Category Archives: inspiration

the weekend

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The SOWA Holiday Market is usually 2 days but was only one day (Saturday) this year. People really wanted to come!

Apparently the line was like that for much of the day.

Here is my booth. (Sorry about the bad photo. My camera seems to be developing focus issues. Is a 3 year old digital camera geriatric?)

This is just one side but at least it is in focus-

The show was fun, busy, exhausting!

On Sunday I went to the Art Institute of Boston to see an amazing show– the work of Chris Sickels of the Red Nose Studio.

Sorry- more terrible photos. Go to his website to get a good idea of how incredible his work is. He makes these figures and then photographs them for his illustration work. I love seeing pieces like this close up and in person- the details of the stitches and fabric choices are what interest me most. The show is only up for a few more days but if you are in the Boston area, I would highly recommend it. And it is free!

I am planning on going to NYC at the end of the week so I can see the Luvable and Hugable Show. Is there any other shows I should go see while I am there? Any other general recommendations?

 

 

botanical garden

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or Jardin Botanique. I love Botanical Gardens and always find them inspiring. Oh, but first, I forgot this photo for the market post- look at all the beautiful preserves!

Okay, now, back to the gardens.

I can only imagine how wonderful it must be to visit these greenhouses in the middle of the winter.

Out to the display gardens- look at that gorgeous purply-red giant decorative Kale. Maybe it’s edible, I don’t know. Very impressive!

And artichokes. Such crazy looking things.

This is the Chinese Garden. I love the Lotus plants. Can you see the man in the boat? That is a lantern, part of the Lantern Festival they have in September.

We wanted to see the lanterns lit up but obviously had to wait until it was dark-ish. We decided to head back to the car and just relax until dusk. On our way to the parking lot, we saw this sign. Tintin! How could we resist?!

Well, Tintin and a display of mushrooms. It was an impressive collection. So many varieties.

Tables and tables full.

After that and a little rest in the car, it was getting dark enough to go back and see the lanterns.

There was an impressive crowd for a Sunday evening in September. This is obviously a very popular yearly event. I can see why- it was fun to walk around in the dimming light with the lanterns glowing and people all around.

We left before it was fully dark and loads more people were streaming in.

We had a great time in Montreal. It is not that far from Boston- about 5 1/2 hrs driving. We should go more often. I’m already thinking about what I want to do next time!

Montreal food love

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We pretty much went to Montreal to enjoy some great food. I mean it is a fun city and all, but really, I think every meal we had in Montreal was better than any meal we had in Paris last year. I know, Heresy! Foodie culture is thriving in Montreal. I didn’t take meal photos. I would remember that I could have taken a picture as I leaned back to relax and enjoying the glow of a good meal. I was very busy with the camera when we went to the food market though.

So much abundance, beautifully displayed.

The smells were wonderful too!

So many colors-

And then Green!

Beautiful berries with edible orchids.

Globular food-

And who can ever resist cabbages!

A market like this makes me want to load up a cart and run home to cook something adventurous. Since that wasn’t an option, we bought some munchables- carrots, blueberries, other things too but ? I can’t remember. And Maple Syrup. Really, you can never have too much. And, we went to the Botanical Garden. That is for tomorrow.

 

more traveling

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This is my Renegade booth on the second day (Sunday). I always like to rearrange things and see if something else seems to catch everyone’s notice. (usually yes!)

After the market I had 1 1/2 days of down time and I wandered around the neighborhood where my daughter lives. Look what I found- a shop where people can buy their outfits for Octoberfest!

And a most fantastic deli- look at all the sausages!

There was also a store with Nutcrackers and carved wooden folk figures but unfortunately it was closed. Something to look forward to visit next time. I got home on Tuesday night.

Then, on Thursday evening, my husband and I headed out again- this time for a real little vacation. Hmm, going away with no work-related ulterior motive- what a good idea! It has been a very long time since that happened. Our first stop was the Shelburne Museum. I had such a good time when I visited a few months ago that Ben wanted to see too. And, that meant I not only got to see some favorite things again, but also check out many exhibits that I missed last time. Even the parking lot is lovely!

I’ll just post a few pics- here is an amazing Jaquard loom-

See what it is set up to weave? Amazing!

And I am now taking a lot more notice of these figures since doing my Staffordshire project. These figures are large- maybe 14″ high?

From there, we drove to Montreal. That will be for tomorrow.

visit to the Shelburne Museum

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I had SO MUCH fun- what a glorious day! My visit to the Shelburne was wonderful. To start, the weather was perfect- mid-70’s, clear, no humidity, light breeze. Amazing. There is tons to see so I guess I will just have to go back. I tried to see the things I knew I would be most interested in and along the way I also saw some other treasures that weren’t on the list.

My friend and I started at the top on the hill and headed down the path that lead us into the carousel exhibit. The Round House building  also held a 3-d paper exhibit. The artwork of Jared Schorr caught my attention- enough that when I got home, I checked out a whole lot more of it on his website.

