Plays With Needles

Hari-kuyo, My Book of Needles and Next Week

2012-01-30T09:40:00.006-05:00

I've been using my Book of Needles for almost a full year now.

In that time, this book has been my constant companion, my reliable friend, my #1 can't-do-without sewing tool, my nécessaire...

I'm rarely without it. And it's held up beautifully.

I love the different pages for the different types of needles...they keep me organized so I can quickly find the right needle for the right job. And I love love love that it feels like a real "book" with lots of fun details hidden inside.

I made it last year in honor of Hari-Kuyo or the Festival of Broken Needles which occurs every year on February 8 in Japan. You can see the original post here.

Each February 8, the sewers and kimono makers of Japan will go to a shrine, taking with them their broken needles and pins that have served them in the prior year. (Hari means "needle" and kuyo means "memorial service".) The needles/pins are placed into tofu or konnyaku. The act of placing them in soft tofu serves to soothe the needles after their many hours of sewing.

The women bring their needles to their final resting place, thank the needles for their service, and pray that the needles' power and energy will stay with them and help to improve their sewing skills in the coming year.

The Japanese believe that all things have a spiritual essence and they have a great respect for the objects used in their daily life. It is important to respect the objects' service and not be overly wasteful by thoughtlessly tossing them away. In addition to sewing needles, I've heard of rituals for disposing of calligraphy brushes, broken combs and other tools used by craftsmen.

Last year when I made my Book of Needles, I created an intermediary rest stop for the needles that I break throughout the year in the back of my book. You can see that I've gathered quite a few...

waiting to be properly laid to rest on Hari-Kuyo matsuri, next Wednesday, February 8.

There's a lot more to the tradition which is better explained in this beautiful self-published pamphlet. It's worth a read.

Open publication - Free publishing - More japan

In preparation for next week's Hari-Kuyo, I've been working hard behind-the-scenes designing and sourcing materials in order to offer an e-course, pattern and supplies for making your own Book of Needles.

I have a group of friends who are participating in a pilot class and so far I am thrilled with the books they are making and the feedback they are giving me. It's very exciting to see it all come to life.

They'll finish them on Saturday so I'll share more after that.

But this is just a teaser...stay tuned until next week when all will be revealed.

And have a very Happy Monday.

Ivory, Lace and Tarnished Silver

2012-01-27T09:28:00.008-05:00

Via Valentino's Haute Couture Collection for Spring 2012...

Funny, when your eye is attuned to a certain pallette, you start to see it everywhere...

Valentino's collection was my favorite this year as far as workmanship...

All beaded and embroidered by hand...

Love these shoes...

The hint of this embroidered vest...

And the image of the gloves that all the models wore, all in a row...

*sigh*

Happy weekend everyone!

Old Silver

2012-01-25T14:07:00.002-05:00

This picture looks so flat.

So, you'll have to imagine the shimmer of the silk, the lustre of the velvet and the special tinkle of tarnished silver lace. And think of mirrors and reflections and snow and gray days...

January's Silver Palette

2012-01-23T15:22:00.004-05:00

Today, I'm getting started on my January block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project.

I love January. It's a quiet, reflective month for me. It's cold and gray and the days are short.

So for this month, I am inspired by January's palette...

And I have pulled together my palette of supplies into a collection box and I'm ready to start.

I hope to finish piecing today and start stitching tomorrow.

I'm a bit under the weather, running a slight fever and fearing a sinus infection.

We'll see how it goes...

And so I'm playing around with the concept of reflection...

And beginning to put the pieces together.

And this photo from camil tulcan's photostream on Flickr, I just love...

See you next time.

90 Years Young

2012-01-19T09:28:00.011-05:00

Yesterday, Jim's Aunt Ruth turned 90.

You might remember Aunt Ruth from my posts about our Annual Turkey Trot, Run, Amble, Walk or Crawl that we hold every year with Jim's family at Thanksgiving.

Ruth is always rip-roarin' and rarin' to go at the starting line, wearing the snazziest pants.

She usually walks about a block to everyone else's mile but she gives it her all. She just shows up and does what she can.

I love her jazzy spirit so when I heard it was her 90th Birthday, I wanted to celebrate her in a special way. It's not every day that someone I love turns 90!

We couldn't fly down so instead we put together a Birthday-in-a-Box...and I spent a good deal of last Saturday and Sunday making these two party hats.

I LOVE party hats and, since I never had a girl to make birthday hats for, I decided to whip one up for Ruth and her little sister.

Her little sister would be Jim's Mom. She's 12 year's younger than Ruth and they've been living together for the past 10 years or so. Jim's Mom was the youngest of 10 children and 7 of her siblings were girls...

I had SO much fun making a mess and making these two hats.

I just rolled cardstock into a cone...trimmed around the bottom and cut off the point to make the size I wanted...and then embellished 'til my embellisher was sore.

I couldn't figure out how to do the hat topper...I wanted the fringe to kind of explode out of the top of the hat...So I sandwiched some tissue paper together, included some old mylar balloons that I cut up to add the shimmer...

I have trouble throwing away those mylar balloons (ok, I have trouble throwing most things away) so I was thrilled when I finally had a use for them.

I cut the strips and rolled and stapled...

Et Voila! The hat topper was born.

Thank goodness it worked because I didn't have a plan B.

The rest was just plain fun.

Jim's brother picked up a cake from a local bakery and we sent along all the party horns, extra hats, signs, flower leis, party sunglasses...you get the idea...so that when she opened the box, it was instant party.

They called last night and said the box was a big hit!

I can't wait to see a picture or two of Ruth in that hat...and the two of them together too. I promise to share them when I get them.

There's just something about people in party hats that makes me smile...or maybe it's the smiles of the people wearing the party hats that's infectious.

Well, whatever it is...I just hope to make more of them.

Happy Happy 90th Birthday Aunt Ruth!

I hope when I'm 90, I'm still doing the Annual Turkey Trot, Amble, Walk or Crawl.

And I'll try to do it in snazzy pants.

On the Hat Hunt

2012-01-17T11:10:00.007-05:00

Like sooo many of the rest of you, I am sooo enjoying Downton Abbey.

And the Edwardian costumes with all the beading and feathers and lace...well....it's worth the watch just for that...

Except...the writing just happens to be fabulous too and Maggie Smith...well, enough said. It's Dame Maggie Smith and nobody delivers a one-liner like her! Check out these 10 Ten Maggie Moments if you need a smile.

But the hats! LOVE them. (I found this post where you can see what I mean about ALL the hats!)

There have been some real stunners but this simple top hat that Mary wore riding did its job. She couldn't have looked more like the lady of the estate than in this hat riding that amazing horse...

But I digress.

There's one hat in particular that I would love to hunt down...to have...or I just might have to make it...And I just saw it on Episode 2, Season 2 this past Sunday night (you folks in the UK are a season ahead!)...

It looks like it may be crazy quilted underneath...

And even if it's not, it's still awesome.

Anybody know where I might get one?

Painted Patterns

2012-01-16T11:32:00.006-05:00

Hand-painted Berlinwork patterns from a scrapbook of patterns in the library archives at Winterthur, circa 1831-1877:

I've always found the painted patterns more beautiful and inspirational than the actual woolwork. And yes, the colors are still that vibrant.

Happy Monday.

Family Ripples

2012-01-13T06:12:00.004-05:00

Just last week, I finished Jack's ripple afghan that I had started...*ahem*...a couple of years ago.

I ended up needing to find additional yarn to make it longer since Jack had outgrown the original amount of yarn I thought I would need for his blanket.

He loves it. He wraps it around him when he's studying, he sleeps with it, and he drags it down to the basement when he plays video games.

When I was about 9 years old, my grandmother made me this pink afghan...

So this picture of the two of us is pretty special to me.

My pink blanket stayed on my bed when I was little. It went with me to college. It went with me as I traveled around the world. And when I got married, I put it on my bed and it's been on my bed ever since.

Never underestimate the power of a blanket made for you with love.

Happy weekend everyone!

The Bed Chamber of Marie Antoinette

2012-01-11T10:45:00.017-05:00

I know I said that the Montmartre Cemetery was my favorite Paris experience...

But now I'm thinking it may have been my trip to Versailles.

We got there when the chateau opened at around 9am which is why you see Jack with a cup of coffee...

And our visit was timed perfectly.

The goldwork and gilding was afire with the early morning sun.

A perfect welcome designed by the Sun King himself, Louis XIV.

And while we waited in the security line, a new queen was crowned...

Luckily, the sun stayed with us into the Hall of Mirrors and the other state apartments which made for a dazzling display.

I took over 300 pictures at Versailles so I can't possibly share them all here. So I have chosen to focus this post on the bedchamber of Marie Antoinette and the embroidery that I found there.

Wow. I had no idea.

To orient you, I found this picture on the net to give you the perspective of the entire room. When I was there, this room was packed with people so a shot like this wasn't really possible.

Starting in the mid-17th century, the room was originally inhabited by Queen Marie-Thérese, wife to Louis XIV, followed successively by two dauphines Marie-Christine of Bavaria and Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy and the two queens, Marie Leszczinska and Marie Antoinette.

It was from this room that Marie Antoinette fled from rioters on July 6, 1789.

The room along with many other areas of the palace was re-furbished in the mid-20th century to as close to its original decor as possible by "a small army of master craftsmen from the dwindling band of highly skilled artisans de luxe who were one of the glories of the glories of France in Louis XIV's day...

A staff of nine seamstresses under Madame Brocard...worked nine years to re-create the embroideries in the queen's bedchamber." (Smithsonian magazine, March 1977)

The non-embroidered fabrics that covered the bed and walls were re-woven in Lyon from the original cartoons.

The bed and balustrade were re-sculpted from the old documents.

Wouldn't you love to wake up and look at this?

I would love to know more about these embroideries and the women that did them. I am just beginning my study of Versailles for a future project.

If any of you know of additional sources that might be helpful, I would love to hear about them even if they are in French.

You can imagine how I must have felt visiting this room with it's amazing decor and breathtaking silk embroidery. I was in heaven...and I don't even think I noticed the 50 million other people in the room

Thanks to Jim who held my coat and had the patience to wait for me while I took it all in.

And thanks to a sunny morning which gave me great light to take photos.

And to Louis XIV who knew to orient his and the Queen's apartments to the sun in order to show them off to best advantage.

After touring the rest of the chateau and grabbing a bite to eat, the weather had changed quite considerably when we went outside to tour the grounds.

My brother Mark rented a golf cart to zip me over to the Petit Trianon

But by then the sky was too gray for nice photography indoors.

I would love to go back again to visit the gardens and fountains when they are in full splendor.

I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I did.

*smile*

French Food Fête

2012-01-09T14:43:00.012-05:00

This was how we started every morning while in Paris...

With a plate full of croissants and pain au chocolat that my BIL would buy from our local boulangerie. The kids became quite fond of pain au chocolat...

Our entire group had arrived in Paris by Christmas Eve so we spent a good part of the day shopping for our Christmas dinner, knowing that we planned to eat-in on Christmas night.

We started on the Rue Lepic in Montmartre which was walking distance from "home".

We were on the hunt for a main course.

The seafood looked delicious, but proved to be too expensive for the 9 of us.

And the fact that these mini-chapons (capons) still had their feet, heads and feathers turned the kids off a bit...

I thought the feathers were beautiful.

We were also on the hunt for a Bûche de Nöel, the traditional "yule log" dessert served around Christmas time.

A patisserie on Rue Lepic gave us our first glimpse of the many hundreds of versions that we would see over the next few days...

Though the traditional Bûche de Nöel is made from a rolled sponge cake with buttercream filling and is iced to look like a log, we learned there were many, many interpretations of this annual treat.

