Worktable

Today was a gorgeous HOT day. I spent a little time this afternoon while the kids were at school tidying up my workroom. After putting everything away I proceeded to bring things out again; old patterns, doll parts, possibly useful junk.

I discovered I had no pattern for a doll part I'd used three times before so I made a form out of aluminum foil covered with stuffing and mummy-wrapped with strips of cotton. After stitching it all down I had the base (the scraggly thing in the center) over which to drape cotton fabric so I could make a pattern from it. I pinned the fabric smooth and then cut it into pieces. I sewed them together, making sure to document and trace each piece first, and got lucky with a workable shape the first time out. I did have to widen the hole a bit. The finished mock-up (left in picture) is now documented and I have pattern pieces finally. I'd been wanting to make another open-heart doll but was not looking forward to reinventing that hole in the torso. Now it's done and the fun can begin.

I don't know why I didn't do that a long time ago. It would probably be a good idea to make patterns from the pieces I use and like. Most often what happens is I draw the pattern freehand and sew it together and stuff it to see if I like the result. If I do, I just want to keep working and I'm too lazy to take the thing apart (you have to un-stuff it first) and copy each piece. So each time I do something slightly different but similar. So efficient! I'm definitely going to change my ways.

First Art Show!!!

I'm beside myself tonight. I opened up an email from the Austin Museum of Art Holiday Art Festival to find I was accepted into the show! Having never been in a real art show I'm pretty much freaking out. Of course I tried to call all my family and no one answered their phone (isn't that always the case when you really want to SHARE) so this will have to be my official announcement: please come to Laguna Gloria for the AMOA Holiday Art Festival December 1 and 2, 2007!

So here's the thing. I thought it was such a long shot that I'm not even sure which three photos I submitted. They were all dolls, but now I wonder if I need to stay on target with the style of those particular dolls or if I can play with some new ideas I have. For example, if I submitted dolls with all fiber heads, should I keep making fiber heads for the show or can I make paper heads? The fact is for the next two months I'm going to be making dolls dolls dolls. It's always what I've wanted to try: just focus on my dolls for awhile -- and now I have a reason to do just that. Dolls are a strange niche. I'm hoping I can represent myself and the art museum in the best light possible. What's really important to me is to do what I'm meant to do and reach the people I'm meant to reach with my art. Whew! I really can't wait to work through these next two months.

The usual bemusement

After making a doll I often put her somewhere I can see her easily for a few days and every time I enter her room I catch myself wincing with self consciousness. I've really struggled with why I make dolls as if it mattered. I wonder if my time couldn't be better spent.

I've been working on "Monica" on and off for the past couple of weeks. I made the nest first, then I found a head in my head collection and played with that for awhile, painting, adding features with paper clay, sanding, painting over it again, adding layers of paper, etc. While the head was still being made, I made the arms and legs, alternating tasks until all the components came together at about the same time. This is my usual process and the doll (her personality) occupies a good portion of my thought while she's coming into being. While I drive, while I sew, as I make dinner, I find myself (how can I say this without seeming weird?) praying about her and just trying to listen quietly for a way to her completion. I'm often surprised by her appearance when she is finished, like a new mother might say to her baby "well that's what you look like!" The process is what's important to me, the human issues I contemplate during the making of the doll.

Incidentally St. Monica was the mother of St. Augustine, and the wife of Patritius. She was always praying for the souls of her son and husband, as they were bad-asses, both of them. They both became Christians eventually, so her prayers were answered before she died, but not without a lot of heartache. I have a friend who recently told me about Monica and she has captured my imagination for the last month or so. As I was making this doll I considered the struggle of many women who want their loved ones to be a certain way (or healthy, or on the right path, whatever), and all the mental energy which goes into fretting about them. A mom tends to entrench herself in her nest, her family life, the role of a 'good wife and mother', and yet sometimes she can do no more than pray, hope and wish for her people to find their own way and become whole human beings, just as the mother herself is on that same road.

The making of a doll can be like having kids for all the wrong reasons, or playing god. I feel a little bit guilty about that. Here sits Monica, my little nest doll with her two little worrisome eggs in her lap. I feel for her, I wish she could move on and fly away, but alas that will never happen. While the process was cathartic for me, she is forever stuck in the moment. She is a reflection of me and my thoughts during a certain period of time, but I can always go do something else and she can't. Too bad.

