red and pink

red and pink, originally uploaded by westcoastcreative.

a lazy sunday spent sitting on the back patio, soaking up some sun. playing around with some fabric weaving, and then many many stitches to hold it all together. i am embracing jude's arguments for handstitching more and more - being "unplugged" and portability. this is so much better than sitting by my sewing machine all day, isn't it?

this project is coming along quickly, actually. i can definitely see my stitching skills getting more efficient. but i haven't worked out the details yet, so i'll keep you posted. this is one of a couple pieces in the works

i liked the way my project coordinates with the roses. you can also see them in the background in the left side shot (ha, along with the petals and grass clippings that need to be swept up).

approaching fog, 15" x 30"

it's funny, how these things go. i have been contemplating, percolating, if you will, on the idea of art/landscape quilts for several years now. i'd seen ones my mom had done, or admired the one on the wall at the medical clinic, and so on, and thought, "someday i should try that". but it was really just in the back of my mind, my head already full of knitting plans, and sewing, and all the other crafty things that i probably spend too much time thinking about. i would try it eventually, when i got around to it.

well, apparently, i've gotten around to it (i'm using a lot of commas today, aren't i?), and i may have been completely taken over by it. the first one very quickly led to the second one, which has even more quickly led to a third, but more on that soon. let's focus on the second one, shall we?



after trying out techniques on "point holmes", i was feeling more confident and ready to experiment even further. "approaching fog" was entirely hand stitched. fabric was warped and twisted, textures and fibres layered on each other, many many stitches holding everything in place, adding further layers and elements. i could have stitched indefinitely, probably. i loved playing with yarn as well as regular thread, and adding the bits of raw fleece to add further dimension. i think that's why i'm enjoying these so much - i love all the incarnations of fibre and fabric, and this is allowing me to play with them all at once, incorporating many techniques. i'm scheming how to add more too - perhaps some weaving or knitting? i'm also a sucker for texture, so all the layering and building is really fun.

i'm noticing a bit of a sea change lately. in the past few years most of my crafting has been focused on "useful" items - clothing, quilts and other items that are physically used, or serve some "purpose". i've had little use for something that would just hang on the wall, for unknown reason. recently though i seem to be embracing art for its own sake. i've been doing a lot more drawing, and these art quilts have been a great exploration without thinking what will happen with the final piece. i've also been exploring a lot of other great artists out there. it's hard to put into words, as it's not so much that i didn't recognize the value of art for art's sake before. but my priorities are changing. maybe it's as simple as going from a product to a process knitter (extrapolated to other things than just knitting). or maybe i'm just redefining my definition of useful...

i'll have to think on this a bit more.

escape

a quick trip to the middle of nowhere, even if only for one quick night, helps refresh my troubled self. a few shots from our two days at san josef bay, near the northern tip of vancouver island.



morning visitors near our campsite.



sea stacks.

more photos here.

snippets

lots more stitching to go on this one, but i am beginning to see the final product in my mind's eye. whereas the last piece was largely a monochromatic affair - as many days on the coast can be - i am trying to incorporate more shades into this one. i'm also having fun experimenting with further materials. remnants from my yarn stash are perfect for starfish and mussels, and raw fleece from a friend's sheep is working well as wave foam (and fog, not seen here).



after i took these shots i started incorporating some barnacles into the mix (of course) and am debating what other creatures can join the melee. above these rocks i am building the forest edge; the raggedy, wind-beaten west coast trees. an eagle might find it's way up there, but it's currently just sitting in my thoughts.

more to see soon. the recent, tenuous reprieve from all the rain we've been getting has given me the opportunity to sit outside after work and do some stitching, which my eyes appreciate compared to my dark living room. until then, let me leave you with a shot of a recent delicious meal: shrimp, chickpea and avocado salad. yum.

a simple dress...and pancakes!

a couple weeks ago the new j.crew catalog arrived, and on the cover was a perfect, easy summer dress. I would probably have ordered it immediately, but for the prohibitive price tag. i wanted to capture the vibe of the dress though, and had recently purchased some linen/rayon blend in this blue. and here's what i ended up with. not quite the same, but a comfy (and hopefully still stylish?) dress for long summer days.



with the solid fabric instead of a print, i tried to add some subtle details to add interest to the dress. the centre seam down the neckline and front, along with sleeves and side seams, are top stitched with silver thread for a touch of sparkle. there is a bit of pleating along the shoulders. and i left the raw selvedge unhemmed at the bottom of the dress.

this was also my first experience sewing with elastic thread, but after a bit of internet browsing and sewing machine tweaking, it worked just fine. i've got other elastic projects in mind already.



i meant to post this on the weekend and then the pancakes would seem more appropriate, but in case you are looking for a delicious sunday breakfast idea, the (sort-of) recipe for these yummy danish pancakes is over on my flickr.

oceanic...

layers of blue, originally uploaded by westcoastcreative.

layers of denim, linen and shimmery nylon. a landscape in development...

fresh bread for dinner...

heidi's recipe for six seed soda bread jumped out at me as soon as i saw it earlier this week. today i was also craving homemade buttermilk ranch dressing, which gave me the perfect excuse to pick up buttermilk for both.

i made a quick salad with romaine, avocado, cukes, mango, sunflower sprouts and crab. top with dressing, butter bread, and a yummy meal was born.

nice and summery, but still hearty enough to help with the fact that it sure doesn't feel like summer around here. oh look, it's raining again...