The Rue Lepic whetted our appetite for an extended shopping excursion to the Rue Mouffetard in the 5th arondissment, where we found most of our dinner.

It was a feast for the senses.

So we shopped...

And the fromagerie put forth quite the spectacle.

The cheeses were unbelievable but there's no way we could possibly try them all in just 6 days...

But we tried.

We decided on rotisserie chicken for dinner.

I loved how you ordered everything by telling the seller the total number of people who would be eating and when you would be eating it. The vendor then chooses the quantity and product for you.

So we ordered chicken and potatoes for 9 people.

This man gave us about 10 pounds of potatoes. You can see them below, the ones that had been roasting below with chicken juices dripping all over them. Yum!

I thought 10 pounds was a lot until the kids started eating them. The were a total hit.

Our last decision was to decide on a Bûche de Nöel. They all looked so good.

We ended up purchasing two.

A dark chocolate ganache version recommended by a local on the Rue Mouffetard and a more traditional sponge-cake version from our local baker.

And here's our shopping gang, heading home on the metro with our fête...

After we'd finished our feast, we broke out the two Bûches.

Though we enjoyed them both, we decided that the decadently chocolate version from the Rue Mouffetard was the taste-test winner, hands down...

Moreover, the whole Bûche-hunting and Bûche-eating exercise, led us to coin a whole new Bûche-cabulary:

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good Bûche!"

"If I knew you were coming, I'd of baked a Bûche."

"Everything's better with a Bûche."

"Bûche, there it is."

You get the picture. We can't help it, it's what we do.

Next post, I promise to show you all the embroidery in Marie Antoinette's bedroom at Versailles.

It's a fête pour les yeux!

It's the least I can do since I didn't bring you a Bûche.

A Christmas Mourning Gift

2012-01-06T09:10:00.021-05:00

On our first day's walk toward Montmartre, we passed over this bridge...

I loved the contrast between the aged patina of the bridge and the brightly-colored graffiti spray-painted all over it.

And when I looked through the bridge to see what was below...

I was surprised to see that the bridge didn't cross over a road or train tracks or a stream...

But over a cemetery.

A very old and moss-covered sort of a cemetery. I felt invited to check it out.

So the next day, on Christmas morning when much of our house was still asleep from Midnight Mass the night before, I set off with my camera to visit what I soon discovered to be the Cemetery of Montmartre.

The cemetery was organized by "streets"...

And I very quickly found myself lost amongst the many graves of the artists and citizens who were buried there....and completely absorbed by the sights around me.

At first, I found myself fascinated by the doors to all the family crypts...

I'm sure they were stunning when they were originally placed some 200-300 years ago.

But the artistic effect of time...

Had worked its magic and had given the entire place an ethereal, transcendent atmosphere.

Eventually, I moved beyond my infatuation with doorways and their metaphorical insinuations...

And started to step a little closer...

To peek through those doorways to see what was inside...

*sigh* A visual treat behind almost every one.

Over and over again, I peeked into doorways...

And found one magnificent work of art after another...hidden away.

It was captivating. And a bit addictive.

That was until I peeked through this rusty doorway...

And had this old girl stare back at me. She creeped me out a bit.

And so did this guy...

So I just moved on, albeit a little quickly.

It wasn't just the dead who resided here. There were many stray cats roaming about who seemed to own the place.

I don't think this guy liked me. His eyes looked just like the ones on that creepy girl a few pics up.

Below, you can see a black cat warming herself on a grave in the top middle of this photo.

Behind her, you can see how many of the graves had plants, flowers and small plaques on top of them.

I was particularly attracted to this pleasing fragment...

Which I believe says something like..."Was my Godmother"...?? Why this fragment? Who made it?

How I do love a mystery and this cemetery was full of them.

And the sculpture...

Oh my.

Unbelievable. The kind whose grace and beauty takes your breath away...

Like this young girl grieving atop the grave of Artist Gustave Guillaumet (1840-1887).

And this elegant statue of a somewhat sad, young girl standing on the grave of another French painter, Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805)...

To my delight, I would find her again in the Louvre a few days later as the subject of one of Greuze's paintings, The Broken Jug...

Though she seems more innocent and less-sad than her graveyard twin sister.

During his lifetime, Greuze wanted to be recognized as a history painter but was labeled as a genre painter, often being criticized for his sentimental scenes from every day life.

Funny that.

Though I enjoy the great historical and moral paintings, I find myself drawn more intently to those depicting domestic and ordinary life.

Thanks to Greuze and his genre style we have these two wonderful portraits of young girls who knit:

The Wool Winder (c. 1759), owned by the Frick Museum in New York...

And La Tricoteuse Endormie or The Sleepy Knitter (c. 1759) in the Huntington Library and Gardens art collection in San Marino, CA...

But I digress, don't I? Let's get back to the graveyard...

So there I was, completely absorbed in the vast artistic wonders of the Cimétiere Montmartre...

When I noticed there are a great number of muffled sounds around me. And from many different sources. So soft that I hadn't noticed them before.

The swish-swish of a broom, the scrape of a rake, and the amiable murmur of hushed voices.

Tucked amongst the 300-year-old graves, there were lots and lots of newer ones.

Coming up from my reverie, I saw around me some of the Christmas decorations that had been absent from the doors, cars and streets of Paris...

And I remembered.

It was Christmas morning.

And there were many families who had come to the cemetery to tend the graves and share Christmas with their loved ones who had passed away.

I was drawn toward a little boy's voice who kept repeating "Regarde, Maman! Regarde!" Over and over again.

And I could hear his mother answer, a slight impatience creeping into her voice like happens when your child repeats the same thing over and over.

I kept walking toward his voice and finally found them. It appeared to be a grandmother, her daughter, and her grandson who was about 4 years old, all tending the grave of a grandfather who had passed away in 2009.

And the little boy was putting Christmas ornaments on the tree, though in the pic above, he is actually behind the tree.

Each time he placed one, he would turn and say, "Regarde, Maman." And each time the Mom would answer, affirming his placement in just the right spot.

As I walked by, they looked up. I smiled and wished them a Merry Christmas, feeling somewhat like an intruder on the intimate scene.

And then I noticed the rest of the families I hadn't "seen" before, honoring Christmas by visiting the graves of their loved ones.

Instantly, I forgot all about doorways and sculptures and dead artists.

My heart lurched, my eyes filled and I suddenly missed my Mother..my grandmother..my aunts, uncles, cousins and loved ones who had all left this earth before me.

I sat and remembered their gifts to me and silently wished them all a Merry Christmas too.

Then remembered that I needed to get "home" to my family. We had Christmas in Paris to discover...and that's a job most definitely left to the living.

Though I loved everything about Paris, I enjoyed that morning walk in the Cimétiere the most.

And now you know why.

Christmas in Paris

2012-01-04T07:46:00.015-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

It feels great to be sitting at my computer again and getting back into the swing of things.

I couldn't tell you before for fear of publicly announcing our absence over the holidays but...

Jim, Jack and I spent Christmas in the City of Lights with my brother, my sister and her family.

We stayed in the 18th arrondissement near Montmartre...the area made famous by Moulin Rouge, the Sacré Coeur basilica and by the many well-known artists who lived there in the 19th and early 20th century.

Our "house", which slept all 9 of us comfortably, was at the end of this plant-lined street...

It seemed that, in addition to our hostess who was a photographer, there were other artists living on our "street" as well.

We arrived early on Christmas Eve and noticed immediately the lack of visible signs that it was Christmas time. I had heard that Christmas in Paris was understated but I was surprised at how understated it really was.

In comparison to the States where we are bludgeoned with the consumerism that has become "Christmas in America"...

The lack of shopping fervor, bright lights, Christmas music, tinsel, wreaths on cars, trees on every corner...was palpable.

Frankly, this little yarn-bombed tree with its candy-cane stripe was the perfect decoration...

A little yarn...an unexpected place...*sigh*

Since it was Christmas Eve, many places were closing early so that Parisians could spend the evening with family and friends enjoying their Christmas Eve feast...the Réveillon de Noël...a highly anticipated culinary event.

So we set out on foot to explore our neighborhood...

And to climb the hill toward Montmartre and Sacré Coeur...

The streets were quiet. Yet, as we climbed, there were definite signs that it was Christmas timebut the decorations were subtle and tasteful like the trees outside this restaurant...

And many of the windows of the bistros and brasseries were painted quite skillfully...

When we reached the top of the mount surrounding Sacre Coeur, there was a Christmas market...

With stalls selling foods, wines and all sorts of goodies...

It was a festive atmosphere...sipping spiced hot wine while walking around...but the emphasis of the market wasn't overtly on ornaments like the German markets. And there was most definitely an emphasis on food.

Christmas food in Paris is a whole other blog post so I'll save that for later. Suffice it to say that the food was phenomenal in both taste and in appearance.

I was beginning to like this version of Christmas.

Later that evening, we all went to Notre Dame Cathedral to attend Midnight Mass.

By showing up three hours early, we were able to get seats only five rows from the front. Unbelievable.

Lucky for us, the Cathedral was prepared for a crowd seated for three hours before Mass, so they showed a movie on the history of the cathedral from 10-11, and from 11-12, a Children's choir sang carols in French until the grand Mass began at Midnight.

It was magnificent.

We didn't get to bed until 3am but it was worth it.

Not only is Notre Dame a stunningly beautiful Cathedral, but so are the hundreds of other churches, chapels and basilicas that seem to be scattered on almost every street corner throughout Paris.

And each one was resplendent in Christmas glory...

With a creche on display in every one.

Each more beautiful than the one before.

We found ourselves popping in to as many churches as possible to see and visit their creche.

And my brother Mark lit a candle and said a prayer in every one...

So after only one day, I had a sense that Christmas in Paris was much less commercial than the American counterpart. That it was a religious day. That the focus was on family, friends and food.

And it was the discovery I made the next day on an early Christmas morning walk in the neighborhood that drove the point home.

I'll tell you about that tomorrow.

I can't wait to hear about your holidays and your New Year's resolutions. I'll be around to the blogs as soon as I can.

Bonne Année!

2011-12-24T10:10:00.002-05:00

Making Candy

2011-12-22T09:41:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone!

Those post-project blues seem light years away at this point...though they did last for about two days. Boy, do I wish I had those two days back now.

I loved loved loved all the tips for curing them...and I think I discovered another one...

Making candy. Not the edible kind.

This year, I was making sugarplums, peppermint twists, gumdrops and gingerbread for the annual Jack Christmas card...

I had to make 200 peppermint twists! I used a circle punch and found that super-nifty peppermint paper...that part was easy.

It was the wrapping of each peppermint in cellophane that truly proves I need to be committed to a mental health institution.

I can't help myself.

So after one week of 4 hours of sleep per night and 48 cards handmade cards later, I have survived another year.

THE FRONT:

THE INSIDE:

And the sense of accomplishment is great when I see them all standing up like soldiers charged with their very important duty...

Of spreading good cheer and a smile to those who receive them.

I love the whole tradition of making the annual Christmas card and I keep all the past years cards locked up in a fire-proof box. In the event of a fire, they are right up there with the family photo memory sticks!

I'll be taking a blogging break for the next week or so to enjoy time with friends and family.

I wish you all the most beautiful and blessed of holidays...filled with peace in your heart, joy of spirit and enthusiasm for 2012!

See you in January...

Post-Project Blues

2011-12-15T13:21:00.004-05:00

Last night we held the Christmas dinner for all the Mom volunteers at Jack's school.

It's always a beautiful evening...it's potluck, candlelight, tablecloths, and an open bar. The boys choir performs and there's magic in the air as those healthy, handsome young boys sing the worlds' Christmas carols. It's a really lovely affair and a nice respite for all the moms in the midst of the holiday rush.

