Calgary Craft Alert

Guest post by Rosalyn Faustino

My name is Rosalyn Faustino and I am the founder of Calgary Craft Alert. (hi!) Janine and I are happy to be co-hosting the Creative Supplies Swap at UPPERCASE this Saturday from 1-3pm.

I was born and raised in Calgary and went adventuring in Toronto for almost 13 years and came back to become an auntie to my nieces and to have a new adventure with my partner in 2014. I graduated Specializing in Sculpture and Design and Art History and became interested in more traditional and domestic craft work such as weaving, sewing, and quilting. Although, I love to draw and practice penmanship.

Calgary Craft Alert started its online presence in November 2015—when I was 7 months pregnant with my little boy. I wanted to create an online space for the art and craft community for the city of Calgary to connect with one another. 

My first year of having a newborn and starting a new venture was quite tough, as I didn't often get the chance to explore the city and attend shows. I used Instagram and Facebook as my main sources of researching local talent and I immediately started to build the Calgary Craft Alert website, albeit at a very slow pace. However, you will most likely see my family and I going on craft adventures, now that summer is here! 

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to sew a couple sample projects for Janine's newest fabric look book, Volume 2: Dots, Dashes and Diamonds. The patterns used are also made by a local designer, Krystine Czepuryk of Pretty By Hand. 

Sign up for Calgary Craft Alert newsletter for the latest local craft news. See you on Saturday!

Issue 34: scenes from the printer!

UPPERCASE 34 (July/August/September) is printed, being folded and heading to the bindery! After that? In the mail to YOU. But only if you're an active subscriber by June 15.

Subscribe, renew or purchase a gift subscription before June 15 and use the code 'explore34' for $15 off.

Folding issue 34 (video from @youngcmyk ) subscribe or renew before June 15 to be on the mailing list! 📬

A post shared by Janine Vangool (@uppercasemag) on Jun 12, 2017 at 10:39am PDT

Do you find beauty in incongruity or in similitude?

I receive hundreds of submissions every year (perhaps the number even tops 1000? There are a lot of them—some from my open calls, others unsolicited). And I'm grateful for each and every one of them! I try to put as many as I can in print, but often there are more ideas than number of pages. And since the magazine is quarterly, it can take a long time for a very good submission to find its way into print.

I want to share more of these submissions—folks have put talent and effort into them and they deserve to be read and appreciated. I'm going to post more of them in my newsletters and here on the blog, and though it might not be as thematic and ordered as in context of a print magazine, there's beauty in the random surprise.

Let's start with Clare Dean, who submitted the piece below as part of the Open Pitch a couple of months ago. Clare offers us (me!) perspective on letting things be a bit more uncontrolled and organic.
 

Do you find beauty in incongruity or in similitude?

by Clare Dean

 

Over the past few years, in addition to being a publishing consultant and mother of small chatty boys, I have worked as an artist, illustrator and pattern designer. As my style has developed, like many others I have given a lot of thought to my point of view. Do I have one? What are my convictions? What I am trying to say? Initially, I created work that I hoped would merely ‘delight’, but it soon became obvious to me that there was a lot of ‘delightful’ work out there that pursued a similar theme. What was I trying to ‘say’, if anything at all? As a philosophical theology graduate, and the wife of a philosopher, it seems that I am attracted to thought and meaning. 

A couple of summers ago, I attended a modern dance performance/dramatic piece in Boston. The overall perspective they communicated could be reduced down to the idea that everyone and everything is the same – that we exist, and others and other things exist, and there is comfort and complicity in our similitude. I thought about it, and realized that I believe and find comfort in the opposite – that everything is various and different, and that beauty can be found in complexity. In pursuing this idea further, I realized that a common trait in my work is an almost random incongruous assemblage of things and beings. 

