tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85703158102823720312024-02-19T04:09:08.448-08:00Knots in ThreadJeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-89905412605302172642013-12-16T02:03:00.000-08:002014-02-26T10:04:33.872-08:00<h2 class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Wrapping it up: Packaging and Branding</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgok5x4pNxxGN-XFWFzNkom0zhAn84qNDiEFj6OPyYGWA50C9CfCMI9iSXlemI4MgursjCPKn_DEiXorWhdujBEr5nCnCK65Y_iOl_QBxKO4u-V6R1kYdZfHF74BVytQePdzw0gQD8D7mLS/s1600/Jeanine+package+for+lynne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="JeanineDesigns gift wrap with coffee flower" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgok5x4pNxxGN-XFWFzNkom0zhAn84qNDiEFj6OPyYGWA50C9CfCMI9iSXlemI4MgursjCPKn_DEiXorWhdujBEr5nCnCK65Y_iOl_QBxKO4u-V6R1kYdZfHF74BVytQePdzw0gQD8D7mLS/s200/Jeanine+package+for+lynne.jpg" height="200" title="JeanineDesigns gift wrap with coffee flower" width="152" /></a></h2>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Soon after I began</span> selling my creations online it became apparent that I needed to put thought into packaging and branding. This was made abundantly clear when I asked a friend what she thought of my packaging and she said, "Ehn."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Around this time I ordered a necklace online. It arrived in a lime green gift box, with a black ribbon, and a logo sticker, in a black gossamer drawstring bag. It was like a club to my head. No matter how cool my item was I clearly needed to step up the wrapping.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">As I thought about choosing a box, a coordinating ribbon, adding a logo, picking all the bits and pieces, I realized that, even if I chose recycled materials, I would be sending out paper-goods that would just be thrown away. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">All my work on branding would be lost and the materials would become landfill. And that really bugged me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">But what if I could make the box worth keeping? What if I could make the function match the purpose, the item, even the customer. And most importantly, what if I could make the customer say, "Wow!" when they opened the mail. What if I could make them gasp?!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Qm-Iw1kePm40nVu_q5-7af4c49RsTRo-dYS8c5thKVB-DwkHcKWA7Ib8MDcdShYHAPRl1SnxPhC7CfgJ4BKJRfemSpTm5DEArGDsCcXESIP24TUwv0Awp1EYu42J2spe9Xgxe7PLLXnT/s1600/gift+box+group+photo+cropped+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="JeanineDesigns group photo of custom gift wrap" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Qm-Iw1kePm40nVu_q5-7af4c49RsTRo-dYS8c5thKVB-DwkHcKWA7Ib8MDcdShYHAPRl1SnxPhC7CfgJ4BKJRfemSpTm5DEArGDsCcXESIP24TUwv0Awp1EYu42J2spe9Xgxe7PLLXnT/s200/gift+box+group+photo+cropped+sm.jpg" height="112" title="JeanineDesigns group photo of custom gift wrap" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">So that is what I try to do, and packaging has become another part of my artistic process. I designed a round jewelry box made from recycled cardboard that I'm able to produce and customize yet still have a recognizable look. I use what I save, scrounge, or have collected: cardboard, paper, vintage fabrics, ribbons, botanical embellishments, a flower made from the aluminum lid from coffee... I heap a palate of materials on the table and each box is an improvisation, my flourish at the end.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrd4aoWTqJfVCnhP69EpM7ZQXTk1BoQVh3JAckOiq749a-y839_FeqCrOB9kpfMTyilV53Bg7UuLNSQCmLE4Dezcn7tDj6IjXAeaPEJfP2AfGh6aTIaUEGkDSBNQ6ShnwWm2kXzpFK-k5/s1600/read+write+box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="JeanineDesigns Read Write Bookmark in Book Box" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrd4aoWTqJfVCnhP69EpM7ZQXTk1BoQVh3JAckOiq749a-y839_FeqCrOB9kpfMTyilV53Bg7UuLNSQCmLE4Dezcn7tDj6IjXAeaPEJfP2AfGh6aTIaUEGkDSBNQ6ShnwWm2kXzpFK-k5/s200/read+write+box.jpg" height="150" title="JeanineDesigns Read Write Bookmark in Book Box" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Some packages, and products, become too time consuming to be viable. Case in point, is this embroidered reversible bookmark encased in a 'book' box with hidden magnetic closure. The embroidery is freestanding lace with many color changes and it takes a long time to stitch out. It took so long to make I could never sell it and make a profit. I gave it to my best friend. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">While each box is special, I am inspired by my relationship to the buyer and love customizing them and imagining the reaction. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4AVUZzQ7fi4mBLx9Sa-tBiPMTZXnnVOza6c8YQQaTuxiYDsIbZQY9YHIM34Holbyl9ZsZcPGwZ_5zZ9_CO3JdH0a5FFpfQ_KWY7ITmarszEkwUAgTq8aFPdeNLftBKGuVYg2eyLl-6re/s1600/thank+you+steaks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="JeanineDesigns Steak Coasters" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4AVUZzQ7fi4mBLx9Sa-tBiPMTZXnnVOza6c8YQQaTuxiYDsIbZQY9YHIM34Holbyl9ZsZcPGwZ_5zZ9_CO3JdH0a5FFpfQ_KWY7ITmarszEkwUAgTq8aFPdeNLftBKGuVYg2eyLl-6re/s200/thank+you+steaks.jpg" height="195" title="JeanineDesigns Steak Coasters" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The packaging for my steak coasters came quite easily. I only needed to save up meat trays and hand draw a label for the look I wanted. Later I switched to a bio cello wrap so that the customer could more easily store the steaks in the original packaging. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLJ9SQq00LcXCcBj7BIy_GKEF40VwMVFGkOKVXBQQZz05zt-gF3XoyKeSOZJU3tObAkKaGs8Hv8kO-3t6W2SSgXhQCnLQoB0It8zV73HvUJ_cdIh6V7XjFpcpGkbCPA6d0RQmEYXiNJZ4/s1600/log+coaster+boxes+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="JeanineDesigns Log Coasters" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLJ9SQq00LcXCcBj7BIy_GKEF40VwMVFGkOKVXBQQZz05zt-gF3XoyKeSOZJU3tObAkKaGs8Hv8kO-3t6W2SSgXhQCnLQoB0It8zV73HvUJ_cdIh6V7XjFpcpGkbCPA6d0RQmEYXiNJZ4/s200/log+coaster+boxes+2.jpg" height="200" title="JeanineDesigns Log Coasters" width="165" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The recycled cardboard packaging for my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/64282745/log-slices-coaster-set-wool-embroidery?" target="_blank">log coasters</a> has evolved over time - starting rustic and square, then round, and now it is a log and I am very pleased with this final design.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUc9Xua_v0B6DzKYzehG6BdmIR_pn8PKkymtAv6OvasYuINaSotYrLNTlzswPWk8gI6zlmTer_NKtRPyHpU62WZW5lmDoFsmuqRn8V1oMnLT9_JAD485EV1EOKjH0DAsPwmudKOGpqqoL/s1600/PC155951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="JeanineDesigns Bee the Change necklace and box" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUc9Xua_v0B6DzKYzehG6BdmIR_pn8PKkymtAv6OvasYuINaSotYrLNTlzswPWk8gI6zlmTer_NKtRPyHpU62WZW5lmDoFsmuqRn8V1oMnLT9_JAD485EV1EOKjH0DAsPwmudKOGpqqoL/s200/PC155951.JPG" height="150" title="JeanineDesigns Bee the Change necklace and box" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Several years ago I created a pattern for a hexagonal box but it didn't quite gel until recently - when it came together with a design for a new pendant charm called <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/172061502/bee-the-change-forged-copper-necklace?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">Bee the Change</a>. This recycled cardstock box was waiting for the product. I've left the outside simple. The surprise here comes on the inside, where the bee is displayed on a handmade flower - all from recycled materials, of course.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIbZ81GkFYiNCZg9td8RLCtiys32iV2mPJsLFemwsltwMW7Gh6cdOJYvYADaNp5uOxIp7BJxKGbwL1IUGuqgnyAWpcg-_-MGM9XKsxT-BnjgeOaziArB_GQThi4S18rdi6qPZXDfhQJ0u/s1600/PC155959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="JeanineDesigns custom gift wrapping" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIbZ81GkFYiNCZg9td8RLCtiys32iV2mPJsLFemwsltwMW7Gh6cdOJYvYADaNp5uOxIp7BJxKGbwL1IUGuqgnyAWpcg-_-MGM9XKsxT-BnjgeOaziArB_GQThi4S18rdi6qPZXDfhQJ0u/s200/PC155959.JPG" height="169" title="JeanineDesigns custom gift wrapping" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Several people have suggested that I sell my packaging. I am looking into some machinery for that, as there is a limit to what I can do with an xacto knife. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">But right now I'm happy dressing my creations in custom wrapped boxes. I wrapped up this gift today. I like the way it came together. It is unique, pretty, unusual. Or pretty unusual. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It is my brand. And it is not "Ehn".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-7224716590741715462013-01-28T01:09:00.002-08:002013-01-29T11:04:36.892-08:00For Valentines: Four Deeply Cleft Hearts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAoXMFYM3cZHTOrtMnsIZ2EocjVvJyJRuggWyAihyphenhyphenbhBVClCN7Ei6YrU_psOdsd1cnJt-lot4UkAd2gTCAE-wJ8Vvc5wa1BDAMPQvXMSU6REcVkqNt_a6-hPurwjq1-Ig-P8it55zYby9/s1600/Wood+heart+in+hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAoXMFYM3cZHTOrtMnsIZ2EocjVvJyJRuggWyAihyphenhyphenbhBVClCN7Ei6YrU_psOdsd1cnJt-lot4UkAd2gTCAE-wJ8Vvc5wa1BDAMPQvXMSU6REcVkqNt_a6-hPurwjq1-Ig-P8it55zYby9/s200/Wood+heart+in+hand.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The heart symbol dates far back in history,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and has obvious anatomical references</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">yet I imagine that the cleft in the heart symbol</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">recalls the permanent psychological mark</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">that love makes upon us all</span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p>No matter what kind of love it is,</o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p>Love's effect is profound and deep.</o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p>And there are many kinds of love.</o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p>Or four, so thought the Greeks.</o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p>This olive branch had a scar</o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p>that made me think of Cupid's mark.</o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p>It ran just long enough to carve these four</o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><a href="http://www.jeaninedesigns.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Deeply Cleft Hearts.</a></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Agape<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I love you”. This heart is plump
and full: representing home and family. Its shape solid, for stability, hinged
for openness, a latch for security. It's metal is sterling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Eros<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Representing passionate, sensual
desire: two wafer thin mirror image hearts, both concave and convex, ultra
smooth beautiful nudes which can be worn in a variety of positions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Philia<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Affectionate love: that which is
loyal and virtuous to family and community. Made to honor those who are generous with love and time, this heart is large and ornate with brass - symbol of heart's capacity, and bold, busy lives.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Storge</em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Natural affection, like parent
for a child. This heart's shape speaks of youth and playfulness. Inside, a line of copper represents familial love shining upon a growing seedling, and forms a place for a tender secret.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.jeaninedesigns.etsy.com/" target="_blank">See more detailed photos of Deeply Cleft Hearts in my shop.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Process Photos and Details</strong></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOKvqtSdXeWdG-rv_Sg_YWlrnlRZXdjhdZfkD2u0pFDkzxJ6_NuL9cx7Yrh3DbxJTNKD-EkrDoe1EF2bTOPcqlBwWV0JMme0VdQCipNqwqydNDyOj_PMJ5szB80sEjrf4yMtqvUeKb-mU/s1600/P1162324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOKvqtSdXeWdG-rv_Sg_YWlrnlRZXdjhdZfkD2u0pFDkzxJ6_NuL9cx7Yrh3DbxJTNKD-EkrDoe1EF2bTOPcqlBwWV0JMme0VdQCipNqwqydNDyOj_PMJ5szB80sEjrf4yMtqvUeKb-mU/s200/P1162324.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-55727008050863157002012-10-03T23:09:00.000-07:002012-10-03T23:37:21.925-07:00What Wood You Do...<br />
...when stymied by a project that completely stalled your studio output? While
working on a beautiful dress, I got stuck on how to engineer the back closure.
