Passing it Along- Fabric Time Keepers

Saw this diy ornithology clock over at going home to roost's site today. I LOVE it! She pulled it from design*sponge and the original contributor was Katie Pruitt. The bird theme is sweet, the feathers make it fabulous, and the fabric/embroidery hoop make it divine. So check out the tutorial here.


Strangely clocks are one of those things that have interested me lately. Just yesterday I was idly brainstorming ways to make a fabric and wire clock and how I would support it, the structure, etc. I don't know why this was on my mind. These things just happen sometimes. Then I find this gorgeous fabric clock and I swoon. So coming up with my own design is definitely a project to put on my "must do" list.

Now curious, I also did a bit of research on Etsy. This item is titled "Super Funky Fiber Clock" and is by Slapdash Designs. Super and funky are definitely the right adjectives don't you think?




Then there was the Fabric Watch by JSartist. They don't actually keep time but I thought they were cute. :) Cute- if you haven't figured it out yet goes a LONG LONG way with me.

Today's Theme: Tension

Overflowing and Overwhelming

Sometimes themes in our lives just appear. We don't have to search for them or pull them from our innermost beings, or borrow them from someone else. They're reoccurring thoughts that just seem to come to us again and again. I've heard some call this process "ruminating" or "pondering". I've also heard others describe the thoughts as "whispers" and or perhaps "signposts". Today I woke up thinking about the word tension. I've never pondered the word before but lying in bed this morning I thought about what it means. Tension in a situation is usually considered bad. Tension in a relationship could be good- if it's an excited or anticipatory tension, or it could be a little scary. As in "the tension between them created anger on his side and bewilderment on hers".

Creating the necessary slack

The tension I deal with primarily in my work is physical. When I bend and wrap wire I try to use the tension of the wire to my advantage. I've learned to manipulate it as well. When I begin a sculpture, the first thing I do is throw the spool on the floor and pull up a length of it, wiping with a rag and straightening it slightly as I pull. Try working with wire straight off the spool and it's all spiral-y and much more difficult. Throwing it on the ground gives me a 1-3 ft. slack that eases the tension of the spiral. If I was to cut the wire and work with it as a piece, instead of from the spool, then I've noticed my work looses much of it's gracefulness and fluidity. It's working with the right amount of tension that allows me to get the smooth lines and curves. So here was a case where tension, handled correctly was a necessary and good thing all together.

Simply organized and ready for inspiration to strike!

The other tension I experience is a tension-anxiety. This seems to be most evident when I feel like I have a deadline approaching and I feel overwhelmed. My house actually makes me feel like this often. My studio room ESPECIALLY. It overflows with things that don't really have a home, that fill up my working space so that I don't feel like I can work in it. I end up on the dining room table instead. The larger space of the living room/dining room combined with the clear flat surface of the table allows me to think and process the "to-do" or steps of the project. But I love my art room and would really like to be able to work in it and not just use it as a big supply closet. So I decided to give the organization a go. I started with the fabric. Please note the chaos of the first photo. That is soooo symbolic of my life. Then there's the nicely organized, you can see all the colors, and fabric patterns. This is what I would like my life to be. Somewhere in between these two however, is the comfortable life. I have tried living with all my ducks in a row, all my folds correct, all the patterns showing and it doesn't work for me. Without the tension created by the chaos I wouldn't ever take the time to change-I'd be immobilized. So after a little ruminating, I have to believe that tension, like boredom, necessity, and fear are all positive emotions. They are the emotions that cause me to take action and change- without them life would be static. And really very very boring. :)

Junk Art- Using Old Trays in New Ways

Wondering what to do with all those old metal lunch trays you have lying around the house? Ok- so you probably don't have that problem, but I did. Last spring I was at a charity garage/rummage sale my dad runs every year and was about to leave, when my dad tossed me an old tray. He had a stack of them and thought I would want to do something with them. I didn't- they looked pretty hopeless, I mean they weren't even a pretty color, just a rusty old cream.

But I took a couple anyways and when I got home I played around with one of them. My first idea was this memo/magnet board. It turned out kind of cute so I called my dad and asked him to save me the rest of the trays- if they were still there. They were. :) So I got the whole stack.