I delight in mismatching and juxtaposing images to partly highlight the absurdity of the assemblage of things, but also to celebrate the richness in life. Why not, for example, place a poodle on a vintage 1970’s footstool, or a parrot flapping around an antique rocking horse? To me, the combination of these items painted to highlight their beauty celebrates them as individual objects and beings, while saying ‘look how strange – we live in a world where someone shaves a poodle’s fur into funny balls, and also makes and owns a swirly patterned stool on which to rest your feet. Ultimately, the fact that I am drawn to capturing the incongruity is all the more absurd.

Visit Clare's portfolio.

The Creative Supplies Swap

Rosalyn Faustino of Calgary Craft Alert and I are happy to be hosting The Creative Supplies Swap!

We all have extra art, craft and creative supplies that aren't being used. Want to find them a new home? Join us at our Creative Supplies Swap, on Saturday, June 17th, from 1-3pm. Bring yarn, fabric, notions, paper, paints, books, children's craft items, assorted creative bits and bobs*... join us for a fun afternoon of trading and making. You can also bring small, inexpensive artwork and projects that you're willing to exchange with fellow creative swappers. UPPERCASE will also have copies of the freshly published Stitch-illo book and other books and magazines for sale.

*IMPORTANT: Please be prepared to bring your leftover supplies home at the end of the event!! This is a swap, not a request for donations.

Saturday, June 17 from 1–3pm
UPPERCASE Suite 201 B, 908 17th Avenue SW (Devenish Building), Calgary

This is a free event. We will have refreshments and snacks. Kids are welcome, too.

RSVP on Facebook—or just show up!

CALGARY CRAFT ALERT (CCA) is an online resource for the City of Calgary and surrounding area for all things Craft/Art/Design related. Sign up for their email list to be in-the-know about local craft events!

Like this idea? Host your own Creative Supplies Swap in your community! Email me and I'll provide you the graphics.

Cover reveal! The next issue's cover art is by Laura Maxcy.

The July/August/September issue's files are off to the printer!

The issue is about creative adventure—real, imagined, personal, historical... So the lettered globes of Laura Maxcy caught my eye as cover material.

Through her company Wild & Free Designs, Laura specializes in hand-lettered goods—her prints, postcards, mugs and painted vintage globes are adorned with quotes and phrases meant to inspire and to encourage a sense of adventure and wonder in the world around us. 

"Wild & Free Designs came about from my background in graphic design, a love of reclaimed vintage, and inspiration from the Transcendentalist writers' works on nature and the world around us (works of Thoreau, Emerson, and Muir in particular)." 

"When I was younger I was constantly outside exploring the world around me. I drew so much inspiration from being out in the woods, and those memories have become such a large part of me. Everything I create with Wild & Free Designs is directly influenced by my time as a young explorer."

"Although I got my degree in graphic design, I needed a creative outlet that didn't involve staring at a computer screen all day. I started hand-lettering quotes on vintage landscape prints I found at a thrift store, with which I planned to decorate a room in my house. Instead I decided to list them on Etsy, along with my painted globes. Each of my items are definitely unique and one-of-a-kind. I especially love doing custom work for someone and getting to experience their satisfaction and appreciation."

Issue 34 will be ready to mail in a few short weeks. Please subscribe or renew today! Mailing data for the issue will be finalized on June 15.

Stitch•illo: last chance to pre-order!

The book cover along with some bookmarks.

Dust jackets and belly bands.

Interior pages really stack up!

The front cover and the inside front cover.

This weekend is your last chance to pre-order Stitch-illo and get it straight from the printer. The signatures will be folded on Monday and then the book heads to the bindery. It is on track for mailing out the week of May 29.

Order before May 15 to be on the shipping list!

Preview the book here.

(If you pre-ordered already—thank you!—please check your inbox for an address verification email sent earlier this week if you haven't already responded. From May 15, orders will be held until inventory arrives in fulfillment warehouses in early June.)

