Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.

 

 

Sometimes, one of the hardest things to do is decide which path to follow. I decided to make an olive. It has silly little legs. I laugh every time I think about it because I imagine all of the olives in the Mr's martini bottle of them sprouting little legs and running around all crazy as soon as the fridge light goes out.

I posted a picture of Little Miss Oliveea on Lettuce Craft, a friendly, supportive community I've been a part of for a long time. In the comments section, it occurred to me that I have almost a complete, old school relish tray. I have carrots, pickles and now olives. All I am missing is celery, radish roses and a little glass pitcher of poppy seed dressing. And as is it's wont, my tiny little mind decided I needed to make celery. 

I started sketching. Now to fit into my vision of vegetables running around all crazy in the dark, the celery needs to be kawaii with silly little legs. That is, it is best served as the top sketch from this page in my sketchbook. But oh.... that face on little Mr Celery number two is just so hard to resist.

So now, I have to make a choice, because I don't have a lot of time to make both. Which one do you want to see first?

Of course, I still have no idea how the leaves at the top are going to work but I am sure it will come to me eventually.

 

 

Today's Recipe: No Place Like Home

 

 

 

One of the hardest parts about working with upcycled denim is the variation in color you get not only between pairs of worn out jeans but within the jeans themselves.  That makes choosing the thread colors difficult.  A thread color that stands out on one shade of blue may be dull and lifeless on the next one.  Occasionally I come across a color that translates well to most.  The gold used in this ray gun badge is one of those colors. 

 

It was a random event that lead me to this color.  I bought it at a shop that was selling off a huge selection of odds and ends spools.  It was a large spool.  I have been using it for a couple years.  It is almost empty.  I went searching for a replacement. 

 

Because it was a remnant spool, the labels were not very clear.  I knew what brand it was but the numbers on the spool turned out to be size and type but not color.  They lead me to a page from that manufacturer with 20 shades of gold.  Many of them were close but the images were color swatches and not actual thread.  Without the sheen of the real thread it is very hard to tell if it is the correct one.  I had a flash of inspiration and looked inside the spool.  There was a small sticker with more numbers.  Fortunately, those matched the color numbers for the brand and I was able to find what i believed to be the proper color.

 

Finding that, lead me to a search for a vendor who carries the thread.  That lead me to Amazon where I found a spool!  I ordered it.  It arrived four days later.

 

It arrived with a return address for a shop less than 10 miles from my house.  A shop* I have been to before.  A shop I could have gone to with my almost empty spool to see if I could find a match.  A shop where I could have had the thread in hand immediately.  A shop I would have gone to last year.

 

But 2020... 

 

Next time I need new thread I will call them or go directly to their website.  I need to shop local. I need to do what I can to support the small local businesses that I used to depend on and want to be able to depend on in the future**.  There is no place like home.

 

*Remind me to tell you the story of my first visit to this shop and my first impressions and how they came back to haunt (or maybe just amuse) me some time. 

 

**This badge is one of my favorites.  It is from a series of Steampunk badge I designed specifically for a Steampunk Festival a few years ago.  I am going to have to design a steampunk sash next!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/471612650/steampunk-spaceship-ray-gun-iron-on?ref=shop_home_active_2 

Castle Story

 This wee knight might be the hero of your story.  Or you might have the princess rescue the dragon from him.  The story changes every time you play.

Story starter stones are the newest addition to the Traveling Chicken and Monster Show.

The rest of the finger puppets that go along with this set include the wizard, king, dragon and princess.

These will be available at upcoming shows and in the shop soon.

Adventures in Digitizing

I often offer custom embroidered labels or badges for prizes.  It is always fun working with customers to create something that is perfect for them.  This project was for a girl who won a custom label from Cara @caraquilts, the lovely host of #Talknt on Twitter every Tuesday night. 

RainbowR, doesn't quilt but she does do civil war re-enacting.  She suggested some historic silhouettes.  I did several different ones.  They were a lot easier than I had anticipated but it still took me a while to get them to the point where they were recognizable.  This is the final product for her.  I can't wait to see what she does with it. 

Learning

There is always something new to learn.  Today I figured out how to capture an image from my design software.  (Of course I had to learn that because I can't get my network connection running properly to access photos on the other computer. Which is why I am showing you a picture of a badge instead of pretty spring flowers from my yard.) 

Side Tracked.

Spud 3 is pretty quiet and self-contained.  He goes about his business without a lot of fanfare.  Every now and then he pops up with a request.  They are so few and far between that it is pretty hard to turn them down.  This time he sidled into the conversation... well, actually he called me from the robot work room which was pretty much a clue something was up. 

"So mom, your machine can stitch numbers can't it?"
"Yes, it can.  Why do you ask?"
"Well...  we'd like to have the numbers stitched on the robot bumpers instead of using decals."
"OK, but you are going to have to help!"

So here we are with a newly digitized set of numbers stitching out onto 7 of the 8 sides of the robot bumpers.  He is doing a fantastic job of lining things up and hooping them.  Now I know who to call the next time I have to get it exactly right! 

Prayer Flags: The Rest of the Story

I posted this teaser picture a few days ago.  The flags have been received so I can show you the rest of the story.  This on is for the sister of the recipient who is battling serious health issues.

Prayer flags are made to hang outside and slowly decay.  The idea is that they will waft the prayers they represent across the land as they flutter in the breeze.  I did what I could to make this one extra fluttery because I really want these prayers to be heard. 

The strings and tassles are number 12 perle cotton.  the flag itself is made of muslin and the words are stamped. 

This flag was made for my swap partner.  She spoke a lot about angels.  I used the opportunity to try and digitize a new image.  For the first time, I was able to add stitches to the file.  That was a learning experience. 

This flag is also made of muslin.  The designs are machine embroidery and the lace is a piece of vintage tatting that I have been saving in my stash for just the right purpose.