Something Old Into Something New

I'll start today.

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Best Bets: A Needle is a Needle

A needle is a needle, unless it’s a sharp, or a tapestry needle, intended for beading, curved for quilting, triangular, made for yarn, twin pointed, too thick or too small, too big or too thin. You may be embroidering with a milliner’s needle, which is intended for hat making, but if it’s doing the trick – a needle is a needle. So, I say, young apprentice, pick up a pack of “embroidery” needles. But, for goodness sake, LOOK at the needles in the package. First, you must peer into your sewing future: will you be able to find this needle if it slips off the thread and into the couch? Before it snags your sleeve and stabs you in the night, consider a thicker needle, a needle that may guide itself through taught linen, but not starched canvas. Or choose a needle with a larger eye that won’t require you don a monocle to thread it. Whilst scanning the needles available to you, “embroidery” might not be emblazoned on the package. It’s okay to pick up a pack of needles because they look like they’d be happy in your sewing box. My skill level will dictate the information here, thus the brevity of this tutorial. There are many different types of needles for general sewing, darning, leatherwork, beadwork, repair, quilting, milliner’s work, etc., each in a variety of sizes. The most valuable thing I learned while taking a closer look is the higher the number, the finer the needle. For basic embroidery, the kind my hands can teach you, here’s the skinny (the long and short of it, the point):

• Embroidery/Crewel Embroidery/Crewel needles have a long, lean eye which makes threading easier when using multiple strands of thread, as we ‘broiderers often do.

• Chenille Chenille needles have a large, visible eye and are used in the art of crewel embroidery and ribbon embroidery, which is of course thicker than thread or floss. Chenille needles have a heavier “weight” to them, as Tapestry/Cross Stitch needles do, but they have a sharp point. I find them easier to hold, less likely to prick, and sturdier in my clumsy hands.

• Tapestry/Cross Stitch Tapestry/Cross Stitch needles have a large, visible eye and a blunt round point designed for the use in needlepoint, petit point, counted cross stitch and plastic canvas work.

Getting Crafty This Year?

In the Trees.

The Gaslight Bed and Breakfast, just around the corner from the Clifton Cultural Arts Center was fantastic. I felt so grown up and fancy. We had the "Swiss Family Robinson" room at the tip top of the house, which was higher than any other building on the street and we were truly in the trees. The owners are fabulous people, we spent a lot of time talking with Maria, who is so very nice and hospitable. We had a great time.

Interesting terrifying tid-bit: Jeffery Daumer's brother used to live in an apartment in the house before the ultimate remodel. From what we heard, he remained in the house for an hour while oblivious that the entire house was being utterly destroyed by fire. Sheesh.

Fabricate is a locally owned and managed store and gallery in a vintage furniture store called Red Polly. ...Talk about the perfect place for me. Our new friend, Chris, asked me about consigning my work with her store in November. Finally I got to meet her and I left several of my pieces there to be sold! Wow, what a weekend.

Chris and I have the same purse purchased from Etsy.

Isn't it cute? Makes me want to overhaul Frankfort with cute-itude. Lord knows we need it.

More tomorrow. I want to say hello and thank you to all of the incredible people and peers I met at Crafty Supermarket. I've really never felt so graciously accepted. I'm truly lucky to be involved in such an awesome movement - the handmade sweep of the nation.

Here's What Most of You Missed (No, I'm not Bitter)

SaysYou at Crafty Supermarket!

Yes, it went very well for us.

And my table was super cute.

My new stuff was way well received. My favorite part was meeting new people who appreciate handmade crafts.

Thanks to Lori Brown, our friend from last year, who came to say hi and buy two pieces! She said too many nice things. Her work is incredible. We have a mini gallery now of her work.

A very cool Mom stopped to say that her four year old son loves hobos and octopi. It was too funny, he loves hobo culture, wants to have cigarettes in case he meets one someday because she let him hear Big Rock Candy Mountain. That's just about the best thing I've ever heard.

More tomorrow, like where we stayed and where to find my work in Cinci.

Crafty Supermarket will be on the first floor of the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, where 50 craft vendors, DJ and food vendors will be rocking out all day on April 17. (Enter at the main entrance which is on McAlpin Avenue, facing the Fairview German School.)
The CCAC is on the corner of Clifton and McAlpin avenues in the Gaslight District. Check out the CCAC site for detailed directions. There’s free parking directly behind the center, and plenty of street parking in the neighborhood.

I'm not kidding, this is a craft fair like you've never been to before and you won't find anything like it in Kentucky because it's actually cool. There won't be a drift wood birdhouse or a primitive country style candle warmer in sight and I can't tell you how happy that makes me. No one I know showed up to the last one, so get yer butt on the road. Buy my stuff and support your friend and her fledgling craft business. Did I tell you I'm writing a book, for goodness sakes? You are not involved in this yet, so you can't say you knew me when! HA!

Whims and Whimsies

A little more info on the cryptic previous post: I've been commissioned to write an instructional book on hand embroidered monograms! It will be a craft kit with a small book including 12 or so how-to projects, sections on tools and techniques. Supplies for two small projects, including crosstitch will be included.
The book should have a format like this book, which was published/packaged by the company, Quirk Packaging. Keep in mind that I don't know if I'm committed to this yet.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Miss-Woollys-Mini-Cross-Stitch/Eliza-Edwards/e/9781435115538/?itm=1&USRI=miss+woolly

And so, I'm in the throws of overhauling the pieces I've presented at previous craft shows, which in my humble opinion weren't that well conceived or finished, but they're looking good now. I'm making an attempt to do more buttons, as well.

