Taking Corners

Messing around trying the diagonal weave, I may start it over with longer pieces of paper...

Basket Weaving

After realizing that I really don't know much about basketry I went online and found some simple instructions. Essentially what I needed was a mold to work around and this glass vase was perfect.

Rubber bands work well to hold the paper in place as I wove.
I had to extend the slips of paper since I wanted a tall basket shape.

The weaving is very straightforward I really like the confetti colors that it ended up being, sort of festive... next up a diagonal weave!

Rediscovery

Found during the sorting of my supplies a couple of weeks ago all of these slivers of shibori dyed rice paper. I didn't want to toss them (the colors are yummy) and happily I came up with a good reason to keep them a little while later.

Its interesting to revisit all of these fragments of old projects and to find new uses for them.

Wilting

Playing with low light level photos, this is a vase of wilting flowers that caught my eye this evening.

Did a little stitching this evening but its just not interesting enough to share.

I am slowly trying to find the little creative moments and make the most of them.

New Totems

Multi level totems

Instant Gratification

Instant gratification takes too long

-Postcards From The Edge

Tonight was not about the pleasure of creating or craftsmanship (obviously) it was about GETTING SOMETHING MADE.

I've been so focused on sorting and clearing that my neglected artistic side has been starting to feel panicky, as if I will lose the knack and stop altogether.

Probably not the case however when I stepped back from it all and asked myself what I wanted to do tonight this is what came up:

"I just want to finish something up"

So I went for it...

That seat cover is just as lumpy and ill made as it appears, but its done and I'm feeling a little better. I think I will play around for awhile now on other stuff.

Pristine

At the cost of becoming the most boring person on earth... I can now declare that my computer is officially cleaned out and backed up, and I want nothing to do with it for awhile. There is only one other area in my studio that needs attention. The file cabinet lurking in the corner.

But I think I may have to give it a rest before I have a go at it.

The goal is to get it done before Labor Day... I think I can do it!

Still sorting, how utterly boring am I?

This drawing is a good visual description of trying to clean up/back up my computer files onto the external hard drive.

I have way too many pictures and they are very disorganized.
This calls for a drink, and maybe a cookie....

I am feeling seriously whiny right now.

I got nothin....

Its been a long week of 90 degree weather, high humidity, preparation for a trade show at work, and trying to maintain my sporadic exercise program. All without the benefit of AC at work or at home. Today all my grand plans for weekend productivity languished. The sum total of my creativity was a mozzarella salad...

Pretty yummy though.

Stuff I didn't do today...

Work on the new seat cover for the window bench.

Start beading the new wrapped stones.

Retouch photos for mom.

Continue the computer clean/clear.

Stuff I did do today...

Worked in 90 degree+ heat.

Attended Lauren and Pete's wedding (congrats guys!).

Tired now. Its just gonna have to do.

A man is not idle because
he is absorbed in thought,
There is is a visible labor and
there is an invisible labor.
Victor Hugo 1862

I think tonight is about the invisible kind...
and the premier of Project Runway!

Instant Gratification

Sometimes the only thing that needs to be on the to-do list is something simple to do.

Sleepy

Too sleepy to blog tonight the heat is getting to me....
time for bed

Wow!

I guess I'm not the only one playing with rocks... check this out!
http://mitsuru-koga.com/
so cool!

Stacks

just messin around tonight...

Not quite sure where this is going...

Breathing Space

Muggy summer weather here, not my favorite. I've been getting the chores/errands done early in the day this weekend, leaving the afternoons free for whatever. Today's "whatever" was to get the desk area cleared up and upload every cd of school work or freelance work into the computer. This task is exactly as dull as it sounds. Next I will be backing it all up onto the external hard drive and ridding myself of the crap. Yes, my tendency to save everything that might be important extends to multiple copies of my student portfolio and photos and ...oh god this is not pretty people.

However my studio is just gorgeous now (well except the file cabinet but one thing at a time here)

The sense of calm is dominant now and I'm loving it. I'm off to start on the computer now.

Patched

It was steamy hot today and sitting quietly and stitching suited me just fine. I actually got to listen to A Celtic Sojourn on WGBH all the way through, that never happens.

Here is the result in all of his patchwork glory.

It occured to me about halfway through the process that I could have just dismantled him and made some new pattern pieces but I kind of like this Velveteen Rabbit look on him. A little battered but a survivor nonetheless. I can identify with that.

Victory belongs to
the most presevering.
Napoleon

just a good thought for today

Worse Before Better

It always gets worse before it gets better. I got started cleaning the desk/computer area of my studio tonight. I've been dragging my feet on it. I will have to go through disks and make decisions about Important Papers. This is not especially fun to me, because to do it right I will have to overhaul the systems I use to store and file things. My usual system is; well this might be important/useful or its something I SHOULD do so I'd better save it until I can't remember what it is/where it is or its way too late.

