May 18, 2008

New stuff

Last week I was at an arts festival and a vendor was selling lengths of yarn ...cute packaging. I bought a couple.

From Cool Things
The varigated wool is alpaca, and I used it on my wallpocket.
Also got cool shell/bead earrings, really long and dramatic.

I've been on a book and video ordering jag. These two came quickly, and I'm enjoying reading them: Creative Quilts: Inspiration, Texture & Stitch and The Painted Quilt: Paint and Print Techniques for Color on Quilts. And then from Terry White's site I ordered the first of these Free Motion Embroidery videos (the basics) and thought it was so well done, that I ordered the other two. I've watched Designing by Thread video and learned a bunch about tension, needle size, speed of stitching and various feet in using specialty yarns and threads. Can't wait to view the other. The videos are well done, most of the shots are of actual stitching, the feet, fabric, settings on the machine, etc. No affiliation, but I'm a satisfied customer!

Lastly, the new addition to the backyard. A 30 inch deep x 10 foot pool with a filter and chlorine -- Perfect for our size kids who swim like fishes, and I can see it from the living room windows and from my studio bedroom window, so it's ideal. They've been in the thing for three hours running now, and loving it. View from my desk/sewing area.

15:40 Posted in Show and Tell | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: kids, pool, videos, yarn, books

May 03, 2008

Potholder for a bear

I'm fascinated lately with the vintage crocheted potholders in cotton with deep rich colors. I found a couple more today, including an unusually shaped one that looks like a vest.

From Garage Sale F...
it's the one that's white with red running stitches. Recognize it now?

it's on "Queenie" my younger daughter's bear with a new name....it had a generic name before, but she needed a "Q" item for show and tell this week, so Queenie she became. Doesn't she look like royalty in her vintage wear?

And this was another fabulous piece found today for $3. An original watercolor, postcard size mounted in a clear acrylic frameless frame, of a windmill in Osterholz-Scharmbeck, Germany. I'm gaga over simple watercolor that's not overworked, and this is pretty darn close! much better than I could do, as a matter of fact, but it's something I aspire to. Over halfway down this page is a photo of this windmill. There's a society to restore the mills around the world. I've always loved watermills, they were not common, but not rare, in the part of Pennsylvania where I'm from. Beautiful old buildings. So, this was a neat bit of research from this casual purchase!
http://www.ohz.shuttle.de/ohz/kgs-schwanewede/windmill/Hi...

20:15 Posted in Garage sale finds | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: germany, windmills, kids

March 27, 2008

Quick figure sketches

I took a solo road trip with my kids this week. it was an adventure, a bit of a challenge since it was the first time I'd driven four hours with my kids by myself. I downloaded two Narnia books and they were a lifesaver. We were all fascinated with listening to them, and it kept the kids quiet. They drew and looked out of the window while they listened.

We went to a river and a lake to play, on two separate days, and I did quick sketches of them (they of course were in constant motion) so it was challenging, but I think i captured their likenesses in several of the sketches. Here they are:

From Drawing 2008
J at the river.

From Drawing 2008
L at the river

From Drawing 2008
Both of them. We saw boats being unloaded and loaded at the boat ramp, birds, insects, rocks, etc. etc. lots of good outdoor fun!

13:38 Posted in Sketches | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: kids, play

December 31, 2007

Beaded Glove

Here's a work in progress. I've dyed a vintage ladies' glove and I'm starting to bead it with motifs of motherhood. What I've gone through so far, stages my kids have had, etc. etc. I found it challenging to work within the constraints of the glove and still be able to insert the needle at the right angle needed to have the row of beads lie straight, so I made a small slit along the pinky finger and that has helped incredibly. It'll easily stitch up with picot edging or fringe, so I'm not worried.

From Beading

14:13 Posted in Beading | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: kids, motherhood, gloves, beading

Beaded Barrette

From Beading


From Beading


This barrette was SUCH fun to do. I beaded it in 2004 (I believe) and I really enjoy wearing it. I finished it on a plane trip to visit one of my best friends in Michigan, and it was an "escape the little ones" trip that I thoroughly enjoyed. So that is all wrapped up in how much I like this barrette!

14:00 Posted in Beading | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: beading, barrette, kids

Beading Minis project

From Beading
I've started a project on a smaller scale than the VERY inspiring Beadjournal Project, hosted by Robin Atkins. My project will be 2" square pieces, and I've decided to journal the events of 2007, even though we're on the eve of 2008. My perspective is clearer on what is important in the past, and I also would like to journal what's going on now, but I'm going to do that in my sketchbook. So this is Jan 2007, a month we started off by sledding with saucers down hills in Cloudcroft, NM (first time for our kids). They loved it! Since we live in the "sun city"of El Paso, we hardly ever see snow, although its frequency is increasing as the years go by.

Here are two closeups of the square.

From Beading
From Beading
Some of the members of the Clothpaperstudio yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clothpaperstudio) are also playing along. Should be fun to challenge each other to keep going!

13:55 Posted in Beading | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: beaded minis, journaling, snow, sledding, kids, clothpaperstudio