Made by Misa

I've moved!

2008-08-11T16:29:00.001-07:00

Blogs, anyway.

This Redhead Creates - please join me there!!

Take It Further January 2008

2008-01-31T02:35:00.001-08:00

The first Take It Further challenge was this: The key concept for January is a feeling we have all had, the feeling of admiration for another. Ask yourself who do you look up to and admire? Why? What is it you admire about them?

Immediately, I knew what I wanted to do. I wasn't sure it would "count", but then, the more I thought it over, the more I realized that Sharon's pretty big on interpreting things in your own way. So, with that being said, what I did this month didn't involve stitching. At least, not exclusively for the challenge.

Instead, I thought about how part of what I love about the stitching blogs I read is not only getting to look at all the beautiful work, but how freely people share their knowledge. I don't know anybody offline who stitches (read: does embroidery or crazy quilting). My mother used to do cross-stitch from time to time when I was quite young and one of my sisters did for a short period of time but didn't keep up with it. None of my friends do embroidery, however. And I wish that I had a stitching group that was pretty exclusively embroidery and/or CQ or something along that lines. Or even ONE friend to do it with. But, the fact of the matter is that I don't. So, I get all my "Hey, see this neat thing!" from the stitching blogs I read.

I still consider myself new to stitching. I've been doing it for a while now, yes, but I jump around from that to various different arts and crafts. So, some of the people who might, in fact, have been stitching for less time than I have, might actually be more experienced than me. And while it's nice to know how to do so many different things, it also means that I never get particularly good at any of them.

Every time I start to stitch, I fall in love with it all over again. But, I also get slightly frustrated at times because of my lack of experience and knowledge. So, I do what I always do when I'm frustrated: I go hang out on the internet. Usually, I'm reading blogs. I've looked at a LOT of stitching and a LOT of crazy quilting, but I haven't actually done much of either. No good.

So, here's the deal. I've decided to concentrate more on my stitching/crazy quilting. I plan to do this for the next six months (at least) and excluding a lot of things that I would normally do. I'm very nervous about that - I always think "Well, what if I was actually better at _____ or enjoyed it more? What if I'm missing out on that?" This is why I've decided to say "just for six months".

I might also overhaul my art/craft blog, quite possibly separating out the needlework. I've considered moving over to wordpress for that because it seems to have a bit more customization options than what I'm currently using (Blogger). I do know that I want to work on actively posting to it more, but I've not decided exactly what else I'm going to do beyond that. We'll see.

I was also going to make a list of stitching blogs that I love to read and say what I liked about each individual one. As it turns out, there's a whole bunch that I like. I like them for different reasons, and yet, I think, the main reason that I'm drawn to all of them is the passion each stitcher has for what she does.

And, in trying to figure out what "styles" I liked the best, I found something interesting: I liked several and, in many ways, they contradicted themselves. So I thought about it some more. Some of my favorite works are ones that I think "Oh, I could never do that!" These are both the ones that have strict protocols (for instance, some of the intricate blackwork I see) and ones that are completely spontaneous. I think that maybe what that is saying to me is that I don't "push myself" with my needlework enough. I enjoy what I'm doing, but when the going gets tough, I back off. I think I'm afraid to mess up, which is silly: it's just thread and cloth. So, I need to work on being willing to make mistakes.

Now, I know that most people have actually done stitching or created a design for this month. That's what we were supposed to do. But all this "thinking" and percolating over my stitching is, I think, more valuable to me than anything I could have stitched for this month's challenge would have been.

Slow craft

2007-12-19T13:44:00.001-08:00

One of the blogs that I read daily is In A Minute Ago. It's a fiber arts blog and this post is about something mentioned on there, but please don't turn away, even if you're not a fiber artist. This doesn't apply just to fiber arts only. The specific thing mentioned on that post is "slow cloth" but this is relevant across the arts and crafts fields, really. If you don't care about the cloth part, fine, scroll down to the bottom. I've talked to people. I know that a lot of people feel the same way as me in what I'm about to talk about.

Sharon, of In A Minute Ago, recently posted a post about "Slow Cloth" but also called it "Slow Craft". And here's the gist of this: what has happened recently is that craft has become cool. BUT a lot of people take this in the same way they take the rest of their lives: in a very hurried pace. What this means is that we're seeing the proliferation of "Last minute handmade gifts - in 15 minutes!!!" kits. The person goes out, buys a kit, and makes the same exact thing that fifty other people made. Most of them change NOTHING and very little thought is put into this. Now, if a craft truly only takes fifteen minutes, but you selected the parts yourself and truly thought about what the person you are giving it to would like (or, if not got a gift, something you'd love to have), I think that could probably be considered slow craft. What we're talking about here is pre-made, might as well have bought you that ever-present butter-cheese-caramel-popcorn-in-a-tin kits. Where very little thought or time commitment is involved on your part. Slow Craft is the opposite of this.

“Do you think we need a craft philosophy that celebrates the handcrafted object made with care and meaning without regard to time?” - pulled from Sharon's blog.

Yes, frankly, I do.

For instance, one of my big pet peeves is Scrapbookers. (I've instantly gotten myself hated by a lot of people, I know, but this is how I feel and I'm not afraid to say it.) I'm not talking about people who make real scrapbooks. I'm talking about someone who announces herself (it's usually a her - though there are men who do this) as a Scrapbooker and goes to her Scrapbooking meetings and groups where they all make the exact same layout. Or worse, she goes to the Scrapbooking store and buys a completely pre-made layout, takes two minutes to shove it in her scrapbook, and then sticks the appropriate picture in the appropriate box. I even saw one that, in the white space where the photo goes, said "INSERT PICTURE OF SON PLAYING FAVORITE SPORT HERE." Ok. How much less thought do you need? ARGH. I remember when scrapbooks were exactly that - books of scraps. You had pictures in there, sure, but you also wrote little bits, and attached memorabilia, ticket stubs, playbills, maybe the napkin from your wedding, or a small map of where you went - even if it was just your route from home to work - and various other things that had meaning to you. Things nobody even thinks of putting in their scrapbook anymore. If I never saw one of those "Scrapbooks" again, it would be too soon. Why do people even bother? Why don't they just stick the picture in an album? Or, even better, why don't they design a page THEMSELVES, without the use of premade pages and die cuts? Maybe even, I dunno, make their own background? What bothers me the most is that these people who put so little thought into it suddenly call themselves "Very Creative". Argh. These people COULD be being creative. It isn't hard. But, instead, encouraged by the idea that these things are creative, they stick with that. They don't expand. I'm frustrated for them.

It isn't so much about the time, but about the thought behind it.

And, if you're wondering where the term "slow cloth" came from, it follows in the tradition of Slow Food.

Some days are fine, some a little bit harder.

2007-10-14T00:06:00.001-07:00

Some days are fine, some a little bit harder.
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant

"I'm not that ill. Bad moments come, but they go. Some days are fine. Some a little bit harder." - Eva Peron, in the musical Evita.

I get sick all the time. Almost every weekend and a lot of weekdays. I try to suck it up and deal, but... days like today really wear me out. I just spent a good hour or so coughing stuff up, so much so that I lost my dinner. (I often feel like my lungs are attempting to revolt.) So that "healthy red glow" to my cheeks? That's actually the result of all the "work" of throwing up. Fun.

Oct. 07, 2007 Self-Portrait

2007-10-07T21:11:00.001-07:00

Oct. 07, 2007 Self-Portrait
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant

Day 7 of my year-long self-portrait party.

Me and Joey... doesn't he look thrilled? ;P

Confession

2007-10-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

I have done so many different types of crafts, so many different types of art, that when somebody says "I want to do this, but I don't know how", for a lot of things, I can at least show them the basics.

But I struggle with this. I love doing so many different things, but I don't feel like I'm GOOD at any of them. The avid crazy quilter, for instance, is often really good at doing CQ. The cross-stitcher might be able to whip out a piece ten times faster than I can, and mess up far less. And the painter can blend and smooth colors a lot better than me.

And I want to be good at something. I want to hunker down and focus on one thing, just letting little bits of other things creep in. However, when I force myself to do this, I'm thinking "I'm really going to miss doing ______". And as I'm doing whatever it is that I've chosen to focus on exclusively, I think to myself "I wish I were doing ______ instead."

But when I let myself have several different things to do, I become overwhelmed and find myself unable to do any of them because I can't choose. Or, if I do choose, five minutes later, I decide to do something instead.

It's frustrating.

