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This dress turned up here in brown pieces – I’m not even sure how it really goes together. I soaked it for days and days and then had lots of fun pinning it into a dress shape. The under and over skirts are weighted and the overskirt has a lovely tulip shaped hem.
A paper mache teacup pattern to mark the 5 year anniversary of my blog, my experiment. A perfect time to say thank you and give you a present.
There is a template you can download here. And lots and lots of photos and instructions. If you do make teacups I’d love to see and you can upload a photo here if you like or leave a link to your photo in the comment section below.
What you need:
Click the photos for larger images.
Cut out the templates for the teacup, handle and bottom and trace them onto your cardboard. I had the best results with a Kashi frozen pizza box. Cut out your pieces and very lightly and gently score the the teacup where the dotted lines are on the template with the BACK of your exacto knife.
Make a very tiny snip - really tiny -just a 16th of an inch or so where the sections meet. Next bring the bottom sections together one at a time and tape together on the outside (the printed side). Then turn it over and taper the bottom inside. Do this for each section – always taping both sides……. Stephen Szczepanek of Sri Threads sent over another surprise package of magnificent things. Exquisite, inspiring things, thoughtfully chosen and gathered and kept for me that just magically appear on my doorstep. Here are a few highlights.
There are fragments of garments with wonderful surprise linings.
And beautiful wear and eccentric mending.
A fancy valentine, for you to print and make and give. Download a zip file here with images and some instructions. Just print the images on card stock and follow my instructions or come up with your own stuff. Happy Valentine’s Day! And if you make one I’d love to see – you can share a photo here. I like velvet and have been on the lookout for it lately. This antique jacket came with the bonus of owly eye buttons. Lots of them. There are 6 on the back as well. You can click the image for a better look.
It looks like it has come for a visit – lounging on the couch. My BRAND NEW couch that I will go on and on about later, it’s been a saga ( you can see a bit more of it here). I like the lining fabric too - there is some wonderful mending I will preserve however I use it.
This was a wonky little experiment, something I made to entertain myself one evening lat year. I came across the photo while doing some organizing last night. Here is a look at the shadow casters:
The under skirt of that gown was kind of a surprise, after several days of soaking years of grayness away it’s a beautiful pale pink and blue floral tulle. I’m making a little troupe of blue ballerinas from it.
This wonderfully tattered and incredibly fragile antique dress arrived last week. All the silk is shattered, but beautifully shattered – almost as though it’s transforming itself.
I hope 2010 was a fabulous year for you and wish you a happy 2011. I’ll end the year with photos of a few favorite treasures I discovered on deadhorse beach this year. A tiny perfume bottle and a bit of sea green net,
a wonderfully detailed little spaceman,
and a pretty ceramic shard.
Happy New Year!!! (and thanks for showing up)
This is one of the new things I’m working on for 2011 – a small bird with a more realistic shape. I’m planning a little flock all made from this antique bodice ( hoping to get an owl out of it too).
The fabric is really interesting, it has a tiny geometric print of metallic gold specs over a silky cotton with little squares woven in.
“He looked and smelt like Autumn’s very brother”
Giles, 2 other owls and some new spiders are in the shop now.
And a tiny white mushroom appeared in my terrarium this morning.
I think it must be a good omen.
The ship and 2 sailboats above will be in the shop early next week – I’m photographing them and a lot of other things (owls, spiders, birds, ballerinas and maybe another bat) over the weekend. And I might have one more ship too – I’m working on it now. If you are on the mailing list I’ll let you know when they are available.
He is made from vintage feed sacks and ticking using my new owl pattern. I intended to use these round little owls only as passengers in paper mache ships and boats but he was such fun to make I think I might make a couple stand alone fellows.
I finally turned out another bat ( I’ve just added it to the shop). It’s made from beautiful plum kimono silk (courtesy of Stephen Szczepanek). Some of the patching and mending is mine and other stitches are from other hands a long time ago.
I’m also working on new boats (with merry wobbler passengers) and lots of other stuff too. I’m adding new things to the shop every day this week.
I’ve been saving the buttons for his eyes ( I only have 2) for 3 years. I started putting fabric aside for him about a year ago – bits of quilts and blankets, a tiny piece of threadbare russet velvet from a crazy quilt and linings from several garments. And just lately I found the last thing I needed, the heavy dark brown cotton his body is made from, lining an antique walking skirt. I’m hoping to finish him today.
I visited the Fortuny showroom earlier this week to talk with Mickey Riad ( creative director) about creating some of my creatures with Fortuny fabrics. I think it ’s a fabulous idea and I’m looking forward to experimenting. We talked about bats and spiders and owls and maybe some new things inspired by the exquisite patterns and colors as well as the history. Like the fabrics, the new showroom in the D and D building is almost overwhelmingly beautiful. I took a couple photos but they don’t do it justice – you can see much more here and on the Fortuny blog.
I’m excited about the possibilities and I’ll share progress photos with you when I get started. P.S. - You’ll find the green bustled spider crawling among the bolts of glorious fabric in the first photo here.
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Copyright © 2012 ann wood - All Rights Reserved 
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