I have done it! I used my sewing machine! I did go through a lot of thread before I got it right...but I didn't sew through my finger so I would say all in all it was a very successful venture!
I made a table cloth. It is just a 64" square piece of fabric, but I hemmed all the edges and I am so proud of myself that I had to write about it here!
Next I am going to take on making pillows...this should be more interesting as there are far more logistics in making pillows...like corners...and zippers and things of that nature. I will report back when I feel more confident about my sewing prowess!
But I sewed something! All on my own!! I even threaded the bobbin and the needle (which is really hard to see, by the way).
Phew, that is all for now. I am open to easy projects for beginning seamstresses...let me know what I should make next!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Now I Know!
I have been so busy lately that finding time to create my art, let alone post on here about it, has been quite difficult. I now understand why being an artist is considered a full time job...because it is! I have a million ideas swirling around in my head and only a measly one to two hours a week to get them out of there! Here is what is swirling around, just so you can get a sense of how full my head really is:
*a series of season leaf/tree paintings...I have this idea to make them in a style with Asian influence. Elongating the canvas so it reads more like a scroll, and using soft muted colors with strong black lines...maybe even use ink for the tree branches, etc. I really want to get started on this one because it is so exciting for me! I want to see what it will look like, and if I am able to produce the image I have of it in my head.
*I really want to start using my sewing machine. I haven't found time to go to the fabric store to pick up fabric, needles, thread or a pattern (this is part of why not having a car can sometimes be annoying, it takes so long to get somewhere by bus that once I get out of work and over to the fabric store...the store is already closed!) BUT I have plenty of awesome ideas in my head.
Those are projects such as a) new pillow shams for the pillows on the couch in the living room. b) a cute fall skirt. c) an awesome fall work dress (I am imagining a 40s inspired pencil skirt type dress with a soft - or boat cut - neckline....)
Meanwhile I am busy trying to juggle work and class while leaving enough time for me to come home and relax with a glass of wine. Life sure is hard :)
*a series of season leaf/tree paintings...I have this idea to make them in a style with Asian influence. Elongating the canvas so it reads more like a scroll, and using soft muted colors with strong black lines...maybe even use ink for the tree branches, etc. I really want to get started on this one because it is so exciting for me! I want to see what it will look like, and if I am able to produce the image I have of it in my head.
*I really want to start using my sewing machine. I haven't found time to go to the fabric store to pick up fabric, needles, thread or a pattern (this is part of why not having a car can sometimes be annoying, it takes so long to get somewhere by bus that once I get out of work and over to the fabric store...the store is already closed!) BUT I have plenty of awesome ideas in my head.
Those are projects such as a) new pillow shams for the pillows on the couch in the living room. b) a cute fall skirt. c) an awesome fall work dress (I am imagining a 40s inspired pencil skirt type dress with a soft - or boat cut - neckline....)
Meanwhile I am busy trying to juggle work and class while leaving enough time for me to come home and relax with a glass of wine. Life sure is hard :)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Fall Apparel for Those Who Love Fall!
As an introduction maybe I will give you a little about me:
Knitting has been a hobby of mine since I was a young girl. My grandma was very old fashioned and decided to teach my sisters and I everything she knew about knitting. I must admit that during high school I felt to be "too cool" to knit, but I eventually took up the lost art again when in college (thanks to Agnes and the Knitting Club!!)
While I have tried my hand at knitting all sorts of articles of clothing and outerwear (I have yet to try knitting a sweater, too much work) such as scarves, hats, socks, gloves, and baby booties the only article I have seemed to have perfected is the knitted hat. I must admit that I have probably 10 to 15 completed hats in various colors and sizes in my many storage boxes of belongings.
Only recently, with my monetary drought brought on by the fact that I now pay rent (who knew living at home could be so incredibly cheap!?), have I decided to dig up these lost wonders and take advantage of the time and money I spent on them! Some I have saved to give as presents (expect a knitted hat from me at Christmas...) and others I have selected to be my guinea pigs to sell online.
