Another Scrap Project

This week I wanted to sew some more scraps, so here's what I came up with, as a lightweight, flat, just-because gift for one of my quilt loving friends in Germany (I had some other, not-so-exciting stuff to send her and wanted to spruce up the package!).  I took the pictures of these coasters at night so the flash or available light doesn't represent the actual colors very well, but just know that in person they are delightfully bright!

They each have a letter embroidered on them, a 'B' on one and a 'D' on the other.  I made the 'B' one first and noticed that the second one had a more polished look, after I'd initially designed and practiced on the first one.  You can see that I also used variegated thread around the edges.

The final look, with a cup of cocoa!  (This awesome mug was made by my friend Micah.)

In the crafting world, I've noticed that crafted coasters have come to be called 'mug rugs.'  I think that is a little cheesy myself.  

Regrouping

Hi everyone, and happy 2011! I know it has been over 4 weeks since I last posted, but I have been working hard behind the scenes to regroup after the experience that was November 2010 and the craft fair. I am slowly, slowly, slowly making my way through piles of paper scraps and fabric scraps and cardstock and buttons and pens and receipts and books and magazines and ephemera and on and on to RE-ORGANIZE my art space. So I haven't been creating a lot lately. My mission has been to figure out how my space can work even better for me, especially considering my un-tidy nature. Along the way, I've made a box of "half-started projects" that I aspire to work on every once in awhile over the next few months. Shorts and socks to mend, a snap to put on a shirt, a few card fronts to be sewn to cardstock, my very first paper-piecing that I never did anything with...

Sometime in the next month, I hope to show you a progression of what I've done to my art room. But for now, I'll show you the one project I have done: an art pillow for my mom, made completely of scraps. This is how it started:

This is what happened!

Here is the view of three sides of the pillow. That was actually one of my favorite parts, the surprise of the way the sides came together.

Please stick with me for the rest of this post to hear about two things I can't wait to share: I Am, a most amazing documentary I saw last week, and the latest development in The Beckoning of Lovely project.

The film I Am was created by a guy who is famous in Hollywood for directing lots of comedies, especially with Jim Carey in them. He had a bike accident, and his injuries afterward got him to take action to share his thoughts about the world before he died (something he thought was soon to happen). He spoke with researchers, scholars, religious leaders, business leaders, and scientists to ask, "What is wrong with the world?" and "What can we do about it?" I got to see it with three of my close Fort Collins friends, and we were overwhelmed by how much it affected and inspired us. It gave us all hope. While watching it, I cried, laughed, cringed, smiled, nodded, and cried some more. I wanted to see it immediately again, and I can't wait till I get to. Please at least go to the website to watch the preview, and I implore you to find a way to see the movie, whether it is at a screening in your city or, if we're lucky, it comes out in mainstream theaters. Because of this movie, I want to strive to be a better person, love more, be kind and compassionate, cooperate and build even more community, and love my enemy. Incidentally, the director recovered from his injuries while he was in production. Here is the website:

www.iamthedoc.com

You've heard me talk about The Beckoning of Lovely project before. There's a link to their site on the right side of this blog. I recently saw the video of their 10/10/10 event in Chicago, and it is right in line with what I Am is about. There are people out there making a lot of right in the world, and I hope you'll take the 10 minutes it takes to watch this video on YouTube. It is so so worth it. You will be so glad you did.

The Beckoning of Lovely, 10/10/10 (10 min)

If you want to see the original video, or the one that happened in '09, here they are too, for easy clicking/viewing:

The Beckoning of Lovely, 08/08/08 (7:15 minutes)

The Beckoning of Lovely, 09/09/09 (2:35 minutes)

I am definitely considering being in Chicago on 11/11/11. Wanna come with?

Other People's Presents

My project last week was exactly that: commissions from others for full-sized aprons, for them to give to their loved ones. I love the polka dotted one the most! On a person (rather than on a dress form) they come to life, and brighten up the kitchen quite a lot.

Wishing you a most lovely Christmas,

Heather

xo

Now available at a shop near you...

Now that the craft fairs have been accomplished, I've decided the time has come to get some local shops to sell my stuff. And so, you can now buy some of my creations at Mama Said Sew and The Eyes Have It, both near Mountain Ave and College, in Fort Collins! I'll have a photo hopefully next week for the product that is in Mama Said Sew (you'll remember the mini-quilts, though), and the other photos below show the presentation at The Eyes Have It (yes, an eyeglasses shop!).

Mama Said Sew is located at 121 E. Mountain Ave in Fort Collins.

The Eyes Have It is located at 107 N. College Avenue, also in FoCo. Click on Events on their page and you can find my name along with the other artists being featured.

Below, the boxes are mine at the top of the photo. Wouldn't you like one of these fine boxes for cleaning up the clutter on your shelf?

And here you can see my card display and gift bags to the right in the baskets. The owners suggested the idea of Valentines to fill in once Christmas is over. I've got my work cut out for me for January! Good thing I love to make Valentines.

This week in the studio, sewing some commissions for full-length aprons (for Christmas presents), my own Christmas cards, and working with a graphic designer to get my Parsley Art Studio logo spiffed-up. Also, I'm doing some mental projections of what 2011 will bring for me, especially creatively, but also business-wise. I look forward to sharing those ideas with you soon!

Another fair this weekend

Hi all! Just a quick note to let you know that I'll be at another 1-day craft fair this weekend! There will be about 15-16 other vendors, food, and live Christmas music by a local group.

Saturday, December 4th

Immanuel Community Church

1725 W Mulberry

(near City Park Lake, across from Little Caesar's Pizza)

Fort Collins, CO

9:00am - 3:00pm

Hope you see you there!