Christmas Projects

 These last two weeks I've been dreaming up Christmas projects that can be done relatively easily.  Above is a 4" square tote bag blank.  I decorated it with this Aida cloth embroidery which I did on my 4" by 8" embroidery frame.

 When you use an embroidery frame, the cloth will not slip out (unless you give it a really hard yank).  It does, however, move around a bit when you use standard Aida cloth.  I've begun a new approach to the frame:

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This image is made of craft felt and crushed panne velour.  This is sort of my own style, inspired by church banners and religious hangings.  I have used a stencil to draw in some appropriate flower and leaf designs.  These stencils, by the way, are really meant to be painted over, but you can draw around them to get a general idea of what you want.  On a background of light blue felt and placed a cat cutout of tan felt with clothing of panne velour.  As you can see, I am having to satin stitch around the edges of the velour.  Felt is virually the ONLY fabric you can cut up without it raveling.  Velour and fleece do fairly well, but you still need to satin stitch.

As you can see, I'm only partway through this project.  It will go on another of those tote blanks to make a nice Christmas present.  I'll show how it turns out later.  The good news is that the felt holds almost completely still in the frame, so the work is easy.  The satin stitching is in satin (rayon) embroidery thread which will knot up at the slightest opportunity.  Working it on felt has been easier than usual.  I've made large tote bags this way in the past, but right now I'm just trying for quick, unique  projects for Christmas.

 

Embroidery on the No-Slip Hoop!

I honestly didn't believe a no-slip hoop existed!  They are made by Morgan Quality Products of Chanhassen, MN (www.nosliphoops.com) and cost more than the average hoop.  But are they ever worth it!  You will note the huge screw and nut apparatus on the side.  That, combined with cleverly molded smooth plastic, makes a hoop that is a joy to work with!

 

 

Here is Nubi performing the Cat Test - leaning his weight against the stretched fabric.  It stayed in place!  Hollywood sat on it for some minutes yesterday, but I was on the phone and couldn't get a picture.  You have to get used to this sort of thing with cats.

I designed the picture after Mucha's 'Le Reve', using one of the sack cloth tea towel blanks.  Then I became discouraged.  The hoop I had was old and wouldn't hold the fabric taut, and then there was another problem.  Who the deleted expletive wants a tea towel?  I finally decided to sew the thing together and stuff it as an accent pillow; people actually enjoy those.  A hobby is a lot more satisfying if somebody is likely to enjoy the results.

I've used a full variety of embroidery thread to make this project special - metallic, acrylic, satin (rayon), and cotton, including heavy, single strand pearl cotton.  I even used (ssh!) fine knitting wool.

When I was first learning about knitting threads, I had a chance to buy some baby alpaca.  I'd read about alpaca all my life, so I wanted to try some.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize that 'baby' meant a very thin, fine yarn, also known as 'fingering'.  Obviously, some people knit and crochet with it, but that tiny thread just turns into knots and snarls for me.  It does, however, embroider beautifully and provided me a nice leafy effect.

You can make art with cloth and thread - just make sure it's art somebody would want in their house.

My Embroidery Project

I've embroidered since my preteen years, but, now that I'm a Hobbies Examiner for Examiner.com, I've been trying to think of meaningful, relevant embroidery projects.  Yes, embroidery has been important historically, but part of that time it was important as a refined, meaningless occupation for ladies.  I mean, who ever wanted to use the painfully worked stuff?  It was just a husband-catching mechanism.

 

I've thought up a few projects that might actually make a desirable gift for a loved one.  My first is pictured above.  I've included the sketch on the embroidery frame, the photo original I took it from, and the stencil I used to add some holiday greenery.  The little blue dots mark the boundaries of my project.  I plan to compete and hem this picture and sew it onto a 4" x 4" 'blank' tote bag.  This ought to make an attractive gift, and it shouldn't be beyond the ability of an average embroiderer.

 

Then I realized that a lot of embroidery methods aren't basic, everyday knowledge, so I wrote this article: http://www.examiner.com/article/embroider-a-picture-beginning-basics. 

Embroidery is such a huge field, bigger even than knitting or crocheting.  I was amazed to find YouTube embroidery videos from Mumbai and Multan - quite a different kind than what I learned!

 

Now I am trying to choose the most accessible, least daunting techniques to write about.  Embroidery is part of a woman's heritage.  Since all the textile work was thrown at us, we developed our own language and expression in it.  We need to find that part of ourselves again.

Very Slowly Making an Afghan

Let's face it: this isn't a project for summer.  I started in the spring and have been going at my own pace.  Actually, I got the idea when I combined the big Sensations Rainbow Classic yarn (looks like a watermelon!) with Deborah Norville's Chunky Serenity.  I had intended to make a bunch of potholders and tote bags.  Then I saw how the colors worked together in such a varied, subtle way.  No!  Such beauty deserves a larger scope.  I decided to make an afghan - for me.  If somebody else likes it, I might make them one.

 

For maximum variety with minimal knowledge of patterns, I decided to crochet and knit panels alternately and sew them together.  The panels are 17" to 19" wide, and I decided a full panel should be 60" long.  That's as long as my tape measure is, and a five foot length is enough to provide a cover for the average human.  I don't know yet how many panels I'll make to complete the project.