Please preorder your Encyclopedia set here and Feed Sacks will be shipped to you straight away or individual Stitch•illo books are available here. During this preorder stage for Stitch•illo and Botanica you can enjoy free shipping on those books within North America and subsidized shipping for orders heading overseas. 

Going to Quilt Market

Join me later this month at the spring Quilt Market in St. Louis, Missouri!

I'll be giving a presentation (and giving away free magazines and there will be a draw for fabric) on Saturday, May 20 at 11am in the Windham Fabrics booth. On Sunday, May 21 starting at noon, you're invited to come back to the Windham Booth for a fun and easy craft: making necklaces and rings with my new collection UPPERCASE Volume 2: Dots, Dashes and Diamonds.

Supplies and space are limited for the free jewellery-making session, so if you're going to be at Quilt Market, please RSVP here to reserve a spot. 

It's a fabric ring of POWER!

If you're going to be showing at market or roaming around and would like to connect, please get in touch.

Stitch•illo is at the printer!

Volume "S" of the UPPERCASE Encyclopedia of Inspiration is at the printer! I expect it will be ready to ship in late May, but I'll keep you updated here and through my newsletter. Thank you for all your support of this project through preorders of the Encyclopedia set and the individual books, too.

Dustjacket featuring a closeup of Liz Payne's work. (inkjet mockup)

Wrapping around the dust jacket will be a belly band. (mockup)

This dust jacket features the back of Hannah Bass' needlework patterns.

Like my Feed Sacks and Compendium books, you can use these dust jackets for other creative projects, as wrapping paper or just re-fold once and a while to give your Stitch•illo book a fresh look! (mockup)

Closeup of stitching by Monika Kinner-Whalen. (mockup)

Zoomed in on work by Evelin Kasikov, who stitches on paper.

More details and a look inside Stitch•illo are over here. Thanks!

Featured Stockist: Papersmiths

UPPERCASE magazine is available in some really beautiful shops around the world. Today, let's take a look at Papersmiths, a stationery, book and magazine shop in the UK.

The store is located in Clifton Village in Bristol. "It’s full of independent boutiques and coffee shops and a short walk from Brunel’s famous suspension bridge."

The store opened in October 2014 and specializes in quality, design-led contemporary stationery and paper goods. "From notebooks to pencil sharpeners and fountain pens to scissors, we've handpicked items from the best designers and makers across the globe. Our carefully considered curation of books and magazines includes interior, architecture, graphics, music, fashion, film, travel, food and children's titles."

"Our customers are all very interesting people. We are visited by lots of creative people with good taste. They might work in design or have a passion for calligraphy, writing, sketching, photography or just good design!"

Papersmiths will be opening a London location in May. You can also shop online. Issue 33 should be available there soon!

Pattern Ladies by Alison Kolesar

I adore these pattern-filled portraits by Alison Kolesar. "I love pattern and I also love painting people," she says, "So I created a little personal project while I prepare for Surtex—my series of pattern ladies."

My sewing room (filled with fabric!)

Now that the Look Book for UPPERCASE Volume 2 is published, I'm happy to share more pictures of my sewing room. 

Fiber drums purchased online from Uline.ca were the perfect solution for storing 32 bolts of fabric!

They nestle in a narrow hallway—they're nice to pass by everyday.

There are 32 SKUs in this collection! So many patterns and colours to work with! These are the cool colours...

And here are the warm colours. They're basically the same palette as my first fabric collection, but this time there are more colours at play in many of the designs.

This shelf used to be Finley's changing table.

I've always wanted a family of calico cats. Thanks to Glen and Finley and their Christmas gift, I have these little guys to play with. I'd like to sew them clothing in my fabric and vintage feed sack scraps.

So cute. They appeal to my 8-year-old self.

Vintage thread spools. They appeal to my 40-something-year-old self.

Here's an overview of the sewing area. It's at the base of the stairs and opens out to the deck. The neat areas are on the perimeter since I was taking pictures for the Look Book—everything else was piled up in the middle!

