own projects. First of all, I would like to finish this journal cover I began probably three months ago.    It never fails, what begins as a simple little project takes on a life of its own in no time at all. I always find it amusing that http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2015/12/thistle-journal-cover.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-6890038936186982413Sat, 01 Aug 2015 21:03:00 +00002015-08-01T14:42:15.676-07:00BagsDIYEmbroideryFabric PaintingHand EmbroideryHand Painted FabricLinennew skills This is a linen bag that I am making. The hand embroidery is still in progress. It has been hand painted with my stencils, and it will be machine quilted after the embroidery is finished. For the past few months I have been teaching a drop-in class at Eureka Fabrics in Eureka, CA. It is always interesting to see who will turn up, and it is never boring. I love having a roomful of people, http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2015/08/tuesday-drop-in-class.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-2849875307683705875Sat, 20 Jun 2015 19:57:00 +00002015-06-20T12:57:11.447-07:00BagsEmbroideryFabric PaintingLinenPaint and StitchStencils      As I continue to attempt to simplify my life and determine what the true necessities are, at times I also carry that over into my work. I am really terrible at packing for travel, but for my recent trip to Santa Fe for a workshop with Betty Busby, I was determined to try to tackle this issue. One of the things I did was to make this little bag that measures 5" wide by 6" http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2015/06/paint-and-stitch-little-bee-bag.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-7060750801415065458Sat, 20 Jun 2015 02:47:00 +00002015-06-20T06:26:33.989-07:00Hand EmbroideryLinenVintage Linen       When I was very young,I learned to do hand embroidery from my grandmother. I always loved doing the handwork, and I spent many enjoyable hours working side by side with my grandmother learning new stitches and embroidering things that have long since disappeared to who knows where.       Many years ago, in fact so many that I can't remember, I bought this http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2015/06/it-all-started-when.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-3742119292700547722Sat, 02 May 2015 01:19:00 +00002015-05-01T18:19:53.670-07:00 I have been in Santa Fe since last Saturday. I came here to take a four day surface design workshop with one of my favorite artists: Betty Busby.  I am learning to use my new camera, and here is a shot taken from our balcony at sunset out across the arroyo. The skies are just incredible here, and I am amazed at how quickly the weather changes. Over the years, I have had the privilege to http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2015/05/santa-fe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-4274688029459519063Fri, 20 Feb 2015 20:24:00 +00002015-02-20T18:20:11.306-08:00      Kate O'Donnell is an incredibly talented textile artist who lives in Pacheco, CA. I met Kate several years ago when I became acquainted and involved with a group of textile artists in Sonoma County, CA. They called themselves the Guilded Lilies, and they were an amazing group of women who shared a love of art and all things textile related.      http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2015/02/lovely-hand-painted-work-by-kate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-2159060240556970669Fri, 09 Jan 2015 20:10:00 +00002015-02-03T07:36:54.414-08:00New DesignsWeekend ProjectWholecloth Quilting I just finished a new little wholecloth piece. I had made one of these a couple of months ago, but I was not happy with the end result. I decided to give it a second try. What I did differently the second time was to do the entire background in a light cream thread, and I only used two different quilting designs. This piece was made with cotton sateen, merino wool batting, and taupe and http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2015/01/new-wholecloth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-5071275967852603822Sat, 06 Dec 2014 04:03:00 +00002014-12-06T10:44:25.609-08:00 Our little fiber art group started this project several months ago. Someone came up with the idea of doing a sliced quilt; you know, where you take an image, dissect it, and each person does a section. We wanted for the final image to depict the area that we live in and be recognizable as Humboldt County. There is a street in the Old Town section of Eureka, CA, that has a row of houses built http://sproulestudios.blogspot.com/2014/12/earthquake-on-third-street.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (A.Sproule)2