Trip to the Fiber Expo

It is very rare that I spend less then an hour to drive to a fiber expo, sometime only a half hour if it is the somewhat local spinning group that does shows a few times a year.  This weekend there was the Fiber Expo at the Washtenaw County Fairgrounds, Yippie!  Only and 8 minute drive, it is almost as fast as running to the market!  I wish I could have justified spending more money on the soft, lovely fibers, but I was able to get some goodies that made me Very Happy.

Earlier this year Lynn and I were at a fiber show and she asked a vendor what the Lucet was and received an impromptu lesson.  I found some itty bitty teeny tiny ones and thought they would be a wonderful accessory for some of the Peculiar Poppets, they do know how to knit after all, so why not making I-cords with the lucet.   Hee hee, aren't they cute:

My main objective was to hunt down Emily from Bricolage Studios for an orifus hook and soft goodness.  I found her busy carding new batts and picked one up with the hook, along with some soft textures to add to the spinning, Oooooooo, Aaaaaaaaaa :

I think I am going to play a bit more with my spinning before I grab onto the Bricolage goodness, I want to do the fibers justice in the end result.
Well I am off to the wheel to spin!!!

I'm still here

I will be posting again soon. I have been busy setting up an exhibit, taking a class, adjusting to northern temperature changes and general craziness.
While you wait feel free to check out my friend Lynn's Blog . I took her class over the weekend and had a lot of fun and inspiration.

Have a Happy Wednesday !!

Peculiar Poppet Progress v.2

Eye see you... well almost =)

Heads are attached to bodies and eyes are started. Now on to the hand stitching to finish the eyes and add a playful little smile.

Once that is added I can match up hair and sew up the bodies.... the little ones are coming together... hee hee

Then the details.

Step by Step they come together. Each one matched with yarns, ribbons and embellishments that bring out their character.

See you soon ! :-)

Peculiar Poppet Progress

Work in Progress... The Process

I'm working on another batch of Peculiar Poppets, so I thought I would share part of my process with you.
I don't use a pattern for the doll, just my playful sketch with notes written around the image. I did create an arm pattern since I want those to be a bit more consistent. The rest is all a general shape.
I love tea dyed fabric for the flesh-tone, so after cooking up a batch, drying and ironing I am ready to go.
I cut the rectangles for the bodies and head sections and trace the arm pattern along a strip of the tea dyed fabric.
Now off to the sewing machine to stitch the arms, trim and turn.

Arts & Craft show season is coming up!

Can you believe it is October already !!
Only five weeks until my first show:
Time has flown by this year and we have to start thinking of the holidays already. I always loved giving handmade goods to friends and family over the years. There is something special about a gift made by a person, not a machine. If you make it yourself, or buy it from another artist, it just seems to really say "I am thinking of you". Granted I am always happy with a gift card to my favorite coffee shop or a bag of coffee (just pick the bag of choice with care because roasters are artists too).

As you start to think of who you want to give gifts to this year, make them special and buy handmade, they will love you for it. I try to support my artist friends and locals first, then I hit Etsy, sometimes it depends on what I am looking for. Does your friend have an etsy account, look to see what they have marked as their favorite shops and items for ideas (I've used that trick already for a friend), then you know they will truly Love it.

Happy Holiday Art Shopping !!!