Here is my first such experiment: I shall call it Striped Hat with Flowers!
Now my request of you, my patient readers. Would it possible to sell such an article? Right now my only suggestion has been to sell these via Etsy but I don't want to rush into anything and would like some feedback from the general publish first. Also, how do I price something like that? Making it is fairly simple for me, and the most expensive part is usually the yarn (I think this particular cashmere blend was about $10 a skein).
Your comments and suggestions are welcome! Please help me out here, I am swimming in new waters...
Knitting has been a hobby of mine since I was a young girl. My grandma was very old fashioned and decided to teach my sisters and I everything she knew about knitting. I must admit that during high school I felt to be "too cool" to knit, but I eventually took up the lost art again when in college (thanks to Agnes and the Knitting Club!!)
While I have tried my hand at knitting all sorts of articles of clothing and outerwear (I have yet to try knitting a sweater, too much work) such as scarves, hats, socks, gloves, and baby booties the only article I have seemed to have perfected is the knitted hat. I must admit that I have probably 10 to 15 completed hats in various colors and sizes in my many storage boxes of belongings.
Only recently, with my monetary drought brought on by the fact that I now pay rent (who knew living at home could be so incredibly cheap!?), have I decided to dig up these lost wonders and take advantage of the time and money I spent on them! Some I have saved to give as presents (expect a knitted hat from me at Christmas...) and others I have selected to be my guinea pigs to sell online.
Here is my first such experiment: I shall call it Striped Hat with Flowers!
Now my request of you, my patient readers. Would it possible to sell such an article? Right now my only suggestion has been to sell these via Etsy but I don't want to rush into anything and would like some feedback from the general publish first. Also, how do I price something like that? Making it is fairly simple for me, and the most expensive part is usually the yarn (I think this particular cashmere blend was about $10 a skein).
Your comments and suggestions are welcome! Please help me out here, I am swimming in new waters...
Thursday, October 8, 2009
My Heart Sings!
The very concept of owning a sewing machine is fascinating to me. All through my childhood I was plagued with the curiosities of making my own clothes. Knowing nothing about sewing machines my interest slowly faded and I began to develop the very expensive and stereotypical past time of clothes (and SHOES!) shopping.
For the past few years I have been indulging my interests (see the art projects below...) and therefore have been wanting, ever so desperately, my very own sewing machine. To my good fortune, I was recently out taking a Sunday stroll through local garage sales, and I found this beauty!! For $20 this Singer sewing machine circa 1980 was mine, ALL MINE!
Now with my excitement bubbling over I came home only to discover that I have absolutely NO IDEA how to use a sewing machine. And let me tell you, you can't just step on the pedal and hope that it sews whatever piece of fabric you might have stuck under its ever so sharp needle...
So here my sewing machine sits...on my art table. The needle gleams in the sunshine...taunting me because I want to use it so bad but, to be honest, it scares the heeby jeebies out of me!
In order to begin my sewing tutorial, I have started watching Project Runway with an intense passion to learn. Now I know that this is no way to teach myself how to sew...but it is so inspiring that after each episode I take one new step closer to actually using my sewing machine.
See that purple thread? That was my most recent step. Baby steps people, baby steps. Maybe this week I can move on to using a bobbin (after first figuring out what exactly a bobbin is?)
Friday, September 25, 2009
Adventures with Golf Leaf
Gold leaf is my new favorite art supply...
For those of you who have never even touched gold leaf, let me explain. Gold leaf is the most difficult medium (can I call it an art medium?) I have ever worked with. It sticks to everything, it is very fine, and easily tears, crumples, or simply blows away (if it is a windy day and the windows are open...which it was and they were). But the best part, it is SHINY! You are basically working with little flecks of gold which is a little frustrating but very beautiful and when used correctly creates the most amazing visual effect.
After hours of application, with little old me hunched over my yellow table trying desperately to figure out the best and most successful techniques in applying this tricky yet FABULOUS medium, I have a satisfactory painting that I am actually pretty happy and excited about.
