stitching together

well, i decided to go ahead and just do some simple stitching on the mini quilt to finish it. there really weren't any disastrous needle incidents; besides the moment i sewed my thumb, but luckily there was no loss of blood involved.

i quite like the rippling texture, it's very much like viewing the crops lined up in fields while one is in a plane overhead. the backside came out okay, but not really photo worthy. i decided to create the whole piece by hand sewing; it's so small as to be a completely accomplishable task.

will i do another one? i'm not really sure, perhaps not anytime soon. but there is a stack of wheat and lavender fabrics i've been collecting.

a comfortable journey

as i look at the calendar and see the date draw nearer to the day i travel to japan, it brings to mind the length of time of one of my flights; the longest one. and i wonder how on earth i shall survive traveling in a cramped airplane for 14 hours let alone the entire 34 hours it will take to get there from here. but then i say to myself, "is this not better than that one road trip that lasted 50 hrs with only stops at mcdonald's and short naps at the rest area to go on?". and then i realize, it will be okay.

but it would definitely be easier if i had a few comforts. such as a neck pillow, ear plugs, and a wonderfully soft eye mask. made with love of course. using some nani iro double gauze cotton, some satin, a funky elastic, and a self made pattern drawn up on tracing paper, this eye mask was an easy project.

what necessities do you bring with you on a long trip?

nice and cosy

while working on one of the tutorials, i was inspired to create a case for my macbook. the color combination and fabrics were too nice together to pass up. plus, i was able to incorporate some of my nani iro stash. yum.

which reminds me, i must stock up on nani iro while i'm in japan this fall. yet one more reason to be uncontrollable excited.

the case is so soft, it's padded and has a flannel lining. every time i have to sew in a zipper it gets a little easier. i came across this really ingenious way of attaching a zipper; and i have to say it worked marvelously!

show me

tutorials are educational, clear tutorials with awesome photos even better. at the request of a fellow flickr contributor i am working on a couple of tutorials for her website, charm stitch. these will be pouches, coin purses, makeup brush bags, etc. it's all really exciting.

laura sent me some fat quarts of fabrics she's featuring, as well as some cording, and two beautiful nani iro buttons. if there's anything i love more, it's fabric.

with the rain we've had the last few days, i haven't really been able to work on them. but today the skies cleared, i had time on my hands, and the sewing gods were in my favor. i just sent over the tutorial for a pleated pouch i finished today, so we'll see how it goes.

golden skies

the cocoons of the curricula moth are really fantastical; they've such a golden hue, it's simple mesmerizing to look at. they could've been spun from pure gold.

i incorporated a piece of a cocoon into my latest fiber pin, it's very lovely against the dupioni silk and aqua hues. i really enjoy making these pins, the yummy bits and pieces of cloth, a restrained color palette, working with different pleats and folds.

in the works

here's a snapshot of something i'm working on right now. two of my favorite textiles; nani iro, and linen. if the weather holds out i will be able to post photos tomorrow.

in other news, my trip to japan is progressing nicely. i'm learning more japanese almost daily as i commute the two hours to and from work five days a week. after breezing through survival phrases, i realized i would need to know more than how to order food, find lodgings, shop, and ask for a rest room; so i've started listening to the beginner lessons.

pretty polly

echo needed a new frock for the holidays. and as i have been neglecting the poor little sprite i felt it was time to make her one. i had some small scraps left of the nani iro coururiere fabric, even after these three projects i have still a tiny bit more.

drawing inspiration from the dress i spoke of yesterday, i went about cutting and sewing. there were some moments i had to pick up my seam ripper, but after some time a finished garment was made. luckily i was done minutes before i had to head out the door to work.

i love this color against her skin. it's really soft but bright; the salmon goes wonderfully with her skin and face tones, she really warms up as her current hair is like corn silk and makes her quite pale. all she needs is maybe a pretty bauble and she can be off to enjoy winter solstice.

pin it to me!

after this last month i've finally regained some of my creative equilibrium. i sat down and sewed two pins yesterday, and i have to say they're both lovely little wisps of fabric.

on the shores is a pin reminiscent of cotton candy, and summer days spent among blossoming trees. i used a bit of the scraps from my party dress, the nani iro coururiere fabric, and one of my vintage pink rhinestone buttons for some bling.

melted jelly beans is a multi hued sparkly take on the piece of fabric i used in my strawberries from space pincushion. it's so yummy, that fabric; sadly i can't recall who made it or where i purchased it. with the print as inspiration this pin called for sequins and lots of them.

i've listed both pins on etsy, so if you're interested...

as to why it's looking a little bare bones on my etsy storefront, it's because some of my work is now available for purchase at shopscad in savannah.

a dress for the party

well, in my convalescence i was able to finish the dress i started a month ago. i'm really very thrilled, a lot of it was hand stitching, with some machine stitching along the skirt and waist connection. i was inspired when i saw the above photo in vogue a couple of months ago. the print reminded me of the nani iro coururiere fabric, and i thought "i can do this...but not this short".