Candy Land

2007-09-30T22:10:00.001-07:00

Candy Land
Originally uploaded by Peggy Dembicer

You guys have to see this. Click on the board and it will take you to where you can see more close-ups. This is a mosaic of the 1978 editions of the Candy Land board game. Using seed beads. I cannot even begin to think about how much time this must have taken. I, personally, would have been very frustrated.

But, really, it's really cool.

Check it out.

Oatmeal with mango (Aug. 16, 2007)

2007-08-16T07:51:00.001-07:00

Oatmeal with mango (Aug. 16, 2007)
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant

This was my breakfast this morning. I've discovered a new (to me) way of cooking oatmeal:

1. Measure out your oats. Set aside.
2. Measure out your water. Put in pot and boil.
3. While waiting for water to boil, chop up a piece of fruit.
4. When water comes to a boil, stir in oatmeal.
5. When the oats all look wet, stir in fruit.
6. Cover the pot. Turn heat off and leave the pot on the burner.
7. Wait for 30 minutes.

This makes a nice, creamy oatmeal with the fruit all nice and soft. Yum! Try it yourself.

Self portrait.

2007-07-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

I took this with my camera phone, so the quality is kinda crappy, but I really like how it turned out.

7 things you may or may not know about me

2007-07-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

7 things you may or may not know about me:

1. I was in Girl Scouts. First as a Brownie, then as a Junior Girl Scout. I've probably been in ten or so different troops (we moved around a lot when I was a kid) and each time, I had to beg to join. Each troop has dues that you're supposed to pay. When I was a Brownie, I remember constantly being short and feeling guilty when I had to ask my mom for any of it at all. Dues were two dollars a week. The eight dollars a month was a huge hit to our budget.

2. In seventh grade, I joined the school band and started playing the flute. I only got to join because my father's parents paid for the flute. I switched to the piccolo to play in the parade and they wouldn't pay for both. Sadly, when I switched schools, my band teacher had a shit fit in my general direction because the piccolo isn't meant to be played in most band pieces and I was back to playing the flute. By the time I was in the ninth grade, I played bari sax because the school needed somebody to and I seemed to have the ability to pick up on instruments quite quickly. Unfortunately for me, getting new reeds was quite a chore (time and money my mother didn't have) so I often had to use old reeds. To this day, if I think of it, I can taste the reeds and I get this horrible sensation in my teeth. In tenth grade, I played the flute again. Throughout this whole time, I loved playing. I was the girl who went above and beyond the amount of practice I needed just because I enjoyed making music so much. However, my band teacher managed to drain the fun out of it so much that I hated going to band in the eleventh grade. My father finally took me out of band because I wasn't practicing as much any more (it was by my request, I think). I still think about renting a flute and paying for flute lessons.

3. Part of the reason that I chose not to have children was because I think being a mother made my mom miserable.

4. My favorite color is purple.

5. When I was little, I hated having red hair. Now, I love it.

6. I drink wayyyy too much Diet Coke.

7. I often wake up in the middle of the night for no reason other than to check the clock and make sure my alarm is set. Several times.

It's been a while...

2007-05-15T01:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted here in a long time. I haven't been doing much blogging at all, actually. Amongst other things, over the past two months, my husband had a vitrectomy (eye surgery), we joined a gym, I've tried to lose weight, my boss cut me down a shift (from three to two), my husband's right eye hemorrhaged (they'll be doing surgery on it this Thursday), and I've been so completely and horribly depressed (I'm now taking St. John's Wort - it seems to be helping). I've not done anything creative.

And, I'm in a group that is doing a Band Sampler Round Robin. (Basically, we're each working on a band on everybody's sampler.) I'm very behind, but I'm trying to catch up. I'm in another group that I'm behind in (this one is for pen and ink work) and, again, trying to catch up. My husband asked me why I join up in projects like this if I just stress out over them. I tried to explain to him that I feel like I have to justify my hobbies, like I can't do them "just because"... there has to be a purpose. For instance, embroidering a tea towel is fine for me, as I can always use them in my kitchen but embroidering something that is just decorative is really hard for me. Does anybody else feel this way? How do you get past it?

Now, of course, that isn't the ONLY reason that I participate in group projects. I like being connected to others who like to do the same things as me. In my real life, nobody I know embroiders. My mother used to cross-stitch and I was able to call her the other night with a question, but she reminded me that it had been years (probably 17 or so) since she'd done any cross-stitch at all. These group projects are really the only way that I have to be physically connected with other stitchers. So, yes, I'm behind, but I'm trying to catch up, and I hope the others in my group will be patient with me.

Interview questions

2007-03-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

From a friend on Livejournal

1) Pick something you are currently working to change in yourself (a habit, diet, etc.). Why is it important to you?

I'm working on my diet and weight loss right now. Yes, that's important. Very important. But there's something that I consider even more important that I'm working on: de-stressing. I'm a constant ball of stress. Really, most of it is my fault. Not in the "you make your own destiny" sort of way. Nope. Given that I only work three days a week and have no children, I have a lot of free time. But it never feels like I do. Why? I try to do too much, in relation to my hobbies. I'll sign up for tons of swaps, then feel overwhelmed, so I'll procrastinate until a day or two before they're due. Or, I set self-imposed deadlines and stress out when I don't make them. I think about how much work needs to be done on the apartment, then feel overwhelmed... so I put it off. I have physical symptoms from stress. And, honestly, I've been stressed out for as long as I can remember, even back to being a little kid. I'd just like a little peace, you know?

2) How do you choose your friends?

I tend to make friends with people who are just a bit "odd" or slightly damaged in some way. There are very few exceptions. I think that part of that is because I'm odd AND slightly damaged. They're people I can talk with who I know won't look at me weirdly when I go off on one of my little tangents (this happens ALL the time).

3) You list embroidery as an interest - tell me more, please!

Last July, I picked up Jenny Hart's Stitch-It Kit. Before doing that, I hadn't done ANY embroidery since I was... 10 or so? And most of that was cross-stitch. And I don't know that I ever finished any of them. They constantly frustrated me. So, I was a bit nervous but, obviously, interested. Well, it turns out that I was able to pick up most of the stitches quite easily. And this wasn't as difficult for me as cross-stitch. It just seemed a bit more free and less confining. (Plus, I didn't have the lines of the fabric hurting my eyes when I tried to count.) Then, took an online class from Sharon Boggon called "Develop a Personal Library of Stitches". I was introduced to so many new stitches and encouraged to explore and "push" each stitch in different ways. After that class was over, I signed up for her "Encrusted Crazy Quilting" class. I'm not sure how much you know about crazy quilting, but basically, it's free form quilting, generally using small-ish pieces of fabric. You do seam treatments using embroidery. Encrusted refers to a style that's heavily embellished. (Some examples by Sharon are here, here, and here.)

You can see some of my fiber work at Flickr. I haven't actually gotten around to uploading my class block with more work having been done on it yet. But, you can see the start of my CQ block AND some of my embroidery samples.

4) What is the earliest home you can remember? What do you remember about it?

I remember one of the apartments that we lived in in Germany (we moved there when I was two and a half and moved away when I was seven). I remember bits and pieces of what it looked like, but mostly, the smell. Not that it stank, but each place smells different to me. I'm very attached to how places - and people - smell. Smells evoke VERY strong memories for me.

5) And, the obligatory food question. If I asked your RL acquaintance,what food would they say is your favorite? Are they right?

Chocolate. Or ice cream. They'd be right on both accounts. They might answer Diet Coke, though, and that'd be right, too, if we're including beverages.

Interview meme

2007-03-25T01:52:00.000-07:00

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better.
3.Update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. Include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, ask them five questions. And so on, and so on, and so on.

About taking classes with Sharon

2007-03-22T00:09:00.000-07:00

My cable went down for almost three days. Since we have cable internet, that meant not-so-good things for my online access. So, even though I was going to upload some pics of the progress on my block, I haven't yet.

However, I want to talk about how much I have learned from taking classes from Sharon. I started embroidering in July. Before that, I hadn't done any embroidery other than a tiny little bit of cross-stitch when I was very young. Taking her Personal Library of Stitches class really enabled me to learn a lot about embroidery. Going back through the files, there are STILL things I'm learning. I hear the same thing from experienced stitchers, too (I wouldn't want to give the impression that this class is for "newbies" only).

Now I've taken Sharon's other class, Encrusted Crazy Quilting, too. I ALSO started as a beginner to that. And, again, I've learned so much. Not just from the weekly class download, which, btw, is always HUGE (not in file size, but in page number) but also from interacting with her on the forums for the class. And also, from interacting with others through the forums.

Currently, both classes are $60 (each) for a six week class. This works out to only ten dollars a class. Most times, you'd end up paying twice that for half the info.

