Procrastination Project

This was one of those projects that people do - or I do, do you? - when there is something else quite pressing that should be done but is somewhat distasteful. In this case, vacuuming and mopping and doing some general cleaning up were the items on my to-do list that had been successfully avoided until about 10pm on the evening before I was leaving for an arts festival and C's mother was arriving. So of course I decided that this was the perfect time to make leaves using the serger and some wire, one of those ideas that come in bushels when there are other more important things to take care of.


The serger/leaf idea worked quite well. I think it could be done on a regular machine using a zig zag stitch. The beauty of the serger is the blade that trims as you sew, making a perfect edge. Here's the scoop: cut out a leaf shape, stitch all the way around, insert wire all the way around using stitches as a channel. I made some flowers by cutting strips of fabric, sewing a loose running stitch up one side which were tightly gathered and then the edge twisted into a spiral. I ended up pinning the entire wreath together rather than sewing it, so it can be taken apart simply when the time comes (next deadline, perhaps...). The wreath itself is a foam mold from the craft store, wrapped in a Guatemalan print fabric. I pinned some buttons into the flower centers to cover the spiraling and for a little extra sparkle.

Treasure Chest

I had the most exciting antique-ing find of my life last weekend when I came upon this wonderful treasure chest at the Five Corners Antique mall in Essex.



I have no words to describe my excitement. Look at all that thread! Those colors! And the bias tape collection in the bottom? Simply perfect.



Now that I've taken pictures (I wanted you to see it in all its original glory!) I get to organize it all, sort through and decide where everything goes. Oh my, this might just be too much for me!

Its been a Big Week

Wow, ok, where to start? As claimed in my last post, I did indeed get a slew of miniature paintings painted - fun! Also some other projects with which I am quite pleased. But those didn't happen so much on the weekend as on the days I had to stay home from work due to an unhappy run-in with an ill tempered zebra mussel resulting in a late night trip to the emergency room.


Not so much fun.

The new paintings are going in the shop, and I will share pictures of them here over the next few days, but first I want to show you the other things I made.


Ever since I made the abstract cover for my quilt book, I have been wanting to create some fabric flags or banners. I had patchwork ideas like the quilt book cover in mind, but I also wanted to incorporate some text, simple words or phrases. Turns out the awesome wooden type I found works quite as stamps! I brushed them with india ink and stamped words onto the fabric. They are watersafe and I really like how the letters are a little wonky.


The words I could create were somewhat limited by the fact that I neglected to get a letter "R". Oops!

I stamped the letters onto colorful cotton and stitched them onto a natural linen backing. There is a channel at the top for hanging.


I would like to try a few more of these, but I also know how my brain works and instead of mass production, it is quite likely I will move on to something else new... !

(These hangings will be in the shop shortly as well)

Quilting

This is a quilt I recently completed for my sister. It was her, ahem, Christmas present, although she very patiently waited for it until May. I embarrass myself. I am quite please with it in the end, however!


It is in no way perfect, partly due to my own level of skill and partly to my antique sewing machine's reluctance to sew through several layers of cloth and batting. The dear old thing is a work horse, but this was asking a bit much. It is, of course, somewhat difficult to quilt on a regular machine anyway, since the arm is so short. I managed by rolling the extra bulk up on that side, and my quilt was small enough to manage. For the next, larger project I have in the works, I think finding a local professional quilter is in order.

Another little lady in the Shop!

She's about 3.5 inches tall, spunky and pretty and ready to venture forth! Visit her at amandamay.etsy.com!

New Dolls and Old

My little shop is back in business. It was never actually closed, but it was sadly neglected for a while there while other things took precedence. Things will do that.

Some are new and some have been around a while. This gentleman was introduced quite some time ago, but he was waiting for his wife to return from her hair procedure before he ventured into real public life. As it turns out, the hair problem was somewhat more complicated than expected and I am afraid our friend got a bit fed up. He actually hardly knew the woman, it was more a marriage of convenience, so don't feel bad for them. Someday perhaps she will get some hair and then she too will wander out into the world. As it is, the dear man is waiting a smidgen impatiently for someone to offer him some new adventure...

My dear dancing lady has also been listed. She has been a regular around the studio for a while now, just gadding about. But I am afraid she has become a tad bored with me. I don't blame her, I'm hardly here these days what with work and the dog and the nice Spring weather, and she's getting restless. So off she goes!



And then there are some simple Waldorfian-ish finger puppets. These little princesses were a means of mental relief for me from the lengthy process of the needle felted dolls. Where those are time consuming and detail oriented, these are relatively basic and wip up in a very satisfactory instant-gratification sort of way. And they have such sweet character in their simplicity. These sweethearts just plain make me happy!