The lack of human model makes a fitted dress difficult, and since sewing is
usually a sequential process - until I figure it out, I can't move forward. I
didn't know what to do.<br />
<br />
And then I saw the log pile from the olive tree we had to cut down. I began
chopping away and immediately felt such freedom, cutting away intuitively,
letting the material have its say. Before I knew it, I was sitting in a drift
of sawdust and I'd completed about a dozen hairsticks. Feeling very encouraged,
next I made some <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/108198706/wearable-sculpture-olive-wood-cocktail" target="_blank">wild sculptural rings</a>, and then a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/110125454/you-are-my-salt-handcarved-heart-shaped" target="_blank">heart-shaped ring box/saltcellar</a> of which I'm quite proud.<br />
<br />
I know this departure might seem strange, especially considering my blog's
title, but I've always worked with a variety of materials and techniques. And
wood is a fiber, after all. And I figure I come by it naturally: my
grandfather, father, and brother have all worked with wood. I wish they'd been
around to teach me about working with wood and share the joy of making. I've
thought of them a lot as I've been carving.<br />
<br />
Norwegians’ have traditional wedding spoons, carved by suitors and used by
the bride and groom at the wedding reception. These beautiful carved spoons are
connected by a chain and are all carved from one piece of wood. I wanted to
challenge myself to carve an interlocked form, and pay homage to my heritage
but with a contemporary Scandinavian feel, encompassing concepts and beliefs
which are important to me.<br />
<br />
I started carving, with love and good intentions, and "Unity Chains"
were the result. I've made several in this series. These are pendants of two unique, interlocked links carved from one piece of olive wood: symbols
of love, peace, commitment, and interdependence; and metaphor for celebrating
individual uniqueness and the strength, and flexibility, found only in unity.<br />
<br />
Here is the finished <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/111172568/unity-heart-pendant-necklace-carved" target="_blank">Unity Necklace</a> and the piece in process below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszZq7swyO1GflwbfKBoBnTT8Oz-WRd1f2pQJjwLXkS8wjp4QzHjUB5KZyAQoeU2AL1ohvuXNvLfE8Z-_g31-1bUajgdaLzQlkxsDi5u0zElgrq4XOfPjHWLJe-w-9Y2vULKh3c4P1YskO/s1600/P9291256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiszZq7swyO1GflwbfKBoBnTT8Oz-WRd1f2pQJjwLXkS8wjp4QzHjUB5KZyAQoeU2AL1ohvuXNvLfE8Z-_g31-1bUajgdaLzQlkxsDi5u0zElgrq4XOfPjHWLJe-w-9Y2vULKh3c4P1YskO/s200/P9291256.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg975GhqANxT2ol9ahM1v6piY5cowgUFX95lKaIK3iQmEntdYB5vQ6leLAuJZwItyL5n-1Imnw7KrO_ZjoNFN4tKvzcE6zEYtJD1q5pokR435cBqGYC4fqGb66XKpAIYY2pP1-bsfqcVJSV/s1600/PA031312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg975GhqANxT2ol9ahM1v6piY5cowgUFX95lKaIK3iQmEntdYB5vQ6leLAuJZwItyL5n-1Imnw7KrO_ZjoNFN4tKvzcE6zEYtJD1q5pokR435cBqGYC4fqGb66XKpAIYY2pP1-bsfqcVJSV/s200/PA031312.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-16993835519977512492012-04-25T18:36:00.001-07:002012-04-28T09:33:53.875-07:00Sheer Tea Party Madness<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ432sXSIfMhsFZkob2VGP8YfzNVPd-EqO2r6GwIG0k0K4R7MHcwi6vIsYVDj9uNWqhedIIL32c4EEOfb_x1yFCw7tVpvWp8E54Jvg61z0ro7_zYx0Inb6RDbBj6qhfbTwlR3WTwclfKj_/s1600/P4142348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ432sXSIfMhsFZkob2VGP8YfzNVPd-EqO2r6GwIG0k0K4R7MHcwi6vIsYVDj9uNWqhedIIL32c4EEOfb_x1yFCw7tVpvWp8E54Jvg61z0ro7_zYx0Inb6RDbBj6qhfbTwlR3WTwclfKj_/s200/P4142348.JPG" width="200" /></a>I found this wonderful square tablecloth at an estate sale. It was in perfect condition, with it's original tag in place identifying it as a cotton organza: the sheerest I've ever seen and crisp as a dragonfly's wing. Too bad that the matching napkins to this set, imported from Switzerland and sold at Sears, are long gone. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BZahPwW1mc51a3U2CCdDCl-3BWrb4zktNZol-NZUcqMulElKq66mB92Vf1Kbthz0pLaK7oTDbBhhosWTYCoe8pmO54JptxPAa9rO3oIlBzezhFRqL64joKybMh6bzErVfJwEbb9X1p4D/s1600/P4142350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BZahPwW1mc51a3U2CCdDCl-3BWrb4zktNZol-NZUcqMulElKq66mB92Vf1Kbthz0pLaK7oTDbBhhosWTYCoe8pmO54JptxPAa9rO3oIlBzezhFRqL64joKybMh6bzErVfJwEbb9X1p4D/s200/P4142350.JPG" width="200" /></a>The white cotton corner appliques of a sail boat on embroidered waves, the scalloped edge, and the whisper of blue green all suggested a light as air design. Please note, I've been unable to capture the lightness of the color but it is the merest breath of green. The fabric is also a bit challenging to work on - hence the title of this article.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipqZsXT0DkiqmZz4GtXEVYz9_AwTWmIQnFFTH8f6yh8VH0pJU9VDzoPXhOhbYf0DUsqbIzuHImBBIumKEI44yVrfT74Hw-dmN3U05D2Kv3H3tJFXH0JT7hx4_7hvZUyKtIkwt8gz1SMT5/s1600/P4232450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipqZsXT0DkiqmZz4GtXEVYz9_AwTWmIQnFFTH8f6yh8VH0pJU9VDzoPXhOhbYf0DUsqbIzuHImBBIumKEI44yVrfT74Hw-dmN3U05D2Kv3H3tJFXH0JT7hx4_7hvZUyKtIkwt8gz1SMT5/s200/P4232450.JPG" width="200" /></a>I toyed with many ideas on how to treat the neckline, and finally settled on an edging of bamboo/silk blend yarn because it would mimic the texture of the existing scalloped edging and help support the neckline without getting too heavy. I top stitched the yarn in place first, stabilized just outside the yarn with a thin bead of Fray Check, clipped the curves, folded the fabric in, pressed and trimmed it close.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpP-iGs-D_swtQ30NwMZnbTUc82hKldvYAy-lBmKyBbxXPMzIWPYNrlz99QBGwQPTp06hy4BS7TmCdMk471cGOWyCc2xncTnnZQrkgDAdhVag2p0O6OZgNLPvH1fxX2qHIyKPI9xn6oSN/s1600/P4232477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpP-iGs-D_swtQ30NwMZnbTUc82hKldvYAy-lBmKyBbxXPMzIWPYNrlz99QBGwQPTp06hy4BS7TmCdMk471cGOWyCc2xncTnnZQrkgDAdhVag2p0O6OZgNLPvH1fxX2qHIyKPI9xn6oSN/s200/P4232477.JPG" width="200" /></a>Of course, I tested my process first, you must always do that, but when working with re purposed fabrics, sometimes there's not much scrap to work on. Here's all I had to test stitch length, width and tension on!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKq38iuaugJpocTCBmEWtHLjRLJCd7_wFoc-4zoeUyKGFea_B-5_l59goejxhkXjZYC4XAtTpsg8k5rq5Vbiw7rjMARtWSRjRc6l-7ATpIP_sKzxKXzmBGWivzfruecKXkBjdNWqV38eH/s1600/P4242487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKq38iuaugJpocTCBmEWtHLjRLJCd7_wFoc-4zoeUyKGFea_B-5_l59goejxhkXjZYC4XAtTpsg8k5rq5Vbiw7rjMARtWSRjRc6l-7ATpIP_sKzxKXzmBGWivzfruecKXkBjdNWqV38eH/s200/P4242487.JPG" width="200" /></a>I stitched over the pressed edge with a stitch that goes left, center, and right to secure the edge. Here you can see the resultant texture, which mimics the existing edging. You can also see the loop I left for the button hole. I thought I was being so clever.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGbncKFv7sGy3KjRxc4Im62OgV4oochgQbZBUhBjGcjlovCbtlKDTss33FGR09eRqCOOxVfqZQF_dpC2zLOHo5JfIlW_N2opVNJ2ioicgVXrbNLt6DtloxZGobyJrM3WAp8YtBvgDVgjL/s1600/P4242488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGbncKFv7sGy3KjRxc4Im62OgV4oochgQbZBUhBjGcjlovCbtlKDTss33FGR09eRqCOOxVfqZQF_dpC2zLOHo5JfIlW_N2opVNJ2ioicgVXrbNLt6DtloxZGobyJrM3WAp8YtBvgDVgjL/s200/P4242488.JPG" width="200" /></a>Since this yarn is a bit fuzzy and that, I felt, would worsen over time, I decided to work a button hole stitch in silk over it by hand. I double threaded up a needle in silk thread, took two stitches that took 5 minutes to untangle and get smooth, and said... naaahhhh. <br />
And I cut that bad boy off.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrsicIdGwt5Liv277FgyVXcHLuoLmVIfUcqSYlPE2B1XBuio-RSqdPbLZeVi3AmjO5viiBIE-i_p2NMvkzHEZlZ_T1NA5AEMr7t0zcfgPtZ_o5Sv5Z060GKIw4lkgtkdrdIqbWcMlQT_8/s1600/P4242494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrsicIdGwt5Liv277FgyVXcHLuoLmVIfUcqSYlPE2B1XBuio-RSqdPbLZeVi3AmjO5viiBIE-i_p2NMvkzHEZlZ_T1NA5AEMr7t0zcfgPtZ_o5Sv5Z060GKIw4lkgtkdrdIqbWcMlQT_8/s200/P4242494.JPG" width="200" /></a>Sometimes I get so wrapped up in trying to figure out everything in advance, only to find that I should trust that I'll figure the best solution when I get there and charge ahead. The easiest, simplist and most elegant solution for this situation turned out to be a hand-tatted button loop.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGp27XRGM5078Svj1nTxt7PgFM5i0r-TLv2lZh1uW1NeTbvmHxGcCGKeTjmqb5y0bMGdtbtvX1im4ZMgOAiT61RyhymmLyPhM9Zlqs59MP_SM7fTFmEDiltYqwyTQ4_Ppq0XcEN7UEDCI/s1600/P4242484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGp27XRGM5078Svj1nTxt7PgFM5i0r-TLv2lZh1uW1NeTbvmHxGcCGKeTjmqb5y0bMGdtbtvX1im4ZMgOAiT61RyhymmLyPhM9Zlqs59MP_SM7fTFmEDiltYqwyTQ4_Ppq0XcEN7UEDCI/s200/P4242484.JPG" width="200" /></a>A quick dive into my button stash turned up 4 possible choices of vintage buttons from my collection, I settled on a sweet glass pearl button made in Germany (far right in photo), and sewed it on securely with several strands of YLI silk thread.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwQop4Nk3sxxvKoE491xP5exBkhhDZlL_HAy55SWjqXXnYpW2DJRiuWFcyvWnASxuBkMBhn4_OKFYAmQoVUOpcstTnG9WCkKr-AIU1xcap4kZoA3v2NGyiLroAJPj7Y1y1KVzpL_dE6tj/s1600/P4242500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwQop4Nk3sxxvKoE491xP5exBkhhDZlL_HAy55SWjqXXnYpW2DJRiuWFcyvWnASxuBkMBhn4_OKFYAmQoVUOpcstTnG9WCkKr-AIU1xcap4kZoA3v2NGyiLroAJPj7Y1y1KVzpL_dE6tj/s200/P4242500.JPG" width="200" /></a>A needle-tatted loop is easy to do once you get the motion down. After a couple securing stitches, take a small stitch, inserting and exiting the needle at the points you want the button loop to begin and end - but don't pull the needle through yet. Tat over the needle <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgge3BqtB60" target="_blank">(Here's a nice video)</a> and when you pull the needle through a loop will form. At left, I am comparing the length of the tatting to the button to estimate the length needed.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-JFt-siT5m8nkbT-C86LVs_UCZQJugrcPHtwAGvAKqCo4Sh_NInaHeRET9eZnjFByt7gAxkZpDY32qTDw7REjAaQzhHMC7BcaGlQGKjQg3d3zHVEDp9Qn4VhEpuzcl7Fx2g6mxOwU5s-/s1600/P4242502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-JFt-siT5m8nkbT-C86LVs_UCZQJugrcPHtwAGvAKqCo4Sh_NInaHeRET9eZnjFByt7gAxkZpDY32qTDw7REjAaQzhHMC7BcaGlQGKjQg3d3zHVEDp9Qn4VhEpuzcl7Fx2g6mxOwU5s-/s200/P4242502.JPG" width="200" /></a>After pulling the needle through, you continue to tighten up the circle until you get to the size you need for the button. Be sure to try the button. You can easily spread out or compress the tatted stitches as needed. Once it is the right size, secure with a few stitches and a knot. I used multiple strands of YLI Silk for strength.