Alrighty Smartypants (a.k.a. "Paper Doll Help?")

So I'm trying out a new design--a "paper doll." (When I told Annabelle, she said, "Yeah, only not really because it's made of felt." Sheesh.) Here she is, entire:
And here's her backside:Those of you who have been reading since the days of aimlessness and flash photography (a.k.a. "my mom") will remember that I have made similar dollies before, but I did this one differently. I made the top layer by cutting her shape from wool felt, hand sewing her eyes and attaching her hair and skivvies. Then I pinned her to a layer of blue felt and a layer of the polka dot fabric you see up there. I used the zigzag to edge stitch the body to these layers, and then I cut her out as close to the edge as possible, taking care not to snip the zigzag threads. I like her a lot better this way, and it was quicker than when I used to do it all by hand (prior to my lovely Janome).

Now, she's quite sturdy and very fun to hold, as you can see here in this action shot:Thing is, I think "paper dolls," even--yes, Annabelle--if they're made out of felt--should stand. Engineering is not my strong suit, so I thought maybe someone among you--my clever peeps--might have an idea of how I might achieve this quite crucial objective. Anyone?

While you're thinking about that, I'm gonna make some clothes! Best part!

Notebooks and Ira and Chana Masala and Fat Packs

A good day. I made some appliqued moleskin sketchbooks for the shop, and one very quickly ended up in the gift guides, which always makes me think I'm doing something right.
Selling stuff is weird. It's such a tangible confirmation--you know, just that people like what you're doing, that you're not creating into a void. But it's still hard for me to get used to thinking like a saleswoman, probably because I don't buy easily myself. That makes it a challenge for me to try and get money from other people! Still, it also feels fun--remember those school fun-fair games from childhood where you'd get a fishing pole with a magnet on the end, and you'd try to catch a little plastic duck from a wading pool of water? If you managed it, and your duck had a red dot marked on its underside, you won a prize. Remember? Sometimes that's what it feels like when somebody buys something--like my little magnet has drawn in a lovely little ducky who is going to give me a prize, which is, in this case, cash. :-)

Mark was home for part of the day today while Annabelle was in school, and we watched some of the second season of the TV version of This American Life (which I downloaded from iTunes for a totally worth-it price--thanks to my mother-in-law who gave me a gift card for Christmas!). It's awesome. Then we had Indian food. Oh, how I love Indian food. Then we took A. to the bookstore, where I read magazines I can't bring myself to pay for, and A. got a Garfield fat pack.

So, yeah, good day.

How We Do, Deux

I am terribly frustrated because I can't get any good pictures of the final product--the light's bad everywhere, even in the upstairs space because the skylights are covered with snow. I could wait until it melts, but let's face it, friends, it might be months. Love me a Maine winter. On top of the light situation, for some reason the pictures I am getting make the left hand tower look really wonky, and it just isn't. It's as straight as it is in the "before" shots. You'll just have to trust me.

All that said, here's the rest of the process:
This is the basic foundation with all the yellow bits sewn on.
Then I sew on the upper layers of felt and begin the embroidery. I use embroidery for details too small for felt cutouts or sometimes just for a particular texture. Here, I've started with a chain stitch and then covered it, satin style, to create the church's trim.
Once I've finished all but the pickiest stitched detail, I usually do the foliage--the piece really comes to life, I find, when I add trees, bushes, or flowers (or as Annabelle puts it, they're boring up till this point--kid really doesn't pull any punches).
This loose, running stitch in white helps create the feeling of brick, and I've had a lot of fun with the stained glass in pretty sky blue.The next thing I do is the add the text if there is any.
Then it's time to affix the fabric to the hoop, and for this I just use plain old Tacky glue, running a bead around the hoop, folding the fabric down tight, and smoothing it with my fingers.When it's dry, I pink the edges of the fabric to prevent its unraveling.
And that's it. When my camera battery is charged, I'm going to try to take a couple of better photos, but you get the idea.

It was great fun to do something different, but no matter the subject, I'm always so thrilled to participate in memorializing a part of someone's life. It's an incredible feeling, this--knowing that people are appreciating your creative work, even loving it, by incorporating it into their own daily lives.

You know what? I'm happy.

Sneaky Peeky

It's my darling's birthday today--36!--so there's not much sewing going on, mostly revelry. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of "The Making of a Custom Hoop," probably tomorrow or Tuesday, but for now, I thought I'd share a glimpse of some sweetness that went in the mail recently.
Who could these be for?
I don't know. I sure hope they arrive and set off a chain reaction of delightful little gifts.
For now, I'm off to the races--quite literally (formula kart racing, that is).

