I used to draw and paint a lot.
merriwether lewis 2005 (after the Charles Willson Peale portrait)
west side water park 2005
illustration for film poster 2005
And my begining here, this blog, was making marks on paper - the cardboard horse project.
And then all of a sudden I was sewing. A lot. And as I sewed more and more the drawing and painting went away. I miss that kind of work and that kind of expression but even though I feel inspired in that direction I keep not doing it. It is very easy not to. So I’m making it mandatory and planning a project in the 2 dimensional world for 2013. I have figured out what it’s going to be, the focus, and I’m excited about it but I’m still working out the particulars of how I’m going to share it – when I get that figure out I’ll tell you all about it.
seashell folk, off to celebrate
Thanks to everybody who showed up for the shop update yesterday – I’ll be packing everything up this weekend and getting things on their way right after the holiday. I’m working on things for Tuesday’s owl and ship update ( there will be one more songbird too) – here are some things in progress:
This is the bodice it’s made from- I bought it years ago and have been using bits of it ever since.
A grey owl – fabrics courtesy of Sri Threads.
And a pair of turn of the century wool swim bloomers I’m about to turn into an owl.
I got them for next to nothing – the seat is terribly moth eaten. The fabric is wonderful- weight, shade, fading , texture – everything ideal. Also, in the unlikely category, technically, I’ve just posted a picture of myself on the internet in a bathing suit.
Almost a year ago I got together a box of linings with plans to make things but not much happened after that. I’ve lately pulled that box out and I’ll be posting progress and previews of finished pieces here throughout August. They will be available in September. I love linings and they often end up being my favorite part of a garment.
I’m working on the usual suspects : owls, spiders and songbirds but this collection will have a couple surprises too. I’ve made the most progress on a songbird made from the printed lining of an edwardian bodice.
I spent the weekend with it – stitching, restitching, experimenting and not worrying about progress or efficiency. I’m allowed to do that on the weekends. Pretty vacationey.
This bird, the layering of this print, reminds me of tramp art a little bit and I think I’ll experiment more with that idea.
fortuny owl
A long time ago, way back in 2010 I visited the Fortuny showroom here in NYC to talk about making some creatures with their exquisite fabrics. There have been fits and starts and interruptions in the process but lately solid progress has been made towards creating a full collection of creatures that will be available beginning this fall.
Working with patterns, large scale patterns, has challenged how I think about my owls in particular and some interesting things are happening.
More progress photos soon as well as information on where and when things will be available.
I’ve started several new owls including the two robust grey fellows below. The owl on the left is made from a silvery Fortuny pattern and the other from marvelous Japanese textiles courtesy of Sri.
I have also gathered a little pile of things for another fabric ship and owl captain – a moodier pallet than the last – I love the purplish tones – those are for the ship and the indigos are for the little captain. These are all Japanese and again courtesy of Sri. These are the colors I’ve been most attracted to for weeks now – silver, stone shades, and bits of violets and blues
I finished the quilt ship but I haven’t taken it’s official photo yet, this is an instagram shot of the very nearly finished ship and captain.
I am. And getting rid of things. And rearranging. This is my newly appointed button drawer:
It was formerly my “drop in anything I don’t know what to do with and then never open again” drawer. I dumped it out and found a tiny hand-full of things I might actually need someday. It’s perfect for buttons and much better than searching in a bunch of jars and boxes and bags. Now that my buttons are all organized and in one place I’ll probably be a millionaire by the end of the week.
I’ve also been working on some special caketopper bird orders. This is the world’s tiniest garrison cap (airforce).
And the world’s tiniest boutonniere.
And a very fancy fascinator for his girl.
A new owl I’m working on:
Seaton
I named him for a nice man who sold me tires a couple weeks ago. I’ve been working on him forever and he’ll finally be finished tomorrow. He’ll be in the shop on Monday, the 4th with a couple friends.
There were ferocious thunderstorms on Tuesday – this is a photo (iphone) of a thunderstorm gathering over a little pond upstate. I wish I had my big camera with me – It was spectacular:
I’m also working on new little boats made from quilt scraps and getting ready for my boat making class at squam next week.
And a couple other notes:
* little birds are back in the shop
* thanks for the helpful comments regarding the grey hair situation. I’m interested in hearing about other peoples experience with this. Mine is in a particularly bizarre two tone moment but I’m sticking with it.
( I worked late last night and left a big mess)
I’ve got stuff to tell you about and no time to tell it. I’ll be back later with some important topics:
- collections- new things I’m working on ( including some pieces for Fortuny)
- my hair – I’ve decided to let it be grey ( it always has been - but I stopped dyeing it in december). I’ve got mixed feelings…..
- Squam ! Just 2 weeks away!
- My terrarium.
- And hula hoops.
I’m not sure exactly what this is. It is old -my guess would be depression era – and it’s home made. The back is shorter than the front and that seems intentional, as opposed to a missing piece – I wonder why.
The fabric is spectacular – wonderful teal flannel with a very fine stripe to it and the color variations where it is faded and worn very thin are shades of soft grayish teal. The little collar is cotton sateen – a fancy little detail on what seems like a plain everyday type garment.
And it had a surprise -when I disassembled it I found the lining was made from a perfectly a preserved printed feed sack .
I started making a songbird with it this weekend.
I’m working on a little group of things – bats and perching owls mostly. I’ll put some of these things in the shop next week – most likely in time for delivery (in the US) before Christmas.
And The winners of the first ever ann wood handmade caption contest !
The voter chosen at random ( # generated by random.org) is:
comment # 15 – Geiger. Who is apparently a black cat with a recently replaced hip.
And for a variety of reasons I have decided to award birds to the top 2 vote getters and those winners ( it was very close) are:
7. Lauren
“Now witness, dear friends, as David Blainebird prepares to package himself alive for 6-10 business days! Don’t try this at home!”
and
8. Cari
Darlene had told only her best friend, Eliza, but by the time her mail-order groom was set to arrive, the whole town had heard about it.
Thank you and Happy Holidays to all participants ! (winners – I’ll be in touch for address etc.)
P. S. - Another first ever for me – I’m going to teach a workshop!! (boat making). I’m something beyond excited about this and plan to go on and on about it next week but you can find more info right now here if you like.
merriwether lewis 2005 (after the Charles Willson Peale portrait)
west side water park 2005