surprisingly, it turned out just as i had imagined when i started. the sash is a piece that i made during metals casting, i used the lost wax method; it's of an ammonite. the ribbon is in one of my favorite colors, chartreuse. overall it's a very bright dress, i love it. i have a wedding to go to next summer and i'll wear this, as well as my birthday next month.

looks like sorbet

i've started work on the dress that i bought the nani iro coururiere fabric for. the bodice is all pinned, i just need to pick up thread that matches the scrumptious salmon pink. it just so happens that i was also working on a cushion yesterday that could really use some of that fabric, so it kind of kick started my actions.

i made this one shorter, much more a long rectangle than the previous ones. this size is good, it's about 9.5" x 16". i'm really enjoying all of the linen material that i bought from variegated, the variety and differing thicknesses of the weave are incredibly nice.

the nani iro fabric is really very incredible, when you just have small sections of the greater piece all of the little details like the lace, dots, and hems are quite beautiful. the creative possibilities in this one print are numerous.

nani iro goodies

whilst browsing through vogue i came across a photo of a really neat dress that reminded me of a nani iro fabric, her coururiere print. i figured i could make a similar dress which embodied the vibe i got from the one in the photo and one which fit me and my taste.

as i hunted down the fabric from her 2008 line, i also saw a new (?) book of hers that looked very interesting. luckily i was able to order both from the same person.

first, i have to say the print is much brighter than in photos, and second, the paper used in the book is absolutely brilliant. the tooth of the cover is cold press, and the vellum like mini cover and inside sheets are almost luminous. as well as there being quite a few thing i would love to create.

this bag would be one, with the three different prints. another would be the really cute ruffled apron the lady on the left is wearing. oh, so frilly, but restricted frills.

i'm working haphazardly on the dress, pining when i have the desire. i think i may end up cutting the top from the skirt and working separately on them, only to reattach when done. photos will be forthcoming sometime in the next month or so. maybe this will be a birthday dress. i'm very excited!

a skirt for mary

while visiting with my friend in michigan we decided to try out a fabric store that i had come across in the pages of thread magazine, the material girls. what a wonderful assortment of fabrics! the owner even had several rolls of nani iro cloth. i was very excited! i purchased a quarter yard of one of her linen prints, fredonner un chanson in rose, as i could use each different color area in my pincushions. another print that i purchased was a lovely medium blue print with gold dots by a textile designer hinemosu notari. it's more of an upholstery weight material.

i talked my friend into getting a yard of the double gauze nani iro coururiere in shades of olive and indigo and with it i would make her a skirt. on previous viewings online i wasn't really thrilled with this print, but upon viewing it in real life i am very enchanted with it. there is such lovely details of pattern and gold embellishing, and the olive hue really has a nice lustre to it. i had also assumed that it was green and black, which is a shade that i don't care for at all. i was happily corrected of my assumption. my friend plans on wearing the skirt to a wedding in the fall.

a skirt with pockets

've been on a nani iro fabric collecting rampage. two yards of each one i love. that would be enough to make something such as a shirt or skirt or tunic. i hope.
one in particular i've been eyeing is the saaaa saaa in pink from the basic line. alas, but my hopes of having two yards were dashed against the boulders of procrastination; there was only one yard remaining for sale. but it would be enough for a skirt, so i went ahead and bought that last lonely yard.
it's strange what you miss when you don't have, and only to come to this realization when presented with what it is. pockets in skirts is one of these things. you live your life for years wearing skirts and then one day you purchase one with pockets; and suddenly you know that this is one luxury you can't do without.
so i used the selvedge from one side of the width for the waistband, reinforcing it with a narrow grosgrain ribbon, created pockets, attached the lining, and installed the zipper. which took longer to attach properly then the time that was used to sew the rest of the skirt. one day zipper, one day i will conquer the likes of you! and in the end i have a light and airy new skirt to wear in the coming toasty months. one with pockets.

double gauze and nani iro

of all of the fabric in my stash, i must say that my absolute favorites would be the ones from nani iro. they're soft, pretty in a most delicate way, cool, and make the best clothes. i want to collect as many yards as possible. i keep telling myself, "you need 2 yards to make an article of clothing, so figure that said article of clothing store-bought would be more than the cost of fabric, so suck it up and buy it already.", and then i put that on repeat in ones head.
at first i only bought quarter yards, then i bought half yards, now i'm at the full yard cut, so i'm hoping that the next time i purchase some i'll finally be able to get the needed two yards. as far as the rest of my collection? i really can't see wearing any of them as clothes. so that leaves one possible alternative, anyone up for some quilting?

creation

in order to maintain creative goodness to last through the upcoming holidays i have been making a list of stuff to create, adding to it as i go. in the last two weeks i've done:

knitted gauntlets
painted new miniature chair
boil felted wool
embellished purse
created a new shirt out of an old one
made a new skirt from nani iro fabric
sewn a cover for euro sham
made a small sketchbook portfolio containing loose paper

here's a sampling of photos of some of the above things. and a photo of my desk during the creative process. it becomes a wreak of strewn things from books, to sketches of ideas, and receipts.



absolutely love this yarn, it was a dream to work with. it didn't unravel even though i had to pull out my stitches at least three times, the softness is similar to organic cotton and the dye lot is amazing. i want three more skeins of it.