Back with more leather bags

The computers and the router haven't been playing nicely this week. You all know how frustrating it can be to have no access to the web. A voluntary blackout can be heaven for your mind and spirit, but when you want/need to be online, say for example during the first week of school when teachers are emailing and calendars are posted and the general buzz is just starting back up, well, no-contact can be very bad. On top of all that I wanted to post pictures of these little bags I made with the leather Goodwill coat. I used Aunt Nevada's cool purple brooch on the clutch above, and some sticks I painted red on the tiny bag at the top. The white leather coat is pretty much done for now, although I may be able to squeeze out one more little thing if I cut creatively.

I love the new school year. Second only to November my favorite month is September. I find the beginning of the school year (even if I'm not the one going back to school) is a renewal of purpose for me. Getting back to the grindstone, I find I have stores of energy which were lacking throughout the summer. Some people feel that way in the spring, with the rebirth of life in nature all around them. Me, I just want to play and drink margaritas when the weather starts getting friendly in March. (Remember this is Texas.) It's when the heat starts to break and the kids go back to classes that I start feeling new again. I have a lot I want to accomplish this year so I hope this feeling lasts.

I just joined Jazzercise again after about 18 years. They still do grapevine and all the other dance moves, as well as some "new" moves from kickboxing and pilates. The high energy, loud music, and friendly ladies are what I remembered and liked best about the program and all that's just the same. I love it -- such a retro way to exercise. But now with Michael Buble and Rihanna on the ipod.

Sewing with leather

Well, I finally tried it. I came across the perfect large white leather coat at the Goodwill and figured it was time to see if my machine could handle it. In order to minimize waste I used the coat design elements in my bag design. For example, I took apart the lapels on each side of the front opening to make the purse straps. I took a pocket off the front and made use of a nice stretch of clean hide for the front and back and used the under arm and part of the sleeve (where the leather seemed a bit softer and weaker) for the inside top where the magnetic closures were placed. I used a walking foot and regular thread. My walking foot is noticeably lower quality than the other attachments I have. The foot's metal is actually bendable when I have to wrangle a thick chunk under it and it doesn't lift up as high as I'd like in the first place. I think for top stitching I should have used a heavier-weight thread, too. Where the straps attach to the bag was too thick to machine sew so I hand stitched those parts using a tapestry needle and DMC thread and pliers. Not much fun, and we'll see how long they hold up before I have to reinforce them. Sometimes the hand stitching is the strongest part -- you never know. Anyway, the result is pictured above.

I guess on one side of my brain I'd like to see cleaner sewing and fewer stitch marks. However I realize I'd need to get my hands on a real industrial machine to get several layers of leather PLUS the thick foam interfacing I use under the needle. Also, I'd need to purchase clean hides which haven't been used before. From the old waste-not-want-not mentality there's something really satisfying about using secondhand garments in making new purses. If you're like me you really love the stitch marks left from removing pockets and from previous stitching on the coat. It's the patina of a recycler's new creation and a-okay with me. In all, I'm pretty pleased with my new bag. I own a nice "pleather" white bag, but I've been wanting a white leather bag made from real skin (sorry PETA). Every time one of those "IT" bags catches my eye the price tag shoots a little hole in my heart. So this one's mine.

I have three more leather coats to play with: one great soft black leather coat, a sort of pebbly brown leather coat and a dark plum colored leather coat. Yippee. I'm thinking next time I'll use a different interfacing. While I love the structure of the white one, I may ease up on the machine (and save some needles) and use a thinner interfacing. Maybe a slouchier design will accommodate that. This is gonna be fun.

Costume Jewelry!

I've been playing with these things all day. My neighbor Lynda's aunt passed away and left several large boxes of costume jewelry, one of which Lynda has been storing for months. She invited me to take what I wanted from the large extravagant cache this morning!! Can you believe this magnificent booty? A gorgeous collection of strands of plastic, crystal, silver, shell, etc, as well as many matching sets of brooches and earrings, necklaces and earrings, odd lone pins, and mismatched earrings. I swear (even though it looks like I was a pig taking all this lovely stuff of her hands) Lynda pushed it on me. And when I said "No more, I can't!", there were still just as many beautiful things left. The truth is I scored in a royal way. Oh, yeah!

