the coming end of summer

i've collected together all the various bits and pieces of natural ephemera which i've picked up over the years and put them on display. delicate and fragile, they don't do well to be handled overly much; forget dusting. i should get a small bell jar. strange seed pods, feathers, silk bits, seashells, insects, and a skeleton tree frog.

for this year's ga national fair, i've decided to submit some of the handspun i've kept. i've been parting with the majority of what i spin to sell on consignment at the lys. it would be encouraging to win some ribbons, and funds for further purchases. the deadline for submission is coming nigh and i've only two ounces of a dusty stone cashmere remaining to be plied.

i've been busy, but not necessarily creative these last months. however, i managed to sew a new cosy for my porcelain japanese tea pot. using australian merino blanket remnants, natural linen remnants, and wool fiber for stuffing, i created a subtle and tactile two-pot cosy accented with a cognac velvet ribbon and dyed shell buttons. i think it matches the aesthetic of the tea pot beautifully. it's pure pleasure to use them both in my morning tea time routine.

time makes swift progress

i've been productive, just not blogging. the local tea room commissioned 35 service tea cozies, made from a variety of fabric, reversible, and for 2-cup and 6-cup brown betty teapots, which they sell in the gift shop. i'm just finishing up the last 10. it's interesting making something that's you but not; i.e. the material isn't of my choosing, but i paired the combinations together and sewed them all. i find that i'm not at all bereft from parting with them, and though i can mentally acknowledge them, there isn't a thrill of excitement or burst of thoughts going through me when someone buys one and when i see them in the shop. perhaps there isn't the connection with them that i usually have when i create something from conception to finish. or perhaps it's because i knew from the start that they weren't "mine". hmm.

well, summer is well and truly here, with hot, humid, buggy weather and ac blasting in every building. my baby cactus has certainly grown since last featured on the blog; it's a year older and an inch taller. currently residing amongst my orchids in the window. a bit like a cuckoo bird, but strangely doing well amongst it's moisture loving fellows.

making in response to needing

i've been enjoying a spurt of creativity; setting a goal for the day and finishing it. being out of work has really encouraged me to focus my hours on making things which i could sell. "if you don't have work, make work to sell" is my new motto. in the past i worked on pin cushions, which went over okay, then i created boudoir cushions, which i only sold one of, and now i'm onto tea cosies. this last is probably a reflection of creating something with utilitarian uses and the amount of tea i find myself drinking. i've become something of a teaholic these last months (okay, last two years).

being in japan gave me a great respect for their green teas, as well as an appreciation for the umami and astringency which is a major aspect of ocha. it's a tea which i find myself drinking several cups of during the day, and because of the low caffeine, not suffering from jitters, nerves, and insomnia as a result. i love the roasted hojicha, the refreshing cold barley tea, the sweet uji-shimizu with almond milk, and the green freshness of sencha. although, i do enjoy a good black tea, fruity more often than not, with sweet things. luckily, the second cup brews caffeine free.

a major influence on the tea cosy front, is the work of tara badcock, a fantastic and prolific textile artist in australia. i've enjoyed seeing her pieces for years now, and happen to own an exquisite pincushion and change purse (which i use every day) she created. i've borrowed the ruched edge binding she does for my own cosies, as it adds an element of strong color, and a certain timeless grace. plus, who doesn't love something which is almost heedless rococo? as well, it reminds me of the costumes from marie antoinette, and gowns from that period.

all in all, i figure it's about time to live up to expectations and find my artistic footing. too often i find my creations driven from a certain selfishness; i want what i create, i create in response to things i want.  it's hard for me to part from my brood of artistic expressions. thereby making it hard to earn any money.  well, as it was once said, "onwards and upwards".

a stitch in time saves nine

i've begun to notice some nesting tendencies which have developed since i started living on my own; an increased awareness of kitchenware, dishes in particular, the idea of having a tray to arrange multiple dishes dividing up a meal and to bring pizzaz to eating alone, accessorizing said dishes with coasters, trivets and linens.

