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I have a bag of little discarded cardboard boxes, paper tubes, empty thread spools, and the like. I took it out the other day when everyone was a little restless and unfocused. Oh boy. Nothing like raw materials to get the tribe to settle down. Here is just a sampling of what was constructed. I especially like that the village has a river running through it.
Here is the unicorn I am making. I am not feeling totally done yet. The crochet piece is not sewn in place, as I'm not sure that is what I want. This unicorn has been sitting on my work table for a while now and has caused me a bit of a creative block. Does that ever happen to anyone else? I feel as if I am overthinking and over/underworking too much. Sometimes what I am making just flows from my hands and is done in no time at all. Other times things seem so laborious and frustrating. I almost wanted to give up altogether with this one.
I wonder whether I need to have a vision before hand of what I want to make, or whether letting things develop as I go along is best. Like most things in life, I think the creative process is somewhere in between these two points of view. Another factor for me is looking at the work of other artists. Sometimes it is fantastically inspirational to see what other people are making. I get ideas for materials or techniques, and I learn so much from what they have produced. On the other hand, I can also begin to feel intimidated, and compare my work unfavorably to others. Or, if I look too much at another person's work, I forget my own vision and find myself trying to produce something that looks like the other person's stuff. I know that this is all well-trodden territory for artists, but I think it is important to pause, regroup, and understand what is going on with one's creative process.
I would love to get together with other crafters who make sewn sculpture: dolls, animals, birds, and the like. I think the exchange would be so helpful. But, I'm not sure how to make that happen in my little rural corner of Massachusetts. Or, if there were classes in sewn animal and dollmaking techniques perhaps. I'll have to explore this further.
Enjoy the weekend! X Maribeth
My six-year-old son has been drawing obsessively lately. I am very interested in his drawings. He tends to use simple lines, and fill up the paper. Alas, many of the drawings tend to be war scenes, influenced by his interest in the Star Wars stories. But, some pirate ships, submarines, and a most lovely rain forest scene have popped up lately as well.
He draws on 6 or 8 sheets of 8.5' x 11" paper that he first tapes together. He got this idea for large drawings at school. Over the winter his teacher provided a group of the boys with long pieces of paper to make drawings that they could revisit whenever they had free time or inside recess. They spent weeks drawing scenes, adding bits and pieces when they could. I thought it was a fantastic idea and was happy to see Adam doing the same at home.
I have a strange urge to see the two detailed black and white drawings at the top done in embroidery. Inspiration is found in unexpected places, isn't it?
Our newly-formed Craft Lab, a group of local women that meet to explore a different craft every month, met again today. You may remember that I posted about the hand-printed fabric we made at our first meeting.
I hosted the group today. I created a pattern for a tote bag featuring a nine-patch motif. Participants brought whatever colors and prints of fabrics they wanted to use. It was fun to see the different interpretations. Because of last-minute cancellations, there were only three of us. But, it was really enjoyable to spend focused time with others making something. Most of my crafting is done solo - just me in my workroom, usually listening to the radio or music.
You can see all of the finished totes in the bottom photo. The woman who made the tote on the far left decided to leave out the nine-patch motif, as she is a beginner sewer. She picked some very sweet fabric, though, and it stands up well on its own. The second tote was made by the organizer of the Craft Lab. She has a great design sense and had bought all her lovely fabric from Pearl Soho. I made the two bags on the right. The one on the far right was my prototype, and I made the white and brown one today during the meeting.
Some shades of pink during the fullness of spring:
The month of May on my Camilla Engman calendar.
A little print sent from Julianna Swaney of Oh My Cavalier.
A sneak peek at a work in progress (inspired by a suggestion from Margie).
A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She is a lovely woman, with school-aged children. As is most always the case, the diagnosis came out of no where. One day she was simply living her life, the next she is told that a lump found on a routine exam is cancer. I am reminded that life does not always make sense.
It was just a little over two years ago that I myself was diagnosed with breast cancer. There are many days now that I do not think much at all about the fact that I had cancer, and that I went through some difficult surgeries to remove the tumor. I have not gotten involved in cancer survivor groups, relays, or walks. It has worked best for me to move on. Yet, when I heard my friend's diagnosis, it brought a lot of emotions to the surface. Most central of all, interestingly, was gratitude. I'm grateful to be here to watch my children grow up. I'm grateful to be able to walk in the woods, spend time with family and friends, read books, do my creative work, contribute to my community. Nothing fancy, just the basics.
I made my friend this crocheted stone. She is collecting items to serve as a healing shrine. When I was being treated, I made a similar collection of objects given to me by friends and family. I believe objects can be vehicles for much love and connection through place and time. I hope our collective wishes and prayers will help my friend through this terrible time.
I find it very satisfying to clean up my work space (top two photos). But, it gets messy so quickly (bottom photo)! I suppose it isn't really possible to create something without spreading out and making a mess.
Off to NYC for the weekend with my family. I'm looking forward to some time away. Hope you enjoy your weekend! X Maribeth
I was the highest bidder (at the grand sum of $3.00) for this lovely book at the silent auction portion of our recent public library book sale.
Don't you love that title? Illustrated World, A Book for the Instruction and Amusement of Our Children
The illustrations attracted me. They were made in 1853, but are still vibrant in color. The first illustration is of a Turkish couple. The text states, "There does not exist a more honorable, friendly, and high-spirited character than the true Turkish provincial Aga, or Moslem country gentleman." The illustration with the three pigeons is my favorite.
A new camel, this time in blue. I think this blue camel is a lighthearted fellow, with a good sense of humor. (How could you not be fun-loving if your fur looked a bit like cotton candy!) He'll cheer things up around here for the brown camel (a most serious chap).
Hope the week is a good one. Maribeth
It is a dreary rainy saturday here in the Berkshires. It all started with bright flashes of lightning and booms of thunder at 2:30AM. My little boy was frightened and needed reassurance to get back to sleep. My brave and practical daughter slept right through.
To brighten things up a bit, I'm posting photos of the tiny granny squares (and other motifs) I've been making. They are all under two or so inches square. I'm not sure where this relaxing exercise will take me, but I'm enjoying making color combinations and using tiny hooks. Perhaps I'll find a way to incorporate them into my animals somehow.
THANK YOU so much, my dear blog friends, for all your positive comments about my horse. Your supportive words give me tremendous energy to keep creating.