off I go!

headed to fancy tiger! i am so excited to learn about applique. hope it is new to me.

in other news, i have now lost BOTH cords to my camera and therefore can't post very much. :(

finding a needle in a haystack

This past summer I went with my mom to a local needlepoint chapter meeting (I think of EGA? ANG?) It was in July, and I was hoping to learn how to make ornaments as gifts for a few weddings coming up. While attending that class, they mentioned the piece for the following month: The Lily Pond, by Susan Goodman. Susan prints photos onto her canvases, and I think that is a really neat look. What's more, the kit was at a really great price. I talked with Susan and she assured me that it would be an easy piece for me to do. So I ordered it.

Now, my mother-in-law, Brenda, is just about the sweetest person I know. She always tells us not to give her anything for Christmas- that spending time together is all she wants. But I am my mother's daughter, and that means I just cannot not give a gift. (Double negative necessary.) So, I figure a really good compromise is something handmade that did not cost very much money. I set out to stitch this for Brenda.

Of course, time flies when you are a teacher, and so it was way too close to Christmas as I was trying to finish the piece. And, along the way, I had several bad encounters with needles that seriously pushed my progress back.

First, I was home one day- not sure where Marc was (perhaps a day off of school??) and I was rethreading my needle on the couch. Suddenly, the needle was gone- where could it be?? I was sitting criss-cross with a big opening in my lap. Surely the needle had fallen there. I felt around- no needle. I looked at my clothes, my canvas- no needle. Very carefully I lifted up one leg to see if the needle was under it. When you lift one leg, your weight shifts to the other one. That did it. The needle was lodged under- you guessed it- my rear end, and the weight shift pushed it in- deep. Frantically, I froze (if that is possible.) I lifted myself off the couch with my hands and stood in the living room alone, thinking, 'oh no. What will I do?' Very uncomfortably, very scared, I found the needle and removed it. Luckily- no blood. I had a haircut appointment in minutes, so I rushed out of the house- lightheadedly, and went to the salon. Where I told a nearly complete stranger the story, and watched through the mirror as she gave very uncomfortable side glances and awkward responses to my story. Should have kept it to myself. But funny, right??

Second needle catastrophe: we were on the plane headed to Indiana, and I was madly trying to finish before we got there so I could give it to Brenda. Not two minutes into stitching, I lost my needle again! This time, I saw it go flying into the carpet abyss under our seats. (I was in the window seat.) I tried all the other needles- they both had snaggy eyes and did not fit my thread properly. So now, I was stuck- how would I finish?? I searched... and searched... and searched under the seat for the needle. Not easy, given economy seating. Thank goodness we had a free seat in between us so I had room to move around. It was nowhere- how can you lose a needle in a confined space? While I sat there, head between my legs, we went through some bad turbulence and I got completely nauseous...and waited for a while before searching again. Finally, I had an epiphany: I would use my cell phone light! So I waited until we touched down, then while the rest of the passengers deplaned, I cast the blue-gray cell phone light under the seat. There it was- tucked in the crevasse between the carpet and the metal siding.

We got in past midnight and the next morning I woke up early and finished the piece.

And it all worked out- I hadn't finished it in time to have it framed at home, so Brenda and I decided to go to the framer's together and she could pick it out herself. Turns out we didn't have time while I was there, so she went later. She chose a raspberry/burgundy matting that went really well with the place she would hang it in her house. I don't think I would have thought to use those colors in the matting-there are so many to choose from, and it totally makes sense when I think about Brenda's house. I am so glad that it all worked out this way. It's funny when we give gifts, how much they are a reflection of ourselves. But, it's neat to think that in a way, we got to collaborate on the finished product together.

spring break inspirations and assignments

well, it's spring break.

that means a lot of things- but number one, it means that i try to cram too much into one week of freedom.

dentist appointment. doctor appointment. (hopefully) new haircut and color.

and it also means i am dabbling in a few crafty/creative projects.

on this week's agenda:

1. applique class at fancy tiger. (i will definitely report. hoping it's more than i have already learned over the years with my mom. at least i don't think i know very much about fusible interfacing. if it's too beginner, at least i get to be at my favorite shop.)

2. reading the following books (at least a little of them):

this one i'm almost finished with. the best thing about this book is that it shows the construction for an envelope-style clutch, which i want to use to make a purse out of some felt i am working on.

i am really excited to read this book. i like that it is just about the creative process, as i am feeling the need to push out of the place i am in.

this book is waaaaaaaaaaaay cool. marc and i were over at my mom's yesterday and he was looking at some bad floor spots in her sewing room but i was not- i was snooping on her work table and this book caught my eye. it is SUCH a good reference book. so it inspired creative project #3.

