my new friend...

...or, possibly A's new friend. it's good to see that a grown man can still play with plush toys - ha.

in my last post i briefly mentioned about working on something a bit more three dimensional. well, here he is. a little humpy to swim in the local waters. i am still completely enamoured with hand stitching, enjoying the peace of not having to be tied to the machine; something i can do quietly wherever i feel like it - on the patio, in front of the tv, etc. kind of like knitting, which i have been neglecting a lot lately (do you know how hot it's been??? but still there is a cardigan in the works, eventually, crap, getting off on a tangent...). i am still working on more hanging art pieces/quilts, and playing around with some ideas for items for the home (pillows, etc). but i've also really been wanting to try soft sculpture for a little while. and lately it's all about going where the mood strikes me, it seems.



this little guy is made from denim from a pair of jeans, scraps of linen, lots of stitches (and yay for more barnacles!), and stuffed with raw wool fleece donated from a friend's flock. i might have to make him some whale friends, and possibly some other west coast companions - dolphins, eagles, bears, perhaps a seastar or two...

with that in mind, i've been thinking a lot lately about opening an online shop. i would like to try selling my handmade items, an assortment of creatures,art pieces, and items for the home, with a focus on repurposed materials, lots of hand stitching, and a west coast spirit. is there any interest in this?

right now it's raining as i look out the window. it hasn't rained in a month, so you can feel the earth sighing with relief. however, it's supposed to switch back to dry and sunny again tomorrow for at least the next week, so we are enjoying it while it lasts. after a trip to the farmers market this morning, i am restocked with fresh veggies so dinner is looking tasty. and another use for veggies:



zucchini/beet/carrot bread, tweaked from the zucchini bread recipe in hollyhock cooks. hoping it tastes as good as it smells.

changing...

ah, august. can you feel the almost imperceptible change in the air? it hints at cooler days to come, a growing crispness that i'm longing for. yes, i do feel a bit of guilt about it. summer was so late in arriving, june was ridiculously wet. but now after nearly a month with not a bit of rain, i am ready for the cooling freshness of the clouds opening up. i love the shoulder seasons, especially fall which i'm sure i've mentioned many times before. the bright sunny days still but a clarity to the air that can't be found in the heat of summer. and the rainy days too.

i've been doing more fabric weaving, as you can see above. the other one is still in progress. it's waiting to have a border attached of some kind, and so it sits in the pile with another piece i'm also working on.

but i had an urge to try something else (something like startitis, affliction of many a knitter?). it is much farther along than when i took this picture. now it sits as a long rectangular piece, stitched and stitched in to a solid piece. i'm thinking now of cutting it in half and making two pillow covers from it. soon. i've been recently playing around with something more three dimensional, but it hasn't evolved into something worth reporting on just yet.

hmmm, was this post about anything? guess i'm just checking in. hello! more things to share soon, i hope.

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...

{this moment}

mixed bunch, originally uploaded by westcoastcreative.

inspired by soulemama.

her words: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

i love nature...

staking claim, originally uploaded by westcoastcreative.

hope the photo of the dead seal doesn't offend you, but seriously, how awesome is that eagle? we happened upon this scene last weekend on the west coast of the island, and i managed to get remarkably close to the eagles (they were about 10 circling overhead and plotting their move) and their scavenged meal.

it was actually a nature-filled weekend, with river otters, sea lions, seals, eagles, grey whales and a humpback whale, a sea otter, and many other birds. not to mention tidal pools full of life. is it any wonder i love this place?

point holmes

it's finished. ...and i want to start on another, right away.

this first attempt at landscape quilting was a big experiment in every sense for me. i didn't buy any new fabric for the project, and large parts of it are recycled items such as denim from old jeans, cotton from an old sheet. the other parts are a mix of cotton, linen, wool and silk, all scraps from other projects; hemp and cotton yarn that i had on hand. okay, the quilt batting is new - i did buy that just for this. it's not really that i was specifically trying to make this without buying new items, but i do have a lot of random fabrics lying around and finding a use for them was definitely rewarding. i am always happy to be less of a consumer, and the rough, worn appearance of reused fabrics lend the perfect textural quality to a landscape recreating some of the rough, worn, west coast. the piece itself is only 2 feet by just under 3 feet, but i thought it was good to start small.



quilting all these different fabrics together does have its challenges though, which can be seen in the above pic with assorted puckering (especially in the water), and i have made some mental notes for next time. this piece was mainly machine stitched, but i would like to incorporate a lot more hand stitching next go round. only the small accents are hand stitched here - the barnacles, the feathers, and the sailboat, and my appreciation for those little bits reinforces my plans for more work by hand. as well, thanks to Caro's great tutorial as an addition to Heather Bailey's binding tutorial, I think I did my best hand-sewn quilt binding yet.