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkP9W1blmqadEuhZUXbEK8rQM98ClxCnFNzGws38knwo7NAKEMFOMMZVYM5P97XiGo8545nO47y56E-fbJYBezNd4UjFNNcZVGySipDFPRiUV0BJcQCo_Ek6LB-lnczeA6dYaVNJ9l2gev/s1600/P4242509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkP9W1blmqadEuhZUXbEK8rQM98ClxCnFNzGws38knwo7NAKEMFOMMZVYM5P97XiGo8545nO47y56E-fbJYBezNd4UjFNNcZVGySipDFPRiUV0BJcQCo_Ek6LB-lnczeA6dYaVNJ9l2gev/s200/P4242509.JPG" width="200" /></a>Here you can see the finished edging, button and button hole with the delicate finish I wanted.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQoviBjO0OkjSRJlrEOviUu_ctjS42nk8Jf3WxFQgIlA1lXBhWK1ZFCH7Ruo-RvUjVPVMOO1-IBGepglNzYsEXRsOmzbgJTWN3yawXDy-f-rg5NmWaumWf4ua4xPXb90VfvhhBsMxhTAi/s1600/P4242516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQoviBjO0OkjSRJlrEOviUu_ctjS42nk8Jf3WxFQgIlA1lXBhWK1ZFCH7Ruo-RvUjVPVMOO1-IBGepglNzYsEXRsOmzbgJTWN3yawXDy-f-rg5NmWaumWf4ua4xPXb90VfvhhBsMxhTAi/s200/P4242516.JPG" width="150" /></a>Here is the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/60765614/pale-mint-sheer-wedding-poncho-cape-of" target="_blank">Finished Top</a> , shown with my beaded lace top underneath. You can click on any photo to enlarge.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span>Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-27748374774402698172012-04-20T15:26:00.001-07:002012-06-18T18:24:55.731-07:00Shaping Vintage Textiles<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VP0AvEDNtWPTHa1gd_yegs8BnQxs78VeFEzBxJ0FwJ6ilirgTl9pZDWrQtn4ZtApGmEuYPxQz6s5E0CL_aH03-WpQIq4cKzb3sIzuHcB4CRA8VDU79L3XoaenLcB840VWYJ18tTPhgKu/s1600/linen+calendar+top+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VP0AvEDNtWPTHa1gd_yegs8BnQxs78VeFEzBxJ0FwJ6ilirgTl9pZDWrQtn4ZtApGmEuYPxQz6s5E0CL_aH03-WpQIq4cKzb3sIzuHcB4CRA8VDU79L3XoaenLcB840VWYJ18tTPhgKu/s200/linen+calendar+top+2.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Constructing clothing from vintage linens is sewing in
reverse. Instead of starting with a pattern and cutting whole cloth, here you
drape with pieces and parts and try to make a cohesive whole. I try to honor
the beauty of the original textiles and handmade laces that I use. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But I also want my garments to have shape which means
darts. Here is a way to work a bust dart into a print and maintain the pattern.
You can also use a similar technique on laces.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdb80yXD2jAs4nS_sS68LNyASA50n9yEO97AcIOQtq42SjAa_gD1yACJaGJ-YnHSBhVoRCJtrhY82lvvFs0Y3krKpl1iwKAwn_dhqqqff7a96kZM-a0kNSZlJvm3DmORkdQhhNm1IASZy/s1600/side+view+before+linen+top.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdb80yXD2jAs4nS_sS68LNyASA50n9yEO97AcIOQtq42SjAa_gD1yACJaGJ-YnHSBhVoRCJtrhY82lvvFs0Y3krKpl1iwKAwn_dhqqqff7a96kZM-a0kNSZlJvm3DmORkdQhhNm1IASZy/s320/side+view+before+linen+top.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I position the vintage laces and linen, a Stevens Linens Calendar Towel, so the print lies on the body the way I want. </span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwAIhVevBn_ueCocjsb0JGHpcgAMLwsyfOVBjC0khgq5M16BY295yRuDp0Mb3GivmJ_IH2X2ZAeIrDcOqWn_6wZkIjuvYMbGRITuwe418kLKMst_Rk88NyjLBkwvRUQpoaK_bapWSQBmR/s1600/P4172362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwAIhVevBn_ueCocjsb0JGHpcgAMLwsyfOVBjC0khgq5M16BY295yRuDp0Mb3GivmJ_IH2X2ZAeIrDcOqWn_6wZkIjuvYMbGRITuwe418kLKMst_Rk88NyjLBkwvRUQpoaK_bapWSQBmR/s320/P4172362.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can see the gape on the side where a dart needs to be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I fold up the end of the dart and see that it will end in the bird nest, so I cut around that design element.</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqDpOHbhQmZP0Zud6KVVsevpGMJrzWf-Dox9ZsFiimizhJz6WcSewGzRlY4YuiXLxGwZ6mD3XoBuDLbJ0BzYcBFJM5E_YQR2gn1pVklNE-qLGKK_tsNIrNszM5P4fEnrhFBhSf0CApxwh/s1600/P4172363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqDpOHbhQmZP0Zud6KVVsevpGMJrzWf-Dox9ZsFiimizhJz6WcSewGzRlY4YuiXLxGwZ6mD3XoBuDLbJ0BzYcBFJM5E_YQR2gn1pVklNE-qLGKK_tsNIrNszM5P4fEnrhFBhSf0CApxwh/s320/P4172363.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here you can see where it will be stitched down in a new location.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsgDCCRhYzfJlK0Ld6WvWNfcNhKZuBR8vHDHyR0Z6KoiQjsHN2VEwp4kR8mKkSwYv67YwwEDa5DRB_osNyGPIblUjd_IEiD7gz55WdDZIiYOsw54HuWrCuhB-C5P0fXKT_GzwBQ5z0Qvd/s1600/P4172370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsgDCCRhYzfJlK0Ld6WvWNfcNhKZuBR8vHDHyR0Z6KoiQjsHN2VEwp4kR8mKkSwYv67YwwEDa5DRB_osNyGPIblUjd_IEiD7gz55WdDZIiYOsw54HuWrCuhB-C5P0fXKT_GzwBQ5z0Qvd/s320/P4172370.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here is the finished hand stitched dart.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLGINfsdG7uptPmZTzbNLBO08_ZZmTsAqCDGQnrMcMbsbNqInmDQyd7CAwGz4Y4mJ-Q9bnmWch_1y7qI8ipSMCeUlgOnG0XoRxVCAwggAggkBk_-RnQ9bktnh5YZOH7dgMd-_D4XnLEi6M/s1600/P4172359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLGINfsdG7uptPmZTzbNLBO08_ZZmTsAqCDGQnrMcMbsbNqInmDQyd7CAwGz4Y4mJ-Q9bnmWch_1y7qI8ipSMCeUlgOnG0XoRxVCAwggAggkBk_-RnQ9bktnh5YZOH7dgMd-_D4XnLEi6M/s320/P4172359.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course I had to do the same thing on the other side, this time cutting around a cherub's head.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7ccQEF8xSrSfwunr0a4TtHLO1xTG9BZYST_A0FxGNAZgAKfunMgTZ1dn3sycbX15xf4eShgjlzkZ2fFP8PA6JbX8Y2we8_6S7SdZrpuJDtJWV8ZaDE7DpU-UQ_VxOPjv-EK1SomnC8XC/s1600/P4172366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7ccQEF8xSrSfwunr0a4TtHLO1xTG9BZYST_A0FxGNAZgAKfunMgTZ1dn3sycbX15xf4eShgjlzkZ2fFP8PA6JbX8Y2we8_6S7SdZrpuJDtJWV8ZaDE7DpU-UQ_VxOPjv-EK1SomnC8XC/s320/P4172366.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I used a combination of invisible stitches, embroidery stitches, and even darning to blend the new dart into the design. Here you can see some darning in process, as I weave the needle back and forth to strengthen the fabric.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjfvKOuMLs1UtCQeAm0bQCu6OBp_Uyx-FVKHJqQVfDgIL_6osBYzKE97g9NC7pvdlFpG-9ifdBpKC7074flymxvfSxBE344Hch76rbWDpnG_IB8-f6lu2gX7c_LSFtoVwto9U3WzKrMHE/s1600/P4172365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjfvKOuMLs1UtCQeAm0bQCu6OBp_Uyx-FVKHJqQVfDgIL_6osBYzKE97g9NC7pvdlFpG-9ifdBpKC7074flymxvfSxBE344Hch76rbWDpnG_IB8-f6lu2gX7c_LSFtoVwto9U3WzKrMHE/s320/P4172365.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Both darts were worked completely by hand and the effect is just what I wanted: soft shaping on the front and no interruption in the pattern.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Adjustable snapping shoulder straps and side ties, and other fun features complete this summery blouse which you can see at left, (in photos taken before pressing, sorry) and the </span> <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/97887429/lace-and-linen-upcycled-vintage-heirloom" target="_blank">Finished Blouse Here</a>.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQ6DNmxv4Bkf4Kq16S4o4tsWvmnmQNJbT6FrexXdSiU32BhBktYYHOkkoN7KJaBe-84rrfhtur316nZ6YvjeVkJYvDsR5BWiEL_aZmcQbPUduPmm9Z9Wd3IuVGhxysu411hsA86fi3V53/s1600/linen+calendar+top+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQ6DNmxv4Bkf4Kq16S4o4tsWvmnmQNJbT6FrexXdSiU32BhBktYYHOkkoN7KJaBe-84rrfhtur316nZ6YvjeVkJYvDsR5BWiEL_aZmcQbPUduPmm9Z9Wd3IuVGhxysu411hsA86fi3V53/s200/linen+calendar+top+4.jpg" width="162" /></a></div>Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-90389837558294790582012-03-22T20:45:00.000-07:002012-03-23T20:06:53.603-07:00Tribal Turkish Tubes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_5f-o8I7Dr-_C38kgkt15xgmnjKN5hLZSfGTzIlIXCmrGb17fw64zwYPsp4-7a1SD3svrd69E3U_cCXWI92cOojGdHSP7z4QcXwY5CEnkrSajj8IZsRXGXGpCr6O5ALbg8Wz-ax9E108/s1600/P3212310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_5f-o8I7Dr-_C38kgkt15xgmnjKN5hLZSfGTzIlIXCmrGb17fw64zwYPsp4-7a1SD3svrd69E3U_cCXWI92cOojGdHSP7z4QcXwY5CEnkrSajj8IZsRXGXGpCr6O5ALbg8Wz-ax9E108/s320/P3212310.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTakXCMDZKNRzS7S7DFmKOwSVWcQqBMOvfjTeTconeFsQULfGZTQcTe0cq08V7hgbXgiAZ6oRqCKnqD5RkxmgnoUXNMZpy_gwOOF6v-yQMm2_o3tgihrQKuzst9BRlk0gslax3miNiAG7/s1600/P3212310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTakXCMDZKNRzS7S7DFmKOwSVWcQqBMOvfjTeTconeFsQULfGZTQcTe0cq08V7hgbXgiAZ6oRqCKnqD5RkxmgnoUXNMZpy_gwOOF6v-yQMm2_o3tgihrQKuzst9BRlk0gslax3miNiAG7/s1600/P3212310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“You ought to be living in a yurt somewhere” I said aloud,
and laughed, as I hung this piece out to dry. </span>T<span style="font-family: Calibri;">he undulating tribal Turkish tulip design fluttered in the wind: a lacy, felt-like banner in vivid red, aqua and yellow orange against the cerulean sky. </span><br />
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGesSPMtvU_RuNQ6CZHiCg8h9E0Jru8rrXG7yNwCsNLTs4oE9YQRaIkW1SuQfur7rw0hYM2Fo1pPprbhUFE35Wy96y1tMPRA0HjIHXJb1nNvycO6BYzyOmzhIrQIXztxbcgMwkRev2QQl/s200/P3212306.JPG" width="136" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9u_0yEl5ca_sBOBDdRO8u3p6RvM4ZNdglL9fEmA47QZ9Iikk5OPpFfM-p0Wq2awj2DBD5ItpG0Zqn2D8Q0PXILPs5QplGMkxyh7n1UUG_ISDuGdj73p6R5_OCrfUh6Kcg0arjZsqpU-Z/s1600/P3222340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9u_0yEl5ca_sBOBDdRO8u3p6RvM4ZNdglL9fEmA47QZ9Iikk5OPpFfM-p0Wq2awj2DBD5ItpG0Zqn2D8Q0PXILPs5QplGMkxyh7n1UUG_ISDuGdj73p6R5_OCrfUh6Kcg0arjZsqpU-Z/s1600/P3222340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9u_0yEl5ca_sBOBDdRO8u3p6RvM4ZNdglL9fEmA47QZ9Iikk5OPpFfM-p0Wq2awj2DBD5ItpG0Zqn2D8Q0PXILPs5QplGMkxyh7n1UUG_ISDuGdj73p6R5_OCrfUh6Kcg0arjZsqpU-Z/s200/P3222340.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The finished piece, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81406103/embroidered-polychrome-tribal-lace" target="_blank">seen here</a>, can be worn as a head or neck scarf, or about the waist and hips, or hung on the wall. I like it's old texture, rather like a washcloth worn lacy with age. Bold and delicate at the same time.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibk7eeyQ7jELplDG2W2b16Wm8qqqDmVRRcSVGH8odcBEMkO6_r1RzDR8cJlrsKiKTLwdaMAVY1obsBEiHZ-MGMYN-HE_XdFClX35613844Ymr8nHEF5F4Pe32PuYBAT42v79hwGYZOc2nc/s1600/knitting+knobby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibk7eeyQ7jELplDG2W2b16Wm8qqqDmVRRcSVGH8odcBEMkO6_r1RzDR8cJlrsKiKTLwdaMAVY1obsBEiHZ-MGMYN-HE_XdFClX35613844Ymr8nHEF5F4Pe32PuYBAT42v79hwGYZOc2nc/s200/knitting+knobby.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However it all
started as a desire to finally find a good use for a knitting
knobby. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You know those little hand crank machines that produce a knitted tube, and seem like a good idea when you shell out 30 bucks at the craft store. I thought it was a good idea - twice. Yup - forgot I already owned one when I bought another. Later I discovered how very limited they are, in the yarn size and type it can accomodate, when I broke the "Embellish Knit" and still had the original "Magicord Machine", which the package states is "The Knitting Knobby of the '90s". All apparently waiting for me to rearrange my studio and come across some big spools of closeout thin yarns, get an idea, and start cranking out tube yardage.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-NA9UQipmteGUeiFiAevVBdtBlbSOaEXqN9XjtEL11itAlpcb61ZniZ4WcHxXx55Kv3HjYs1lnPH2Qn4jpbzL1AM8r8GughdbVsdu_HwaxjQlJXoMRRuWAfx7aDZ-mGaCjhxfUdPOGZN/s1600/Yurt+decoration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-NA9UQipmteGUeiFiAevVBdtBlbSOaEXqN9XjtEL11itAlpcb61ZniZ4WcHxXx55Kv3HjYs1lnPH2Qn4jpbzL1AM8r8GughdbVsdu_HwaxjQlJXoMRRuWAfx7aDZ-mGaCjhxfUdPOGZN/s200/Yurt+decoration.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After I knit out long ropes of red and aqua, I chose to forego sketching and worked right in the yarn on a
