ahhh... vacation

I had a whole list of things I wanted to get accomplished over the holiday break, but the weather has been so nice... hiking and disc golf make good distractions for the crafty life. Today is the first day I'll get to have some time to myself and my hobby... My first order of business involves a bit of lino carving. I heard about a valentine show being thrown to help raise mula for a really cool fiber store and workshop space in Asheville called Cloth Fiber Workshop. The shop is holding a handmade valentine auction, and I'm going to make one inspired by a poem about a scientist. Hence the microscope. I'm wondering how much detail I'll actually be able to get, and how my first adventure with fabric stamping will turn out... I'll be sure to post a shot or two. After the microscope, I've got my sights set on a Sailor-Jerry-inspired panther (just in time for the Panthers to make the super bowl, or so sayeth my hubby) for an equally mind-bending amount of detail.

Here's a shot of a beetle carving (with a stitched on fabric border) I did for the Lark craft show earlier in December. I had never really experimented with sewing paper on the machine, but it worked splendidly.

Also, for a final bit of experimentation, I decided to try my hand at some fabric earrings. These were easy and quick to make: I fused three layers of fabric together and zigzag stitched along the edges. I have a lot more ideas for this theme in my notebook, but right now, the carver is calling....