My creativity is not limited to crafting and writing; I offer free hair cuts to family members (shhh, I'm not licensed). I specialize in men's buzz, newscaster styles, and emo cuts, and I work very, very slowly.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Thrifty Screen Printing Experiment Ends in Failure
Thanks to CraftGrrl's awesome, step-by-step tutorial, I have been jonesing to try screenprinting for some time now. A snow day offered me some unexpected time to dedicate to crafting, so I enlarged the groovy logo painstakingly designed for me by the amazing artist, Jelene, then traced it onto filmy fabric. Pencil did not show up very well, so I re-traced with ink.
The teensy, delicate paintbrushes I purchased with this project in mind were nowhere to be found (until about ten minutes after I was finished), so I used a ten cent toy brush instead. It worked out, but was difficult to maneuver with any delicacy. In fact, glue-painting the negative areas took me about an hour and a half, including breaks to re-assemble toy train tracks for young Mister Booper.
By this morning, I was ready to risk ruining a shirt. I sponged dye onto the shirt, and the design seemed to emerge beautifully.
Unfortunately, the dye also seeped through the glue, leaving me with this mess on a comfy old favorite shirt. Lesson learned: use ink, not dye. Once I recover from the failure, I'll buy the proper supplies and try again.
The teensy, delicate paintbrushes I purchased with this project in mind were nowhere to be found (until about ten minutes after I was finished), so I used a ten cent toy brush instead. It worked out, but was difficult to maneuver with any delicacy. In fact, glue-painting the negative areas took me about an hour and a half, including breaks to re-assemble toy train tracks for young Mister Booper.
By this morning, I was ready to risk ruining a shirt. I sponged dye onto the shirt, and the design seemed to emerge beautifully.
Unfortunately, the dye also seeped through the glue, leaving me with this mess on a comfy old favorite shirt. Lesson learned: use ink, not dye. Once I recover from the failure, I'll buy the proper supplies and try again.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Labor of Love
My only child is switching from a sitter to a preschool next month, so I get to make him a back pack to carry his blanket and other daily essentials! It's an area I find lacking on Etsy, which is good, I suppose, for it removes the temptation to shop and places the burden of creation on my broad mommy shoulders. I've been making some rough sketches, and on Monday we'll go fabric shopping. I'm half-dreading, half-antsy to see what fabric choices he makes. I'll post pictures when the project is complete.
Monday, February 11, 2008
New Member of the Family
She doesn't have a name, but she's definitely going to pull her own weight around the studio! Meet my new model--an eBay purchase who will spare me from self-timer camera debacles.
On a different note, here is my contribution to the Tragedy and Triumph Quilt project (blogged about a few posts back). I mocked up a few different designs, but am happy I waited for the "right" concept. My block is supposed to represent recycling, using blue, green, and/or yellow. 
Sunday, February 10, 2008
The Gift of Fabric
It's been a jackpot week for fabric, free of cost--or nearly so.
1. At Christmas time, I found a bag of fabric mixed in a box of holiday decorations. It will be useful for ornaments, patchwork, and linings, although I had to wash the batch multiple times to get rid of a lingering cinnamon scent from other holiday items stored in the bin.
2. A friend who used to sew costumes gifted me a giant bag of high-quality fabrics in vivid colors, dyes, and patterns.
3. At an antiques shop, I found a few yards of fantastic corduroy and tweed fabrics for $1.00!
The stash is ever-growing, the ideas are flowing, but time is so constrained. I need to make more time to create in order to build enough stock to set up shop at fairs and fests this summer.
1. At Christmas time, I found a bag of fabric mixed in a box of holiday decorations. It will be useful for ornaments, patchwork, and linings, although I had to wash the batch multiple times to get rid of a lingering cinnamon scent from other holiday items stored in the bin.
2. A friend who used to sew costumes gifted me a giant bag of high-quality fabrics in vivid colors, dyes, and patterns.
3. At an antiques shop, I found a few yards of fantastic corduroy and tweed fabrics for $1.00!
The stash is ever-growing, the ideas are flowing, but time is so constrained. I need to make more time to create in order to build enough stock to set up shop at fairs and fests this summer.
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