In years' past, we have had a few door prizes that the attendees had a chance to win. This year, my committee thought...wouldn't it be nice if we put the money that went into door prizes into a gift for everyone...so that each attendee went home with something?

That's where the note cards come in that I mentioned last week. We decided on five final designs and each note card set would have one of each.

The printing estimates to have them printed professionally came back at $450...way too much money. So, they asked, could I print it on my little $99 Epson? Sure, but it would take a ton of ink...and in order to get good print quality, I'd have to use Epson paper. I even worried that my little all-on-one five year old printer might decide to give out under the workload...

We decided to go for it. So for the past three or four days, I printed...and we cut, collated, and stuffed 1,125 cards into crystal clear envelopes. And the total price including all my paper, ink and labels was about $225...or approximately $1 per five note cards. My friend found a great deal on envelopes online...I think she paid $20 for 1,000 envelopes. We were on a roll...

Even the elf sticker on the back of the package was fun to make, coloring the elf's jacket in the school blue and putting the logo on her shirt...

Walking into the event last night and seeing all 225 sets of cards laid out on each table...and hearing the delight of the receivers...well, that made it all worthwhile. The cards were a hit and our team felt a huge sense of accomplishment. A deep exhale, a sigh of relief, a job well done.

So, why is it, that I wake up this morning in the complete doldrums? Why, do I feel inexplicably sad? Shouldn't I have a skip in my step and be delighted from our accomplishment?

But I don't. I definitely have a big case of the post-project blues. And what the heck am I going to do about it? I can't afford to have the blues...I have too much to do! Yet I feel like crawling back into bed and going to sleep.

It has to be a physiological or chemical response, right? It has to be the body's natural "crash" after all the adrenalin and excitement and happy juice that comes from the process of creating?

I found lots of references to the problem when I googled "post-project depression"...but hardly any solutions.

What to do about it? Maybe a long walk?

Do you all have advice for the post-project blues? How do you segue from one large task to the next and mitigate this intermediate step?

Is it even possible...? Or should I embrace it for what it is and wait it out...

Looking forward to a happier (and more productive *please*) tomorrow.

[Actually...I think writing this post is helping...]

Making Angels: Part II

2011-12-12T08:19:00.011-05:00

Over the weekend, three more angels appeared on this earth...

I got a number of emails last week asking details about how to make them so I tried to take some in-process photos this time so you can make them with your own angels.

Supplies

Photos of kids looking like angels

German Dresden Foil Angel Wings (silver was our most popular selection)

Other Dresden Foil Components such as stars, snowflakes, etc

Clothespins (large and/or small depending on the size of your angel photo)

Metallic pipe cleaners for halos

Glue gun

Xyron machine/glue stick/glue

Other miscellaneous decorative supplies such as markers, papers, stickers, rhinestones, tinsel, etc.

Really, anything goes but the most important component (IMHO) is the foil wings.

I like to use the German Dresden foil wings...available from many sellers on Ebay and Etsy...they are sturdy, beautiful and lend a degree of regal-ness to this cut-and-paste project.

Photos

1. Once you gather your supplies, it's time to take pictures of kids outside acting like angels.

2. Print the photos on your printer.

I used Photoshop to mask some of the background to save ink since that's going to be cut away anyway...

3. Next, cut photos out in a rectangle (rough cut)...and run them through your Xyron machine or coat them with glue stick.

4. Adhere photo rectangle to cardstock and burnish to get a good bond.

5. Now it's time for the kids to cut themselves out following their own body shapes...

Angel wings and halo

6. Once the kids are cut out, let the angel-making begin! Anything goes in decorating and creating their own unique angels.

7. Halos are easily made by bending a metallic pipe cleaner into a circle, leaving a "stem" to attach to the back of the angel body.

8. Using a glue gun (please help with the younger kids or use gel glue),

Attach the wings and halo and the clothes pins...

As for clothespins, on Jack's angel below, you can see I used two mini-clothespins instead of one large one...

For most average-size angels, regular sized clothespins work just fine but for small children, babies, or super-sized kids like Jack, you might need the mini versions.

10. Have the kids clip them to a present to give to grandparents, parents, teachers, etc...

My father LOVES them! Of course, who wouldn't love it when their grandchildren are angels...

Merry Angel Making everyone!

[Note: You can see more angels here in Making Angels: Part I]

Making Angels: Part I

2011-12-08T10:18:00.008-05:00

My Dad spends half the year living in Florida so we don't see him very often throughout the winter.

Tomorrow, he's flying up for the Christmas season so a few of us went over to his house last night to decorate for his homecoming.

While there, my brother Mark's four girls and Jack worked on making angels to clip onto his Christmas tree.

I love pictures of people who are making things...

And, more specifically, pictures of kids making things...

I like to see which choices they make and which choices they reject.

How they choose to make themselves into an angel...

What kind of angel they will be...

Jack's was the simplest, just like Jack. One set of white wings.

When I asked him if he wanted a halo, he said, "Mom, I've got my red hat."

Evidently the red hat ranks highly in the angel kingdom.

On the opposite end of the spectrum we have the littlest one who couldn't put enough stuff on her angel, especially when it came to the tubes of glitter...

She claims that she enjoys organizing them in the drawer just as much as she likes using them...a surprise to her older sister who shared that her bedroom at home is a wreck. Oh, but life's too short to clean your bedroom when there's glitter in the world...

Notice Jack sitting in the background studying for the German test he has today...another reason his angel was so simple.

After the angels were dressed, the took their place on O Tannenbaum...albeit O Kleine Tannenbeaum...(we were all learning German)...

The middle one was quick to claim the top of the tree...

She doesn't get to be the highest very often. I think she'd be thrilled if we re-named the Christmas carol to Katie, We Have Heard on High.

The rest of the angels landed somewhere amongst the evergreen stars...

Five angels up, five angels still to go.

This season was too busy to try to get everyone together to make them all at once. Instead, I'm taking the Angel Craft Show on the road.

I'll head out to my other brother John's house on Sunday to herald three more angels.

I'll try to take some more step-by-step photos then and give you some tips on supplies and how to make your own cherubim and seraphim.

Gloria in Excelsis Deo everybody!

Christmas School Spirit and the Angst over Smiling

2011-12-07T11:39:00.009-05:00

It's bound to happen during the month of December.

Holiday hooplah pulls me away from time with my needle.

Luckily, most of the distractions are either fun or creative so that's a blessing.

One of my December distractions this morning has been working in Photoshop to create Christmas stationery using Jack's school logo.

Next Wednesday night, we're having a Mother's Christmas dinner where I'll be bartending (woohoo!) and where we'll be giving each Mom that attends a set of five notecards.

The "committee" is reviewing them all now...Originally, we were thinking of choosing one...but I kind of like a mixed set...

It's a nice idea. I can just imagine Jack sending some out to his grandparents with his current school picture enclosed...Only problem is that he hates his picture this year...His Grand Nina told him she didn't care. She still wanted one.

The only problem with his school picture this year was that he forgot how to smile genuinely. Somewhere around last year, he started over-thinking how to smile when he's getting his picture taken. And so what we end up with is something a bit...well...

awkward.

I can almost feel his discomfort.

And that's why I love the picture...It perfectly captures this period of teenage angst and gawkiness. And I love it that his grandmother still wants one.

But I digress. I didn't plan to mention Jack's school photo but I never know quite what will come forward when I show up here to blog.

I do remember I changed my smile for about two weeks back in Eighth grade. I had a friend named Bobby who had beautiful, white, straight teeth. When he smiled, both rows of his teeth showed and I thought his smile was awesome. I thought his smile made him way more cool than most of the rest of us.

When I smile, only my top row of teeth shows...so for two weeks when I was 12, I decided to try on a new smile.

For two straight weeks, I smiled with both rows of my teeth showing.

Until my mother noticed one day and asked,

"What are you doing?"

"What???", I asked...as if I didn't know...

"Why are you smiling like that? It looks ridiculous..."

"Like what??" I shrugged. And that was it.

That ended the brief, Big Cheese Smile era.

The other night, I tried the Big Cheese smile on during dinner. It only took one time before Jack asked the same question my Mom had over 30 years ago...So I told him the story about the two weeks when I changed my smile. And he said, "Mom. I agree with Grammy. That really does look ridiculous."

Oh boy, I digress again. Back to our regularly scheduled programming...

In case you didn't know about all the beautiful digital designs that are available, here are a few sites I frequent to purchase digital "scrapbooking" elements...though I rarely use them for scrapbooking...

Rhonna Designs
Two Peas in a Bucket
Designer Digitals
Shabby Miss Jenn Designs

Hoping to get to my needle today but I'm not so sure that's going to happen...

Happy day to you all, no matter how awkward you might feel.

The "Most" Chocolate Cake

2011-12-06T10:12:00.005-05:00

Most of you know I'm not a cook.

But over the years, thanks to a sister who is a brilliant cook and lots of friends who share their best and easiest recipes (No three-hour recipes need apply.), I have learned to get by fairly well.

Check out this cake...

I made this.

Now, it looks pretty great, right? And you might be tempted to think that I actually spend time in the kitchen and am a brilliant baker as well as a stitcher, right?

Wrong.

I'm just a lucky imposter who happens to have found the right recipe, the right cake plate, and the right neighbor. She not only gave me the recipe but she also lets me use her rose-shaped pan.

So every year I borrow her bundt pan, make this super-easy and awesomely-delicious cake, put it on that pretty plate, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and add fresh holly from the yard.

And Voila!

Not only am I out of the holiday pinch of what to take to a party...I'm also not embarrassed to have my cake sit amongst the beautiful displays of hand-decorated cookies and deliciously-crafted edibles of the real bakers in the world.

Yesterday, we had our EGA December meeting which also doubles as a holiday party...And every year I take this super-simple, awesome cake. And everyone wants the recipe...

Which just puts one more monkey on my back at this busy time of year...I have to remember to whom I made promises, find their email addresses, etc etc...Geez. What do they think, it's Christmas or something?

Well, this year I was one-step ahead of all those monkey-hangers, and I say that in the most loving way.

I made up the recipe cards ahead of time...adding a little clip art to make them spiffier...

Voila again! No monkeys on my back.

Maybe there's someone else out there like me who is culinarily-challenged??

So for you...

An early Christmas present, here's the recipe and the card...

You're going to have to find your own neighbor with the pan!

Bon Appetit!

P.S. Any bundt pan will do...But make sure you use non-stick baking spray LIBERALLY....and let the cake really cool....also, baking times will vary based on your altitudes and ovens...Trust me, it is a really awesome, super-chocolately easy cake. Did I say that already??

P.P.S. This cake recipe is not my creation and no one can figure out where it originally came from so I can't give credit. If it was YOU, or you know who it was, let me know so I can bow down to the brilliant soul and give credit where credit is most definitely due.

The Habit of Gathering

2011-12-05T15:13:00.009-05:00

I read somewhere that you need to repeat an action 21 times in order for it to become a habit.

I'm not sure if that's completely accurate.

Our CQ group has been gathering at Maureen's house for our Holiday Ornament Exchange for at least 6 years...and I can't imagine a year going by that we didn't all go.

Maureen manages to carve a little niche in the over-busy-ness of the modern holiday season...a pit stop on the racetrack to December 25.

She cleans her home, she sets her table, she makes the tea, and cooks all the food...

And we go away being nurtured by so much more than what we eat and drink.

Perhaps it's the ritual itself.

The time we each commit to gather together. To celebrate our group, to celebrate our love for crazy quilting...it has moved beyond a common party.

It has become a ritual, a practice that strengthens us, that provides a feeling of peace and harmony, and that spills over and enriches everything we do.

It didn't happen on the first time we gathered, or even on the third...but somewhere passing 4 or 5...it became ritual.

