Old Things/New Things

Ah Sunday morning, a day filled with possibilities. I glance around my messy studio and see pieces of my Bitch purse laying everywhere. Its time to just get the darn thing done. The hold up: trying to decide if I was going to do some trickly closure or just make it a top open hand bag. This shouldn't have been such a big debate. Considering I had every intention of keeping it I just sat down and lined the bag-total time about 25 minutes included sewing on the pockets and handles. Now its done and I can be rid of my big, black, suitcase and carrying it will be great advertising.
It felt so good to have a stagnant project done that I whipped through the house doing other things that have waited for my attention including casting my daughter's finger. Some friends of ours gave us the stuff for her birthday and though she'd been here all week we hadn't gotten to it. It's a new process see, and those always make me drag my feet a little. It turned out adorable and we have plans to do more, perhaps each of her fingers, next week.
Then back to my head. This two, being a new process, is something that could easily get neglected, but on this magic Sunday I refused to let it happen. I busted out the wooden beads and started painting. Then I dove right in with an exacto knife and placed them in her head. After a little needle sculpting she has a full face. A perfect Mother Nature face, both young and old, wise yet awed. Don't be fooled. The hair is not attached yet. Just without it she looks a bit like an alien. I am not prone to finishing a head before it is attached to a body but this whole doll has been different than my usual process. So what am I doing? Going along for the ride.
I look around today and have some clean up to do, plaster to be put away, paint to clean up, but I feel ready to tackle anything.

Recreating Wonder

Most of recent adventures have been to bodies of water; creek side for crawdads, water filled canyons for frogs and swimming, river bed rambling for fish, to the ocean for tide pools and seals. I am appeased by water. Just listening to it and my children's laughter puts everything else in the world on a back burner.
I wanted to make a piece of this for myself at home so I set to work. (forgive me if you don't deem this appropriate but I found it to be as much "art" as anything else I do). We have a friend named Jeff who puts together these amazing frog habitats and I've always been insanely jealous. I used a few of his techniques, such as the false bottom, in my tank. So thanks, Jeff!
Complete with trickling waterfall, natural rocks, driftwood, water friendly plants, and duckweed, this will make a great home for fish, tadpoles, and frogs. I am tempted to set up another for salamanders!
But it wasn't all dirt and rocks yesterday. At one point I paused long enough to grab some green velvet and make a head. Inspired by a doll seen PRIMS magazine (Spring 2010 pg. 93). Mine will look nothing like her but I liked the large eyes and long thin neck. I have been saving some beautiful hand dyed wool that I want to use for hair on someone, and I think this will be her. I am going to attempt hand painted eyes actually set into her head, a technique I've seen and thought about but haven't actually used. Wish me luck folks, and stay tuned for progress.

Magic: A Day Late

So we set out looking for adventure, and Mountain Tree frogs. I won't lie. The whole beginning of the trip was an exercise in frustration. We couldn't seem to get out of the house, then kept forgetting things and couldn't seem to get out of the valley. Then we get to Sedona and can't find the place we were told to go. But even in the midst of all this aggravation it was impossible to ignore the magic of the what we actually found.
After following the usual paths we meandered our way up stream to stumble upon this very magic tree. It had rocks imbedded in it as far up as my head. And a weird thing happened as I tried to get close enough to it to take detail pics. My camera stopped working. It was still on, the on light glowed green but the screen and view finder went black. I replaced the battery and the second battery produced a "change battery pack" message so I put the first one back in to see that it had full power. India and I like to think fairies must have been out doing their business and didn't want me to get a picture of it!
So I wasn't in the studio at all Friday but instead was out gathering magic for when I got back home.
And as promised, here's a pic of me in my skull and cross bones dress...and a sneak preview of what I worked on Saturday.

Black and White:All In A Day's Work

Today is Thursday ie. my dance lesson night so I started my studio day with deciding what I am going to wear. I've promised myself that at least once a week I am going to make an article of clothing for me to wear out on Thursday night. (I have a fellow stitcher who meets me there so I get the appropriate amount of praise for my efforts) I was inspired by the white tank top I'd slept in and some skull and cross bone fabric I bought over a year ago and whipped myself up a tank top dress. I just used my tank top as a pattern for the top and followed the curve to create hips and just ended it at the edge of the table-figuring I could take it up as needed. Setting my machine to serge I did the long sides first, then across the top of the straps and slipped it on for a fitting. Then I just finished up the neck and arm holes and the bottom hem with the same serge stitch and through it in the wash for tonight.
Then on to more artistic endeavors. That same stitchy dance partner had also introduced me to Pentel Fabric Fun pastels last week and I just had to have some to play with. I'd also been saving a dead wood bee in a brown paper bag for months, knowing someday I would draw or paint him. For the last few days I'd been tossing around the idea of drawing the wood bee on fabric and then machine embroidering over him and turning it into an art quilt. Inspired by other such works in an Art Quilt magazine I dove in today.
First I drew the bee on paper in pencil, then over again with purple sharpee to easily trace onto the fabric. (My daughter commented that the drawing changed each time I re-did it. This is because my drawing style is kind of fast and loose) Once drawn on the white cotton fabric (actually a queen sized cotton flat sheet purchased from a thrift store) he was cut out and placed over some batik purple and blue fabric. I then started stitching the layers together by free motion sewing on my machine.
I wasn't 100% happy with the eyes I drew so I cut them out and let the batik show through. I then added a layer of purple-grey netting over the eyes and stitched around them. I also used this netting on top of the wings. I was just getting into the groove of it when I realized it was time to start dinner and head to the bar.
Tomorrow I am taking the day off to go critter hunting with my family...hopefully some inspiration there.

A New Beginning

To celebrate the grand opening of my etsy store I thought I'd start a new blog. This way people can check out my work in progress and the wonky way in which I work. It serves as a good practice for portfolio building. When possible I will include tutorials and hints to unlocking your own creative stitcher. Till then, happy creating.