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One of three for I'm Stuffed, the show in Baltimore at Charm City Art Space. The opening will be September 10. I wish I could go. If you're in the area please stop by and say hello to my little school of fish!
This fish reminds me so much of my childhood bedspread. Exactly the same shades of yellows and oranges. I wonder if my parents still have that bedspread. It would be fun to cut up and make something out of.
There are five in total. These are the first two and they are stuffed and ready to hang...somewhere.
Here is a little vacation picture for you - hiking next to the old granite quarry at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, MA on Cape Ann.
During our vacation we had no computer access for a week. The first day or two it was really weird. After the kids went to bed Charlie and sat on the couch together - he was reading The Overachievers and I was embroidering. For hours. Being away from my kinja account and away from my blog was a good experience for me. It's been over a year since I've been constantly checking in with crafty blogs and I know that they inspire me and motivate me, but I hadn't realized that they also intimidate me which can sometimes stymie my productivity. Vacation is always good at giving me perspective. I am hoping to continue to keep my focus on my craft because the craft is what is most important to me.
We're back. We had a restful and fun vacation. I will post some pictures later on, but for now here is the final cube zoo creature for Morphe II - a fish. I did some hand quilting on his fins. I found his fin fabric at a thrift store some months ago and I think it looks so scaley and perfect here.
And from the side. He is made of all different materials with all different textures, including quilted cotton, denim, chenille and flannel.
I've made their little tags and they are ready to be packed up and shipped to Australia. Usually I'm not sad when I send my softies away to new homes, but I must say I'm a bit sad to see these three go. They were so fun to make and they really are cheerful little guys.
Fortunately, I've been asked to participate in another soft toy exhibit in September, this one in Baltimore (home of my alma mater, Johns Hopkins). I will be making a few more cube zoo animals for this show so back to work for me.
My desk today.
The cube zoo fish is underway.
Tomorrow afternoon we are leaving for vacation for a week. We haven't been on a real vacation since February of 2003 so I'm so excited. I'm looking forward to relaxing outdoors with my little girls, spending time looking at tide pools and making sand castles. I'm hoping to eat lots of fresh clams and lobster and we even may have secured a babysitter for three evenings so Charlie and I can spend time exploring some towns on our own. Kristen gave me a list of the good thrift shops in the area so I'm hoping to bust out during nap time a few days and see what I can find. And I'm bringing my sketch book and some embroidery projects.
I've got to spend the rest of today packing three bags, getting gas in the car, hunting down the beach toys and the sunblock and all that good stuff. See you in a week!
Made during Project Runway last night (we have to watch each episode a week late because the original airing is past our bedtime on Thursday nights).
As is so often the case, the first photo I took of this guy was the best. Does anyone else find that to be true? I usually take about a dozen photos of a toy and choose among them to post here and more often than not, the very first one is the best one. In fact, now that I think about it, when I make a series of toys, the first one is usually the best. It has a freshness and excitement about it that the other ones often just don't convey. Even though I do think that practice makes perfect, in creating art or craft the first attempt can sometimes be the best one.
Every time I make a new soft toy I make a pattern and cut it out of freezer paper and put it in an envelope. I have a big bursting file of patterns now and every now and then I like to go through them and take out older ones and try making them again. Every time I do this I'm struck by how much I've learned about sewing since I first made the pattern. The second time around I always change things around a bit in ways that make the animal come together quicker or more smoothly.
Yesterday I revisted the pattern for this mod owl.
I first made this owl last spring and she was made from wool. This time she is made of cotton and is smaller. I made eye feathers and a cotton nose. Her base is wider than her top so she sits nicely and she is more firmly stuffed than the original version.
I like them both.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am very patient with people. I was a sixth grade teacher after all. Even when I'm annoyed or angry I can keep my cool and not raise my voice and I can wait as long as it takes for people to accomplish a task I've set before them.
I am not patient at all, however, when it comes to other things in my life. Once I decided I liked Charlie, for instance, I just couldn't wait to go out with him. So I asked him out. I like to take action and make things happen right away.
So once I got the idea to do some little embroideries while on vacation and away from my sewing machine next week, I had to just try one or two now to make sure that I liked the results. I turned one of those little sketches I posted into this owl and it was so fun that I had to drop everything and do a little city, too. I put a ribbon loop on the top of each one so they could be hung. Not sure exactly what they are, but so fun to make. I used some of the thick organic flannel in the embroidery hoop. This was my first time using my embroidery hoop, too.
On another note, the last time my in-laws were here they brought five boxes from their attic of things from Charlie's childhood. Lots of great vintage story books for the girls and well-loved bears and old photos. Among the boxes were these two doll molds. They are copper (?) and very heavy and so creepy. In fact, Roxanne refused to walk down the hall near them this morning so they are now hidden in our room. I just love them.
Over the weekend I worked more on the winter tree girl and I'm so frustrated with her. Here is a bit of the top of her head.
I think I hate her. I need to start again with my original idea of doing a birch tree with snow.
And finally, sketches for the cube zoo fish.
I need to finish up the third creature so I can pack them up and send them to Australia in time for Morphe II. The deadline is September 25, but we'll be away next week and I want to be sure they get there. I'm a prompt, always have my homework in on time sort of girl.
After I made this elephant it was sitting on our bed and when Roxanne caught a glimpse of it she said, "It's a piggy!"
I asked, "Could it maybe be an elephant?" and she said no, it was certainly a piggy. Hmmph.
Made me think of this quote from Good Design in Soft Toys (Rudi de Sarigny, 1971), "With regard to soft toys, their appeal lies entirely in the expression and the realism of shape, also colour and feel. It is important for a child to be able to identify the toy as an object seen before, either real life or in a book." Right. I think the problem in this case was twofold: the color is an awfully pig-like peach, and the trunk is, well, truncated. I love the color of the fabric, though. It is from a batch of wools and flannels I dyed in peaches and oranges.
So I thought I'd actually make a piggy with those fabrics. Here is cube zoo pig. I named him creamsicle.
And from the side
and so you can see his curly tail.
He is sitting on a wool blanket I picked up at Sisters Thrift in Watertown on Wednesday afternoon. I was really looking for a white one, but I like the color in this plaid and it felted up really well. I think I may be the only weirdo in Boston buying wool blankets in August.
And for work in progress (WIP) Friday, some drawings from my sketchbook. We're going on vacation the week after next and I'll be away from my sewing machine. I'm hoping to bring along some hand-sewing and embroidery projects based on these.
Finally, a pile of wool and velveteen, most of which I dyed myself, waiting to be made into a winter tree girl. She'll be an evergreen.
Have a good weekend, friends.
I am working on a few new cube zoo designs for Morphe II. I had put the cube zoo down for a little while because I knew I needed to think about it and come back fresh. And I'm so happy I came back. Here is the first cube zoo bear.
from the side
and from above.
I wanted him to be soft and lovable and good for a child to hug. I tried to give him a sweet expression and I chose wooly fabrics of all different textures - cashmere, sherpa fleece, felted wool, velveteen - to add some interest. I also attached his feet underneath instead of in back like the lions.
I'm thinking about making a dog, perhaps a giraffe with a long neck that extends above the cube, an elephant? Lots of ideas brewing.
