sketchbook 1/1 – 1/5
domestic sewing : confronting the throw pillow situation, a re-write and little paintings
It’s pretty New Yearsy around here. I’ve got all sorts of plans and aspirations for the year ahead. Before the end of 2018 I made myself finish a personal project, I confronted some domestic sewing.
Like you, I wanted to start the New Year with a solid throw pillow situation. It has been kind of a mess for a while, definitely not bringing me joy. I had a bunch of ideas to make it better but they had been lingering on my someday list. For years. Deadlines are awesome. Making the dawn of 2019 the due date got me motivated to churn out some decorative pillows. Once I got going it was fun.
And I made a cover for the seat too, from grain sacks I got in France last summer. They got super soft after I (machine) washed and dried them and I pieced my favorite parts together. They have lots of beautiful mending and I love the colors.
I made the pillow covers from old fabric from friends (including some glorious and ancient things my friend Ching sent me) and more things I picked up at French flea markets last year. By the way there is one spot open in each of my trips to France this summer – click here for June 21-28 and click here for July 1-8. Come to France with me! And then go home and make some throw pillows…
With the couch in happy condition my first official work project of this year was a long overdue re-write of my about page. Especially if you are a new visitor it’s a good place to start.
And also in the New Year’s department I re-committed to my daily painting and drawing project. So far so good. Daily practice is no joke, it’s brutal sometimes but I know I’m better off doing it in lots of important ways. The positive effects on my thinking, creativity, idea generation and focus are huge. I’ll scale back to drawing when traveling probably but if I flake on this again you should yell at me.
The holidays were unusually happy and slow and peaceful for me. I spent a lot of it in pajamas eating cookies with a cat on my lap (I regret some of the cookies). It was pretty nice but I’m happy to be back to business as usual now. How bananas are you? I’m pretty bananas. I require huge amounts of time by myself to think and work and I like routine a lot. I’m luxuriating in time and space and ordinariness now, percolating all sorts of ideas….
tiny sewing for good mental health
There is always something and often someone in my pocket waiting to be stitched. I’d be lost without this sort of thing. When I wander away from it for too long things go badly, when my pace gets too frantic the magic evaporates.
It’s the thing that steadies and focuses me, all the tiny sewing. This is a pile of mental health. A little stack of tiny pinafores and nightgowns and satchels and jackets and bloomers. I’ve been sewing little folks here and there for the past few weeks. I take them with me for the in between times.
Wear them high, wear them proud lamb friend. The lambs in pants crack me up every single time. Something about those little trousers and how happy he seems to be in them…
The tiny pants pattern is free! it’s quick and easy and you could scale it for other dolls too.
Do you get my free weekly-ish newsletter? There are tips and tricks, ideas, stuff to try, all the latest news and blogposts and extra stuff, just for subscribers, delivered mostly on Friday. Pretty much.
new 2019 workshops : botanical specimens, sugar house retreat and songbirds
There are two botanical specimen workshops – you can take either or both (take both – spend the whole weekend stitching strange specimens with me!). Each day will focus on different techniques and projects. And we are offering the songbird class again.
I’m headed to Vermont in early spring for lambs in pants and stitched talismans and back to Los Angeles in April to teach 3 workshops at French General. Find all the details below and links to registration. I hope you can make it! I’m bringing everything you need including treasures from my antique textile collection and my favorite tools and supplies. All you have to do is show up. If you have any questions please send me a message.
botanical specimens 101 – saturday april 6th
fungi, root systems, and seed pods
You will create elegant stitched seed pods with realistic root systems and invent wild and strange species of mushrooms. We will explore basic soft sculpture techniques including working with spheres and creating and modifying patterns. I’ll share my techniques for creating forms and texture with textiles, wire, paper and other simple materials. Click here for more info and registration.
botanical specimens 102 – sunday april 7th
bulbs, rare specimens and fabric printing
You will learn to create realistic bulb root systems and techniques for creating organic feeling marks on fabric. We will explore antique botanical prints for inspiration and I’ll guide you through the process of inventing your own rare specimen using traditional as well as non traditional soft sculpture techniques. Click here for more info and registration.
songbirds – friday april 5th
Come make songbirds with me. I’ll guide you through the process of sewing, stuffing and sculpting the basic shape, creating natural looking layers of feathery textures, embroidering features, carving beaks, sculpting feet and giving your creation spirit and “birdness”. I’ll also share my some of my favorite supplies, top secret tips and techniques and some treasures from my collection of antique textiles. Click here for more details and registration.
