I was originally interested in the buttons, the fantastic buttons,  flinty piercing eyes, they inspired my [...]]]> 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.

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.

Motiveless malignity.

And something else: Over the summer I took Susan Sato’s “One Patch Scrap Quilt”  class at Fiber Notion here in Park Slope. The class was great, I had zero experience with traditional quilting techniques and I learned a ton, stuff that I use in my other hand sewing too. The class  [...]]]>

Motiveless malignity.

And something else: Over the summer I took Susan Sato’s “One Patch Scrap Quilt”  class at Fiber Notion here in Park Slope. The class was great, I had zero experience with traditional quilting techniques and I learned a ton, stuff that I use in my other hand sewing too. The class  is being offered again beginning November 4th. You can contact Kat at Fiber Notion for more info.

(indigo one patch cushion cover – in progress)

I’ve abandoned the plan to put new things in the shop this week, instead it will be the beginning of next week. I was photographing things yesterday and this morning and  saw lots of stuff I felt iffy about or didn’t like.  I was particularly disappointed in the indigo owl,  among other things his [...]]]> update 10/15:

I’ve abandoned the plan to put new things in the shop this week, instead it will be the beginning of next week. I was photographing things yesterday and this morning and  saw lots of stuff I felt iffy about or didn’t like.  I was particularly disappointed in the indigo owl,  among other things his beak was completely wrong so I’m re -working it now and already like it much, much better.

I’ll post a couple more progress photos here later today.

Some other work in progress:

And a couple things for the new “small things”  section of the shop. A set [...]]]> Thanks for giving Chillingworth such a warm reception! I’m working on a new indigo  owl now for next week’s shop update. The Japanese scraps are courtesey of Stephen Szczepanek. This owl is of particularly robust figure.

Some other work in progress:

And a couple things for the new “small things”  section of the shop. A set of tiny  office supplies in matchboxes and a pensive little cherub. I got the cherub an the Park slope Flea market  – it washed up on Plum Beach in Brooklyn.

“A striking evidence of man’s faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil’s office.”

Chillingworth, finally finished. I’m going to keep making things from the antique bodice he’s constructed from until there is nothing left at all.

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 [...]]]>

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.

(click for larger images)

Underneath are some old wallpaper scraps I got at the flea market last week.

The bodice has lots of wonderful hand stitching inside and it has great black glass buttons.   Speaking of buttons -an  almost finished owl with very fancy antique button eyes.

I came across this strange plant a [...]]]> Or raven or bat -maybe something new.

Underneath are some old wallpaper scraps I got at the flea market last week.

The bodice has lots of wonderful hand stitching inside and it has great black glass buttons.   Speaking of buttons -an  almost finished owl with very fancy antique button eyes.

I came across this strange plant a couple weeks ago in a forest  in RI – I’d love to know what it is.

*check the comments for name info – they are called ghost pipes and some other great names.

Poor fellow, he is always disposed to do his best, but he is not gifted.

(according to pecksniff…..)

I’m working on a lot of owls, they are becoming more and more complicated and take forever.