Leaf Stitching

More leaf stitching

while watching Billy Bob Thornton

and William Hurt

in the first season of Goliath.

magnolia leaf,

stitched and rolled

hibiscus--

the vintage tatting thread was too stiff

Persian shield,

turned from lovely purple

to almost black

 birch, 

less than 2 inches

without the stem.

More experimenting with threads and yarn. 

 More leaves being pressed under stacks of books.  

Inspirations:

Francoise mentioned Alice Fox 

in a comment on my last post,

and Fox's work is one of the inspirations 

for this new project.

Another is Suzanne Bauer,

who (who knows how)

manages to crochet on leaves!

and Hillary Fayle

also does beautiful work!

I would love to have some of the gorgeous fall leaves

in all of their glory,

but colors are still rare around here.

Each fall, the words from Shelley's 

Ode to the West Wind

echo in my thoughts--

especially his description 

of autumn leaves as

"yellow and black and pale and hectic red."

source

I'm also playing with birch bark.

Years ago, I stitched birch bark for postcards,

but I can't locate the pictures.

When I made Augustus, I used birch bark for his book. 

I machine stitched the birch bark and

added in hyacinth bean pods 

and faded day lily blooms.

Still holding up after 5 1/2 years,

although Augustus met some serious damage 

from the evil Triad of felines

and has gone to live with Amelia

to avoid the bad cats.

There is something soothing about working with natural materials.   

October Musings

Until two weeks into October, I had not made a single Eccentric figure for Halloween.  In fact, I have not made any for nearly a year.  Then my daughter Erin began telling me about her plans for her Halloween party this year--the first in her new home.  She was so excited. Max and Mila have been involved in the planning and will be helping with all of the details.  

After I hung up from that conversation, I was excited, too, and decided to make her a Halloween something.  But what?  Something that I could finish and get in the mail.  

Eek is cloth and clay

and was a bit of a rush job.

The cloth body went pretty quickly:

choose fabrics, cut strips, sew together,

make a pattern, trace onto fabric strips,

sew, cut out, stuff, add clay for the face.

Then quite a few hours were spent watching Netflix

as I added French knots and beads and decided on  embellishments.

That is the fun part, slow, but fun.

Working on Eek took several days,

and I got behind on answering letters!

Incoming Mail

from Naomi in Australia--

an arabic aerogram!

 love Hannah's Grumpy Cat stamp!

Lisa at lil fish studios posted this leaf mandala a while back,

and I keep going back to look at it!

Isn't it gorgeous?

If I had done this,

I would frame it and hang it on the wall

so I could enjoy it daily.

I'm having one of those weeks where I want to make things,

but can't make up my mind what I want to do.

Too many ideas all of a sudden

and unable to decide.

What are you up to this October?

Inspiring Artists

I want to share a few blogs that are pretty new to me.  I'm not even sure how I found them, but I'm glad I did!

Amy Meissner, an Alaskan textile artist, does beautiful work and writes thoughtful essays. She conveys her ideas about family, her own art, and art in general.  She is not a frequent poster, but her posts always intrigue me and give me something to think about.  Oh, and great photos and insightful looks into her process.

Source:  Amy Meissner Reliquary series

Naomi Bulger is creative in a number of ways, and one that captivates me is her interest in snail mail and the imagination that is evident in every piece she sends out into the world.  Check her out at Naomi Loves, and you will find both a visual feast and food for thought .

Source:  Naomi Loves Snail Mail

Just one more thing to celebrate:   Outings  which takes museum walls to the street.  Julien bi Casabianca began this process, but private individuals have taken up the banner.

Gallery of Outings Projects by city  

Source:  Outings Project New Orleans

What a wonderful idea for sharing great art in surprising places!

Snail Mail and a Fabric Postcard

My friend (even if we have never met in person!) Connie at Constance Rose: Art & Life is having weekly give-aways..

Source:  Constance Rose

This week is a fabric postcard, which I'm keeping my fingers crossed for. Connie's fabric postcard reminded me of when I first got involved with quilting and stitchery and was involved in several fabric postcard swaps which were a lot of fun.  

Before the fabric postcards, I spend a couple of years active in the Mail Art community-- I had a great time making, sending, and receiving snail mail.    