There's nice natural light to sew and photograph by.

I look forward to sharing more behind-the-scenes photos and details of the projects I made.

Safe to say, if you see nicely cropped images from me, there's a lot of STUFF that I've omitted from the shot!

It's pretty incredible to have a first fabric collection, let alone Volume 2! Thank you, Windham Fabrics!

UPPERCASE Volume 2: Dots, Dashes and Diamonds

I'm pleased to present my forthcoming collection with Windham Fabrics, UPPERCASE Volume 2: Dots, Dashes and Diamonds. 

Repeated motifs of dots, dashes and diamonds make up this pretty graphic collection—with a little vintage feed sack inspiration thrown in as well! The optimistic colour palette pairs well with both vintage and contemporary designs. 

The collection is on sale now as preorders for fabric retailers—visit the Windham Fabrics website for more details and to place your wholesale order. It will be available in stores in November.

Peruse the Look Book here and find out more about the UPPERCASE (Paper) Quilt Block Challenge.

UPPERCASE (Paper) Quilt Block Challenge

Here’s a fun creative challenge! Whether you’re a quilter or not, everyone is invited to play with pattern.

Thanks to my son for helping me with this post!

It'll be some time before the my new Windham Collection is available in stores (November 2017) but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun with it! Let's get our creative juices flowing... by playing with paper!

1) Download and print this pdf to play with the patterns from UPPERCASE Volume 2: Dots, Dashes and Diamonds. (Or see the spread of the new fabric in issue 33.)

2) Design an original or traditional quilt block or use the patterns to create a collage. (Print out multiple copies if you need more of a particular pattern.) You can add solid white or black if you like. The finished designs should be square.

3) Take a square photo of your creation and share on Instagram with the hashtag #uppercaseblock. The creations will be displayed in an online gallery. 

Together, we’ll create a quilt design based on reader submissions. I’ll award some fabric to the favourites. Have fun!

See more of the UPPERCASE Volume 2: Dots, Dashes and Diamonds collection over here.

8 and a quarter years of UPPERCASE!

Studio Tour: Debi Adams

If you'd like your studio to be featured here, in my newsletter or in the print magazine, please submit your photos here. Thanks! This is a colourful glimpse into Debi Adams' workspace. Let's hear more from her:

"I'm Debi Adams and I have been creating since about the 7th grade. Although I went to college to be a teacher, art has always been and continues to be my passion. It is also my occupation, having worked in some form of the industry for nearly 35 years. Born and raised in Southern California, with my children grown and gone, I relocated to Phoenix to work at another art-based company. Adjusting to living in an apartment (from living in a home) has had it's challenges in creating a do-able workspace. However, where there is a will there is a way and, I made this work for me. Of course, I am a MAJOR junker and bargain hunter and enjoy looking for unique items to decorate or organize my art room. Very few items have come from a store with the exception of the drawers and they will be replaced as soon as I found some vintage piece that I can't live without and will work. The pieces that embellish my space are inspirational. I love to find the story behind each one, if possible. Just recently I have begun to add my own art to my corner of the room, which is my dining room by the way. If there was one word to describe my art or my style it would be eclectic. I love it all and feel so fortunate to GET to do what I love everyday."

It is okay to approach the Operator

Issue 33 is being printed! Here's a shot from The Prolific Group in Winnipeg courtesy of Chris Young.

Two signatures are printed on Appleton Coated's U2:XG, thanks to their generous donation of paper.

The reader submissions about plastic, resins and glossy things are printed on this coated paper section.

The cover and subscription postcards are on our usual uncoated paper... but it's not quite finished—next it'll get a shiny clear gloss foil on those buttons!

Thank you to Chris Young and all the fine Press Operators at The Prolific Group in Winnipeg. "We'll be sending the cover off for be clear gloss foil stamping," says Chris. "And early next week we'll be folding the interior and later in the week we should be on the binder. Things are moving along very nicely indeed."

