razor-sharp smile...

Two little salmon sharks swimming into the shop today. One is already reserved, but the one above is right here. I used a cotton for the undersides this time, naturally dyed by me with a slight mottled appearance. And I got my hands on some white leather so they have "real" teeth this time. Ragged, ferocious fellows, used to the hard life in the North Pacific Ocean.

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We have had some low low tides in the middle of the day this weekend, perfect for beach combing and tide pool exploring. Yesterday AK and I took Ty for a long meander to check out ochre stars, wee crabs and more, all under the watchful eyes of a large crew of eagles also taking advantage of the low tide pickings. The sun has stuck around today, so in a couple hours I think the pup and I will go out again to a slightly different spot and see what we can find. My hopes are on some moon snails...

Hope you're having a great weekend!

summer whale...

The summer weather continues around here, day after day of beautiful sun and warmth. It feels like July. While rain clouds are threatening to creep in just time for the weekend (hey, I love rain, no complaints) this delightful weather has inspired a summery grey whale in pale oceany blues.  He's in the shop now.

Here's a little behind the scenes from the photoshoot; it's good to have helpers. :)

small update...

My apologies for not posting much recently. Honestly, I guess I haven't had much to say. This too will just be a short post to let you know there are two new beasts in the shop - another green sea turtle and a new take on a giant pacific octopus - this one is covered in logwood dyed cotton gauze, overlaid with hundreds of stitches for added texture. I love to make the octopuses, but they are a lot of work when stitched entirely by hand (all those legs!).

I'm hoping to get a whale or two done this week, so if you have been waiting on them keep an eye out next weekend!

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Heading up this afternoon to take in one more snow day as the mountain season finishes. A friend and I are going snowshoeing, and give Ty is first taste of the white stuff. Then we'll watch crazy people in costume ski into a frigid pool for the annual "slush cup". Brrrr, but enjoyable to watch! Here's hoping you've had a wonderful weekend!

the bright brothers...

Because I could use a little colour today. Another day without the sun making an appearance, and possibly not even rising above the horizon, or so it seemed. It has felt dismally dark, and I think there's a drizzle going on out there. Honestly I haven't felt like venturing out, particularly.

But back to the point of this post - a pair of green sea turtles! A pair of fraternal twins, or maybe just brothers. Stitched in large part from vibrant linens from the lovely Carol at Yorktown Road, along with a few other pieces I had. One is a lime green, while the other more of a chartreuse. Both of them are pretty cute, I think. Entirely hand stitched, with all the individuality (and hopefully individual personality) that might imply. They will be available in the shop shortly.

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Also a little notice that the shop will be put on vacation starting Friday, February 8th until the 20th. We are taking a little holiday, to a tropical place where I've got all my toes and fingers crossed that I might actually see a real sea turtle. And while I love all seasons here on the coast, I am also looking forward to a good dose of regular sunshine. So if you were eyeing any items that you would like before then, please purchase this week.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend, hopefully with more daylight than we seem to have today.

new turtle...

A little variation on the green sea turtle took shape this week. Some fabrics came out of the dye pot in wonderful olive tones (my apologies, I've completely forgotten what the dye bath was made from!) and an Olive Ridley turtle seemed completely appropriate. This little fellow is entirely hand stitched, and all fabrics (cottons, linen, silk) used are natural dyed by me. Feels like a 'complete' sort of piece, when I think of how much my own two hands put into this turtle. If you like the feel of it too, he will be in the shop later today.

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>>>some thoughts on making...
I have talked a lot recently about getting back to making pieces for the shop more regularly, producing more, and more often. But I've come to realize that may not necessarily happen, and as there have been some recent inquiries I thought you deserved a little bit of an explanation.

Please understand first off that I very much appreciate all you folks who are interested in my work, whether you purchase something or just share your words of encouragement. It is very rewarding to make something with your own hands that others respond to so positively. But.

