Not Bad

If you overlook the fact that the placement and design are a little off....it's not bad for a 10 minute effort on November's calendar page for Nancy. I always have good intentions to really think it through....but most of the time I've waited until the last minute so have to quickly make something work to get it in the mail in time.  But maybe not bad good things can be simple and happen in just 10 minutes with the scraps that are right on your work table.

The handwritten heart theme continues... and this simple November page is on it's way to Minneapolis in time for November 1st. It was pure chance that the word "Ghost" made the cut from Angie's handwriting.  Seems fitting for the end of October. 

Speaking of not bad....this was a little 4x4 experiment of translating something other than a Funky Face to stitch.  I was quite taken with Linda's oxalis plant when I visited. I've always loved this plant....and I haven't had one in a long time. But lucky for me...Linda sent me home with a cutting from hers.

The spindly, but charming plant in the earthy planter....and the backdrop of the stunning view out her windows stole my heart.  

After fusing it onto some stiff interfacing...I stitched the whole thing on muslin....then filled it in with colored pencil. The purple leaves are stitched in purple first....then filled in with pencil.

I wish I would have taken a photo before I colored.....but I got on a roll....and couldn't stop.  I'm certainly going to play around with this idea more.   

I think I captured the essence of Linda's plant and view in stitch....it's not bad!

I think it's going to make its way to York.

And speaking of plants in pots....here's the basket I bought at the Maker's Market yesterday.  I think it works well with my vase of curly wrapped willow sticks....I just love these colorful striped patterns.  

It's a rainy day here in Portland....so I had to have a light on....artificial light never makes for a good photo. But you get the idea.

Color and Texture

I checked out the Makers Market at Thompson's Point in Portland today.....I've never been to this event before....or this venue.  It was pretty incredible space.....full of color and texture today.  

I go to these things mostly for inspiration....I really don't need a thing.  But I was quite taken with this maker....she stole my heart.  

I came home with a beautiful woven basket that will be a nice pop of color and texture in the condo....I just need to figure out where its new home will be. 

And my other little treasure is teeny tiny.....and barely visible in this photo of my window sill.  But first....speaking of window sill.....I'm really enjoying the view from my kitchen window.  The maple in the side yard has finally turned....it's such a great pop of color.

Isn't it adorable....and it actually holds a teeny tiny bit of water.    

On my way home I stopped at Winslow Farm to pick up some vegetables.....next Sunday is the last day their farm stand is open for the season.  

And the BEST stem ever was on a pumpkin right outside their door.  I resisted the urge to buy it....I really don't need another pumpkin....but I really loved it.

You know I want to say it....but I'm showing some restraint.

And I laughed out loud when I saw this display at the counter.

Now I really need to say it: 

it IS all about the stem.

This assortment of gourds caught my eye.  They weren't for sale....but drying for  their greenhouse.....and some of them will be made into birdhouses.

The variation of shapes and shades of green were incredible.

And this dark one in the middle....also had a pretty good stem!  I had a great day full of colors and textures.....and I enjoyed every minute.

Magic In The Woods

My art buddy Elisa is on vacation with her parents....and I have permission from one of her moms to share this photo.  How can look at this and not smile!

I'm calling it Jumping for Joy! 

I saw an image years ago that sparked an idea that's been rolling around in my head.....and I finally got it out of my head and into the woods. It's maybe the most fun I've had with a DIY nature project in a long time.

The colder nights and near freezing temperatures have finally made the bittersweet pop.  Bittersweet is a funny vine....quite invasive actually...so not very desirable growing in your own yard. But I find it fascinating and beautiful. The berries are kind of a last resort for birds....they don't all love it...but when they're desperate deep into the winter....they peck away at it.

The berries go from green to yellowish orange....then pop open to reveal the shiny red pods in the fall. I have a couple of wild and wildernessy kinds of places I have access to it now....and I enjoy using it in my fall decorating.  Last year I wrapped it around the base of my birdbath.

So here's what I've been thinking about for years....

and finally created. I couldn't love it more. 