long piece of adhesive backed soluble stabilizer (AquaMesh Plus by OESD). Starting in the middle of
a long blue knitted rope, I worked with left and right hands simultaneously,
keeping the design as symmetrical as possible and working quickly. I filled in the background with red rope, and added spots of yellow orange chenille yarn.</span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTFpC1gQQNnpBYaa13nUTVn5ipIG5-xRqiw79f_Z0NxElvRmlGEYgqb8NIZPBbXqt6mC7PGj-zit39KuaXgoiMdvzilWDpXGt-mR-23WLtnY2kMQr4CPM9ojpDakHKUoGyZF_hfao7m2b/s1600/P3212308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTFpC1gQQNnpBYaa13nUTVn5ipIG5-xRqiw79f_Z0NxElvRmlGEYgqb8NIZPBbXqt6mC7PGj-zit39KuaXgoiMdvzilWDpXGt-mR-23WLtnY2kMQr4CPM9ojpDakHKUoGyZF_hfao7m2b/s200/P3212308.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When all the colors were in place, I stitched over the whole thing like
mad, joining and defining areas. I used a darker teal thread which lended an almost batik appearance to
this strange, lacy, textural cloth. After the stabilizer was washed out, and the piece dried, I reinforced areas and fixed unwanted holes with stitching and added beads to finish the long fringe ends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The adhesive was harder to wash out than expected and it took a second, vigorous scrubbing. The piece has a nice feel to it. I may play with this method more, but may leave off the adhesive and baste stitch instead.</span><br />
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<br />Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-61195264482891528842012-01-11T17:11:00.000-08:002012-01-11T17:11:47.447-08:00Thermo Printed Recycled Shipping Label<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSpat7qaPBF_ZW_c1GMGtxhHc5aQp4uj8I_F_aR8-ychVQ8ESW0_wJKYNMQ2-cnpWcwuEqnOv2gmewLD-fad8nw0j9LCllun98krCBB655kHTOFZpwO04uby2MOvHX1NcN99wmjGhUG_5/s1600/birds+nest+earring+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSpat7qaPBF_ZW_c1GMGtxhHc5aQp4uj8I_F_aR8-ychVQ8ESW0_wJKYNMQ2-cnpWcwuEqnOv2gmewLD-fad8nw0j9LCllun98krCBB655kHTOFZpwO04uby2MOvHX1NcN99wmjGhUG_5/s320/birds+nest+earring+5.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m always trying to make products and cohesive packaging from as much recycled materials as possible. Today, in the course of experimentation, I happened upon a bit of fun paper magic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wanted to create a sticker to hold a pleated tissue around my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/64513069/birds-nest-earrings-in-blue-amazonite" target="_blank">birds nest earrings</a>, and grabbed, from my saved paper stash, a return label from an Amazon package. I chose it for its thinness because I wanted to paper-cut a heart rather like a snowflake. It folded and cut beautifully and after unfolding, I decided to flatten it with a warm iron. That’s when I discovered that it is thermo paper and it turned from white to black immediately. I really liked the way this looked and I lightly glued it into place. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZg7AmjAnt-gLZ6Z4NGdSdeFBT4YiY0AtieMr_IaRlnIrdoj0uO0K_l1i6M15fFNykCS2_S3_S2prv_nnrDfMcYzSQ80PN6L0ePWEnN2WmnMRuNj8PvvMgWt-zIAcbDbtOILcDkkYlH0f/s1600/thermo+2+rotate+l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZg7AmjAnt-gLZ6Z4NGdSdeFBT4YiY0AtieMr_IaRlnIrdoj0uO0K_l1i6M15fFNykCS2_S3_S2prv_nnrDfMcYzSQ80PN6L0ePWEnN2WmnMRuNj8PvvMgWt-zIAcbDbtOILcDkkYlH0f/s320/thermo+2+rotate+l.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had to play some more! A brush with a warm iron created a lovely mottled effect on one side while remaining white on the other. I cut another heart shape and using a die-cut cardstock heart as a heat mask, applied the iron to it. I played until I ran out of scraps. I can’t wait to scrounge another label and play some more.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfLcSVpRMazZIFUG9VCLcuDhakNRhmg_w9OsF3y3lI8h0gOx1P5HKyZvtkK5tsKZ_k6Th753Y08l_sPy7IV1-k3hjOyxPziAwKpjor-kcehyDJNhxIFzJCNSN1GUED-Ks3YDE22vtURgB/s1600/thermo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfLcSVpRMazZIFUG9VCLcuDhakNRhmg_w9OsF3y3lI8h0gOx1P5HKyZvtkK5tsKZ_k6Th753Y08l_sPy7IV1-k3hjOyxPziAwKpjor-kcehyDJNhxIFzJCNSN1GUED-Ks3YDE22vtURgB/s200/thermo+1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-73702388583359614872011-12-03T12:12:00.001-08:002011-12-11T10:01:54.173-08:00Santa's Workshop Tip on Bias LiningsI've been a bad, bad blogger. Maybe Santa will still be good to me because I've been busy in the workshop. <br />
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And I know I'm not alone. So, fellow seamsters, here's a quick sewing tip for linings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshrmCAUg3zejyJidwoul2oQH-FYPFus_pxYHY04Hh9fW6qidUChPrI6xBADINEkUcxTvNvmPU2RF59GtPu-TwzkCD_agu14kajYQNh6XHhgEtHD9W7bOELSJBxYgXYzCAnrDW4flzssv6/s1600/trim+little+red+riding+hood+cape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshrmCAUg3zejyJidwoul2oQH-FYPFus_pxYHY04Hh9fW6qidUChPrI6xBADINEkUcxTvNvmPU2RF59GtPu-TwzkCD_agu14kajYQNh6XHhgEtHD9W7bOELSJBxYgXYzCAnrDW4flzssv6/s320/trim+little+red+riding+hood+cape.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
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When there is fabric on the bias it will stretch out as it hangs. And when you use two different fabrics, allthough the pieces are cut exactly the same size, they will hang-out differently. Case in point, is my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/77764868/little-red-riding-hood-victorian-cape" target="_blank">Little Red Riding Hood Cape</a> . </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLh3BHNwiVnBd-QGfWfXIhbn-7KLlNrzr9srorUjU93fT26kqXQES1B7KqJhioDmYNX8YAgt7EKynbVpHdvZAIZVNZFVYs2i_-Gu2LbTR29pSKnUrakcVmLg0RVgZhZIU5WNlgV0FrUXd/s1600/trim+little+red+riding+hood+cape+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLh3BHNwiVnBd-QGfWfXIhbn-7KLlNrzr9srorUjU93fT26kqXQES1B7KqJhioDmYNX8YAgt7EKynbVpHdvZAIZVNZFVYs2i_-Gu2LbTR29pSKnUrakcVmLg0RVgZhZIU5WNlgV0FrUXd/s320/trim+little+red+riding+hood+cape+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>When constructing this garment, I finish the shoulder seams and attach the hood and then let the garment hang on the dress form for several days. The black satin lining will stretch as much as 3/4 " in places. I pin it all around to determine the variance and remove the excess. If you do not remove this excess fabric your garment will be balloony and not ever hang properly. The tendency of fabric on the bias to stretch is a good thing to remember and I hope you find this helpful on your next drapey, bias project.</div>
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<br />Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-59505163680973078782011-11-20T14:21:00.001-08:002011-11-25T23:24:10.601-08:00Thanks SaleJust a little way of saying THANKS for a wonderful year due to the support of all my family, friends, and fans......<br />
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<strong>!!! THANKS SALE !!!</strong> Black Friday - Cyber Monday, 11/25/2011 - 11/28/2011, Midnight to Midnight PST, everything in <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/JeanineDesigns?ref=si_shop">Jeanine Designs</a><br />
is on SALE 20% - 30% off<br />
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Enter coupon code "THANKS20" at checkout to receive a 20% discount.<br />
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Returning Customers and those purchasing 2 or more items may instead use the coupon code "THANKSAGAIN30" at checkout to receive a 30% discount.<br />
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*Note - I'll be updating stock on hand daily but be aware that some items are one-of-a-kind. If an item you wanted has been sold, just convo me and we'll talk about making the item for you, options, and delivery times. This can't be combined with other offers, sorry.Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-61025488028225496832011-10-10T13:54:00.000-07:002011-10-10T13:54:11.069-07:00Perfectly Peacock<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9czZpwQykBkw7xZk_3xfzrs60nFADLAd2cVzbc6LpXBiCcEeTwkDayzOnYZGxV9rYnF7KW7mkWTgqY7_QeUhDq3LxiMcX9Eo7y5my-2gHsX2Q6JFu7jFX7SSDvDh0fXf27HZe2_SS7na/s1600/Peacock+process+7+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9czZpwQykBkw7xZk_3xfzrs60nFADLAd2cVzbc6LpXBiCcEeTwkDayzOnYZGxV9rYnF7KW7mkWTgqY7_QeUhDq3LxiMcX9Eo7y5my-2gHsX2Q6JFu7jFX7SSDvDh0fXf27HZe2_SS7na/s200/Peacock+process+7+sm.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm posting these photos in their current orientations because all my attempts to right them have failed. Some miscommunication between editing programs is beyond me to sort at this hour. And besides - this whole project came about because of a mistake, so it seems appropriate. Sometimes you must say Why The Fury?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxibNuEd6nUt-XjgXEbIcIR-dufMjJiZkUlrkA8zIDuTIqjnnqkWXeeP0m-Py5IthqwWxwo2y1wEKsqyqkXsBcZW_uCdhblJyi6vVVUnZFRoXpK2iwrvkiS-t8xdp-WXN7YDbryeRkhbZI/s1600/peacock+process+1+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxibNuEd6nUt-XjgXEbIcIR-dufMjJiZkUlrkA8zIDuTIqjnnqkWXeeP0m-Py5IthqwWxwo2y1wEKsqyqkXsBcZW_uCdhblJyi6vVVUnZFRoXpK2iwrvkiS-t8xdp-WXN7YDbryeRkhbZI/s200/peacock+process+1+sm.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You see, I'd run into <a href="http://sewvacltd.com/">Sew Vac</a> with a whirl of questions (those folks are so great!) and meant to get water soluble stabilizer in two sizes. Instead one of the rolls I picked up was *sticky* soluble stabilizer. I didn't catch the mistake until after the cellophane was torn off. I thought of asking if they had a shrink wrap so I might return it, since it is pricy stuff, but it was my mistake and I thought 'I might use it one day'... And the very next day my curiousity got the best of me and I started this Peacock Scarf. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4oK5zkXkF1QujNoMI34UFTQoHGss9CVcOcaUbqGvWxQpW-gslUAQ06jAupM1ySG8PZPzPt-zDgOb6BTKZyXotWXYQVLf7gIf602dEOXPWjzeLyHYIFhPjX1YP-x_wglxa3U55n0wOX5r/s1600/Peacock+process+2+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="135" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4oK5zkXkF1QujNoMI34UFTQoHGss9CVcOcaUbqGvWxQpW-gslUAQ06jAupM1ySG8PZPzPt-zDgOb6BTKZyXotWXYQVLf7gIf602dEOXPWjzeLyHYIFhPjX1YP-x_wglxa3U55n0wOX5r/s200/Peacock+process+2+sm.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After lately doing a lot of machine programming and very literal designs, the idea of working a lace collage of sheers and yarns very organically and loosely was appealing. It has been a while since I let loose with some free-motion embroidery. And to think that I once did so much of it I had carpal tunnel ankles from having the pedal to the floor!