Art of the month: pink & purple

Early this month I had the fun of making a little girl gift.  Picking out pink fabric was fun too.  So much fun that I decided to make the apron double sided.  One print was for a 4 year old palette with the required purple and pink and some food references.  Along with the hand embroidered name on the pocket.

 Fabric is Having a baby style#1201071 for Camelot Cottons

  The other print was for me, cause I love it.  Because when she is 8 she will still be able to wear the apron but may tire of the cutesy baby print and prefer the more grown up one that I chose.

Fabric two is sherbet pips by Aneela Hoey for Moda

Aren't the little girls swinging adorable?  Some of the trees have apples and some cherries.  I bought more than I needed for the apron of course and plan a few other projects with both of them.  And since there is no shortage of little girls around us I will get to plan other fun birthday sewing projects in the future.  I used an apron that Kyan has as the template and it came together really quickly which is lucky for me since sewing time is at a premium around here.  Next up: a few other gifts, a clothespin apron for me and I must get Kyan's quilt finished before he doesn't like trains anymore.  Must get more sewing done around here!  

love week

This week has been all about the love: coughing, up all night, feverish, and much more unpleasantness love.
We've had a sick baby and that is never fun for anyone.  Elliott is on the mend now after seeing three doctors, an x-ray, swabs, a blood test and finally discovering that his lungs need help in dealing with viruses. 
As you can imagine I've been stressed, emotional and testy.  Trying to comfort him during the distressing and invasive exams and through his discomfort with this nasty virus.
Kyan has been a trooper of a big brother, running to get me things and trying to be comforting in his way.

Amidst the chaos of many loads of laundry being left by the wayside as I rocked a feverish baby for most of the day and night we managed to celebrate hearts and love and each other.  Cookies were iced, valentines were handed out, gifts were exchanged and chocolate was consumed en mass. 
I'm grateful that things are sunnier and today I was able to have a warm shower and wash lots of the tension away from a hard week.  Love week for us became about health and how precious it is.  Love can heal but sometimes needs a little help too.

Art of the month: gifting

There was a good amount of sewing that went into this year's festivities.  Beginning in November with birthdays I was making for my loved ones.  There was of course more on the list than got finished (one of the things that was nixed was Elliott's stocking, despite working on it right up to the last minute.  We used a fill in one for this year.)  I was happy to have at least made what I did this year and I know that as I vow each year I'll try and start earlier in 2012 and have more gifts ready earlier...we'll see how that goes.
For my sister's birthday I made my fourth birthday banner. 

This one was done in blues and greens and I modified the top to have the ribbon included rather than sewn over the top of each triangle as I did previously.  And I also decided that after several years of using a banner myself it definitely needed it's own drawstring bag.

The next birthday gift was for my nephew's first birthday.  Another area that I had worked on before my bibs.   I have given bibs to several little people on their first birthdays because it is just about the time that big eating messes seem to happen.

Four bibs and a carry bag for two wooden puzzles.  This fabric was found while thrifting and I still have some left over.  Such a great pattern for little ones.
And my gift for Heidi Joy was a clothes pin apron based on this tutorial.  If you look closely you'll notice where I deviated from the directions.  But it was well received and I hope to make one for myself in the spring. 

Our family was gifted some lovely handmades as well this Yule.  I certainly feel blessed to have such crafty ladies in my circles of family and friends.  I hope your holidays were full of thoughtful gifts as well.

Art of the Month: May

Here is the quilt/blanket I was hinting at two posts ago.  It is a gift for my nephew.  The pattern is from Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew.  I didn't make the template as large as suggested, which I would do next time and she also recommended washing it afterward which I didn't read until after I pre-washed the fabric...alas mommy brain strikes again.  I loved the tops and yo-yos on the fabric.  They say child without driving you crazy with colour or pattern overload.  