Sharon is coming to the USA next year on a teaching tour. She won't be stopping in Seattle (dangit) but she will be going to Portland, Oregon. I'm hoping to be able to take a class
from her and meet her in person!

You can find out all about her teaching tour and the classes she is offering both in person and online here. She also mentions that there's a third class in development, focusing on texture, with, of course, an emphasis on design.

If you're reading this, you probably already know about her blog, In A Minute Ago. (After all, if I had to pick only one embroidery or crazy quilting blog to read, it would be hers.) Some people still haven't noticed, however, that she has a Stitch Dictionary and a Cafe Press site, where you can get a mug, a journal, or greeting cards with a CQ design on it (limited edition - she changes the design every month).

I'm a big believer in supporting sites that you frequent regularly. I don't just consider "In a Minute Ago" to be a blog. To me, it's an online learning "extravaganza". And something I want to support. If you've learned a lot from Sharon, as a lot of us have even just by reading her blog, please try to do something to support her. Maybe you can take a class from her - you won't regret it, I promise. But maybe you feel that you can't afford $60 (although I'd like to again point out that it is only $10 a week for six weeks... you have to pay it all in advance, but you could save up ahead of time). That's alright. There are things you can do to help support Sharon. Buy from her cafe press store. Make a donation through paypal (the link is on the sidebar on her blog). Or, perhaps you're going to be buying a book... consider doing it through her amazon "store". It won't cost you any extra, but will help her out.

And if you can't do any of these, well, I'm sure she'd appreciate a comment or an email from time to time saying "Thank you" for all that she does for the online embroidery and CQ community.

Block progress as of March 10, 2007

2007-03-11T09:35:00.001-07:00

Block progress as of March 10, 2007
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

I've added a few seam treatments and snuck in a few weeks worth of TAST!. As far as TAST goes, I've done week 10 (barred chain... I hope I did it right), week 9 (cross-stitch), and week 8 (fly stitch). There's also some wonky little thing I came up with down in the bottom right corner. I've recently read Carole Samples' book Treasury of Crazyquilt Stitches and it gave me a bit of inspiration, as far as seam embellishment goes.

Packet from Margaret (March 10, 2007)

2007-03-11T00:25:00.001-08:00

Packet from Margaret (March 10, 2007)
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

Margaret sent me this lovely packet of things to make wing veins for my butterfly! Thank you Margaret!!

Progress on my first crazy quilt block (as of March 3, 2007)

2007-03-03T05:22:00.001-08:00

Progress on my first crazy quilt block (as of March 3, 2007)
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

I filled in the body of the butterfly. I plan on working on seam embellishments before coming back to the butterfly wings.

Fabric Pack from Diane Part 2 (March 02, 2007)

2007-03-03T02:33:00.001-08:00

Fabric Pack from Diane Part 2 (March 02, 2007)
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is part two of two.

I'm currently taking Sharon B's Encrusted Crazy Quilting class. I haven't done much sewing or quilting and thus, had very little in the way of fabric. I also had very little in the way of ribbons for ribbon embroidery, just the little bit that I'd purchased for the class. When I mentioned on the class forums that I didn't have much of a stash, Diane offered to send me some things to help build my stash. What she sent me was amazing!! It took two photos to capture all of these. In this picture, you can see the ribbons that she sent. Aren't they beautiful?

Fabric Pack from Diane Part 1(March 02, 2007)

2007-03-03T02:31:00.001-08:00

Fabric Pack from Diane Part 1(March 02, 2007)
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is part one of two.

I'm currently taking Sharon B's Encrusted Crazy Quilting class. I haven't done much sewing or quilting and thus, had very little in the way of fabric. I also had very little in the way of ribbons for ribbon embroidery, just the little bit that I'd purchased for the class. When I mentioned on the class forums that I didn't have much of a stash, Diane offered to send me some things to help build my stash. What she sent me was amazing!! It took two photos to capture all of these.

Contemplations on a "denim bag"

2007-02-28T22:33:00.000-08:00

There's a little "thrift" store near my house. That's not really right... they're a "vintage" store. Or something. Oh, let's see: their website says they're a "Vintage & Designer Clothing" store. Whatever. This isn't the point. I don't care, they don't have anything that would fit me. The point is that they have a $5 rack. And everyday, for the last week, I've walked past their $5 rack and seen jeans hanging there. There's a dark pair that I'd like to make into a jeans purse, which I would embroider. HOWEVER, I'm not really a purse kind of gal. I carry too much shit with me all the time (really, it's ridiculous). Plus, a cloth purse without some sort of protection from the rain is pretty silly in Seattle. (You may not believe this, btw, but a lot of Seattlites don't have umbrellas. Not if you've lived here a long time, anyway. You just understand that you'll be rained on. That's how you can tell a "native" versus a "transplant" - although after a certain number of years, most "transplants" stop using umbrellas, too. But if you're using an umbrella, you probably weren't born here. But I'm digressing.)

Anyway, I've been thinking about this for a WEEK. But while typing up this post, I've had a thought. I might go get a pair of those jeans and make them into a bag, anyway. Still not decided. I'm also considering getting trying to get some jeans from the by-the-pound goodwill store because they'd be less expensive. We'll see. I'll post if end up doing it.

Progress on my First Crazy Quilt Block (as of Feb 28, 2007)

2007-02-28T21:24:00.001-08:00

Progress on my First Crazy Quilt Block (as of Feb 28, 2007)
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

Butterfly!! I think I'm going to fill in the body (not sure about that, but I think so), however I'm don't think I'll fill in the wings. You can't tell in the pic, but the wings are "raised" a bit because I embroidered the red over my black backstitch outline. I'm hoping it helps break up the line in the middle of my block. I might have to fill in the body, but I'm really liking it as it is.

Check out my video, involving my kitty.

2007-02-26T02:53:00.000-08:00

I didn't want to harass you all with it here, but you can see it at my other blog, Misa's Place.

Too cute to pass up.

2007-02-24T00:20:00.000-08:00

If you've not done so yet, you all must stop in and see what Lin Moon has done with fly stitch for TAST this week.

Really. If this doesn't cause you to literally laugh out loud, I don't imagine that much will.

Progress on my first Crazy Quilt block (as of Feb. 22, 2007)

2007-02-23T01:17:00.001-08:00

Progress on my first Crazy Quilt block (as of Feb. 22, 2007)
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is what I've done so far. In actuality, I really haven't made a huge amount of progress on the block. However, I've been thinking about what I want to do a lot, working through it on paper, and practicing my seam treatments on "scrap" fabric (which is really the tea towels I bought a while back).

My first Crazy Quilt block (naked!), done on Feb. 15, 2007

2007-02-16T13:30:00.001-08:00

My first Crazy Quilt block (naked!), done on Feb. 15, 2007
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is my first crazy quilt block. The fabrics are a bit shiny, so the block looks a little odd. There are a few design issues, too, but I'm still proud of the piece. Not only is it my first CQ block, but it's the first time I've used a machine without somebody standing over me, instructing me (and even that was only one or two times). This block is "naked" because I've yet to embellish it.

You know you're addicted to stitching when...

2007-02-15T06:40:00.000-08:00

You know you're addicted to stitching when you buy yourself a nice white shirt and think "Oh. This would look so beautiful if I added some embroidery on the collar and maybe a bit, here, on the cuff..."

Childhood Memories of Houses with Bunnies

2007-02-13T12:31:00.000-08:00

I often struggle with how much I should share that isn't arts/crafts related in this particular blog. I know that I like to read subject-specific blogs (of course, I like to read "personal" ones too - ones that aren't subject specific, but I'm a bit more choosy about which ones I read) but even on the subject-specific blogs, I like to know a bit about the person and read a bit about what's going on in their life. But where do you draw the line? How much is too much? It's a struggle for me to achieve balance on anything. I tend to be all or nothing. I'm working on balance, but the fact that it IS work really says something. Hmmmm.

Anyway, part of what brought this up was Pat Winter's entry urging her readers to share bits of their childhood. I immediately thought of something that I'd love to share.

When I was young, we were pretty poor. There were several times that meals were cooked over sterno cans because the power was out. My mother did what she could to spread the money as far as possible, especially at Christmas. She would stay up late at night, making things for us kids. One Christmas, one of my favorite Christmases, she made my sister, Megan, and I little houses. They were made of fabric (but I believe had that plastic canvas inside) and the roof of the house snapped shut. There were little beds and little bunnies that had clothing (instead of people). Of course, being a little kid, I lost the pieces and didn't take care of my house. I would give anything to have it again.