Paul and I are still enjoying happy hour on the patio...sometimes with our blankets....and we have a nice view from the chairs. I can see it from the couch....and my puzzle table....and I love the way it looks in different light.

You can barely see it in this photo....but it's crystal clear in person. 

I found it really hard to photograph.....the photos don't do it justice.

You can see some yellow berries on this branch....but most of them have popped open. By the time it pops open...most of the leaves have fallen off leaving only the vine.

I started with a little grapevine base tied loosely around the tree....and I've been tucking the in bittersweet for a week or so now.  This is a photo in the early stages....and these yellow berries have all popped open. I wondered if they would.  

I just read that you can make wreaths out of the vines whey the berries are still yellow and less fragile.  They will pop open when it gets cold at night and I'll certainly try that next year.

 Did I mention how much I love it? It feels like a bit of magic in the woods.....and I'm going to enjoy it all winter. 

Collage Series

Following along with the October lesson from Rebecca Sower in Fodder School 2....I just finished a little collage series.  I became more confident mixing my own colors and learned new ways to paint and mark my own papers....and was reminded of the importance of value and design.  These are all things I've dabbled with....but am learning to apply them in a more deliberate way. There are things I would have done differently....but all in all I'm fairly happy with them....and it was a good chance to use some papercuts from my stash. 

The scheme is a little unusual for me....but I think they have an earthy fall look. They couldn't be more different than my recent funky faces. 

As a matter of fact....they do look like the fall colors I've been seeing lately....especially in the oaks.    

 

These are the two I like best. Now....what do I do with them?

Frames will make a big difference....they are just stitched onto nice watercolor paper....a clever matting tip Rebecca taught us.  They are 5 x 5 collages on 8 x 8 paper. 

Circle of Joy

This is the first morning that Paul and I noticed a little frost.  We didn't have a hard freeze....and it wasn't widespread....but the white frosty edges on some of the the leaves and grasses were a delight.  I spent some time looking closely.....I have a patient and understanding walking partner.

I love the ebb and flow of the seasons....the growing and thriving.....and shriveling and dying. And I even love the rest nature takes during the dormant winter. 

 It's that wabi-sabi circle of life thing...and this time of year it's so clear.  I'm thinking of it today as a circle of joy. 

I had my own little circle of joy this morning as I made the rounds here and there.  It started with a delightful walk this morning with Paul.  Then I dropped off a couple big bags of clothes at Patsy's. She had invited her friends to donate clothes we no longer needed to take to her daughter Alex, who lives in northern Maine.  Alex is going to have a party and invite all her friends and neighbors over to shop the new used clothes. All the extras will go to the local Thrift store to beef up their inventory. I took advantage of the opportunity to weed out things I still loved....but just don't wear anymore....and it felt good.  And I love Alex's party idea. 

Then I made my way to Margie's for a visit.....that's always a good thing. And of course there was a finished puzzle on her table which will circle back to my table someday....then on to someone else.  I love loaning puzzles....and am starting to give them away too. I think I"m going to start writing my first name and city inside the front cover....and maybe as they are passed along others will do the same.

Next I took a little treat to Janice....who just needs a little love these days. And finally ended up right back where I started. I always love ending up at home.

It was a full circle of joy kind of day....and it was delightful.

Funky Frame

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way....things I had no words for."  Georgia O'keeffe

I know I'll be stitching more funky faces....and other funky stitched things are rolling around in my head.....but I needed closure on this piece before I could move on. 

I was sure I was going to use a black pinstripe fabric for the binding because I thought it would give a nod to the black stitching in the piece. But after auditioning....it just wasn't right. Because I did so much painting...it really became more about the colors and patterns and less about the stitching. Lesson learned.

I went through my stash and decided that since the baubles were my favorite element...I wanted to lean into them.  Then when I found the orange and purple polka dot....and I knew it was right. It's the perfect funky fabric for my perfectly imperfect funky stitched face.

Can you see how the woods has changed?  It made the turn to mostly yellow a week or so ago...now it's rounding the corner to brown....and just glowing here in the morning light.