It is possible to do this in a day if you don't have an infant and 3 year old since there is no piecing involved.  The center is a cotton flannel and it comes together fairly well.   Hopefully it will meet with a 6 month old's approval :)

Art of the Month: December

I want to share some of the lovely gifts both received and given this month.  I feel so privileged to be around so many creative women and talented artists.  Fostering this creative spirit in Kyan is a joy to me.  I don't structure our art sessions much yet as he is only 3, but when he sees me painting or drawing he asks to do it too and that says to me that he sees merit in it and enjoys the process of creation.  Our gray skies have cleared up and so we've got sunshine but it has brought with it much colder temperatures.  Well, much colder for the west coast anyway.  I can't believe that the New Year is upon us.  I hope to fit in my yearly tarot card spread this weekend.  Usually I do it in November around my birthday but I didn't fit it in then.   I hope to share a bit about this tradition with you in the new year.  I stole the idea from Heidi Joy many years ago and it never ceases to amaze me how looking back over the year and reading the results of the spread reveals so much about what occurred.  And now for some of the results of gift giving and receiving.

 Kyan's crown that I showed in progress in this post.  I can't say he has warmed up to it yet but it's there for whenever his future self is inclined to be king-like.

I received this lovely Soul Sister from my wonderful friend Sarah who is journeying with me through pregnancy at this time.

 Some handmade pot holders from Heidi Joy.  Such a lovely combination of fabrics....I almost hesitate to use them.  And below is the finished doll house.  Ky has played with it and I just have to make some cushions for the sofa and some blankets and pillows for the dolls.

 And I put these drawstring bags together to house a bamboo game of Tic Tac Toe and the blue bag has a good luck charm in the pocket.  Drawstring bags are useful for holding so many little things together whether for child's toys, for traveling or any type of storage.  I'm contemplating making some to just have on hand out of odd ends of fabric.  Maybe after the thousand or so other projects I have in the cue.  This year has been a success for many projects and I've had a blast getting some started, a few finished and dreaming about all the rest.  In a few short months my life will be graced with yet one more distraction from this work that I love but I know there is light at the end of the tunnel.  And the days that I devote to the new baby will be brief in the grand scheme of life and I'll get back to a semi-regular sewing/creating schedule eventually.  May 2011 be fruitful for you in whatever you choose to create.  Happy New Year.

Making Merry

Our days have been full of creating, enjoying and resting.  Resting more in the last two or three. I feel so grateful for the gifts we've received and the times we have shared with loved ones.  Oh, and the meals...well they overwhelmed me more than once.  Something about holiday meals and a smaller stomach due to carrying a baby inside your womb does not go together.  I hope your holidays have been wonderful.

blurrrrrr....

Um...so I'm a bit busy with stuff.  Things here and there, finished, unfinished, pending, processing, becoming an Auntie, slowly gathering bits and ideas to make the holidays festive for little $$....planning the first big party of Kyan's birthday history, being annoyed by things beyond my control and in the case of last night waking at 4 a.m to ponder it all.  As you can imagine that has brought about some highs, lows and many emotions in between.  The highlight of the week has been knowing that my sister and her little baby boy are healthy and made it through the first arduous journey that they'll face together.  Another was visiting with a dear friend and her son.  Sharing our lives now and laughing about our lives then and how ten years later we've turned out pretty well.

 A package sent and wrapped with love and lots of help from the artist in residence.

WIP based on the pattern in: The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections

And the doll house that is slowly coming together for the boy of the house.  I know he'll probably only use it as a car garage but I feel proud to supply him with his first bachelor pad.  The fun of decorating is next.

There is so much holiday magic out there in the blogs.  Really an inspiration to behold.  I'll soon be sharing more festive spirit myself.

A Wonderful Piece of Art

A lucky girl I am.  Why you ask?  Well, look at what was gifted to me recently.  This original piece of fairy wonder by the multi-talented  Sarah Biggs. 

She is my garden fairy but of course she won't be in the actual garden just watching over it.  I love the colours on her wings, the delicate hands and the tilt of her head. 