The Good Life

After a couple of weeks in Nebraska seeing family and old friends, we came back home and immediately started preparing for school. If I haven't said it before, we've been really lazy this summer, staying up late, sleeping late, playing way too many video games and watching too many reruns of Spongebob. The trip to NE was nice, since the kids met up with lots of cousins and played together for days. Mom's house turned 100 years old, so she threw a big party (in 90 degree heat), complete with a giant potluck dinner. We canoed, fished, went to a family reunion, stayed up half the night with college friends --the things you do when you go "home". I admit I do my share of grumbling that our vacations always seem to be spent in the midwest with family, but really, there's no better way to re-discover the simple blessings I take for granted.

Jenny's Heroes

Last Christmas, while in Barnes and Noble in Lincoln NE, my college stomping grounds, I ran into an old acquaintance. Jenny and I exchanged addresses and agreed to keep in touch. Rather than the usual email, I was surprised to receive a handwritten letter from her. I immediately sent her one back, along with some doodles and watercolors, and we became regular pen pals. (It really does happen in the 21st century.) Jenny is a very smart and creative woman, and frequently sends small gifts along with her letters. Here is a tea towel she embroidered for me with some of her favorite famous women. These excellent women are: Lucille Ball, Catwoman, Anna Axmatova, Lily Tomlin, Marie Curie, Julia Childs, Cleopatra, Frida Kahlo, Guinevere, Colette, Phyllis Diller, Santa Rita, Nefertiti, Lady Godiva, Emily Dickinson, Camille Claudel, Elizabeth I, Mae West, Jeanne d'Arc, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jane Austen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Greta Garbo, Zelda Fitzgerald. You see why I love Jenny?

Amy Butler...Cake!

This is fun. An Amy Butler fabric inspired this cake. This very talented person makes some gorgeous cakes. I loved the comment by another flickr user, " shame to waste it on a wedding..."

Trick Horses, BBQ and Mexican weaving

My friend Mary fell in love with a horse a few years ago. She had taken her son out to Red Horse Ranch to take some riding lessons and ended up on a horse called Monet. True love. She invited the kids and me out to the ranch for dinner, music, and a short program featuring two amazing horses and their owners Alan and Sue. I'd never seen horses perform in such a way at close range. Their beauty, intelligence and sensitivity was tempered with a wildness I don't see every day. Now I know why Mary loves it out there. Meanwhile, there was a gentleman there selling imported Mexican woven goods which captured my son Willie's attention. All the other kids were playing in the dirt and petting the horses while Willie looked through rugs and pillowcases on the porch -- truly his mother's son.

Brightness on a rainy day

The basket of checkbook covers look like little soldiers here. I enjoyed working on these smaller-scaled pieces.


Well, off to the farmer's market this morning. Gray skies and wet ground. I hope the weather's not too bad today. Spent most of yesterday in the emergency waiting room with Henry, who got his first seven stitches in his little noggin. I heard the old thing about "boys being boys" a few too many times yesterday. Yeah, I think it's sinking in by now.

"Beauty and folly are old companions"

A quote by Ben Franklin, discovered when I uploaded these photos from fdsflickrstoys. I love this quote and find it appropriate for this set of pictures. As I was photographing my stack of pink ribbon spools from yesterday's post my eye was caught by the many vignettes featuring pink and green in my house. So I stayed on the first floor (don't even get me started in my daughter's room upstairs) and snapped pictures of pink and green. If the pink and green objects were moveable and small I took them outside and snapped them on my white board. These are those shots. In all cases these objects were indeed side by side somewhere in my house. Pink green pink green pink green; or choose ANY combination of colors and open your eyes. You will see them see them see them. Beauty and Folly.

Crafting for a Cure

I know there is some pink ribbon around here somewhere....I got so lucky last week when my friend forwarded the information to participate in this fundraising event. Patty Mayes, a Round Rock resident, will be walking in Dallas in the 3 Day Susan G. Komen walk for Breast Cancer. I'm delighted to be one of 25 vendors there donating a portion of my proceeds to Patty for the walk this October. Let's hope there will be lots of folks out at the Teravista Golf Course this weekend in support. Go Patty!!!

Two Hearts

We stopped by Bee Creek today to have a swim and I found this almost-perfect heart-shaped rock. I'm always on the look-out for those. I also spotted this lovely heart-shaped pool. It was a good day for discoveries. The kids were thrilled to splash around again in the water. Everyone is exhausted from the sun and water followed by Rosie's Tamale Hut's take-out. I managed to squeeze in a little sewing today in spite of all the activity. I've cut a lot of the checkbook covers because they're so much fun to patchwork together. Now my machine's getting a workout sewing them together! Maybe one more day of sewing and I'll rest awhile.

We found our frontman.