And this holiday season, I am grateful to all the Maureens.

To all the torchbearers...who clean their homes, and bake the cookies, and nourish their guests...who enrich the lives of all they hostess. The world is a much better place for the gift of their grace. And their time.

So, if you're a Maureen this holiday season, and you're feeling tired and overwhelmed...remember the true gift isn't the presents or the cookies or the tree...

It's the habit of gathering.

And the sense of belonging, order, harmony and significance that gathering engenders.

And yes, we also have another habit of making and exchanging Christmas ornaments for each other.

In the picture above, you can see Bobbi on the left is holding one only partially complete...that would be mine.

I made Kate's Mitten, to commemorate this year's Royal Wedding, and had to finish whipping it together during the party. Thank goodness they all know me well and weren't offended by my showing up only partially-complete.

In homage to the lace appliqued to Kate's wedding dress, I tried couching lace again on the front of the mitten...this time using a machine-made lace...

It did not look nearly as nice as the couched lace I used on my Breakfast at Tiffany's piece so I stitched over most of it to cover it up.

Flipping over to the back side, I just love how that flag turned out...

I've always loved the graphic nature of the British flag...why is that? Was I British in a former life?

Bobbi's ornament was designed after one of those old-fashioned card ornaments...

She always does such interesting shapes. Last year, she made me an angel and the year before a teddy bear.

And this purple one from my friend Carolyn....

I absolutely love that basketweave with the glitter ribbon.

And lastly, Maureen made this jingle bell star...with a beaded lace stumpwork flower...

Isn't it marvelous? She was encouraged to try beaded stumpwork after reading about my stumpwork Tiffany butterfly on this blog. I think it turned out beautifully and we've had lots of subsequent discussions about what is the best wire and metallic thread...etc.

As you can tell...I'm very fond of this group of women.

And over the years, we may lose or gain a friend or two from the group...but the habit of gathering remains the ritual that binds us.

That...plus the grace of all the world's Maureens...

God bless you all.

Sneak Peak

2011-12-02T11:57:00.003-05:00

Here's what's on my work table right now...

I'm busy making a crazy quilt ornament for our Crazy Holiday Gathering at my friend Maureen's...I've posted about these annual celebrations before here and here. We each make an ornament to exchange and, oh boy, it's one day I look forward to all year long.

Well, par for my course, I have lots still to do plus...

Grab the smelling salts, Jim asked me out on a date tonight. A date!

I don't think we've been on one of those in...in...

Well. I guess we'd better get another one on the books so I'd better not mess it up by needing to stay home to finish an ornament. Can you imagine if I had to tell him that?

OK. So I'd better skedaddle...

But did I mention that I'm SO excited about this ornament? Hint: It's inspired by this post.

I'll tell you about it after tomorrow. Today I have to keep it a secret...

Happy Weekend!

Oooh, and Happy Date Night!

Lady's Mantle Emerging

2011-12-01T14:42:00.008-05:00

Over a year ago, crazy quilting teacher, friend and herbalist Betty Pillsbury published this post on her blog, Green Spiral Herbs...

Betty and I first met in Candace Kling's ribbon workshop and ever since, I have admired her skills not just as an award-winning crazy quilter but as a gardener, an herbalist and a healer.

During Hurricane Irene, Betty suffered significant flooding and damage to her property, her gardens and her home. Though she considered herself lucky compared to some of her neighbors who lost everything, it was still a significant blow to her business and livelihood. The Crazy Quilt International Group responded with the New Gardens for Betty project...where members each made hearts for Betty as a sign of their love and support.

When I thought of making a heart for Betty, I immediately thought of her anointing herself with magic in her garden last April...and of the picture of Lady's Mantle that I had "clipped" from her blog and had placed in my inspiration file...

The water droplets, the shapes of the leaves, and the idea of magic all made this post and this picture something I wanted to remember.

Named because the leaves resemble a lady's mantle, I was infatuated with this plant and went to Flickr to search for photos and to get a better understanding of all aspects of this plant.

And wow.

Having never seen this plant in person, I fell in love with the images of this herb.

It's beautiful. The curves, the peaks and the valleys, the creases, the way the leaves open and unfurl. Add water and this plant really puts on a show. Wow again.

What better plant to send to Betty than her own magical Lady's Mantle.

So I set about fusing painted interfacing to some Hanah silk ribbon and cutting out the leaf shapes which you saw last week. I used one of those Clover mini irons to press the creases into the leaves to get that pleated look.

In order to get the "dew drop", I sewed the beads onto the leaves with a water soluble stabilizer backing.

The stabilizer really does what it says...it stabilizes the fabric, threads and beads so the thread doesn't slip while helping the fabric manage the weight of the beads.

The stabilizer also gives the leaves a tiny bit of glue which helps the fabric to hold its shape and some sculpting of the leaves as they dry.

I wasn't sure if the creases would make it through the dip in the pool...

But they did.

Next up for me is a project for the Annual Christmas Ornament exchange with my Crazy Quilt group this Saturday. Betty's magic will have to simmer for a few days.

See you next time...

Three Paths Converge on Story

2011-11-29T12:20:00.008-05:00

Over Thanksgiving break, I realized where I have been traveling in my creative life through this blog...and it wasn't just to Texas to visit Jim's family.

I realized that there are three paths of creative expression on my blog: my needlework, my photography and my writing, and that they were all leading to the same place.

And that place centered around my desire to Tell a Story.

Last July, Maura sent me a link to this interview with author Marion Roach Smith on NPR titled 'Memoir Project': Tips for Telling Your Story...

Once I saw the title I realized something Maura had already known. I was using my blog as a vehicle for telling my story.

It sounds fairly obvious, I know, since isn't that what most people use their blogs for? Please don't think me stupid but I had never intended for my blog to be the vehicle for story. It just kind of evolved that way.

Did you have an intention for your blog when you first started it? Is it the same today?

When I first started this blog, I thought I would use it as an entree to the online needlework community, seeking like-minded friends with a love for all things needle.

A place to share my needlework with others and likewise, see theirs...I don't think my original intent went much beyond the idea of sharing and needlework...

It wasn't long after I started blogging that I connected with Robin Atkins and started the Bead Journal Project. Thanks to Robin's approach, I began expressing small bits of myself and my life with beads, needle and thread. I surprised even myself. I had never realized I had a unique, creative voice...and that it had something to say.

After the Bead Journal Project, all my work started to have a purpose and a connection to my self, my life experiences or to the people I love. And the story behind the creation of my needlework, became equally as important as the finished pieces themselves. Maybe even more so.

For me, the creative process moved beyond the physical generation of needlework...beyond the accomplishment of a finished piece or task...to the expression of the intentions and daily revelations I experienced while making the pieces.

And it was the desire to better convey the emotional experiences of my work which led me to seek better ways to capture and express my feelings both visually and verbally.

That led me smack dab in the middle of the vast world of photography, trying to better convey my story through the photographs I was taking for my blog. Though I've made some improvements, I am still really a neophyte in the photography world.

And now, I find myself a bit of a neophyte in the vast world of writing as well...

So...while my stuffing was soaking up the gravy from my turkey, my brain was soaking up all the tips and advice for writing memoir in Marion Roach Smith's short, 100-page book, The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life.

Sooo much more goes into writing well than I admit to considering before writing my blog posts...

Which words to choose? Which details to include and which to leave out? What angle to take? How can I boil down all the thousands of thoughts and feelings that are jamming up my mind into something expressive yet...simple.

How can I better convey those routine moments of my one, divine life that feel so important to me? How do I tell my story...better?

It seems overwhelming.

And yet, I know that the struggle to best illustrate my life...through my needle, through my photography and through my words...is the best teacher of all.

Because it's the struggle of self-expression, of deciding how to tell my story, that teaches me who I am.

And maybe I'm not the only one? Perhaps there are many of you reading this post today who have struggled similarly in expressing yourself through your own blog.

Well. Marion Roach gives lots of great tips for writing about your life. Not only is her book a very quick read but I happen to think that it translates to telling story through needlework as well.

She gives 3 basic guidelines to writing memoir:

Writing memoir is about telling the truth.
Every page must drive one single story forward.
Just because something happens doesn't make it interesting.

She then goes onto to give writing and editing advice...and I honestly believe that it is all translatable to telling a story through needle and thread.

What is the story that the piece of needlework is trying to tell? Do all the elements on the piece contribute to moving the story forward? Just because you have a beautiful button or ribbon or thread, doesn't mean that it belongs in the design...etc...

Over the next few months, I plan to further explore the idea of telling story through needlework...and to further explore the nuances of sharing that story through photography and memoir.

In the meantime, if you're interested in learning more about writing memoir, Marion has a website here, a blog here and you can find her book here, The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life.

And should you think that for some reason your life isn't worth writing about? Well, that's just not true. Everyone has a story. And I, for one, find your unique point of view very interesting.

It's why I read blogs.

See you next time.

_________________________________________________________________

From Marion Roach Smith's Memoir Project:

"Learn to value the reader, whose hunger for truth is enormous and whose thirst for understanding this life is unquenchable."

"It's in the small moments that life is really lived."

"A blog post is not about stuffing in as much as you can; rather, it's about illustrating something correctly."

"Learn to write with intent and you might learn something about life."

"Scenes from real life fade fast, losing blood and paling, and your job is to jump on the damn thing, with those wild, electrified ping-pong paddles in hand and jolt it back to life before it goes blue."

Turkey Pounces on Leaf Parade

2011-11-23T09:48:00.004-05:00

Here I am trying to create woodsy goodness on my special heart.

I'm making leaves for that magical plant that I still need to tell you about...

I'm also making woodsy undergrowth from which my leaves will emerge in all their green glory.

To make that woodsy, leafy impression, I love to use this mesh ribbon stuff. It looks pretty tame right off the roll...

But I never use it that way. Instead, I like to distress it and color it with my Copic sketch markers (or any fabric paint nearby) to get the color I want...

And it starts to look like woodsy undergrowth to me. I used it to create my Underland undergrowth in my Alice in Wonderland piece. You can see it tucked into the woods in this in-progress pic at the top...

Maureen Greeson sells it in her Vintage Acquisitions shop here. And I also saw that she just added some beautiful fabric packs that includes the silk velvet I used in the mushrooms on my Alice piece too.

The woods-making and leaf parade is all coming to a halt for a few days since the turkey trounced into town...

I'll be back on Monday when our family celebrations are over. See you then!

Gratitude

2011-11-22T07:29:00.004-05:00

A gift that arrived in my inbox this morning from Robert Genn's Twice Weekly Newsletter...

And one that I re-gift to you this morning.

[Note: Twice a week, I receive Robert Genn's Newsletter...self-decribed as "Robert's world-wide gift that artists love to get"...it's free. And yes, it is a gift. I've learned so much from his wisdom. You can sign up to receive it here. And don't miss the rest of his website, The Painter's Keys. I particularly enjoy his Painterly Post...a daily aggregation of events, publications and web posts that artists and creative people might find useful.]

More on Lettering

2011-11-21T17:26:00.006-05:00

Good Monday everyone.

I spent today working on my little magic heart.

Today, I took the woodsy palette from Thursday and lettered over the fabric I printed last week.

I stitched the first row using the medium value of tan/gray.

Using stem stitch, I made sure that I formed the letters by always going in the same direction, keeping my thread below my stitching because I was using an S-twist thread (DMC cotton floss), stitching left to right.

Mary Corbet of Needle N' Thread has a great post on tips for stitching outline and stem stitches using S-twist and Z-twist threads. It's worth its weight in gold. Reading that post helps a lot in creating nice, even stitches as you stitch your letters. And, if you're not sure how to tell an S-twist from a Z-twist, she also has a post explaining that. I just love Mary.