</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAjjFGM-6jyIrR26fUSPOTvqLGP5hZCOxgA1FsTkpef9CBMpQ-fZSDg39xli8s9sy3Dhyphenhypheny6S_tZnKpxZfo1O2FvUNEohJz41JXvSsgXV5W1RFThgGeMTCTHherXjXkOZgVE_87dXdzlVo/s1600/Peacock+process+4+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAjjFGM-6jyIrR26fUSPOTvqLGP5hZCOxgA1FsTkpef9CBMpQ-fZSDg39xli8s9sy3Dhyphenhypheny6S_tZnKpxZfo1O2FvUNEohJz41JXvSsgXV5W1RFThgGeMTCTHherXjXkOZgVE_87dXdzlVo/s200/Peacock+process+4+sm.jpg" width="111" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I approached this like a painting. I drew a loose cartoon, influenced by peacock feathers, but tried to keep it very free. I decided to repeat certain elements in a scarf-like shape, but to not render it literately. I worked very fast, not judging, intuitively. I learned that in a workshop. </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/LANCE-GREEN-ARTS/113489552003117"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks Lance!</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stitched all over this initial collage layer of sheers and yarn with black silk thread in the needle and bobbin to keep the 'hand' of the piece as soft as possible. Then I added more dabs of yarn, and more stitching. And then, since I wanted the piece to be double sided, I turned it over and added more yarn and stitching. You might think the sticky side down would be a problem, but the embroidery covered so much of the surface that it slid quite well - the sticky areas serving as a convenient hand hold to help steer the fabric.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After I washed away the stabilizer and could see how the piece moved, some individual pieces were added by detached embroidery. They add movement and dangle, and provide a means of tying the piece in a variety of fashions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I must say, the piece took on a life of itself. It is sheer and soft - yet crisp and commanding. It weighs nothing and yet can appear almost bulky, powerful. It iridizes in the changing light and can morph into many shapes. Its boldness makes me think of a Priestess who has channeled the Peacock and is fiercely, proudly parading. I think it came out Perfect - by accident. </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/81643818/peacock-priestess-statement-scarf-in"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See the finished piece here</span></a><br />
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Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-50590100339737696732011-09-09T12:33:00.000-07:002011-10-03T15:50:20.537-07:00What is This?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I know I promised a kimono skirt… to go with <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/79830802/recycled-victorian-inspired-razor-back">Victorian Razor Back Blouse aka Trash Top</a>, and it is still coming. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’ve been lost in the woods lately with <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/77764868/little-red-riding-hood-victorian-cape">Little Red Riding Hood</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The studio is swathed in red and project sketches…. And there isn’t anything to post at this moment. So it is time for me to appeal to you, dear reader, to help me out and help me to solve a long-term nagging question. And then you can talk amongst yourselves.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEVl8irbs5NC2QuJyu-Rv80rAb0E7hEIpGaRNPEIb2IH3isgbOvYrS1REubr99diUaocC9kUV87d4yT-gct2V_qAB2CQYk_jGOziKQS1jF7dihO0kI1bwEVu1EMOWrEKwRPeiXzl1bR6m/s1600/Black+Triangle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEVl8irbs5NC2QuJyu-Rv80rAb0E7hEIpGaRNPEIb2IH3isgbOvYrS1REubr99diUaocC9kUV87d4yT-gct2V_qAB2CQYk_jGOziKQS1jF7dihO0kI1bwEVu1EMOWrEKwRPeiXzl1bR6m/s320/Black+Triangle.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>What is this?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I feel strongly that it is a fiber tool, as it was lumped with sewing notions at a garage sale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, this solo item bears no markings except numbers 1-36 around the triangle's perimeter notches. Be the first to identify accurately what this is and link to information about how to use it and you will win a $10 coupon to use at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/jeaninedesigns">Jeanine Designs.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyone?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9/30/2011 Update</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks Everyone! Contest is over and everyone wins! See the details in comment below. </span><br />
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Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-36230381421312274872011-08-15T13:44:00.000-07:002011-08-16T12:38:36.616-07:00Trash Top: Making it Work<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDZJXv_ZIrd7xoo_K_csQjVAohIQHXOy457Zh3S3-C7o858GOxRn3qqTxDdl54GNqYIhiVTX-keMqWvefu8sclkrMLpunNshiV93rT7eWQGmQu8MWKfC62WGBr05c8IIwfvxSoXjePaTX/s1600/dress+form+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDZJXv_ZIrd7xoo_K_csQjVAohIQHXOy457Zh3S3-C7o858GOxRn3qqTxDdl54GNqYIhiVTX-keMqWvefu8sclkrMLpunNshiV93rT7eWQGmQu8MWKfC62WGBr05c8IIwfvxSoXjePaTX/s200/dress+form+sm.jpg" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Wednesday I typed these words into Facebook, “I need a dress form. I’m just putting it out there.” And a mere 4 hours later “Pinny” was sitting on my design table. I’d been searching for a while, but that day, after typing that sentence, I found what I’d been looking for: a great price ($25).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I just love Craigslist.</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> True, she didn’t come with an ornamental stand, nice for photos, and has a couple stains. But I can use an ugly stand I already have for practical purposes and I expect a beautiful stand will one day materialize. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYbH7-1hIRI80DRSgNUv3NCILvso5fVUL4h2qtRehi7pQRpPHwkoeX0Mk8qgU12skfZPmDQQWCdtMm21OLgyXjWywm5g_zUspR4OrAV2zNN03yAEEna4fk2L0bY8BLlS48Gf0R1y4NrgD/s1600/blouse+remix+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYbH7-1hIRI80DRSgNUv3NCILvso5fVUL4h2qtRehi7pQRpPHwkoeX0Mk8qgU12skfZPmDQQWCdtMm21OLgyXjWywm5g_zUspR4OrAV2zNN03yAEEna4fk2L0bY8BLlS48Gf0R1y4NrgD/s200/blouse+remix+1.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I felt ready to rock out some clothes and gave myself a Project Runway inspired challenge: two days and two items from my studio. I picked a top which I’d taken from the trash. (Sort of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know how, after a yard sale, people often leave a box of unsold items at the curb? That’s my favorite time to shop.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To coordinate with the muted pink and mustard flowers in the top, I chose a warm brown silk kimono I’d purchased years ago and never dared to cut apart. Here is the blouse before and after. The kimono skirt and jacket will be the subject of the next post - so stay tuned.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXufxiJGrfI6hnvMfjW91vzLGqgj7Ys3GB46RqARmjpXmB5j1wlT4OHgJq0sgggGCKmaUQ9PlRz4_qY03Z2esNHzosXbtzrp2icb5DB4dGRxhs58MWJgGHqsfTfe4Ppht2pETne19_Q4Zl/s1600/Remix+Trash+top+front+cropped+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXufxiJGrfI6hnvMfjW91vzLGqgj7Ys3GB46RqARmjpXmB5j1wlT4OHgJq0sgggGCKmaUQ9PlRz4_qY03Z2esNHzosXbtzrp2icb5DB4dGRxhs58MWJgGHqsfTfe4Ppht2pETne19_Q4Zl/s200/Remix+Trash+top+front+cropped+sm.jpg" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished Front</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOgx84Tquqmn84KV6vHgH-I2oJndTmCh1-JVUEQ2cvOixz2vf8_MOmnftSpWaX-dX0JMMExiPmSqZMwrcT1e1lzlyCEZ2ndKVJcLeGvjacGhRGykvA6ZYkiAtcQnsiLLKJ4xTp-7Qeaq3/s1600/Remix+Trash+top+back+cropped+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOgx84Tquqmn84KV6vHgH-I2oJndTmCh1-JVUEQ2cvOixz2vf8_MOmnftSpWaX-dX0JMMExiPmSqZMwrcT1e1lzlyCEZ2ndKVJcLeGvjacGhRGykvA6ZYkiAtcQnsiLLKJ4xTp-7Qeaq3/s200/Remix+Trash+top+back+cropped+sm.jpg" width="146" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished Back</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Style Influences: Victorian & 1700s torn silk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There wasn’t much fabric in the blouse. But I could feel that there was a layer of interfacing within the collar and that it wasn’t fused to the fabric. So I knew I could separate and use the layers. I immediately saw a high lacy Victorian collar in my mind’s eye, and this was the inspiration for the whole design. I decided to combine a few historical references with an edgy contemporary silhouette. The design features a high, fluffy upstanding collar with a drapey razor-back that is sexy without being revealing. The geometry of the angles, with clean finished edges, are a deliberate contrast the frayed scalloped edges of the collar and blouse hem: a juxtaposition of curvy and straight, prim and adventurous.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfpRMZE-apyiJbW7Cprfb9Cs9DuILXtA1pXRGF81hakfKq5bjMb2E3hWqxUb62egdZ23oZ838IZn_R8L5hhUeexWENejjy3RdLlMErFVo17SnQgpZPtmtwLXagSu-p_ybvQyb46b1NH9Q/s1600/Black+victorian+antique+top+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfpRMZE-apyiJbW7Cprfb9Cs9DuILXtA1pXRGF81hakfKq5bjMb2E3hWqxUb62egdZ23oZ838IZn_R8L5hhUeexWENejjy3RdLlMErFVo17SnQgpZPtmtwLXagSu-p_ybvQyb46b1NH9Q/s200/Black+victorian+antique+top+sm.jpg" width="153" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the original top, I especially hated seeing the cheap plastic buttons. In Victorian times, buttons and other closures, that revealed how a garment came off, were concealed cleverly within folds and tucks. This was because seeing them implied ‘easy off’. I have seen some antique dresses that are hard to tell how to put them ON, like this circa 1900 top from my collection which uses 32 hooks and eyes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Pinny has allowed me to see and photograph this garment in 3 dimensions for the very first time.) I like the secrecy of a hidden closure, as long as it is practical. Reversing and hiding the buttons behind a new placket was a way to dress up the top while simultaneously dealing with a small tear in the existing fabric.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgavqs8PHcePwmtZcbAYJZ0BHU0s4181s4RpLhd834PKj3CdOT_xrl49Sqw0eRzNwUTP5q5iecwI6KSm9sQ3yJDgNx73Ut2Tx5VO0fqFpvglWLsPUvrf9mWmXjUACs_FgxNGn8Qkgi22e9/s1600/remix+5+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgavqs8PHcePwmtZcbAYJZ0BHU0s4181s4RpLhd834PKj3CdOT_xrl49Sqw0eRzNwUTP5q5iecwI6KSm9sQ3yJDgNx73Ut2Tx5VO0fqFpvglWLsPUvrf9mWmXjUACs_FgxNGn8Qkgi22e9/s200/remix+5+sm.