Subscribe, renew or purchase a gift subscription before March 14 to be on the mailing list for issue 33.

Place a free Peep in issue 33

Peeps are a free service for subscribers of the magazine. Have you just launched your portfolio? Maybe UPPERCASE readers would love your shop with a unique offer? Are you starting a special project that seeks collaboration? Have a special message for a fellow reader? A friendly word of advice to share? That's what UPPERCASE peeps are for!

Please compose a thoughtful message to share with the UPPERCASE community. The Peep form is open now and will remain open until I've received 30 Peeps or it's Friday.

First look at the next cover!

It's that time again... time to reveal the next cover of UPPERCASE !!!

Do you love buttons as much as I do? For me, loose buttons are nostalgic but also incredibly inspiring as I imagine the perfect project for each little gem. This is an assortment of vintage bakelite, casein and celluloid buttons that I've collected. I'm planning to print a gloss foil on the buttons to really make them shiny and to contrast with the uncoated stock of the cover.

The April/May/June issue explores how things glossy and plastic inspire our creativity. There are articles about vintage bakelite, fabric made from plastic, incredible (eco-conscious) projects by UPPERCASE readers (plarn = plastic yarn!) as well articles on using the newest technology in recycling for creating your own plastic projects. Another related theme is heat and fire, such as welding, lampwork, encaustics, glassblowing, ceramics and more. Fellow graphic designers, craftspeople and artists also submitted their stories about how to find a balance between creation and consumption with creative responsibility.

I'm very grateful to welcome back Appleton Coated as our paper partner—they are providing coated paper for the reader submissions section of this issue!

I hope you'll really take a shine to this new issue.
(Sorry, couldn't resist that pun. I promise to use it only once.)

Please subscribe, renew and/or purchase a gift subscription! Your subscription keeps UPPERCASE magazine going, year after year. For over 8 years! What!? Wow! That's kind of amazing in independent publishing.

Thank you!

Share the love

a beautiful thank you letter

The Creative Boost
UPPERCASE Subscription Draw

Last year, I did a draw for 100 complimentary subscriptions for folks in challenging circumstances. Over 740 people entered. (Read about it here and here. This also prompted me to list sponsored subscriptions in the shop, so that generous folks can sponsor fellow UPPERCASE readers experiencing tough times. So far, 28 subscriptions have been sponsored! Thank you!)

I know from your stories that reading UPPERCASE can be uplifting and motivating and, even, life-changing for some. Subscribing to the magazine is a considerable financial investment ($80 in North America and $120 everywhere else) and for some readers, that takes it out of reach. 

Perhaps you're going through a tough time financially, medically, emotionally... there are many factors that can get in the way of purchasing a subscription. If you truly cannot afford a subscription due to such circumstances and this is what has prevented you from becoming a subscriber, please enter your confidential information below and you'll be entered into the draw for one of 100 free subscriptions. 

Please note that for the purposes of this draw, simply being a student isn't a qualifying situation. Please ask your school's library to subscribe for you and your classmates. Thank you for understanding.

Please use the honour system — I trust that you are submitting your name because this is the only way you can access an UPPERCASE subscription. Please enter only once, otherwise you will be disqualified. 

I will be drawing 100 free subscriptions on February 28.

If you know someone who would benefit from this offer, please send them the link to enter. Gift Subscriptions can be purchased for specific friends or colleagues or you can also purchase a Sponsored Subscription which we will also give randomly to someone on this list. 

Brooklyn General Store

Thank you to everyone who came out to the meetup last Wednesday at Brooklyn General Store! It was great to meet many UPPERCASE subscribers in person and put some faces to people I enjoy following on Instagram. Thank you to Catherine Clark for hosting this lovely event.

Here's the store earlier in the day, before a few dozen people showed up! To see pictures from the event, please scroll over on Instagram.