Under Over...Over Under

Each year I have to start thinking about Christmas a bit early because I have a handful of cousins that receive handmade items as gifts.  At first this was easy because there was so much of the art/craft world that I had not explored.  Gift giving gave me the wonderful excuse to play, expand my knowledge and buy all the new and exciting gadgets.  As the years have passed I have honed my skills and found what works for me, as well as paths never to be wandered again. ( I keep the gadgets because I have been able to use many in the most unconventional ways) Each year gets a little harder to be fresh in my gift giving so I have to get my creative juices flowing. 

 After a couple of lopsided and floppy attempts I am on my way to making woven coasters, each recipient will get a set of 4.  Yep, I got to purchase a lap loom and thanks to a store coupon it was under $15.00, score! (who knows what else I will be able to concoct with this)  With my crochet background I have a love for and a working knowledge of yarns so I picked out some variegated medium weight acrylic/cotton mix balls.  Variegated let me know the colors would work together and I did not have a great investment in multiple yarns in case this craft was a flop (like the crochet Christmas stockings).  I separated and balled the different colors because if used straight from the original ball I would only get one color per coaster.  This has turned out to be a nice distraction from my normal creating and it fills the criteria for gifts...east to ship, cost efficient, utilitarian ( some years not so much) and does not over tax me to make.  One year I was given family heirloom crochet squares and I took it upon my self to tat them together into blankets and gave them to the descendants for Christmas. They were much appreciated but that was the year I learned about being over taxed, never again. So I will spend my evenings under/over...over/under for the next few weeks and have that part of Christmas under my belt. Whoo!

Our family is expanding with the arrival of our niece Haprer and our way of helping out is getting to play with her brother Grant, 18 months.  Last weekend was my first diaper change in over 20 years and I had to work to get it on correctly but he was patient and we giggled through the process.  He has been a joy to watch as he thinks about and manipulates items in his path.  Sometimes we need a different point of view to help open up our world.  The great thing is he can say juice and Os (Cheerios) so I know he won't dehydrate or starve to death under our watch.

Enjoy whatever the day brings!!
Hilari

X-box Widow

The Brothers Jack

Spring is in the air, at least that is what the calendar says.  I believe we have had all the winters...dogwood, blackberry, redbud, locust... blow through bringing their cold temperatures and dreary days.  Don't get me wrong, I really like a good dreary day, getting to stay snuggled up inside with a warm fire and an idea to keep me engaged, but we have had our fair share and I am ready for some sunshine.  With spring it becomes a challenge to keep up with the neighbors and their bountiful yards due to the fact that my thumb is not green, not in the least. We mow and keep up with the trimming so we are presentable but anything we get to grow is a delight.  I have one small patch that comes up this time of year and I eagerly wait for the green to peek out from the dirt.  It has trilliums, some tall green leaf things, a patch of yellow flower somethings, and my favorite Jack-in-the-Pulpit.  This year we had Jacks 2 pop up and I am thrilled.  Soon it will be time to plant zinnia seeds and hope for the best.

 Apparently Husband was a very good boy last year and Santa brought him an X-box 1 for Christmas.  He enjoys playing... a lot... and apparently so do his friends, including our son who lives out of town, which is nice that they can interact but...I have become what I call an X-box widow.  Husband laughs and agrees. At least he is home and not running out and about, and I have a quite a bit more time to spend in the workshop.  This little rocker is a result of that extra time.  She was one of those quick and easy projects that does not come along very often.  The curve cut is nice and smooth and when resting it is almost dead center.  The weight distribution is spot on so the rocking motion is effortless. The tricky part was the basket the girl is holding due to it wanting to slip out of shape each time another rib was attached but with a little patience and some man handling it came into it's own.  When the piece is tipped the basket swings and the apples wiggle about.  I will have to keep this one in mind the next time I am struggling with an idea (like the ones that are sitting unfinished on the workbench) and know that every once in a while a project can be a simple pleasure to make.

The X-box is on and the workshop is calling.  With no particular direction pulling me, I will just see where inspiration leads.  I have one project that has to have the hands epoxied to wire that is fitted through holes in a box...hum...not exactly sure the next step in this process.  Or another unfinished workbench dweller consists of parts that, at some point, will be a man carrying a stack of wobbly books.  I have the wooden books carved and have played with the sway but I am not happy with it just yet.  Those are both viable options or I may just see where the sawdust takes me.

Side note*  I am thrilled to announce that there are 3 Jacks in my tiny woodland landscape. This is a first, Whooo!

