Super Girlie

I finished all the hand stitching for my piece last night. Yea!!! Very happy with how it looks, but now feeling sad that it's done. I still have to machine stitch the sides to create the pillow, so the fun part is over (I will post my entry picture when it's completely finished). I just ordered another pack of trimmings for another entry (can't get enough). The pack I bought is called "super girlie"; it's all different shades of pink and red (my favorite colors). Do I stick with the paper-cut process and make them similar, or do I do something totally different. Still not sure.

We are packing tonight and tomorrow...the rv journey begins Sunday. Woo-hoo.

almost there

Springtime in the Smokies

I am almost done with my piece. I will save posting a picture until it is complete. I want to get it finished before our family leaves for Spring Break. We are very excited--we rented an RV, and are driving down the Blue Ridge Parkway to Ashville, NC, and the Great Smokey Mountains. The kids are over the moon. Can't wait to search for Bigfoot (their latest obsession). I am looking forward to lots of family time relaxing, reading, hiking, and sketching. Can't wait.

open studio

My youngest, Gavin, busy at the kitchen table with play-doe.

Inspiration

I am so lucky to be surrounded by artists everyday. My Kindergarten students just finished a sculpture unit, and are moving into texture. They loved clay. So tactile and directly manipulated by their hands. We pushed, pinched, pulled, poked, stretched and squeezed the clay into its final shape. Then we painted them with tempera. We are moving from sculpture to texture through a series of lessons in which the materials are still very sculpture, in a relief sense. This painting started as a drawing which was measured and matched with straws to raise the image, creating low parts and high parts. We painted them with tempera, thinking about this new kind of surface, and how the paint will either highlight or diminish the appearance of the straw lines. Sounds complicated, but they are amazing, and they always rise to the occasion. I know my work has simplified over the years because of seeing them create so effortlessly. I need to always channel my inner Kindergartener.

My new favorite magazine

My friend Katy and I did a daytime kid swap this weekend. My husband and I had some much needed time together just strolling (yes, strolling) down King St. It was crappy weather, but we got some chai, did a little shopping, and ate a yummy cupcake. I found this magazine (1st pic) at the Red Barn on Columbus. I am thinking about trying out a subscription ( http://anthologymag.com/blog3/issues/ ). It looks like a good one. Lots of great articles right up my alley. I found this fabric line (2nd pic) on their website. Bantie from Sweden ( http://www.bantie.se/ ). Is anyone noticing that I haven't found one fabric line from the US yet? I seriously need to start printing my own. Anyway, this one is great, and I love all the prints, especially in this picture...Back to the strolling, I also LOVED the windows at the new Anthropologie on King St. Amazing. They used plastic sheeting to create clear tubes that together look like coral. And jellyfish. Hard to describe without an image. Really amazing...Needless to say, it was all worth the extra two kids I had at our house today. The more the merrier.

Nesting

For some reason, I'm obsessed with books this weekend. We have so many, and I love them, but they are everywhere. We even have a bookshelf in one of our bathrooms. I guess we are lucky to have places for them, but with a small house it get a little crazy. I started with the shelves in the living room. I painted the backs of the shelves a pink/red a couple of years ago, but had a lot of picture frames, vases (crap), etc...and no books. I found an article in InStyle (I think) about a designer that featured her bookcases, and I was inspired. I decided to keep some of the "stuff", but also incorporate my art book collection. I love how the books are horizontal and vertical. It creates its own pattern, and I am enjoying seeing my favorite artists names in my space. I wish I had a before pic because it looks so much better...I won't share pictures of the stacks of books I have created to give to this friend of our who is a book reseller. They aren't very pretty.

Interior Therapy

I didn't work on the piece today. Tomorrow. I will definitely work on it tomorrow, and then sew it together this weekend. I like to hand-sew in my classroom. It has so much more space. I really need to work on my working space at home. It begs for some organization. I have a cabinet that needs to be cleaned out, so that the fabrics, pillows, etc, can move in. But, if I am doing that, then I not working...Right now I am watching Jeff Lewis "Interior Therapy" (trashy TV is great when I don't want to think), and doing more fabric searching. Wonder what Jeff Lewis would do with my need for more creative space?...Anyway, I found one to share (pic above). It's from www.summersville.etsy.com. Lu Summers, of the UK, has so many intricate, colorful and fun patterns available on her site. She also has a great deal if you purchase two fabrics (find the deal here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/78983214/pick-any-2-fabrics). She also has a cute blog (of course she does): www.blu-shed.blogspot.com. I have to admit, I'm not just researching fabrics, I'm taking it all in. And trying my best to not let it overwhelm me.