Haystack Rock
September 2009
This moonscape had been stuck in my head for ages! Over the summer the boyfriend and I spent a few weekends at Cannon Beach along the Oregon coast and let me tell you, Oregon beaches are absolutely beautiful!!
At Cannon Beach we would often spend the evening around a bonfire along the beach, watching the flickering shadows of other beach goers under the starlight. Every evening the moon would set along the horizon almost exactly like this. The silhouette of Haystack Rock in the background. The painting itself was always a little too dark for me to capture, but with the gold leaf I think it looks perfect. With the glimmering moon and stars overhead and the sand and ocean waves at your feet. Makes me wish I still had a real summer vacation to spend at the beach...enjoy!
*Note: if using gold leaf, do not leave your window open on a windy day. If you do, make sure there is a video camera present and ready...hilarity will ensue...
For those of you who have never even touched gold leaf, let me explain. Gold leaf is the most difficult medium (can I call it an art medium?) I have ever worked with. It sticks to everything, it is very fine, and easily tears, crumples, or simply blows away (if it is a windy day and the windows are open...which it was and they were). But the best part, it is SHINY! You are basically working with little flecks of gold which is a little frustrating but very beautiful and when used correctly creates the most amazing visual effect.
After hours of application, with little old me hunched over my yellow table trying desperately to figure out the best and most successful techniques in applying this tricky yet FABULOUS medium, I have a satisfactory painting that I am actually pretty happy and excited about.
Haystack Rock
September 2009
This moonscape had been stuck in my head for ages! Over the summer the boyfriend and I spent a few weekends at Cannon Beach along the Oregon coast and let me tell you, Oregon beaches are absolutely beautiful!!
At Cannon Beach we would often spend the evening around a bonfire along the beach, watching the flickering shadows of other beach goers under the starlight. Every evening the moon would set along the horizon almost exactly like this. The silhouette of Haystack Rock in the background. The painting itself was always a little too dark for me to capture, but with the gold leaf I think it looks perfect. With the glimmering moon and stars overhead and the sand and ocean waves at your feet. Makes me wish I still had a real summer vacation to spend at the beach...enjoy!
*Note: if using gold leaf, do not leave your window open on a windy day. If you do, make sure there is a video camera present and ready...hilarity will ensue...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Shellac Project: Trial 2
Since I purchased a rather large bottle of shellac for my coaster project (better safe than sorry) I had a good half a bottle left over to experiment with other projects. Woo hoo!
For a while I have been experimenting with mixed media, trying to incorporate photos and tissue paper with different glue, different colors, trial with paints (only acrylic), as well as glitter (I'm a girl, I can't help but love it) and most recently, gold leaf (still figuring out those particulars, my next post will most likely be more in-depth if gold leaf is something you are interested in).
I have been using plywood as my base and so far I enjoy working in this mixed media style, although I can't say that it is very successful, at least visually speaking.
This particular project I was so very excited about, the photo of the St. John's Bridge in Portland, OR was just a really neat angle and overall (in my head) I thought it would turn out interesting, at the very least. I had been having trouble getting my somewhat paper mache-like art to lay flat on the plywood. Sadly, in this case, both the tissue paper and the photo I tried to heavily glue onto the plywood bubbled in the middle leaving air pockets along the photo.
In reaction to this bubbling (and my new found love of shellac) my genius idea was to simply cover the entire surface with the remainder of my shellac. I thought perhaps the weight of the shellac would push the air bubbles out of the photo to create a nice smooth glossy surface. As you may be able to tell in the photo...that is not what happened.
Note to self - shellac will not make your surface flat and smooth. If you want a flat and smooth surface you have to make sure it is that way before applying shellac, otherwise you get a very stiff bubble and plywood that you cannot re-use...
For a while I have been experimenting with mixed media, trying to incorporate photos and tissue paper with different glue, different colors, trial with paints (only acrylic), as well as glitter (I'm a girl, I can't help but love it) and most recently, gold leaf (still figuring out those particulars, my next post will most likely be more in-depth if gold leaf is something you are interested in).