Peace,
Hilari

Pizazz and Following Directions

While I love the holidays with the joy of family and friends, ours extended into January and this was our first weekend that did involve having to clean the house for said joy.  I did not care what state the house was in, and really how dirty could it be anyway, so I took time to play.  I spent Saturday morning at KBAG and this book was the result.  We chose a book, cut out the innards, cut the spine, sewed new signatures and voila a new journal to be filled with new ideas. Voila is a bit of an overstatement because at least 3 out of the 7 of us, me included, cut our spines wrong and had to reevaluate our process.  To add interest I crocheted an inner lining.  I liked the way it looked, how soft the yarn felt but I will have to add a closure due to the thickness.  Truth be told I did not read the instructions properly ( see below).  I thought it was going to be a simple sewn book and I wanted it to have a little pizazz which was the reason for the crocheting and ultimately the improper fit.  After all that I was thrilled to have a finished project.  That does not happen often for me in the gatherings.  It was a fun morning being with creative people, even if my partner in crime (we sit in the back and giggle...a lot...hence the reason for incomplete projects) was not there.   

My afternoon and Sunday were wrapped around a mini mobile that has 6 books which are 1/2 inch tall.  The mobile itself is 7 inches and stands 11 inches with the base. It is sturdy but looks very delicate as it spins and glides around.  The book covers came from a site that deals with miniature houses.  The signature pages, which came from an old dictionary, were sewn together in sets of three and glued into the covers. Sewing thread and my trusty wire were used to create the actual mobile.   The base is some cool rusty spring thing I found somewhere and have had for sometime waiting for the right use and this was it.

I must admit that I have an addiction.  I have had it for so time now and do not believe it will abate any time soon.  I love to acquire craft/art books.  Oh, the possibilities the beautiful pictures and written instructions allow one to explore.  I will say that I am much more about the pictures because I have a hard time following written directions.  The words get jumbled up and I have to really get involved to follow the process. Just ask Husband about the countless time I have screwed up dinner following recipes. (I have learned to cook by taste and we have eaten much better because of it) This mobile is a direct outcome of this.  Coupon = new book, yea, and in said book was a project using old book parts to make a hanging bird.  To me this sounded very confusing so I looked at the intriguing photos and came up with my own lovely bird which I turned into 3 and hung as a mobile.  The idea of the mobile was born and the next logical step was to make one with tiny books, of course.  I am going to teach my version of the bird mobile in our KBAG meeting next month.  It will be fun to see the colors and patterns chosen by each to make their birds come to life. 

It is dreaded tax time in our house so off I go to gather and conquer. Be sure to stop and watch the clouds pass by every once on a while.

Peace,

Hilari

Looking for Santa

I'm keeping my eye out for Santa but I do not think this contraption will help.  This stereoscope belongs to my cousins and I enjoyed viewing the cards they have collected throughout the years.  Our family had one during my growing up years but I will have to ask Mother where it is.  I am sure Granddaughter would love to carefully, at the table, with adult supervision, look at the cards and watch the 3d come to life.

Ideas and inventions like this always fascinate me.  The manipulation of what is into the manifestation of what can be makes me giddy.  Except at 2:00 am.  Not very giddy at 2:00 am ...unless what I have been working on comes together in my mind in that sleep/awake state.  Some of my best work has been thought through and then unfortunately lost into the recesses of my sleepy brain in the wee hours.  But sometimes, Bingo!!, and I can't wait to get to the workshop.

If you are like me you are lucky to have a husband that likes to get you what you want for Christmas.  By this I mean...Honey, I ordered my present today.  Reply:  Great, I'll wrap it when it comes in.  We are calling this the Year of the Hammer.  I have been rejuvenated to play with metals so it was time to receive the proper hammers.  Husband said that he couldn't wait to see them, knowing that they will be added to our workshop toys. 

To all I send hopes of safe travels and healthy and joyous family and friends.  Maybe we will get a glimpse of Santa passing by the moon during his busy schedule tomorrow night.

Peace and Merry Christmas to all,

Hilari

Go Dog Go!!

A friend is involved with a greyhound rescue group in town and she put out a call to anyone who would like to donate something for their upcoming fundraiser.  Because this immediately pop into my head I knew that it had to be made.  There were a couple of challenging aspects that I had to work through, the first being that I wanted to create the dog by felting roving.  Sounded easy enough seeing that I have dabbled with needle felting on and off in the past.  Checked out Pinterest and a couple of YouTube videos and off I went.  While their greyhounds looked like greyhound, mine, or at least as much as I attempted,  did not.  Not to mention just how long I worked on this 3 inch by 2 inch dog.

That is not to say that at some point it may have resembled a dog of sorts but this was time sensitive and the actual want to continue down this path was quickly waining. So, per usual, I broke out the wire and had something that looked close enough to a greyhound in a short amount of time.

The next challenge was to have the dog being walked only by his leash, so this meant he would be floating instead of being attached to the swing bar.  Also, I was not sure if the weight of the suspended dog would upset the balance and not allow for spin.  It took a bit of finagling to get the dog leashed and stable, and I was thrilled to see that his weight did not topple the couple.  In other words, I did not have to reinforce the legs attached to the bar.