Procrastination

So the long road of stitching around my piece is slightly unappealing. I guess once I know how something will turn out and the "figuring it out" is over, I get a bit bored. It will happen--it's just slightly less exciting, and my mind is on to the next thing. So I'm looking for another fabric line that inspires me. I love the idea of printing my own fabric someday, and then using it in my pieces. I just haven't figured out what process I would use. I love poking around on Etsy. I came across a couple today that are really fun.

The first pillow is by Jesse Breytenbach from Cape Town, South Africa. The print on this pillow reminds me of my mom's dress patterns when I was little--it's retro, but the dots make it new and fun. She blocks prints her designs, and creates many other beautiful pillows, buttons, trims and more. You can find her work on Etsy: www.henrikuikens.etsy.com....I also came across Helen Rawlinson (2nd pic), a textile designer from the UK. This pillow is called the lollipop pillow--love the name--it's so bright and would give any boring couch more pop. She screen prints her fabrics and uses them to create pillows, bags, tea towels, etc. She can be found on Etsy at: www.helenrawlinson.etsy.com, and on her blog: www.helenrawlinson.blogspot.com...okay, back to work....

progress...

I finished appliqueing all the fabric shapes last night. I ended up not having very many scraps left from the packet, and I was able to balance the colors pretty well. The colors they sent me (not my choice) actually look interesting together, and I love how the gray canvas mellows them out. I originally planned on stitching around the large outer gear shape, and then my older son Tanner thought I should cut it out and sew it to another piece of fabric. He was right--the contrast it creates on the natural fabric works better than if I had simply outlined it in thread. Kids are brilliant sometimes. I also chose to match the thread colors so that the stitching isn't too prominent; I wanted the shapes to stand on their own. I also cut out the four remaining inside shapes, and they bring the natural canvas into the interior composition. If I had had more of the fabric, I probably wouldn't have made that choice, and I really like how the cut-aways lighten up the gear shape, while giving it more dimension on the inside...Now just lots of gray stitching....

Gee's Bend

These women knew how to sew. They pulled colors together like Matisse or Albers. And such an amazing story. Check it out: www.quiltsofgeesbend.com

Here I go...

I am starting with a challenge. I haven't entered an art contest since I was a kid, but I came across this one looking for fabric on Etsy. It's from this Australian textile house called Umbrella Prints:

www.umbrellaprints.com.au

They also have a SUPER cute blog:

www.umbrellabella.blogspot.com

Anyway, both sites promote their annual trimmings contest. To enter, you need to order a packet of their trimmings (1st pic above is my packet). You use what they send you to create something. I think the winning prize is fabric, which would be great--their fabric is beautiful...I decided to start with a paper-cut (obsessed with paper-cuts--check out www.misterrob.co.uk...amazing artist) as my pattern, and go from there. We'll see...

starting over...again

I've been sewing as a part-time business for over 6 years. I have to admit it, I like to sew. It's not the ground-breaking art that my classmates from grad-school are probably making, but at least I'm doing something, right? I started with belts, which was fun, and fairly mainstream (who doesn't wear a cute belt in the summer?)...but I got bored. I moved on to home decor a couple of years ago, and felt a little more artistic freedom. This time I opened an Etsy shop, and started selling hand-appliqued pillows and mixed-media paintings ( www.crossdrivedecor.etsy.com ). It was exciting to make connections with clients in Denmark, Australia, Japan etc. It was a little slower than the belt biz (new pillows and artwork are not always a no-brainer), but I acquired a small following for my cute wedding & birthday cake, onsie, or fill-in-the-blank personalized pillows. No complaints, but I am bored, again. So, I am starting over, again. This year I am hoping to make it more ground-breaking. Why not? Who says sewing isn't an art form? Who says sewing and painting can't come together in an interesting and new way. I want to push my own boundaries, think about my process, and make my art.