"Tidiness"

Do we ever stop learning about ourselves?  Does discovery somehow disappear when we turn a certain age?  I am of an age where I'd better 'figure' myself out, if I'm ever going to do so.  And so the subject of 'tidiness' has entered my thoughts.

Moving from mice (who were quite tidy in their pattern and design) back to punchneedle, my first thought was that I would like to  be a little 'looser' with some new-to-me designs. Perhaps more mixed media.

My second thought was: 'where will I put whatever I make after its finished'? And that meant that it 'had' to stand since I have little to no wall space. Without much thought at all I gave myself a framed 5"x7" space for each piece.

 My original idea was to use both regular punchneedle and reverse punchneedle.  As mentioned before I wanted to incorporate some trinket that I already had on hand.  Of course the colors I used had to be appropriate to the trinket(s).  Can you see my limitations growing?

 Now that it is finished, and sitting neatly on the shelf, I feel as if I have trapped myself in 'tidiness'. While I had an 'earth' story in mind, my finished piece told me no story. I ended up with something boxed in, very tidy in design and pretty boring, even to me.  I think its time to let go of limitations and rules.

"Creativity can be described as letting go of certainties." - Gail Sheehy

"Butterfly House"

Many years ago we went to Calloway Gardens.  There we found a large glass room, filled with beautiful plants and even more beautiful butterflies.  The butterflies flew around inside their artificial home, landing here and there.  Often they would land on our shoulders or hands.  It sent a shiver of delight and wonder through me.  I wanted to stay there forever watching these beautiful flyers and having them as friends.

So of course my village has to have a Butterfly House -- life wouldn't be complete without it.  And it will honor these beauties who are having a difficult time in the environment that we have created.

I was inspired by some paper that I found at a nearby scrapbook store, brought it home and printed it onto fabric, thus giving me a door.

I had a lovely died piece of silk ribbon which had been waiting years for the proper use.  A few seed stitches added some texture.

The back of some garish buttons matched my colors and added a little bit of whimsy.

Just remember...

"Without butterflies, the world would soon have few flowers.  There is enough room in the sky for all flyers." - Trina Paulus

A Trio of Teapots

My fingers have been flying in order to meet a deadline.  Not my favorite way to work, but sometimes it happens.

Teapot I  - Perhaps I would start my day with a brisk cup of "English Breakfast Tea" poured from this pot.

Teapot II - I think the whimsy of this pot calls for a cup of "Dry Desert Lime".

Teapot III - Oh yes, "Jasmine Green", curled up in a chair reading a good book.

For these designs I used reverse punchneedle.  I like the reverse stitch for something like this.  It give a detail that the regular loops can't always provide.  The design is crisper and clearer.  

Of course now that they are finished I'm headed for a delicious cup of tea to celebrate...

"A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Deadline and Tea???

I know that tea and deadlines just DO NOT go together.  Coffee is the go-to beverage for the energetic, the can-do time-inspired creators.  Tea - not so much.  Tea is for steeping, sipping, reading, listening to music and having quiet talks.
  

Early in January I listed two goals for the new year.  One was houses (we know how that went *smile*) and the other was teapots.  I love teapots and wanted to make up a few in punchneedle.  Last week, as I was finishing up 'the house' a friend sent me a 'call to artists' for teapot art to be exhibited locally.  The date for the pieces to be delivered is March 5th.  Yikes - that's less than a month away with not one teapot even on the drawing board.

A week later drawings have been rendered and the first teapot is well underway.  I'm using reverse punchneedle because I want a contemporary look and the details show better in this format.  These days I'm thinking that I need to switch to coffee however, if I'm going to get all the work finished in such a short amount of time.

"Outside of the chair, the teapot is the most ubiquitous and important design element in the domestic environment and almost everyone who has tacked the world of design has ended up designing one." - Davie McFadden

Birds of a Feather

My two colorful birds have taken flight.  Each of them looking quite perky in their pastel feathers.

In order to get a little variety in textures I worked the background of these punchneedle pieces in reverse punchneedle.  I'm not sure that I like it -- but there you are, I'm never one to go back and redo a whole piece.

I loved working with these colors and the theme was quite light almost as if I were myself, taking flight.

"The sound of birds stops the noise in my mind." - Carly Simon

Birds of a Feather

 

Three birds, transformed from paper to stitchery. 

Each one exhibits a slightly different body type while keeping the same 'sketchbook' color scheme.

The designs are simple, based upon designs created many, many years ago by people who lived surrounded by these birds, the open sky and hand hewn rock homes. 

Creating something, out of nothing, is a joy that never ends.

 "The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who...looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space...on the infinite highway of the air." - Wilbur Wright

Heaven!

This morning I walked into my studio to this sight.  The sun coming in through the trees, casting shadows upon my play area and the needlework waiting for me.  What better way to start the day.

 

 

I'm currently working this bird design.  Although its pretty laborious because of the small spots on his body, its working up well and I'm having so much fun plying my needle in and out. 

Because of the design I realized almost as soon as I began, that it would look much better as a 'reverse' punchneedle design.  The loops on the other side would not show the delineation of the design at all -- but the flat reverse punchneedle works quite well.

Stitchery and creativity bring me such peace and joy - and I'm especially thankful for this little spot in the world where I'm allowed to spend my days.

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." - Lou Holtz

Reverse Punchneedle

As I was busily creating bracelets my husband looked at one still on the frame and commented that he liked it very much.  I then explained to him that he was looking at the back of it - and I turned it over to show him the front.  He still liked the back better than the front *smile*!

This gave me the idea that in future work I might try combining regular punchneedle with reverse punchneedle -- the change in textures should work quite well.  All I have to do now is figure out how to hide the little tags that I usually have dangling on the surface of the back of the work. 

I love the idea of exploring new and exciting techniques in the format that I'm using at the time.  This one will go into my 'idea' book for future pieces.

"Trust that little voice in your head that says 'Wouldn't it be interesting if...'; and then do it". - Duane Michals