3. practicing a few stitches from the embroidery book on this piece of cloth.

i'm going to go julie & julia on this book and practice the stitches as a way to teach myself more. i was really frustrated while playing around on the snowflake a few nights ago b/c i didn't know what all i could do. but the difference between julie & julia and this project is that it's going to be okay when i decide i'm done with it. i don't have to finish it.

so far, i have done -running stitch, -whipped running stitch, -holbein stitch, -back stitch, and -pekinese stitch. running stitch, whipped running stitch, and back stitch are ones i have known forever, and i wasn't very thrilled by holbein (i did it as the stair step-y one). but pekinese was really fun! it's the thick one. i'm using a deep gray/purple thread and a fuschia thread and i like those colors together. i am trying very hard not to think this needs to BE something, but is truly just a practice cloth.

4. most importantly, reinstating my craft/sewing table!

my life has gone through so many transformations that can be summed up by how i've used my (our) spare bedroom. over the seven years it went from: empty. to craft space. to guest room. to wedding gift room. to marc's enlarged closet. to my grad school study. to his mini-music studio. the next installation will be to remove the giant metal bookshelf full of storage over to our outside balcony, and have two corners: his and hers. it's important for us to have outlets. right now we are working on remodeling our place. but after that, it will be back to our typical creative outlets: music and craft stuff.

i don't really like the word craft. wish i had a better word to categorize my interests...

snowflake felt project

tonight we are hanging out at home, so i thought i would share my latest project.

plus, this way you can see a little bit of the home remodel i've been talking about. (see the blue tape on the floor... our new hardwood flooring!)

i left my knitting at my mom's house, so i was trying to figure out what to do while marc emailed some clients and we watched t.v.

i started out with one of the felt coasters i had left from my friend kelly's baby shower in january.

then i laid it on top of some white felt i had sitting around the house.

check out my new tools from great american quilt factory. (these are felting tools, not quilting tools, f.y.i.)

i had this thread from a really really old needlepoint project- an alphabet sampler- no idea where it went.

here is the project so far. not exactly sure what i'm doing or what it will become, but i think an ornament.

(p.s. don't know how long i'll continue to post so very often, but i'm in the honeymoon phase of this blog, so we'll just let it be how it is for now.)

:)

Memoirs of a Geisha

I am so excited to tell today's story.

It is a perfect example of the reason I started this blog in the first place.

I have enjoyed my mom's piece for several years now, but never before did I know how much history it really has. Sit back, and enjoy- this one is gooood.

This piece, which my mom calls, The Geisha, sits in our little dining room.

It hung in my mom's dining room/hallway for my entire childhood, I think.

Then, when she repainted her walls, she gave it to me.

I visited my mom last Sunday for dinner and asked her to tell me the story about it.

My mom designed this piece in the mid-late 70's from a design she saw in a McCall's Needlework magazine. The entire piece is stitched using silk threads. It was originally intended to be hung in a master bedroom of a custom house up in the mountains. It would have been spectacular... adjacent to a beautiful mountain view. But, it turns out, my mom didn't live there.

This piece was an excellent vehicle for a class on techniques with silk, and so my mom offered it at the Needleworker boutique in Cherry Creek North. It would be a six week class, meeting once each week in the evenings.

One of the shop regulars at the Needleworker was a man named Walt. Walt was a really nice guy, known for being a great customer and an excellent stitcher. Walt really wanted to enroll in the class, but his partner, Mr. James, was distraught: they didn't often spend evenings apart. Now, Mr. James had no experience whatsoever, and should not have enrolled in the class. But, Walt assured the Needleworker staff that he would be completely responsible for helping Mr. James with whatever he needed during the class.

The first night of the class, Walt and his partner, Mr. James arrived. Mr. James owned a beauty salon in Denver, and perhaps that is why he showed up... in drag. Maybe you've never seen my mom handle a change of plans, but she is always as cool as a cucumber. Even though I wasn't there, I bet she handled it really well. (I mean, let's face it. There are a lot of places you could expect to see a man in drag, but a needlepoint boutique in Cherry Creek North in the late 70s/early 80s is not necessarily that place.) My mom went on with the class as usual, but neither she...nor the Geisha... were the center of attention anymore.

Mr. James was very frustrated by the class, as any beginner would be, and he did not handle his frustration well. He would start sweating when things became difficult, and it was all my mom could do to keep the class from dissolving. One evening, as things became particularly challenging, Mr. James leaned over, and sighed, "Waltie darling, I just can't do this!"

It was the fourth evening of class, and Walt and Mr. James never returned.

Later on that year (I think), my mom wrote an article for the National Embroiderer's Teachers Association. She titled it, "Needlework Can Be a Drag." It was an article all about dealing with problematic situations as a workshop teacher. Over the years since, I have heard a lot of my mom's stories about students who are in over their heads. I think what frustrates her the most is having to make the decision to assist one student over the others or leave that person hanging.

