PROGRESS REPORT 33

A L I S A

I really love combining techniques in creating my puppets and dolls. I am currently working on a budgie doll and decided I wanted to weave the wings. I've used a sewing ham to secure the warp and then packing the weave tightly to create a woven shape. I really love that I can create these types of shapes. 

J E N N E

Heading into Autumn, feeling the need to make some warm woolies for everyone.  Wool socks are a necessity and not cheap, but somehow over the years I have amassed a stash of quite a lot of sock yarn and it makes more sense to just make them this year.   Its the first time I have made socks completely from math and measurements and though they look pointy they fit my kid better than any other socks I have made for myself from a pattern.  I love this time of year, the slowing down and working on home projects and turning a bit inwards, it suits my hermit-y craft pursuits.  

PROGRESS REPORT 31

A L I S A

I've been working on a bunch of stuff lately. Some weaving (you can see some of it in the background of this picture), prepping for some cool classes I'll be teaching starting in a few weeks and dolls. The dolls have paper heads and I use weaving, hand-sewing, crochet and embroidery for the bodies. I'm trying to add some birds and reptiles to the bunch. I'm also thinking of making some of them into hand-puppets.

J E N N E

Aaannnd we are back!  It has been a record hot summer in the Pacific Northwest and we moved back here right in the middle of it - it has been great for starting some dyeplants in the garden to quickly harvest and dry to work with when the rain comes (and rumor has it thats tomorrow.)  I took a natural dyeing class from farm to field with Local Color Fiber Studio on Bainbridge Island a couple weeks ago in which we harvested from the dye fields in the morning and dyed in the studio in the afternoon.  I never really had the space to really get into dyeing anything until now in our new house, and this class renewed my intense love of playing with color and learning about what can be grown here in this usually short growing season.  Already planning next years dye garden in a borrowed plot, indigo and other things but for right now just cutting and keeping dahlias, marigolds and rudbeckia for days.  Heading out on a hike to look for hawthorne berries and oregon grape tomorrow, hoping to forage some to try too.  

PROGRESS REPORT 30

J E N N E

Playing with color in different mediums.  I love watercolor and unearthed some watercolor crayons to play with.  Drips and drabs, wet brush dry brush moving the paper around.  Not much to report this week except for more play!

A L I S A

I'm enjoying making theses dolls! I've pretty much finished the Cat. I was concerned that there was too much going on with all the different colours and textures and was assured by my friend and studio mate Frances that in fact the Cat needed perhaps a Peter Pan Collar or an Elizabethan Ruff - thank you Frances and you're right. I'll be working on finishing that soon! Now I'm working on the Rabbit. I'm thinking about ways to make stands for them as well. I would like them to be scrappy looking too and may use some wood scraps and dowel. I'm going to consult with my brother who is a talented cabinet maker to see what ideas he has. For now I'm having lots of fun!

PROGRESS REPORT 29

J E N N E

A reknitted/revision. I had this little vest along with me while traveling all of last month and realized my daughter is just growing too fast for my knitting, that I need to add another 3 inches at least to make it a "dressvest" as requested. But it "has to end with the pink and then the blue" so I found another ball of Noro Kureyon and unknit it and am now adding length with the green yarn. Its nice to have a constant companion of a project like this one while contemplating the new possibilities of moving north - new energy, new directions. How to incorporate the forest into craft? How to marry the same divine presence felt in a redwood circle to the effortless energy of weaving weft into warp?  How to keep learning, keeping your mind and your hands happy. Planning, reknitting, revisioning.  

A L I S A

I have been working on homework for my spinning class a lot lately - it's just that time of year. Anyway, it's not very exciting to photograph or talk about. It's very methodical and specific… I'm taking a little break with some more freeform stuff. Finishing making some dolls that I've had kicking around for awhile. I'm very excited about the combination of techniques and materials I'm able to use - paper, weaving, crochet and, likely, some fabric too. Here's a little peek of a siamese cat I'm making.