The memo board came together really quickly and didn't require much in the way of tools or materials either. Some fabric scraps,embroidery floss, a little memo sign, a scissors, glue stick, and my trusty Crop-a-dile were all it took. The Crop-a-dile is my favorite tool ever. It chomped through the tray like butta'. So I went a little crazy and chomped holes on each side of the tray, but then I was able to thread floss through them and give the edge a stitched look. The magnets are buttons stacked and tied together with butcher's twine with a magnet stuck to the back. Easy and cute!

I didn't have the time to get back to the trays until yesterday when I grabbed one and started to play around with an idea I'd had. I wanted to use the tray as a base for a fabric collage. It turned out to be super easy and the result was pretty cute so I thought I'd share it with you. I thought maybe you'd like to make your own. I mean- there's a shortage of inspirational signs made of old lunch trays in the world. Right?

Material Obsessions

So I really appreciate it when other bloggers mention their favorite play things and it occurred to me last night as I was going to sleep that it might be fun to do the same here. So all day long I've been thinking about all my favorite things but rather than do a best ever list I think I'll share a few of the things I'm really excited about right now.

First up- the YUDU. I think I mention this fabulous new screenprinter at least once a week (ok day) to someone. I've actually consciously limited myself from mentioning it too often. I've been trying to avoid seeming too "obsessed" reasoning that the lapel is seriously close to "crazy" in the mind of many. But I'm way to excited to share so... here's the link. I started out as a printmaking major a long long time ago and screenprinting has been on my to do list for years. I love the idea of taking my sketches, doing a little silkscreen magic, and having wearable art. Creating my own silkscreened fabric is one of those "want to go there someday" idea destinations for me as well.

Next- INKTENSE watersoluble ink pencils from Derwent work on fabric, paper, canvas, and wood. I have been loving the intensely saturated marks I can make with these. I first saw them on Zinnia's blog and bought my first few open stock just to try. I am currently saving up for the biggest set I can get. LOVE the vibrancy of these!

I've also been playing with Tim Holtz line of "Distressable" products lately. My favorites- the Distress Inks, the masks, and the metal embellishments. I've used at least one of these in everything I've done lately. "Broken China" is maybe my favorite paint color ever (or at least lately). I think I want to paint my kitchen this color- and that for me is a huge commitment to a color!

So those are a few of my latest and biggest obsessions. I'd love to know what your favorite "must haves" are. What do you use over and over again? What new cool thing are you dying to have?

Hope you have a great night/day-
Jen

The Thing with Feathers....

There is a piece of a poem that has been circulating through my mind for some time now and because of that I wanted to use it in one of my creations. The poem goes like this....

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all....
By Emily Dickenson

Maybe it's the bird connection, maybe it's just the magnificence of Emily's poetry... I don't know why this poem has become a jingle that lingers and pesters and sings to me at times but it has. Because I love this poem and because it has been right at the surface for so long now I've been wanting to explore it and own it by using it in my art. But like the thing with feathers it's been ever present but illusive and I've not found the right place for it. Last week it became the text of a mixed media piece I've been working on.

The art work itself has been lingering for quite a while as well. I did the background months ago during one of those slop it on paint sessions and the stitching followed about a week later. The wire nest was next and although I knew I wanted a bird for the piece I was stalled out for a while trying to imagine the right medium to use for that bird. I wanted the look of an old illustration but didn't want to draw or paint it myself. So a photocopy seemed the best answer but I didn't fancy the look of a piece of paper glued on. It seemed too one dimensional in comparison to all the 3d work that I had wired or glued on. But I didn't want another sculptural element either. It would upset the balance between 2d and 3d to add another 3d piece. SO I let the entire work alone for a couple of weeks and let my subconscious work on the solution without me. :) Finally I decided to print out the image on fabric and then stitch it on.

After that I added the text. I wrote it on with a watersoluble pencil and then added a bit of water. Unfortunately or fortunately it blurred my lettering. So I have to address that yet. Do I want it legible? Or is it fine if only I know what it says and the text becomes a blurry design element? What do you think? Leave it or make it readable? I could do another print out of the poem and stitch that over the handwritten text..... that would accentuate the contrast between the printed and the painted elements of the piece further...... I also want to add some eggs to the nest. I'm thinking paper mache but maybe clay....Maybe I should make some feathers and add those to the nest instead of the eggs. I've too many ideas! HELP ME PLEASE!!!! Maybe one of you wants to just tell me what to do....;)