TEXTiles.

Paper and Fabric. Two of my favorite things! I just learned that the word “text”, usually associated with the written word, is actually from a Latin word that means fabric.




I can’t wait to visit the exhibit of Isabelle de Borchgrave’s paper fashions at the Palace of the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco. She has recreated clothing that she has seen in paintings, only out of paper, instead of fabric.




Nothing like a pair of pink paper shoes to make me want to do some paper mache.

 Another costume related exhibit I’d love to visit….



This one is at the L A County Museum of Art. It is a collection of European clothing from 1700 to 1915.
Lots of embroidery! Another activity I would love to spend more time on.

Over the river and through the cacti.

One of the interior designers that I work for lives in Chular, 10 miles south of Salinas. It’s a beautiful drive to her house, so I enjoy making the trip once in a while. I always see scenes out her way that I think would be fun to paint, but usually forget to take my camera. Last time I didn’t forget and got some great photos. This little prickly pear patch is around the corner from her house.
I enjoyed working on this painting and am looking forward to carving out some more painting time.
The husband and I are in an informal book club with a few other couples and we just read Sweet Thursday, a follow up book to Cannery Row by Steinbeck. It was really fun to read the stories and colorful descriptions of the places so close to home. It feels more and more like I am driving through a painted landscape when I travel through the area.

From workshop to hilltop.

I just delivered these fun slipcovered chairs, and matching covers for 4 more chairs to an amazing house on top of a hill. (The picture was taken at my house.) When I saw all the nice built-in storage and a big roomy, airy kitchen with tons of cupboards, a huge island and a corner window seat, I said “Did you design your house?” and the answer was “yes”. All the beautiful, personal features gave it away.
I like the mixture of fabrics she chose. When the bolts first arrived, I wasn’t so sure, but I think they turned out really nice and fit with her house and décor really well. I have been seeing a lot of ikat lately. Anthropology has a lot of fun stuff in the “home” section right now. After doing some reading, I found out that it is made by tying and dyeing the threads before they are woven. I found a good blog post about the process here. As it says, most of the ikat we see is more likely a print made to look like ikat and not the real thing. Either way it makes a house feel homey, like there might be sheep grazing in the backyard, and homemade bread in the oven.

Working it out.

In the past I have been reluctant to do artwork because I want the finished product to be really good…something that I can be proud of, but I am starting to enjoy the actual process more. That is a good thing since I will never reach the point where I am happy with my work unless I practice.
It is so easy for me to be drawn in to sewing projects because I do so much of it and my sewing tools and space are always set up, but I will be trying to give equal time to art projects that don’t involve sewing.

A few nights ago I gathered up my colored pencils that I bought decades ago. I found them in various trays and boxes throughout the house. They have been used by my kids to color many geography maps, charts of the human body, and to color in pictures that they asked me to draw for them. Well, I decided that I needed to treat myself to a new set, and I did.They are beautiful and drawing is a lot more fun without the huge gaps in the color spectrum.

This drawing includes a doll dress that I bought from a fellow sew-person in town who has the best yard sales you can imagine. I love seeing her and what she has rounded up to sell, and what sewing projects she is working on. The chenille pin cushion was made by another local sewing artist.

Don’t stand there, stand here.

 

Due to the cottage like size of our house, I always have to move furniture around to make room for the Christmas tree, and that always puts me in the mood to rearrange everything right after I put all the decorations away.  My awesome antique dress form was hidden behind a shelf in a room that had way too much furniture in it.  So after doing some more rearranging, and selling a cute but large armoire, she now has a roomier place to stand. I feel bad enough that she can’t sit once in awhile.

I saw this great spread on lonnymag.com from J.Crew and loved it. As you can see I am a collector of vintage pins. (Mostly bought in lots of broken jewelry on e-bay and at yard sales.)

I thought this would be the perfect outfit for my Acme Adjustable Collapsible  Ellanam  dress form. On the label it says L and M Co. in parenthesis. I should call her Ellan or maybe Auntie Am.

I haven’t done any painting in a while because my teacher is having surgery on her foot and I’ve been kind of busy. I have made a commitment to myself, though, to do more artwork and started with a colored pencil drawing last night. I am amazed at how practicing in one medium with a good teacher carries over into other forms. I could really tell a difference in the drawing process. I will post at least a section of my drawing later.

Painting class.

I am finally taking a painting class from a very talented artist that a friend and I met through the Santa Cruz Open Studios last month. She has a pay as you go policy, which makes it so much more accessible for me. I have been to three Saturday morning classes, alternating from landscapes to still lifes. Yesterday I decided it was time to attempt a painting on my own at home.

Here it is in process. Painting, like most things, is harder than it looks, and I know it will take lots of practice to get good at it. I am really hoping that I can stick with it long enough to get better.

You’ll notice that I am painting pretty food. I had a gift certificate to Gayle’s Bakery, one of the best places to go to for pretty food, or a gourmet sandwich. I thought that if I wasn’t happy with my painting after I was finished, at least I would have the whipped cream, strawberries and chocolate leaf topped cupcake to cheer me up. ( I shared the treats with my husband.)

I’m not totally satisfied with the finished painting, which I tweaked a little more this morning, but I did take a necessary step forward by doing one on my own. I should probably take it to class and get advice on what I could have done to make it better, but I haven’t decided yet if I will.

My version of the goodies is not nearly as nice as the real thing. I will try harder next time, so that I can remember them as beautiful as they were. Well, actually, maybe I shouldn’t make a habit of painting sweet treats!

Restoration

Our lives can sometimes feel like a frayed patchwork...

Coming apart at the seams...

Tattered and worn on the edges,

like this beautiful quilt I found in a yard sale pile. I loved the vintage fabrics used in the 9 patch pattern, and the red backing, and knew it could be beautiful and warm, even though it would never be the same quilt that it once was. Some experts say that you shouldn't add fabrics to antique quilts, but instead, cover the frayed parts with fine mesh, to keep it together without changing it's original content. (This would especially be done to one with special historical value and not as worn as this one.)  My objective was to strengthen the quilt and restore its usefulness, even though that meant changing it.

Being the collector that I am, I usually have bits and pieces of vintage fabrics stashed around my sewing room.  I cut them to the size of the frayed squares (with enough added to fold under the edges) and just appliqued them over the worn out areas, and then re-quilted the new squares.

I also bought a piece of red fabric to make a new edge. I don't mind that it doesn't match exactly or look like it once did, the integrity and strength are what matter in quilts and lives. The changes that ultimately keep us together only add to our beauty and character.