Dress-up

I had the evening to myself...


So I played dress-up!

[looking over these pictures, my time would perhaps have been better spent making use of the iron!]


The first piece of real person clothing I ever sewed was a Renaissance-style dress, made for the part of Audrey, the "country wench," in Shakespeare's As You Like It. After that, I fell in love with costumes, and found several ways to reuse my lace-up overdress pattern in different forms.


The chemise I wore this evening was made for my foray into 1600's style for a part in Moliere's The School for Husbands. That costume was a bit more complex, with a bum roll and steel-enforced corset.


I don't plan to wear this outfit to work tomorrow, but it was a nice way to spend an evening!

Rainy evening

It was a rainy evening, and cold too. I ventured outdoors in the spirit of picture taking, trying to photograph the rain.



Let me tell you, people, that is a very difficult thing to do! I settled for capturing my sweet little mind leaves and their happy gleam.



A wee pepper, and a pretty pepper flower signalling more to come...



Then I returned indoors and busied myself with sewing pants. I was actually rather successful - possibly even managing to fix the disaster of the other night. When I figure out how to take successful pictures of my own legs, I will share more!

French Fashion

I brought this plaque home from my visit to Toronto - "Paris Fashions from 1500-1900." A gift from someone several years ago, it is one of my favorite little pieces even though in reality it is just a magazine page someone attached to a plank of wood.


I love costumes, especially dresses. A few years ago I went through a phase of making Renaissance costumes (whatever do I do with them now?) and for a production of Moliere's "The School for Husbands" I took a stab at 16th century dress making - including the corset and bum roll! One of my (many) dream jobs is a theatre or film costume designer.


The costumes on this piece remind me of Alexander Dumas - the Count of Monte Cristo, or the Three Musketeers (I am speaking of the books, not the films. Read them if you have not. So good).


Lately, I have been trying to make normal, everyday clothing instead of Renaissance gowns. Not nearly as much fun, and, to be honest, much more frustrating. I just don't think I am quite ready to make puffed sleeve chemises and lace up overdresses my daily attire. Its really too bad.

My bag

I left for Toronto on Friday afternoon, after finishing up summer camp, biking around town in the interests of my fish, and generally trying to do everything last minute that I should have spread out over the past week. With half an hour to spare before leaving the house, I decided I absolutely must have a new bag.

Luck was with me (having deserted me the night before in a linen pants incident about which I am not quite ready to think), and the bag creation went smoothly and ended up pretty much just as I wished!


This lovely canvas-type fabric was a sort of impulse buy during my quilt fabric shopping spree, bought with the specific intent of making a new bag. I am ever so proud that I actually followed through.

Naturally, with more time, there are a few extras I would have added - interior pockets, probably an exterior pocket between the straps. It has a sort of secret pocket perfect for my fast approaching Central American travels - a flap from the outside folds over to the inside, the perfect size for passport and money protection.

I really just love the colors. Lately I seem to have been developing an unconscious affinity for dusty pink (the flowers are pink. Upon viewing my picture I see that this is somewhat indiscernible. Oops. In real life they are actually quite prominent). My mother says that it is generally a sort of grandmother color, but then I have always had elderly qualities :)

I think this post takes the prize for the most parentheses. Yay.

An Introduction

I would like to make an introduction.



This gentleman would like to shake your hand.



His name is Edmund and he recently made an appearance in my studio.



He is quite friendly and sociable, and he walks 2 miles every day. That's why he has such lovely shoes!



His wife is currently undergoing some operations (she might not like it that I'm telling, but her dress was not fitting properly and her wig was completely wrong. Those might not seem to require surgery per se, but when one is only 6 inches tall one's problems are necessarily of a different sort). She should be along to meet you soon.

I am not sure if Edmund is a father or not - it seems likely, however, so I wish him and all the other fathers out there a Happy Day! (yes, one day late. I did call my own dad on time though!)

Finishing Touches

These are the final days! Of my college career, I mean. Probably, if I wasn't so horribly tired, this would be a bittersweet time. As it is, I just can't wait until the weekend, when the presentations are over and the final papers submitted, so I can just sleep. Maybe for a few days.

My squares have been quilted...



And bound in black...



The photographs were ironed on, usng "Wonder Under" (sounds like underwear, doesn't it?)...



And a cover was constructed...



(this is the front and back - I think it looks like a banner or flag and I want to make more).



Now the pages are sewn together and its all set up on a podium in the presentation room. I had some random pieced squares left over, and we stuck them in frames and hung them on the wall to complete the exhibit. They actually look really great like that and I think I will do more.

