Threaded Thoughts

Crazy for Cards

2008-11-04T05:23:02Z

Most of these cards are out of my hands now. I posted the initial few from this series to Etsy, and those cards are now wrapped up and on their way out the door. The bulk of the cards, however, didn't get listed at Etsy. They'll be divvied up here and there for the shows this fall... starting tomorrow. And so, it was the perfect time for a bit of a retrospective. Now, in truth, last week, word from the North (that would be Opal) was... "Make more cards." Really, it's perfect, because I have another stack all ready to sew...

2008-10-28T16:50:38Z

As I get ready to sort of say "goodbye" to a bunch of things I've worked hard (and lovingly) on over the last few months, I have been trying to pull together a gallery of sorts for Here2There. You know me, I love a grid, and so there was something quite rewarding about seeing this group photo come to life (courtesy, of course, of the folks at Big Huge Labs). I like seeing how everything hangs together in terms of line and aesthetic and overall feel. Whether I work with earth tones or brights or blacks and whites... there is something "me" in these pieces. Patchwork is patchwork, it's true. It's been around forever. But, I value the art of it... and I know personal voice differs from artist to artist no matter what medium you work in. I look at these... and I see me. I know they each bear my mark... my look and feel... my spin on color and line. And that... makes me happy.

By the way, thank you to Ann-D and Eva for letting me know there was an issue with leaving comments over at Here2There. Hopefully it's all set now... and we'll hear from you! I was starting to take the silence personally - and it was all my own fault!

We're Setting Up...

2008-10-28T00:03:00Z

I've got a small list of custom photo pillows I'm working on these days, in and around other things (like schools and job). The above is a snippet from a pillow I finished over the weekend. I think it may be my favorite yet. It's a first in a few ways, too. But, all in all, it follows the same approach I take to my patchwork pillows - a look that really is my own. This one, I love, and I love, love, love the black and white dots. For more about this pillow, see the Here2There blog.

But, the reason I'm really popping in today, other than showing off the tones of that pillow... which just make me crazy happy... is to let all of you know that we're doing a few shows in November and December... the first one is next weekend. What that means is that we'll be taking most things out of the Etsy shop...

We'll be working to replenish things there, but I wanted to let all of you know that stuff's gonna suddenly be moving around... and disappearing from the Here2There Etsy shop (as well as the OAmyOAmy shop).

Wish us luck!

(And, hey... we're feeling lonely on the other blog. Come on... be the first to leave us a comment over there.)

A Song

2008-10-23T05:19:14Z

It's been many months, I think, since I've shown ATCs in progress. This feels like a good turn of events... that they are on the counter and being worked on this way. The theme for the Creative Mom Podcast ATC Exchange for October is "A Song." I hadn't decided what direction I was taking, and then I heard a song on a current favorite CD in the car last week... and it all unfolded in my head what I wanted. And... well... they're in progress.

Oddly enough, another song was playing on another favorite CD in the stereo at home while I worked yesterday morning... and when I heard it, I couldn't help but look over at this set of ATCs. It was another song that would have worked. Two songs, both of which would have led me to this painting, something at once sweet and whimsical and a bit sad and very symbolic... and something that always reminds me fondly of a childhood forgotten.

I'll share the two songs when I show the final cards. (Words from the song will appear on the cards.)

Got a guess?

Joint Blogging...

2008-10-13T20:29:54Z

I'm excited to announce that to go along with our work with Here2There @ Etsy, Opal and I have started a joint blog where we hope to talk about collaborative fiber work, bird art, our studios, quilting, and more. I hope you check it out!

Someone Noticed Me!

2008-10-13T20:01:09Z

Something of mine has made its way into an Etsy Treasury - my first time! I'm pretty excited because it's very flattering to have a piece hand-picked to go with a themed grouping. This one is called "I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet."

New Birds...

2008-10-03T04:53:16Z

As I've mentioned recently on the CMP, my new bird sketches are coming in handy with the range of projects I'm working on for Here2There. This pillow features a number of batiks I picked up on vacation in Oregon this summer. I bought a stack of fat quarters that day - and seeing how beautifully they work up, I wish I'd bought more! I love working with a full range like this. And, though this is a more subdued palette than I sometimes work with, it really speaks to me.