When I first got into selling things online, I quickly got into a rhythm of working all day at my job and then coming home and sewing much of the evenings and weekends. After a time, I was pretty intent on keeping interest on my making, and started to feel guilty if I wasn't stitching in my free time, or stitching or crafting on something personal rather than for the shop. I am a pretty slow maker, so I was trying to make up for that by making any chance I got. It probably doesn't help that I have pretty heavily ingrained beliefs that I always need to be "productive" and should also be doing something "useful". But we won't get into the psychology behind that for just now. Anyway, then came the forced respite of my broken wrist last year. I tried to get back into it once I healed, but a number of events and distractions kept me from ever getting back to my old pace again. Moving in the fall, and the subsequent disorganization / re-organization of my craft materials (and my life) made it easy to let days slip by without picking up a needle. I let go of the 'guilt', letting this break become a new sort of rhythm that eased my sore fingers and tired back.

I don't handle stress well. Not at all. I read something recently about people with my particular date of birth (and yes, please give such generalizations a healthy bucketful of salt) - that we often reach a place in our careers where we are comfortable, and make no further attempts to progress or be challenged, because don't want to deal with the potential stress. That definitely struck a chord with me, and might be at least partially true. And whether I should just buck up and learn how to handle a bit more stress, there is no denying that it doesn't suit me particularly well. Stress affects me mentally and physically (and there is no denying two jobs and a side hobby that all require lots of sitting and repetitive motion are not good for the body). My previous making habits were just not sustainable. So I've come to accept that free time can be a good thing, and sometimes a very necessary thing. Time to go for a long walk, time to escape for a weekend, time to just spend with friends and family. And yes, even time to occasionally just do nothing.

For now anyway, I have decided I can only do what I can do. Pieces will continue to trickle into the shop, and while I appreciate your interest I have decided to not accept custom orders for at least the next little while. Your interest in my work is very heartwarming to me, so thank you for sticking around even if I am not the most productive of makers. Wishing you a very happy weekend and I see the sun is making a lazy attempt to peer through the grey clouds. Time to get out for a walk, I think.

snow bird...

All this talk about birds, and I thought perhaps it was time to stitch a new one up. I have been thinking about ptarmigans for awhile, and their snowy winter plumage appeals to the starkness and neutral palette I often appreciate at this time of year. This white tailed ptarmigan came together slowly, as most things seem to do these days, but I'm quite pleased with the results. It is entirely hand stitched in linen and quilting cotton that has the faintest botanical print, with fabric wrapped wire feet for an appropriately fluffy appearance.

I have only seen a real white-tailed ptarmigan, this smallest of the grouse family, once. A bewildered little white creature hunkered down in the snow in the middle of a ski hill as boarders and skiers raced around it, most none the wiser. It was barely visible but for its dark eyes and beak, a perfectly camouflaged animal for winters on rugged alpine peaks.

This little bird has flown into the shop.

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I am so enamoured by the Avett Brothers lately. This song especially is a favourite.

salmon wolf...

It's that time of year when the salmon are leaving the ocean to swim upstream in west coast rivers and spawn, finishing their life cycle and starting new ones at the same time. The bears (grizzly and black) come to the river banks to feast on the fish, stuffing themselves before hibernation time. Other animals flock to the salmon as well - eagles and ravens and small scavengers eager to get their share. Yet on the central coast of British Columbia, another large land predator emerges from the towering trees to do a little fishing alongside the bears. The grey wolves of the coast (who are even grizzly bear eaters when they want to be), are also after this rich source of protein, chasing the floundering salmon through the shallows while clumsily attempting to snap their jaws shut on a tasty meal. It's all part of the salmon cycle of the west coast, where these fish nourish all levels of the ecosystem, including the trees themselves.

This piece came together slowly, amidst the bustle of moving, but also because every single stitch on it was done by hand. Most of my pieces are extensively hand stitched, but often at least a part of them are done on the machine. My love of handwork continues to grow though, so I may be doing this more often. This small grey wolf and his sockeye salmon meal (in flushed spawning colours) are stitched up all in linen, one of my favourite materials. He is a friendly sort of wolf, but you will definitely need to win his trust before he might share that tasty fish. If you're interested in trying, they are available here.