Even before that, I'd read Nick Bantock's Griffin & Sabine series (so beautiful and such fun) and decorated envelopes sent to my kids when they were in college.  Whoa!  Long time ago!

Seeing Connie's fabric postcard made me think of a new project--fabric postcards would make good Christmas greetings!  Not that I am inclined to do anything about this at the moment, but in my de-clutter activities I was considering putting a bunch of Christmas fabrics in the GoodWill bag.  This is exactly what happens every time the de-clutter, clean out, and dispose of process occurs--I think of just the project that might make use of whatever items headed for GoodWill (or trash).

If I ever get out of this slump, I'll make a few fabric postcards!  Until then....

Have a great weekend!

Fire burn, and caldron bubble.. (the last? of the Halloween decorations)

Witch from last year is back again.

Another decoration from last year.

In the mirror,

is one of Sandy Mastrioni's

 wonderful creations.
I love the mismatched eyes
and cone hat.

Below is my Halloween baker
on a vintage eggbeater.

I made Bitter & Boo a couple of years ago,

but they remain a favorite

and take the same spot each year.

Last year, a skeleton took up residence in this cloche;

this year, I stuffed the basket of ghosts 

and flowers inside.

Altered baby doll

What's missing?  The La Calavera Catrinas that I made for the girls and some black cats.  Quite a few  Eccentrics have gone to live elsewhere.  

Even though I won't make anything else for Halloween, I've been getting tons of ideas from other people's blogs and from Pinterest.  

As if I didn't have enough ideas and unfinished projects, I'm inspired by these Halloween Fanatics:

Jann at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Shirley at Hudson's Holidays
Peggy at Woman with Wings
Carol at Birds and Beads
Viv at Vivs Whimsy
Kim at Hunt & Host

Two More Creative Individuals

I'm back in the studio as often as I can be in the midst of this busy time of year!  I've made the feet and wings for Odd Duck. Have some clay beads and gnomes in progress, too.

But today, I want to share some more wonderful, creative people who make stuff I envy and admire.

Ikat Bag - How lucky are Lorraine's girls--because living in her house must be more fun than a barrel of monkeys.  Scientist/crafter/costumier and more, this woman does everything with flair and consummate skill.

Her Owie Dolls are delightful--you really should follow the link and see all the details she has created!

She has patterns and tutorials to share, too.  But her birthday parties are to die for!  The Science Party and Mystery Party are too cool for school!  And she tells you how to make the stuff, how generous is that?  

Rachal at VirtuoSew Adventures embroiders the most whimsical creatures!  I love to embroider, but my favorite stitch is the running stitch, and even that isn't going to be neat. What Rachal does is a brilliant combination of art, skill, and imagination, the kind of embroidery that is a result of years of dedication coupled with an eye for detail and an elegant sense of style.

Perfect for an illuminated manuscript or medieval tapestry!  Rachel should write a book featuring these characters.

Round the World Blog Hop

This is embarrassing, but back in October, Penny Baugh asked me if I would like to participate in a blog hop, and I was excited about joining in.  Then the weeks of computer problems ensued, then I wasn't even going into the studio (no creative endeavors what-so-ever), then guilt because I had not followed through, and a multitude of other reasons and excuses that kept me paralyzed.  

After a dearth of ideas and energy, I have finally returned to the process of making stuff, and I'm going to do this much belated post.

Here are the instructions that Penny (Art Journey) received from Hilary:

Here are the instructions from Hilary:

You will acknowledge the person and site that involved you in the blog
 and share your answers to these questions:

1. What am I working on?
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
3. Why do I write/create what I do?
4. How does my writing/creating process work?
(apparently we're free to interpret/adjust these questions as we like, so
if you feel like only answering one or two that's fine).

You'll need to list 2-3 tagees for the next week.  You'll give a 1-2 line
bio and link to their website. This means you'll need to find 2 or three
blog friends to do the same thing the following week or so.

I love Penny Baugh's (Art Journey) dolls and have posted about them before.  She has created a whimsical imaginary world in Lickety-Split, a community with the most charming inhabitants.  Penny, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to respond.

OK - here goes.

I live in Bossier City, LA, right across the bridge from Shreveport where I spent most of my growing up years.  I've always been interested in crafting and making things, useful or not. Mostly not.  But I have such fun!  My other interests include reading and gardening, and usually one activity excludes another, and I will devote endless time and energy to whichever interest is on the plate at the time--ignoring all others.