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many people might be surprised to learn that raw edges aren’t really a new thing. Upon scrutiny of numerous costumes from the 1700s, I’ve noticed that long bands of ruched torn silk are a common decoration. Since I wanted a ruffled appearance but didn’t want to add any weight, I decided to stretch the fabric along the scalloped neckline.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hUfaGWUZfCQHVzITT3wpoSN4bJ6gMfrJ8q-X42H64e1PnOLerWgm9mrtNaLtH9bGIA5ksLlLUhhWbdpuioYR0Zggx2gNZdNFp4zygdkOyWTCUPH5S-cOahBJiMuNWD8FHFdfrt79JY-x/s1600/Remix+8+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hUfaGWUZfCQHVzITT3wpoSN4bJ6gMfrJ8q-X42H64e1PnOLerWgm9mrtNaLtH9bGIA5ksLlLUhhWbdpuioYR0Zggx2gNZdNFp4zygdkOyWTCUPH5S-cOahBJiMuNWD8FHFdfrt79JY-x/s200/Remix+8+sm.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back Neck detail – sexy and functional. Since I removed the shoulders, all the weight of the blouse-back is suspended from one central point at the back of the neck. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having no more fabric, I used an ornament of lace and tulle scraps to fortify this area as well as to add another Victorian detail. Again, I think of the Victorian tendency to eroticize things like a woman’s neck, wrist, or ankle. </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Tim Gunn Make it Work moments:</strong></span> </div> <br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7CHVlFIsNBXT9BD2vHFtfsvhrQqg7Ct2oa6GP2X7L25RD6f0vAHBik96fUDoMC81FIFu-boRCEP0E9V2Uol0kdsN8Yd_MqJ_QH2vO16AW6686U7dya-UK4kMuJabif_FL41RNR7KswW-/s1600/Remix+removing+bias+edging+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7CHVlFIsNBXT9BD2vHFtfsvhrQqg7Ct2oa6GP2X7L25RD6f0vAHBik96fUDoMC81FIFu-boRCEP0E9V2Uol0kdsN8Yd_MqJ_QH2vO16AW6686U7dya-UK4kMuJabif_FL41RNR7KswW-/s200/Remix+removing+bias+edging+sm.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had to remove the double stitched thin bias edging all around in order to re-sew the armscye and used one of my favorite tools: this wickedly sharp Surgical Steel Seam Ripper.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I saved this edging and used it to stabilize the new placket by ironing it flat, adhearing it with Misty-Fuse, and double stitching. My</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> hand-covered snap was devoured by my studio monster and had to make another.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW3Gc-pNwSsSblSeQlO8fmIsnlQDi9Ev2x0uDz2KD7xp_XhYQEKHKalLyRlROG1dM4xWcOEkpnh4PPSQwsUf8MxngFqVox11V35wtVwI5Rh6ciyiPm-zBTqhzSealeRESLUiqX8ZxwNQbZ/s1600/Remix+stitching+J+on+lace+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW3Gc-pNwSsSblSeQlO8fmIsnlQDi9Ev2x0uDz2KD7xp_XhYQEKHKalLyRlROG1dM4xWcOEkpnh4PPSQwsUf8MxngFqVox11V35wtVwI5Rh6ciyiPm-zBTqhzSealeRESLUiqX8ZxwNQbZ/s200/Remix+stitching+J+on+lace+sm.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finding buckram inside was a boon and really lended itself to embroidery. But I didn't like the first flower and had to carefully pick it out. </span>I embroidered a “J” on the center back of the buckram ‘lace’ (in lieu of installing a label), and stitched ‘bars’ to create the illusion of lace and support the collar. However, since it barely shows, I decided to limit the embroidery and not do cutwork, as I had initially planned. I found that the less literal I was with the lace, the more I liked it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also thought about using more left-over bias strips as casings for recycled collar stays, to insure an upright collar, but ended up achieving the same effect with sewn pintucks along outside collar piece.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouis13XVKqVzB1fTE4IS80lcnK03n4vBNn7kwRtdLl9Wa2piPS8vmdrlh-AhoWjKWmq4IJE6wuRcfsEj0d2Cjei0arWSRIDyzhZ6j4RPKf-P8ZYxS2b6LiuTkWHCbTCIIflqi1Y_zTiM_/s1600/Remix+snap+close+up+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouis13XVKqVzB1fTE4IS80lcnK03n4vBNn7kwRtdLl9Wa2piPS8vmdrlh-AhoWjKWmq4IJE6wuRcfsEj0d2Cjei0arWSRIDyzhZ6j4RPKf-P8ZYxS2b6LiuTkWHCbTCIIflqi1Y_zTiM_/s200/Remix+snap+close+up+sm.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The collar closes with a medium size snap. I hid one side under the black lace and covered the other in fabric. That way it is barely visable if you choose to wear the collar open. <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Snaps are under-used in my estimation and covering one in fabric is easy to do and makes an inexpensive closure. If you've never made one, here's how:</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepFJb45jyOtfTg1LAdm7rbYRtlljdhAlQO3k1X6WkPL5q2df_Nvd7A51Sf-B8oSbh4LrduCLzL1WihupDnAYfQrUTHnNnKFVmCQ43dNR8KuwYvYYCCEwiKwnIgPMaWguwtcvyOkAsmjKv/s1600/Remix+back+of+snap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepFJb45jyOtfTg1LAdm7rbYRtlljdhAlQO3k1X6WkPL5q2df_Nvd7A51Sf-B8oSbh4LrduCLzL1WihupDnAYfQrUTHnNnKFVmCQ43dNR8KuwYvYYCCEwiKwnIgPMaWguwtcvyOkAsmjKv/s200/Remix+back+of+snap.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Technique: </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How to cover a snap with fabric</span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Snap your fabric between your snap, with the right side facing up on top of the female side of the snap. Stitch a running stitch around it, allowing enough room for the fabric to go up and around the snap. Cinch in the running stitch to enclose the metal, but not too tightly, and unsnap the snap. Pass your needle up through the bottom hole and through the fabric. Move over a bit and pass needle back through hole. Now tighten the thread and the hole will pull down. Backstitch around the gathers of fabric on the back of the snap and secure with a tight knot. Carefully trim the excess fabric flat and as closely as possible. Douse the cut edges and stitches on the back with Fray Check, but avoid getting it on the front side, and set aside to dry. Now you can attach it by stitching around the edges, catching the fabric as you go, for a very pretty couture finish.</span></div>Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-16067267215631281332011-08-02T17:23:00.000-07:002011-08-15T13:20:34.505-07:00Makin' Bacon<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyxhkq953VlRKSDqwD73MDtPoJYz8Knrh8tMtUy12KyVVYQRjayn49e_-iwh-D1Mc_41w5U_3wbsYOZ5TqTlJ5PdRvhdPrZOGudCW-sKVa3g4s_XoGInKnZmMp0ZodPndjItKsyU1kWCJ/s1600/Bacon+wrapped+beer+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyxhkq953VlRKSDqwD73MDtPoJYz8Knrh8tMtUy12KyVVYQRjayn49e_-iwh-D1Mc_41w5U_3wbsYOZ5TqTlJ5PdRvhdPrZOGudCW-sKVa3g4s_XoGInKnZmMp0ZodPndjItKsyU1kWCJ/s320/Bacon+wrapped+beer+3.jpg" t$="true" width="159" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Funny where ideas come from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After I posted my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/76763474/carnivore-coasters-set-of-4-embroidered">Carnivore Coasters</a>, some jovial banter ensued. I blurted out '<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/78765382/bacon-beer-wraps">Bacon Beer Wraps</a>' and instantly knew they had to be. Ok, not a long stretch from steak to bacon, but still. Sometimes it is as if the concept is the reality - and fabrication is the abstract process you have to go through to get to the place you’ve already been. In a process similar to the steak coasters, I began with photographs of actual bacon. Then I studied the image to decide how best to translate it into embroidery: what aspects are best rendered by line, color, texture and stitch direction, etc.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">I have a dark sense of humor and sometimes laugh at horrible things. I think this meat series is funny because – well, I think that industrial food production is gross. Like all of my work, there is usually a connective thread to my life. That connection with this meat series is to my belief in the humane and sustainable treatment of all animals, including those that are farmed. Healthier for you, the animals, and the planet. On the back of my package is the link to <a href="http://www.foodincmovie.com/">Food Inc.</a>, a documentary that everyone who eats should see. At <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/">Local Harvest</a></span></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you can find tons of information about safe food in your area including piggies, and other animals, who had a healthy, happy life before they went to market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Folks in my neck of the woods might enjoy shopping at <a href="http://www.rainbowranchfarms.com/U.S.D.A.%20Inspected.html">Rainbow Ranch Farms</a>.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">Once the digitizing and the embroidery was done, it took me a long time to finish this item – and I suppose it is because I don’t like this kind of packaging and graphic design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to study bacon packaging – really look at it – and gosh it is ugly and excessive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vivid bright yellow backings are the norm, and lots of primary red. Simultaneously, during a conversational thread I was following amongst some European friends, someone expressed the opinion that Americans’ vision was stunted by the constant affront of intense primary colors, leaving us unable to appreciate a subtle palate. I was certainly feeling under Primary Attack.</span></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugLlHHkpSApYMigs9THkG-ycdQG1zySot-oZC0rjJXnYyR315Df7LHaUN6FR4tOxhvpQuA5-8YVZ8ibBsV7Dac9rVdRAaRFnk6y29MIwQiUuMnli51qDNiKXlg8k-yiit-NVMDpVJNPDR/s1600/Bacon+Beer+Wraps+in+Package+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugLlHHkpSApYMigs9THkG-ycdQG1zySot-oZC0rjJXnYyR315Df7LHaUN6FR4tOxhvpQuA5-8YVZ8ibBsV7Dac9rVdRAaRFnk6y29MIwQiUuMnli51qDNiKXlg8k-yiit-NVMDpVJNPDR/s200/Bacon+Beer+Wraps+in+Package+sm.jpg" t$="true" width="200" /></a><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">As with all of my products, I like to give careful thought to the <a href="http://knotsinthread.blogspot.com/2011/07/thinking-about-box-or-who-knew-glue.html">packaging</a> and try to utilize creatively that which is at hand. For the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/78765382/bacon-beer-wraps">Bacon Beer Wraps</a>, I used recycled yellow file folders and repurposed print sleeves. I drew the label image and text, scanned it, and printed it on 8.5 “x 11” stock cut from the file folders. The wraps’ Velcro tabs slide into carefully cut slits in the cardstock, holding each piece in position within the package and completing the illusion. </span></span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Here’s the Nerdy Part for Digitizers</strong> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/78765382/bacon-beer-wraps">Bacon Beer Wraps</a> were worked from photos, they weren’t vector images. I like working this way because I feel the lines have more life, but you can get some surprises. That magic wand can include things you don’t want and don’t even know are there. Maybe you have also run into this: you are using your tools, but an object isn’t behaving as you expect.