the name for this piece comes from beach close to my home, with beautiful views of the strait of georgia and the coast range mountains behind. while my quilt is not geographically correct, a view of what inspired me can be seen here. i am constantly inspired by my surroundings here on the island, but to translate it so literally into a piece is new, and i am excited to explore this more. this weekend i am headed out to the real "west coast" on the other side of the island, and i know i'll be taking lots of photos (what's new?) that may become ideas for new pieces.

building barnacles

building barnacles, originally uploaded by westcoastcreative.

another sneak peek at the progress on my landscape quilt. i have finished the background structure, as it were. mountains, water, rocks and sand. the fabrics are a pleasant tactile mix of denim, silk, linen, and a bit of corduroy and flannel. i'm just enjoying the process, without thinking about the final product too much. right now i am using some rough yarn and making french embroidery knots, in the hopes that they will resemble barnacles on the rocks.

exploring at home...

having recently returned home from a week away, i took a little stroll around the garden to see how things were developing. spring started out coming early, but has then been cold and wet these last weeks, so in some ways we seem a bit behind. glad to see flowers in bloom though.

we moved into our basement suite just shy of a year ago, and then over the summer i sadly discovered that this yard is much to shadowed by large evergreens to grow much in the way of a vegetable garden. so this year i am feeling a bit resigned, and have not started anything so far. hoping to rely mainly on the farmers market and friends, unfortunately. but these little bits of colour around the edges of the yard lift my spirits, and i'm hoping that all the flowers on the cherry tree are a sign of a good harvest of fruit to come.

inspiration on a beach walk...

on saturday A and i went for a walk at point holmes. A was hunting for driftwood (he has big furniture plans) and i am always happy to mosey along the shore, beachcombing, exploring, absorbing everything around us. we were greeted as soon as we got out of the car by the enthusiastic barks of sea lions just off shore. the herring are running right now, and the seals and sea lions were driving the fish in to the shore for a feast. feasting too were the gulls, swarms of them eagerly snatching up the fish and roe that washed onto the beach. above us, quite a few eagles were surveying the scene, floating easily on thermal currents high in the air.

there was a slight haze overhead, and the wind was light, leaving the world around us in soft shades of blue and grey. i've been thinking about trying my hand at building a landscape quilt for some time now, inspired by the ones my mother has created over the years. recently i've also been inspired by the use of recycled materials and hand stitching, creating organic pieces that stray from the perfect cotton quilts in modern fabrics that populate my flickr faves (don't get me wrong, i still love those quilts too!).

so the beach got me thinking, and a few pieces of debris gathered in my big straw basket at the beach - two small dried crabs in near perfect form, a few feathers, a small piece of driftwood or two - got me started once i got home.



i cut a rectangle from a piece of grey quilting cotton, and began to add layers of denim from old pairs of jeans (lovely the many shades of blue you get), scraps from an old blue bedsheet, and strips of silk and linen. the dimension and texture from the different fabrics is pleasing so far. some of the fabric is new, admittedly, but all of it was already sitting in my stash, leftovers from other projects. and i'm liking where it is going. once i have the basic scene, i'm hoping to add layers on top with additional machine and hand stitching, incorporating yarn for more texture and possibly adding on my little beach finds to really give it life.

stay tuned...

ack! i love it so much!

meet my new cardigan. my new RED cardigan. sorry, just think it's slightly odd that red is my favourite colour, hands down, and yet i don't have a lot of red clothes (oh, except for the umpteen pairs of red shoes). but i'm working to correct that lately.

hmmm, okay, back to the main subject. this cardi has been a long time coming in a way. see, many years ago i bought a red poncho, and enjoyed wandering around looking just like little red riding hood through the woods. in the end though, i didn't wear it as much as i hoped - it was really warm, and yet not suitable for the rain and wet, which is what usually happens around here when it is cold enough to wear a thick wool blend poncho. after carting the poncho through a few moves, and just not being ready to part with the pretty cranberry colour, i decided to unravel it for a new use. however, once the yarn was in several large balls, i still didn't know what to do with it. so it has continued through another move, and sat in the yarn pile for another long wait. i have started and stopped several other cardigan patterns with it, a few of my own invention, a couple of someone else's. still hadn't found it's proper use.

i think, though, that i'm starting to get the hang of proportions and making my own pattern. i really like the style of my forestry cardigan (rav link), but in the end it stretched out a bit and is quite floppy and shapeless when loose. i still get a fair bit of use out of it, but it's not what i'd hoped it would be. i also get a lot of use out of my garter yoke cardigan (rav link), and loved the top down structure. but the shaping around the neck bugs me a bit (i should have made the front dip lower) and i think it looks its best all buttoned up, and kind of floppy when open.