Now, onto my second row. Next I added the darkest brown/gray value being careful to stitch in the exact same direction as the row before. It's amazing how the letters start to fill out and the second row complements the first.

Usually when I'm lettering, I'm paying attention to where the light source might be so I get the highlights and shadows correct. This time, I was just trying to make woodsy-shaded letters and I was less-concerned with highlights and lowlights.

The third row filled out the letters nicely with an orange-brown. The pictures are a little off since they were taken under lights due to our gray, rainy November skies...

Lastly, I just added some highlights with the lightest coffee colored thread...

Tonight, I'm re-creating a special plant from my friend's garden. I don't think she reads my blog very much so it shouldn't spoil the surprise.

I'll tell you about how she inspired me tomorrow.

See you then.

Free Holiday Gift Ideas

2011-11-18T07:18:00.009-05:00

Move over Anthropologie...

I've found a new source for handmade inspiration.

It's chock full of holiday gift ideas and, unlike all those holiday gift idea magazines...it's delivered to your mailbox and it doesn't cost a dime.

Sundance catalog.

That's it. And no. I don't work for Sundance. I don't know anyone who does work for them. And they haven't paid me to write this blog post.

They have, however, filled the pages of their holiday catalog full of hand knitted, sewn, beaded, and felted goodies.

So many ideas for making holiday gifts that I just had to point them out to you in case you missed it.

Top on my list are these embroidered belts...

Some belting from the craft store, embroidery floss, french knots and the buckle of your choice. And voila! A great gift and I think a good make-it-yourself project for my older nieces.

And these Chan Luu bracelets cost about $180-$220 in the catalog...

But you can make one yourself for a LOT less. I've written about these wrap bracelets before and, over the Summer, my niece made one very successfully. And, lucky for us, there are many, many videos on YouTube showing you how to make one. All for free.

The whole catalog is FULL of hand-knitted everything! Coats, leg warmers, vests, mittens, hats, sweaters...

And thanks to free e-mags like Knitty.com and free online communities like Ravelry...we can find a pattern for almost anything...and often for free.

For example, I love these hats and scarves knitted to dress up a gifted bottle of wine and I found a pattern and it's FREE on Ravelry.

I also found this pattern too which I love...but it will cost you $2...still pretty inexpensive.

And check out those long sleeve tees (above)...I'm thinking we pick up a long sleeve tee from a discount store...have the kids make one of those folded paper snowflakes...except using fabric...and then sew them onto a shirt. How easy is that!

And these stockings hung by the chimney with care...

Here's another free pattern from Ravelry for the stocking garland....How fun would it be to play with different patterns in a mini version? Wonderful.

And the other trend I noticed in this catalog was the prevalence of the ear flap hat...

They were on almost every page!

And my absolute fave was this flower covered one...check out the braided yarn trim and ties...

I found at least eight patterns for ear-flap hats free on Knitty and dozens of options to cull through on Ravelry.

My mind is swimming with possibilities for inexpensive, trendy and cool holiday handmades for those I love. I hope yours is too.

Have a great weekend everyone.

P.S. If you'd like a Sundance catalog for yourself, you can request one here.

P.P.S. I haven't completely foresworn my affinity for Anthropologie. They still have some great ideas too...Have some fun and go build your own charm necklace here.

Woodsy

2011-11-17T11:18:00.002-05:00

A Magical Beginning

2011-11-16T11:04:00.004-05:00

There is mystery all around us.

And sometimes bad events happen that are beyond our control.

And we have no choice but to begin anew.

Yet, there is promise in new beginnings.

I've just started making this heart for a friend who is faced with a new beginning...

It's full of dreams, emotions, and the power of nature.

And...Magic.

Testing a Theory...

2011-11-15T09:43:00.008-05:00

...a theory on inkjet printers, lettering transfers, and washability...

I wrote this post on the topic of lettering when I was stitching my Breakfast at Tiffany's block.

In that post, I mentioned this class that I had taken with Canby Robertson; a needleartist, teacher and designer who also happens to be a member of my local Embroiderer's Guild Chapter.

While taking Canby's lettering class, she made the comment that she had discovered that she could effectively transfer lettering to fabric using her inkjet printer AND that she had also discovered a way that the lettering would wash out.

She had found that when she printed out in full black, the transfer did not wash out. However, when she printed out in grayscale, the transfer DID wash out.

Hmmm...I have a number of upcoming projects that require lettering so I wanted to test her theory with my own inkjet printer. My printer is an Epson NX400 --it's one of those all-in-one jobs and it is at least five years old if not older and I think it cost me about $99 way back when. In other words, I don't have a fancy printer.

I cut out 4 - 4"x6" pieces of freezer paper and ironed the shiny side of the freezer paper to the back of four fabrics: Two pieces of quilter's cotton, one silk taffeta, and one silk organza. Don't forget to clip at least one corner on the leading edge of your fabric sheet.

Here's what happened...

As you can see, I had mixed success.

First and foremost, I will forever moving forward keep a scrap fabric sheet close to my printer and use this to run through the printer FIRST to clean the heads of the nozzles before passing my good fabric through the printer.

Secondly, the second piece of cotton jammed up the printer and made a mess because my freezer paper wasn't bonded solidly to the fabric and the leading edge of the fabric separated from the paper beneath....and it made a big mess.

Next, the gold taffeta silk fared really well except for that little blob of ink to the upper left.

After the big mess I made in pass number two, I should have re-sent through a "cleaning" sheet. Another lesson learned. Now that little flub is a design opportunity and I'll cover it up with something.

The last one, the sheer silk organza, was the real surprise for me. I expected, because it was white, that it would have ink splotches all over it. But it didn't!

It turned out beautifully. And I like the transparency and the lettering very very much.

Lastly, since I wanted to test Canby's theory that my grayscale printing could wash out of the fabric after I was finished my stitching. [Note: By printing in grayscale, I mean changing the actual color of the font to a light gray in your word processing program or in Photoshop, Image-Adjustments-Hue/Saturation-and increase the lightness to about 75%.}

I took the first piece of quilter's cotton to the sink to wash it...

As you can see below, the transfer didn't come out completely but it's pretty close.

Eureka! This is great to know. Next I'd like to test it on linen.

Now, not all transfers can be washed...especially some fancy fabrics. But what we can do is select the palest gray possible so that the transfer is very very faint.

What I like most about this technique for fancy fabrics is that it lets me print my lettering onto a fabric patch BEFORE I piece it into a quilt block.

And so that's what I'll do next.

There are lots of tips on the internet for printing on fabric and I don't mean to list them all here. That being said, here are a few things I learned from this little exercise:

Prepare multiple pieces of fabric bonded with freezer paper just in case you have a paper jam or an ink blotch. Though you may not need them, mentally it's nice to prepare yourself by thinking it may take multiple tries to get a really good transfer.
ALWAYS run through a "cleaning" sheet of bonded fabric first -- a scrap piece that you can keep by your printer to use to clean the nozzles of excess ink before putting through your good fabric. To be safe, also run this through between each printing.
Make sure that the fabric and freezer paper are bonded well and there are no air bubbles between the freezer paper and the fabric.
Clip the leading corners so that the fabric and paper have less chance of separating.
Run your own test using your own printer. The washability of the grayscale ink may vary from inkjet printer to inkjet printer and fabric to fabric.

Have a great day everyone.

I'm off to clean up my sewing area before the I get too far underway with this next project. Otherwise Tiffany blue might end up where it's not supposed to be...

Traveling

2011-11-10T10:20:00.020-05:00

It was just over three years ago when I first began this project.

At the time, I was participating in a book challenge, reading one book from the 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die list every month. Breakfast at Tiffany's was my book of choice in August 2008.

Capote wrote with efficiency, every word carefully selected to express and serve a purpose in describing the charm and character of this woman whom I was growing to love.

And yet she completely shocked me. She describes herself as "top banana in the shock department." And she was.

I knew nothing about the book or the movie at the time, my only influence being the many media images of Audrey Hepburn I'd seen since childhood. Images of her wearing that simple black dress with her chignon, pearls, and tiara...sometimes smoking, sometimes with a cat on her shoulder. My impression of Holly was...

Elegant. Iconic. Audrey Hepburn.

I was surprised to learn that Holly was a high-society call girl. She sought men out for their money and she performed services in the powder room! Holly's roots weren't glamorous at all. In fact, she was a poor, orphaned country girl from Tulip, TX, just one of hundreds of girls who head to the big city trying to make it for themselves.

Not anything what I expected. And yet, I was charmed by her wit, her carefree approach to life, her love of freedom, and her independence. Published in 1957, the story presaged the free approach to love and sex in the '60s.

Holiday Golightly, Traveling is what the calling card taped to her mailbox reads. The perfect name for a woman who treats life as a holiday and treads through it lightly.

I was charmed. And her elegance reminded me a bit of my mother, whom I had just lost to leukemia a few months prior in March 2008...and her favorite color to wear, because it matched her eyes...was Grammy Aqua or what you might refer to as Tiffany blue.

After my mom died, I couldn't get enough of that color. I was attracted to it no matter what I did. I chose books from the library with aqua covers, I bought iced tea with aqua labels, I bought aqua underwear and kleenex in aqua boxes. And my obsession bled right into my needlework habit.

In fact, I was beginning to amass quite the collection of aqua-colored fabrics, ribbons, beads and threads. Items that would be perfect for use in a needlework picture inspired by my love for the book in a color that reminded me of Mom.

I put the project away for two years and resurrected it this past Spring when I finally took the time to acquaint myself with the entire phenomenon that was Breakfast at Tiffany's...the book, the movie, the Tiffany & Co. store, the "little black dress"...everything...while sewing into my work, some threads from my own life.

Early on, I had traveled to NYC and taken the picture of the store name that eventually was stitched onto my work...using new skills I had learned in this class...

The Scene

I chose to illustrate the classic, opening scene from the movie where Audrey Hepburn gets out of a cab in formal evening attire, in the morning (!), with a cup of coffee and a paper bag...to gaze into the beauty and peace of a place where she believes nothing bad can ever happen.

A trip to Tiffany's was Holly Golightly's drug-of-choice in combatting the "mean reds", an anxiety worse than fear. And that notion struck me.

The idea that beauty can comfort. Beauty can soothe. Beauty can heal.

And isn't that what creating and gazing at beautiful needlework does for me? Needlework is my own drug-of-choice...it's my own Tiffany's.

So I set about to stitch something beautiful for beauty's sake alone. Something that would make me feel good just by looking at it.

The Chandelier

When my Mom was young and newly married, she had had an Aunt who had left her some money when she passed away. With her unexpected windfall, my Mom decided to purchase a piece of beautiful furniture, a china closet that stands in her home to this day. It was the first impractical piece of furniture my mother bought...a china closet...a place to house beautiful things.

That unexpected gift meant a lot to my mother. So when she passed away, she left each one of her children some money. The story about her Aunt and the china closet was written in a letter to each of us. I was touched by this thoughtful legacy from my mother, and just like her, I bought something equally impractical. But beautiful.

Something for my home. Something I would never buy for myself but I would love to have. Something that would remind me of my mother's love of beauty every time I turned it on. A light. A chandelier.

That's when I put the block away in 2008.

The Lace Flowers

This past Spring when I pulled it out, we were in the throws of Royal Wedding fervor and I was enamored of another young, stylish woman, Kate Middleton. It was the wedding dress that Sarah Burton designed, and more specifically the lace that the Royal School of Needlework had applied to that dress, that led me to incorporate the lace technique into my Breakfast at Tiffany's piece.

More beauty.

All the while, I was continuing to study my subject. It was time to finally watch the movie.

