Well, it seems that holiday elves have invaded our house...and my art studio, so holiday fun and creativity is bursting out all over...
Got-the-blues? wool, silk tweed, and angora hat....unique, warm and comfy.
Mother's are wise--right? this owl is for all the wise mother's and grandmother's in your life.
For over a year now images of owls have attracted me...I even purchased a lovely special vintage OWL cook jar from Etsy...totally an impulse buy---but every Grandma needs a cookie jar, right?
So --when I needed to embroider a sample or two for my beginning embroidery class--(today!!! 3 to 5 pm at TWISTED here in Portland, OR) I naturally designed and embroidered --guess what? an OWL of course...here is a close up of the owl (below)--this is done with just 3 embroidery stitches: stem stitch, French knot, and chain stitch...with a few straight stitches thrown in..very simple, but fun!
so, do stay tuned...more images of owls to come....!
I have been rather absent here as I hunt for a job---which, ironically, is a full time job--but now I think it is time to move on from my life transforming trip to Ghana, Africa and return to the main blog topic: creating crafty objects and art !
I have a special baby shower to attend this weekend and created several presents for the baby girl due to enter the world in June...first, I created a baby "blankie" intended for laying on the floor for the tiny baby to lie on and have "tummy time." This blankie is made of wool sweaters I felted (washing with soap or detergent and hot water in the machine, then drying in a hot dryer--felts a wool sweater up nicely)--then I cut squares, sewed them together---and since I thought the little "quilt" looked a bit plain--I used some wool crewel yarn to embroider flowers on some squares. The blankie is backed with colorful cotton flannel.
And I knit a little baby girl hat out of cottons...in spring colors.
Even though I have been absent here I have been busy creating more crafty objects--so will be returning to more regular blogging --and I have quite a bit to share with you! so do check back...
I'm teaching a beginning embroidery class at TWISTED here in Portland on Saturday May 2nd! here is the sampler I created to showcase the class.
I have been doing embroidery since I was a youngin' in the '60's...mostly self taught from books. I have a nice collection of out-of-print embroidery books, but my favorite is this vintage pamphlet.
Todays' quote: "I teach to share the wonder of my discoveries and to exchange with my students the wonder of theirs." ----Michele Cooper
I spend more time than I should surfing the crafty blogs and following links from crafty blog to crafty blog---the result is a nice list of crafty tutorials of interesting projects--items I would like to make "someday".....
(when does that someday actually arrive?)
Anyhow---here are some links to a few crafty projects I am intrigued by:
1) from the CraftyPod blog---HOW TO MAKE A BOOK WITH PLAYING CARD COVERS
so cute--a small blank book! to fit in your backpack or purse.
2) a yummy knit HOT WATER BOTTLE COZY --with a cable on it! from Yarn-A-Go-Go. This is just how I want to make that old rubber hot water bottle all comfy....
3) Great sewing pattern and instructions for that essential hippy "peasant skirt" from jcarolinecreatvie. Just like those ones I made in the '60's ! and still as comfortable in hot summer weather.
4) How about a purse made from playing cards? from the Craftbits website. A great way to use up those old worn out playing cards you have lying around.
5) How to make your own Embroidered Buttons from the Feeling Stitchy blog. These would be fun on that fabulous handknit sweater--or just to spice up a vintage thrifted blouse.
Have fun!
My brother lives in our family home in Alaska--my grandfather built the house, and after my grandparents died and my Mom was a widow she lived there. Recently my brother sent me this stitch sampler he found--something I made in the late 1970's (! ) and gave to my Mother. It was the time I think of as my "lace period" because I had this great book LACE by Virginia Bath (now long out of print), and I spent one whole long cold, dark Alaskan winter exploring the techniques of needle lace.
The most interesting aspect of this sampler to me--was to see the palette I choose back then--I am still attracted to these colors today and use them frequently in my creations. What a strange blast for the past. And, yes, it is sooo seventies ;-)
Here is the book--if you ever see a used copy for sale--buy it! I taught myself needle lace using this book and created some large pieces of needle lace---all long gone out of my life, but I still use the techniques I learned.
TODAYS QUOTE:
"At the birth of a child, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
I love vintage quilts, and have few of them around the house. So, here is a quick tour of some of the quilts in our house...the ones we are currently using. I have few my Great Grandmother made packed away.
This Tumbling Block quilt I bought at a garage sale (oh lucky day!) quite a few years ago--I love the combination of vintage fabrics and the quilting is all by hand. This quilt is large enough for a queen size bed. An old quilt like this makes me wonder about the women whose hands stitched it? (or was it a man?) what was she like? who did she make this quilt for? where did she learn to quilt?
Here is a close up--so you can see the quilting and the vintage fabrics.
This quilt I inherited from my Mother. The top was pieced by a relative on my father's side of the family and my Mother finished the quilt and quilted it--with some friends--by hand. The quilt top is also all vintage fabrics, the backing is not. Fits a queen size bed.
This is another surprising garage sale find--a cotton flannel quilt! the pink triangles were beige until I washed the quilt and the red flannel colors stained the beige pink. The backing of this quilt is flannel also....this quilt is so comfy and warm...we use it as a lap quilt when we watch TV or read. This quilt is large enough for a full bed size.
This is an old wool crazy quilt I bought last winter at the Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale---the back is wool also. The wool in this small lap quilt is very fine and scratchy---probably from old men's suits. The embroidery stitching is done in wool, also. This quilt is old and funky--some holes (which I intend to mend), but I just fell in love with it.
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TODAY'S QUOTE:
Every single one of us has a good work to do in life. This good work not only accomplishes something needed in the world, but completes something in us. When it is finished, a new work emerges that will help make green a desert place as well as scale another mountain inside ourselves.
— Elizabeth O'Connor quoted in Living the Truth
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