She Brews

There's no need for this.......

WELL, I HOPE THERE IS.........

  

i got this brain storm when I found these cloth shot bags in a resale shop two days ago. Yeah, I know they are rather long and large, ......but, hey........I'm just saying......maybe there is a need for camouflage Christmas stockings........

I'm taking them to the show tomorrow and I will let you know what the reaction was.....let me know what you think. They are for sale at $18.00 each. 

 

I even got to use the vintage shotgun shells that my hubby was saving for "whatever" reasons.........

Maybe I will see you tomorrow at Brookfield High School Art and Craft Fair.

Just the facts, ma'am

This line is from "Dragnet", an American sitcom from the early 60's, where the police have to ask questions and the women habitually go into too much detail.......heh, heh.( I  have never liked being referred to as "ma'am", but since I gave away that I knew lines from tv shows from the sixties, my guess is that you will know I am old enough to be called, "ma'am" especially by some real cute young men.....pooh. )

When I was trying to think of a title, I thought of all the little things I want to talk about, but the biggest circle, covering it all, is: "'how much detail?" 

Most of my favorite embroiderers are hugely detailists.  Spiritcloth, Mairuru, Gerdiary

, Hens Teeth, RuthRae, just to name a few......

  

The above picture at this point is" "just the facts," .These are two small collages in progress. They measure 3" high by 10" wide. Unfortunately, when I finished them, they did not fit into those frames, I lost too much detail---so, I will have to come up with another idea for them.....

The top picture shows the new trees I am attempting to embroider. The bottom picture shows the step before embroidering the trees.

 

Click on the image to get a bigger picture to see what details I am speaking about. I embroidered the path in front of two cottages. I made a little fencing around the small cottage. I embroidered the one word "peace". To embroider on the houses is always a question---sometimes, I just need to introduce another color on them, and that is a good way to do it. I liked laying the tree branches over the sun, and thinking ahead, if I did a night scene, that would look pretty cool over a full moon.

My question is: How much detail is appreciated on such a small piece? I seem to keep wanting to add detail until it says what I need it to say.....but, then, I couldn't let it speak for itself, I had to add the word "peace".  *sigh*

Well, I have a few more ideas to show you later.

Don't Fence Me In....

  

Just playing with details. THis time I embroidered a fence before putting in the cottages and trees. You can see the piecework up close with this photo.

  

After viewing the pictures, I think I may have to put another tree in the far left.....it seems to be calling for one.

  

Still feeling my way around color choices and contrast......

  

I like the bright orangey-red of these little cottages.

 

Anyway, these are what I have been working on the last couple of days. I also have a couple of small 5" x7" I am doing. Not finished yet, but I will show them perhaps tomorrow.

I HAD to do it........

 

After  days trying to accomplish traditional quilting, I was losing my confidence.....Quite frankly, I was becoming discouraged and disappointed that I could not master traditional patchwork quilting.......No matter how many times I try, my stuff just gets wonky.......

Today, I just had to get back to what I know.....to remember that I could do somethings that made me happy with the results.......Here are the two latest.

Home Sweet Home features the apple trees. Here in Wisconsin the apples are falling from the trees and they can be had by the bushels.

  

Oh, I was so happy with this one. Especially my little experiment with wadding up the fabric for the basket. Eventually I will crisp up the details, but I am wading in to the project the same way I enter a cold lake......toes first, then ankles, etc, etc. I am not a diver---or, all at once plunger. I would too easily drown if I jumped in all at once---perhaps that was my mistake with patchwork quilting.....too much too fast. I think it must take practice.

 

Once, at an art showing, the judge pointed out in my work that I was an illusionist and that I had a calligraphic style.......hmmmm. Maybe that's why traditional patchwork doesn't work for me---I am a faker....lol.

Hey, my peeps! My last show is November 22 and then I will start putting things in my etsy store. I know some of you have asked me when I was going to, or if I was going to. I just need all my stuff for the craft shows right now. 

 

what you didnt know

 

I have never really "officially" quilted. I just do my own thing. Quilting seems like such an exact science. Measure twice, cut once......Since I have problems with perfection----whether I am a perfectionist and can't stand not being able to do things perfectly, or whether I am an imperfectionist and refuse to do things by the rules, I cannot say. I can make arguements for both. Artists are rebels, after all, but we must start off with the rules before we break them.......

Last night I met with the "girls" who quilt on Tuesday nights. They are all traditional quilters and are learning by some more experienced quilters---it covers all levels.

For instance, someone came with their patchwork blocks they made all week only to find they did not keep measuring, and most of them were over size or undersize---so, she spent the night ripping them out......*sigh*.....that is the part of quilting I am afraid of. I looked at her project long and hard and decided I would have just "cut" them to fit the smallest ones.......lol. RIght or wrong, *shrug*, I dunno? I just wouldn't have the heart to rip apart 40 blocks I spent all week piecing........

Another girl brought her quilt that she constructed from vintage feedsack dresden plates she found in her mother's cedar trunk. She found 28 and spaced them on the quilt so that she could share some of the squares with the other siblings.

Someone else was working on needle turn applique using freezer paper. *sigh* Tedious. Tedious.

