Before Breakfast: A Merit Badge Inspired by Lynda Barry

I stitched this patch before breakfast this morning. I’m reading Lynda Barry’s What It Is.

Merit Badges at Gallery Hanahou

Here are my three merit badges for the show at Gallery Hanahou:

If I Only Had a Brain

If I Only Had a Heart

If I Only Had Some Guts

Embroidery Show at Gallery Hanahou

The Forget Me-Not embroidery show at Gallery Hanahou in SOHO opens Feb. 6.

Melinda Barta launches melindabarta.com

Melinda Barta decided to launch her new web site to coincide with the publication of her latest book, Custom Cool Jewelry. I’m hoping to get back the copy I loaned to my sister in San Diego; in the meantime, I’d like to recommend my favorite parts of the site:

Melinda’s Musings

This blog dates back to 2005, making it ancient by web standards, but who said I was keeping up with anything? I just discovered Melinda’s Musings, a blog that accompanied the publication of Melinda’s first book, Hip to Stitch. I’ve been enjoying my copy of the book for several years now, with its original, easy-to-follow projects that are “crafty chic.” Nested in MM are:

CraftSanity: podcasts; and where I read about postedstitches, where two quilters hold a monthly conversation. I had a similar fiber art pen pal idea during my design school days. I sent out a bunch of cloths with an inch or so of my handstitching, asking friends to add something and send back. Unfortunately, of the four embroidered cloths I sent out only one came back and then I started grad school and all hell broke loose so the idea got scrapped. I still think it’s a great idea.

Also: Melinda has a link on her friends page to Renie Breskin Adams’ web site and blog. I’ve loved and admired Renie for years and took a course at Penland from her in 1998. Renie is the Queen of the Detached Buttonhole Stitch, and a Master Embroiderer. Looking at Renie’s blog and cartoons brought back memories of her delightful silliness. And like the Dalai Lama, she seemed ready at any moment to break into hysterical giggling. I’m glad that R has brought her whacky whimsy to the web.

Below: a detail from the narrative embroidery I worked on in the course at Penland:

Beadwitched Earrings at Quilt Visions Art Quilt Gallery

Beadwitched Earrings

My witch earrings and pendants can be purchased at Quilt Visions Art Quilt Gallery in San Diego. For information enquire at visions@quiltvisions.org or 619-546-4872. If you incline toward the tactile, you’ll enjoy viewing their web site. Be sure to visit on your next trip to San Diego.

My fairy jewelry-making kits are also available in the Gallery Shop. They come in three styles: original pastel, woodland colors and a slightly larger fairy with vintage repro flower and leaf beads.

Pictured: larger fairies (kit makes 9)

If you’re interested in making your own witches, see this post.

Beadwitched Earrings

Beadwitched Earrings

Beading Daily has published the instructions for my wirework witches. They are available for free from now until October 27, 2008.

Flocked Beads Appear in Beadwork Magazine

Customized Color Flocked Beads

Beadwork magazine published my hand-colored beads in their October-November 2008 issue. All you need is some of these oval flocked beads you can buy at Michaels or JoAnns Fabrics and a selection of felt markers, some fine for detailing. A colorless blender also comes in handy to get a wet-on-wet effect.

Medieval Embroidery Research

I’ve been in a research frenzy the past few weeks, following my interest in medieval embroidery via the books I picked up in England last year, public libraries and the web.

I’ve just about finished my crewel piece, The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It’s a little too large for my scanner bed and I haven’t gotten it photographed yet. I also haven’t decided if the related medallions will be attached separately or stitched onto and overlapping the main panel.

I’ve discovered a number of great resources that I will pass on. I will be creating “static” web pages so that the resources will be easier to track for those doing parallel work.

What I’ve been doing

Here’s a snippet of The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

a crewel embroidery I’ve been working on for over a year now.

Layers of Meaning

Serena Fenton’s Layers of Meaning is a truly fine blog. I’m shamed for not having posted since October here, and beginning to wonder if I should re-think my intentions in blogging, but more on that later.

For interesting content on visual work from a textile sensibility, go visit L o M.