Hemingway made me do it.

Dreaming Cuba Tobacco Fields (detail)  by Jane LaFazio

It's because of Hemingway. Ernest Hemingway. Well, his house. His house in Key West, Florida. 

A hundred years ago (I always say that when I don't want to say really how many years ago it was....it was the 1970s) I visited Hemingways House in Key West, Florida. It was fascinating. But what stayed in my memory was that he had another home. One in Cuba. From that moment, I wanted to visit Hemingway's home in Cuba.

Dreaming Cuba Tobacco Fields (12.5 x 8.5 inches)  by Jane LaFazio

Fast forward to late 2011. A local art association was sponsoring a tour to Cuba! I had to go! I mean, we couldn't really afford it, but it was one of those 'gotta do it' decisions. I love to travel and so does my husband. So we went to Cuba in January 2012. 

Dreaming Cuba Tobacco Fields (detail)  by Jane LaFazio

It was a fabulous and fascinating trip! We loved it. (I covered the trip here on my blog and then created a book of my photos of Cuba here.) The very last day of our trip, I visited Hemingway's house in Cuba. So cool. Very cool.

Dreaming Cuba Tobacco Fields (detail)  by Jane LaFazio

So that's how I came to create this piece, Dreaming Cuba Tobacco Fields, because as I working on this, with the browns and bits of red and pink, it reminded me of our visit to a tobacco farm...in Cuba.

Dreaming Cuba Tobacco Fields (detail)  by Jane LaFazio

This piece and some of my other Dreaming Series are in my JaneVille Etsy shop now.

Machine Needle Felting

"Above the Bog" by Jane LaFazio (4 x 3 feet)

machine needle felting by Jane LaFazio 

machine needle felting by Jane LaFazio 

machine needle felting by Jane LaFazio 

machine needle felting by Jane LaFazio 

One of my most popular posts on my JaneVille blog has been my "Machine Needle Felting Tutorial." I thought I'd show you a few of the pieces I've made over the years. You can see many more, with details here on my Machine Needle Felting photo album.

machine needle felting by Jane LaFazio 

machine needle felting by Jane LaFazio 

I love making these and intend to do more! By the way, I teach this at Art Retreats (that supply the machine needle felting machines).

There are a few in my JaneVille Etsy shop right how.

machine needle felting ~ student work

I taught Machine Needle felting at CREATE in Chicago last month. It was the first time I'd been able to teach it for a full day, and it was a rousing success!

I have an online tutorial on my needle felting technique here.
(And, I'll be teaching it again at CREATE mixed media retreat in Irvine, CA on May 30 and June 1. Stay tuned for registration info.)

We used Bernina machines with the needlepunch attachment.

Some students had time to add a little hand embroidery to their pieces

Still dreaming of Venice ~ needle-felted piece

"Still Dreaming of Venice" 8x12"

Machine needle-felted and hand stitched. 

I'd love to teach this class, more often, but most people don't own needle-felting machines. Here's a tutorial I did a while back, on how I create pieces like this. 

You can see all my machine needle-felted work here.

Still dreaming of Venice

I'm still thinking of Venice and inspired by the beautiful wreck it is aspects. (ha, my first musically accompanied blog post!) This is a machine needlefeltd piece that I'm going to hand sew on. (You can see my tutorial here) It started with one of Suzanne's everything kits and some bits from my stash. I'm preparing it all for a segment on Quilting Arts TV that I'm filming next month.(gulp)

Beautiful Utah in July? here's the scoop on the art retreat I'm teaching.
Just found out I'm teaching at CREATE in Costa Mesa, CA in May.
Oh yea, and let's not forget Italy in 2012.

Houston Quilt Festival!

Oh my. Houston International Quilt Festival. A jam-packed 4 days!

Visited my quilt, Above the Bog, at the gorgeous "Beneath the Surface" Exhibition.


Then, teaching at Make It University to 25 students!


Judy Coates Perez took this photo of me.


I'd needlefelted small pieces for everyone in the class, demo-ed how to do it, then they hand-embroidered on the piece. Here's some lovely student work:


Here's Suzanne Morgan, who supplies  kits for needlefelting and helped me out in my workshop. (She's holding a piece I did from one of her kits.)


Later on Friday, I demo-ed "Sketching & Watercolor: Journal Style" at open studios.

Just had to draw and paint my new little friend from Home a la mode


Saturday, I taught Rubbings with Paintstiks to 25 people and here's a one of my students and their work. Thanks Cedar Canyon Textiles for the wonderful paintstiks!
  Me teaching the paintstik workshop

Ran into some pals, like Jane Davila


And Tracie Lyn Huskamp. Can't wait to get a hold of Tracie's new fabric line!


And of course, hangin' with that wonderful gang of Quilting Arts friends!
l to r: Leslie Tucker Jenison, Melanie Testa, me, Helen Gregory, Pokey Bolton, Lindsay Murray, Judy Coates Perez and Jamie Fingal.