It's been a great day, as you can see by the heap of scraps on my sewing room floor. I made up a bunch of checkbook covers (does anyone even use checks anymore?) Regardless, you still need a place to keep cash and credit cards and ID, so I made up a bunch of thingies to keep all that in. I'll take them out to the farmer's market next weekend.

That's my star, Henry, above. He loves to sing the Killers' "Somebody told me, that you had a girlfriend, who looks like the boyfriend, that I had in February of last year..." He learned it from the Playstation game Songstar. It's his absolute favorite song and he sings it with gusto. I think he's got it... you know: "IT" . I believe he's reached "rising star" rank -- not bad for a four-year-old. Anyway, that boy sure loves to sing.

Some new little curvy purses

I made these over the weekend. I've been wanting to embellish the flaps on this purse pattern, and finally got around to making up a couple of them. While I think they look fine plain, I tend to be a "more is more" kind of gal, and I like the foofy details. Can't help myself.

Our creek belongs to Lake Travis now

Our little corner of Texas floods. Bee creek runs behind our house and trickles into a large creekbed where we play in the summer. It normally flows into a good swimming hole and then tapers down to a small creek again and moves down to Lake Travis beneath Bee Creek Road. For the last three years we've crossed this stretch of road and looked at the dry rocks on either side, lamenting the fact that we couldn't swim, fish, splash in the creek, etc. due to the draught. Lo and behold in one week, the creek more than filled up! Seven feet over the road now, the frogs and mosquitos have already made their homes in this new lake. We went last evening to take a look. Now we wonder when there will ever be a day without rainfall.

Yummy Flickr Swaps

Flickr.com always delights. For a good time, browse the various swaps among the crafty types. I've participated in a couple, and now after seeing Jenny Holiday's Bits & Pieces Collage Swap photostream I am newly inspired to get into another swap. I'm not much of a paper artist, but every so often I check up on "HeatherSB" on Flickr, a true paper artist and a participant in this swap, who also happens to be a friend I met at an art retreat last summer. She is the most wonderful person with a beautiful mind and eye, as you can see by her collage above. By the way, she also publishes an art zine called Portals. I just may have to wiggle into one of her projects again one of these days. Her art and photos make my head feel a little fluffy around the edges -- not that there's anything wrong with that!

Ann Wood's Ghostships

I happened upon the ship picture (above) last night in a book and kept it handy for inspiration. Something about it seemed other-worldly, mainly because I imagine a lot of noise on an open ship like this and yet the painting is so quiet and serene. Wouldn't you know today I stumbled upon this gorgeous creation made by Ann Wood, which she calls a "ghostship", titled "The Antonia", which strikes another chord, as I spent 9 years in Nebraska in my twenties. Everyone who lives in Nebraska reads (should read) Willa Cather's books about the place. They are romantic, descriptive and evocative of the prairie's ubiquitous and detailed beauty. Coincidentally my sister Liz, who lives with her family in MN now, is re-reading Cather's My Antonia. I remember the midwest's prairie grass is sweeping and untamed as the ocean. I wonder if Wood was thinking of that when she titled her ghostship Antonia.

Back at the house

Since I've been away from home for so long I've come round to seeing things with new eyes. Here's a gift given me: the day after the movers brought everything back, the sunset was one of those rainwater fresh blazes which lit up the back yard and deck like firelight. I went outside to take some pictures of the colors orange, white and blue, and the light over the hills. I happened to take this one shooting back into the kitchen, illuminated from behind by the sun while reflecting the view and me. I like how you can see my shadow on the far wall inside the house and inside my silhouette.

I'm trying to savor more these days, not just the beautiful moments, but also my own power to supply each trying moment with either patience or the will to change it. I know there are angels watching over us, angels with access to heaven's infinite knowledge and grace. This picture reminds me that my special guardian is always near, thank goodness, even when I'm not aware of her.

Purses Out and About

I recently discovered Moxie and the Compound, a boutique at 909 East Mary in Austin. I stopped in a couple of weeks ago to talk to owner Kayci Wheatley, but she was busy playing hostess for the Today show and a story on (I think she said) "grepsters", a word I'd never heard before, but a concept with which I'm intimately familiar. Apparently there is a need for a word describing parents who stayed cool after they had kids -- you know who you are. So I came back the next day and she picked some of my petal bags, messengers and little boy pouches for the store while Katie, Willie and Henry looked around at all the great stuff in there. It's a colorful, fun place where you can get locally designed and handmade things like pretty shoes and aprons to silly diaper bags and tee shirts. And of course now my bags! It's family friendly and there's a good coffee shop next door, too.