I was appalled. They made it a love story! There was no love story in the book at all. In fact, the guy upstairs in Capote's story is gay. And though he loves Audrey, the love is strictly platonic.

So the idea of them getting together??

Yuck. That was SO not the Holly Golightly in Capote's novella...Holly was a traveler, she never got used to anything and if she did she "might as well be dead".

Needless to say, I admired the movie as a stand alone but could not reconcile it with the book. The book was soo much better.

Which caused me to question: Why would Truman Capote ever agree to that screenplay?

Which led me to read the book Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman. A great read. It turns out that Capote had sold his novel to Paramount and didn't have any right to review the screenplay. When the movie came out, Capote was pretty vocal in his disdain for turning Breakfast at Tiffany's into a romantic comedy. Evidently, to Paramount Pictures, Holly was a little TOO modern and the only way they saw to reconcile Holly's life as a call girl was to partner her with a man. I really did hate that part.

But sleuthing out the real story behind the movie was fascinating, and led me to uncover the relationship between fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn. A relationship which led to the advent of the "little black dress". A transformational symbol to the young women of the day...a sign that fashion could be accessible to every woman not just the wealthy or movie stars. You could be an every-day girl...like Audrey Hepburn...and still be fashionable.

The Jewels

Because she is staring into the window at Tiffany's, I had always wanted to stitch seam treaments inspired by real jewels from Tiffany's collection. In reading Bejewelled by Tiffany 1837-1987, I found the company history was another true American success story...and was thrilled to find that Tiffany & Co. dazzled the world with their showcases of diamonds and gems in the world expositions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tiffany had a long history of dazzling its customers.

I even went so far as to imagine using real jewels but I just didn't have any diamonds lying around.

Luckily, my friend Sheila did. And even though I hadn't voiced that desire aloud, Sheila heard my wish and sent me Mr. Miller's stick pin.

And it was that piece of jewelry that inspired the butterfly and became its thorax...

I really have been traveling.

Discovering unexplored territories, uncovering new secrets and finding delight in all the details that went into researching and stitching this piece.

I have enjoyed every minute of it and I will miss Holly Golightly greatly.

Thank you all for traveling with me.

Though I may not have had the time to respond to all of your comments, I read each and every one. You were the added joy to the journey.

So now it's time to move on.

It's time to frame my piece and hang it on the wall...

And look at it on those days when I have a bad case of the "mean reds".

And...I think it's time to blow the two-years-worth of dust off that box in my garage and hang my mother's chandelier.

I've traveled long enough.

P.S. This next picture is for Maureen. She asked for a picture showing the scale of the piece. The finished block is 8"x8". Here it is next to a beer bottle (I think the red neck side of Holly would approve...) and sitting on top of a curio cabinet. Hope that helps Maureen...

P.P.S. If you're just visiting for the first time, you can read all the posts regarding the creation of this piece here.

P.P.P.S. Tomorrow's my anniversary and Jim's taking off from work. I'll see you all on Monday ;)

Finishing Touches

2011-11-07T16:13:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone and thank you for all the butterfly love. I think it perked up just from hearing all of your wonderful comments.

I've been spending the last two days adding the finishing touches to this piece.

This is the fun part.

It's like getting to put the sprinkles on the cupcake.

And I'm almost finished.

When I looked at the piece as a whole, I thought I needed to bring the chandelier forward a bit more...so I punched it up by adding more rows of tiny "crystals" in between the bigger rows.

I also added ribbons to tie off the black lace bouquets...

And added a few organza petals in between the lacy petals to soften their edges a bit...

And I'm working on finalizing the seam treatments...and adding these little gray pearls to my silver mesh leaves...

The end is very near. *sniff* The only thing giving me a bit of trouble is my "signature"...

Before I took this class with Canby Robertson, I never gave my signature much of a thought. In fact, most times I was finishing something under a deadline and I forgot to even put signatures on my pieces (*gasp*).

It's true.

But Canby said that if you've put considerable time and effort into creating a beautiful piece, then you should put equal effort into your signature. Your signature should reflect you and reflect your work.

*Gulp*. No pressure.

She's right though, isn't she? And I guess, just like any new task, I'll get better at it the more I do it. It's just my first attempt today was a real flub. (I'll try to take a picture of the flub...)

I'm going to tackle it anew in dawn's early light.

An embroidered signature isn't as easy as it looks...unfortunately.

Happy Monday y'all.

The Butterfly has Landed!

2011-11-04T15:13:00.005-05:00

Finally.

Forget the chrysalis and the whole metamorphosis thing.

I feel like I've given birth to my first insect.

So many little problems to solve.

Finding the right abdomen...

Luckily I found this pearl drop in my stash after many many hours of searching. I think it's perfect so it was well worth the wait.

Stitching the background flowers...

And then discovering that I had placed the flowers exactly where I would have liked the butterfly to go. Ugh.

And then fiddling and adjusting all that. Phew!

But it was ALL worth it! Doesn't Mr. Miller's pin look great? Thank you again to Sheila! It's gorgeous and so nice to have a real piece of diamond jewelry in this piece.

So now...it's Friday. I'm ready for happy hour. And I'm sooo excited that I only have a few finishing touches before this project is declared complete. I'm shooting to finish by Monday. Fingers crossed.

I'm looking forward to the weekend and we're supposed to have beautiful weather. I'll be stitching with my crazy quilting friends tomorrow, going on a family hike on Sunday afternoon, and then the big football showdown between the Ravens and the Steelers on Sunday night.

Here's hoping your weekend is just as fun!

Tips for Stitching in Low-Light

2011-11-01T09:10:00.009-05:00

It's a gray morning.

And thanks to this gray morning, I have experienced a wonderful aha moment --

For my non-English speaking friends, an aha moment is an instant at which the solution to a problem becomes clear.

And it's a discovery so useful that I just have to share.

A discovery resulting from the collision of two worlds -- stitching and photography.

Currently, I am in the midst of taking a photography course on Shooting in Low Light from my all-time favorite photography mentor, Karen Russell. I love how Karen's photography tells a story...how she shoots in real-life situations...how's she's got a very very busy life but still manages to take beautiful photographs.

One of the toughest situations for a photographer is taking great photographs in low light (without a flash)...and yet, we're in low light all the time. Let's face it, we're probably in low light more often than we're in perfect natural light conditions...and taking great pictures in low light settings requires a greater knowledge of all the variables that influence the photograph.

Likewise, having or, should I say not having, great light also influences the quality of our stitching. Throw in poor eyesight and adequate light becomes even more important.

From experience, I have discovered the best light for embroidery comes from southern facing windows...it's why my dining room is no longer a dining room and has become my primary place to stitch in my home.

I have also learned that the best time of day for light in this room is the first few hours of daylight. That's magic stitching time for me. It's why my blog posts are always later in the day. Stitch first, post later.

Why?

Not only is the light great at that time of day, it's also because the angle of light at that time of day gives the added benefit of sidelights.

Sidelights are lights that come from the side, illuminating three-dimensional stitching and helping to eliminate stitch shadows.

If you've ever tried to couch wires for stumpwork, couch gold thread in goldwork, stitch fuzzy technique in Japanese embroidery or do any type of small embroidery work...sidelights are critical.

When natural light is unavailable (it's night or we have a rainy, gray day), we are forced to use artificial light. There are many wonderful stitching lights out on the market and it's important to have one that mimics daylight.

That being said, more often than not those lights are overhead lights ergo they cause shadows on our work. Lights with a flexible arm are handy since you can manipulate the position of the light to help reduce shadow. I also use two lights to help accomplish this as well.

So, here I am stitching with my two lights on a gray day and listening to my photography class when I hear Karen say that the harshest light for indoor photography is overhead lighting; it creates shadows under the brows, nose and chin. Better to turn on all your lamps instead...this reduces those overhead shadows.

Eureka. Same goes for our needlework.

I did a little test since it was gray this morning...Using my macro lens and controlling for as many factors as possible, I took this picture of what my stumpwork petals look like with just my overhead Ott-lites...

Can you see the bit of shadow under the wire?

That shadow can prevent me from placing my needle in the right spot so that my stitches lay evenly side by side.

When couching wire in stumpwork, you learn pretty quickly that a nice clean edge is really important when you finally cut out the petals from the ground fabric. It keeps you from having a "fuzzy" edge or from cutting a misplaced couching thread by accident...though trust me, that still happens!

In the next picture, I used a big white sheet of foam board as a side "reflector" to try to eliminate some of that overhead shadow I was getting on the underside of the wire.

Though it may be tough to see the difference in my photographs, I took the liberty of doing a color sample in Photoshop of the exact same area under the wire in both pics. Here's the color difference.

I am convinced that sidelights work.

So...beyond having a great stitching light, what else can we do to improve the light for stitching and to create more sidelights??

Well, I am in no way a lighting expert, but I have spent many hours at my stitching frame in all types of lighting situations and here's what I know at this point on my journey...

Tips for Improving the Quality of Light when Stitching Inside, in Low Light, or on a Gray Day
Purchase a great light with magnification. (Trish Burr has a recent post on her blog which you can read here.)
Consider working with two stitching lamps so you can increase the overall illumination of your work.
Stitch near a window with southern exposure.
Open any window shades or doors to increase the amount of outside light into your stitching room.
Turn on any other ancillary lamps and overhead lights to increase the overall light in your room.
Wear a white shirt. The color white reflects light significantly more than dark colors. Signficantly. Sounds silly, but it works.
Work in a room with white or light colored walls. Again, white is reflective so working in a room with white or light-colored walls will improve the amount of light on your work dramatically over working in a darkly-painted or darkly-paneled room.
Consider setting up a few white boards or mirrors on either side of your frame to increase the potential for greater sidelights.
Addendum from Kathy: Plan to put really light window coverings in your stitching rooms. If it's a really gray day, consider closing all the drapes if you have white or light colored curtains or drapes. The reflected light from them may be brighter than the light coming in through the windows. This is also important when stitching at night.
Purchase white lampshades instead of colored ones.

That's all I've got for today. I hope these tips help you see your work a little better.

Myself, I had never thought about wearing white, working in a room with light colored walls or using mirrors to reflect light...until I started my course with Karen.

I have made some changes myself and have noticed a big difference. Especially on a gray day.

May the light be with you...

Sew Scary

2011-10-31T10:07:00.003-05:00

Gold Leaf

2011-10-28T20:32:00.003-05:00

Happy Weekend

Embroidered Book Covers

2011-10-26T07:53:00.007-05:00

When I saw this post on Jillian Tamaki's blog, I didn't hesitate to pre-order copies of these two books...Emma and The Secret Garden. (I showed some restraint and didn't get Black Beauty!)

Aren't the covers wonderful? The backs too!

I've always loved embroidered book covers and these modern versions are a delightful twist on the historical art form.

And the special surprise?

They spared no expense and printed the back sides of the embroideries on the inside cover!

You can read more about the launch of these books on this post on Jillian's blog.

Penguin has engaged Rachell Sumpter to embroider three new book covers in the Threads series: Check out A Wind in the Willows, Little Women and The Wizard of Oz on Rachell's Flickr photostream.

And should you be inspired to create your own, don't forget that Feeling Stitchy is having a Covered in Stitches contest, all entries due on November 7, 2011. I wish I had the time to make one myself, but since I don't, I am enjoying following all the entries posted here on Flickr.

I've always loved the idea of embroidering a book cover in the silk and goldwork styles from the 17th and 18th centuries in England. And Abe books has linked to some beautiful examples that are for sale.

And last week at Winterthur, the library shared this dear little, tent-stitched prayer book of Ann Flower that is in their collection...

One day I hope to embroider a cover. I'm just waiting for the right book...

P.S. I'm working on my Breakfast at Tiffany's piece...and hit a bit of a road block with the abdomen of the butterfly. More on that another day.

