hedgehogs!

 For three months we've been immersed in all things hedgehog. For my daughter's annual research paper she chose the pet of her dreams (in hopes I might give in, perhaps!). She spent months writing up and organizing several hundred notecards, which were used to create an extremely informative and very well written paper. I love her Montessori school and how they celebrate the completion of this huge body of work. Each child creates a board on their research topic and memorizes a thorough presentation. 

All of the parents are then invited to a research fair where these brilliant young experts are ready and waiting to give one-on-one lectures about their topic. 

 Of course, a hedgehog accessory was necessary! We made a hedgie rubber stamp (see first pic) and printed it onto linen for a headband just right for the occasion.

 If you have any hedgehog related questions (besides if I will be granting her wish for one!), this lovely girl most likely has a very articulate answer!

Have a great weekend!

stamping stencils

 Playing with stamps and small stencils. We're nearing Valentine's Day and heart shapes inspire me this way… remember this?

printing and stitching at squam day 2 & 3

When I created the Printed Pouch workshop, I hoped to create a class that would invite hand-sewing out on the docks or on back porches of cabins. The pristine setting of this retreat beckons you outside. Over the years most of my classes have focused on machine sewing. The sound of 15 engines is exciting... but I wanted to offer a slower, quieter opportunity for folks. 

 Weather was our friend for the last two days, and I got my wish! Sure, we spent a bit of time in our beautiful classroom with windows looking out onto the lake... carving and printing.

But there was lots of stitching lakeside!

 And more gorgeous pouches were created! Here are just some of them!

Look at these lovely women! Their printing and stitching were pretty spectacular too!

printing and stitching at squam day 1

It was fabulous day... with an amazing group of women! We drew, carved, printed and stitched. Two kinds of bags were worked on... a coin purse and a zippered pouch.

   It was an honor to spend such focused and lovely time with these talented folks! 

poppy print

 Color is only just beginning to peek out in my yard, but I know where we're headed. First we'll be visited by golden forsythia, coral tulips, and then lavender lilacs... in that order. And then, my favorites: crimson poppies! They only last for brief moment... and so I decided that I needed away to capture them for a little longer.

 This morning I carved two poppies. They are very simple, but with a little detailing from a micron pen- they came to life.

Yes, that's my poppy plant this card is nestled onto. I'm a bit impatient for the real ones filling up vases, so I forsee these prints blooming onto myriad of things while I wait. Pillows are first on the list.

sewing fever

Spring officially began yesterday afternoon... and with it came some snow. I know, don't even. 

But today... the first full day of this highly anticipated season... it's filled with sunshine. Perfect time for me to do a photo shoot at my mom's barn. I had thought that maybe I'd update my shop with a couple of buckets, but guess what happened? I got spring sewing fever! What's that? It's when you can't stop... you just want to keep on stitching because it feels so good to feel the smooth linen sailing between your fingers and watching the patterns you print dance under the needle. So I went with it and am super delighted with what came of it all.

 I finally made myself stop sewing so that I can load the virtual shelves. If you follow me on instagram (in the sidebar to the right) and FB you've seen some fine sneak peeks. There will be more this weekend. Come Monday morning... bright and early...the shop will be full! And let me tell you, each and every item was made with joy and lots of care. Happy Friday to you!

feather family WIPs

There's yet another blizzard raging outside. Kids came home early. Tea is being sipped. Soup is on the stove. Spring has eluded us, yet again. But I'm not giving up hope... I just keep making feathers. They make me feel light and happy no matter how buried in snow we are. 

I carved three new ones to go with my original two on the right. My daughter thought they looked like a feather family all lined up. She's right. The jaunty second (from the left) is my favorite. Seems to be dancing...

There are zippered pouches on my mind... along with dreams of a long overdue shop update. So, I took the first step with indigo colored ink on oatmeal linen. I'll add some vintage ticking and recycled zippers from SCRAP in SF.

I'm also continuing to dabble in more colors in lieu of only neutrals. Here's a little peek...

another feathered heart

A continuation of yesterday...

 I tried it! Smoother paper, thin printer paper as the stencil and two toned overlapping inks. They both please me, but I think this one...

has stolen my heart!

heart stencil and stamps

This is a little Valentine project that has been on my mind... so I put it into action. Any stamps will do. Feathers are just my favorites... still. 

 I tried a little overlapping of the prints to really get the shape of the heart. I liked the effect. Using card stock for the template might be too thick. Water color paper softens the prints and gives some nice texture. I think I'll try smooth paper as a base and printer paper as the template next. 

The end result and more on this soon... experimentation is a good for the "heart".