New Cards

Easter is such a turning point in the year coming in on the beginning of a new season.  More sun, more flowers.  It is inspiring.  I like cocooning in the winter but it's time to shake it off.  Creating cards is still something new for me and I'm really enjoying the process.  Since I'm creating for a small market at the moment, I like to include references to the town that I live in making the cards a little more special than what the mass market produces.  Maybe some day I'll "break out" into a bigger market.

It's no secret....

that chickadees are my "go to" subject to design around.  My second project for Lilla Rogers MATS

Bootcamp for February was to design something in the round beginning with research into plate designs.  I chose to do this using collage.  A medium I've been using lately simply because I love painting paper.  Coming up with new textures to tear up and use for collage is so much fun and full of surprises.  Speaking of which, I love the surprise element of this course.  It starts with a topic to research and sketch/paint and then the actual project to be completed using your inspiration.  It takes you places you wouldn't have on your own.

This plate became part of a fund raiser for our local bird rehabilitation centre (Le Nichoir).

Starting Something New

I can't deny my interest in illustration and design but being a traditional painter, there are a few

approaches that I have to adapt to.  The first being to explore the possibilities with many sketches and

see what emerges.  My internal instinct is to get it right, right from the start.  But I've come to realize that you miss out on the discoveries of further exploration.  There should be a dozen more of the pages before I pick up on what has the potential for a successful design.  

The assignment for this is from Lilla Rogers MATS Bootcamp that I'm excited to be enrolled in. Our first assignment is to research and sketch Edwardian brooches, without knowing what the end result will be!  So for the next six months I will immerse myself in the world of design and hope to find a design aesthetic that will remain consistent.

So excited!

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Creating these illustrations for the cards that I made this season really helped to bring me into the 

Christmas mood.  Soon I'll be creating for the next occasion but for now I'm enjoying these.

Silver and Pearls

I've missed creating jewellery these last few months.  Happy with these and now I'm in the mood to create more.  Both the focal ring of the top pic and the embossed focal of the lower one are fine silver

with sterling accents and chain and freshwater pearls.

Fabric Love

 Just pulled out fabrics to work with my sketches printed on faux suede.  I love the colours and texture.  But now to make sense of all this!

Having Fun

When I started sketching locations around my home town with the idea of creating a sort of "toile de jouy" type fabric,  it hadn't dawned on me for the longest time that I could take the mock ups and
create a line of cards......until now.  And I'm having so much fun.  So much more to post soon.

Sew busy.....

Stitched up a dozen pillows and delivered for early August and didn't take the time to photo and post!
So before it gets crazy again, I am here to post my most recent pillow design....a little boy named
Jackson with a deep blue and red/ochre colour scheme.  J for jackrabbit, a is for ape, c is for cat and k is for koala bear.  I may need to design for each of the letters of the alphabet now that I've gone this far.
This one was printed on a velveteen finish which washes well and feels great.There is also a coordinating decal print to decorate his room with too.

On my Sewing Table this week.....

Starting up again. Many requests for these so I am set up to sew!  What started out as my Hudson
"toile" design is now being printed on velveteen and suede with great results.

A New Purse

I had purchased this fabric as a remnant from a sidewalk sale in Montmartre. The red vinyl is a lovely raspberry shade and I picked that up too along with purse fixtures like feet and handles that I find hard to get here unless I go online.  I must have come home with a suitcase full of fabrics.  That was a year ago and I've only just made the time to finish this project.  It has a dropped zipper panel that keeps the contents safe.  That was a little bit of a challenge to do simply because I thought I had it figured out without looking at a pattern.  I know better now!

I'm always inspired to start another project like this right away but it is always more time consuming than I remember at the start of any project just gathering the supplies, measuring, figuring things out and then you get into that zen mode where it all comes together.

Baby Shower

I had designed this little bird as vector art and it came in handy when my daughter and I organized a baby shower for my son and his wife.  A new baby to welcome into the family!  My daughter took the design and created the invites, menus, game cards etc.   That was a fun little collaboration that I'm sure we'll do again.

Before I go further.....

I needed to finish projects that had been started.  This came together very quickly and without a lot of fuss.  I used whatever I had on hand for the straps, the lining, interfacing, embroidery etc.  It started out with a wonderful shade of teal burlap which will make for a really nice summer purse.  Inspired to follow a pattern from the book "Bags in Bloom" by Susan Cariello.  I'm definitely making others from this book.  

Experimenting with photoshop brushes....

Every so often, I start to doodle with Photoshop images.  This cardinal was meant to be a line drawing but I wanted to experiment with one of the photoshop brushes and coloured it in.  There are just so many variables in creating brushes that I get lost with all the possibilities.  This brush gave me a loose
water-colour like effect and I wanted to remember it, so I make
these little notes to myself.

So far....sew good

I may be in danger of using that title more than once.....

Here is the front half of my Alabama Chanin inspired sewing project.  A simple sleeveless top with a scalloped hem.  It actually took less time than I anticipated.  I have prepped the back half now and I'm about to start the hand stitching.  In order to proceed with this project I made an unembellished version to see how I liked sewing it all entirely by hand and also made a half dozen samplers to explore and practice the various embellishments and appliqué possibilities.  I do like the hand stitching part of it.

Another little bird.....

As I was cleaning up the photos from my camera, I found this image of a pillow completed this Spring.  The centre panel is a hand painted bird on canvas with thread sketching appliquéd to a canvas back with more hand painted leaves.  A few velvet leaves were added.  The side panels are
raw silk and dupioni silk.  I've done several of these pillows now in Fall tones with bird motifs and
enjoy the process and the outcome so much, I will definitely do more with different subject matter.

Working through.....

I have laid out the side panels for the second layer and am basting them together.  Yesterday I stencilled the design using fabric paints and heat set it with an iron.  Next will be to cut this layer out and then I can continue with the hand stitching around each stencilled element.

Before I got this far, I made a half dozen 11" x 15" samplers with the variations of embellishment that  can be worked into this type of negative appliqué.  Then I made an unembellished version of this pattern even hand stitching the seams and once I accomplished that, I felt encouraged to proceed.

In my previous post about starting this project I had a lovely heather coloured cotton jersey on the table but decided to keep that for a dress.  This top will be a safer entry into this type of sewing project and if I succeed I'll use that fabric without fear of it not coming out to my liking.

Laycie

Well the only connection to sewing would be her name.   Laycie came to us last summer from an adoption agency along with her brother.  Here she is looking like the little star that she is.  : > )

This is going to be a long project

I recently discovered Alabama Chanin thanks to Pinterest.  One image of a textured burgundy coat caught my eye.  On closer inspection I noticed the child like giant stitches and too quickly I dismissed it as clumsy.  But....after being attracted to the image again and again, I went in search of more.

Looked at the website, looked up the books on Amazon, looked for fabric locally and here I am!

Completely hooked.  I'm not that intimidated by the total hand sewn idea.  I say that now because I haven't quite started.  I've made some sample blocks that I'm total enamoured with and now I hope I don't stall.  As you can see from the photo above, it may take awhile.

Couldn't resist....

This is just too cute and reflects what I've been doing with these first few weeks of the New Year.
I tend to buy fabrics and patterns and then not finish what I start, so here's hoping that I'll finish what I start this year......at least when I try to sew clothes for myself.

The project grows....

These pillows were printed on velveteen and borders of jacquards, paisley's and velvets were added making these patchwork pillows delicious to the touch as well as to the eye.

I'll post more pictures as the line expands.