It's a canine sort of the place in the shop right now - did you know there is also a red fox and a coyote in there? But if you're waiting for whales (or other ocean creatures), I think I'm just about ready to get back to those too. The shop has been a bit sorely neglected recently, but I hope to get back to it now that we're moved, so there can be lots of pieces available if you are doing your holiday gift shopping. There should also be more natural dye fabric packs by the weekend.

Hope you're having a great week so far!

ETA - a little wolf music for you.

fish hunter...

Amidst the woodland creatures and mushrooms taking shape these days, a beast of a completely different sort popped up. This past week was shark week, and with my growing obsession with wildlife and nature shows, I've been enjoying a lot of shark action these past few days. I thought a shark from my own hands was in order. Somehow, the TV schedule programmers again seem to know what I'm working on (see octopus, as yesterday while finishing up the stitches on this little fellow, I stumbled upon a show about salmon sharks gorging themselves in Prince William Sound in Alaska. The water was full of these ragged looking beasts breaching clear of the water as they lunge for unsuspecting fish. An apex predator getting in on the salmon before they leave the ocean, much like salmon-eating 'resident' orca populations. This could turn into a tangent about how many creatures and ecosystems are dependent on salmon and their importance on the coast, but we'll focus on the shark for now.

This little salmon shark is stitched from a worn pair of blue jeans, and an underside of white silk. As I watched that shark program yesterday I noted how ragged those salmon sharks were, and thought this one could use some boro-stye patches. He is a small little shark, only 8.5 inches long, which is considerably smaller than the two sharks i made for my nephews, and this one has real gills too. While he's focused on tasty fresh salmon, I wouldn't totally take my eye off him either. He is in the shop.

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I'm a bit reluctant to have her go anywhere, but the red fox vixen is in the shop now too.

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The weather has settled in a bit grayer and cooler today, and I think I'll get back to stitching mushrooms... Wishing you a happy Sunday.

foxy loxy

lock up your chickens, there's a new vixen on the prowl. or at least that's what i told A, which was a bit confusing since he doesn't have any chickens. probably safer that way, with a wiley red fox now roaming the house. this little vixen is stitched up in orange and white linens, with some black wool boots and ear tips. thankfully she doesn't seem too interested in the raccoon or the beaver, but who knows what might happen if any rabbits or mice appear. speaking of that, i think creatures and mushrooms will start to enter the shop next week too, but i'll be sure to give you a heads up.

while there are foxes in bc, there are none on vancouver island. and so, the one time i saw a fox was from the window of a train rolling through the english countryside. a serendipitous little glimpse in the early morning light. but as we slip into the lolling days of august my mind is distracted by all sorts of woodland creatures these days, as you have already gathered. we are heading into what promises to be a scorcher of a weekend and yet my mind is thinking about crisp clear autumn days in the forest. soon enough, i know, and i'll enjoy the summer while it lasts.

tomorrow morning we are pointing the truck north, heading to a remote beach where the air is a bit cooler and there might even be a bit of fog and swell. there'll be some paddle surfing, some reading, and some exploring as we while away the weekend with a couple friends. hopefully there'll be some wildlife too. wishing you all a good weekend (a long one here in canada) and i'll be back next week.

eta - just a little "behind the scenes" of the distractions (and possible dangers to foxes!) that can appear while doing a photo session. rustling bushes alerted me to the neighbour's cat coming over to say hello...and immediately stretch out for a good scratch and play.

sinister sisters...

more mushrooms taking shape around here, even as the rain stays away and the earth dries up in the forest. sometimes you gotta make your own, you know? another amanita muscaria, plus her two distinctly more deadly sisters, a. ocreata and a. phalloides (not that she's a slouch herself). also known as fly agaric, destroying angel, and death cap. stitched up in a variety of fabrics, mostly cottons, but also linen and silk, some natural dyed.

have you ever found any of these in the wild? i've definitely seen the fly agaric many times, but i'm less sure about the other two. but i've only been trying to identify fungi seriously for a couple seasons now; there's lots more learning to be done.

okay, off to the woods for an evening walk before dinner. hope your weekend has been good.

these two...

last night i think the garbage was rifled through, and this morning one of the table legs looked whittled down. this mischievous pair has been up to no good in the house. a wee raccoon and his beaver friend, seeing what trouble they can get into, as is their nature.

between this pair and the mushrooms, you have probably gathered that a little woodland collection is taking shape, slowly but surely. the forest is calling. i'm hoping to start putting things in the shop soon, but at least a couple more creatures need to take shape first. if you should be curious, you can get some insight into where my head is these days by checking out my stitch inspiration board on pinterest.

