others to join the party

i'm running out of all the pretty scraps, but i still managed to make two more pins. yesterday i was making felt for the backs and got some pin mechanisms. so all 6 of the pins are ready to go. one of them is for keeps, the yellow one; it's my 1st and favorite.

i'm not sure if i'll hold onto them for the trunk show or put them up on etsy. if i make many more perhaps i'll do both. i guess that means creating new cushions so i can stockpile scraps.

i like using tulle in each one, it makes them feel light and it adds another dimension. they kind of remind me of little hats one would wear in the past.

to give an idea of their size, here i am holding my favorite:

and the second part

the pin branch of pincushion came about while i was thinking of something to create for the smaller budget. what is more fun then pins? i know i've got quite a few in my jewellery box.

i love funky, bright, cushy pins. and this was an excellent way to use up the bits of fabric that were too small to incorporate into the pincushions but too big to go into the itty bitty fiber scrap bag. (yes, i organize my scraps; thread scrap, yarn scrap, itty bitty 5mm or less fabric scrap, and small fabric scrap)

for these pins i used buttons, sequins, beads, feathers, tulle, and both the small fabric scrap and the itty bitty fabric scrap. it was really fun to be so free. just choose the scrap, sew it onto a puffy pillow form stuffed with bamboo fiber and away you go. a snip here and there for length, but generally working with the shape of the scrap. i think they're really cute! power to upcycling!

diversifying

think of it as a family tree; from one word pincushion grows two, cushion and pin. i've been working on the cushion part for a week or two. it kind of started from creating too large of a pincushion patchwork, and not wanting to trim, i decided to expand.

it had been mentioned to me a little bit ago that i would be better off creating cushions, and for awhile i put the thought aside. there were several issues relating to this decision; i don't like large scale, i don't want something too busy, and also being able to use my bits and scraps of fabric wouldn't work if i had to make larger blocks. but, i did not forget this idea, i just needed time to ruminate on it until i thought of something that worked for me. then along came the too-big piece colliding with recent research of the selvedge magazine kind, and voila! a cushion.

working along the same lines of the pincushions, of being kind to the environment, i used kokka's organic cotton for the back, and kapok for the filler. kapok is an environmentally friendly fiber obtained from the seed pod of the kapok tree. it has a nice fluff and lightness to it very similar to down.

i've since made two, and have no interest in stopping. so expect to see more in the future.

just a peek...

...at what i've been up to. it's in the cushion genealogy. quite a bit larger than the pincushions. i'll post more photos when i've figured out a nice locale to shoot them in.

furniture and accessories

i've finally got around to purchasing the table for the living room. it's very much in the rococo style; all of the gilding and curls as well as the marble top are excessively over the top, it's great. i felt the need to tie it together with a rug from the heather ross fabric collection mendocino, the colors work well in the room and it anchors the furniture. the cork-like blob with the fuchsia pillows are individual seats that i'm thinking of using as chairs for the table; but until i find a painting for the wall behind them they're staying there to fill the space.

another addition is two chairs for the kitchen, painted green. i'm not 100% set on the white cushions, i may change them out for a stained cork. they weren't painted the day i bought them, but i can't leave well enough alone and the kitchen needed another color besides the blue. i took the green from the print hanging by the window. i also made curtains for the kitchen windows, very simple but bringing in the green again.

several days ago i made a table lamp for the little girls room. it's an adorable starfish bead that was yelling at me to make it into a lamp when i spied it in the bead store. it's a nice touch to the room; it lends itself to the modern theme i'm going with.

real life banner

i was asked a little while ago to be in a local trunk show. so, knowing i needed to be prepared i've been researching craft show photos and tips. one of the first things i realized was that one should have a banner to grab attention and identify your wares.

i got started by sketching out some ideas, creating a font, and choosing fabrics. i thought it would be nice to include a scalloped border in reference to this blogs header, as well as using fabric in the design as that is what the pincushions are about. luckily i bought some material at a basement sale that was exactly what i had in mind; a natural oatmeal colored linen.

so this week i've been drawing, cutting, ironing, cutting and ironing once more. i like how it turned out. now i have to figure out how to hang it on the table cloth. magnets, pins, velcro all come to mind. more thinking is necessary.

yuki 7

this fake title sequence is amazing! it's like watching an early 007 film merged with samurai jack, but done with so much flair and such aesthetic eye candy. i wish they really would make a film, or at least an animated short.
it's titled a kiss from tokyo and is incredible; for a film that's only a few minutes long, animator stephane coedel and creator kevin dart pack in suspense, intrigue, espionage, action, drama, deception, gun battles, and car chases. and i must say, the costumes are wonderful! especially the dress pictured above.

treasury numero dos

treasuries look like fun things, they're definitely helpful when looking for new creative finds. i just don't think i could make one; there are too many nice things on etsy to narrow it down to just a few. plus it seems like a game of timing and stalking. not so much fun to me.

luckily though, that doesn't stop anyone else from making them. i've been added into a lovely treasury, and it's very exciting when someone likes your work enough to include you.

coral colors

i like the print and color combination of this pincushion a lot; even though it's not overly complicated in design, quite simple really. it features some of my favorite textile designers, heather ross with her mendocino line, and an australian artist that works in water based inks and organic hemp, umbrellaprints. the softness of this particular color is very soothing, and it's warm without being too bright.

this is the largest pincushion i've made to date; it's too large for my scale actually and so i haven't listed it yet. i had to move my pincushions from the drawer i was keeping them in as i ran out of room.

a little bit further

the bathroom is coming along nicely; all it really needs is that little piece of plumbing that would make it usable. what is that thing called? um, a sink? no, have one of those. a bathtub? seeing as it's called a bathroom? nope, criteria met. oh. a toilet, that would be nice. still working on it; it's incredibly difficult to buy a single piece of the bathroom trinity in the dollhouse world. they won't sell you just the sink, or just the toilet. no, you must purchase all three.

so instead of dealing with the issue of acquiring a toilet, i've instead chosen to focus on finishing details. like, a bright floor mat that matches the grass green of the wallpaper, and making a wooden bath mat for the tub. i'm wondering if i should stain the wood to match the stool? but then it may disappear into the flooring, as the colors are very similar. hm, another quandary to contemplate.

purses, pincushions, fabric, oh my!

i adore and am constantly being inspired by the creative work of australian artist tara badcock. her pieces are not only quite aesthetic, tactile, and gorgeous, but entirely useful as her talent takes the form of pincushions, tea cozies, purses, and pillows. her embroidery pieces are divine, excellently crafted and oftentimes bare a deeper meaning of complex social and world issues that affect her.
i've had a photo of a colorful and zany pincushion she created saved on my computer for quite some time, and finally decided to ask the artist if she still had it. luckily for me, she did, and we struck up a wonderful series of conversations. ultimately this led me to acquiring not one, but two of her lovely pieces! i was also able to feed my fabric stash with many soft and cozy cuts of wool from waverley woollen mills of australia.

as you can see, it wasn't long before meiko decided she was going to help me sort. actually, help may not be the right verb here; sabotage or hide may be more apt.