 

Of course you'll have noticed Hollywood sitting on the edge of my project.  He has to get involved in anything big.  The really nice thing is that I don't have to worry if he sheds or throws up on it.  ACRYLIC YARN WASHES!  I can have something beautiful and not worry if the cat throws up on it.  Picture me dancing.

 

Come winter, Hollywood will be under the afghan whenever I have it out.

Lady Cats Go Visiting in a 1929 Chevrolet

This is the joy of having relatives who keep old magazines.  You have to cull them, of course.  But, if you're an artist, there are some you definitely need to save.  This picture came from a 1929 Better Homes & Gardens saved by a great aunt.  Even advertisements of this era are painting fodder!

 

These two obviously upper class lady cats are enjoying their trip in an upscale Chevrolet that retailed for $595.  In 1929, that might as well have been six or seven figures, especially after the Crash.  Still, these magazines were published and advertised such pricey products for those who could afford them.

 

It's fun to look back at the styles and technologies of yesteryear.  For instance, I have reproduced the very large steering wheel and the gear shift as faithfully as I could.  The somber car colors I have used are typical of the first cars I personally can remember.  When I was a child, my parents had a 1937 Ford.  My grandparents had a 1939 Ford that was a light green and was constantly being polished and wiped down by my grandmother.  It wasn't until the late 1940's and early 1950's  that colorful cars became all the rage.

Gypsy Intrigue

It's just the beam of a flashlight on a dark night - or maybe a flash of lightning.  You see just a little bit of the picture - but sometimes it is an unforgettable one.  I've been trying new techniques with my cat painting, and I thought this one turned out well.

The original was a still from a movie of 1918.  Thanks to my parents, I have two books of old movie photos, and they are a continual inspiration.  This was a silent version of Carmen starring opera diva Geraldine Farrar.  Farrar was good looking and knew how to act and pose to effect. She later did a silent film on Joan of Arc that gave my adolescent father the willies.

 This cartoon is another experiment from the old movie book.  I wanted an illustration for an article about the Barclay's Bank scandal for Examiner.com.  The old books came to my aid once again.  (I'm beginning to get a little better at people!)  These figures were taken from a still of the 1938 Dawn Patrol with David Niven and Basil Rathbone.  If you have artistic leanings, cherish all the old family picture books.  You'll find things there to use in a variety of ways.

The cartoon captions above are courtesy of Google +.  I'm delighted they have the old Picnik and expanded graphic tools available.  Their picture editing function has enabled me to photograph saleable art work.

This photo of my son Lawrence was another experiment helped by Google +.  I had never tried night photography before, but he wanted to try a noir shot with his trumped.  This is obviously noir with a tip of the hat to Miles Davis.  I still don't see how anybody could play a trumpet standing in that position! 

Animal Parenting

This picture is obviously animal fantasy.  Mother animals do care for and train their children, though humans would often consider their methods harsh.  House cats will wash and nurse their children, defend them against tomcats and other predators, and hide them when necessary.  As the kittens grow, they learn cat etiquette like how to fight with their siblings and when not to bother Mama or a bigger animal.  If the cats are feral, the mother teaches hunting skills as well.  Once those things are done, she washes her hands of them.  If they are part of the same community, they will all cuddle together for warmth, but that's about the size of it. - Then there are always a few lady cats who didn't want any deleted expletive kittens and haven't any idea where they came from.  In those cases human intervention is required.

There is one local animal, though, that seems concerned about its offspring until they reach full adulthood.  That is the raccoon, the State Animal of Tennessee, and I found out about that the hard way.

One outdoor cat remained out of all the gaggle my mother used to feed.  I didn't want to abandon her, so I had my brother grind herbal tranquilizers into her food.  I also rented a Have-A-Heart trap from the Nashville Humane Association.  (I've since learned that cats can outwit Have-A-Heart traps and even sometimes get the food without springing the trap.)  What I caught was a juvenile racoon - last year's baby, according to the wild animal expert.  To me it looked like it was mostly head and tail.  Not only didn't I get the cat I needed, I would now have to pay the racoon removal expert.  He couldn't come until the following morning.

The next morning he had the chore of tracking the rented cage and its occupant.  According to his expert testimony, during the night at least one and possibly two adult raccoons had made a determined assault on the cage.  They had bent and bitten through the heavy metal guard surrounding the carrying handle.  Then they had rolled the trap off the porch, over a low retaining wall, down a bank, and at least 40 yards along the creekside bottoms.  This was where he finally found the trap and released the occupant, presumably into its parents' custody.  I was just thankful the Humane Association didn't make me pay for the damage to the trap. - Then a few days later my dear Tortie cat walked into my arms and let me put her into a carrier.  I've written about her on this blog.

Most folks know raccoons from the Davey Crockett type hats that used to be a staple in all the tourist spots.  That long, stripey tail is almost a Tennessee symbol.  Raccoons are supposed to be good eating, and many folks in Tennessee ate them during the terrible Depression.  I don't think I could eat one in good conscience - they care too much about their families.