It feels so good to have this project completed. When I look at the finished product, its so small that I feel a bit odd about how much time and energy it took out of me. But looking through the book and seeing each tiny hand stitch and remembering all the thought and research I did to make it more than just fabric, I feel like I have actually accomplished something. Of course, now that the work is done I am free to get really nervous about the presentation.

They look like fun...

... but what are they?



All of these attachments came in the original tin with my sewing machine. Would anyone happen to know what any of them are for?

Tiny stitches, and why is it snowing?

I am progressing in the stitchery department. Several blocks are finished and my quilting stitches are slowly becoming smaller and neater. The first will probably be embarrassing someday when my standards have refined, but at this point I just don't understand how those miniscule, barely visible stitches are accomplished! They certainly give me another reason to appreciate the skill put into a quality quilt.



Lately, in my ponderings of quilts and their importance, I began to realize their importance as holders of memories. Historically, there are the memory quilts made by a group of friends for one who was leaving, and traditional quilts were often pieced with scraps of old clothing. My grandmother points out pieces in her mother's quilts, remembering how a certain dress was made with this or that fabric and sharing the memories of the time associated with that particular piece of clothing.

Another way quilts are memory keepers occurred to me while stitching, and is one of the reasons I decided to hand quilt each square instead of taking the faster and simpler route of machine quilting. Hand stitching takes time, and it takes some measure of concentration, especially if the stitches are to be small and neat and the lines straight. And while this stitching is happening, the stitcher has plenty of time to think and to just be. And I really think that this time sort of stitches memories into the fabric. I sent my grandmother a wonderful book I found about quilts and their makers, called "The Quilters: Women and Domestic Art An Oral History," and reading the stories of these women reminded her of the quilting she had before she was married. It struck me that that particular quilt would have that particular time stitched right into it; how she felt as she prepared to embark on a new life would have been pondered as each stitch was made. I am wondering what I will remember from these stitches in this book I am making. I am hoping they will not be flashbacks of stressed out all-nighters as I feverishy try to finish everything before the presentation deadline.



Happy Easter!

Sewing square

Here are what I must determinedly stitch upon in the next few days:







The picture quality is lousy, sorry about that. But I am quite happy with the results of my piecing. Sure, some - well, many - of the corners don't match up just right, but the Amish always include "flaws" in their quilts to let the spirit out, or so as not appear to be in competition with God. Not sure which. But I am willing, especially at this point, to endorse any such arguments.

Now, on to quilting. Somehow I decided that it would be nice to hand quilt. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice. I am just not sure if the amount of time it seems it will take me even exists! I have done one so far, and have started a second. Probably the best idea is just to do as many as possible and then not feel guilty about finishing up on the machine.

The final plan for the project, at this point (it continuously changes), is to applique the hand-developed photos onto the back of the quilted squares. Have I mentioned these photos before? hmm, seems I have discussed photos, but have not actually imparted their importance to the work.

The photos are of domestic or crafting tools, and are photos I took on black and white film, developed, and am now in the process of learning how to print onto liquid-emulsion covered fabric. I had been intrigued with the idea of liquid emulsion for some time, and was very excited to be experimenting with it. So the photos, in the works and not something I really want to think too much about right at the moment (turns out, liquid emulsion on fabric is something of a nightmare! who knew?), will be cut and stitched onto the backside of the pieced squares, and the whole deal will be sewn together into a sort of fabric book.

I have an image of what that final product will look like, right here in my mind's eye. Its gorgeous. Now I just have to make the physical reality match. Here's to lots of tiny little stitches!!!

Weighty issues

I have this strange notion that modern sewing machines will never appeal to me because of weight issues: they are just too light to be reliable. I'm really not sure where that came from, except that I remember using a friend's machine in highschool and it bounced around and made things difficult. Probably that was more due to the table it was sitting on - some sort of boards piled on plastic crates if I remember correctly - and less on the actual machine, but it seems to have stuck.



This machine of mine certainly meets all requirements for heftiness. It is old. Quite old. But it has character in a way I am just not convinced a new computerized machine can have. Sure, it drives me nuts with the threads getting caught up in the bobbin, and there are no settings for automatically stitching perfect flowers, but it does have a wonderful tin full of attachments that I do not know what to do with (I don't have a photo of that now, but will add one soon in case anyone cares to aid in identification...).

An abundance of goodness!

So much fabric! So many colors! So many patterns!