Well, as you know, I am in love with Yoko Saito's work and I aim to attempt some of it. So, I got out my Moda Layer Cakes stash I have been collecting and began to cut my two inch strips. I found an easy pot holder pattern from "The Impatient Patchworker" by Jayne Emerson.

  

ISBN 0-307-33658-1 

I learned things like ironing your seams toward the darkest fabric. Although it wasn't part of the directions, I topstitched my potholder after I finished all the sewing.

This winter it is my goal to attempt some of the patterns I have collected from Yoko Saito.

Today, I will sew a cosmetic bag that is also in this book. I plan to show you my journey into learning this beautiful art of Yoko Saito's. I realize that I will rebel somewhere----color choices, perhaps, which happen to be one of her trademarks---she seems to work mostly in taupe, brown, tan and black. I wonder if I can get the look by using other fabrics. We shall see. Also, the potholder I made was all machine stitched. I have the feeling that Yoko's are hand stitched. Since all the books I have are in Japanese----there are things I miss, since I can only follow illustrations. I think this will be an exciting project.

Of course, I will always be distracted from time to time. In fact, I need to come up with some fast things for my last three shows. Obviously, patchwork takes a long time. But here is one of my inspirations:

 

ISBN4-529-04098-4

This is just yummy with patchwork projects. I cannot say that Yoko has any in this book, but her style is definitely represented. I have a few books of hers on my wish list. 

Okay, well you heard it here. I am going to make winter 2010, the year I make some of Yoko Saito's patchwork projects. They will be mine when I am done, because I cannot copy something exactly, but I sure enjoy her style.

 

Don't you just want to make these?

On friends and friendship

 

I just love Winnie-the-Pooh. He just knows how it is. I will be visiting with you friends soon, via visit, email, snailmail, phonecall,  whatever----I have had a long summer and its winding down. -----though there was always a path to my door----I need to clear a path to your door..........so many distractions, so many hawkers, all clamoring for my  attention------I am even looking forward to housework....that should tell you something. I have such faithful friends, who call or write consistently-----my bad. Trying too hard to earn a living---sometimes, I let opportunity to get together get away because I am trying to be responsible.......sometime, sometime soon, I will come to you......I promise.

new collages for my love of OZ......

 

  

 

  

  

  

This is half of what I did today. THe other collages are not finished so I will show them later.

I am planning on opening a new photo album that will feature work for sale. It will be an album that will say For Sale. I will have description and price and you can purchase and pay through paypal or emailing me to tell me you will be sending me a check and I will remove the photo. I will be slowly adding pictures to this new album.

While I am "on the road", I often get asked if people can purchase on-line, and while I have my "etsy" shop, this way I can change things more often and mix it up. Let me know if there is anything I have shown that you were thinking about purchasing, and I can include them (possibly) when I make this new album.

She's Only Sleeping........

 

I could probably start off all my writings with a Beatles' lyric........I think everything we say has been sung in a song at one time or another.......

As I am winding down my summer art/craft show circuit, (I have only four more shows), I shall be writing and creating more frequently, not less. The pressure lately to perform, ie, write interestingly and create prolificly, as been more than I can meet. I am tired. Last nite I had to get up for a bathroom run, and somehow I lost my balance and gave my self a black eye........if you are like me, even if you have to get out of bed during the nite, you try not to wake up anymore than you have to, so that when you crawl back into bed, you don't lay there blinking for an hour.......so, that is how I assume it happened.....I was still too asleep..... as I was falling, I hit my face by my eye on a towel rack very hard---and, thus, gained a black eye this morning......*sigh*

The show in Menomonee Falls was so quality---really, I had to put blinders on so as not to spend money---how people can get through it without spending is beyond me......My new fabric stuff is being received with great enthusiasm, so I am pumped. 

But, my blog looks like I am "only sleeping"........I will be back soon......

  

My Beloved Chevelle

Houses Houses Houses and Yoko Saito

So inspired by all the Japanese Quilt Books I have purchased. I especially like Yoko Saito, a Japanese artist that works in wool and taupe/brown patterns. She has lots of patchwork and lesson books, of some which I have collected. I can't read Japanese, but the pictures pretty much tell the story.....do I wish I could read it sometimes? YES.

  

 

 

 

I used the salvege edge fabric names to name my little houses. I wish I was brilliant enough to think ahead and use the fabric that the house is named after.......these were salvages I have been saving up---mostly thinking I would use the colorful number dots....I love those.......I see some artists making things after making a fabric by sewing the salveges together......I made a bag two years ago, but, I have unsuccessfully tried to photograph it and it never does it justice........

Then, I found my damselfly that I embroidered awhile ago, and I crazy quilted it.

  

In the large circle, I want to embroider a quote, but I haven't settled on one yet. I will post a pic after I get that figured out.......This ends up about an 8 inch by 8 inch piece.

before embroidery.......

 

  

  

 

  

It's chilly out in the studio tonite, so I brought my work inside.......once I get to this stage, I can carry it places to work on it. These are small, 5 inches by 7 inches. I hope to have some word or words included in these. I shall contemplate what that shall be as I am working on them.........