Due to the extra weight on the sculpture side, next time I will make the counter weight a bit larger.  I used my existing pattern for the moveable parts and was all set with added color, holes drilled and parts fitted.  Because I did not have the time nor the want to remake the parts, I had to slide the swing bar much more centered on the fulcrum to get the piece to freely spin.  It still looked in proportion, but next time I now know to think about counter weight when making these.  Also, as you can see in the picture, I had yet ( forgotten) to stabilize the swing rod so the dog was starting to walk down hill.  Another thing to remember, especially since it is a bit tricky drilling a hole and hammering in the tiny wooden dowel with the wire attached.

All in all the project went well.  My friend was happy and I learned a thing or two, so it was not time wasted, unlike with a few unfinished projects that haunt me on occasion.

The calendar says that fall is here and our temperatures are starting to drop (slightly), as well as the leaves. Trader Joe's have their shelves full of pumpkin everything...bread, pancakes, butter... (now, so do I). Tomorrow we are going to watch the movie Goonies (1985) in a cave with friends and end the afternoon rooting for our college team.  What a glorious Saturday!!

Saving all the laundry til Sunday!!

Peace,

Hilari

Scuppernongs, Muscadines, and Fuzzy Socks

A Little Taste of Heaven

These little explosions of taste always make my heart sing.  I never set out to purchase them so they are a grand surprise when I come across them. On this particular day I stopped roadside to pick up the last of the season's peaches but needless to say my cash on hand was quickly swapped for these beauties.  For those of you who have not had the pleasure of a scuppernong (green) or muscadine (purple) they are somewhat akin to a grape, but with a very thick peel.  The bigger they are the sweeter they become.  There is scuppernong jelly and muscadine wine but for me I like them cold straight from the fridge, just watch out for the seeds. 

 As I have been working on automata my pieces seem to be growing in size.  My latest piece, which I will share soon, is around 16 x 16 inches.  When I saw an incarnation of this I was intrigued by the size.  Not only was it small but the mechanism was predetermined as well so I had to see what I could do with these parameters.  After playing with the clothespin for a good while, open/close/open/close/ open/close, I came up with this man tipping his hat at the lady passing by.  It seemed easy enough, but as I have learned, not all is as it seems.  It took some finagling to get the hat to go up and down, which you would think would be easy since it should only go up and down. Due to the weight of the felted hat on top of the wire, the hat would wobble around in all directions. Guiding the wire up the back of the man to control the movement worked perfectly.  I added a free swinging purse to the lady's arm to give her a bit of personality, so when the clothespin is worked his hat goes up and down and her purse rocks about.  

This is the next addition to the clothespin series and he is by far one of my favorite pieces.  Unfortunately, the pictures do not do him justice.  Photography is not one of my strong suits, but I digress...When activated be becomes a great sword swallower.  To keep his sword in track I used a kid's juice box straw and felted his body around it.  Surprise, it worked!  I truly believe that if you don't know that something won't work, you will be surprised by what will.  I have others playing around in my head but other pieces are time sensitive so they will just have to play amongst themselves for awhile.

Our weather is giving us a taste of fall this weekend so I have gladly broken out the warm fuzzy socks.  I love my warm fuzzy socks.  Truly.

I live in a college town and we have our first game Monday night, Go VOLS!!!, NFL starts Thursday, fuzzy socks...I just don't know if I can handle much more.  Maybe some warm pumpkin bread dripping with butter...

Peace,

Hilari

From Metal to Wood

While I did not add movement to my pieces in art class, others did and it was wonderful to watch them come to life.  I was a voyer and learned as a larger welded version of this was being made.  I knew I would have to give it a try in a medium that I have much more control over.  This piece measures 21 inches to the kite tip. And the swing span is 20 inches around.

The magic to this is the simple hidden mechanism that is going on inside the small square block atop the long dowel.  A small piece of dowel is carved to a point and it rests on a bowl shape carved into the tip of the longer dowel.  The square block holds both pieces together but not too tightly so the spin can happen when pushed.

This is the second incarnation of this idea and has quickly become one of my favorite pieces to date. You can almost hear her screaming WEEEEE as they cycle round and round. His mustache swings freely and this adds to the life of the piece.  I was lucky to have felt roving the same color as the chosen paint to make her scarf, which helps create uniformity across the swing span (my made up technical term).  The next one I see in my head is a boat, a sail, and a umbrella turned inside out.  That one is on the ever growing I Want To Make list.

Very soon I am off again for a week at Arrowmont.  I CAN'T WAIT!!!  I am taking another movement in wood class so I know I will be greatly inspired..WHOOO! 

My chores are done, dinner is planned, so off to the workshop I go.  I have one almost completed sitting on the workbench.  The movement works, all that is left is the finishing touches. It is all downhill from here.

I hope all have a great 4th of July!

Hilari