First Band for 2007 Band Round Robin

2007-02-12T14:15:00.001-08:00

First Band for 2007 Band Round Robin
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is the first band for a band sampler round robin that I'm in. We'll each stitch a band on everybody's piece. I've still not really figured out how to get good pictures of my embroidery. Maybe there's a setting on my camera that I'm not aware of? I'll have to figure it out soon - I'm tired of crappy photos.

Anyway, I'm very excited about participating in this round robin. I also must admit that I'm a bit nervous... all the other stitchers have been doing this for far long than I have and I don't want them to be disappointed with my work.

Class is in session!

2007-02-11T00:44:00.000-08:00

The Encrusted Crazy Quilting class started on Friday. I've read the lesson and I'm excited and ready to work! I've noticed that most of the people in the class come from a more extensive sewing background than I do and thus have more fabrics available to pick from. That's okay. I mean, I'd like to have more fabrics available to me, but I imagine I'll build up my stash as time goes.

My sister and I went thrifting today. My purpose in going was to get stuff to use during this class. I picked up a couple of things that will be fun fabrics and a few things for embellishing. I hope, too, that with time, I'll build up my embellishment stash.

Fortunately/Unfortunately

2007-02-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

After a very long to the ER yesterday (there was a woman in the back screaming at somebody to stop, that she hated them, etc... so all of us in the waiting room were stuck out there for HOURS, including a woman who'd cut herself pretty fantastically but had managed to mostly stop the bleeding...), I have a diagnosis as to why my foot was hurting so bad. I have gout. (Oh, and the flu. Yay me!) While I'm pretty pissed that I have gout (who gets gout at 25 years old?!?!), it happens. And I get the next week off of work because of the foot thing (when your job involves standing on your feet all day and your foot hurts pretty badly... not a happy combo). It'll give me time to stitch. And sew. The Encrusted Crazy Quilting class starts today and, my husband loaned me the money to get a new sewing machine which should arrive right around Valentine's Day, so that's pretty nice.

This whole thing reminds me of the fortunately/unfortunately book that I read as a kid (Fortunately by Remy Charlip). Each line in the book alternatively begins with Fortunately or Unfortunately. A quote from the book, so you all understand what I'm trying to say here:

Fortunately, Ned was invited to a birthday party.
Unfortunately, the party was a thousand miles away.
Fortunately, a friend loaned Ned an airplane.
Unfortunately, the motor exploded.
Fortunately, there was a parachute in the airplane.
Unfortunately, there was a hole in the parachute.

Isn't that what life is? Just a series of circumstances, either fortunate or unfortunate, and all you can hope is the, in the end, the fortunate circumstances outweigh the unfortunate ones?

Thoughts related to classes and stitching in general.

2007-02-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

I ordered supplies for Sharon's Encrusted Crazy Quilting class yesterday. Or, rather, I ordered SOME supplies. I'm certain that I'll need to place another order in a few weeks. I'm very excited about the class.

One of the things I had to order was silk ribbon. I'm pretty sure that means that we'll be doing some silk ribbon embroidery, which I've never even attempted before. Yet another thing for me to learn! It's hard to believe that just about six months ago, I hadn't done any sort of embroidery (except for a few futile cross-stitch attempts when I was a very young child, which always ended up with me being very destructive towards the piece and lots and lots of crying on my part). And now? I think I've come a long way, anyway. I am, of course, by no means an expert but... I just find it amazing how quickly something becomes a part of our lives, so much so that we can hardly remember what it was like before we had this thing, before we knew these skills. I can say, without a doubt, that my skills greatly increased when I decided to step out on a limb and take Sharon's Personal Library of Stitches. The knowledge I gained from her class, and from the other, more experienced stitchers in my class has been invaluable. I've also learned a lot from my blogging buddies and from the people on my yahoo groups. I've kind of immersed myself in the embroidery world and it's more wonderful than I could have ever imagined.

Inside of mp3 cozy. (Feb. 01, 2007)

2007-02-01T16:26:00.001-08:00

Inside of mp3 cozy. (Feb. 01, 2007)
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is the inside of the mp3 cozy. You can see the buttonhole stitching and also how it was constructed. I'm considering adding a bit of velcro or something to keep it closed, but really, I just made the cozy so that it wouldn't get scratched in my bag.

TASTy mp3 cozy (made on Feb. 1, 2007)

2007-02-01T16:15:00.001-08:00

mp3 cozy (made on Feb. 1, 2006)
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is a cozy for my mp3 player. It's big enough to hold my mp3 player and the neck cord that I have attached to it. This also covers TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday) for the past three weeks. The yellow flower is done in detached chain (week 3). The pink stitching is done in cretan stitch (week 4). That particular stitch, btw, was a new stitch for me the week that it was announced. It took a few tries for me to wrap my brain around how to do it. The green stitching is done in chevron stitch (this week, week 5). The inside is stitched up using buttonhole stitch (week 2.)

Crazy Quilt stuff

2007-01-26T14:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I spent the last several days working on some Crazy Quilt-style ATCs. I got them all done, they looked quite good (for a first attempt, anyway), and I was going to take a picture. Then, lo, the mailman was two hours early. In my rush, I forgot to take pictures. *sigh*

Signed up for another class!

2007-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

I just signed up for Sharon B's Encrusted Crazy Quilting class through Joggles. I've paid for it, which means it's a done deal - and I'm quite proud of myself for actually signing up for the class. You see, for the past couple of weeks, I have been debating about signing up for this class. There was another class I was interested in, too, which would have been "easier" for me to take, but... I've been wanting to quilt for a long time (years) and I LOVE the look of crazy quilting. Unfortunately, my sewing machine is on the fritz, and based on what some people have said, it might just be better to buy a new machine. (BTW, this really annoys me... my machine has given me problems every single time that I've tried to use it, since I've had it, and I always just assumed that it was operator error... but I'm digressing here.) So, I've been thinking that it was something I'd just have to put off for a while.

Well, I commented on Annie of Annie's Crazy World's blog about how I would like to CQ, but that my machine wasn't working, so it was a no go. She emailed me and told me that I shouldn't let "no machine" bother me and that she hand-pieces some of her blocks. So, that gave me the motivation to "seriously consider" taking the class, rather than just think of it as a "someday, maybe" thing. So, now that I was actually considering taking the class, I began my ritual of fretting. I'm pretty bad about being able to make decisions, especially ones that involve me spending a "decent" amount of money (more than about $20 or $30) on something that's purely for entertainment.

This morning after getting out of bed, I realized that rather than dream while I was sleeping, I spent it agonizing over whether to take the class or not. (This, folks, is when I realize that it's gone a bit too far.) So, I decided that I was going to make a decision TODAY. And I did. I told myself that since I've been thinking about it so much, it obviously isn't just a "passing fancy", that I enjoyed the last class I took from Sharon, and that even if I ended up not being able to complete the blocks during the time allotted for the class, I'd have the information that I needed to finish. So I paid for the class. (And now, my husband will be relieved... I've been harassing him and fretting out loud about this whole thing for at least a week or so.)

I'm just hoping that I can keep up and not have my work look terrible.

TAST Week 2 - Buttonhole Stitch

2007-01-13T01:00:00.001-08:00

TAST Week 2 - Buttonhole Stitch
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

The stitch for Take a Stitch Tuesday Week 2 was buttonhole stitch. I've made a heart here, using two layers of buttonhole stitching (and ran another thread beneath the top layer). The border is done in backstitch.

This is an ATC and I have to admit, I'm a little sad knowing it will have to leave me. Also, given that I'd always heard quilters and many embroiders ask "Do I HAVE to hoop that?", well, I'd always thought that it would be more comfortable without hooping. WRONG. I kept wishing I could put a hoop on it. (For reference, this piece is 3.5 by 2.5 inches. Hooping would have been... difficult.)

TAST Week 1 - Herringbone 2

2007-01-08T04:24:00.001-08:00

TAST Week 1 - Herringbone 2
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is a detail shot. As you can see, my stitching still isn't exactly "even". But, honestly, I am having too much fun to really be bothered about it. This is the first tea towel I've made for myself that I've actually planned on using. It's a thrill to be making something that is not only pretty, but useful.

TAST Week 1 - Herringbone 1 (Jan 2007)

2007-01-08T04:22:00.001-08:00

TAST Week 1 - Herringbone 1 (Jan 2007)
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

For the first week of "Take a Stitch Tuesday", the stitch was herringbone stitch. You can't actually see the stitch very well in this picture - I think the purple overshadows the green. (Oooh... I LOVE the purple/green color combo.) I chose to make a tea towel, rather than a sampler.

What I've been up to, embroidery wise.

