bricolagelife

making stuff :: summer scarf preview #2

the idea for this fabric design has been germinating in my head ever since i made these last year. i'm so happy to finally have it in my hands. on sheer cotton voile it is just as i imagined - soft, breezy and ideal for keeping the sun off my neck in warm weather. who knew security envelope papers could be so pretty? and the dyes are water based and eco-friendly. i love that.

a devoted reader has put in an order for yardage of yesterday's design. she had the brilliant idea to have it sewn up as a summer blouse. i can't wait to see it - thanks, l!

it occurred to me to let you know all of my fabrics are available in yardage as special orders from my shop - email me {bricolagelife(at)gmail(dot)com} or convo me via the etsy contact link in my shop for more info.

stop by to see another summer fabric preview tomorrow :)

making stuff :: summer scarf preview #1

a bundle of fabrics arrived in the mail last week - my new designs in featherweight sheer cotton voile! and yesterday i spent my whole last day off in the studio shooting for my shops. the light has finally returned to my favorite spot and i got a ton of shots that made me happy. i am loving the look and feel of these fabrics and anticipating some stitching days in my future... these will soon be summer scarves for sale in my bricolagelife shop.

this print is called dancer and was created from a layer print i made from a cut paper collage and an ink drawing of mine with one of my son's first paintings.

more previews coming soon - can't wait to get started!

right now i am: making rag balls

from the leftover strips of cotton sheeting we used for egg dying. it began with the big clump of threads we had on the table after shredding the sheets. being unable to throw them away, i pressed them into a tight bundle and began winding scrap strips around and around and around the core. this is a strangely satisfying activity, inspired by seeing this

in the reconstructed henry darger room at the intuit. i may never have a whole hamper full but maybe a bowl full will do.

happy friday, everyone :)

 

making stuff :: working while watching

when the research and sketches are done and the linen is prepped and stretched in the hoop, when the colors and needles are chosen, comes the moment i can finally sit and stitch. while i work i might listen to stories or music or news. i might watch something without subtitles. or give my fingers a break and watch something with subtitles...

here's another sampling of what has been filling my head while embroidering:

democracy now (i adore amy goodman)

radio lab + bob edwards + third coast

the radiant child + the pacific

certified copy

some of these images cling. whether i have been viewing or hearing a story, when i pick up my handwork again and feel the slender needle in my fingers, the scenes i've absorbed while i was working rush thru my mind. does this happen to you?

what do you watch or listen to while you work? or do you prefer silence? i sometimes do.

 

making stuff :: woodland embroidimals

 
new one inch embroidered portrait buttons for spring. meadow mouse and least weasel are the latest additions to my series of north american woodland embroidimals. wear as a brooch, stitch down for a button or slip onto a ribbon as a pendant. they will be listed in the shop this weekend!

every treasure tells a story :: a gleaners collection

remember these? i'm certain i have told their story before, but maybe you haven't already read it. how there was a time when my son was young that i had a collaborator and dear friend who happened to live in a rickety old three flat right next door to a giant scrap metal yard beside the chicago river. during our weekly visits, over the course of the few years she lived there, we came and went with our little boys and stooped in all weathers to pick up the odd bits and shapes of copper, tin and brass metal scraps that the wind blew out of the yard and the backs of the big dump trucks onto the street and sidewalk. if we walked in the other direction from her front door, turning down the wide alley, we would happen upon the scattered debris from the salvation army loading dock. here small plastic buttons, beads, clock parts, crushed charms and safety pins would collect in the potholes and settle among the loose gravel on the ground. we were suckers for free treasure and gathered all that we wanted. most of the fragments we found we transformed into jewelry and embellishments for the garments we made. what remained was a couple of formidable found object collections (that continue to expand). a portion of mine has been sorted, photographed and tucked into a cubby in my workroom. while i was busy with a multitude of other projects and ideas, a year passed. now i am finally getting around to listing them in the bricolagelife shop. 

if there is a mini chandelier, shadow box, jewelry idea or altered art project in your future, you might want to pick up one or two of these instant collections for supplies!

right now i am: thinking about seeing

a new series of embroideries is in the works for my bricolagelife shop, based on ladies undies thru history. this hoop skirt is the first piece. right now my work table is covered in cotton and silk threads, linen clippings and scraps, embroidery hoops, scissors and tailor's chalks - as i struggle to trim and frame the work for completion. the way in which each piece is finished affects the way it is viewed and displayed. perhaps i think too much about this step. seeing is complicated. and different for every eye that sees. i'm getting to that point where i must trust my own eye and move forward. otherwise nothing would get done around here :)

meanwhile i am also preparing to see the vivian maier show at the cultural center today. filled with butterflies of anticipation. seriously.

making stuff :: collage heaven part 3

home is where you hang your hat

keyhole

box seat

also, wrist worms around the globe (including mine). people always ask me where i got them. right here :)

happy friday!

making stuff :: collage heaven part 2

the red line

crossed

performance anxiety 

making stuff :: collage heaven

he was beneath her

facades

sitting at the broad pine desk between the windows in my workroom, sifting thru a collection of magazines, books and catalogs, i've been consumed with searching and clipping images for collages. a little music or a podcast plays as scissors slowly slice thru paper. i'm in heaven. its my day off and i know i should be vacuuming or cleaning the bathroom but i can't stop once i get started. i've been planning this project, imagining these uninterrupted hours, for weeks. maybe months. these are a few of the finished pieces i've assembled so far.

human elements in architecture

more tomorrow...