thus far, i've sewn a coaster for my teapot, as well as one for my teamug, sewn a patchwork trivet to tie together the colors of my teamug with my japanese blue and white pottery, and am currently considering my options with place mats. with the tray preoccupation, i've set my eyes on a linen rectangular one from fog linen work; it would go lovely with the linen bits i worked into the trivet.

without the aid of ones trusty sewing machine, hand sewing becomes the norm. it's meditative in it's way, similar to spinning, and knitting a simple pattern. i see the need for my sewing skills to become more refined, but at the same time i am reluctant to try for machine precision.

some of the fabric used in this piece i've been saving for awhile. the large indigo swatch and the variegated swatch were ones i hand dyed using natural dyestuff. the indigo one is a bit funny (and personal) for me because i had decided to experiment with an old fashioned and rudimentary way of making an indigo fermentation vat, and this along with the indigo coaster were some of the results (they definitely have not a drop of scent left from their making). some of the other fabrics were sitting in my hoard, waiting for their moment, and of course, i was able to use my favorite bits of linen which have grown smaller and smaller with every project. the loop to hang it was some recycled jean fluff which jean sent me, spun and plied with blue cotton, then crocheted into a chain. on the backside is some shibori i made at a fiber studio open house.

sewing for utility purposes

usually i store and transport my drop spindles and fiber in a lantern moon basket i bought many years ago for my knitting. but then i thought it perhaps a little unwieldily for just carrying one spindle and some fiber which could easily fit in my purse. so, i devised and sewed a spindle cosy which could protect my spindle while it is in use, and so i could keep it in my purse unharmed by the other things lurking in there. it's weird actually that someone else hadn't already thought of a spindle cosy, they're very useful things really. there are egg cosies, and tea cosies, and though they're meant for keeping things warm, other things like sewing machine cosies are for protecting.

going with the purple and orange color scheme of the basket and knitting needle case, i used a pale blush silk, an orange shot cotton, and purple thread. the sides are padded with quilting batting and created separately, then bookbinding stitched together to form a pyramid, with the top left unsewn so the shaft cord can come through to aid with carrying. the cord is a kumihimo strap i had bought while in japan that could be attached to a cell phone; it slips on easily to the notch in the top of the spindle shaft. i'm really pleased that the colors matched so well; until this point i really didn't know what i wanted to use it for.

the bottom opens up and you place the spindle inside, drawing the strap through the opening at the apex. then securing the bottom flaps with buttons and a needle laced latch, your spindle and spun yarn is safe and secure from knocks and bumps.

i had sized the cosy based on the jay drop spindle, but i'm thinking it could easily fit the larger swan drop spindle as well. i'll know in a week or so. i'm thinking the idea for this came from looking at the new tea triangles which are slowly replacing tea bags. yum, tea...

bits and pieces

a bit of a preview of my current sewing project. it's heavily influenced by current japanese textiles. i decided to use some gorgeous quilted linen fabric i had purchased from linnet while in japan. also, some mina perhonen and nani iro things. it's mostly sewn, but i'm awaiting a zipper. so for now, things are on pause.

however, i came across a tutorial on making continuos bias tape which i found useful for this project. i gave it a go with a small remnant of liberty of london's tana lawn i had on hand. although thin, tana lawn is quite stretchy, so maybe not such a grand idea for a first try. with some more practice and patience, i should get better.

sewing into madness

halloween is over for another year. boo. as in boo-hoo, i'm so sad!!!! i was sewing up to the last minute, only finishing the night before. as the low resolution, not-my-camera, photos show i went as the mad hatter from tim burton's alice in wonderland.

i quite enjoyed all of the details of this costume, and the chance to wear my favorite dress again. the accessories were really cool to work on, and luckily, i had most everything needed. the jacket is a cropped length with long tails, olive green silk with a bright yellow lining, sewn from a simplicity pattern. orange and black tights, grey spotted neckcloth, plaid mittens, white lace cuffs, multi-hued ribbons, purple peony handkerchief, and olive green shoes complete the look. i adored the thimble and spools which are part of the hatmaking trade. i wondered about previous versions of the mad hatter not quite fitting the name (other than the "mad" part).