Next, we went to the Circus Building. Learning about the circus collection is what reminded me last winter that I really needed to visit. I have known about the Shelburne for years, especially their toy and folk art collection and I knew I wanted to go “some day”. But, it is far enough away (4+ hrs driving) that it is easy to forget about. I am so glad that I made myself leave the studio and make the trek.

They have an amazing collection of posters. Here is my friend standing next to one so you can see the scale. I love these giraffe. I might have to spend some time thinking giraffe thoughts. Most of the exhibits had glass in front so please forgive the glares and reflections.

This was my favorite exhibit in the circus collection- an enormous circus “toy”. One man (Edgar Decker Kirk) worked for 40 years, first for his children and later for the neighborhood kids. I can totally relate to getting so immersed in a project. It would be fun to examine each piece close up- there are so many details.

After the circus, we explored needle arts. Amazing quilts, samplers, embroidery, clothing. This is a fantastic collection for anyone interested in fiber arts.

I fell in love with the Helen Bruce dioramas and am grateful that (no flash) photography was allowed. I am thrilled that my photos actually came out so well considering how little light there was. Unfortunately there didn’t seem to be any postcards or books with photos so I’m glad I’ve got a record. This photo has my hand for scale. (More photos on flickr)

And our last stop was the folk art collection. Again, so much inspiration in this collection. And, I loved the bright colored rooms that the artwork is displayed in.

I have added a lot more photos to Flickr. I would highly recommend a visit to this wonderful museum. I am only showing what I saw and we were at the museum from 10:30 until 5. There is so much more as you can see if you check out their website. I did some other things on my trip, but I’ll save that for another day.

 

more on the NY trip

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We got to New York on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, we went to the Alexander McQueen show at the Met. I am not a good enough writer to describe how fantastic it was. Just want to say- if you have a chance, definitely go- it is amazing. And, if you go, get there early. We arrived before 11 am and there was no line. By the time we got through the exhibit, there was a crowd and a long wait. The exhibit doesn’t seem designed for the crowd so it can be a challenge to feel like you are seeing everything.

The Met had a bookshop set up outside the exhibit but I was not interested in carrying around any purchases for the rest of the day. I wrote down all the titles that looked good to me and later, checked out which ones are available from my library. I  ordered the catalog to be sent.

And, just in case you can’t make it to the show, here are the books that appealed to me-

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (this is the show catalog)

Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed

Pattern Magic 2 by Tomoko Nakamichi

The Corset: A Cultural History by Valerie Steele

Fashion At The Edge by Caroline Evans

Poiret by Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton

High Style

We were staying at a hotel out by the airport. On Friday, the RAT was in front! I have to admit, I love that rat. I thought it was just a New York thing, but it turns out that Unions use them in a lot of cities. It is hard to ignore but unfortunately, once you are booked into a hotel (usually online), you are unlikely to leave because of it. I can see how it works better for places like restaurants.

On Monday, we went to Soho so I could pick up some goodies at PurlSoho. It is always a treat! We had fun wandering around the neighborhood and stopping into Pearl River. After that, we took a stroll on The High Line. I’ve been wanting to see it for a while and we lucked out because not only was it a perfect day, but a new section of the park had recently opened . It was very crowded and we enjoyed seeing how well it was being used.

Before we left for New York, I made myself a long list of places I’d love to go to. Unfortunately, I had to limit my walking. Remember back at the New Year I mentioned my  hip/back issues? I’ve been going to the Physical Therapist and doing my exercises but the body did not really pass the visit to NYC test. It turned out that one day at the museum and I was pretty much done. And that was before Renegade.

We had planned to leave New York on Tuesday afternoon, but we left in the morning instead. I was too tired and sore to do anymore walking. We stopped in New Haven to have lunch with my Dad and brother, then drove up to Springfield, MA. We drove along part of the path of the tornado that hit Central Massachusetts, 2 weeks ago. I’m not sure if it is rude or morbid but I really wanted to see. I’ve never seen tornado damage in person and I don’t believe I could ever have gotten the idea from photographs. I was left with an impression of severe violence. It is a very different feeling from hurricane damage, although the blue tarps that cover damaged houses are the same. It was shocking.

So, now I’m home and trying to get on with things. There is still a big pile of stuff, unloaded from the car. I have to sort through everything, wash what needs washing, reorganize everything that got shuffled. Then, put it all away. I have gardening to do and woolens to wash. And, my studio needs a big clean-up.

Here are 2 things from the market days that I keep thinking about-

– 2 people came up to me and told me their last name was Kirchner. That doesn’t often happen.

– I’m not sure if this happens to everybody, but is sure seems like people love to give me advice! The people tend to be older- my age really ie 50’s or early 60’s. I believe they think they are giving me a compliment. And that they say these things because they don’t understand that selling and marketing online really does work. I have to assume that they think I have never considered or thought of (and rejected) the things they suggest.

Examples: you should do this other (much more expensive) high-end show. I interpret that as- I think you are good enough to get into this other show that I like and understand- unlike Renegade where I don’t know what to make of a lot of this stuff.

and:  Your work would be perfect for this retail venue (I don’t do any wholesale).

and my favorite- You should donate some of your work to Museums. ??? Okay, that one is strange!

fox girl 2

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this little one is ready for a New England Spring day- where it isn’t actually warm but we are all pretending!