SugarHouse Retreat with Ann Wood and French General at Warm Brook Barn -March 21st-24th, 2019
Join me in Vermont for a glorious cosy weekend stitching lambs in pants (or dresses) and amulets and making gorgeous sugar drop necklaces (among other things) with French General. The Sugarhouse Retreat is a weekend filled with cozy fireplace warmth, maple syrup treats and friends near and dear – including a visit to one of Vermont’s Sugarhouse’s on the annual open weekend as well as crafting by the fire. Delicious meals and hosting by Meleen Dupre of Warm Brook Barn. Click here for more details and registration.
gift guide : little things for makers
It really is the thought that counts, delight a crafty friend with a new tool. I’ve gathered some favorites for you here – happy, useful, and thoughtful surprises:
Please note that all amazon links in this post are affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase I will get a small percentage at no additional cost to you so it works out all around.
Applique pins, I love these little pins for their function as well as their littlness and sweetness, you have probably seen them sprinkled in my photos.
Holbein Mat Acrylic paint, we have talked about this before, I LOVE this paint. It has an almost paper like quality when dry. If you try one I recommend getting beige. I like mixing other (cheap) paints into it.
Thread Winders from French General. I only discovered these this year, in fact they were a gift! How did I live without them?
The best glue stick in the world. I think so anyway. It’s my favorite for collage.
Turning tubes – I got this set recently and it is awesome. If you don’t feel like shelling out to turn your tiny parts you can use this method but the set is worth having, the tubes are sturdy and it’s handy to have 3 sizes.
Mini paper cutter by tonic – I got this last year for a label cutting emergency. I had low expectations. It worked beautifully and a whole year later it still does. Super happy with it.
Doll needles – these long needles are handy for putting in eyes etc. and for moving stuffing around inside your dolls and creatures.
And while we are talking about stuffing – this makes a great gift:
And if you purchase them together (wool plus the tiny doll, mr. socks, or songbird print pattern) I’ll include a fun extra to make it an extra special gift.
And get this for yourself: If you have seen me in the world then you know that the Cal Patch Linen Smock is the lynch pin item of my middle aged art lady look (I got US size 2). I wear it just about every day. Or make your own wardrobe with Cal’s book. Sewing garments is on my list of things I’d like to learn to do.
I also collected some treasures from Etsy:
Acorn box – for keeping your tiniest treasures. so magical.
Hand stitched semamori amulets – so beautiful and the thought is lovely, a wish you carry with you.
I love Spring Holfeld’s paintings and prints, familiar things rendered in a magnificent way.
The sweetest brush or pen rest.
Tiny handmade ceramic dishes – perfect for spices or pins – I got one for a friend last year and it was delightful.
Have any sweet gift suggestions? I’d love to know – leave them in the comment section please.
squam 2019 : tinder and spark – come experiment with me in the forest
The Squam Art Retreat 2019 offerings are up and registration is open. I’m already looking forward to teaching next September.
There is art and practice in generating ideas. Come spend a day with me in the forest experimenting and having lots of ideas.
Tinder and Spark – idea generation : experiments, curiosity and constraints
I will guide you through a series of improvisational (and fun) exercises designed to bypass blocks, spark you creatively, help you dig deeply into your imagination, spot intersections and generate ideas.
We will employ constraints to move our thinking in novel ways and practice approaching assignments laterally. Sometimes a shift in approach makes all the difference. We will look for serendipity, invite happenstance to guide us and we will play. Play generates lots of ideas. In idea generation volume matters.
The day begins with experiment #1 : a mysterious box…. a collection of materials and found objects. Employing the remarkable creative power of constraint and with a top secret inspiration source in mind you will create a small work of art. I’ll help you push past blocks and navigate and choose techniques and tools.
One thing leads to another, if you let it. If the experimenter in you needs some encouragement please join me for this day of exploration. What will you unearth? What has been waiting for an opportunity to emerge? Come with that curiosity.
Find all the details here!
the dastardly owl sewing pattern is in the shop
Make this owl. This imperious and condescending owl. He measures 9 inches tall from disgruntled talon to sinister horn. And the pattern scales well if you would like to try a larger owl.
The PDF pattern download is 31 pages long and has more than 130 color photos. You’ll learn how to construct the basic body shape and talons as well as my system for creating owl-ish layers of feathers and a dastardly expression. Every element is broken down into steps and fully explained.
The pattern has all the top secret tricks I’ve come up with over 12 years of making ill tempered owls. And I’ll share this one with you here:
When the layers are fully assembled spritz with water or spray starch if you like.
And run a hot iron over the feathers. I do it to his face too (so rude) to adjust his dastardly expression. It has a magic effect, un-ruffling the feathers and giving the layers extra owly-ness.
I’m so excited to share this pattern with you! I’m so glad it’s done! I can’t believe how much work it was!
And I hope you make owls!