Inspiration on Exhibit at Winterthur

2011-10-25T07:54:00.006-05:00

The With Cunning Needle Exhibit at Winterthur is scheduled to show through January 8, 2012.

I shared my impressions of the touchstone of the exhibit, The Plimoth Jacket, in this post yesterday. Today, I'd like to share just a few images from the rest of the exhibit:

Detail from a crewelwork side curtain, 1750-1800, Winterthur Collection

Detail of Tambour work petticoat, France, 1700-17-50, Winterthur Collection

Detail of silk/gold/silver apron, 1730-40, Winterthur collection

Silk and metal stomacher, 1720-30, England, Winterthur Collection

Silkwork picture, about 1754, by Margaret Rourke, Philadelphia, PA. Winterthur collection

Winterthur has made the the Gallery Guide to this exhibit available online in .pdf format here.

To learn more about Winterthur's Textiles and Needlework Collection, follow this link.

There's also an interesting video tour of some of the highlights of an earlier exhibition of American needlework titled Who's Your Daddy? here.

And if you ever travel to the Eastern United States, you'll want to put Winterthur on your "must see" list. It's a wonderful museum with beautiful gardens, great shops and yummy food...and my favorite part...the library. I'll tell you more about the library later.

Happy day everyone.

With Cunning Needle: A Red Carpet Event

2011-10-24T09:02:00.013-05:00

As I made my way toward Winterthur for the two day needlework conference, With Cunning Needle...

It seemed that I was in for a very special two days.

The beauty of the rolling hills and landscape of the Delaware's Brandywine Valley was evident all around me.

Even the road into Winterthur, the 60-acre estate of woodlands and meadows housing an extraordinary museum complex, gardens and library...

Looked like a ribbon rolled out to beckon me to explore its richness further.

The conference was spread out over the estate with lots of opportunities for fresh air and fall foliage.

It was heaven.

What better place to have a two-day needlework conference.

And everything...from the bookstore that had stocked up in advance on all books and publications relating to textiles and the needle...

To the library which had selected rare books and manuscripts of particular interest to embroiderers...

To the luncheons and receptions...

Was perfectly targeted to the well-needled guest.

Winterthur's love for the needle arts was evident in every detail of the two days.

Including how they chose to display the Plimoth Jacket, the cornerstone of their With Cunning Needle exhibit.

I felt their delight in hosting over 250 interested attendees. Museum curators, costume technologists, collectors and, yes, needleworkers...all converged to listen to lectures and attend workshops exploring five centuries of the makers and materials used in the needle arts.

And the jacket!

Well. The way it was displayed was absolutely lovely.

Encased in a clear "box" so you could walk around in a full 360 degrees...

And not too big of a box so you could get up close and see the detail...

I tried not to press my nose to the glass but it was tough to resist.

And the jacket was lit perfectly so that the spangles and gold threads sparkled and shone...

The whole effect...the embroidery, the spangles, the gold threads, the lace...

Was extraordinary.

And so was the hospitality at Winterthur.

And if there was ever a place for a retirement community for needleworkers, I'd want it to be on this estate. I'd be the first to move in!

And I sure hope these gals would move in with me...

We all had such a great time.

More tomorrow...

Missing My Elixir

2011-10-21T04:34:00.002-05:00

For the last 11 days, husband Jim and I went through a "detox" program, eliminating all sugar, glutens, additives and caffeine from our diets in order to cleanse our bodies.

And I hadn't had my beloved tea for 11 days.

I missed it desperately.

So, this morning as I type this, I'm having my first cup after my 11-day absence.

Heaven. Bliss. Comfort. My old friend is back.

My elixir of life.

In honor of this day, I re-print the one of my favorite blog posts I've ever written here at Plays with Needles.

I'll see you Monday when I'll tell you about my trip to Winterthur.

Enjoy!

Reprinted from June 2009:

The Elixir of Life

Today, I wonder

Are you bad as me?

And drink too many

Cups of tea?

Two in the morning

when I first awake

A third in an hour

When the first two don’t take.

And by mid-morning

I slake my thirst

With one more cup

That rivals the first.

Two cups with lunch

And then none ‘til four

When I take down my pot

And give it a pour.

For late afternoon

It’s time for High Tea

So I drink the whole pot

Just myself, I and me.

Happy Hour is next,

And rather than wine

I choose to have tea

Before I dine.

And after I’ve supped

All sweets I forsake

I choose tea for dessert

And skip all that cake!

At the end of the day,

I’m warmed by my cup,

And have my last sips

To wrap the day up.

When at last I sleep

Away I float

On a river of tea

My cup for a boat.

And so, I ask you,

Are you bad as me?

And drink too many

Cups of tea?

I first began my April BJP with this poem. And then, as I beaded my river of tea day after day, I began to ruminate on the important role tea plays in my life. How tea is a constant in my life, A river that runs through me, carrying me through every day and every moment.

I come from a long line of tea drinkers. My grandmother drank tea; my mother drank tea; my father drinks tea; all my siblings drink tea; my son drinks tea, and I can't get enough of the stuff.

The ritual and routine of making and drinking tea has carried me through many of life's joys and sorrows. I can't tell you how many gallons of tea we must have consumed while planning baby showers, graduations, weddings and funerals.

Tea is a great eraser, a salve, a remedy to the ills and the trials of every day life. My mother would often say to all of us, as we plopped exhausted in a chair after a hard day of school, and later, after a long day of work having just picked up our children from daycare..."Have a cup of tea and two Tylenol. It will make you feel better." And she was right. Only I save the two Tylenol for those really rough days.

Tea provides a segue from one event to another and is the excuse to sit around for hours the night after a big party and do a post-mortem on the event -- who was there, what did they say -- didn't everyone have a good time...

Tea provides a welcome mat, an opener for friends and family who stop by to visit...It says "Welcome to my home. I'm glad you are here and let us begin again to know one another"...

For my family, it's a way of demonstrating love and we each know how the other likes their elixir prepared...some with two sugars, some with none...And now, I have Jack and I'm proud to say that Jack is firmly ensconced in the ritual of tea. And, he knows without a shadow of a doubt, that when I make him a cup of tea, it means "I love you."

One of the last things my mother requested before she died was to have a cup of tea. The day it happened, my family and I were at home taking care of her. Mom had an aggressive form of leukemia and when the disease finally overtook her, she wanted nothing more than to die at home and so we took care of her there.

Mom had reached the stage of dying where she couldn't really converse anymore, her speech was difficult to understand, she was bed bound and she hadn't had anything to eat or drink for about two weeks except water. We knew we were getting close to the end.

So, this day, it was a shock when Mom was adamant about wanting to sit up in the recliner -- we hadn't done that in weeks either. So we moved her to the chair and she was trying to say something and I was struggling to understand. "Water?" She shook her head no. "Pillow?" No. And then, I couldn't believe what I thought she had said...

"I'm sorry Mom, I'm trying to understand. I think you just said that you wanted a cup of tea?" I asked incredulously. And she nodded and a smile touched her eyes. "You want a cup of tea?", I repeated with delight and wonder and hope in my voice..."Really?" And she nodded yes.

It was an awakening of sorts. Imagine having had a couple of weeks of minimal communication from Mom and all of the sudden...this! She wanted a cup of tea! It was a moment of joy amidst many moments of sadness.

So I walked out of the bedroom and when I did so, my father looked up and asked with his eyes..."What does she need?" And I told him, with a big smile..."Mom wants a cup of tea!"

"She what? A cup of tea?" "No....Really?" He asked repeating the request to make sure he had understood. And I said it again. Then a big smile spread across his face and he said, "Well, then, let's make a cup of tea!" And he hopped up and busied himself putting on the water, getting out the cups, etc.

And, as we helped Mom to hold the cup...her shoulders began to relax, the tension dropped from her face, and she settled back into the moment as the warmth spread from the cup to her tired hands...and she just held it.

After a few minutes, I could tell she wanted a sip so I helped her bring the cup to her lips. Mom hadn't sipped from a cup in weeks and I was overly optimistic and believed that she would actually be able to sip like she used to -- I mean, amazing things were happening this day...

Well, she couldn't manage it very well. She sputtered and coughed as some of the liquid went into her lungs and the tea dribbled down her chin. But she smiled. She smiled and croaked out, clear as day, "It's good..." which made us all smile together.

Her shoulders relaxed a little more and we sat there for quite a while helping her to hold her cup and to take little sips of her final cup of tea. She died about another week or so after that and never requested another thing.

And on the morning that she died, after we had made the important phone calls and we had that intermittent silence, waiting for the world to show up...realizing that we were in transition to another ritual that would carry us through our grief, waiting for it to start. Because we, the care team, had nothing left to do. She was gone. This woman whom we had loved and cared for to the best of our ability no longer needed us.

The silence was tangible; it felt threatening. Every sound, every tick of the clock was amplified and deafening.

So, I got up and started moving just to take the silence away. And I walked into the kitchen, and there on the counter, were the cups all in a row, hot water having just been poured into each one. My brother Mark had made us tea. And so that's how we beat that powerful silence, that void. We filled it with tea while we drank our last cup with our Mom and waited for the world to show up.

Tea is powerful. It's an Elixir of Life. It is the cheapest therapy I know and it is a universal language of love.

And so, when I have reached the end of my journey, and I can no longer express it for myself --

I hope someone will remember how I like my tea.

Plain old Lipton, one level teaspoon of sugar, steeped for 6 minutes with a dollop of skim milk.

That'll be all I need. Thanks. [Reprinted from Plays with Needles, June 23, 2009]

Jeweled Wings

2011-10-19T09:34:00.008-05:00

At last!

The wings for the butterfly "brooch"on my Breakfast at Tiffany's piece are finally beaded and cut out...

I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. The only thing I wish I could change is the outline color. I wish the grey were a few shades lighter. I haven't put it on the block yet...and I'm a bit concerned that the outline may be too stark.

Nothing to be done now, my friends, for I am not re-beading those four wings.

It would...all on its own though...make an absolutely beautiful brooch.

Next up is figuring out the antennae, eyes, thorax and abdomen, then attaching it all to the block. And for those wondering the size, the butterfly with both sets of wings is 2.25" tall...sorry I keep forgetting to put something in the photos that help you to appreciate the scale. Next time.

Thanks for checking on my progress...and have a beautiful day wherever you are.

2011-10-18T21:21:00.001-05:00

A Textile Tour-de-Force

2011-10-17T07:26:00.006-05:00

Of all the people I've met in the world of textiles and embroidery, I can honestly say that I've never met someone like Dr. Tricia Wilson Nguyen.

She's quite extraordinary.

Last April, our EGA chapter engaged Dr. Nguyen to both give the lecture of the making of the now-famous Plimoth Jacket and to teach this goldwork tudor rose...

Tudor Rose by Tricia Wilson Nguyen

While Tricia could not bring the actual Plimoth Jacket to our guild lecture, she was able to bring the coif and the forehead cloth that were also embroidered as part of the jacket ensemble.

And she graciously allowed me to photograph them and share the images on my blog.

Coif and Forehead Cloth: Part of the reproduction ensemble stitched along with the Plimoth Jacket

I thoroughly loved working on the goldwork project, but it was the lecture...the story of the Plimoth Jacket that completely moved me.

And funny, I had followed the Plimoth Jacket blog for some time so I was aware of some of the details by reading their regular blog posts.

But none of it compared to hearing the epic tale of the jacket...told by Tricia herself.

One side of Coif: Part of the reproduction ensemble stitched as part of the Plimoth Jacket project

From the birth of the idea...to the background stories of each major individual. From the blacksmith, the gold thread maker in London, the thread maker from France...to the hundreds of lacers, embroiderers, and supporters who made the idea a reality...

It truly is epic.