Collaboration

2008-10-01T23:40:37Z

This one is one Gooma8x and I just finished up... called "Blue Skies." I love it because it's a real change for us in many ways, but especially in terms of color. You won't typically see a lot of blue from us. It's something we agree on. But, I had a wonderful time working with the softer blues in this one and building around four of our birdhouses. This lap quilt is larger than our other pieces, and I like that a lot. In fact, I tested it more than once as I worked on piecing the top, making sure I got it to a size I thought would be really usable... rather than just decorative.

I'm big on use!

Endless Potential of a Photo Pillow

2008-09-29T16:12:54Z

I'm working on a set of 5 pillows for someone, 4 of which feature the same photo... but each is for a different person (a gift) and so each has been requested in a different color scheme. It's amazing to watch how the whole thing is transformed each time with new and different colors... and I know that each scheme will be perfect and special for the recipient. I love that. And I love the range of possibility in how it all plays out. Endless variety... endless fun... endlessly satisfying.

The "other" Green One

2008-09-26T16:44:40Z

I showed one iteration of the green/gold/maroon color scheme the other day. After my customer (one of you! and my trusted guinea pig for this process!) selected this softer color scheme, the bolder one took wings with one of my birds. And this one now frames a family photo - and I hope it becomes a cherished piece in the house. I really do. I love the softness of this and the interplay of colors. And, I love, love, love this new background fabric I used here.

These are, of course, at Here2There, but I'm showing them off just because this "is" right now the work I'm doing.... and loving.

A Green Scheme

2008-09-24T04:05:08Z

So, this is what happens when you work with custom color... you hear "green, gold, and maroon..." and you're off and running... but then later you realize those same exact colors could go a very different way. I finished up a (beautiful) guinea pig photo pillow today that uses a much softer combination of these colors. But... I liked this set, too... there's something striking and bold and yet inviting about them. So, a perfect frame for one of the new bird sketches. I'll show the other pillow soon, too.

New stuff in the Here2There shop.

A green morning.

2008-09-22T16:59:38Z

I had to clean off the table a bit this weekend so that a meeting that needed to happen could happen. It was, I must admit, quite a challenge... to clear off even 70% of it. I probably shouldn't admit that... but it has become my workspace, really. So, I cleared it... and the meeting happened. And then, there is that wonderful span of time where the table is clear... and even as you start laying things out... there's a beauty to it... a structure... a sparseness (versus the sometimes chaotic clutter of creative process). This morning, I walked in to take a photo of something else I finished last week, and I was struck by the span of the table crossing to the bin of greens propped by the window... there's a wonderful tonal continuity to it somehow... three projects here... all almost complete. Nice. Satisfying. Soothing to the eye.

Happy Monday.

One Bird at a Time

2008-09-19T18:58:16Z

As I talked about in EP 111 of the CMP, my daily series of shipping tags went a bit awry in August... but I haven't given up the idea of this series... I'm just relaxing my expectation that I can manage one every single day given all that is going on around me right now and given how busy I am with other projects. But, birds are still appearing... just not on shipping tags. Pages like this one not only mean I'm still working... and practicing... and exploring my line... but I'm also bird by bird creating fodder for my fiber art at Here2There. That's a good thing! I printed off a sheet of them yesterday for inclusion in new projects. It's satisfying to see them sitting here next to me on muslin.

In Green

2008-09-19T01:14:57Z

Gooma8x is out of town for a bit, which puts a serious crimp in even remote collaboration! This is one of the larger Lovee "tops" I have finished that is now folded up and stored in a baggy to go out in the mail when she returns. One of several!

Tall skinny birdhouses... they're fun!

Birdhouses

2008-09-15T16:46:30Z

It's birdhouses all the time around here right now... well... birdhouses and photo pillows... it's true. But, I have to say, these birdhouses make me smile! This is the top of a small quilt I collaborated on with Gooma8x and that we recently finished for Here2There. Every time I see it from afar in this way, I get this feeling of walking a maze somehow... of a yellow-brick road... that's not yellow! I don't know. But, it does make me smile.