Do you get my free weekly-ish newsletter? There are tips and tricks, ideas, stuff to try, all the latest news and blogposts and extra stuff, just for subscribers, delivered mostly on Friday. Pretty much.
printing fabric with bleach for stitched mushrooms
The quest for the perfect organic dot fabric for toadstools is never ending, I’m always on the look out for fungal feeling dots, speckles and marks in general and I’m super particular. Shopping in LA a few weeks ago there was lots of nice batik stuff that was close but no cigar. I described my dream fabric to my friend Molly and she said “dude you could totally make that”. That is such a good attitude. Yesterday I experimented a little. And dude, I can totally make that, so can you.
Gather some cotton fabric, bleach, wax paper and tools for mark making. I tried all sorts of things, rubber stamps, pallet knives, brushes, straws, cardboard, spools, on and on. Also put on an apron and some gloves and do this somewhere very well ventilated or outside.
I had one little dish of straight up bleach (you just need a little) and another diluted about 2 parts bleach to one part water. I put wax paper under the fabric and started making marks. My favorite tools ended up being a pencil eraser, putty knife, a stiff bristle brush, a toothbrush for splattering and a little spool that I glued a piece of wool felt to one end of. A cork would have been good too – just thought of it.
The marks take a moment to begin to “develop”. I let most of the fabric sit for about 20 minutes before rinsing. I have googled/pinterested around and there are all sorts of interesting things you can do with this technique and you can get pretty fancy about it. Find a great tutorial here and another here.
find the mushroom sewing pattern here
I love how they turned out, the bleach prints are so perfect for little fungi and there are endless things you could experiment with to make marks.
Do you get my free weekly-ish newsletter? There are tips and tricks, ideas, stuff to try, all the latest news and blogposts and extra stuff, just for subscribers, delivered mostly on Friday. Pretty much.
little projects and percolating ideas
The little black wool scrap insisted on being a chicken, a french hen. It’s a good day for small cosy projects, for stitching little dolls and boats, pocket size things.
There was nothing I would rather do today, nothing more appealing than meandering my way through some little projects. Some for gifts, some for ornaments and a few little things for the shop in December.
I had intended to just sew for an hour or two early in the morning but I could not put it down today and there was no real reason to. I remained happily lost in the little details and all of a sudden the sun was going down.
And while my hands were busy I felt a steady simmer in my mind, curiosity about miss thistle and the world she lives in, ideas and images floating to the surface, little glimmers of a house in the forest…
bundling up the tiny doll folk and imagining their world
When faced with a stressful situation small sewing is good medicine. This weekend we made some big tech improvements to ann wood handmade that were sort of terrifying. I’m thrilled with the result – especially the speed.
While all the scary work was being done I lingered in the details of tiny felt jackets and hats and slow stitched talismans. Besides needing to distract myself from the website work it has been cold and snowy, all the more reason for cosy hand sewing and bundling the little dolls up. I sure do love to bundle things up.
Find the free little jacket pattern here and the tiny doll hat here.
The folky little winter ensembles make me curious about tiny doll world, the details and history. I’m going to investigate that over the next few weeks. You may recall I explored the world of a family of cosmopolitan ants a couple years ago.
It was probably the most fun I ever had. I’m looking forward to imagining a world for the tiny doll folk. Stay tuned.
try the star folk pdf pattern for free
Try a PDF pattern for free! Make a sweet crew of moody stars and a peaceful moon. They are super easy and great for ornaments little gifts or a mobile. The disgruntled guy is my favorite. There is one in every crowd…
click here to download your free star folk pdf pattern
You are ready to make moody stars! Suggestion – don’t print the whole thing – You can just select the patterns pages and print only those and read the directions on your screen – that is what I do.
Are you new to digital patterns? If you’d like to purchase other patterns here is how that works:
it’s time to make the squirrels, stitching expressive creature eyes and wool stuffing in the shop
It is time to make all the little things, the little gift and ornament things. It is officially time. For those of you less procrastinatey than me it is way past time, I know you are out there, you organized types who start in June. Maybe I’ll turn over a new leaf this year, I would love to be done making my Christmas stuff by Thanksgiving.
Today I’m making very little squirrels, and thoughtful whales. This squirrel is just the right size for somebody’s pocket. He looks very happy in there.
get the forest folk pattern
He is a relentlessly happy little fellow.
For most of my small creatures I make the eyes the same way, a disorganized little cluster of stitches (you can see how I hide my knots here). On wool I use embroidery thread so it shows but on cotton I like the subtlety of sewing thread. And I find the less I think about the placement of the stitches the better, the more expressive the eyes turn out. This little whale has things on his mind.
I stuff all the little folks and creatures with the loveliest wool stuffing. I spend a lot of time stuffing things, getting it just right and almost always fine tune the shape from the outside with a big needle.
Have you tried wool stuffing? it is all I use and I’ve added it to the shop in 4 ounce packs – that’s enough wool for lots of little creatures.
Are you sewing for the holidays? What’s on your worktable?