The tale spanned centuries, continents and generations...

And once Tricia unlocked the secrets of how the 17th century stitches were embroidered, she set out to identify sources for threads. She researched and hunted until she found someone who had any knowledge of what she was talking about; and she followed the trail which led to someone who might actually be able to make the threads she needed. And then she cajoled them into making threads for the jacket project. While doing so, she recognized that their knowledge of thread-making was in danger of extinction.

The other side of Coif: Part of the reproduction ensemble stitched as part of the Plimoth Jacket project

Well. She wasn't about to let that happen if she could help it, so she set about trying to revive their industry and to create a market for their threads that went beyond the immediate needs for the jacket. So now she offers online classes, available to anyone with a computer, where her designs honor the makers, materials and techniques of historical embroideries.

Detail of Coif: Part of the reproduction ensemble stitched as part of the Plimoth Jacket project

I enrolled in her 18-month Goldwork Master Class...It just finished but I have piles of studying and stitching still to do. The depth of her coursework is phenomenal. She combines volumes of historical research, animation videos and images of historical examples together into one gigantic course. When she's says "Master Class", she means it. And when she says "Online University", she means that too. If historical embroidery interests you in the least, you will find a home in one of her classes and it is well worth the price of admission.

Coif Image: Part of the reproduction ensemble stitched as part of the Plimoth Jacket project

A graduate of MIT, Tricia is an engineer by day and uses her technical background to uncover the secrets of embroidered histories. She is rich in knowledge, enthusiasm and energy...and she has completely converted me to the cause. I would follow her anywhere.

Detail of Forehead Cloth: Part of the reproduction ensemble stitched as part of the Plimoth Jacket project

That's why, when I heard about the With Cunning Needle Exhibit at Winterthur Museum (Sept 3, 2011-January 8, 2012), I knew I had to be there. Coinciding with the exhibition is the Winthertur's Needlework Conference (October 21-22, 2011) So this Friday, I'll be driving up to Delaware to attend two full days of lectures and classes...and to see the jacket in the exhibition.

Forehead Cloth: Part of the reproduction ensemble stitched as part of the Plimoth Jacket project

And I'll get to see and hear from Tricia again in two lectures: The Plimoth Jacket: Listening to the Makers and A Tisket, A Tasket: Who Made the Casket? I can't wait to hear what she's up to now. She's a gift to the textile and embroidery world; a tour-de-force; and I don't believe there's anything she can't do when she puts her mind to it. And her field is textiles! Which is great for all of us.

Should you be interested in exploring this topic further, here are some links to note:

With Cunning Needle: Winthertur Needlework Conference brochure (.pdf)

Winthertur Plimoth Jacket Exhibition

Thistle Threads -- Tricia Wilson Nguyen's website

Thistle Threads Blog -- Tricia's blog

With Cunning Needle Blog Post -- includes pics of exhibition (click to enlarge)

Tricia's Needlework Nibble -- All sales of these kits go to benefit the Winthertur exhibition

Tricia's Online University -- where she currently accepting enrollment for upcoming classes. I signed up for the Glittering Gentleman's Nightcap...

Plimoth Plantation Website

Plimoth Plantation Blog Archives chronicles of the jacket's creation

Happy Monday everyone. I'm still winging it!

Treasures Found

2011-10-15T09:00:00.009-05:00

I got up at 4:30am to ride the Megabus to NYC...

The morning was rainy and foggy and the bus driver, Yvette, informed us that she was sick, had spent most of yesterday in the E.R., and had been driving for 12 hours overnight without any sleep...What?! Not what you want to hear from someone who will be driving you the 3.5 hours to New York...

So I made it a point to sit up front. And Yvette became my new best friend...I was going to keep that woman awake no matter what. At one point, as I asked her if she wanted another Red Bull, she gave me a sly look and asked, "What? You're worried about me, aren't you?"

Uh. Yea-uh...

Luckily, I made it to New York without dying, met Shirlee who took the train down from Massachusetts and we were off.

Now. You're going to be really mad at me. But I just have to face the music and get it over with. I only took ONE picture.

Okkkkkkkk...I know.

I hear your pain.

I know you don't like to hear excuses either but since it's my blog I just have to write them to make me feel better.

It was raining. A grey day makes the light terrible. I didn't have my good camera. I have to be in the right mood to want to photojournal my day. I like to photojournal my day when I'm alone (so I can take my time). Or, I like to photojournal when I'm in a large group (then no one knows I'm missing). It's hard to haul bags, hang with Shirlee, manage an umbrella and try to think about photos. So...I dropped the photos.

But I do go often so I promise one day to be better at pictures.

I do want you to understand what it feels like for two needle friends to be let loose in the Garment district of New York.

So here's the best analogy I could come up with...it's the 8-year and 5-year old British Youtube stars, Sophia Grace and Rosie on a shopping spree courtesy of Ellen Degeneres and their singing idol, Nicki Minaj:

video platform video management video solutions video player

Now. You know how we felt.

I find it's easier to go shopping with a few specific projects in mind. So, Shirlee was looking for fabrics, sequins and flowers for her current project (you can see here) and I was looking for tiny beads, some gold ribbons, and other "goodies".

We hit Schmalberg's flowers where Shirlee placed a flower petal order, then we hit Mood, Elegant Fabrics, and Lace Star. I had never been to Lace Star -- the place is floor to ceiling with exquisite, expensive laces. I wasn't in the market for lace but I loved finding out what was available.

I'm in a bit of a netting and bobbinet phase of my life and would like to explore this material more so I bought some gold and silver silk tulle and peach cotton bobbinet at Mood...

And I have a Heart of Gold project I'm starting when I'm finished with Audrey so I picked up these gold ribbons at Mokuba...

We hit Joyce trim and a few of the bead stores recommended by Anonymous (I don't know how you're supposed to thank Anonymous but thank you!) We didn't eat until around 2pm (we forgot) and when we were done there, we headed over to Tinsel Trading as our last stop of the day....

And....

We hit the mother lode!

Marcia, the owner had just bought out the entire stock from another store and old boxes were piled all over the floors and tables. They had just brought it in. No one had yet gone through it. No one had even gotten to look at it.

Shirlee, quick to sniff out the best loot, asked, "Is this for sale?"

The clerk answered, "Not yet. We haven't gone through it yet, we just..."

Then Marcia walked out, interrupting her by saying, "Sure, it's for sale!"

OMG! Now you know why we felt like Sophia Grace and Rosie!

See all those boxes piled on the table? There were at least a hundred to look into...Most of the dust-covered, age-rotten boxes contained sparkly little cabochons and sew-ons wrapped in these paper packages...

We opened and squealed and hunted and found!!! It was glorious! Both of us use these sparkly bits in our work so it was a true goldmine for us.

If you live nearby or can plan a trip to Tinsel Trading, you should go soon.

But for those of you who can't...And because I feel so terrible that I didn't take any pictures...

I'm having a giveaway.

One shell full of New York treasures to one of the friends who comments on this post. Just leave a comment by the time I wake up on Tuesday morning. About 6am EST. I'll choose a winner and let you know who it is in my Tuesday post.

And if you want to see more enthusiasm and unbridled joy, watch these clips of Sophia Grace and Rosie's appearance on the Ellen Degeneres show:

All the treasures in the world aren't worth as much.

If they could only bottle and sell that!

Happy weekend everyone!

Inspiring Me Today

2011-10-13T09:44:00.007-05:00

The story of this royal couple of Bhutan...

The incredible textiles that were woven for the wedding kira and the weavers who vied for the honor. The textiles that decorated the village and its people.

The crowns of thread worn by the king...

And now, the queen...

The handmade boots...

The fact that no foreign diginitaries were invited...the king wanted to keep it simple and traditional. Just a king, his bride, the buddhist monks, and his people.

The fact that thousands of Bhutanese citizens walked for hours in the cold to attend...to celebrate love and the marriage of their accessible king...the king whose father was the only monarch to voluntarily abdicate his throne to democracy (unsolicited).

And this is my favorite picture I found on the Queen's facebook page (go figure). It's the day before the wedding and the couple was on their way to receive an official blessing.

I think they found it in the offerings of the people.

Bhutan, one of the most remote and insular places on earth, was the inventor of the Gross National Happiness Index (GNH). I find many of the news reporters today are almost laughing when they mention that fact in their royal wedding coverage. As if it's silly to even imagine such a thing.

But here are the Four Pillars of Gross National Happiness in Bhutan:

Sustainable development
Environmental protection
Cultural preservation
Good governance

Now that's inspiring.

I hope big happiness comes to this small nation so the rest of us can learn from them.

My trip to NYC with Shirlee could be titled "Treasure Trove Unearthed".

I'll tell you about that tomorrow *wink*

Happy day everyone!

Winging It

2011-10-11T12:32:00.004-05:00

When I thought of the name for this blog post, I started giggling to myself. (OK. Well not just to myself but there was no one else to hear me so...)

Yes. It's true. I have been winging it. And in more ways than one.

And puh-lease! To think that I even thought I would be finished this butterfly by yesterday...what was I thinking? Obviously, I wasn't. That's just my eternal optimism at work...

Of course, I have never stitched a beaded stumpwork butterfly. Given that, you would think I would have assumed extra time for the learning curve and the detours I would need to take as I tried to figure it out.

Nope. Not me. In fact, I really thought I would be finished this entire Breakfast at Tiffany's piece by now...didn't you?

I know you did. It's OK. You can admit it. "What's taking her so long??"

I know. After all, I only have the butterfly and a few more stumpwork flowers, right?

Well, my friends, let me just tell you if you don't know already, that stumpwork takes a loooong time. Even longer when you choose the wrong thread...

I stitched the lower wing with the Kreinik #4 very fine braid...and hated it. It was too chunky...too "trashy"-looking for my refined Tiffany brooch. OK, maybe that's the snob in me coming out, but I just needed a finer edge than what the Kreinik braid gave me.

And. Since I had "used up" that wing, that meant I had to fuse more fabric, print another pattern, hoop up a new set of wings and stitch down the wire.

Which...takes a bit of time.

Then..I stayed up too late working one night, trying to make some progress...using one strand of a dark grey silk floss. It looked great at midnight.

That was...until the next morning when I woke up and realized everything I had done the night before looked terrible. I had stitched over the same places multiple times, stitched too far outside the wire, and even skipped whole sections of the wire. Oh well. Let me just say, that couching one strand of floss over a tiny wire is best reserved for the daylight hours. Honestly, natural light makes a huge difference!

Well...long story short, you can see that I've only beaded one wing. And I know it will take me quite a bit of time to bead the three others.

I will say that I'm delighted with the overall look that is shaping up. And I am very grateful for having a source of vintage beads like the 18/0 rhodium beads and the 22/0 silver-lined which I bought from Beadcats...

In the picture they look pretty dark and discolored. But when stitched onto the organza with a white thread, they give the overall "brooch" a beautiful, antique quality which will go nicely with the antique diamond stickpin that Sheila sent me which I'm using for the thorax. It's just that only about 50% of the 22/0 beads actually fit over my size 15 beading needle. So I spend a lot of time trying and rejecting, and trying and rejecting.

Well. I guess my lesson for today is...winging it takes time. Especially, when you have no idea whether it will all come together and work in the end.

Wouldn't it stink if, after I get the wings beaded and I attach the wings to the piece, it just doesn't work???

Oh. Let's not think about that, shall we?

Tomorrow I'm taking the bus to New York City for the day to go shopping in the garment district with my friend Shirlee. It's supposed to rain all day so I won't be taking the good camera...I will, however, take the point-and-shoot and try to capture some of the day to share.

Happy day everyone and just remember...

Winging it is wisky business.

Whiskey? I don't really drink it...but it might be time to start.