ready for pre-jury evaluation

Infinity Scarf: 100% linen. rust dyed,  75"

Scarf: 100% linen. rust dyed,  61"

Two samples of rust dyed scarves are on their way to pre-jury evaluation for the Weavers Guild of St. Louis' Annual Holiday Sale.  Samples are checked for construction, craftsmanship and quality during pre-jury evaluation.  If approved, I will transform other deconstructed garments using rust dyeing techniques then stitching into flat, infinity and mobius scarves for my guild sale inventory.

32nd ANNUAL WEAVERS' GUILD of ST. LOUIS SALE

Friday, Oct. 24th 10am– 8pm

Saturday, Oct. 25th 10am– 4pm

NEW Sale location:   First Congregational Church of Webster Groves  10 W. Lockwood Ave. Webster Groves, 63119 (SW corner of Elm and Lockwood near downtown Webster Groves) 

inventory delivered

The St. Louis Artists Guild is redesigning and refreshing their Gift Shop.  I delivered these items earilier this week for your shopping pleasure.  When you are in the area, stop by 2 Oak Knoll Park (off of Big Bend) and check out the revisioned Gift Shop.   

www.stloiusartistsguild.org  314-727-6266

144 page blank journal with hand dyed wool cover

144 page blank journal with colorful fabric collage covers

earrings featuring fabric beads

earrings featuring paper beads

earrings featuring handmade paper beads

earrings & bracelet sets featuring paper beads

handmade paper heart blank cards with envelopes

fabulous denim & long stitch journals

Fused fabric sandwiches (up-cycled blue jeans, found fabric "batting" and "lining") created soft covers.  Note -- not all fabrics fuse equally.  Testing fabrics for "fusibility" reduces frustration.  Covers were trimmed to size and an reenforcing strip (interior spine) secured and stitching stations marked.  Note -- on dark fabrics, apply masking tape, mark, punch and remove before stitching.

A screw punch or awl created holes through fabric layers at the stitching stations.  Note -- students found the traditional Japanese screw punch made smaller holes, but the design of Martha's "popped/pooped out" fabric divots.

Q:  How much thread is needed to bind the journal?

A: Wrap around the spine -- once for each signature + one for good measure.

Each signature is stitched into place.

Right over left and under, left over right and under makes a knot neat, tidy and tight.  (Thanks Cheri:-))

COMPLETED JOURNALS:

Whether  left "blue jeans" plain or embellished, these journals are fabulous.  

denim & long stitch preview

Prototype (workshop sample) for DENIM & LONG STITCH.

Blue jeans, no longer wearable, are deconstructed and the rescued denim pieces are stitched into a rectangle larger than the finished journal cover.  If desired, the front cover (right half) can be embellished.  This workshop sample is embellished with hand embroidery.

Marks (purple fabric marker) radiate from the hand to make the shape "pop".  The plaid flannel (low loft batting could be used) will be sandwiched between the denim cover and cotton (commercial fabric from my stash which has been dyed and stenciled) lining (end pages).  Also shown: folded signatures, waxed linen, tapestry needle and Japanese screw punch. 

Stacked, stitched and trimmed to size, the cover should be made after the book block (signatures are folded and stacked) is made.  A denim strip (marked with stitching stations) gives the spine strength.

A single length of waxed linen binds the signatures to the cover using a "long stitch".  The binding thread is exposed and wraps the head and foot of the cover.

The long stitch binding allows the pages to lie flat for ease in writing or drawing.

DENIM & LONG STITCH    January 12, 2013 Saturday 10-4; 

contact leandra@bearcreekpaperworks to reserve your space.

inspired by FB

Inspired by a FaceBook share, these aprons were made from repurposed shirts.  My son and granddaughter love cooking together, so I designed the aprons to be complementary but unique. 

The sleeves of the seersucker shirt became pockets on the denim shirt/apron.  Denim (repurposed blue jeans), added to the shirt hems, provides extended coverage.  The iPod pouches are blue jeans pockets.

upload experiment

Today's post is an experiment with uploading photos to Blogger.  

Still unable to upload the last of my pattern/texture photos from 12.12.12, I tried redownloading from the camera, recropping and reposting.  (Imagine loud, game show buzzer sound.)  I even rephotographed the objects. (Imagine unpleasant sound again.)  Is there a gremlin or glitch in my system?  An artist's blog without images wouldn't be much to look forward too.

Drumroll.  Upload success with felt pin pix.  Perhaps Blogger just doesn't like my selection of patterns and textures.  Enough is enough.  I'll give up on them, but I'm happy to know I can post photos.

These pins are made from the trimmings ("waste") from my wool journal covers.  Thrift shops finds were fulled, dyed and embellished.  The pins are backed with leather (also upcycled from thrift shops).  They are approximately 2" - 3".  The photos above were taken on a paper cutter with a half inch grid.

I'm taking a pause in my felt pin making to complete some holiday gifts.  

ask and you shall receive, but it may not be the answer to the question asked

In a recent post, I wondered "aloud" how to repurpose the plastic sleeves used to organize/store 35mm slides.   I've been saving/storing hundreds of slides which are now redundant and can be eliminated.  The plastic sleeves I've used to store them could be used for storing and organizing something else.

It hadn't yet occurred to me that I the could/should repurposed the slides!   But .... (drum roll) ...   Within 24 hours of my pondering, a photo of a clever lampshade made from 35mm slides appeared on FaceBook.  Sometimes the universe doesn't answer the question asked, but shows different path.

I won't repost that photo because I can't find the original to credit, but my Google search produced pics of clever uses for old slides.  Maybe in my "free time"....

Take a look at these sites for inspiration if you have stacks of old slides taking up valuable storage space in your life.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/creative-reuse-2008-vintage-ar-66942

http://retrorenovation.com/2010/05/13/make-your-own-kodachrome-lamp-shade-like-shane/

http://www.petapixel.com/2010/02/16/recycled-kodachrome-slide-curtains/

denim & long stitch, a handmade journal

Denim & Long Stitch

January 12, 2013; Saturday 10-4; $65 includes all materials

A new use for old blue jeans:  repurpose that denim into a cover for a sketchbook or journal.  Fold paper into a folio; stack folios into signatures and stitch signatures with Irish waxed linen to the soft denim cover.  The long stitch (binding) allows pages to lay flat for easy writing or drawing.  At the end of the day, you will have created a unique book to give as a gift or keep for yourself.  And as a bonus, you will know how do repeat the process at home.