<span style="background-color: white;"> <span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could be one of many problems, but here’s an example of one type of glitch and how to fix it:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiW4iPsD__yyMsIEbMwlBFoC8Hta0CItWoZdhjXGtc-UxxwG-4WrkF4hQ-HHZBncrvj-1MaT_VBfNzOLSSXImqNxwPzWYLT5xy-QUUtSUoOCTz_wMswz9Us2Zt9dwsP4pAT8e1RrRyKTr/s1600/bacon+1+from+ss+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiW4iPsD__yyMsIEbMwlBFoC8Hta0CItWoZdhjXGtc-UxxwG-4WrkF4hQ-HHZBncrvj-1MaT_VBfNzOLSSXImqNxwPzWYLT5xy-QUUtSUoOCTz_wMswz9Us2Zt9dwsP4pAT8e1RrRyKTr/s400/bacon+1+from+ss+.jpg" t$="true" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Zoomed in a little more than 100% and the problem is only visible to a trained eye.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YU4aTzlLorQorjpA97TdCKC9SM8oJ4kB6OFj-VMW1WPOJdVUqJXsm5Osefyp9T22n_1vZRmlo5P18kVnFTa3mvJ5rshDgAOVa3g4px-6e9g48CzyWCGOisSgCj8DftH80FLaoaKQTFVq/s1600/bacon+3+from+ss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YU4aTzlLorQorjpA97TdCKC9SM8oJ4kB6OFj-VMW1WPOJdVUqJXsm5Osefyp9T22n_1vZRmlo5P18kVnFTa3mvJ5rshDgAOVa3g4px-6e9g48CzyWCGOisSgCj8DftH80FLaoaKQTFVq/s400/bacon+3+from+ss.jpg" t$="true" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Zoomed way in, now you can see a tiny D-shaped hole. This little hole can cause a host of problems. It could prevent the surrounding area from being outlined or cause the fill stitches to stitch badly.</span></span></span></span></div></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9X6SltmGj_za64eO2RqxugPaIoNF6Bd8A4npIYwdmp7cl3yUQPAjUJNxrIjU9VsjUCjIYdu-gu0eK36XlokfA-9Zj24OVmptDrGHJCKY_tZLlZMAmv3n66HizuzwegxNoOaPIPg0QWt6/s1600/bacon+6+from+ss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9X6SltmGj_za64eO2RqxugPaIoNF6Bd8A4npIYwdmp7cl3yUQPAjUJNxrIjU9VsjUCjIYdu-gu0eK36XlokfA-9Zj24OVmptDrGHJCKY_tZLlZMAmv3n66HizuzwegxNoOaPIPg0QWt6/s400/bacon+6+from+ss.jpg" t$="true" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It’s a little hard to tell, but see how the green stitching lines are interrupted with this hole? This would stitch with a little blip there.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Select all the control points at one time and delete.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAROwHVb4yO7AjGXuEjkq2ZlxsuK0UI319ZxUjV_p_TU1iI1q9wjfTIoULGZn0_TPiEI1_LrAv5qE3dy8_1NufY6rcgg3WfiFxyCXde-dXM64ABCOgPTF64LcyJCbDYKxP1Yqj1pin4l9/s1600/bacon+6+from+ss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAROwHVb4yO7AjGXuEjkq2ZlxsuK0UI319ZxUjV_p_TU1iI1q9wjfTIoULGZn0_TPiEI1_LrAv5qE3dy8_1NufY6rcgg3WfiFxyCXde-dXM64ABCOgPTF64LcyJCbDYKxP1Yqj1pin4l9/s400/bacon+6+from+ss.jpg" t$="true" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
Usually with these little anomalies, once you delete the control points, a black line remains. But as you can see here, if you look closely, the green stitching line now spans across the hole. This indicates that it will now stitch properly.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFoEXbdOzHsFKkTe6N5dOHdBIx70FNNndUCZLxCO1aTodAnzTi5zeoTs6bSedtucPLQ7QagNKHLaIfm9nlXXzzX55KPKdaPSXjzinosJmgQkTDVBvMXIHILjVUU6xM9Itik60WrFS7GdA/s1600/bacon+2+from+ss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFoEXbdOzHsFKkTe6N5dOHdBIx70FNNndUCZLxCO1aTodAnzTi5zeoTs6bSedtucPLQ7QagNKHLaIfm9nlXXzzX55KPKdaPSXjzinosJmgQkTDVBvMXIHILjVUU6xM9Itik60WrFS7GdA/s640/bacon+2+from+ss.jpg" t$="true" width="640" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Zoomed back out, you can see the black line remaining around the removed hole. Now that you know what to look for, you can probably find a couple others. Can you spot them? Learning how to recognize and deal with these little buggers will save you lots of headaches. Next time something acts funny…. Zoom in. Zoom waaaay in.</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-25139056588983719482011-07-19T15:05:00.000-07:002011-07-19T15:05:04.374-07:00Free Flower File<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrnI-ejMeYw__u0hW0zIDlSE2X5rVqaCHInPDvKnzW0-6YiPxl94sLAF8VS0eatk7fSHlRpB2L24nY6McZbTb1aR6fOEAkdgxUbLFNHLAV_C02SBFc8lqYMuzduqwLU4sEn2wqwXITjw6/s1600/pink+flower+wall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrnI-ejMeYw__u0hW0zIDlSE2X5rVqaCHInPDvKnzW0-6YiPxl94sLAF8VS0eatk7fSHlRpB2L24nY6McZbTb1aR6fOEAkdgxUbLFNHLAV_C02SBFc8lqYMuzduqwLU4sEn2wqwXITjw6/s320/pink+flower+wall.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>I want to make sure all my new readers know about this giveaway. Here is a link to my article in <a href="http://www.berninausa.com/content-n852-sUS.html">Bernina Through the Needle Online Magazine</a> . I hope you'll enjoy reading about the design and stitching process behind creating free-standing lace. You can also download a free embroidery file for the flower on the cover. Enjoy!Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-19460872939630221712011-07-17T09:06:00.000-07:002011-07-17T10:24:55.693-07:00Thinking About the Box or Who Knew Glue<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8_G6DwEbR2XhbnSTlbxJE4tuLWSETDiVdMLhtJGJZooeq88YiXcpT-hM8Vh7fIbtonkexSuuu8gBU-PYYtvgIFujZHEDVZHg64TBNgz0duWgY1CbJliRyr_j_q6J2NEjIRZynFJSsts1/s1600/A+Jewelry+Packaging.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8_G6DwEbR2XhbnSTlbxJE4tuLWSETDiVdMLhtJGJZooeq88YiXcpT-hM8Vh7fIbtonkexSuuu8gBU-PYYtvgIFujZHEDVZHg64TBNgz0duWgY1CbJliRyr_j_q6J2NEjIRZynFJSsts1/s400/A+Jewelry+Packaging.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I needed to develop a jewelry gift box for some of the small items I make, I realized I’d need to give it some thought. Packaging can be what sets your craft product apart. Especially in the competitive world of Etsy where photos must sell and hopefully attract an editor’s eye. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A product just isn’t finished without being wrapped in a professional presentation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But packaging generally annoys me. I think the terms “disposable” and “throw away” should be eliminated from our language and lifestyles. So the idea of purchasing and printing professional packaging felt like perpetuating a practical evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>;-)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking at the market, there are some nice things available – but anything special is also expensive. And even if I were to purchase recycled boxes and cardstocks, customized with green inks, etc., wouldn’t I just be putting out another disposable item?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I had the idea of creating “Packaging Worth Preserving” and to give my customers a jewelry gift box they might treasure instead of toss. It had to have charm and be something special, but also be practical and sturdy for shipping. My second mission was to make these from recycled materials.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And there, in my recycling bin, were boxes and a mound of paper circulars that arrive each week, unrequested and unrelenting, and I thought….humm…..a ready supply of free material - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if I could create Packaging Worth Preserving out of this? </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPrfmN2ks32V3jeOW0LG-joXuGcdyaGFuyI2oyGQu-H8iuFE34aa4765Ry_ai_rw6miQSSwD_uTI87IJm6Ban5rtx6DHliaPMpUZFniyygj4SjTRj5TNmZC_nH8cmbM5PKakuYX8xdlC8/s1600/Group+of+box+experiments.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPrfmN2ks32V3jeOW0LG-joXuGcdyaGFuyI2oyGQu-H8iuFE34aa4765Ry_ai_rw6miQSSwD_uTI87IJm6Ban5rtx6DHliaPMpUZFniyygj4SjTRj5TNmZC_nH8cmbM5PKakuYX8xdlC8/s320/Group+of+box+experiments.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype><shape alt="DSC04696.JPG" id="Picture_x0020_0" o:spid="_x0000_s1028" style="height: 184.2pt; margin-left: -2.1pt; margin-top: 4.1pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 232.5pt; z-index: -1;" type="#_x0000_t75" wrapcoords="-139 0 -139 21459 21600 21459 21600 0 -139 0"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><imagedata o:title="DSC04696" src="file:///C:\Users\Jeanine\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"></imagedata><wrap type="tight"></wrap></span></shape><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some initial rectangular boxes were clean and neatly utilized the graphics on the recycled cardstock. But they’d never look like my brand:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>rather like I was ripping off Coca-cola and Andy Warhol at the same time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I investigated a variety of other shapes as well, (purse, heart, rounds) but felt the cutesy shapes were, well, too party favor.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcrxbU_lRLHg7xnS7TkweNj8w37_uaxUr3JDOBE2FICBcz2C4bzy_VK37c7OXJn4lwybN_LckizRLPPIYxzOJ-eCiy9Nb_eqa5vq59APsyMljqCQJ_xUmUrd8xhBqzzeEjLXHGdy3PmGO/s1600/tiny+treasure+chest+box+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcrxbU_lRLHg7xnS7TkweNj8w37_uaxUr3JDOBE2FICBcz2C4bzy_VK37c7OXJn4lwybN_LckizRLPPIYxzOJ-eCiy9Nb_eqa5vq59APsyMljqCQJ_xUmUrd8xhBqzzeEjLXHGdy3PmGO/s320/tiny+treasure+chest+box+sm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I thought of pirate chests and ancient dowry boxes and of trying to evoke that sense of preciousness in a paper box. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Online I found a chest-like shape with some clever cut-on feet and I played with that for a while, altering the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took an obsessive detour and made this tiny paper chest, lined with padded velvet. It has hand-made hinges and a magnet ‘lock’ that snaps closed. It is completely impractical to the gift box purpose, but I had fun making it and it makes me laugh.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1027" style="height: 166.65pt; margin-left: 1.5pt; margin-top: 11.35pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 233.1pt; z-index: -3;" type="#_x0000_t75" wrapcoords="-139 0 -139 21386 21544 21386 21544 0 -139 0"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><imagedata cropbottom="5460f" cropleft="6586f" cropright="8963f" croptop="12323f" o:title="DSC04550" src="file:///C:\Users\Jeanine\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image003.jpg"></imagedata><wrap type="tight"></wrap></span></shape><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While making all these samples I discovered that, perhaps most importantly, my design needed to be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">easy to cut</i>. Until I get a die cut machine and custom die, they will be cut by hand (mine). Easy to cut means straight lines and straight lines mean… ((shiver))… geometry.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Geometry. And the stern Ms. Mathers who would have been pretty if she hadn’t been so tight around the mouth. I hated that I had her, 2 years in a row, for both Geometry and Algebra. One day, a fellow student posed to her what I considered a perfectly good math question - how much alcohol to buy for an upcoming party?