She has a ribbed wool shawl to keep warm- spring breezes can give a chill. And a dress made from some more beautiful Cloud9 fabric.

Tail room-

Cashmere sweater with embroidered loop closures. Her felt bag for treasures. The shawl has a beautiful brass floral button- guess I should have taken a photo where you could see it…hmmm.

And all her stuff-

The back of the dress closes with one button.

There were so many great links to explore on my blog tour this morning-

from Camilla– Matt Stuart

from True-Up– Helen Dardik new fabric, here and here. Wow! I love it!

and fantastic stumpwork at Needleprint. Wish I could be in Bath for that Doll Fair too.

the Artful Bird

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I am so excited about Abby‘s book, The Artful Bird! I feel that it is a highlight on her incredible growth curve in softie making since I first met her in 2005. As I wrote in that post, she was the first blog friend that I met in person. Here is her post about that first visit. Wow- what a long time ago. She has had 2 more babies since then, made enormous leaps in designing in fabric, has had numerous shows, and now a book- Go Abby!

I was thrilled when she asked me to be part of her blog book tour- a first for me! The book is gorgeous and I love the interviews with the other bird artists. The interviews and photos of 4 other artists, all working with bird imagery, make it clear how much style shines through each artists’ (including Abby) creations. I loved seeing them all.

And look- I made the Wren! He (?) now sits perched on the living room window, supervising all the goings-on at the bird feeder. I made him out of wool- of course.

My intern, Tori, worked on one with me. She put her wings on with a button which I thought looked great! Also, she made her beak with needle-felting.

My take-away from this book? It’s not for a beginner, but if you have some experience with sewing and and love all the detail work, you will have loads of fun making these birds. I could imagine hand-sewing a bird like this, especially if you used felt. I also think that you could take a basic pattern like this one that I did and be very creative with it and make it your own. There are many useful techniques to learn from Abby. This book will be placed on my shelf of books by my friends, and next time I see Abby I am going to get her to sign it for me. Thanks for letting me be part of your book tour Abby- I loved doing it!

a gift guide for sewers

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or maybe I should call it a gift guide for people who do assorted projects with fabrics, sort of like what I do…

These are things (mostly tools) that make me happy in my studio and I think would make great gifts.

When I was thinking about what to put on this list, it became obvious that I love my nice sharp cutting tools. My first suggestion is excellent scissors and Gingher’s are a good choice. I recently bought myself the 5″ knife-edge ones and they are my new favorites- sorry, drawer full of all the other little scissors that I have totally abandoned!  They are perfect for all the detail cutting work I do with the appliques. The big ones are good for cutting through layers of fabric and I use them to cut out the dolls. The little stork one, besides being adorable, is perfect for cutting threads in tight places, cutting out REALLY tiny things, and putting in my project bag if I am working on a carry-around project.

If the person you are shopping for already has good scissors, you might research a local place to get them sharpened. In my area (Boston), I can get mine done for approximately $7 at the local Fabric Store or Hardware Store.

My most recent tool purchase is this 18mm rotary cutter. It is perfect for cutting out shapes when I am using a template or little pattern piece- because I can hold the pattern flat and firmly in place on the cutting mat and cut around it. That means no marking on the fabric and no distortion from trying to hold the pattern in place and cut with scissors. The scissors and rotary cutter are available at most fabric stores, local and big name.

Last in the sharp cutting tool suggestions- fabric cutting, decorative edge shears. Unfortunately, my excellent Fiskar ones are no longer available, but I found this other brand. You might be able to find the Fiskars on Ebay sometimes.

On to other goodies.

Yes, a large piece of clear plastic is hard to photograph! This is a sewing machine extender table. I like this table even more then I was expecting. I thought I would use it when working on my bigger, bulkier projects but I have never taken it off since I got it! This is a special order item and fits whatever machine you have exactly. It can take a while to get if you have an older or more obscure machine. Looks like you can buy it online here for a lot less than I paid at my local sewing machine store.

If the recipient loves embroidery,  trying out new kinds of embroidery threads is tons of fun. Purl Soho has a huge selection. My new thread love of this year is Valdani pearl cotton– especially the variegated one. Next time I am in NYC, I will be restocking my supply.

Of course if they do embroidery, they might need some needles- I had fun shopping for needles at the Colonial Needle site. Seriously, how cute are these John James pebble packs-

embroidery and chenille needles

If you are looking for a last minute gift because you didn’t have any time to go shopping, a subscription to Selvedge Magazine will save the day!

Lastly, if you want to stick to handmade for the season, you could go over to my shop and get a pattern or 2, or maybe a tiny world pin cushion. Or my friend Liz’s shop and check out her  amazing selection of pin cushions. Or check out some of the other sewing goodness on Etsy. Try searching for pin cushions,  needle books, wool felt assortment, fabric collections, hand dyed threads….  Oh, the goodness! Happy Holiday shopping everyone!

Feel free to leave you suggestions for the perfect gift in the comment section- so I can add goodies onto my own wish list!