Art Field Trips

Katie's art teacher Jennifer Hirt is great for exposing the kids to local shows and events which have childlike appeal. Last year she invited them to visit the Cathedral of Junk in Austin, a fantastic backyard creation by local artist ("yardist") Vince Hannemann. Last weekend we went to Women and Their Work Gallery to see Elaine Bradford's "Freaks of Nurture" exhibit, in which she crocheted taxidermy animals into bizarre new creatures (above). My heart races to see all of Elaine's fun and funky crochet! The kids loved it , too. Incidentally, Jennifer Hirt's website is a wonderful place to explore. I'm so grateful that my kids have an art teacher who is vital in the Austin art community and willing to share her sense of wonder with her young students.

The Morning After

The aftermath...quite pretty, actually. I may just leave all this stuff out until Katie is done making the dress she started last night. When you're on a roll it's best to go with it. Neatness always squelches creativity.

Sent flowers to Nina to thank her staying and helping with the stitch party the whole time. What a sweetheart! Turns out her mother is a "real" seamstress, so Nina had a lot of great tips for me as we went along. Her input was extremely valuable, especially when I was using incorrect terminology for sewing machine parts. (Self-taught, that's me!) But she smiled the whole time and really helped keep things moving. She was a lifesaver.

Stitch Party...Whew!

Ok, live and learn. I invited 6 little girls over to make doll jeans in three hours and oh, what a party! I have to confess at the end of the day I'm glad only five showed up or else we wouldn't have finished in time. Also, one angel mother of one of the girls stayed the whole time and helped (or we wouldn't have finished in time) AND we glued instead of fused embellishments on, and we skipped the faux fly step, and we didn't even get close to emboidery or beading, and the girls only sewed 3 seams of the pants each. Near the end of the party I quickly whipped up each pair from the waist onwards myself. All those fudge factors, and we just barely finished in time! So it's back to the drawing board.

I got some great feedback from the moms, and I will definitely incorporate their tips into the next workshop. I learned that 8 years is just a little too young to use even a small rotary cutter. Age seven is out of the question and age 9 proved to be a huge improvement in coordination. I learned that I should have pre-fused some Heat'n'Bond onto the fabric swatches I provided, and that fabric spray paint and store-bought appliques were the hits of the party. I learned that a curved seam is a lot more difficult for a beginner than I remembered -- and that was only ten years ago! Admittedly I took on more than I could handle sharing in an afternoon. What's new?

The good news is I think the girls had a blast! A couple of them took to sewing immediately and seemed so happy to finally get to try it. We practically had to pull them away from the machines at the end! They were just playing around with scraps, not even sewing seams, just stitching to stitch and having a terrific time of it. I can relate, because I know how mesmerizing it is to run the machine and watch the thread march out in a line as if it had a life of its own. If nothing else I feel I opened the door a crack for a new creative outlet for the girls. I loved listening to the comments about the various fabrics and colors, and I was bowled over by how cute the jeans turned out. The girls made them way more fabulous than I ever could have imagined! Besides learning a little about nurturing creativity, I was inspired by their youthful energy and fresh perspectives. As a result I'm thinking of new ways to use fabrics myself! So what's next?

Should I pursue this? I'm quite exhausted, truth be told. I'm not even convinced it's a good concept based on the difficulty of the mechanics and the limited time frame. Should I try this with older kids? Smaller class size? Somewhere public? A mom/daughter party? So much to consider at this point. But just look at their finished projects! Pretty cute!

Stitch Party Favors

Sunday is the first ever Sweetboo Stitch Party! Can't wait! I invited some girls over to make dolly jeans like the kind Katie and I have been making. I have the supplies all ready, including copies of the original Sweetboo pattern for each girl, all the paints, fabric sprays and markers, cutting mats, rotary cutters, embroidery thread, everything all set to create. All I have to do yet is cut the denim into manageable portions for each participant and print out the instructions to include with the pattern. I am so excited to start these workshops and spread the fun. I made special pincushions for party favors. Each has a little pocket to store small scissors, a thimble, a bit of embroidery thread, whatever -- perfect for the on-the-go stitcher.