if i'm not able, for one reason or another, to sew a yellow queen elizabeth the first costume, i shall go as the mad hatter again next year. only 364 days left. boo.

mine, all mine! bwahaha!

one thing that happens when you go to a fiber event is that you come home with a lot more fiber than you had. i purchased some yak/tussah, muga silk, red eri silk, and cotswold locks. my teacher was more than generous with fiber, and i was more than greedy accepting it, so i also acquired silk noil, bombyx silk roving, wool, more wool locks, dyed tussah, a couple of silk hankies, and some wool "junk".

today i was thinking i needed some way to organize all this treasure, so i went about making muslin sacks out of some heavy duty muslin i had leftover from a patternmaking workshop. i was able to make nine of them before i ran out of cloth. i also need to get some cotton twine to use as drawstrings. labeled metal and paper tags will go on the cords so that i know what each is when they become a pile of similar muslin puffs. now i'll have no excuse for not spinning, as i am more than amply supplied with fiber. dyeing all this fiber should keep me occupied for some time as well.

wrapping

since watching the movie "the tourist", i've been infatuated with the wrap angelina jolie's character wore in the first half; so elegant and warm. when i was in asheville, i picked up 3/4 yd of double faced wool coating with the intention of making something similar.

i wanted it to be reversible, so i sewed the pieces together with a zigzag stitch so there isn't a seam. for some shaping i added a pleat to the back.

the wrap is off centered for flair, and i'm thinking of adding magnets as a closure, but i'm not 100% sure. for now, it's too hot to wear it, so i can keep collecting ideas.

finally, a completion

if you recall, way back in 2010 i stained some jersey fabric which i had bought to make a dress from the drape drape book; which i then put aside to do later (i didn't think later would be a year later). feeling anxious and bored the other night, i decided i would actually make it into the no 6 dress. the pattern sheets are a maze of overlapping lines and sections; unnerving to say the least. but, with careful concentration i was able to locate everything, trace it onto swedish tracing paper, make adjustments, and cut out my fabric with the aid of a chaco liner (thanks kathryn!).

the next morning i sewed it up, deciding to add some interest to the front by twisting the straps, and embellishing. i enjoy embellishing, i think perhaps, a little too much. but there is definitely a fine line between Gaudi and gaudy, as a college instructor of mine was fond of saying. i prefer to think of it as my rococo impulses.

some of the embellishment was inspired by this shirt from park vogel.

the shape of this dress is definitely different from what i normally wear, and i hope it does not appear matronly on my hourglass figure, but i think with the right accessories i should be fine. the front is what throws me at times, but once you see the back, everything is forgiven. i hope to make more pieces from this book, and i have my eye on the second volume of drape drape. i will also have to search for more drapey material as well.

first to finish

i had large ideas for the aqua textile piece i first wove, but then decided to focus on the yellow piece as it turned out so lovely. paired with linen (my love), minty satin ribbon (my obsession), and sewn into a kapok stuffed boudoir pillow (my soft spot), i think it is something quite special now.

i love how it turned out; this whole creating textiles thing is absolutely fascinating to me.

if at first you fail

you don't quite know what you're capable of until you try. this is something i've learned in the last couple of days. also, that sticking with something, overcoming the mistakes and finishing it, can be rewarding.

the case in point is a pair of slippers; my pseudo turkish, slightly clown-like slippers. i found it somewhat difficult to find a pair of house slippers for japan within a certain price range and also ones that i liked. so after a fruitless search on my regular avenues (etsy, zappos, google) i decided to make a pair. i remembered that martha stewart had a pattern for felt slippers, a pretty pair with a flower silhouette cut out.