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it's been ages since i've shared some things i'm loving right now:
>> i love this giant whale, white noise by hannah haworth.
>> some easy fridge pickles sounds like just the thing for a summer bbq.
>> this tutorial on embroidery stitches makes me want to decorate some clothing.

amanita

we had some heavy rain showers yesterday. (i was even going to share a little video of the rain, but flickr is being extremely uncooperative with uploading.) in between the rain showers i ventured into the woods, and found that something had popped up through the moss. autumn's not even a whisper on the horizon, but the fungi are slowly but surely piling up around the house. they will be coming to the shop soon enough, just not yet. i haven't quite decided how to list them just yet. singles? little groupings? i am thinking the latter, maybe as edibles, and then those like the one above that are decidely not...edible. what do you think?

ramblings...

>> summer days are long, but fly by so quickly. so much to pack into each moment. the days seem busy here, both with work and with life. and yet i've not much to say at the moment. i have quite a few photos to post, but i just don't feel like it, yet.

>> above are the continuing theme i'm playing around with, from here. so far these are all 'edible' mushrooms, but i suspect there will be others that are decidedly not.

>> i am working on a humpback for a custom order, and i thought i might as well make another at the same time. but that might be the last humpback for a little bit - i'm feeling the need to take a break from these fellas and focus on some other creatures. so that being said, if you were looking for a humpback anytime in the near future, send me a note (fogandswell [at] gmail [dot] com) if you would like dibs when it is done.

>> yesterday evening i went and visited the owlies for the first time in well over a week. i saw both adults although neither felt very photogenic. i thought i heard one of the owlets, but couldn't find them in the treetops. later than evening sitting in the living room, a noise tickled my ear through the open window, above the sound of the tv and the dog barking next door. stepping outside into the darkness, i heard that distinctive hiss up in one of the trees edging the yard. did somebody follow me home? their forest home is over four blocks from mine, although that is certainly not above their hunting range. i wonder too if it was one of the babes ranging a bit further from home as they test their wings. barred owls stay under the tutelage of their parents for about four months, longer than most owls, but they surely are starting to think about their own territory that they will generally set up within 10 miles of their original nest. anyway, nature nerd rambling, but it was cool to listen to an owl friend in the quiet of my own backyard, even if i couldn't see it in the dark.

sunday night...

trying new ideas... you might call this a 'false' morel. or maybe 'faux' morel is more accurate, since this one has a hollow stem just a morel (and not like an actual false morel). summer has finally arrived and i'm enjoying the sun, but apparently my mind is already thinking about autumn. (and yes, i know morels are really spring mushrooms...)

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i'm just home from a full afternoon on the water, sitting cross-legged on the couch with a tray of grocery store sushi and old grey's anatomy on in the background. classy, i know. most of yesterday was spent with my niece and nephew, my mom and dad. we picked berries, visited with the alpacas, and dipped ourselves in the sea. just about this time last night my mom and i took a walk just the two of us (and Sam). we left the road and climbed up a moss-covered bluff over the water in time to see a neon red sun shimmering through the haze dip behind the trees on the far side of the harbour.

this afternoon after returning the kids home, i zipped back downtown in time to board a zodiac piloted by my dear friend. after pulling on red survival suits against all common sense in this heat, we headed out into the blue haze with a boatload full of visitors, grateful for the breeze created by twin engines pushing us forward at 30 knots. much like our trip last week, the whales continued to elude us (i think it's me - they seem to see whales every other day). but don't worry, my camera found many other targets. seabirds and seals, dolpins and bears, and so many swooping eagles i lost count. not to mention the breathtaking winding channels and maze of islands they all call home. i'm so lucky to have a friend who lets me tag along on boat tours in the summertime.

