coming up mushrooms!

Everything is.... that is! And that's one of my favorite parts of early spring. I've been working on a little side series (for a show this July - fingers crossed!) with little hooped-up mushroom outcrops. These are so addictive - really the perfect thing for those little fusible backed scraps in my scrap basket. I've been painting the hoops... and, er, getting better as I practice.

Speaking of mushrooms, we have so many varieties of mushrooms here in western North Carolina! Imagine our surprise when we stumbled upon a crop of these tasty morels, growing in a random bit of mulch in our apartment complex! Guess what's for dinner? Yes, a bit alien looking, but so so tasty.

I'm loving this little mini theme - welcome to my new blog header! I stuck with the same one for so long, I'm really enjoying switching things up seasonally. Keeps it interesting! And I'm thinking a birdy might look right nice among those fungi...

(very) wonky log cabins

I think it's a good thing: being able to embrace my inner wonkiness. Or maybe that's just a bit of laziness coming through... either way, wonky log cabins are here to stay, complete with some embroidered details.

And since the only thing I photograph besides crafts and my hubby doing silly things, you, dear reader, will be subjected to installment #46 of Baby in her best porch-sitting pose. Here, she's looking bored and ready for fanning - one of my favorites!

tat-pplique

Okay, okay... I'll admit it: I do have a fondness for made-up words. And I decided that I wanted a word to describe the process I've been using to make these little birdy mini quilts, using my tattoos as applique patterns. I'm having some major fun with it, but I think I'm going to have to either get more tattoos myself or borrow my friends' tats. I'm in luck, though: I happen to have a fairly inked up group of buddies to borrow from!

And it has happened: I'm actually (officially, finally, unless I crack from withdrawal) done making mini quilts for my craft show in July. On to lino prints and, gosh, you know, I've been thinking about glass again recently. Ahhh.... we'll see how long it lasts.

beetle mania

Yay for beetles! This one is based on a lino print I did last fall and is made with some of my birthday stash fabric. I've been meaning to make this for a while; I love taking a design from one form or medium to another. And it's a good thing I like beetles: those little legs were a bugger to stitch down. The picture is a little less than thrilling. After dark, I have the hardest time getting a photo that's anywhere close to the actual fabric colors. Any suggestions? Maybe it's time for a new camera... in which case I'm also open to suggestions. And oh, hold the presses: I just realized this is the first thing I made as a 29-year-old!

print-a-thon 09

So I've been super busy printing for the craft show in July. I've been doing some new things with adding embroidery stitches to my poppies (the lino print is based on my poppy quilt) and my skully print (I've done some embroideries based on this design). On the poppies, I tried to stitches to correct a printing error on one of the designs, but I ended up liking the effect and ran with it. The fabric frames are really easy to make... and I'm so in love with stitching on paper. Even more pics on my flickr page.

And, of course, I couldn't help doing a little digs & bean merchandising. I carved a stamp to create homemade price tags for my wares.

a big day...

...I finally made something besides a skully or a little greenie! Hot off the presses, here is my ship! Like the skulls, this guy is based on a lino print I carved last yearl and was created in the first place as an homage to my past life as a sailor (we're pretty sure my hubby was the bar maid). I had trouble with this one, and I can't quite tell if I'm done yet. But it feels good to branch out a little; I've been so busy creating things for the Big Crafty!

The stitching on the border was a total accident: I just didn't feel like doing all those little Us (but oh, how I love them). And I'm okay with the imperfections....

Up next, a dog-themed mini for an animal shelter benefit: this should be interesting!

skully takes form

I finally turned the skully embroidery into a mini quilt. I'm really liking it, although it might need a few more details: any suggestions? I've got a few more in the works, in various colors. I hope these guys represent some kind of acknowledgment/celebration for people (and maybe for myself): death is such a huge part of life, especially recently it seems. So I'll crank out a few more of these and then on to more linoleum... I promise.

stitch-o-rama

I'm still loving the little greenies doodles (and will have many more to post soon). Here's a recent one in teal and green. I loved being able to take something crafty with me on my mini vacation to Edisto, SC with my mom. Turns out the beach is perfect for laid back creativity.

Also, here's something I'm really excited about: I turned one of my lino prints into an embroidery design. I like the way it turned out but I can't wait to frame it up in a little mini mini. More to come soon as I get crankin on some Big Crafty projects!

sock creatures!

Lark Labs held a most excellent event with Stupid Sock Creatures author John Murphy and it was so much fun! I made this little fellow, now named zeke (thanks claire!). I have a feeling I'm going to need to make some more: there's really no wrong way to make them and they really seem to take on a life of their own. My favorite is the butt patch, made mostly because I forgot to stuff my little guy before I stitched him up.

Oh, and here's another spore creation. I wonder if I'll ever run out of little doodle sprouts to stitch?

spore doodles and crafty news

Big crafting news this week: I got into the Big Crafty show here in Asheville in July! Which means I better get busy making some things to sell. It's always a delicate balance: making what I want to make and making what I think I can sell. But I'm hoping to keep those two categories as closely aligned as possible this time around. And I'm starting with these little diddies: framing up my embroidery doodles into little mini-mini-quilts. I call these latest guys spores...they make me happy.

In the meantime, my friend and I are leading a sewing workshop at work and we're busy making some squares for the Bushfire Quilt Project. Pics of our wonky stars headed this way soon!

greenie doodles

I went home to Cleveland, TN, this past weekend and took some embroidery supplies with me. Even if I look dorky, I do so love the portability! These were fun - I stitched them over the course of a few days, sometimes in the morning before work while I waited for the hubs to finish his breakfast, sometimes in the bed at night snuggled in between the rogeys (it's cold!). I have a lot more ideas for little greenies. And yes, the odd man out is the pair of glasses at the top right that are facing the wrong direction. Oh, well... that's the nature of the doodle.

thread doodles

I've been having such a ball with French knots that I decided to extend my repertoire to back stitch. I like the sensual aspects of embroidery (ok, that sounds a little weird): the needle popping through the fabric, the thread pulling along, my whispery curses when I create knots in my floss.... ahhh. I do like the portability though; knitters always look like they're having fun while they're out-and-about doing their thing. Although I did have some hesitant thoughts about bringing my embroidery out at a party... but I did it anyway!