Stitching My Story

Summer Pesto...

2 cups of solidly packed fresh basil leaves
3 (or so) garlic cloves
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 t. salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T butter, softened

Blend the basil, garlic, nuts, salt and oil in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrap the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the cheese and butter and blend about 15 seconds more. 

Some of my Projects from Summer Typography...

 

 

(p.s. thank you for sending the poem, debbie)

Living and Breathing the Alphabet...

Whew! I just finished my typography class. I've got two weeks left on another class, then almost a month off before classes begin again. In the meantime, typographic goodness fills my life, including...

 

Letters picked up at a craft fair to mark the way home (longer lasting than bread crumbs)...

College catalogs EVERYWHERE (along with dreams of fitting in a Master's degree one day)...

The world's sweetest herb markers (made by my super talented BFF)....

And a book I picked up in celebration of my finished typography final.

My Blackberry has a crush on your Blackberry...

How to Avoid Writing an Essay on Prehistoric Venus Figures, Cave Paintings, and Mesopotamian Artwork...

 

...make yo-yo's out of funny pictures.

 

 

 

I work in whatever medium likes me at the moment.

~Marc Chagall

View From a Happy Day...

 

An early morning run with my BFF, followed by an iced mocha and a backwards-knitting discussion. The woman is downright AMBIDEXTROUS when you put a set of knitting needles in her hand.

A bit of embroidery-- continuing on with the blind contour hand drawings and trying to decide on a quote to put on the pocket.

A new bobbin full of hand dyed wool, along with the realization that I need to occasionally step away from the cool side of the color wheel.

Gathering to Stitch...

I was invited to join a local stitching group and decided to make little "getting to know you" gifts. I think I will make cookies too. There is no shame in WOO-ing new stitching friends with cute buttons and yummy treats, right?

; )

Using Blind Contour Drawings as Embroidery designs...

"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love being in school again, but I find myself CRAVING fabric, needles and thread. Funny thing is, after having been immersed in brushes and paint, drawaing pads and pencils, and a LOT of Adobe Creatvie Suite these past six months, fabric INSPRIATION has been elusive.

Today, cleaning out my school bag in preparation for summer classes (photography, typography and visual dialogue), I found a gazillion blind contour drawings-- many of them of my hands, which were unfailingly nearby when I needed something to draw. Even though these drawings are out of proportion and wonky (and maybe even BECAUSE they are), I like them! I like the freedom they represent. Nobody expects blind contour drawings to LOOK like what they are and that quiets the noisy little critic in me.

Inspiration hit! I grabbed my grubby, plain art apron and started transferring the hand drawings onto it. I find that both using a light table and drawing directly on the fabric, and using embroidery transfer paper to trace designs work quite well for this purpose. The plan is to fill the surface of the apron with these drawings and embroider them in a rainbow of colors.  My fingers feel so happy to be stitching again, and the experience was a reminder that sometimes finding one's inspiration is as simple as just BEGINNING.

Typography Class Starts Soon And....

... I am weak. I couldn't resist. How great is this mug???