I have been using plywood as my base and so far I enjoy working in this mixed media style, although I can't say that it is very successful, at least visually speaking.
This particular project I was so very excited about, the photo of the St. John's Bridge in Portland, OR was just a really neat angle and overall (in my head) I thought it would turn out interesting, at the very least. I had been having trouble getting my somewhat paper mache-like art to lay flat on the plywood. Sadly, in this case, both the tissue paper and the photo I tried to heavily glue onto the plywood bubbled in the middle leaving air pockets along the photo. In reaction to this bubbling (and my new found love of shellac) my genius idea was to simply cover the entire surface with the remainder of my shellac. I thought perhaps the weight of the shellac would push the air bubbles out of the photo to create a nice smooth glossy surface. As you may be able to tell in the photo...that is not what happened.
Note to self - shellac will not make your surface flat and smooth. If you want a flat and smooth surface you have to make sure it is that way before applying shellac, otherwise you get a very stiff bubble and plywood that you cannot re-use...
Friday, September 18, 2009
Shellac Project: Trial 1
So, as a gift for my boyfriend for our anniversary I thought it would be fun to make him something that we could both use around the house (this is in addition to our joint present to each other - which turned out to be skydiving! But that's another story...). My great plan was to make coasters. And since he has great plans of traveling to foreign lands I thought it would be fun to make MAP coasters. Now the concept seemed easy enough to me. Buy wood, cut out maps, glue maps to wood, then shellac to my hearts content! I have never used shellac before so this was an entirely new concept to me.
I had two different maps to choose from, the first was Europe:
The second was Central and South America:
Overall I think they turned out fine and they were a lot of fun to make (shellac is pretty awesome stuff to work with).
*Note for all potential shellac-ers out there...you need to elevate your shellacking surface so that when you pour the shellac it easily drips off the sides, thus coating your entire surface. With these coasters I made the mistake of simply placing them on popsicle sticks, which made the separation of the final product and said popsicle stick very...entertaining...
I had two different maps to choose from, the first was Europe:
The second was Central and South America:
Overall I think they turned out fine and they were a lot of fun to make (shellac is pretty awesome stuff to work with).
*Note for all potential shellac-ers out there...you need to elevate your shellacking surface so that when you pour the shellac it easily drips off the sides, thus coating your entire surface. With these coasters I made the mistake of simply placing them on popsicle sticks, which made the separation of the final product and said popsicle stick very...entertaining...
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Recent Photos
Photo taken from a recent hiking trip in the Salem, OR area...
I love this photo and have been trying to recreate it in charcol, but I just can't get it right!
I don't have the courage to share my drawings quite yet...so instead I thought I would share the photo here for your benefit.
Here is a lovely photo of a barely blooming yellow rose that I managed to snap earlier this summer while at the Portland Rose Garden
I love yellow roses, they always remind me of my Grandma Love who will forever hold a special place in my heart . . .
WELCOME!
Welcome to my official blog!
In this space I hope to:
-show my current art dabbling
-link to my etsy account so any of you could potentially purchase my artistic creations
-have continued ramblings about the art world in Portland (or the apparent lack there of)
-show off my many cooking creations (and perhaps share the fables and foils of food as an outlet for art)
-and just generally sharing tips, art, and my own personal opinion.
Hopefully you will enjoy it! Feel free to message me, or comment on any of my postings. I love constructive criticism and would appreciate feedback (especially on my art)!
In this space I hope to:
-show my current art dabbling
-link to my etsy account so any of you could potentially purchase my artistic creations
-have continued ramblings about the art world in Portland (or the apparent lack there of)
-show off my many cooking creations (and perhaps share the fables and foils of food as an outlet for art)
-and just generally sharing tips, art, and my own personal opinion.
Hopefully you will enjoy it! Feel free to message me, or comment on any of my postings. I love constructive criticism and would appreciate feedback (especially on my art)!
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