A New Bag

Trying to decide if I want to carry this one. The fun thing about making purses is you always have something new and different to carry. I handpainted the flap fabric quite awhile ago, then found that I had some nice thick uphostery-weight brown dotted fabric which looked good with that light seafoam blue-green color. The buckle is rosewood, I think, and maybe a bit too warm a brown for the rest of the purse?
Anyway, I heard back from First2Print and the person who contacted me was wonderful! Her name is Michele Lowell and her email she was very friendly and informative. They can print runs as small as one to three yards, all to your specifications, on all types of fabrics. The price then depends on whether you want washable fabric, type of material, etc. She seemed very oriented to working with artists on small projects which need to be done quickly. I don't know why this has me so jazzed, with all there is to do already. I've said it before and I'll say it again: how does a person EVER get bored on this planet? I'm loving life today.

Just a doodle from my journal

No text, just scribbles. I made the left page one day, the right page the next. I may go back in and journal a bit, but something about the way these two pages seem to talk to each other tells me to maybe leave them alone. Anyway, tonight is the second time in a month or so that I was rescued by an angel in the guise of an ordinary person, in this case my neighbor. Just when I was thinking about throwing together some dinner and getting the apartment neatened up, the door bell rang. Carol invited my three restless kids out for a walk to the playground, then later to all get some dinner at Hangtown Grill nearby. Translated: 45 minutes of blessed peace and silence, time to put myself together, et voila: fish tacos, cheese pizza and french fries prepared just for us! As I looked around the patio, for it's a gorgeous night and we were able to dine alfresco, I took in the balmy night air, the other families out for Friday night dinner and a friendly, happy basketball team celebrating a win. I enjoyed a chat with Carol and my children. Simple pleasures. Note to self: must get out more.

And one for Henry

Ok, so Henry wanted a messenger bag, too. How could I refuse?

Valentines

Valentines from the swap are still coming in. Here are some I've photographed. One nice lady even sent handmade stationary for me to use. Aren't they pretty?

Doll Jeans

I've been stitching up doll jeans for Raven, Katie's doll. Making doll clothes is the perfect way to teach kids how to follow a pattern and sew. Katie and I are getting the hand for sewing for the 18 inch set. The pattern we had for pants was a bit boring, so we flared the bottoms and added a side seam and fly in front. Now they look like real jeans, so we've made a few pairs of them. Katie, age 8, has just enough patience to make these, especially since the embellishment breaks up the sewing. It's a fun afternoon project.

Boys need bags, too

After making dozens of handbags and totes of all sorts last fall I realized my littlest boy (age 3) desperately needed a bag of his own for the little treasures he carries around. I stitched him up a small wristlet and it was fine for a few little dinosaurs and cars. Then my older son (age 5) decided he needed a larger bag and requested a Star Wars bag. Here it is, a small zippered messenger bag...I think he really likes it.

It won't be long before my website www.sweetboo.com launches! After all the work and planning it's so much fun to see it actually start to take shape. I had no idea how much work it would entail. I thought the challenge would be amassing enough handmade things to justify an online boutique, but in reality the real work was in the screwy little details. For example, yesterday I went to download the font I liked, then spent the next hour learning all about zip files and how to extract them using freeware by Big Speed Zipper (liked the name), which wasn't really that dificult until it came time to actually finding the file to upload to my fonts file. Ick. It's tedious stuff like that which wastes hours in a perfectly good afternoon when I could be sewing something pretty. Truth is this: my wonderful web designer Beth Sams Been has done the real work of making my website. She's a whiz kid at this and has done many Austin artists' and bands' websites as well as the Texas Rollergirls site. You can see her other work at www.grooveefortune.com Beth is an artist herself and she had some helpful and creative input on the design while allowing me to steer it in the direction of my original concept. Meanwhile, I post a photo of a new little wristlet I made in celebration of the "fun" parts.

The Reason I Splurged on Photoshop...

I discovered a service today by a company in New York called First2print which prints designs on fabric (all kinds) without needing a repeat. I'm always curious about services which are used by professional design houses and artists. I took a leap and emailed them for information to see if I could afford a one-time run of a design of my own and if I have the technical knowledge, as a self taught artist, to pull that off. I'll keep you posted re their response. Wouldn't it be fun to have a bolt of fabric from your own imagination?

Making stuffed animals is the equivalent of comfort food. I enjoy shaping the bodies with my lap full of muslin and string and polyfil. When I have an approximate shape I pull out my laundy basket of scraps and embroidery thread and haphazardly stitch on little pieces. For the record, I almost never watch TV because there is always something I'd rather be doing, but if I have an animal to work on, I watch reruns of Six Feet Under on Monday nights and stitch away.