We finally dug ourselves out of the snow and made a foray into the world... Almost a week after the storm, and everything is still a bit out of whack; those huge snowdrifts on the sides of the road make traffic just that much crazier. But we made it to the fabric store without incident and I loaded up on colorful fabrics. Now I can stitch away to my heart's delight! I just need some good ideas for patterns!

Bear's Paw

The Bear's Paw. First of eight squares that will become the final project for my degree. My study major is art, culture, and community, so for my degree project I am trying to combine everything and wrap it all up in one creative venture.

I have become fascinated with quilts and other traditional "women's crafts," and their role in community development at the most fundamental levels. So I am experimenting with traditional quilt patterns, and marrying them with photography of tools that are used in crafting and building. The plan is to create eight 12-inch pieced squares, and the opposite sides of each will have a photograph, developed onto fabric with liquid emulsion and surrounded by a pieced border. Then the two sides will be quilted together - I would like to hand-quilt but I'm afraid I might be too slow. We shall see. The pieces will then be displayed separately, or bound together as a book. I am thinking a crazy quilt cover would be fun. My main problem now is that I just need to buckle down and work. And of course I need to go fabric shopping! (any excuse will do...)



As you can see, I desparately need to enlarge my collection. There's just nothing here! ok, so there is something, but it is so frustrating to always work with the same fabric. I have decided I really need some new patterns, and especially some more with yellow.



Now I just have to help my sweetheart dig his car out of the mountain so we can get to the fabric store!

By-the-by, if there is anyone out there reading this, and you happen to have any ideas for fun 12-inch quilt squares, or any other ideas for or about this project of mine, I would love to know!

Catching up my correspondence

This week, in addition to work at setting up the new gallery space, and starting the new semester, and dealing with the onslaught of winter - or perhaps because of all these - I decided my priority would be to catch up on my correspondence. Some friends and I have been postcarding back and forth, and I have developed a fondness for making my cards myself.

There is something very satifying about postcard making. The size is pretty much set, so that decision is out of the way. But on that small rectangle, the possibilities are endless! First, I was into using old photographs (a great use for pictures that don't come out!). Then I tried sewing on the cardstock and had great luck using folded paper for a sort of bias tape edge effect.

And then wonderful things happened. I got a vintage book of salad recipes; some mundane, some bizzarre, all wonderful, except that I knew they were unlikely ever to be used. So the book was cut to pieces, and the recipes were sewn or glued to cardstock to make recipe postcards! Now I am all excited about sewing paper and using vintage books or magazines for images or text. Its all great fun. I began to make some greeting cards as well, because they can be more delicate than postcards that must withstand unprotected travels.

But this time, I made only postcards, and each was created with its individual recipient in mind. They are now addressed and waiting to head out.


results
Originally uploaded by littleloopy.

Fabric obsessions

I really love fabric. I love to just be around fabric. It is actually somewhat detrimental to my sewing record, as I often get so involved in just enjoying the cloth that I lose interest in actually making something of it. That said, I also am becoming more and more interested in not accumulating too much extra stuff, and so I try to hold myself to strict rules about only buying what I need, and having an honest purpose for each yardage.

These inhibitions were thrown aside over the Holidays when I found out that my favorite fabric store is closing. The store is a clearance branch of Fabricland, stuck in the back-door basement of a strip-mall and literally overflowing with $2.00-$3.00 fabric tables and nearly anything else I could want. Of course, the store is in suburban Toronto, and I no longer live there, but it was always a destination when visiting and I will miss its presence from a distance.

The closing sales, and the prospect of never having another chance, filled my basket in no time with all sorts of exciting remnants and more. I told myself they would all become bags to be sold, or part of a quilting project, and perhaps they will. But I am a master of justification and I was in full swing. Oscar Wilde once said that "the only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it," and I do believe the man had a point.

A New little friend

This evening was spent in the creation of a wee new lady,



who will soon be mailed off as a thank you for the fantastic cookies I received yesterday from a friend...



Its been a while since I really got into a project. I dreamt the holidays away, far removed from my cozy little crafting corner, and had a whole slew of ventures ready to jump into upon returning. The past week, however, I seem to be suffering from a crafting variation of writer's block. Maybe just because there was so much I wanted to do, I haven't been able to start a thing. This evening was a breakthrough though, and with luck the ennui will not return.

"Ennui" is my favorite word right now. As I work, I have been listening to "The Scarlet Pimpernell," by Baroness Orczy, on cd. It is a romance of political intrigue during the French Revolution, very dashing and exciting and full of French accents. I speak absolutely no French, but I wish dreadfully that I did and so I repeat "ennui" to myself in a throaty whisper and make believe I am in Paris.