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ms. Mathers curtly responded, “I don’t drink”. I decided then and there that she was a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bad</i> teacher to have missed an opportunity to educate due to her personal judgment and under-age drinking. I stopped listening and learned nothing from her, having also wrongly deduced that, as an artist, I would not be needing math in my life time. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, I missed the math lesson, but am reminded of the one on judgments each time I have to muddle around, muttering “I know there is a formula for this” and cursing myself for the millionth time for not paying attention to Ms. Mathers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally figured out how to make a hexagonal box and drafted the design. My prototype cut and assembled relatively quickly and I felt pleased with the results. The shape has charm, is quite strong for shipping, and it tessellates with other boxes so I can pack several into one padded envelope. I like it because it looks like a nut, and is not too feminine. Now I needed the box material. The cardboard in my recycle bin was either too thick or the wrong size, so I decided to try to make a cardstock from laminated junk mail and use this to create my hex gift boxes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This lead to an exploration of glues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to use ecologically sound non-harmful home-made glue – but the short of it is - after many experiments with cold and cooked wheat paste, I couldn’t get it to work. Papers all de-laminated and cracked when the box folding began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While these paper maché glues would be excellent for rigid projects, my box requires some flexibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tested various ‘white’ glues and glued the inside layers with a non-toxic <a href="http://www.weldbond.com/">Weldbond</a> “More Than Great Glue” (a construction glue I picked up at ACE Hardware) and US Art Quest PPA Matte (purchased at <a href="http://www.artsupplywarehouse.com/">Art Supply Warehouse</a>, a <em>real</em> art supply store) on the outside. Polymer based products allow the right amount of flexibility and adhesion. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">But if anyone out there knows</i> of a way to laminate a variety of papers together using homemade natural glues and without cracking or tearing along the scored and folded edges, I’d love to know about it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><shape alt="DSC04687.JPG" id="Picture_x0020_7" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 154.8pt; margin-left: 1.5pt; margin-top: 0px; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 207.3pt; z-index: -2;" type="#_x0000_t75" wrapcoords="-156 0 -156 21349 21569 21349 21569 0 -156 0"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><imagedata cropright="2141f" croptop="2353f" o:title="DSC04687" src="file:///C:\Users\Jeanine\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image005.jpg"></imagedata><wrap type="tight"></wrap></span></shape><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8w0YNAcGUjl0vJlP2LC1WhtuoKRCoi0GAOhjcIA-oBB3MGWRTa6Ya_8Oxol9Bmo61APjLR4-OCvZT67SJhXcJznhW9m7kRLiWdrP1MaThbzRfNPkpBFiVdvrgkZAF-wjTn8Ugm07PyYY/s1600/DSC04687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8w0YNAcGUjl0vJlP2LC1WhtuoKRCoi0GAOhjcIA-oBB3MGWRTa6Ya_8Oxol9Bmo61APjLR4-OCvZT67SJhXcJznhW9m7kRLiWdrP1MaThbzRfNPkpBFiVdvrgkZAF-wjTn8Ugm07PyYY/s320/DSC04687.JPG" width="320" /></a>I ended up using grocery circulars laminated together; however by themselves they look dingy. So I applied ‘Jeanine’ wallpaper on the interior side for a clean finish. This was printed on my inkjet on recycled paper, but, so far, I have not been able to find soy/green inks for small printers. On the outside I recycled two nearly obsolete things: maps and yellow pages, featuring fun imagery from both.<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I hope people will like and keep these one-of-a-kind gift boxes, and I feel good about recycling the paper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps a way around the glue issue would be to grind the junk mail into paper pulp and make cardstock from that….I’d need to add some dryer lint for strength, and then decorate or dye some way because the pulp would be grayish..…well that’s an experiment for another day.</span><br />
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</div><img height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8w0YNAcGUjl0vJlP2LC1WhtuoKRCoi0GAOhjcIA-oBB3MGWRTa6Ya_8Oxol9Bmo61APjLR4-OCvZT67SJhXcJznhW9m7kRLiWdrP1MaThbzRfNPkpBFiVdvrgkZAF-wjTn8Ugm07PyYY/s320/DSC04687.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 30px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 1904px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" />Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-78705532850239465642011-07-07T11:18:00.001-07:002011-07-07T12:49:54.376-07:00Endangered Beautiful Butterflies<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUUixr42w89betkeQ4hJ4bbJ1D99weLqxwVPyq7w2IoV63YxQoCIDGnXelqGuE8V3yzzOF-lxZf_oBXQKc8cZMPdaJ8xBzT9IYYSwzUoOvzemSYcWb4WXWug_QJnyWhJnR_dL1A5UpWB9/s1600/Swallowtail+SM+with+Jeanine+Designs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUUixr42w89betkeQ4hJ4bbJ1D99weLqxwVPyq7w2IoV63YxQoCIDGnXelqGuE8V3yzzOF-lxZf_oBXQKc8cZMPdaJ8xBzT9IYYSwzUoOvzemSYcWb4WXWug_QJnyWhJnR_dL1A5UpWB9/s320/Swallowtail+SM+with+Jeanine+Designs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A while back I started working on a series of butterflies... specifically endangered ones. The butterfly, a ubiquitous motif in decorative arts throughout the ages, symbol of life, change and rebirth, adored for its extraordinary beauty and fragility: how incongruous that we should be killing something we apparently love so much. I’ve tried to make these as true to life as I can reasonably represent in free standing lace embroidery. It takes many, many hours of programming, moving stitch by stitch, and usually numerous test stitch-outs before I get all the bugs (sorry) worked out.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgKmx2XqdIEUdZRsF1p90Jejr-pcG7Rvwz_02AfTEDg8U2ltqra2LSm7b9oUnWyyc5S5HBm62tIHF34q1UOhljwkDtW4SZO5MreDaDbQnwYxHAqmKGNyAhu5SiocXkw3fP6haYo7igu0R/s1600/swallowtail+screen+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgKmx2XqdIEUdZRsF1p90Jejr-pcG7Rvwz_02AfTEDg8U2ltqra2LSm7b9oUnWyyc5S5HBm62tIHF34q1UOhljwkDtW4SZO5MreDaDbQnwYxHAqmKGNyAhu5SiocXkw3fP6haYo7igu0R/s320/swallowtail+screen+shot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Technically lace, being entirely made of thread, their naturalistic pattern and vivid coloring don’t make one think of lace, although they can be lacy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an attempt to make them as accurate as possible, I decided to try to replicate both sides of the butterfly. This is difficult because the two sides are usually different, and sometimes radically so. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is easy to do with the Monarch or the Swallowtail whose patterning is similar on both sides. It is much more difficult with the Blue Morpho which is iridescent blue on the back and a tan bark-like pattern with eye-spots on the underside. I’m still working on that one.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/zeAW8fd_9ow/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zeAW8fd_9ow&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zeAW8fd_9ow&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Early tests I found were too stiff. I found the key to keeping the butterflies thin and delicate feeling, yet strong and sturdy, is in careful attention to stitch direction and density during programming followed by attention to the bobbin colors during stitching. This video depicts the soft ‘hand’ of a Monarch butterfly embroidery. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With the Swallowtail design I added stabilizing stitches that serve a second purpose and become the wired legs, antennae, and proboscis of the finished butterfly. In this way, the butterfly requires only minimal finishing after being embroidered. The file and the finished butterfly are available in my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/jeaninedesigns">Etsy shop</a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This last bit – the legs, antennae, and proboscis – are a bit of a nod to an artist I so admire: Annemieke Mein, who has set the bar very high on naturalist fiber work. I recommend her <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Annemieke-Mein-Wildlife-Textiles/dp/0855329777">book</a>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mein’s work depicts the beauty in creatures, some not always thought of as “beautiful”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Depicting the butterfly as realistically as possible reminds us that it is a living being, part of the symbiotic life cycles of the earth requiring protection, and not merely the colorful, fairy-like creatures that amuse us.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And I think they are pretty clipped in the hair.</span></div>Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570315810282372031.post-57119668991178428932011-06-17T14:07:00.000-07:002011-06-17T22:31:22.757-07:00Knots in Thread<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One night my husband marveled at some meticulous thing I was toiling over and said, “Its all knots in thread to me.” I laughed. I’d never thought of it that way before. But he was right: tatting, knitting, crochet, embroidery, weaving, sewing …all of it… simply various forms of knots in thread.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I realized that was the magic of it. One stitch at a time and a humble thread, yarn or reed grows in your hands, transformed into beautiful lace, a warm sweater, a sturdy market basket...whatever you might dream.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">From the earliest humans who twined grasses to make rope snares to modern day bullet-proof vests or suspension bridges supported by plied wire – fiber technology has played, and continues to play, a huge role in human life. Beyond producing utilitarian items, the history of fiber arts includes thousands of years of textile innovation, ornamentation, phenomenal works of art, and fabulous costumes and fashion. I am lost in this world a lot.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I was thinking of a name for my blog, I recalled that phrase and how I’d felt about it. There is excitement over the challenge of building something: concept, design, planning. There is pride in the precision of execution and creative use of materials. Best of all, there is contentment and joy in the knowledge that step by step, one stitch at a time, you can create something marvelous. It is that way in life, and I hope it will be with the posts in this blog.</span></div>Jeaninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04117143487391055457noreply@blogger.com0