While She Naps

some soft toys for a change!

I made these five elephants for a new children's store called Pajama Squid that will be opening in my home state of Maryland in March 2008. 

I got some good news a few months ago from Penguin Putnam Australia, the publisher of the book Softies that came out this past fall.  Apparently the book has been quite a success and they are going to be making another one this coming fall - Softies II.  I'm really excited that they asked me to contribute again.  I'm working on writing up the pattern for the elephant and the patchwork horse and making finished toys to be photographed for the book.  This is the finished horse

and I'll be working on the finished elephant in the next few weeks. 

It has been interesting to return to these patterns now, after many months of working on birds.  What used to seem so time consuming to me now seems relatively painless to do and that is so pleasing. 

This May I will have been sewing in earnest, which for me means sewing every day, for three full years and in that time I have learned so much.  I still have a ways to go.  Hey, I just got a zipper foot and a free motion foot for my machine and have barely used either one!  But I have come a long way.  And I still feel really absorbed by soft sculpture. I know this new year will bring new ideas and creative paths to follow. 

Wishing you all a happy, and crafty, new year! 

small bird in mustard yellow

A new small bird, in mustard yellow.

The flock of small birds. 

I just scored a whole set of new paddle punches on eBay that I'm pretty excited about. My poor leaf-shaped Sizzix is all dented now. The head kept flying off the hammer you're supposed to use and nearly knocked me in the face so I've resorted to using a regular hammer with a metal head instead of a plastic one.  And the cutting mat it came with is all warped so I started using a different one until I punched leaf-shaped holes in it. Whoops. 

Feathers!

pyrrhuloxia

I started working on a red bird when Charlie pointed out that it had begun to look like a pyrrhuloxia, a cardinal-type bird he remembers seeing when we went birding in Tuscon four years ago.  I like having a husband who is a birder and who has a photographic memory. 

Here is my pyrrhuloxia

and from the other side

This coming week is always a tough one for me.  There is no school and no story time, no tot time at the recreation center and the playground is under two feet of snow. It is so quiet in Wellesley when you don't celebrate Christmas. 

Roxanne has become really focused on death of late and has expressed some interest in writing a will.  I tried to explain that she really doesn't need a will because she's three-and-a-half. Yesterday she drew some really lovely pictures with markers and when I told her I was going to save them she said, "What will you do with them when you die?"  I hadn't really thought that far.

Nest of Thread (deux)

The first Nest of Thread is at Pocket Utopia for the Etsy show, but I will always have a special feeling toward that piece because in a sense it was the beginning for me.  When I made it I had been making birds for a few months already and then the idea for this design came to me. I suddenly felt free to incorporate other materials, non-fabric materials, and to make little groupings or scenes that suggested a story, but still included a sewn bird.  And from there many creative ideas began to flow and I started to think of my work, and even of myself, differently.

I still feel like Nest of Thread was a strong design and I decided to make another, although no two things made by hand are ever the same, really. The first step was to look through my sadly dwindling bag of vintage spools and while I was rummaging in there I noticed a natural nest of thread had developed at the bottom of the bag.  I snipped it off and that became the genesis for the nest on this piece. 

The bird is made from a flour sack that Kristin gave me when we met up with briefly at the Bizarre Bazaar two weeks ago. You've got to love someone who greets you by handing you a big bag of thrifted fabric, a flour sack and a tub of Yes! paste. 

It snowed again today and it is still snowing.  That's three snowstorms with no melting in between.  I'm afraid we're in permafrost.   
   

birds of a feather

This evening I finished a second small bird, very similar to the first but this one is wool. 

Over Thanksgiving my mother-in-law, Judi, gave me a pair of my father-in-law's wool pants.  She said he wore them twice and they just didn't fit him properly, but the wool was nice and she thought I could use it. 

I actually tried the pants on when we got home and they fit pretty well - I guess I have the body of an 81-year-old man.  But I decided to cut them up anyway.  Thanks, Albie!

I wanted to let you know that in addition to the Paper Boat show (in Milwaukee) with Amy Rice that opens in April, I will also be part of a show opening in March at Artstream (in Rochester, NH). 

I'm really excited about showing at Artstream. I went up to Rochester in the early fall to see the gallery and meet Susan.  The gallery space is full of light, with high ceilings and big windows and Susan is so full of enthusiasm about the work she shows there.  This is going to be fun.  Lots of sewing to do!

The day after our snowstorm crisis, Roxanne broke out in hives.  By the end of the day she was totally covered in a terrible itchy rash that only worsened as the days went on.

Although we knew she was allergic to omoxycilin, it turns out she is allergic to the entire class of 'ilin drugs.  After four days of scratching she is covered in long scabs and on an oral steroid along with Benadryl and she seems to be okay now. No more 'ilin for her. 

It's been quite a week!

lark bunting and snow storms

As you may know, here in Boston we have been deluged with snow in the past few days.  Thursday brought a snowstorm with the worst possible timing - right in the middle of the day.  Everyone in the city left work at the same moment and the entire metro area was in gridlock for many many hours. 