i may have started with that pattern, but it's not what i ended up with. i made several key sizing mistakes (too large), but after seam ripping, cutting, resewing, more seam ripping, painful finger pads, pin stabs (hopefully my last tetanus shot is still active), i had a somewhat eccentric pair of slippers which have lots of toe room and do a reasonably good job of staying on my feet. as far as price goes (creation time notwithstanding), i had on hand everything i used in the making of them; leather for the sole, industrial felt, padded fabric, fabric for the binding, thread, and yarn for the pompoms. needless to say, this may very well be the last time i make my own pair of slippers; i think i'll just buy a pair when these wear out.

a comfortable journey

as i look at the calendar and see the date draw nearer to the day i travel to japan, it brings to mind the length of time of one of my flights; the longest one. and i wonder how on earth i shall survive traveling in a cramped airplane for 14 hours let alone the entire 34 hours it will take to get there from here. but then i say to myself, "is this not better than that one road trip that lasted 50 hrs with only stops at mcdonald's and short naps at the rest area to go on?". and then i realize, it will be okay.

but it would definitely be easier if i had a few comforts. such as a neck pillow, ear plugs, and a wonderfully soft eye mask. made with love of course. using some nani iro double gauze cotton, some satin, a funky elastic, and a self made pattern drawn up on tracing paper, this eye mask was an easy project.

what necessities do you bring with you on a long trip?

nice and cosy

while working on one of the tutorials, i was inspired to create a case for my macbook. the color combination and fabrics were too nice together to pass up. plus, i was able to incorporate some of my nani iro stash. yum.

which reminds me, i must stock up on nani iro while i'm in japan this fall. yet one more reason to be uncontrollable excited.

the case is so soft, it's padded and has a flannel lining. every time i have to sew in a zipper it gets a little easier. i came across this really ingenious way of attaching a zipper; and i have to say it worked marvelously!

not another skirt this time

even with hurting my lower back i've managed to sew something. albeit slowly. and painstakingly. but still, it takes ones mind off the pain every movement creates.

i've had a yard and half or so of some really soft organic cotton grey jersey laying in my yardage pile for a bit of time now. while surfing around the internet i came across a really cute jumperon a child's clothing store. and thought perhaps i should tackle something a little harder than a skirt.

i started out with the jumper in mind and drew up some patterns; front, back, and sleeves. i made some corrections as i cut my four pieces of fabric, adding a bit more width to the back. pinned and sewed it all together, and was a little "eh" underwhelmed about the piece while trying it on. off it went, and so i added some of my precious nani iro binder's tape around the sleeve hems, and gathered them with elastic. still not entirely loving it. the front just seemed all encompassing. too much grey. but i was really liking the back.

as i was pondering the fit of the front my eyes started following the lines of the pockets. if i cut the front out a bit, so that it opens, and curve the sides around to the length of the back, that would be more flattering.

out came the scissors, off went the very broad front, and a much better silhouette was born. i wanted to add kooky details to this top; fancy bits and buttons. in an array of pinks and golds i sewed scales around the pockets and lined the inside edge with antique gold and pink trim to give it some weight.

overall i like this piece, it's soft, eclectic, and not a complete screw up in the sewing category.

change

while researching my upcoming trip i found out that i would be carrying around a lot of change. which seems strange in and of itself, as here i rarely ever have cash on me, and what change i do have fits into a teeny tiny pouch.

but apparently, japan is a cash country, and for denominations below 1,000 yen it's in coin form. so, i added 'change purse' to my list of needed things. and then i thought to myself, "myself, i think we should sew a change purse for ourselves." and i agreed that would be a good plan.

i had a zipper left over from a camisole which didn't need it, some lovely pale aqua piping, and two prints that went well together. one, a lime seersucker, and the other a double gauze cotton print from heather ross.

i thought about what size would be a nice fit for my purse and to carry around lots of heavy change, then i stalled a bit while figuring out what shape i wanted it to be. some fullness would be nice, a little bottom heavy perhaps, definitely easy access to see coins would be a good idea.

so after messing with pleats and the fabric i came up with something satisfactory. i like it, it's so puffy! hopefully it will be big enough.