2007-01-07T10:48:00.001-08:00

I've been working on Sharon's Take a Stitch Tuesday challenge - this week is the Herringbone stitch. I've created a tea towel for my apartment, using the herringbone stitch in green and another stitch in purple - which I'm not certain is actually a stitch at all! Perhaps, if it is, and someone sees it and knows what the stitch is called, they'll inform me. Unfortunately, I can't post a pic right now - my computer crashed last week and getting it back up and running properly has been a bit of a challenge for me. I've still not got Adobe Photoshop installed... I went to go do it this morning, but got a bit confused and decided to wait for my husband to wake up. (BTW, I imagine that I'm the only person involved in this challenge who does their stitching while watching Star Trek: TNG and I have to wonder what I'll stitch to after I finish the show... I've only got two seasons left!)

Herringbone stitch was quite difficult for me the first time around. I learned it while taking the Personal Library of Stitches class and, for some reason, my head just couldn't wrap itself around the stitch, which is frustrating because it is a simple stitch. I cannot even begin to describe how many stitches I unpicked. Now, though, I've got it down, no problem. I still have to work on my spacing to get it to look more even, but I imagine that comes partially with time and practice.

Megan's Gift, up close (Dec. 27, 2006)

2006-12-26T04:07:00.001-08:00

Megan's Gift, up close (Dec. 27, 2006)
Originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

I embroidered this banner for my sister, Megan, for Christmas 2006.

Adopt a sheep!

2006-12-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

Adopt a sheep.

Australia is having the worst drought that they've had in a long time, possibly the worst in 1000 years. Many farmers are having a hard time keeping the land green enough for their animals so, for certain livestock, like sheep, even selling them to slaughterhouses doesn't fund much. The Kiely family raise sheep, for their wool. They had to send off most of their males to slaughter to help cover the costs of mainting the sheep, but only got $5 a head, as opposed to the expected $40. (They raise the sheep for their wool, rather than for meat, so it was very disheartening to have to send so many of them off to slaughter.)Their grass is gone, the land fairly dry.

This family seems to have EXCELLENT farming practices. And, I was amused to find that they have guard alpacas (I didn't know that they were guard animals), kangaroos, and wallabies living on the farm.

Here's a small excerpt from their blog:

Australia is in the grip of the worst drought in living memory, withwaterways drying up and dams at historic lows. The Kiely’s have battleddrought for most of their farming career. They use special farmingtechniques to protect the environment from degradation and make themost of what rain falls. They were recognised in 2005 by being selectedas among the 10 most innovative farm families in the Central West. Theyuse greenhouse-friendly no-till farming and humane stock-handlingtechniques.

The Kiely’s were able to graze their flock on greenpastures long after many neighbouring farms had started hand feeding,thanks to a system called time controlled grazing which allows thegrasses time to recover and encourages ‘biological diversity’. Theyalso keep a mob of kangaroos and wallabies on their farm.

“The‘roos deserve a place to live, too. Unfortunately they get to the bestgrasses before the sheep do, but we’ve learned to live with that.”

TheKiely family has also made their own private reconciliation with theoriginal Indigenous inhabitants of the land. Wiradjuri elders conducteda ‘welcome to country’ smoking ceremony during which the Kiely’s read adeclaration of commitment to protect the land.

You can "adopt" one of their sheep for $35 (I'm fairly certain that this is in AU dollars). This will pay for the sheep's feed for the next 100 days. In exchange, you will get a photo-certificate of your sheep and be allowed to name it.

Personally, I think this would be a GREAT gift for knitters (the sheep are Merino - no, you don't get the wool, but still...) or the person who already has everything.

Frustration.

2006-11-30T03:42:00.000-08:00

I've always felt the desire to get "really good" at something, but have always felt the pull to try out a million and one things. This causes problems. I feel like I should focus on one thing and get "really good" at it. My plans were to do that with embroidery. I'm taking an embroidery class right now and the material I have recieved from that class will give me things to work on for months. The problem? I'm feeling the pull of the illustrated journal, of drawing, of painting. I want to do these things, too. There's not enough time in the day. And if I do all of these things, how am I to get "good" at them? This has been causing me much frustration over the past couple of weeks, but the general issue of specialization and the development of one or two skills/abilities versus my feeling a desire to do so many different things has troubled me for a couple of years. Why can't I settle down, pick one thing? Should I even try that? These are all questions that have been in my head for a long time now.

I still have no answer.

Sewing Machine Stuff

2006-11-24T15:31:00.000-08:00

I have a sewing machine. It doesn't like to work for more than a couple inches of stitching, so I don't really use it. However, sometime in the next few months/year, I'm hoping to either take it in to get it fixed OR buy a new one, depending on the price to fix it. The more I learn embroidery stitches, the more I want to get into Crazy Quilting. And I'd be a fool to try to do all of that by hand. (And patience? Not my strong suit. I'd need LOTS of patience to do it by hand.) Also, it IS very frustrating that I've had this thing for a couple of years now but have been unable to use it much at all. I got a sewing machine for a reason, dammit. I. Want. To. Sew. DAMMIT.

Thirteen Embroidery Stitches I Would Like to Learn or Improve My Knowledge of

2006-11-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Embroidery Stitches I Would Like to Learn or Improve My Knowledge of:

Bullion Knot - I WILL learn this stitch. I've been struggling with it all week and it's frustrating me to no end.

Triple Chain Stitch - I'm learning this stitch, but I can't seem to get it consistent. I'm making butterflies with this stitch and I need each side to look like a mirror image. Ha, says my stitching. Ha.

Detached chain, aka Lazy Daisy - I know this stitch, but again, I need to work on consistency.

Satin Stitch - Again, I know this stitch. But I need to have more practice getting it to look smooth, with no gaps.

Feather Stitch - I just haven't worked it yet. I've tried twice but it made my head hurt. I plan on getting to it in the next week or two.

Dove's Eye Filling Stitch - Cut work scares me, yet I'm really interested in it. I'll do it eventually, but first, I want to get better at embroidery in general before I go around cutting fabric all willy-nilly.

Herringbone Stitch - I'm not sure why this one is so difficult for me. It's a relatively easy stitch. I'm getting much better at it, but I'd like it to look more even, so that my each stitch is the same length.

Moss Stitch - I just haven't gotten around to this one yet.

Berry Stitch - See previous statement.

Portugese Stem Stitch - Apparently, I'm not the only one that gets confounded by this. It makes me feel better to know that.

Straight Single Feather Stitch - This is similar to the Feather Stitch, so I want to perfect the Feather Stitch before I work on this one.

Double Fly Stitch - Mainly, I just haven't gotten around to it. But it also makes my eyes do weird things when I try to piece it out individually.

Heavy Chain Stitch - I want to get my "chains" more consistent before going for this one.

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Sampler 1 progress (November 08, 2006)

2006-11-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

Sampler 1 progress (November 08, 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

I've put the date on my sampler (well, the month and the year, anyway). At this point, I feel like it's done. I'm still debating putting french knots in the border, but I think I'm going to leave it as is.

More sampler progress (November 07, 2006)

2006-11-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

More sampler progress (November 07, 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is where I am on my sampler. I'd like to put the date beneath the box with the flower in it, but I'm a bit unsure how to go about it. I still have to decide if I'm giong to do that or more guilloche, which is also sounding attractive to me. It would definitely get me more practice with the stitch, which I need.

Last night, while working on this, I tried lazy daisy (detached chain stitch) for the first time. I found it... frustrating. I like things like that to be almost exactly the same in width, heighth, etc., and I found that very difficult to achieve with this stitch. More practice is needed.

A Closer Look at Sampler Progress (November 06, 2006)

2006-11-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

A Closer Look at Sampler Progress (November 06, 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

Last night, I worked another row of stitches. That one got a bit close to my whipped running stitch so I added a row of whipped running stitch to the bottom. I think it looks like it belongs there. My biggest issue with that particular part is that the running stitches are spaced differently.

I was having a problem with my knots last night. They kept being placed off center. I had to replace the one all the way to the left seven times last night, which, let me tell you, was frustrating.

Sampler Progress (November 06, 2006)

2006-11-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

Sampler Progress (November 06, 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

Sampler Progress (November 05, 2006)

2006-11-05T20:22:00.000-08:00

Sampler Progress (November 05, 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is the progress I've made on my sampler. I've used the Guilloche Stitch on the top and the whipped running stitch on the bottom. I think I should used a lighter blue in Gulloche Stitch. There isn't enough contrast, so it all blends together.

Lesson learned.

Beginning of my first sampler (November 04, 2006)

2006-11-04T21:28:00.000-08:00

Beginning of my first sampler (November 04, 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

I'm taking SharonB's embroidery class through joggles, and we're making samplers. This is the beginning of my first sampler. I had actually previously started out with a different stitch, but I was trying to use a single strand and... well, that didn't work.