we returned to the dock in the evening light, late. my to-do list for this afternoon got forgotten, and i'm sure i'll be playing catch up all this week as usual. but how can i turn a last-minute invite like that? now it's time to get myself into bed in preparation for the workday tomorrow. nothing like a day full of sun and sea air to make one sleep well at night. i hope your weekend was full of summertime (or wintertime?) moments as well.

black bear 2.0

little black bear has been hanging around the shop for a while now, and i started to think he must be hungry. really that was no vague assumption - bears are always hungry. the other night little bear was prepped for surgery, as it were, and now i think he looks much happier with the prospect of a tasty meal right in front of his nose. this silvery salmon is stitched up in some natural dyed silks, fat and full. as an extra reward for being such a brave bear, i also gave him a handsome cedar cordage to wear around his neck, reminding him of his ancient forest home.

little bear looked so happy with his fish that he found a new home almost immediately, but i think there might be more like him in the near future, possibly some more grizzlies and spirit bears too. i love the silvery salmon, but i think it might also be fun to make some with a red and green spawning sockeye, as the fish start to think about their late summer journey up their home rivers. summer seems to have finally arrived here (knock on wood) so it's perhaps sacriligeous to contemplate the changing rhythms of the next season. but i've been thinking about the forests and rivers a lot recently, and plotting a variety of creatures that thrive in that ecosystem.

but for now, time to get to my day job, and then hopefully enjoy some of this beautiful sunshine that has arrived just in time to head into the weekend. hope you're having a beautiful day too.

in progress...

that title could probably describe a lot of things in my life right now, or just my life in general, but i feel it particularly describes how i'm feeling about crafting these days. nothing is flowing especially well, and my inspiration feels just out of reach. i feel like i've been giving you this story for a while now. sorry if you're tired of it. but that's okay, it'll come. or it won't. at this time i think i'm okay with that ebb and flow. i'm never gonna call myself an artist - i'm just a girl who makes things once in a while, when the mood strikes me. and when it doesn't, well, i've got other things to do.

all that said, there are a few things on the go around here:
>> this continued rainy weather has me playing with wool a fair bit. right now i'm working on this golden autumn hat pattern, although i'm calling mine 'grey summer' for obvious reasons.
>> i did a bit of logwood dyeing last week. i got a variety of purples on cotton, linen and silk - the darkest near black on the silk. i attempted a bit of shibori folding on the piece of linen, which was previously dyed lightly with madder. and the big piece of cotton gauze i'm hoping to make into a dress.
>> finally finished up a humpback whale for a custom order. it is closer to the older style of my humpbacks than the more recent ones i have done - i think i like them both ways.
>> and a custom request for some ochre stars on a rock led me to make a second one (in front in the photo) that went into the shop today.
>> speaking of the shop, you can now find the crab & fish and deer & owl sets from my collaboration with Abby Glassenberg.

are you making anything these days?

the owls are speaking to me...

i ran through a lot of ideas when thinking of a forest creature to make for the second part of my collaboration with Abby, something to go along with her deer. nothing was quite working for me. i guess i needed the nature to find me, rather than the other way around.

see, i thought i was lucky when i spotted the owl on our weekend away. but just over a week later, i came home from work and knew i needed a walk, even as the rain began to quicken. it wasn't particularly cold though, and i liked the feel of the cool drops on my sandalled feet, my head tucked into my raincoat. before long i was in the woods a couple blocks from my home, away from the cars and other noises of the world. but not long into the trail, other noises caught my ear. the persistent chirp of robins, in fact, expressing their dismay about something. i knew what i was watching for immediately, having encountered the same kerfuffle on that other walk too. and there he was, perched in a tree just across a little creek.

