My Brilliant Grandmother

My wonderful grandmother, Emme, was a painter. She was the greatest influence on my life, as I was growing up. She began painting later in life, when she was in her 40's. Her portraits and still life's have a quality that I love. She captures the mood, the quietness of her subjects as they pose for her. These were painted in the 1940's and are very evocative of the period. The light and shadow make up the structure of her subjects and thus have a slightly impressionistic feel.
My family and I are blessed to have many of her paintings in our home. They will continue to be heirloom pieces that will be passed down through the generations.

Fabulous Bookcase

Recently I have been on a re-decorating mission at our house. The kids aren't little anymore and it's O.K. to have an adult space now. I began by taking everything away, repainted, stained the floors and then edited in a big way and only brought back what was essential & beautiful. However, what I felt we needed was one, unifying piece to hold our things in, that kept the look calm and grounded.
One day while out and about I saw this piece in a unique store that sold interesting imported furniture and objects. I immediately could visualize it in the room; my husband was more practical and measured and wondered.... but I prevailed and here it is! I enjoy it every day in that it keeps the space from ever looking cluttered or disjointed. The older I get the more harmony I feel I need in my surroundings...

Musical Cowboy

I'm still on the cowboy theme, (see following Treasury post) and here is a further example of Vintage American West barkcloth fabric. Here I have used it in a fabric collage picture. I do these from time to time and then make cards from the image. I am also in the process of a designing a nice way to mount this to sell as an original artwork.
After cutting various elements out of different fabrics I stitched them together and proceeded to add trims and brass charms to further enhance the composition. The vintage Lee riveted button was the final crowning focal point!

Front Page Treasury

It is always a thrill to be in an Etsy Front Page Treasury! Here, my 'Western Cuff' is part of TeaCupElephant's 'Hey, I'm No Square' treasury list.
It is quite a unique narrative piece, depicting a couple of cowboys. If you read an earlier post in this blog, on the history of barkcloth, it mentions how this American West motif was popular in the 1940's.
As of now the cuff has still not sold although it has many hearts on the Etsy site. I guess it is waiting for that perfect buyer to come along... (just click on the photo to see a larger image size).

New Wraparound Cuff/Necklaces for Fall '08

A preview of new textile creations to come...
This photo shows a detail of 2 of my Wraparounds. They are strands of vintage fabric heartily embellished with hand dyed lace fragments, vintage buttons and trims. They wrap around the wrist 3 times for a bangle effect and close with a chunky snap.
They are also suited to draping around the neck as a necklace. There are many ways to make this flexible adornment 'your own'. That is what appeals to me about this design. By wrapping it in your individual style, or pinning something of your own onto it, this unique piece can be further personalized. They are lined with ribbon for comfort, which is the key to effortless style...

New Freeform Cuffs for Fall 2008

Here is a little preview of where I am at creatively these days... These are details of 2 of my cuffs laid side by side.
My textile work is becoming more freeform; I refer to it as 'me coloring outside the lines'. I am having a great time with this. It is very liberating in that I impose no rules upon myself! Keeping an open mind I dye some of my lace fragments and let the surprise outcomes take me where they may...
They seem to need less button adornments as well. One or two well placed exquisite pieces from my collection is all that is needed to make the final creation 'sing'!
If you see anything on my blog currently not listed for sale but you are interested in, just send me a convo through my Etsy site. I am gathering inventory for a show in September but I can part with a few if asked!