PROGRESS REPORT 20

A L I S A

I often get bogged down by what I "should" be doing during my studio time. This is very anti-Craftophilia and I'm glad when I can be reminded of the mandate that rules my creative life - Commit to Process. Sometimes, it does take a little push though. This one came from the necessity to create some "samples" for a class I'm going to be teaching in October on doll making. I'm no stranger to doll making as an art form - in fact it's something that I have thoroughly enjoyed in the past. I was a bit scared to do these samples because my doll making skills are rusty and I felt I no longer possessed the ability to get lost in the process. I over thought it. Then, I did it. I sat down and got lost in the process and it was great! And, I produced something that I love. So, please meet the Birds that Hang Around my Feeder - The Grackle, M. Cardinale, Woodpecker and Mama Jay.

J E N N E

Today is the Fall Equinox and I feel an itch to get back to working with wool, back to spinning, weaving and knitting and working with felt.  There seems to be a seasonality to what materials I tend to want to work with - this summer I have been on a major sewing and sashiko stitching jam (with some weaving and knitting) but now on this very overcast first day of Autumn I just want to cuddle up with some sheepy yarn.  In  the "inspiration comes from pretty much anywhere" department, I was stuck on what to do for my next weaving.  At first I wanted to try something monochromatic but as I was winding that warp I was not feeling it.  Then I thought maybe I will try to play with color in the weft but use a black and/or white warp.  Also did not feel it.  Not enough COLORS.  My jam is a kaleidoscope of colors.  Mixing it up, matching, contrasting, making crazy rainbows.  In the "this is not a tangent" department,  my jam for the month of September is the song "September" by Earth Wind and Fire.  Some people get into their pumpkin spice lattes or candles or whatever (sorry, not me) this time of year I have "September" on REPEAT at FULL VOLUME starting September 1st.  The video for "September" was posted to Sarah's Facebook wall this weekend which I was stoked to watch, singing along, digging in yarn bins in my studio and yes.  Inspiration can be totally like this.  Go watch it.   I am totally using gold metallic thread and this assortment of yarn and am so PSYCHED to make this weaving now.  

PROGRESS REPORT 9

A L I S A

My tubular weaving continues. I haven't painted the puppet heads yet, but I've finished making their bodies! I'm kind of obsessed with just making woven tubes. In fact, I've made so many of them they are starting to look "too nice"! You know, when you do something new, it might be a little weird or "off"? I like that - once you get good at something, it's starts to get nicer and more even and I always long for the "off" look of learning...

J E N N E

Drawing and cutting and sewing and redrawing and cutting and sewing and ripping out and repeat.  I hurt my arm this week in a fall, not too bad but enough to feel too nerve tingly-bruised to knit weave or hand sew so I dove deep back into patternmaking again.  Finished a redraft of the Endless Summer Tunic to reshape over my shoulders and lengthen into an Endless Summer Dress.  Cut out of muslin fabric and sewn and yes.  Ready to roll.  Finished my basic dress from Cal's Pattern Drafting course, this is the sleeve, last component, sewn together, fit, yes.  Two, no three patterns now to start sewing iterations of - the tunic and the two dresses.  

PROGRESS REPORT 7

J E N N E

Getting back to my handmade wardrobe.  I have several muslins going right now, testing different dress patterns to find a uniform in which to make a million iterations for every occasion.  None of them have been satisfying enough in fit to make "the one" so two weeks ago I started Cal Patch's Patternmaking Class on Creativebug to make a pattern to just fit me already.  I am halfway through that process (and it is MAGIC.  I have a bodice that actually FITS!)   I took a break from patternmaking this weekend to break out a new pattern to try and wow.  This is the Endless Summer Tunic, the first pattern from A Verb for Keeping Warm. I made one first too big then took a chance and made the smallest size and it fits perfect. Fabric is insane, something that has been in my stash forever, asymmetrical batik/shibori/bleach don't even know (lots going on) and silver dots printed over it.   So now I have a dress to wear while I finish my tunic from Cal's class.  So much closer to that handmade wardrobe.  

A L I S A

These are some doll/puppets that I'm working on - a Rabbit, a Goat and a Cat. I finished building the heads over the weekend and so now I have to paint them. I have to make a woven body for the Goat too. I'm totally into making these and am not quite sure how I'm going to display them. I kind of want to make shadow boxes for them and crochet and weave other stuff to jam in the boxes with them - not sure yet, we'll see.