What am I working on?

I finished my last witch shortly before Halloween.

 Then came the long hiatus.  I'm not sure why  intense cycles of frenzied "making" (like the three months during the summer when I worked on something every day) decline into less frequent activity, and finally, into a complete stall.

I have only recently returned to spending most of my time upstairs in the studio.  Once again, I decided that it didn't matter what I made, as long as I worked on something each day.

My first efforts came when I saw My Poppet's  twisted cord on Pinterest.  Just the sort of mindless, but soothing activity to keep my hands occupied.

  I'm so glad I saw the tutorial just when I needed it;  I love both the meditative quality of this activity and the result. Rummaging among my fabric scraps and larger remnants, I found lots of ugly fabrics, some beautiful fabrics, left-overs from years ago, pieces left from half yards, fat quarters bought for some specific project that never materialized, etc.   Most were cut up to some extent, but saved for smaller projects. 

And I started twisting.  

I caught up on back  episodes of The Walking Dead while making yards of the stuff.

  I have some more old spools that I'll use for storing it, 
but I have to look for them.
The broken ruler serves for now.

Then I thought about making single twisted strips 
and weaving them on a twig form for a Christmas tree. 

 The above examples of cord are doubled and too thick.  
So I tore off a bunch of fabric strips
 and twisted them singly to make the tree.

Some of the fabric strips and scrap fabric were not long enough to make the twisted cord efficiently, so I've been making some fabric beads.  I still have a bunch of these I made several years ago, and I've used them in a number of various projects. 

 Making fabric beads is another one of those calming,

 undemanding activities;

 even if there is no immediate purpose for them, 

they are satisfying and look nice in a jar. 

Both activities lower my blood pressure, give me a sense of accomplishment, and keep my hands busy when there are no projects on the agenda.

Going through my bags of scraps and thinking of Christmas, I decided to make another fabric brooch.  Perfect for my grey wool coat to give it a splash of cheerful color.

How does my work differ from others in the genre?

I don't really have much of a genre, and my crafty endeavors range from embroidery to creating Eccentric dolls, but there is little consistency in my approach.  I experiment with a lot of different techniques.

I often make a doll head and then create a body and theme to go with it;  whatever my original thought, what actually happens is a result of spontaneous trial and error rather than planned execution.  I wish my stuff had a more recognizable aspect--you know, like when you see a particular doll or piece of fabric art and know right away who made it.  

Why do I create what I do?

There are so many things I would love to make, but where my attempts are always a fail.  I like scrappy stuff, working with odd bits, and experimenting. 

 I "make" for the process, whether one of my Eccentrics or fabric brooches or making yards of fabric cord like My Poppet's; the process of "making" is deeply gratifying in an emotional, as well as a physical sense.  I can't seem to help myself--it is an addiction and it is fun.

How does my creating process work?

No real method to the madness.  Sometimes, I have to get into the process gradually  and make twisted cord or fabric beads as mentioned above, for example.  At other times, I have an idea in mind. Halloween always inspires me to make strange creatures, and I will get out the paper clay or fabric and see what happens.

Here are my taggees (I wasn't able to get in touch with everyone, but even if they don't participate, you will enjoy looking!).  

Let me introduce:

Carla Trujillo  

Carla  is a mixed media artist who works with found objects to create one-of-a-kind assemblage pieces.  She produces these inspired little creatures that have fascinated me for years.  (of course, I had to have one of my own.  It hangs in our cabin in the country--an angel by the door--yep, a bad photo, but a cool piece)

You can visit Carla's blog or her Online Shop to see her creations.

Love the one below.

Sandy Mastroni 

Ha!  Sandy's weird little creatures always make me smile!  I have one hanging around on a mirror that looks at me impishly each time I pass by.  You can visit her blog or check out her Etsy Shop.  Here is the little guy I have hanging on a small mirror.

Carol Roll Nostalgic Folk Art

Carol is a folk artist who works in paper mache and creates these lovely characters with a vintage feel.  You can find her work on her blog, in galleries, and in her Etsy Shop.

Including Penny, that makes four artists whose works I admire.

Go visit!