Color Me Cool

Today was an interesting day.  The DC area was hit with a tremendous storm yesterday that knocked power out for 1.5 million people.  Our house was affected, though we were pretty lucky that much of the surrounding area was not, so we were able to hit the library and some restaurants.  We were also lucky that our power came back on tonight after only 17 hours.  Many will not be so lucky.  Adding to the misery are the current temps near 100 degrees.  And it's only June.  Sigh.

While I was spending my low-tech day catching up on some magazine reading I came across an interesting ad which I had to wait for power to check out.  Sherwin Williams has a new feature called Chip It! which allows you to create a customized paint chip card based on any image.   Here's how it works.

First, you have to install the Chip It! button on your tool bar (drag and drop, simple).  Then, when you come across an image on the internet that you like (or on your own computer) you click on the Chip It! button and roll over the image.  A chip card will be generated based on the colors in the picture.  Here are some examples on some of my previous blog pictures.

Couple this with the internet's current sweetheart Pinterest and you could really have some fun.  Last week my monthly sewing guild's program was all about color, and I think this might be a great way of creating a color scheme for sewing projects based on images that are pleasing to one's eye.  Try this one out for yourself.  It's easy and free.

I hope wherever you are that you are cool and comfortable (or warm and cozy).  Tonight I have much to be grateful for.  An extra special thanks to all of the hard-working storm crews who are getting my city back on the grid.  And the fire fighters in this country who are working overtime to combat all of the natural disasters.  I wish all of them an extra dose of cool and comfort tonight.

Pot Holders, Pinchers and More

Several weeks ago I was contacted by the publisher of a new sewing book by Chris Malone, Potholders, Pinchers & More, offering a complimentary copy for me to review on my blog.  Last year I participated in a blog tour sponsored by this same group for their book Purses, Bags & More, so I knew that the books they produce are really excellent.  This one is no exception.

The book contains 20 projects that are grouped into eight coordinated sets.  These kitchen helpers are great projects for using up small bits of fabric from your stash, and can be customized to match any decor.

When I review a book, I like to "test drive" one of the projects to see how the instructions function in a real-world setting.  I had a hard time choosing which pot holder I wanted to make.  Then I remembered three pieces of fabric that I bought at a little quilt shop called the Scrappy Apple in Winchester which were nearly identical to the fabrics used for the red flowered pot holder above.  Here's my version.

This little project was super quick to make.  In fact, it's got me thinking about replacing all of the ugly/burned/worn out pot holders currently residing in my kitchen.  These would also make great hostess gifts, especially when coordinated to the recipient's kitchen.  Most of the supplies you will have on hand in your sewing room, with the possible exception of the insulated batting material (Insul-Brite) used inside. 

This book is published by DRG under its House of White Birches brand and can be purchased online from Clotilde.  Having now reviewed two books by this label, I can share with you what appears to be their consistent strengths.  The books are beautiful to look at.  They are full of detailed colored pictures of the projects.  The instructions are well-written and illustrated, and all of the necessary patterns are included.  In a world where clear, concise instruction isn't always easy to find, these books are shining examples of how to do it right.

I really love that chicken oven mitt.  I have a secret penchant for chickens and dream of one day filling a farmhouse kitchen with their image (and my backyard with the real thing).  Until then I think I'll have to find just the right fabric for this one and put it in my hope chest.

Hari-kuyo, A Book for Broken Needles

A few weeks ago I signed up for Susan Elliott’s online class, The Hari-kuyo Needlebook Course.   Susan does a great job explaining Hari-kuyo, the Japanese Festival of Broken Needles on her blog.   This cultural festival lays to rest the needles broken during service each year.  Susan has designed a resting place for, not only our working needles, but those that are broken, until they can be disposed of.  I’ll share with you some pictures of my book along with some thoughts about the project and the class.

For the class, Susan provided optional kits for those who wanted them.  Seeing that my current mantra is use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without, I chose to come up with my own supplies.  My husband and his family lived in Japan for a number of years, and my father-in-law continued to work in Asia for many more years.  I have been the fortunate recipient of LOTS of lovely Asian fabrics that I knew would work well for this project.  I began with a piece of cotton ikat that I purchased some years ago from Susan McCauley with Mekong River Textiles.  From there I developed my color-way by combining vintage kimono scraps with Asian-inspired quilting cotton.  For the inner felt pages I turned to my supply of felted wool.  I found a particularly appropriate piece to house the broken needles:  a small scrap from my late father’s sweater (which I blogged about previously here and here).  I love that above that piece I embroidered, “Broken but not forgotten”.  With my supplies at hand I was ready to start the class.

Susan’s materials were first rate.  The class was broken down into 5 lessons, each with a different topic for the day which Susan would post on a private blog.  The materials included written instructions in PDF format along with lots of clear pictures as well as videos showing exactly how to accomplish the steps.  Susan’s videos were really great.  Her speaking voice is pleasant and easy to understand, and her photography very clear.

FRONT COVER

BACK COVER

For this project we did ribbon embroidery, floss embroidery, machine stitching and 3D flower making.  I really enjoyed every step, and now I can’t wait to use my new needlebook!  With all of the hand embroidery I've been doing lately, I think it will get some use.

Alabama Chanin, Part II

On Thursday night I took the Metro into DC to hear Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin speak at the Textile Museum.  I got so much more from the evening than I bargained for.