this one was much less concerned with me than the other barred owl had been, spending most of its time focused on the forest floor below, or perhaps the water trickling past. i've formed the opinion that owls must be pretty zen, actually. if i had to listen to the incessant distress call of robins and other small birds all day long, i know i would go nuts. anyway, we spent a bit of time together, both of us ignoring the robins (one better than the other). i felt a little that maybe the owls were finding me, and not the other way around.

yesterday, i headed back into the same woods, A in tow, hoping perhaps we would find this fellow again. at first it seemed like we were out of luck, all the robins we heard seemed far too happy for any owls to be nearby. (i know, horrible me, wishing for the discomfort of robins). but then at a crossroads in the trail, i heard the telltale staccato. none of the trail options led that way, but the long trunk of a fallen fir tree stretched across the carpet of ferns and salal and we followed it in earnest. there, tucked high up in another fir was my owl. he seemed to be working on a nap (seriously, how do they ignore those robins???), so we didn't stay for long, but i was happy to know there is a new friend in the woods. if i see him again i may have to give him a name.

but if you've made your way through this long ramble, you're probably wondering what the point is, exactly. it occurred to me the owls were making my decision obvious, making their point clear with those dark, liquidy eyes. a winged strix is the perfect companion to a well-antlered stag, don't you think?

stay tuned - the beast is well in progress. how is your week going?

oyster in the shell...

i have a tendency to overlook the oysters when i'm wandering the beach. those ubiquitous ragged white shells, either whole living creatures or discarded husks, dot the shoreline in many places at low tide, to a point that for me they sometimes blend into the background as i search for other treasures. due to their generally stationary lifestyle, they are often covered with barnacles and other marine life, nestled in the muddier spots. and yet, they are a big part of the coast. like other filter feeders, they help keep the water clean. the native species have been eaten by the first nations of the coast for probably as long as either have been here. introduced species have taken over in many places as commercial farming of them has increased, good or bad as that may be. and i certainly enjoy a fresh shucked oyster breaded and dropped in a sizzling pan. It seemed about time to give them their due.

this oyster is completely hand stitched from layers of creamy linen and silk. while live oysters on the beach tend to be shut up tight against the air, this one is cracked open to show you the (somewhat simplified) meat inside. although pearls are rare in oysters of the coast, i have found a small, irregular bead now and again and added one here. and of course there are a few barnacles dotting its shell. :)

if you appreciate oysters like i am learning to do, this one can be found in the shop.

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also in the shop, i am now offering green sea turtles and leatherback turtles as made to order items. i hope to do this soon with some other pieces, as i hope this will make it easier rather than wondering when i might make a certain creature again. i will offer the custom creatures as long as i have the materials to recreate similar pieces to ones i have done before (in some cases these materials are quite limited). and please know that as always, i do accept custom orders if there is a specific beast that you would like to see recreated in textiles but have not seen me make yet. i love a challenge!

gathering stones...

gentle rain was falling outside the open window when i woke this morning, snug under the covers with A asleep beside me. a quiet sunday it will be, puttering about with tasks with moments of pause. there is bread rising in a big bowl resting on the back of the couch (the heater is behind), and i'm plotting some fabric mordanting and possibly a dye pot of some sort.

the three tiny stones above were stitched last night, natural dyed silk and washing linen on small linen squares, and will be sent out this week to jude. have you heard about the magic feather project? i missed my chance to send over a stitched feather or two, so i'm glad to have a new opportunity to contribute to this lovely community project. she is gathering stones now, perhaps you want to send her some too?

>>> patrick watson always transports me to a magical place.

fraternal twins...shop update

just a quick hello this morning to let you know that these two humpback whales swam into the shop this morning. fraternal twins, one with a wonderful blue/grey/gold dotted cotton belly, and the other with a grey/blue linen. i need to start keeping my eyes open for real humpbacks, back in these waters for the summer.

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i also got some good mail yesterday - Abby's deer! i'll be starting work on my companion piece very shortly, and will be sure to share all the details with you guys.

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one more thing - my sketchbook is coming to Vancouver next week! i am so sad i won't be able to see it because it is mid-week and i can't get away, but if you do go and happen to spot my book, please let me know. i'd love to know how it looks with all the other sketchbooks.

happy tuesday!