But, I'm really enjoying the process so far. I'm stitching on linen, which is a bit different than a lot of other fabrics. It has more give, so I can use the thicker threads. This particular thread, a Watercolour Caron called Havana. Not only is it absolutely gorgeous, but it feels like yarn. I knit, so this feels very familiar.

The quality of the pic isn't too great. I need to replace the batteries in the camera and photograph it completely flat, instead of slanting the camera. But, that's okay... I just wanted to photograph my progress so far.

Frustration sets in.

2006-11-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

I have a sewing machine. To date, I have not made a complete ANYTHING on it. The machine hates me.

To be honest, I believe the machine hates everybody. It hasn't worked properly since I bought it. And even the wonderful Stitches got frustrated with it.

All I wanted to do was stitch up the edges of my linen so it doesn't start fraying/unraveling.

Cherry ATCs, made October 2006

2006-10-30T12:43:00.000-08:00

Cherry ATCs, made October 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

SAC cards

Made for a private swap.

Day of the Dead ATCs (Oct. 2006)

2006-10-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

Day of the Dead ATCs (Oct. 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

Created for a swap/SAC.

These are Dia de los Muertos cards.

Kawaii ATCs Part 2. Made on October 02, 2006

2006-10-03T01:54:00.000-07:00

Kawaii ATCs Part 2. Made on October 02, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

These were made for a Kawaii swap. Most of them are Sanrio characters... I think I like Ikku-chan and Wee Mary-Lou the best, though they're all pretty adorable!

Kawaii ATCs Part 1. Made on October 02, 2006

2006-10-03T01:53:00.000-07:00

Kawaii ATCs Part 1. Made on October 02, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

These were made for a Kawaii swap. Most of them are Sanrio characters... I think I like Ikku-chan and Wee Mary-Lou the best, though they're all pretty adorable!

Sweet ATCs (October 01, 2006)

2006-10-03T01:52:00.000-07:00

Sweet ATCs (October 01, 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

These cards started off cards for a "Sweet ATCs" swap on swapbot, but I continued with the theme... the extras are going to a personal swap.

Snowmen (October 01, 2006)

2006-10-03T01:50:00.000-07:00

Snowmen (October 01, 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

These snowmen were made for a swap on atcards.com. All of the cards (except for the one that "says" Snowman) were made on October 1, 2006. The bottom right card and the upper right card are actually going to part of a personal swap, but I decided to continue on with the theme.

Frustrated.

2006-09-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

I'm frustrated. My "I love sushi" tea towel seems to have the design fading on it. I don't know that I'll be able to see the lines well enough to finish.

Made for the "What is an ATC?" swap (Sept. 2006)

2006-09-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

Made for the "What is an ATC?" swap (Sept. 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

I made these for the "What is an ATC?" swap on swapbot. The one on the left uses Sharpies exclusively. The one on the right uses Sharpies and rubber stamps.

September 2006 Coloriffic Swaporama (sent package)

2006-09-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

September 2006 Coloriffic Swaporama (sent package), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

These are for the September Coloriffic Swaporama - the colors were silver and white.

on the hoop (Sept 04 2006)

2006-09-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

on the hoop (Sept 04 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is technically OFF the hoop, but it's going back on the hoop. This is part of a larger design, but I've got this particular part done. It looks slightly wonky because I scanned it, but the pics weren't showing his cute little pink nose!

Redwork

2006-09-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

The list mom for an embroidery group I'm on ( Learn to Embroider) and I had a discussion about redwork and I came up with a little bit about it for the group, along with a post. I've copied it here:

I had a discussion a bit ago with ktj about designing a redwork project and writing up a bit about redwork in general.

It's funny that ktj should mention redwork to me because it was one of the first things that drew me to embroidery. I'd been thinking about learning for a long time, but I'd had plenty of bad experiences cross-stitching as a child. But after looking at a lot of redwork on the internet (really, I spent hours and hours just looking at redwork online), I thought seriously about learning to embroider. One day, I picked up an embroidery kit from the bookstore... now I'm obsessed!

After talking about it with ktj, I thought I'd talk a little bit about redwork and offer a redwork project for us to do as a group.

Redwork is so called because of the red cotton thread used in the embroidery pieces. Prior to the introduction of a colorfast dye, colored embroidery was done only in silk, which was too expensive for most "commoners" to use. When the Turks came up with a special dye process, for the color red, it immediately became a hit. Red was a strong contrast to the only other color available for use on everyday items - white. ("Natural" cotton was often used, also.)

Redwork designs generally relied heavily on line, rather than filled in areas. This was part of the reason for the "success" of redwork - not only were the designs generally simple, but you only needed to know how to do "outline" stitches. In addition, because there were very few "filled in" areas, the designs were inexpensive to embroider - they used less thread.

While redwork originally was done on household items such as tablecloths and tea towels, markets soon began selling "penny squares" which were 6 inch squares of fabric with various different designs on them, each costing only a penny. Penny squares served a variety of purposes. Aside from being incorporated into quilts, penny squares were often given to children as a way to pass the time and improve their embroidery skills.

Shortly after redwork became popular, colorfast thread in blue became available. This blue thread was often used on redwork designs. Some people refer to this as Bluework, others call it Redwork in blue. In truth, the designs of redwork can be worked in any color, but is generally only called Redwork when worked in red and Bluework when worked in blue.

For more information about redwork, visit these various sites:

http://www.redworkplus.com/redwork.asp
http://www.prettyimpressivestuff.com/redwork.htm
http://www.womenfolk.com/quilting_history/redwork.htm
http://www.quiltbus.com/redwork.htm

By the way, coloring books make GREAT designs for redwork!

I'd like to suggest, as a project, that we make an embroidered tea towel or dish towel using a redwork design (in either red or blue). My suggestion is to use a white towel, because the contrast of the red/white looks really nice. When I first started embroidering, I was using tea towels and went out of my way to find them.

You can purchase tea towels at these sites :

http://www.sublimestitching.com
http://www.yesterdayscharm.com/towels.htm
http://www.allaboutblanks.com/Kitchen_Goodies.htm <--- these guys have LOTS of different blanks that you can order

You can also purchase tea towels from most "major" craft stores. My favorite local independent fabric store (Stitches, for those of you in Seattle) sells tea towels, also. You may want to take a look locally so you don't have to pay shipping.

Lately, I've considered working on dish towels or "flour sack towels". I have not, as of yet, started one but I'm VERY rough on my things. I don't mean to be but, there you have it. Most dish towels and flour sack towels are thicker than tea towels (tea towels are meant to be soft and kind of thin - they were originally used to dry delicate dishes, like your thing tea cups). These are available inexpensively in the kitchen section of most stores Target or Kmart. I even found them in QFC (a grocery store).

Should you fall absolutely in love with your towel and don't want to use it, here are several ways to frame your embroidery:

http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/elprojects/SimpleProduct_ELP.aspx?CS_ProductID=PR1093&CS_Catalog=Elprojects
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/needlework/framing-needlework.shtml

You could also use this: http://belladia.typepad.com/bella_dia/2006/08/fabric_panels.html as a "framing" idea, provided you create your design in the middle of your towel.

I came up with a design that could be used for this project. You'll probably have to print it out and darken the lines, perhaps with a felt pen. You may, however, be able to use it as is. Feel free to use this design for any of your personal project, but please do not repost the image anywhere else on the web. Should you decide to use it, I'd LOVE to see what you do with it (my email address is misaarant@gmail.com - if you can, please email me a picture!). The image is located at http://home.comcast.net/~misaarant/sunbonnetsue3.jpg . Should anybody need a smaller size, please let me know and I'll post one. This particular design is "in the tradition of" Sunbonnet Sue. I might write up a bit about her at a later date because I really enjoy the Sunbonnet Sue design.

However, don't feel restricted to this design only. I think it would be nice if we all did Sunbonnet Sues for this project. Here's a few links to some other Sue designs:

http://www.needlecrafter.com (when you go to the designs area, search for the term sue)
http://www.ladiesinred.org/peopledesigns.html
http://www.yesterdayscharm.com/new_page_9.htm

One last note: for some reason, a lot of today's red threads will bleed onto your fabric, generally not in the wash, but when you're stitching. However, this MOSTLY happens if you suck on the thread before threading it through the needle. DMC thread is supposed to be colorfast, but I'd still check it on a piece of scrap fabric first. Also, should you use hand-dyed threads, I would check it on a small piece of scrap fabric by running it through the wash (or even just letting it sit in a bowl of water for a bit).

