Lettergirl

Recycled Friday.

 
In honor of my little guy turning 10 this past week, Recycled Friday celebrates one of my favorite Halloween costumes -- a flying monkey from The Wizard of Oz.  (J was dressed as the witch.  I loved those years when their costumes coordinated -- the year after this, J was Dorothy and F was Toto.)

Recent work.

 
Wedding place cards for Jessica

 
Baby Sophia's announcement

 
Fabric painting for Becka

 
Welcome baby Cole

 
Baptism invite for twins

With the exception of Becka, whom I've only just met, I've worked with all of these customers on other projects.  I am so thankful for these continuing relationships!

Recycled Friday.

 
One pair of boots on clearance + embroidery floss = style.  (I drew the design on with a silver gel pen, any spare bits washed right off.)

 

In process.

One of my goals in the mentoring program is to handsew a larger scale piece, in a similar method to the way I created the skirt.  Ultimately I'd like to sew an entire quilt by hand (and actually use it), but I'm starting with a -- more manageable -- table runner.

My original idea was to use blue-greens and greys, and with that in mind I feverishly dyed a stack of old t-shirts, with  mixed results.  Meanwhile, I happened to have a stack of miscellaneous bits of red and grey sitting on a chair in my studio.  I walked past it for the twentieth time before I realized I could work with reds instead of blue-greens.

My first step was to sketch out my idea, then I cut swatches of my fabrics -- some hand-dyed, some old t-shirts, some new -- and stuck them onto my design board:

 
I made another draft out of paper scraps so I could write on it (with grey, white, and red, to mimic the applique & reverse applique techniques I'll be using):

 
 
That step also allowed me to start painting right away.  Since each section is small, it's also portable.

 
 
 
 

I'm attempting to balance the colors, the lettering styles, the texture -- all while keeping it simple (but not too simple) and allowing the poem itself to shine.  I can see already that I may end up choosing to redo a section or two, as I won't really know how they all fit together until I'm pretty far along.  Hopefully I'll have more complete photos to share in a few weeks!

Recycled Friday.

 
Remember the circles on last Friday's project?   I used a strip of the same t-shirt and pile of green buttons to make this cuff.  (It's not attached to the sweater.)  In my attempt to wear something handmade everyday, this has already become a go-to staple.

Thank you for modeling this one for me in your gorgeous house, Jhna!

Darling Resi.

 
 

Catch-up.

*cleaned off the table where I meet with customers

*covered a giant old bulletin board with batting to use as a design board

*covered a small ugly bulletin board with linen to hang over my desk

*sorted fabric scraps into the right bins

*checked out some cookbooks from the library

*wrote out about 25 stamps for etsy orders

*visited my skirt at the Textile Center

*started Juliet's scrapbook pages for this year with a peacock feather theme

*finished watching Downton Abbey

*bought some more chocolate brown bamboo jersey to make this:

 
I found the pattern at Your Style Rocks a month ago, via Craft Gossip, and cut out what I thought would be my size, but is more likely to fit my 12-year old.  I happened upon the last scrap of the bolt in the remnant bin, just enough to make a matching (larger!) one for me.  I wanted a little something to wear over this:

 
The front closure on the hoodie is a zipper, and I haven't put a zipper into any of my hand-stitched garments yet.  I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Holiday countdown (2).

 
Gifts for teenage dancers:  scissors, needle book, and thread in three colors (black, white, pink) all tucked inside a sweet zipper pouch from Elisa Lou.  (And believe me, I am very proud of myself for letting someone else make the bags.)

Holiday countdown.

I've gathered up ten favorite projects from the holiday season to share with you over the next week(though only about half have anything to do with winter).  First up is a holiday card for Melissa at Two Little Tots; she designed the card and I wrote it out:

 

Photo mats.

 
One of my favorite things about etsy is that it has opened the door to some really fun custom projects.  This is a collection of photo mats I created for a customer in Oregon.  My favorite is the mat with two openings (on the right in the photo above and on the left in the photo below).

 
Today is the start of American Craft Week -- a week so big it actually lasts ten days.  Here's what they have to say about crafts in America:

American Craft enriches our homes, wardrobes, offices and public spaces. It contributes to our nation's economy, our balance of trade, and the fabric of our national history. It is original, beautiful and enduring, so let's tell the world!

Amen!  I turned the corner on my cold during the night and am hoping I feel up to taking the kids to the Textile Center tomorrow for their textile play day.  Have a great weekend!