so this cardigan that i finally made is almost a cross between the two. i wanted cabled fronts (and up the back), raglan sleeves, and a shawl collar like the forestry. but i love the ease of knitting from the top down in one piece, the assurance of being able to try it on as i went. in the end i think it worked out pretty well, don't you? it may in part be the yarn (and i'm really not sure of the blend, but i believe it's a wool-acrylic (and the smell when wet blocking confirmed a fair bit of wool there), but this cardi has the perfect amount of structure to hold its shape while unbuttoned. the sleeves ended up 3/4 length due to running out of yarn, but actually they are probably more useful to me that way. and i'm loving the toggles i picked - had never tried that before but i think they work well here.

so are you tired of me tooting my horn enough? needless to say i think i've found a formula that really works for me, and has me plotting future cardigans sooner than later. but maybe i'll try a different colour than red, you know, just so my red cardi collection doesn't start to rival my red shoe collection!

slow sewing...

slow sewing, originally uploaded by westcoastcreative.

i've been inspired by lots of hand stitching lately, from the wonderful works of jude over at spirit cloth, to the clothing of alabama chanin, so i've been experimenting with a bit of my own. this is a square of interwoven denim strips from an old pair of jeans, slowly being sewn together by leftover red merino from my beautiful red hat. i haven't quite figured out what it's going to be (pillow cover? bag?) but i'm enjoying the meditation of stitching it together. plus i'm glad to be using up scraps, the best sort of recycling i suppose.

yesterday, today, tomorrow?

yesterday, today, originally uploaded by westcoastcreative.

tomorrow now being today, since i didn't get around to posting yesterday. the weather on saturday was wet, pouring all day, with a southeast gale bending the trees. i ventured out briefly, but you can trust me when i say it wasn't pretty. complete wet (err, west) coast february weather, and i love it (although i suppose many an olympian was less than thrilled).

sunday, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. bright blue sky met me through the window when i woke up, and stayed all day, including a lovely trip down to the beach to explore what the previous day's storm had washed up.

now if that sun could reappear this week for a few days, i might be able to get out on my bike for a forest ride without fear of being swallowed by an enormous mud puddle...

socks to make me swoon...

oh yes, they're finished. these socks have been in the works since october, but they didn't actually take that long. many a gift project or other crafting distraction got in my way, but finally i've got rainbow striped socks up to my knees. knitting details can be found on rav, as usual. i increased up the leg as i went to fit, but then did a bunch of decreases in one row before starting the ribbing. unfortunately, they don't seem to have been enough, as they don't quite want to stay up all day, so i may still frog the cuffs and redo.

the noro silk garden sock (the white blend) made for a very thick and cozy sock, so they are perfect for cold days this winter, possibly tucked inside boots. despite the rain though, i couldn't resist wearing them with slip-on shoes yesterday to show them off.

by the way, that's another thing that has been occupying me lately, but you won't see much of it here on the blog. i have been really enjoying reading a lot of streetstyle/fashion blogs of late, and felt that i might give a little try at posting some of my own outfits. i'm definitely not ready to go full-on style blog, but it's been fun posting on the wardrobe remix flickr pool so far. i was feeling a bit of a fashion slump late last year and looking at other people's outfits has provided great inspiration and also pushed me to make a little more of an effort lately. living in my laid-back town, with my casual work environment, and an outdoorsy lifestyle, make it pretty easy to fall into a rut stylewise, and i want to step it up a little. not to mention, turning 30 this past year has made me willing to be a bit more "adult", dare i say it, and not dress in the same old stuff in the same way i have for years. so if you're interested in checking out that side of me, please follow it here, but for the most part it won't be featured on the blog.

i am sort of interested though - does anyone else enjoy the current profusion of street style online, and is it inspiring you? it certainly inspires my crafting as well as my wardrobe (okay, even if that crafting then ends up as part of my wardrobe!).

peanut for a wee nut, er, nephew

nephew #3 turns one tomorrow. for those keeping track (what do you mean, you weren't keeping track!), my oldest sister has nephew #1 and niece #1, and my next oldest sister has nephews #2 & #3. nephew #3 is a quiet guy so far, pretty mellow, which seems only fitting since his older brother is a non-stop, on-the-go, gotta-keep-moving kinda guy. what does a little guy need, when he's hanging out watching his brother run to and fro? why, a little elephant to keep him company.

i've been wanting to make peanut, the elephant from joelle hoverson's book since i first got it, but this one took a while to finally get to my to do list, and for a perfect recipient. he turned out actually quite a bit bigger than i expected, as i had only looked at him in pictures, without really checking out the instructions and pattern pieces until construction was underway. pretty cute though, this little guy. just like my nephew, actually. he is made of quilting cotton, plus his ears and underside are soft corduroy.

despite my best attempts, i'm not doing very well at posting regularly - sorry for the silence. i do have some more projects to post, and hopefully some finished knee socks shortly (so sweet!). if you were here, i'd distract you with some warm cookies, but i guess me and the boy will have to share them amongst ourselves!