Meanwhile, my mom entered The Geisha in an ANG national exhibit in 1980. She took First Place and her first ever Judge's Choice award. (She scanned and sent me a picture of her ribbon when I told her I'd be writing about this piece... so cute!)

Because of these accolades, she attended the first Invitational Exhibit offered by Princess Grace of Monaco in 1982. The American Needlepoint Guild, which began in 1970, held its first convention in 1972 and its first trip to Monaco in 1973. ANG hosted trips to Monaco nearly every year after that. To my understanding, the exhibit took place in the spring of that year.

That following September, Grace Kelly died in a car accident.

This picture is absolutely one of my favorite pictures in my mom's house. It turns out it was taken by the palace photographer and sent to my mom later on. How perfect is that- this moment needed to be frozen in time. Now that I know the story, I think I'm going to see if I can get a professional-quality copy of this picture and frame it next to the Geisha.

experimenting with felt

today (snow day!) i made two fun discoveries:

• craft podcasts on craftypod (mom, i know you read this, so i'll tell you: they have one titled, 'stupid sock creatures' and another on artist trading cards.) today i listened to one about felt.
• an article about the downside of being a 'jack of all trades' creatively speaking. excerpt:

"When we begin a new hobby or creative pursuit, so often we pick something that seems easy. We judge ourselves, reach a verdict, and lower the bar for what we are willing to try. We avoid things that might be painful or frustrating because there is no immediate payoff, and often that shortsightedness keeps us from being the person we would dearly love to be. I know. I’ve done it dozens of times.

What I didn’t really grasp when I was a kid, taking up and quitting many hobbies, was the concept of what I call “creative compound interest”. We all know that compound interest in the financial sense means that any interest added to the principal, then also earns interest. Acquiring new skills works the same way. The payoff is really small for a long time, and that can be extremely frustrating, but eventually, if you stick to the plan, you amass your “million dollars”. And the more you have in your account, the quicker you get there. It’s long term investing in yourself. And it works." from make + meaning

one of the hardest things about sharing in such a public space is the wish to be 'finished' and 'spectacular.' but i like trying new things, and i am very interested in a lot of different areas: knitting, sewing, fiberarts, embellishment, embroidery, etc. problem is, i'm not ALL that good at any of them, yet. and i know that i'll eventually find my niche(s). i've been working on this part of my life for at least ten years now, but never with a ton of steam- more as an outlet from time to time. but now, i'm starting to really have some fun.

...so, if i really want this to be a place to tell the story behind handmade treasures, i'm going to have to be okay with sharing me behind the scenes as i figure it out. this is all a long winded way of saying,

'hey- what i'm sharing today isn't necessarily awesome... yet.'

i guess creativity is a tension between an item being 'finished' and a process that goes on and on through lots of projects. so we have to be happy with the stops on the way. and i have challenged myself to be okay with that and enjoy the process, mistakes, and lessons learned.

i've been really into felt for about six months now, and i am finding it is such a versatile medium that i feel boundless in using it. which can be paralyzing! and totally fun! so i am telling myself to 'expect nothing' yet and just get to know it. here are a few things i have worked on:

(felt kits from fancy tiger.) (thanks, mom.)

i played with some felt a few nights ago and like the 'cable' look- will work on that some more.

i also bought some stuff that looks seriously like colored dryer lint. when i bunched it up and needle felted it, it made these really fun raised, dense bumps. fun! so i kept making them. i also tried 'braiding' my roving (see the purple far right.) fun as well, but need to work on that. see the mustard clump? yeah, i totally do not like that part! i am wondering if i stitched and beaded on top of this and cleaned it up a bit, if it might be a fun journal/album cover, or little clutch.

i made this with alison one saturday at my mom's house using her embellishing machine (so fun!) this one i think has the most promise- and i definitely want to make it into a envelope-style clutch.

on a side note, if you are wondering where stories of my mom went, it's because i am wondering where my camera went. it's here somewhere, buried under all the displaced home things around our place while we remodel. i feel okay taking photobooth pictures of my work but it would NOT do hers any justice!

but don't worry- i have SUCH a good story coming soon! :)

bucket brigade: toile embroidery

so, we are remodeling our place, and i don't have much time to blog but wanted to pass along what i found interesting and inspiring today.

image source

i was reading design*sponge during my lunch break and read all about embroidering on toile, in a way that modernizes such a traditional fabric pattern. i thought it was a really fun, refreshing idea. here is the original blog post, by Richard Saja.

image source

on a sidenote, i'm new to writing online, and i'm not sure if i am following blog etiquette. i've referred back to places i've visited, but i hope that richard saja is okay with me also using his photo to link to his site.

update: "Hi Maura, Thanks for the mention...I expect people to take images from my blog - - it's just nice to know where to look when it happens so thank you for pointing me in the direction of your blog. Best, Richard"

there, i feel better. :)

weaving deeper meaning into tapestries

five years ago, i went to turkey on a tour of biblical sites.