I made dinner last night and the dish was a success. We call it "Chicken Tuxedo."

So. Uh.

I don't have to wait to share this, 'cause I don't think I can.

I'm in the process of signing on for a book deal. Author. Embroidery Kit.

You Betta Werk.

Time to make. Stuff. For the Craft Fair. That is in three weeks.

Currently, I have everything that I had at the last in November, minus a few things that people actually bought on Etsy. But I would like to take significantly more things and better things than I have presented before. I've completed few, which I've shown you, but just five more detailed embroideries could take three weeks. It might be worthwhile to revisit some of my older completed designs and spruce them up. I'm feeling discouraged, however. I just wonder if this is worth my time. I may end up making crap for myself and letting people just look at it, because that is all they seem to want to do.

Consideration.

What's this? Lung Love?

As promised.

I've had a lot of time for thinking lately, but I haven't come to any conclusions.

Old + New is always good.

Reinhold the Big Mouth Bass

Beautiful Vintage Button Collection

I'm pretty proud to have completed several embroideries in two weeks. Reinhold the Big Mouth Bass is one of a series of constellations I've begun. Needless to say, he's not your typical stellar set of stars, but constellations never really look like what they say they are. And why shouldn't the less than pretty beasts of the earth be represented in the Heavens?

The collection of white vintage buttons, as well as the bronze colored buttons were bracelets given to me by a very dear friend. They belonged to her mother, who was an incredible woman from all that I've heard. I wanted to give the buttons new life. What do you think?

The jellyfish is completed and I've started next level Lung Love. SaysYou is currently in "vacation mode" and I won't be updating or selling for several weeks. The slight stress of preparing for CraftySupermarket is starting to get to us. With all that goes on at work, it is very hard to make time for much of anything. Did I show you what Kale is working on? Visit magnonauts.blogspot.com and take a look at this

When the big stress of work is finally dead and gone for the year, we'll be taking a trip to Cincinnati and hopefully taking a nice long weekend.

Jellyfish

Jellyfish. Working on it today.

Looks a bit like this jellyfish by Mr. Charley Harper, who's work is greatly influencing my current style which is certainly a tribute and not meant to infringe on any copyright laws (I've tried to contact his estate in control of his work).

It's beautiful outside today and it is a wonder how much better that makes everything.

CraftySupermarket

Will I see you there?

Tom Petty said it, I repeated it.

New item in the shop. I hope this one does well. I don't see why it won't.

New business card.

The waiting is the hardest part.

Things are good.

Collaborative work with a little bird named Genevieve.

Our house produces super icicles.

I still make buttons.

Catch You on the Flip

The Things I've Done That You Didn't Know About

BOOST : ego, inspiration, productivity.

Ta-da!

15 minutes and no sales.

From The State Journal, Frankfort KY

Etsy.com inspires Betsy to get crafty

By Keren Henderson

Etsy.com - the largest online marketplace for buying and selling handmade items - is a world of artistic inspiration.
The site worked its magic on Frankfort’s Betsy Bailey.
Betsy, 26, who works for the Legislative Research Commission, graduated with a bachelor’s in art education but set aside her artistic pursuits after signing on with the state.
Betsy recently rediscovered embroidery – a childhood hobby – and is selling hand-stitched wall decorations through Etsy.
She describes her designs as “pure, unadulterated hand embroidery and all the little tugs and knots and love that go along with a needle and thread and a vision.”
She started on notepaper, stitching initials and birds as Christmas gifts using a box of embroidery floss her mother gave her.
“That’s the cool thing about embroidery floss – it never gets old,” she explains.
Now, most of her designs go straight from her imagination to the fabric of 6-inch wall hoops. She sells traditional initials, but most of her designs are anything but.
“It’s a traditional craft done in a whimsical way,” she says.
She credits her boyfriend, Kale Nickens, with the “quirky stuff.”

Kale comes up with the design ideas, Betsy sketches them on fabric with water-soluble ink, then the stitching begins.
She explains how her octopus designs came about.
“I was doodling my ever present swirlys and circles and happened upon an octopus. Kale added the face and accessories and we developed a series of characters.”
She sold three of the four, but “OldManPus” is still for sale – on clearance for $10. The name pretty much describes him – he’s an Octopus with bushy eyebrows, a cane and a pipe.
Then there’s the “Nesting Pests” series – “an ever expanding group of Matryoshka nesting dolls with a bit of a twist.”
The Russian stacking dolls are designed to look like classic monsters and include: Franky, Wolfie and Bitey.
But the most unique series is probably “Organic Fruits” designed by Kale.
Etsy has millions of products, but no one else is selling embroidered organs that look like fruits with faces.
Designs take anywhere from one to five hours to stitch, Betsy says. Since she started, she has learned several tricks to produce higher quality work.
She’s sold about 15 wall decorations on Etsy, and has also made sales at craft fairs.
“I get a really good response to the buttons and pins at the fairs,” Betsy says.
The fabric buttons are decorated with initials and other designs.
To take a look at Betsy and Kale’s latest designs, go to saysyou.etsy.com.

Beans and Cornbread.

This is why I'm happy today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM9jT2eM6KQ
It was a deal sealer. I have met my match.

He knew exactly what I was talking about when I brought it up.

I've met my beans.