This is a little something that will be part of a bigger something. I'm going to have some animals to show you soon, I swear!
There's a little mention of my work and the show at Doe in the SFist today. You can also view the beautiful Devendra Banhart video by one of my absolute favorites soft toy/fiber artists, Lauri Faggioni.
Still really loving yellow. Seeing it everywhere (my table this morning). Maybe the yellow-love is what is keeping me from painting this room white as planned (and prepped for) weeks ago?
Spring's pillows. I found the Moda paint by numbers birds in the remnants at the fabric store for next to nothing. I paired it with my absolute favorite mustard yellow wool, linen on the back. Now to find the perfect everyday shoes for spring in that mustard yellow and I'll be all set.
I'm really busy and am trying to spend time away from the computer (except for looking for yellow shoes), but I'll try to set the goal of posting new work every day the rest of the week. Go find your sunshine.
ps: I realized how much I enjoy going to read the comments over at 3191 all at once at the end of the day with the post in front of me and have decided to not have my little birds comments sent to me by email either. Questions will be answered in the comments. Thanks!
I was going to offer up a spring manifesto, but I'd rather just go back outside. Have a great weekend!
I've been really, really busy in my studio...but not making things for the shop...or the show...I've been cleaning and rearranging...and we're not calling it "mom's office" anymore. It's just the craft room. Things were getting a little crowded and cluttered in our household what with Miles evacuated from his room (still haven't found a roofer) and the dining room (our only place to eat) in the middle of a renovation. I opened up my space (I had a work table blocking one of the doors) and created a kid's drawing area on one side.
The wall board is homasote (Jack picked it up for free with some other office equipment) covered in linen (also from a free pile). I added a pocket (a la Sally) for each child to keep their works in progress (they are lined and have been reinforced with interfacing).
I gave up a lot of my space, but this just works so much better for our family (Mia and I are in here together as I type). It forced me to pare down and organize my supplies as well. Now I'm really ready to get busy!
I'm so very excited to show off this postcard my sister designed for our collaborative show coming up in May. I'm totally thrilled and a little overwhelmed. I couldn't have a better artist to work with than my sister; she's uber-talented and my best friend to boot. I do, however, really need to get busy!
Speaking of collaborations I want to share one started by a great group of my friends. It's the new Sew Green blog where they will be exploring the issues of sustainability and consumption that are often on my own mind these days. Do check it out.
a few other links:
via Keri Smith: an article about hidden advertising in blogs (It's not up to me, but I'd love to keep this great blog medium about personal expression).
Tag Sale Tales has a new look and some great new posts (you'll find something from me there soon).
Pam at housemartin will be opening a shop here in Portland next year. Check out her blog for beautiful floral arrangements and design inspiration.
Happy Monday!
Installation at Reed College here in Portland.
These little chicks will be in the shop at 10 am pst this morning. I wasn't able to finish as much as I'd hoped nor was I able to get an email out to my list, so there will be another update next week (I'll let people know when via my email list).
chirp!
This image from last year is my #1 popular photo on flickr as ranked by interestingness. I don't have any understanding of how interestingness works, but it doesn't seem like the most interesting photo I've ever taken! My TV is hidden under that cozy. That white wool felt is a little worse for wear after three years of use, so I'm gearing up to make a new one. I was thrilled to see a TV cozy in the new issue of Blueprint. The magazine says there will be instructions on their site, but I'm not finding them yet. If you're not ready to get rid of your TV...how about just hiding it a bit?
Another happy tidbit from my latest batch of magazines was seeing a mention of running an older Mercedes Benz on biodiesel in March's issue of Domino. We have a Benz from 1977 that we run on biodiesel and have plans to buy another. Any diesel car engine can run on biodiesel (some older cars may need new fuel lines). You can check here to see if there's a station in your area (for the US). Bonus: when you drive away it smells like french fries (biodiesel is made from cooking oil).
Thanks for all the support in regards to taking a technology break. I'm not unplugging just yet, but if others are interested, I'll let you know when I'm taking my break and we could start a snail-mail support group.
Happy Monday!
I heard this story on NPR today about a woman who decided to try living for a month without post-1950s technology (no TV, computer/internet, cell phone among other things). It wasn't, I think, a terribly revolutionary act, but still really inspiring to me. I've been thinking a lot lately about the community that the internet has fostered for me, but wonder too how it might isolate me. I'd really like to take a technology break sometime soon. I'm thinking maybe this summer when my kids are home full time; they only rarely watch TV/videos or use the computer (maybe a couple hours total each month) and are great inspirations in their creativity and ingenuity (exhausting inspirations, but inspirations nonetheless). I'd have to put my beloved digital camera aside for a month, but it could be a great opportunity to experiment with film. Just thinking.
I'm thinking a lot about the big picture lately and am a bit overwhelmed by worries and choices and opportunities in my life. As a consequence, I'm really behind on email. I thought I'd answer some of the email questions here as so many of you had the same or similar queries.
What camera do you use? Check my about page.
Where did you get your boots? My brown boots are made by Born and my black boots are from Camper (and Keri says she has the same ones, so you know they are cool).
Can you tell me more information about the child's mug/bowl/plate set? I don't know more than what I posted, but I did receive these comments:
I
have just found your site. I have the girl mug. At one time I had both
the boy and girl sets for my kids but am down to just this. Fun to see
them again. I will be happy to give the mug to someone who is trying to
complete a set. I am downsizing at my house. email
interestingquilts@yahoo.com.
Posted by:
Pat
I can tell you a little bit about
the little girl bowl, cup, plate set it is made by Interpur. I found a
complete little boy set on ebay once-> it had already sold. The
little girl bowl, the boy bowl, & boy feet are on ebay right now (I
found them by searching "face bowl"). I guess from day to day you can
check back to find the pieces you're looking for. I hope this helps!
Posted by:
Kellie
When are you going to have {insert name of previously made item here} in your shop again? I am sorry that I have not been able to update my shop in the last few months. I'm currently exploring some new designs and ideas and may or may not restock some of the styles that I sold last year. I am not able to take any special orders. I will be updating the shop this Thursday, March 8th at 10am PST with some little chicks and maybe a few other surprises. There are a lot of etsy sellers who do keep their shops stocked and are open to special orders so make sure you check out all that is offered over there!
Can I have a pattern for your birds/chicks/bunnies etc...? Sorry to disappoint, but I don't have any plans to publish patterns for my stuffeds. If you're interested in making stuffed toys, I recommend looking at vintage craft books (check your library!) to learn about construction. Japanese craft books are another good resource. I learned how to make a round head with a gusset from this book (which I borrowed from Amy a couple years ago). I know that there are a lot of new books on softies and sewing coming out soon as well which I'm sure will be full of great patterns.
Hope that helps! Enjoy your weekend...
Despite all my talk of spring, we've had relentless rain (and occasional snow) around here. So much rain in fact that a major leak forced Miles to evacuate his room and move in with his (none-too-pleased) sister. I'm still feeling spring, though.
This little chick is made from the softest, fluffiest alpaca and wool blend. I've had my eye on this luxurious fabric for a while, and it finally was marked down enough for me to be able to afford my little quarter of a yard. She's stuffed with wool as usual and has fabric-wrapped wire feet. My inspiration was this feather chick my sister gave me last year. A little flock of these chicks will be in my shop next week just in time for Easter baskets or other celebrations of spring. I'll let you know which day ahead of time.
forgot to add: Larissa is selling her very cool meathead hat pattern to benefit a family here in Portland. I'm totally excited to make one - even if I may have forgotten how to knit (it's been over a year now). She's accepting donations from non-knitters as well.