Cats Hate Hats (made on Aug. 30, 2006)

2006-09-01T23:39:00.000-07:00

Cats Hate Hats (made on Aug. 30, 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

My good friend, Diabla, challenged me to make an ATC in the time that she was off the computer for a bit today. The theme was "Cats Hate Hats".

Oh, I'm so irreverent.

Lucky Charms Swap (August 2006)

2006-08-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

Lucky Charms Swap (August 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

These are the three cards that I made for the Sharpie Scouts "lucky charms" swap.

Hostess Card for Lucky Charms swap August 2006

2006-08-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hostess Card for Lucky Charms swap August 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is the hostess card that I made for the Lucky Charms swap. I hope she likes it. This goes to the Sharpie Scouts Scout Mistress, Diabla.

On the Hoop, August 09, 2006

2006-08-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

On the Hoop, August 09, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is what's currently "on the hoop". It's part of a towel that I'm making, using designs from the Sushi Bar set by Jenny Hart. I really can't say enough nice things about her designs... they're wonderful. I'm enjoying this so much.

I plan on posting my progress as this moves along. I've decided to start a "series" called "On The Hoop" featuring, you guessed it, whatever I have on the hoop at the time. So, whenever you see "On The Hoop", it'll be embroidery pics.

Pimpin' my swaps.

2006-08-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've organized two swaps on swap-bot. Check 'em out and join one... or both.

Embroidered Tea Towel Swap

Handmade Christmas Ornament Swap

I REALLY like swap-bot. I've organized swaps before, where you have to do everything by hand. It can be quite a lot of work. With this, pretty much all you have to do is answer questions and remove anybody who hasn't followed the rules. It's nice.

I'm hoping the ornament swap will be a big hit... it would be so fun to have a lot of players.

Feel free to "pimp" these swaps.

First embroidery

2006-08-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

First embroidery, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is my first embroidery. Sometime in late June or early July (2006), I bought Jenny Hart's Stitch-It Kit. Her company, http://www.sublimestitching.com/ , has the most awesome designs. I quickly stitched up this cat on a tea-towel. I wish the ribbon/bow had come out a little better, but for my first one... it's not so bad.

I don't like to cross-stitch.

2006-08-03T04:17:00.000-07:00

I don't like to cross-stitch. There, I've said it.

I hate doing cross-stitch, actually. But every year or two, I pick up a cross-stitch kit because I really WANT to cross-stitch. Or, at least, I always think that I do. The reality is that somewhere between one-tenth to one-half of the way through the project, one of three things happen:

I end up in a fit of tears.

I stomp around, throw a fit, and maybe throw the damn thing across the room. (I've gotten better at not doing this over the past five or so years. Mostly.)

I conveniently lose the project. Or pieces of it. And I don't really go looking for it.

Sometimes, all of those things happen, generally in the order listed.

So, imagine my surprise when I discovered embroidery. Or, rather, when I discovered that I really really like embroidery.

I should not have been surprised, though. Embroidery is essentially a freer version of cross-stitch. No stupid blocks to count. No hundreds and hundreds of little "x"s to make. Nope. It's amazingly freeing.

Why couldn't I have been introduced to this as a frustrated child who wanted to make pretty pictures with the thread, but didn't have the patience to sit there and count and make millions and millions of little "x"s?

Self nude for painting class

2006-06-15T01:44:00.000-07:00

Self nude for painting class, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

I'm not very good at photographing paintings yet. Obviously. But, here it is. That nude that I talked about. It was a bit daunting to work on a canvas that was so... close to life size.

Painting

2006-06-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

I just finished my final project for my painting class this quarter. I cannot begin to describe what a relief that is. The project? Paint a self-nude. And I, silly Misa, decided "Hey, I'll be ambitious," and bought a 48 inch by 24 inch canvas... which I then allowed to sit around for a while. How could I tackle something that large? OF ME? NUDE? Today, though, was the last whole day I'll have before I have to turn it in, so it was time to get it done. It's done now and I'm happy with it. I'll post a picture of it soon... maybe not tonight, though.

My landlady is also a painter. She recently cleared out one of the garages here to make herself a studio. I'm enjoying watching the progress of that... today, she's sorting stuff. A ton of stuff. Lots of paints and brushes and such. I hope it works out wonderfully for her. My upstairs neighbors used to live down the hall from us. But they moved into a two bedroom so that he could have a studio. That seems to be going swimmingly.

No studio for me, though, but I don't mind. When I paint, I tend to take over a portion of our kitchen. It works really well and I don't have to feel guilty if I get paint on the floor... it scrapes off easily. Plus, I don't have to keep running over to get clean water. It's right there.

Honestly, even though I've LOVED my painting class, I'm glad the quarter is almost over. I'm ready for a break from school. Plus, now that I've been working, Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays have just been a blur. I work Sunday night, Monday morning, school Monday night, school Tuesday morning, work Tuesday night. And then, I sleep most of Wednesday. I have a Wednesday night class and a Thursday morning class. (Drawing is Mondays and Wednesdays, Painting is Tuesdays and Thursdays.) The quarter is OVER for me on Tuesday. Thank god. It has been two years since I've had a quarter off and frankly, I'm ready for a break from it all.

What am I going to do with all the paintings that I've done this quarter?

A painting that I did for my sister, Megan, for her 20th birthday

2006-06-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

A painting that I did for my sister, Megan, for her 20th birthday, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

My sister, Megan, is a big Harry Potter fan. Her "house of choice" is Hufflepuff. So, for her 20th birthday, I did a stylized painting of her in Hogwarts robes, wearing a Hufflepuff uniform.

Mom (from a photo) drawn on May 25, 2006

2006-05-26T00:48:00.000-07:00

Mom (from a photo) drawn on May 25, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

The reference photo that I used for this is probably about 18 years old.

When I was little, my mother used to decorate cakes for us kids. It was one of the highlights of having a birthday. The particular cake in this photo was actually made for one of my sister's birthdays, but I was amazed by it. The cake was a Cabbage Patch doll cake. It stood (sat) up and looked AMAZING. I remember thinking how wonderful it was that she could do things like this. In the photo, she looks a bit tired. It's very possible - I seem to remember her saying that she stayed up all night long to finish the cake. All these years later, I still LOVE looking at that cake.

Three ATCs for a Sharpie Scouts Swap

2006-05-18T01:02:00.000-07:00

Three ATCs for a Sharpie Scouts Swap, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

The theme for this swap was "Masterpieces". The three that I did were Roy Lichtenstein's Still Life with Folded Sheets, Franz Marc's Cat on a Yellow Pillow, and Alex Katz's Dog at Duck Trap. I really enjoyed doing these.

Pattern drawing, drawn on May 15, 2006

2006-05-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

Pattern drawing, drawn on May 15, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

My drawing teacher has "pattern cards" that we take sometimes inspiration/copy from. This one was inspired by one of those cards and took a little over two hours to do!

Mother's Day flowers, drawn on May 14, 2006

2006-05-15T22:21:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day flowers, drawn on May 14, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is a drawing I did at the bus stop of the flowers that I was bringing my mother on Mother's Day (2006).

Self-portrait from moleskine (2), drawn on May 13, 2006

2006-05-15T22:20:00.001-07:00

Self-portrait from moleskine (2), drawn on May 13, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

Here's the second self-portrait I did on May 13, 2006. It looks better, proportion wise, than the first. I don't know that it looks any more like me than the first one did. But, it too, is the first page in a moleskine. (I got two that day - I bought one and my husband bought the other for me)

Self-portrait from moleskine (1), drawn on May 13, 2006

2006-05-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

Self-portrait from moleskine (1), drawn on May 13, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

On May 13, 2006, I did two self-portraits. This is the first one. It doesn't look at ALL like me, and the proportions are horrible. But, it's the first drawing in my very first moleskine!

Still life in progress (April 2006)

2006-04-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

Still life in progress (April 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is still a bit far from being finished, but here's the first few layers of glazing. Note that I haven't done anything with the bottom portion at this point... at this stage, I've still not decided what I wanted to put down there.

Grisaille work on still life (April 2006)

2006-04-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

Grisaille work on still life (April 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is the grisaille work. Grisaille is an underpainting technique where you work in black and white. In order to make a warm color scheme, I added some yellow ochre.

Still life reference (April 2006)

2006-04-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

Still life reference (April 2006), originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

Here's a part of the still life that we're working for - there's actually quite a bit more to it. You'll notice that I ignored the leaves going into the rooster. There was, at one point, a zucchini in between the yellow pepper and the apple, but we removed it. (Those of you who are observant will notice that the stuff has begun to decompose. At this point, the still life had been up for about two weeks.)

