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sneak peek

email: info@annwood.net

new owls in the shop

ezichiel

And birds and spiders too.

scouts

bustled

*This week will be the last opportunity to order sweethearts for a while – I won’t be able to take new orders for the next few weeks (I will still be adding ready made sweethearts occasionally).  I will stop taking sweetheart orders on August  20th.

barnabas – shop update

barnabas

I’ve just put Barnabas in the shop and there are also some new  spiders -

pink bustled spider

and new pirates, campers and corsage girls.

polka dot bird

miss bird says hello

spider work and a suggestion for your evening

spider work

spider heads

I think the headless bodies are kind of  creepy – a band of mindless marauders.

** And also-  this is so up my alley – maybe yours too- tonight on PBS: “Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World”

“A fantastic sea adventure, a cautionary economic and environmental tale, and a mythic saga of man and nature, INTO THE DEEP: AMERICA, WHALING & THE WORLD will premiere on the PBS series AMERICAN EXPERIENCE on Monday, May 10, 2010 at 9PM.”

dark things

spiderhand

Thanks to everyone who turned up at last weeks shop update ( part 2 later this week) -things went quickly and if you were disappointed there will be more very soon, I’m already working on several new owls and spiders  and bats including another bad owl.

badowl3

He’s made from the backing of an antique crazy quilt I’ll show you later on and bits of several garments.
blackbodice5

I’ve gotten several  really old black garments lately.

blackbodice6

I think the lace  cuffs  are going to  be spiders.

creatures in prospect park

prospect spider

The  weekend was beautiful,  the park is blooming and it’s spectacular.

orlando3

The spider and owl (orlando) will both be in the shop  later this week  along with lots  of other new things. I’ll continue to post previews here  as I get the new stuff photographed.  I’ve been in extreme busyness for weeks, not in a miserable way, but definitely too much and I’m  looking forward to slowing down  a little and having time to work  on some new things and ideas and I have some interesting garments and flea market things to show you too.

melancholy jaques

melancholyjacques2

“all the world’s a stage”


bats

batseliot

“A woman drew her long black hair out tight  And fiddled whisper music on those strings  And bats with baby faces in the violet light  Whistled, and beat their wings’ – T.S.Eliot

mrs. brown’s skirt

I love it when there’s a label.

mrs.brown tag

I’m curious about Mrs. F. C. Brown and what she was up to in 1917.  Her skirt is very sensible with pockets and a modest train.  The fabric is fabulous.

mrsbrownsskirt

* note on the photo- I’m not giant, the chair is mini – I got it at the flea market a couple weeks ago.

It was fun to try on and I was surprised by how good it felt, the way it moved, the  pleasant weight of it and  how the little train felt behind me, it isn’t in wearable condition though, and I probably shouldn’t add “wears period clothes” to what I already have going on anyway. I’m going to make a collection of things from it, the first is a mrs. brown spider.

mrsbspider

snow

One of the first really old things I bought  for making things was a purple silk bodice that was in wretched condition. The silk itself was mostly unusable-  it disintegrates when you touch it .

purple bodice

I was originally interested in the buttons, the fantastic buttons,  flinty piercing eyes, they inspired my first owl,  but when I began to take it apart I found a variety of tiny prints and lovely indigo ,  hidden and preserved in the foundation.  They ‘re mostly gone now – used in owl ears and beaks and spiders but yesterday I found one more piece of my favorite print  inside a cuff. I think it’s  enough for a beak for the fellow in the background  and maybe a spider too.

interfacing

It is snowing like nobody’s business in Park Slope.

parkslopesnow

spiders

blackspider

I’ve added some spiders to the shop ( and a couple little birds too). I think the little black spider above looks curious and sort of cautious.  I’ll be adding new things all week.

ruffleybumI do like a ruffley bum.

spiderwall_3

dark bird- progress

Slow progress, stitched and stitched.

darkbird2

botanical experiments

botanical1

And progress on a paper mache ship.

confoundNews:

* I’m way behind on email ( that’s not exactly news..) Getting a couple projects out the door and then I can devote some serious time to responding.

* I’m working towards a shop update  sometime next week ( the  week beginning 2/1) as well as a couple ebay auctions to benefit Haiti. You can get updates here or through my mailing list or twitter.

1910 party dress

This cupcake of a girl’s party dress is from 1910 -  it’s falling apart  but the  lining of almost transparent and tissue thin silk chiffon  is in excellent condition, most of the lace is usable too.  I tried it on. That was something.

1910dress

And disturbing looking progress on something new made from this antique bodice:

darkbird

eternally curious willet

curiouswillet

I took a new photo of the willet ( made from an edwardian lawn gown) for a project I’ll tell you about later. She’s examining a painted detail on a beautiful little table I got at the flea market a couple weeks ago.

an owl and a tree

A merry wobbler tucked into a little wool nest.
wobblernest

Part of tree costume for someone little.

treehat

And  an owl costume made of old sweaters for another little fellow.

owlhat

They were such fun to make.

diabolical

I started working on an owl on Saturday made from this ruined antique bodice and someone very wicked is emerging.

I fully intended to make another scoundrel but this guy is so scoundrelly he makes the other look like a pussycat – he kind of surprised me. I already know who he is, a really villainous character, and I’ll tell you his name as soon as he is finished. I also got a massive cold this weekend and spent an insane amount of time staring into the internet. I came upon 2  honest, insightful posts about making stuff and selling it,  one is  by future girl and that led me to another by dudecraft, both talk about money, creativity and motivation.

wire

I’m running out. I was working on some new bats and spiders over the weekend and  realized that the big spool of wire I got at the flea market a couple years ago, the wire that is ideal for bats and spiders,  the spool that seemed like a lifetime supply when I got it, is nearly gone.  There weren’t any markings on the spool  and I don’t know what it is- it’s pretty stiff  and it’s flat on two sides; if you’ve got any ideas on what it might be or where I might get more or if you have some in your basement – I’d love to hear about it.