CRAFT matters of a new and urgent nature.

[Bernard]

Also this dreaded beast is nearly done:


It still needs stripes but I may not ever add them. Who knows. While I was making it I swore up and down I would never hand quilt anything again and then, much as with childbirth, I was so pleased with it one it was done I immediately wanted to start a new one.

[G.C.R]

Bag is biiiiiiitchin'! AS is the quilt, but man, little individual crayon holders? That is so lovely.

[clare]

Yeah, that backpack is excellent. Lucky HT!

[milesofsparks]

Bernard, you continue to blow my mind.  so many lovely things!

[peacocks]

Bernard: Queen of Craft

[Bernard]

You dudes are so kind. This stuff is all just following patterns, though, so I do not feel I can take all that much credit. I am just copying, not inventing anything. You have to see this one person on flickr, who starts with the same pattern that the rest of us are using and then makes a 'baroque basque waistcoat with pleated balloon sleeves'. That's some craziness right there. I am but a page in the craft court.

[Bernard]

OH HELL YEAH BITCHEZ



Crochet finally clicked for me, after having defeated me for ages. This is actually my first finished project. I have a few inches of baby blanket that I am possibly going to rip out, because it's hell of ugly. But this, I am actually proud of, even though it's kind of cinchy in terms of the pattern, because this bastard's hell of small. The whole rock is less than 3 inches square.

[clare]

Cool! I'm glad it finally clicked for you...

[mixed cats]

Oh awesome about the crochet! and your new sewing projects are also totally beautiful!

[Bernard]

Muchas gracias!

I am pretty sure I asked this before, but this: http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/7898-Mary-Flanagan-Textured-Felted-Wool-Bundles

is this not just some goodwill coats cut up and dyed and thrown in a hot dryer?

[mixed cats]

It absolutely could be exactly that.

[Bernard]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[mixed cats]

It looks like commercial yardage cut into pieces that's been overdyed - I think I saw the same patterns show up in each colorway. But still, Goodwill coats would do it.

The last coats we got at Goodwill had pills and tissues in the pockets.

[mixed cats]

better picture from the glass fusing trip with the family the other day
I won't get it back for a couple weeks - obviously not fused in this picture, and there's marker smears everywhere. Eventually all the dishes in my house will be replaced with ridiculous cat-faced things. Also CAEK.

[Greg Nog]

Where is this fascinating place?

[mixed cats]

It's the same place we do the pottery painting. It's called All Fired Up and it's in Collingswood, NJ..Which can easily be reached via the PATCO train out of Philly, just get out at the Collingswood stop and walk for five minutes. Also there is a really excellent farm market on Saturday mornings in town where you can buy flowers from my mom's best friend.

[Greg Nog]

Rad!  Thank you!

[mixed cats]

It's pretty expensive (I think my thing is an 11" plate and cost around $50; the pottery is a little cheaper depending on what you get). But it is also BYO. DRUNK LADIES EVERYWHERE.

[Maaik]

Oh neat!  We've got an All Fired Up in Decatur!  tMO used to work there.  Never did any glass fusing, but we have a collection of kitchenware from there, including a sugar container painted like Starry Night and an accompanying creamer painted like his Irises.

[davy]

They've got something like it in Athens, too, BYO and everything. I think it's called Good Dirt, which was a nice name for such a place, I always thought.

[mixed cats]

They're all around, yeah. I don't enjoy doing 'real' ceramics because I hate hate hate getting clay under my nails. But this is good.

[Maaik]

DUDE.  So tMO is working on her thesis project which is a crazy quilt.  She's been dyeing fabric and embroidering things and putting squares together for it.  Yesterday she sent me a picture of what she's working on right now:



Christ, I love this woman.  She is AWESOME.

[Bernard]

I have to say that is pretty amazing! 

[mixed cats]

I love it, and she should be my best friend.

[mixed cats]

So my glass Linus cracked during its second trip through the kiln.. It seems like it's all in one piece, but there's a huge sort of slash across it. They set aside another piece of glass for me to redo it. The place is far from my house, but oh well, I want my damn cat cake plate.

Today is a round 2 dye day, and everything I've pulled so far looks fucking awesome, so that's a nice consolation. I'm gonna ship these scarves out to Bill's mom because she has friends who own boutiques and might be interested in selling my stuff. Will take pictures when it's all dry.