Here's How We Do, Part 1

Recently Jayme of Roadside fame has been sharing some behind-the-scenes images of her mind-blowingly gorgeous work, and I guess I'm just gonna go right ahead and copy her. Not the mind-blowing stuff, just the behind-the-scenes. So here are the first several steps I take to produce a custom house portrait--in this case a church portrait:I start, of course, with photos provided by the client--usually several, just to make sure I really understand the structure.
Then I make a sketch--this helps me decide on the composition of the piece--the final, front view I will try to create on the hoop, and it's how I break the house into its composite shapes. I put the fabric on the hoop, sometimes doing a little patchwork on the machine first if I want more than one color in the background. Here I've just used a nice, pale-blue cotton.
It's time to choose felt colors, and this can be a real challenge. Wool felt actually comes in lots of shades, but the world comes in infinitely more, so often there's no exact match--or even anything close enough for total comfort. I try to select colors that look good together and recreate the spirit of the subject. I've never had anyone say, "Hey, my house isn't ochre! It's Cinnamon!" I think I worry about it more than the clients do. If I'm really nervous, I send images of the color options, but mostly I just trust my instincts.
Now I'm ready to cut the basic foundation shapes. Looks a bit like a castle at this point, huh? Let's hope that comes out in the wash. (This "wash" is metaphoric, you understand. I'm not washing these babies.) See my scissors? Ginghers. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Oh, yes. I got mine for 40% off with a Joann's coupon, cuz that's how I roll.
I cut the tiny bits and pieces next, and sometimes they can be truly tiny. I use those little embroidery scissors for the really tortuous cutting. I construct the whole scene as I go, only to dismantle it in order to...
...sew the pieces on, layer by layer, bit by bit, mainly with a simple (hopefully even) running stitch.

Folks, I know you're on the edge of your seats, but that's as far as I got today. It's a rush job, though, so you won't have to wait long for Part 2 of this hairraising drama.

(Hey--prezzies in the mail tomorrow, girlies! Wait for it!)

Wall Bling

How much do you love this dog? I'm not being vain--I don't really mean how much do you admire my handiwork, but do you know that feeling when you make something--especially a critter--that just seems to take on life and you adore him with your whole heart? That's how I feel about this old guy, who is part of the custom hoop I just finished. I'm hoping I captured the spirit of the Antwerps' family dog.
He's getting ready to make a postal journey elsewhere, of course, but this little orange house from AshleyG is staying right here with me. Those who know me will be surprised to hear that I purchased something, for myself, just because I liked it. Yup. It's like hanging off the edge of a mountain when you're afraid of heights, people--we call it aversion therapy, in this case to overcome my compulsive non-shopping. It's just tiny. And I visited it a bit before I hit "pay." And I'm tickled every time I look at it on the wall of my studio. So I'm thinking that's progress, my little contribution to the ailing economy. Ahem.

I hope all is well with you monkeys today. I started teaching my online workshop Tuesday, and one young man wrote in to say he hoped there wasn't going to be a lot of writing in the course because he's sort of interested in poetry but not really. Great.

Oh--and one last thing--before I start on my next hoop, I'm going to make those giveaway prizes. Only I don't think I ever got Tina's address. If you're out there, Tina, tell me where, so I can send you a prezzy.

In the Night Studio

I've never shown you my studio, and that just seems weird, like wearing makeup to bed after you're married or not showing your tattoo to your mom. What am I trying to hide?
Well, I'll tell you--there's NEVER any light in there, and that's sad, I know, considering it's where I make art. I have lamps, but natural light for photography enters fifteen minutes a day at the peak of June.
I kept thinking, someday the light's going to be perfect and I'm going to have the studio just right, and then I'll show my bloggy friends. That's just not going to cut it, folks. So I decided to eliminate all the fussiness about light (what am I, now, a photographer? sheesh!) and take pictures at night. How's that for problem solving, right?
Frankly, I spend more time here in the evenings when Annabelle's in bed than at any other time, so you're getting a glimpse of this small, cozy, special space as it looks when I am enjoying it the most, in the quiet, in the lamp glow.
That's right: you're getting a nice, warm, dimly lit, fuzzy glimpse. Ahem.
Sophie likes it, too--she seems to think there's something delicious behind that radiator. She works at it quite diligently.
I'm just hoping she's wrong because, um, yuck.