This is how the backyard looked in the late afternoon light. It won't be long before all the leaves will be down.....then I'll get to enjoy the dark silhouettes of the trees.  I love that too. The woods needs to rest.

Generous Gift

"The world is full of magical things waiting patiently for our senses to grow sharper." W. B. Yeats

Paul and I walk by this patch of Chinese Lanterns on a regular basis...and I'm always on the lookout for one on the ground to pick up and take home. They dry beautifully....and keep their rich orange color.

On a recent walk I noticed the owner was just getting home....so I seized the moment to compliment her on her yard and beautiful gardens and tell her how much I love her Chinese lanterns.

I learned her name was Robin....and she offered to share.

I was pretty excited about her generous gift.

They add a nice pop of color to my bowl of fall findings on my table.

I pressed a small sumac branch...and it adds a little color too.

I love my fall collection.....along with all my special wabi-sabi gourds. You can read about my gourds in this series of posts:

https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/search?q=wabi-sabi+gourds

I've been SLOWLY plugging along on my puzzle....it's really hard. If the colors weren't so fabulous.....I would have abandoned it long ago. But I was able to combine a few boxes...and did another round of ordering making it easier to search for pieces. My strategy changes on a daily basis.....and the challenge is good for me.

I've been looking for this piece for quite a while. This particular shape should have been easy to find.  It seemed I was looking for a piece with two outies around the corner from each other with and innie on the side and a pop of pink.

(That's a silly way to describe the puzzle piece.....I wonder how you would describe it.)

Instead....it looked like this. Two outies opposite each other with an innie on one side....and not much of a pop of pink at all. Phew! Now....I can't find the piece right above it. Time to move to another spot. It's still going to take a while....but there is joy in that.

A Funky Face In Stitch

"I'm so glad I live in world where there are Octobers."  

Anne of Green Gables

Paul and I drove through Evergreen Cemetery today.....it was magical.  

I found a little joy.....and a ginkgo tree I'm going to try and watch.

I've been quietly working on a funky face....and this time actually in stitch. 

I hadn't done free motion quilting in a while....but it went surprisingly well. 

Not all of you are interested in the process....but for those of you who are....here I go. Hopefully it will make some sense.

Because this is a paid class....I can't say too much.....but any into I give is my own version of what was suggested.  

 

I traced one of my drawings onto a piece linen....which in the end wasn't the best choice because of the loose weave and texture.  I stabalied it onto heavyweight interfacing making it easier to sew.  Not bad for a free motion novice!

I mostly colored with acrylic posca pens....

they worked well...and didn't bleed. 

I hand stitched lines on the glasses to make stripes. 

The baubles are my favorite part of the whole piece.

I had already decided that funky backgrounds were going to be my thing....so started with vertical lines stitched with a regular foot.  This was a pain in the neck because I had stop and start the stitch line when I got to the face and pull the stitches to the back. 

I stitched the pattern on the dress with the free motion foot so I was able to knot the threads and cut them short.....which was much easier.  I should have done that with the background as well.

I really wanted to create a plaid with a variety of line widths....but because pulling the threads to the back was so tedious I ended up just doing a simple grid. You can see the loose threads that had to be pulled to the back.

At first I was tying them on the back....but after a while I just left them because I knew they would be secured when I glued the piece to a backing.

I'm not in love with my color choices for the background....but I kept adding layers and outlines until I was satisfied enough.  In the end green was the wrong choice and  I wish I would have developed where I was in the first photo more adding some darker rosey pink with the yellow and leaving every other block empty. Too late now...so I had to just go with the green.

It helped tie it in to outline the green in the same color as the glasses.  The first layer  of green was a regular marker...and it didn't cover as well.  I did add the dark rosey pink around the yellow....and yes...it helped those squares too.  The next one I want to do the background all in stitch...then fuse the face on top.  That way I'll have all kind of freedom to stitch like crazy from one side to the other in all kinds of colors.

But in the end..... not bad for my first funky face in stitch!