It is interesting to see yourself reflected in a piece of art that someone makes just for you.  I am amazed by  her aesthetic and what she mirrors of myself.  Regardless of the fact that Sarah and I have never met she was able to get this impression of me from this blog. 

I'll say it again, I'm a lucky girl.  Now I just have to find the perfect spot for her...and maybe she needs a name too.  What would you name her?

A place for Toys

Around here the toy situation is in a state of constant flux. I wouldn't say we are inundated with toys I think it just feels like that sometimes. We are lucky to be able to swap toys with the lovely Heidi Joy and her boys and I try to rotate them a bit as well but even though there aren't copious amounts of toys in our home we still struggle at times with where they all should live.

On Ky's first birthday he was gifted a lovely toy from friends of ours and they presented it in a fabric drawstring bag made by the talented Ms. L. This bag (we were also gifted the remaining fabric) was instantly made the home for Ky's set of wooden blocks. A few months ago as train tracks, finger puppets and other miscellaneous items began being misplaced around here I decided to whip up the rest of the fabric into some more of these wonders. Since they would be the same fabric I decided to label them with some felt letters I had left over and voila a place for some little toys that Ky can carry himself, open himself and eventually learn to read with.

I've also been meaning to share Ky's dolls with you for a while now. Since he's a boy and all he doesn't have much of a collection. To be honest he rarely plays with them at this stage but I felt that he needed the option regardless. So the little guy on the right in the picture is a hand knit doll that my grandmother made for him. This was the same type that she sent to a charity that distributes dolls to children in Africa. On the left we have Mitchell Ky's Waldorf style doll. This doll was a collaborative effort between myself, my mom and my grandmother. I purchased the kit to make him from Dancing Rain Dolls.


The base for his hair was crocheted by my mom and she then looped through all the hair individually. And my grandma knit him the sweet little sweater he's wearing in this picture. His other limited wardrobe is inside of his very own bag. I hope to make him a few more accessories since Ky's favorite thing to do with him is give him a pretend bath. So I think a facecloth and towel are in order and I'll make him a little sleeping bag as well. I was so pleased to share the making of Mitchell with my family and have something cuddly and natural for Ky to carry around, look at curiously and hopefully someday play with in his very own way.

Little Gifts to Me

Each Yule I try and pick out one small item, usually a decor item that I can add to my collection. I visited 2 local craft fairs this year that were held at the Scandinavian Cultural Centre. One was put on by the Danish community and the other by the Swedish community. I had so much fun at both and found some wonderful deals and I found my Yule gift to me.

Here he is: The Yule Goat.


I saw these lovely wheat woven goats flanking the huge fireplace in the Centre and just loved them. I came across a lady who makes them as well as other lovely little ornaments in red thread and Swedish wheat. The Yule Goat is on of the oldest Scandinavian and Northern European Christmas symbols and traditions. A goat was slaughtered at Yule and this little guy represents that but has came to be associated with singing carols door-to-door and as the giver of Christmas gifts. The Norse God Thor's chariot was drawn by two goats which could attribute to why a goat was given this significance.


In Sweden the Yule Sacrifice was dramatized by a man dressed as the goat being slaughtered by a group of men and then resurrecting. It is amazing how the sacrifice and rebirth theme permeates customs at this time of year. The cycle continues.
So even though I'm not decorating full force this year because we are leaving soon, I have my Yule Goat on my little kitchen altar to preside over our travel preparations.


And the other little gift I got for myself was these white-tailed deer antler buttons. The gentleman that made these had beautiful rune engravings on rune sets, charms, and necklaces. I would have bought much more but used my utmost restraint since it was not time for me to overindulge. He told me that he makes his rune sets in sacred space in the Viking tradition and well, I just may have to get me a set one day. These buttons do not have a specific purpose yet but they contain so much magic to me that right now I want to just admire them as they are.
I hope you all get yourselves just a little something this year to make your season bright and magical as well.

