Custom Order

I received my first custom order awhile ago. This is very exciting and nerve wracking for me. I'm so afraid that what I create will not be exactly what the customer had in mind. But it's a friend of my sister's so they have been very reassuring that they are flexible and also understanding of my schedule (trying to finish up my nesting/sewing list). Anyways....I am tasked with making a large 3 x 4 foot piece of fabric art. I'm new at this, so bear with me, but I'm basically making a quilt top and the customer will mount it on a frame in their home.

Here are the inspirational photos the customer sent me.

Here are the fabrics I bought.

And here is the basic design I have in mind.

What do you think?

Did I mention this custom order is for a man!?! Also intimidating. I've never sewing anything for the masculine point of view. But I am extremely excited to get paid to try new things with my sewing machine. Here we go!

Inspiration from Children's Books (Part II)

Good old Sesame Street, good for the characters my daughter loves and surprisingly I love the way this illustrator drew the flowers.

A favorite of my daughter's. I love it for the shading and texture. It looks like colored pencils to me. I want to rub my fingers over it and feel the color smudge on my skin.

Inspiration from Children's Books (Part I)

Anyone else ever been inspired by the artwork in children's books?

Some of my daughter's books I love to read just because I love to see the beauty that lays in front of me.

Here are a couple of my favorites. I'll share more next week.

I just love the detail and patterns in every scene!

My all time favorite book and page! Beautiful.

The Inspiration is Overflowing

I can't really sew during my lunch break (1. I can't lug my sewing machine around and 2. my boss wouldn't be able to hear himself think over the roar of the antique motor). So instead I gaze over my favorite blogs and search for items on Etsy that bring me to the center again. I thought I might share with you the things I love.

Checkout Girl

Melissa Crowe at Checkout Girl recently posted about this fabulous brooch that turned into a wall hanging. There are so many embroidery hoop wall hangings out there that I absolutely adore, but this one caught my eye for being the first felted flower one I've ever seen. You can also find her at her Little Pink House etsy shop

kim e-m

Someone recently sent me an article about this etsy seller. Kim EichlerMessmer at kim e-m hand dyes her fabrics and then quilts with them. This quilt alone makes me want to dive into that art form.

Yardwork

I found Yardwork through JezzePrints. The love and yearning for stamps and design possibilities are brewing in my heart as I get into fabric printing little by little.

Garlands of Grace

I have the hardest time finding cloth head bands that I like. I am itching to purchase one from Garlands of Grace. This one makes me want to embrace a pumpkin and celebrate Fall.

Add this to my Christmas list -seriously - Mom, add this to my list.

Studio Jarrah

Well it wouldn't be a complete day unless I found something cute for my daughter as well. I love all the prints available for children and nurseries now. The color and composition of this one by Studio Jarrah has stayed with me.

Not to mention my daughter asked me this week what whales sound like. We hunted you tube for sound clips. Humpback whales are creepy sounding. Why more people don't make Halloween soundtracks from their calls, I don't know. Beluga whales on the other hand sound like a mix between pigs and a flock of tropical birds. Now we know.

Cornstarch paint

I may not be chained to the sewing machine lately, but I have been trying some new things. I found this insanely insightful and incredibly helpful post at Pink and Green Mama. I love to read blogs and articles about crafty things I can do with my daughter (or by myself!) but I never actually get around to doing them. Pink and Green Mama's post about making art with toddlers was so achievable that I had to try at least one of the suggested activites. Driveway cornstarch paint it was. It was easy and fun.

I probably had more fun than my daughter. After 30 seconds of painting she went off to terrorize my flower garden. But I had fun and that's half the battle.

Remembering Who I Am

There were many tasks listed in "The Artist's Way" that I did do, and many more I didn't. One of the best ones I did was to make a quick and dirty collage. I went to the break room (during a break of course!) and found a travel magazine, science magazine and even a few smutty, gossipy magazines for good measure. I sat down at my desk and just ripped out whatever caught my eye. This was the end result.

It surprises me, every time I look at it, how accurately it reflects me. Sometimes when you just go and don't stop to think, analyze or judge, the truth comes out.

This collage holds a place of honor on my wall at work. I can look up from my keyboard and soak in the things that I love. Babies, my baby, my husband, working with my hands, white, cultivating, growing, plants, blues, small bits of surprise color, flashes of red, and above all else...walking on this earth as a princess, a woman of God, His child, His beloved.