As systems go this kind of sucks. In fact it sucks the energy right out of me because nothing makes a person feel more thinly spread than a bunch of stuff they ought to do, or haven't done, or are avoiding doing cause really they don't want to until its too late.

Saying no is important.

I seem to have a problem saying no to stuff.

Thus I end up with way too much of everything fabric, papers, ideas, shoulds...

So now I have a huge mess on the floor of the studio and a choice between trying to work around it or just tackling it and getting it cleaned up. (I will choose clean up its just a matter of how long its gonna take me)

This entire process seems to really be about saying yes/no and really defining what I want to do with my time. Its work but I really like the space I'm finding on the other side.

Keep or Toss?

Still trying to finish the studio clean/clear out. I've made serious progress and now am left with the computer and file area to do (bleh)
I did manage to get through the rest of the supply closet including a huge box of papers, tearsheets, cards and ephemera. Stuff like that is really hard for me to let go of and yet I'm not much for scrap booking and journaling. That combo suggests that I might be well served by a online journaling course. Something to consider.
I couldn't get rid of it all but I did reduce it by about 1/2.

Mixing it around suggested some new ideas for some of these old bits and pieces. An example would be these many strips of itajime dyed paper. I went back and forth on weather or not to keep them and finally came down in favor of keeping them when another tear sheet gave me a possible idea of what they can be used for. I switched them into the Project Bin, they are keepers.

Mom's First

This is my moms first quilt. I finally got an afternoon with the proper light outside (and no rain) so I was able to get some photos of some of her work that I own. I love this one, in fact I based my bird designs off of it. It isn't quite as well executed as some of her later work but it has a wonderful energy to it and a sense of playfulness as well.

She is currently hand quilting her latest quilt out in NM, she says I will be impressed...

but then I always am with her.

Patching It Together

Slowly, slowly the little guy is regaining his form.

Old Experiments

Clearing out the studio the other day an I encountered this remnent of an old experiment... a what if of sorts.

what if I take a piece of itajime dyed rice paper and coat it with acrylic resin?

I just never forsaw that it would become transparent!

I did a few of these but I think this is the only one that I still have. I was unsure of what to do with them and leery of the health risks associated with resins.

I still think that totally cool lampshades and lighting fixtures could be made with it but I don't really have the skills to make the nessesary armatures.

Who knows I may go back to it someday...

New fabrics dyed for the repair of my old friend.

This was actually a piece of my first ghi. I finally had to retire it when the bottom fell out (literally)

I used a soda soak method to dye it. The white fabric is submerged into a soda ash solution, wrung out damp, and manipulated after which unactivated dyes are applied and allowed to to do their thing. In this case the manipulation was what I refer to as a krinkle, a wrinkled, tightly compressed pancake about an inch thick with the dyes sprinkled onto it on both sides, you have to flip it over like a pancake too.

I like the idea of using the fabric from my ghi for this project. An extra layer of protection for my vulnerable childhood companion is implied.

Chris Gilmore

Just want to direct you over to Rag and Bone where there is a nice post and links to info on Chris Gilmore. Too good to miss. That is corrugated cardboard people!

Rag and Bone is also worth a looksie!

Can He be Saved?

This is Peppy. He has been with me since I was 7 or 8. My absolute favorite stuffed animal ever. He is made of cotton flannel printed with a sort of leopard spot. Given to me by a friend of my mom's who had stylish design-y taste, this little fellah has been with me through all of my life events since then: the divorce that shaped my childhood, puberty, best friends, high school, college, first apartments, rotten relationships and good ones... hes made it through all of them.

A few years ago I ill advisedly put him through the washer cause I noticed that all of those years had left a layer of grime on him. What came out was a ball of poly fill with a peppy shaped rag entwined. Apparently the only thing holding the fabric together was the dirt.

I patched him up and treated him gently for a few more years and then it happened again.

The dog got to him in a fit of pique (she was temporarily shut out of the bedroom while we were rearranging furniture and took offence) and ripped his guts out. Hes been languishing in my to be repaired pile for a few years now so I think its time to get him pulled together if I can. He is in pretty rough shape and his original fabric isn't very strong any more but I think I can save him ...

He deserves it.

All Done

I finished the pillow resurrection.

It kind of surprises me how well these two fabrics sit together. Perhaps it shouldn't, they have a similarity in the shape of the motif and in the coloring. Its funny but the way they differ and are similar reminds me a bit of the resemblence between me and my mom... the two makers.

A Bit of Yellow

Added some sunny yellow piping between the old embroidery and the new shibori...

I like the way the shapes relate between the two motifs

Sweet Sweet Candy

Just images today

a strange fungus found in the garden

leaves as landscape

origami flowers

a glowing rose

I didn't even know the spider was there until I downloaded!

sunset colors

Elvis here is the very first picture I took

I totally lurve this camera, and I'm still on the auto settings, Yowza!