My Overflowing Cup

The organized chaos on my spare bed, a reflection of my creative juices

The last few days have been a whirlwind of creativity in my head. Images have been popping up in the last few weeks. Quilt/fabric art pieces, gifts, article ideas, I feel like I have a fireworks show going off in my brain.
The ebb and flow of creativity is just so fascinating. I didn't realize that things had been ebbing in my visual imagery department until this storm went off and I've had to manage day-to-day life while harnessing these bursts of energy. Yesterday it was all I could do to not close the blinds and sew until it was dark or my stomach protested too much. I think this is the first major spell I've had since conceiving Kyan. The first time that I wanted to work, work, work and only in the art sense of that word.
Due to the gift nature of some of the projects I can't go into tons of details....but let's see. I am making an actual "art" piece... as in not a gift, not a functional object. Towards my goal of working out a style for my work. I've had some other great ideas with imagery that can keep me working in that area for years really if I follow through with them all.
The fall is gift time since we have tons of birthdays and of course Yule will creep up super fast. I am making most of my gifts this year. Hopefully that will not drive me bonkers before December. And as far as the writing goes I've just been so inspired by the blogs I'm reading and I have some fun news to share in the coming weeks. Sorry to tease but I don't do it that often, hopefully you'll forgive me this one time.
I felt yesterday like my cup was running over....like I couldn't get the ideas down fast enough. Today was more like I'd been hit by a truck...tired and still very motivated but needing more rest. It's like my body was exhausted by the rush and needs to relax a bit.
In an attempt to relax and be kind to my body Kyan and I did yoga from a tape today. (yes a video tape, it's from 1994!) but since the production value was so high the only thing that dates it too me is the scrunchy that Ali McGraw wears in it. (and for all of you that still wear scrunchies, you're kicking it old school, no worries) It's a great routine and I hope to do it every other day. It is not the same as being at a studio...what with three snack breaks for Ky, him jumping on my back during floor poses and turning off the VCR once or twice but it's free so it fits my current workout/be healthy criteria. Overall this week has been good. Solid, productive and inspiring. I hope you can all say the same.

Holiday Wrap-up & Challenge results

I am tired after the whirl of the holidays. Tomorrow we'll have some lunch with family and the madness will be over for another year. We did manage to get in some relaxing time, but it never seems to be enough...
Regardless we had a wonderful time, with friends and family, lots of snow, and I am pleased with my results for the Holiday No Plastic Challenge. We received gifts containing plastic but gave out very few. I think in total only 3 out of 30ish had plastic. Our gifts to Ky were his birthday rocking horse pictured above. And his FSC certified block set pictured below.


I gave out many fun gifts that I found at various Craft Fairs around the Lower Mainland. These tree ornaments are made of beeswax.


These mini trees are made of recycled residential woods: cherry and pear. I love giving wood as a gift for the tactile quality and for durability while being biodegradable.


This scarf was purchased from a very creative woman. I think her work is great, and her prices were so reasonable. My sister was really happy to get this for those cold eastern winters.

We were very blessed with wonderful gifts this year. But more than that we are so blessed with a wonderful network of people around us. I am very grateful for my family and friends. Happy New Year to those who celebrate it tonight. Dave and I were planning a fancy dinner out, but timing issues made the plans fall through. We thought we'd post-pone to another night when we can be out early and back early to put Ky to bed. Whether your plans have you out partying or curled up at home, have a wonderful night, and happy 2009 to you all.

Art of the Month: October

Blanket of Stars, quilt, 2005

Cross view, Blanket of Stars, 2005

Detail, Blanket of Stars, 2005

This piece was a gift for a dear friend's daughter. I was new to quilting,(I still consider myself new to quilting) and was inspired by the idea of being wrapped in a quilt of stars. There is a mixture of hand embroidery, machine quilting and applique. It was a huge undertaking for me. To date it is the largest quilt that I have made. I work in a mixture of quilting and embroidery so bigger pieces are very time consuming. My friend's daughter enjoys the quilt and spent many of her younger days pointing and touching it. I hoped to make it tactile enough for a toddler and yet not so juvenile that she won't enjoy it as an adult.