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In Process - NJF's Piece!

2/4/2015

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I have a very dear friend and mentor and I have been wanting to make him a piece for a long time.
But some people are tricky for a lot of reasons - sometimes because you aren't sure how the piece will be received when you gift it and sometimes because no matter how well you know the person, there is the big question of what to include or not in the design of the piece.  So needless to say, I have been pondering on this a long long time.
Luckily, once again Equilter.com came to my rescue with a wonderful selection of fabrics and a nifty after the holiday's sale! I also have to thank Etsy.com and their wonderful craftspersons who make and sell fabulous things that add just the right touches to the piece (note the furry brown Big Foot front & center!). Honestly - when making textile art - you never know where you will find just the right bits and pieces that bring a piece to life.  

One technique I picked up a few years ago was the hang & view test.  Once I have a piece all pinned together, I like to hang it up and look at it until I feel the design is set.  This works great because anytime something bothers me about the piece, I can take it down, reconstruct it and hang it back up.  As I write this post, I have already reconstructed it once! 
I also have to mention another great tool - Pinterest!  I have found a wealth of new embroidery stitches to try, a kaleidoscope of colors to consider and oh such pretty fabrics to drool over!  I am hoping to try some of those new stitches on this piece.
I plan to post some additional 'in progress' photos on this piece - I hope you like them!
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Well.....

1/13/2015

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I refuse to make another post where I complain that I've been so busy with work or stressed out about whatever that I haven't been creative...blah blah blah.  I won't lie - there has been stress and there has been work but even so.....

That said - I did make one item for Christmas...of a kind.  One of my brothers is a long distance hauler and my usual Christmas gift for him is a musical mix for the road.  Its harder then it sounds (no pun intended) but it is a challenge that I enjoy.  But this year, I wanted to make him something even more special, so I got the idea of dressing up a new lightweight but warm blanket (in a lovely shade of pale green) for his bunk.  I found just what I was looking for on Amazon but had a hard time finding just the right fabric for the dressing part.  Luckily, I visited my favorite fabric store (equilter.com) and found this:

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Neat, huh?  (click on the fabric to see it on their website) 

So I bought a few yards, cut it up, sewed it together, and after a bucklet load of ironing, I had lovely binding that I sewed onto the blanket.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to take a photo of it, but I am delighted to say that he seemed pleased with his mix and his new blanket.

But the fact that I haven't been more creative - be it with textiles, paper or words, has been bothering me and while I don't make new year's resolutions, I have become determined to at least make more posts to the website.  This makes the 3rd one in 13 days - not great but better then last year!!

What sorts of urges toward creativity have you felt of late?  What do you think will inspire you to accomplish creativity in your life this year?
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    Questions...

    Why do I create? What inspires me? What happens to a piece after it is completed? Stay tuned for the answers to these and other burning questions!

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