I left the house on Thursday at 1:00 pm with Stella to pick Roxanne up at school. It took us an hour to get there and by 5:30 pm we were still not near home.  And then my car died. 

I cannot tell you how scary it was to have two little babies in the back seat, with cars sliding all around us and the snow piling up (already 10" by then), and have the car totally stop.  I couldn't get the key out of the ignition and I couldn't even get the window up. 

I called 911 and they wouldn't come get us.  Both kids were crying. The reserve of crackers and raisins I keep in my car were already eaten. 

I took both girls out of their car seats and told them, "This is an emergency.  The car is broken.  But we're in Newton and that is a pretty good place to get stuck, and you're with mommy, and I'm a good person to be stuck with."  I bundled them up in every warm thing in the car, took my wallet and took them outside. 

We walked down and across the street to Lower Falls Wine Company, where the lights were on. I cannot tell you how happy I was when the door knob turned and their door opened.  The staff there could not have been nicer.  They gave the kids cookies and water and we used their bathroom (it had been nearly six hours since I'd been to the bathroom - I had pulled over at one point along the way for Roxanne to pee in the snow). 

And we waited for Charlie, who was totally stuck in gridlock on the way home from work, to come and rescue  us.  It took about two hours for him to get there and at that point it was well past the kids' bedtimes.  After transferring a car seat into his car, we rebundled everyone and finally made our way  home. 

And even though I knew that we were in an urban area and were sure to be rescued by someone at some point, I could not help but think about the Kim's and how utterly terrifying and tragic their experience was. I felt so fortunate that we broke down where we did, near people who were so nice to us and so willing to help.  And that we did make it home safe and sound. 

And now it is snowing again.  And we are inside today, where it is cozy and warm.

In more uplifting crafting news, I'm working on some small birds for two upcoming shows.  What would I do without David Allen Sibley?  I really liked the wing wings on the lark bunting

and was inspired to try my own version.

Here is a detail of the wing

and another view of the finished bird.

I like these little guys.  They are so satisfying to make and I think they'd look awesome just perched on your bookshelf, or next to your computer.

If it is snowy and cold where you are today, I hope you and your family are home, safe and warm.

 

wading bird in white

Roxanne and I have been talking recently about  making art that is monochromatic.  She likes that word.  I told her I was working on a bird that is all white. She made a picture all in orange.  Nice when we get excited about the same idea.

I'm pleased with the layers on the wings on this bird. 

Lots of punching and snipping and hand-sewing which was all made so pleasant with my discovery of Craftsanity podcasts.  Jen is a great interviewer and I really like how she thinks.  And I loved her interview with Amanda - it is so nice to hear people's voices after reading their blogs and thinking about their words for so many years.  I have 62 more episodes to listen to! Awesome.

And here is my photo assistant modeling a new dress given to her for Channukah last night from Aunt Jen and Uncle Matt. The dress is by courtneycourtney and is made from repurposed t-shirt material that is screen printed.  Totally adorable.

the last few handmade gifts

A few days ago the most lovely piece of fabric arrived in the mail.  I have been coveting Lara Cameron's fabric for so long now and finally managed to get to her Etsy shop in time to buy some.  And it is indeed fabulous.  I know fabric is really special when it never makes it onto the shelf - it becomes something as soon as it arrives.  Lara's fabric became this tote bag for our good friend, Lia. 

If you've been reading this journal for any length of time you've probably noticed that there are certain things I rarely make - garments, costumes, home decor, and tote bags.  Anything that involved measuring and math and straight lines.  Bleh.  But I have had Amy's book  on my bedside table for months now and it is so lovely and inspiring and, best of all, reassuring, that I decided to give her tote bag pattern a go.

I paired Lara's fabric with some heavy Ikea canvas-like stuff that my sister gave me a while ago and I'm fond of the red and aqua and linen combination.  Yea!  I made a bag.  I hope Lia likes it.

And finally, the last of the gift crafting for a bit (?), some softies for new babies.

Seems like so many of my friends are pregnant with their second child now.  I think maybe six friends in the last six months!  That means lots of cuddly lambs are being sewn up. These two are made from some fulled wool from Wendy.  I so rarely sew with wool now it was a pleasure to make these. 

Okay, there really is a bird on my craft desk waiting for wings.  I have a bunch of hammering to do in the garage to make the feathers, but it is 16 degrees here.  Ugh.   

teacher gifts

Teacher gifts are well underway. These travel tissue holders are a pleasure to make - a great place for those bits of lovely fabric and trim that are too small for much else.  Check out Cassi's awesome tutorial if you'd like to make some yourself.  My only edit was to trace her pattern onto freezer paper and then iron it onto the fabric or patchwork I'd selected.  I have a thing against rulers and straight lines in general, so freezer paper is my saving grace.

I'm nearly done with gift crafting. It helps that Hanukkah is early this year so I had an early deadline for most everyone. 

Have no fear - a new bird is taking shape on my craft table.