Tag Archives: yarn

Sep23

My Love for Buttons

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When I read a post by one of my WordPress friends,  “you hand-made me happy,” it triggered a memory of my grandmother who implanted in me a love for buttons, and fabric.  When I was eleven years old, my grandma started teaching me how to sew, and of course if you sew, you need buttons.  I quickly learned to adore fabric, and the buttons that went with it.

As time wore on, I not only made fabulous knockoffs from the high-end department stores for myself, I began making clothes for some of my mothers friends who had trouble finding clothes to fit.  I don’t ever remember getting paid for this service, but I’m sure I was.

Today I have a large stash of fabric, and I rarely sew, but every time I see a fabric I can’t live without, I must have it.   Not sewing any longer is in part due to my machine being an old Viking that I inherited from my mother after her passing, it has a short in it that apparently can’t be fixed,  and in part due to lack of really decent fabrics being available.  I’m sure there must be fabric shops that carry really nice fabrics, but I have yet to find one locally.

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Buttons….well what can I say about buttons.  I love putting them in my art, and on my clothes.  Not too far from where I live we have a high-end yarn shop that has a fairly good assortment of custom buttons, and most of them  are to die for.  Those buttons can range from a few dollars to over twenty dollars a button, and they are fabulous.  To be honest their yarn is so fabulous, I have gone in to look, and left with close to $100. in yarn.  Not skeins of yarn, small amounts of different specialty yarns to put into my art.

You guessed it…we artists are just a little crazy, off kilter, and unique!

True everyone has their own style, but I get my inspiration from the most unexpected places.  Am I off kilter…..you bet, and how can I complain about that when that’s exactly what makes me who I am.   My mind is always turning, thinking about creating something.   Maybe it could be a painting, a collage, assemblage, or a story.

How about you?  What triggers you to do things a little crazy, and unique?  Tell us, we’d all love to hear about it.

Thank you for taking time to read my post,  have a great day, and tell me about the things that you love!

Jul31

Thursdays Time out for Art…

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Inspired by Zebra Designs & Destinations, this is my final post for the month of July…..

 

Sage's hand made doll.

Sage’s hand made doll.

My Granddaughter Sage recently spent a couple of days with us, and while she was here she asked to make a doll.  Shamefully, I purchased the muslin doll at Michael’s, and Sage picked out the buttons she insisted needed to be the eyes, the jewel nose, and I found the heart in my stash  for the “Heart!”  I had bought hair at her request, and misplaced it, so I found the yarn for hair in my stash.  Since I was unable to find clothes to buy, I sent her home with a doll without clothes for her mother to find!

Isn’t it wonderful being a Mixed Media artist, and saving all the things that speak to you, and then just when you need it most – looking through all the stuff – you find the perfect yarn for hair, or a perfect red heart to place on the chest of a special doll?  Pulling out my trusty glue gun, a needle, and embroidery thread…..it all came together!

Sep24

The Continuing Saga

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The Continuing Saga

As many of you know, I’ve been working on a weaving with pods I scavenged  from my friend Barbara’s garden.  This has definitely challenged me, since everything I thought I world do, hasn’t worked out quite like planned!  Photos of the project here and there along the way  seem to help just so  I could  see  what it looked  like  from a different perspective,  and how much progress is being made.  When I see a picture of something I’m  working on, it’s like looking at it through someone elses eyes, and many times it becomes much clearer as to what needs to be done.  This has worked favorably  for me in the past, and hopefully it did  again!

Maybe it was the colors chosen, maybe the textiles, maybe even the pesky pods, but it’s been really difficult getting into this project.  It’s a challenge that is much-needed for me  to grow, and I won’t let it go!  What I’ve learned from past projects is this;  it’s usually the colors that aren’t speaking to me!  I’m really a warm color person, and many of my creations are with rusts, yellows, gold, and then I splash some cool color into the project just to give it life, and interest.  This time it’s the opposite, because I’ve used  all cool colors, and they  are having trouble getting their point across.  It’s similar to when the cat sits and Meows at you, and you have no idea what  the “bleep” he could possibly want!

The better part of Saturday was spent playing with textures, colors, yarns, ribbon, foil, and anything else I could think of.  At some point I have to wonder if another artist is needed just to stop the insanity!  After so many layers of really just about everything, finally it started to pull together, and I think, no I know I’m definitely I’m finished!

Have you ever started a project that was a huge challenge, and you almost wished you hadn’t started it?  Did you keep on going!  Or, did you toss in the towel, and decide your time was better spent on something really enjoyable?  There isn’t any right or wrong way to handle this, we each reach our finish lines in our own way!  I personally really dislike it when something I start is getting the better of me, and sometimes, but rarely do I allow it to win!  Those times when I won’t let it go, are the times I sleep less, lay awake more, wake up exhausted, and dig in once again.  This kind of thing could go on for way too long, and it’s every mans guess who will win!

All in all, I did have fun playing with it, but I don’t think I’ll be working  with pods anytime soon!

Sep18

Let’s Talk About That Sharp Left Turn Again!

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Let’s Talk About That Sharp Left Turn Again!

In my post last Thursday, I spoke about how if a project isn’t flowing like I expected, I’d make a Sharp Left Turn, and keep going!     I don’t believe in mistakes, only opportunities to be more creative!     But every once in a while something happens and, the project makes me wonder if it’s worth the effort or the agony…

I’ve worked with these darn pods for over four days now, and after getting more of the green pods, I decided to soak them in water, an attempt to keep them soft! Good idea or not, here’s what happened…..

These “green” pods that caught my eye last week sat in water, and hardened.     Can you believe it?     Instead of getting pruny like I would if I were left in water for a day and a half, they called my bluff, and started to get tough and dried out feeling.     I have been working with them to see if in an attempt to prevent them from getting the better of me, I could do something with them.     I’m determined to win this game!     It just occurred to me I might just as well use green beans, even the tough, old beans are more flexible than the green pods.   I wonder what the green beans would look like dried, or if they would draw ants?     Would they resist being used in an art project, or would they rise to the occasion, and become elegant, royal looking green beans worthy of an art project such as this?

Finally my thought process was;   if I put the pods on a canvas, cover it with burlap, maybe it would give them the message that they were not going to escape being the object of an art weaving, and maybe it would help me see where I need go with this!     The other day, I purchased three colors of burlap thinking, “Organic.” I bought dark brown, light green, and a wheat colored neutral.     All beautiful, but I had thought the green would be perfect, and it turned out there wasn’t enough contrast!     Remember, “It’s the journey!”    I’m now leaning to the dark brown for contrast.     What do you think?

Originally, I thought of just weaving the pods all alone by themselves, but as I worked with them, I’m  realizeding they needed to be beaten into submission if I wanted to use them at all!     Next, I thought of using wool roving and dry felting them so they would stay in place, but after running the needles through my finger, I’m not so sure! Then maybe using other fabrics such as yarn, or gauze?     I’m going back and forth on this, all the time wondering if it’s worth the effort?    Again it occurred to me that, “It’s the journey!”     I’m thinking this only applies if the journey is going well!     You can see why I’m wondering if it’s worth it!

By nature I rarely let things get the better of me, whether it’s figuring out the use of electronics, creating art, or reading a book that isn’t holding my interest.     I usually finish what I start!     Problems simmer in the back of my mind until around three in the morning, when an idea or solution   awakens me, and  won’t allow me to return to sleep!     This hasn’t happened as yet with the pods, I’m trying to conquer them before they conquer me!

Have any of you worked with pods in this way?     I’m finding them not as easy as I thought originally, these are actually kind of a pain!     But I love pods, and  pick them up regularly! Read the rest of this entry →