Board but not Bored

There's sun this morning, and I have nothing to photograph, lazy as I was late yesterday. Hmph. I didn't let that stop me, though. I took some pictures of my inspiration board, one of my favorite things about having an office/studio. That's my Nana and Grampy up there in the wedding clothes. Aren't they beautiful?
This picture of my mother and her four brothers breaks my heart--look at those smiles and that beautiful, shiny car. My other Grampy (the harmonica guy from an earlier post) owned a Cadillac for much of my childhood, despite the fact that he pumped gas for a living, and we cooked (food often hunted, foraged, or purchased with food stamps) on a hotplate. He was a gorgeous, romantic, divorced man, loved by the ladies, though he smelled like kerosene and had weather rough, swollen, stained-black workman's hands--maybe these luxury cars (used, I'm sure, and not as glamourous as they seemed to me at the time) were his one vanity.
Yup. That's a uterus. And paper dolls. And antique scissors. And people wearing warheads? I'm a little worried about what this board is likely to inspire me to do.
New fabric came in the mail, though, so maybe I'll just sew.

Just Me and Richard Dreyfuss up in Here

Just popping in to say hello--Annabelle has just gone off to school, and I'm looking at about six loads of laundry this morning (not doing them, you know, just looking at them). It's a lovely, snowy day today, the fat flakes just gentling their way to the banks, and I thought I might watch The Goodbye Girl while I work on a custom house hoop. Somebody wise recently reminded me of that movie, and I was frantic because I couldn't find my copy until my best friend visited for New Years and had it in her suitcase. It was like a late Christmas present, even though it already belonged to me! (Now if I could only figure out who has my copy of Love Story--I haven't seen that book since ninth grade. Sheesh.)

I'm also going to get started on the prizes from my PIF giveaway. And I'm thinking about what I want to do to make this space more fun. More giveaways? Some tutorials? I'm realizing how much work it takes to actually keep a blog hopping, you know? And I want to hop, baby. For reals.

Animal Joy

That's the name of the sculpture Annabelle gave us for Christmas--actually, she gave it a French name, but I can't speak French, so she had to translate it for me.
Honestly, I know I keep saying this, but the girl continues to astound me.
This is a sculpture/self-portrait of Annabelle with our dog Sophie, a turtle, and two blue birds. They were asked to sculpt themselves doing what they dreamed of doing when they grow up, what would make them happiest. This was, by far, my favorite Christmas present, though I got lovely things from everyone in my family (including a vintage, solid oak library card catalog with 60 drawers--oh, little drawers, I love you--from my parents).

In less astounding art news, here's a peak at what I've been working on lately:It's a custom portrait of four sisters, made from copious details provided by the client, and luckily she loves it! I am always holding my breath a little when it comes to these things. I knew I loved this little redhead, though:And the one on the end looks quite saucy in her cowgirl boots, no?

Feeling Like Dopey Bird

Clearly I have no idea how to run a giveaway (like a deadline might have been nice, right?). That said, the "winners" are:

1. stitchery of words
2. Tina
3. Gillian

I am bursting at the seams to get started making your prizes, so if you have not already sent me your mailing address, send it to me at melissa.crowe@umpi.edu.

Also, shop's finally open again. I'm still adding things as I'm able to complete/photograph them, but there's a few new items.

And hey--if you're just joining the party via Meg's blog, welcome! I love you already.

Feeling Like a New Bird

Happy New Year, my friends!

Our holidays were, by turns, relaxing and hectic, which is as it should be, of course. My parents and my brother visited, only the second time we have all been together on the real-right Christmas morning this decade. Despite their insisting on tucking into a pig carcass (while we ate "roast beast" made of wheat gluten, thank you very much), we enjoyed their presence immensely.

Here's my brother rocking the DS with the dog:This picture makes me happy (and sad). My brother, Jeep, turned 18 recently and has joined the Marines (a family tradition--dad, grandfather, etc.). I don't know where he'll be next Christmas, so "hope" has a very concrete meaning suddenly, and I am counting on somebody to get the mess straightened out post haste, both for my family and all the families of all the people in peril, American, Iraqi, Afghani, world-wise and in general. I don't know if 2009 is big enough, really, to hold all my hope.

I'm ready for it, though. I have this tingling feeling that says it's going to be a good year, a full one, an important one, and part of that tingling is happening in my fingers, of course (a sensation I am coming to call with affection "embroidery burn"). Here's a little preview of what's about to go in the shop.Tell me, will you--that one at the top, the houses on canvas, do you think it would be improved by a bit of text? I'm talking something small at the bottom, maybe "welcome," either in English or Swedish? (Annabelle says it needs "something." Thanks, kid.)