Why I occasionally get frustrated with dip pens - April 14, 2006

2006-04-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

Why I occasionally get frustrated with dip pens - April 14, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

Ink blobs on the page and the ink smears easily.

Beginnings of anatomy work, April 13, 2006

2006-04-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

Beginnings of anatomy work, April 13, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

Maybe the title should have been "How far I got before becoming annoyed at looking at anatomy stuff online... upside down." Definitely need a book.

Dead tube of paint, drawn on April 12, 2006

2006-04-13T01:49:00.000-07:00

Dead tube of paint, drawn on April 12, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is a dead tube of Windsor and Newton Galeria Titanium White acrylic paint. I have to remember to buy more or I will be very sad the next time that I attempt to paint. Unfortunately, this means going to the art store first thing in the morning tomorrow, before school starts... because that will be the next time I paint.

Two Quarters? drawn on April 11, 2006

2006-04-12T01:46:00.000-07:00

Two Quarters? drawn on April 11, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This drawing was going exceptionally well until I hit the eyes and the Alaskan Way Viaduct at the same time. :o(

Anyway, there's a story behind this sketch. Dude here was on the bus, asking everybody for two quarters. He touched me when I said I didn't have any to give him... he was going for my pocket, because he'd seen me put a couple in there. As it turns out, he was "slow" and probably had a few other problems. He kept tapping his wrist and asking people what time it was. Then, when he asked the bus driver, the bus driver said, "I don't know. Check your watch." And the guy did! So the next time he asked me, I said that I didn't have a watch on (because I didn't) but that he did, so he should check it. And, of course, he did.

I got most of his features down fairly accurately. He had HUGE ears and his mouth looked a lot like the drawing, as did his generael head shape. So, overall, I consider it fairly good - especially considering it was done on the bus.

Contour of old-fashioned beaters, done April 10, 2006

2006-04-11T00:16:00.000-07:00

Contour of old-fashioned beaters, done April 10, 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This was done for a school project. I always have a problem when scanning pencil stuff because it shows up very light. I try adjusting levels, but... it still doesn't turn out right. Part of the assignment was to draw it close to life-size. I just checked - the top and bottom match (in height) exactly. Woo!

Awesomeness.

2006-04-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

Cully has been working for an ad agency on the redesign of the Altoids website. They've done a great job making the site really fun. Cully did the stages and the watercolor background drops. Go look at the site, then go tell him how wonderful you think it is!

By the way, if you've not been to his blog, Child of Atom, you're really missing out. He does incredible sketches of people on the NY subways. Check them out.

Sketch of Joey, drawn on April 09 2006

2006-04-09T23:51:00.000-07:00

Sketch of Joey, drawn on April 09 2006, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

Joey is pretty much never still. Or, rather, he is until I decide to draw him. Anyway, this is his sleeping place. His eyes are a bit off, yes, but it's true that his right eye is usually open farther than his left eye because he has eye problems, the poor thing. I'm planning on trying to sketch both boys (Joey and Murray) more often, since I have such problems with drawing them.

Potted Plant

2006-04-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

Potted Plant, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

This is some sort of flower, but I'm not sure what kind. If you look carefully, you can see the bud... it hasn't opened up yet. It's kind of hard to tell because there's no color, so I might end up putting color in this. This was more of a contour exercise than anything else.

Jeremy at the dentist

2006-04-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

Jeremy at the dentist, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

My husband broke a tooth on Tuesday (April 4th) so we wound up at the dentist's office the next day. Here he is, prepped for "surgery" ... right before they yanked the tooth out.

In Which I Eat a Candy Bar

2006-03-30T10:21:00.000-08:00

In Which I Eat a Candy Bar, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

What can I say? I was looking for something to draw.

Snickers are only satisfying if you eat them.

(drawn on March 4, 2006)

(Technorati tags: sketchbooks, art, candy)

Simple Indulgences

2006-03-29T23:19:00.000-08:00

(inspired by Penelope Dullaghan's entry)

Some of my favorite simple indulgences:

- Good quality hot chocolate or tea on a cold night

- Hot baths

- A good soda on a hot day

- Time in bed, just snuggling, with my husband, cat, and dog

- My dog running to greet me when I come in the front door

- Good chocolate

- Homemade chocolate chip cookies (must have a bit of the dough)

- Journaling

- Homemade bread, straight from the oven

- Art made just for fun, with no expectation of ever showing it to anybody

- Watching House on TV, with my husband (We don't watch much television...)

- Fresh-squeezed juice

- A day without any have-to-dos

... what are yours?

Glenbeigh Bridge at Killarney

2006-03-19T18:22:00.000-08:00

Glenbeigh Bridge at Killarney, originally uploaded by Misa Arant.

Over at WetCanvas, they occasionally have Weekend Drawing Events. I'm fairly new there, but decided to jump in and do this one. This is Glenbeigh Bridge at Killarney. You can find the reference photo at Wet Canvas's March 06 St. Patrick's Day Celebration

On being an artist

2006-03-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I went into the print shop at 10 am. Normally, I don't get to school until 11 am on Fridays and don't actually go into the printshop on that day. However, we're working on reduction prints (aka suicide plates) and I've got to have it done by Thursday, which means the last printing has to be done no later than Wednesday, the teacher is sick so I couldn't ask her to open the room during the weekend, and I only had two out of my six colors printed. (Yes, I'm cutting it close, but I'll be able to print on Mon., Tues., and Wed. and be just fine.)

I thought that I'd be the only one in the printshop, but another girl was there with me. We worked pretty much in silence for the first half, but then started talking. We discussed how people who don't do prints don't understand how much work they really are, how we both were unimpressed with the quality of the ink we were using (we'd both gone for Speedball, which is one of the cheaper brands) and, in the future, would seriously consider using the Daniel Smith inks, and we talked a lot about the actual work/effort involved with being an artist and how a lot of people think it's super easy (to which she said, "If it's so easy, how come everyone isn't doing it?").

See, the thing is, people who produce art for a living are in a unique situation. It doesn't matter whether they draw, paint, write, make prints of their own, or do some other form of art. The situation is fairly similar. The artist must put a lot of energy into creating. They must come up with something from nothing. For the "full time artist", this is something that they must do every day. Not only can this be incredibly hard, and at times exhausting, but in every artist's life, there comes a time where nothing comes. This is hard enough on somebody if they're not attempting to make a living at this. Many people chalk it up to their muses being on vacation, accept it, and wait for something to come. But if this is how your livelihood comes, having nothing come is unacceptable. So, you have to work anyway. The writer has to sit down and just write whatever comes, even if it is "I can't think of anything to write" over and over until they CAN think of something to write. For visual artists, there are other things you can do to still be creating. For instance, you can draw or paint whatever is on your desk or on your kitchen counter. You can grab a kid's toy or a dog's toy and paint or draw that. But you still might feel... uninspired.

Just like a water well can go dry, so, too, can the "creativity well" in an artist. This is when the artist has to do something to fill the well. This is why there are some days that the artist appears to be just goofing off.

I intend to begin a list of "filling the well" activities. Once I get up to twenty, I'll post them. For now, take a look at Keri Smith's 100 ideas. She's got a lot of creative ideas that will help "fill the well."

Wow

2006-03-08T23:13:00.000-08:00

I had no idea that colored pencils could be so AMAZING.

A lovely sketch journal

2006-03-07T00:52:00.000-08:00

Ruth McNally Barshaw's sketch journal of a trip to NYC. I had a lot of fun looking through this and lost a good amount of time doing so. ;o)

Today's lesson!

2006-03-06T20:43:00.000-08:00

Just like toast always lands butter side down, prints always land wet ink side down. :o(

Fascinating!

2006-03-02T05:36:00.000-08:00

Sand Fantasy

This woman draws on a glass table with sand. If you look on the left, you can click the link to see "video clips". It's absolutely amazing and very peaceful to watch.

Which painting do bees prefer?

2006-02-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

Bees prefer Van Gogh

An excerpt from the article:

"Sunflowers," one of Vincent van Gogh's most admired paintings, is also the favorite for bees, according to a new study that explores the relationship between art and biology.
Lars Chittka, a behavioral ecologist from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at University of London, and installation artist Julian Walker, presented three colonies of laboratory bumblebees, which had never seen a real flower, with four reproductions of paintings.

This article discusses color perception amongst bees and humans.

Pointy Kitty at Wee Wonderfuls

2006-02-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

There's a free pattern at Wee Wonderfuls for a Pointy Kitty. It looks so cute... I'm hoping to try it out soon. I always love Hillary's creations, and I'm hoping I can make one that turns out adorable, too!