
And birds and spiders too.


*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.

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

and new pirates, campers and corsage girls.

miss bird says hello


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.”

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.

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

I’ve gotten several really old black garments lately.

I think the lace cuffs are going to be spiders.

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

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.

“all the world’s a stage”

“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
I love it when there’s a label.

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.

* 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.

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 .

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.

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


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.
I do like a ruffley bum.

Slow progress, stitched and stitched.


And progress on a paper mache ship.
News:
* 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.
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.

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


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.
A merry wobbler tucked into a little wool nest.

Part of tree costume for someone little.

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

They were such fun to make.

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.

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.