Natalie is a warm and engaging speaker.  She began by telling the audience that she likes to “speak from her heart” and encouraging everyone to ask questions along the way.  Her story-telling was accompanied by a slide show of pictures from her various collections as well as her books.  I found it particularly exciting to see pictures from her third book, due out in 2012.  That book will include a number of new techniques for embellishing garments, things like couching and ribbon embroidery with a decidedly Chanin style.  I can’t wait.

all photos by Alabama Chanin

Natalie covered her very interesting background and how she came to be where she is now in her business as well as why she has chosen to share her techniques and supplies through her books and online store.  As I said in my previous post about this designer and her company, I am inspired by her story as much as I am by her work, and I was so pleased to hear her talk about it in her soft Southern voice.  Her desire to remove the “elitist” label that her clothes sometimes wear by sharing how home sewers can make their own, and even providing kits to do just that, really illustrates what a down-to-earth big heart she has.

So, that’s a synopsis of what I expected to get out of the evening, and Natalie didn’t disappoint (she made me want to come home and start a new project immediately).  But I received an even bigger gift that night.  When I sat down next to two women (a mother-daughter pair, as it turns out) the daughter, Linda, commented on the skirt I was wearing and a lively discussion ensued.  It turns out that Linda, an artist and knitter, loves Natalie Chanin, too.  She very much wants to learn how to make some of Natalie’s clothes, especially the little skirt I was wearing.  Her mother, Barbara, is the sewer of the pair, and Linda is hoping that between the two of them they can pull off her desire.   Barbara and I seemed to know all of the same people and visit the same websites (we’ve probably even sat through some of the same classes at the Sewing Expo).  I told Linda I am planning to go to Alabama for one of Natalie’s workshops in November and encouraged her to do the same, to learn from the experts and have her hand held along the way.  We continued our lovely new friendships after the lecture and the entire way home on the Metro, and I feel like I met two kindred spirits that night.  Those of you out there in various sewing circles will know what I mean when I say that there is an immediate familiarity and kinship when you meet others who speak your language and who “get you”.  I came home from that lovely evening with a warm feeling, grateful for new friends and inspiration.  Grateful also for this God-given talent that has brought me so much joy, allowed me to give back (or pay forward) and has brought so many wonderful people into my life.

And, to all of you creative friends out there, thanks for sticking with me as I settle into my new summer schedule of boy watching (my little boys, that is).  I am still committed to posting twice per week though the days may not be as regular as I would like (nor will my creative time be as regular as I like, either).  On Tuesday I will be posting details about and pictures of the skirt I made from Alabama Stitch along with a little tutorial on making fabric roses from t-shirt fabric.

Betz White Birdhouse Workshop: A Review and Results

“Virginia Springtime”

I just finished a really fabulous online workshop with Betz White.  She taught me how to make one of her darling felted birdhouses complete with resident bird.  I have to tell you that I loved every minute of this course.  Betz posted new instructions, with video and lots of beautiful inspiration, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for two weeks.  I could hardly wait until the next set of instructions arrived.  Each day when Betz’s post would arrive I would drop everything and work on my birdhouse.  I found this project rewarding for lots of reasons:  felt is so lovely and forgiving to work with, the time and materials commitment was small, the creative possibilities were endless, the end result so darned cute! 

Here are a few things I learned along the way.  I hope some of these ideas will help you think and problem-solve creatively in whatever project you are working on.

I had plenty of raw materials to work with, seeing as how I hoard fabric including felted wool and sweaters.  But while I was working on the embroidery using some silk ribbon, I discovered I didn’t have the color I wanted. I thought about taking a piece of white ribbon and coloring it with a marker but then I had the better idea of dyeing it with koolaid. I’ve done this quite a bit and it works really great for both silk and wool. And it is safe and super easy. From the time the idea came into my head to completion took me (literally) less than 5 minutes. I took a small glass jar and put about ½ cup water in it and added roughly ½ packet of lemonade (unsweetened) koolaid powder. I submerged the ribbon and put it in my microwave. It took less than 2 minutes of cooking to achieve the shade I wanted (wool usually takes a little longer). I rinsed and hung the ribbon up to dry. This is a bit of a random science so you might need to experiment (NOTE: start with a small amount of koolaid powder and work up; the yellow I used required quite a bit for a darker color but most DON'T!) Here are a couple of links that will show you the various colors you can achieve with different koolaid flavors:  knitty and wrappedrocks.  The ribbon embroidered flowers with blue beading on the sides of the house were inspired by this photo, taken in my yard.

The next challenge presented itself with the fabric I wanted to use for the leaves on the roof.   I had previously over-dyed some black and white wool pieces with green dye in various colors.  During the dyeing process the wool did not felt very much and I was concerned that it would ravel when I cut it.  I first thought of edging each leaf with Fray Block (that would have been tedious).  Instead, I used my needle felting embellisher to felt each little piece more fully (no pun intended).  This worked great and had the added bonus of adding a soft, fuzzy quality to the pieces of wool.  So, if you’ve got a piece of wool that just won’t felt using conventional methods, try some needle felting.

The stitching on the bird’s wing represents forsythia, spring’s harbinger.  When I discovered that the back side of the stitched wing was going to be visible once applied to the bird, I fused another fabric on the back, and ended up loving that little print peaking out.

But the most joy I got from this project was the realization, toward the end, that I have really “loosened up” with my creativity.  There was a time when I would have cut each leaf for the roof with a pattern.  This time I free-hand cut each one; after all, nature’s variety is what makes it so special.  I also free-hand stitched all of the elements and embraced any and all diversity.  Each stitch in this project was made by hand, something I am turning to more and more these days.  Working by hand really allows me to feel what needs to be done to a project, something I think is missing when I sit at the machine. 

I’ve already sketched out and made notes on three other birdhouse ideas, each celebrating a different season.  This really was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve done in a long time.  I really recommend trying one of Betz’s workshops if you get the chance.  She has such a nurturing and kind teaching style, and all of her projects are so appealing.  Since she lives locally to me I am hoping that one day I can attend a live workshop; I’m betting she is even better in person.