one day, we visited a turkish carpet school.

we were led all through the compound, told all about the carpet-making process.

basketfuls of silk cocoons rested until they were made into strands of silk.

near a giant spinning wheel, an array of hand-dyed wool waited to be used in one carpet or another. the richness and variety of colors amazed me.

above the weavers, specific colors used in their carpets hung in queue for their moment in the pattern.

in this open air 'studio', weavers quietly focused on their pieces. i was intrigued by the color, texture, and fine craftsmanship i witnessed as the guide explained the traditional designs the girls were following. this was a place for them to master various regional patterns known throughout turkey. who would have given so much thought to the rug beneath your feet?

as i watched, i noticed that each girl had a picture of the carpet she was making above her loom. this showed the rug in its completed design. this part amazed me the most: to glance at the picture and then downward at the work-in-progress. without the design above, it was nearly impossible to see where the weaver was going with her pattern.

at the time, i was so enthralled with the whole atmosphere, i didn't have time to think any deeper. but sometime later- maybe on the ride across the countryside, maybe back at home reviewing the pictures- i realized that there was a much, much deeper lesson about these carpets.

i don't have a picture of this one weaver's loom to share, but while i was there, i noticed one girl working on a carpet all in blacks and beiges. it was beautiful. but she had added a few rows of blood red that looked completely out of place. it practically ruined the entire 'look' of the rug. however, studying her pattern, it became obvious: red was the signature color of the carpet; it was the most integral part of the design. she had simply been working on the border that would 'hold' it all together.

isn't that a lot like life?

we're going along, thinking everything is going according 'to plan.' we have everything neatened up, the way we want it to go, and (more importantly) the way it's always been.

then, all of a sudden, something comes and messes the whole thing up.

sure- we try to go against the pattern. and it hurts- (it's no mistake these patterns are secured with double knots- especially the really good carpets- the knots are the tell-tale sign of quality.) without something really holding fast, it just looks like a good design- the beauty needs to be backed up with solid construction. so, we bend to this new direction, and soon become adjusted to the 'new' way of being.

it's only in hindsight that we can see how it all works together. how on the backside of the tapestry, all parts are woven into one. how there is a master plan that intended all those colors; in fact, they were all lining up in wait, ready to be incorporated together.

perhaps because it was 'blood red', i especially related this analogy to tragedy. the way tragedy transforms us, how it makes us who we are. and, how in tragedy, we cling to truth and peace and love- just like the knots cling to the grounding of the loom's fibers.

there is a master plan- there is a master weaver- and there is beauty in the design.

look at the turkish carpets throughout this post, and imagine them as a 'life.'

the borders of childhood and old age.

the busy-ness of the middle of life.

the transitions from childhood to adulthood (how stretching! how changing!)

and i can only guess it is the same from adulthood to old age.

and the beauty- of all those colors working together to make one unified design.

"That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning."

(Romans 8:28-29, The Message)

smell memory and chocolate chess pie.

my friend alison requested the recipe for my chocolate chess pie a few days ago.

chocolate chess pie is my favorite pie, and i love using my mom's recipe.

it's the best when warm, because it has a slightly crunchy, chewy, thin crust and a thick pudding-ish middle. it is so very simple to make. it would be perfect on a snowy day like this.

before it seems i'm just sharing a good recipe without a deeper story, consider this interesting quote about our sense of smell:

'Importantly, the olfactory cortex is embedded within the brain’s limbic system and amygdala, where emotions are born and emotional memories stored. That’s why smells, feelings and memories become so easily and intimately entangled, and why the simple act of washing dishes recently made Dr. Herz’s cousin break down and cry. “The smell of the dish soap reminded her of her grandmother,” said Dr. Herz, author of “The Scent of Desire.”' from the New York Times article, The Nose, An Emotional Time Machine

when i thought about making this blog, i wanted to include recipes. cooking is a craft for me. sometimes after a hard day at work, i love to come home and create something in the kitchen, focus my mind on something else besides the list of tasks. furthermore, there is definitely something about those familiar family foods. we smell those dishes cooking and we are instantly connected to the times before (even often into childhood) that we shared that dish.

so, enjoy this recipe. if you're afraid to make a pie, just buy the pre-made pie crust dough at the store- the actual pie is super easy.

Chocolate Chess Pie

Combine:

1 1/2 C sugar

5 TBS cocoa

2 TBS flour

1/4 tsp salt

Add 1/2 C evaporated milk.

Beat in 3 eggs one at a time.

Add 1/3 C cooled melted butter and 1 tsp vanilla.

Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake @ 325 for 50-60 min.

Mom says, "serve with ice cream to cut the richness."

(thanks mom, for sending me the recipe.)