House Dreams

The quilt challenge was, "Make a small wall hanging with House as the theme."

We were in the planning stages of our addition, so what could be more apropos?

The backing cloth has a print of building facades.

The dark blue fabric (which doesn't show up in the slide) is printed as if it were blueprints. And the end of the piece is rolled around a paper towel tube like a rolled-up set of blueprints.

The bird's-eye view of the coffee cup is a dish pattern scrap from my "Broken Dishes" quilt fabric.

The yellow notepad is yellow fabric with a 'To Do' list written in permanent ink.

Same with the "Acme Tile" sample label; the tile samples are checked fabric. There is a fragment of key chain holding them together.

Tiny wood-printed fabric squares are 'floor tile samples' and terry cloth squares are 'carpet' samples.

The pencil, tape measure and coffee spoons are real.

Christmas Colors, well Sorta

I'm not one for making "holiday quilts". They don't seem practical to me since they only look 'right' for a short time. I did make a Christmas House design wall hanging once, but I sold it.

This quilt is the closest thing I can get to a Christmas one.

The red-orange and yellow fabric is a remnant from Liberty in London. And a finer, softer cotton you can't imagine. Almost feels like silk. I hoarded this piece for a very long time. I would get it out and look at it and then, put it back in the pile. Couldn't think of a thing to do with it. Finding the right yellow to go with it was also a problem.

Then I started experimenting with designing quilts on the computer and came up with this design. The quilt is a riot on the bed.

I had fun with the outer border of the blocks, snipping colors from the body of the quilt and sewing them in.

So, in honor of the season, here's a quilt with Christmas colors."Christmas Gone Wild with Yellow and Purple" might be a good name for it.

Broken Dishes

Broken Dishes is a quilt I made several years ago.

The print blocks are duplications of antique plates. I couldn't resist the pun.

Blue Willow and Tobacco Leaf are two patterns as is a Tree of Life variation, among other designs I'm not familiar with.

I found another print with large and small teapots that I used for the border and corner blocks.

I chose the deep blue background because it reminded me of the linoleum in the old Navy Housing on Yokosuka Base. They had floored the bathroom and kitchen with the same linoleum that was used on the ships. My kitchen and bath were dark blue and a grey/beige tile. Tough? That was the densest, thickest tile you could imagine.

A check with Wikipedia yielded this:

"The heavier gauges of linoleum are known as "battleship linoleum", and are mainly used in high-traffic situations like offices and public buildings. It was originally manufactured to meet the specifications of the U.S. Navy for warship deck covering on enclosed decks instead of wood, hence the name. Most U.S. Navy warships in fact removed their linoleum deck coverings following the attack on Pearl Harbor, as they were considered too flammable."

I'm not too sure about this last sentence. I seem to recall ubiquitous linoleum in ships--even modern ones. but my husband tells me they changed some floors to the Flecto type solid poured acrylic flooring. Just as flammable as the previous, I'm thinking.

I was surprised to find the early linoleum was made of solidified linseed oil. Very strange indeed.

Anyway, I enjoyed quilting this quilt because of all the variation in the plate patterns and large areas afforded by the design. Since making it, during one washing of many previous, the blue decided to migrate. (I never wash my quilts with anything else--always warm water; gentle cycle.) So the change was and is a total mystery to me. It is not unpleasing, but certainly different.

I wish I had taken a good close up of this quilt before the blue.

The Agate Necklace

I finally finished my Mexican agate bead necklace.

I decided to put the big clasp on, at least temporarily because in all the time since I bought the beads last year,

I have not been able to find another that I liked.

I still feel this isn't the final clasp but it will do until I find the right one.

The beads are threaded onto a very fine silver chain. The spacers are African clay beads (black and white) and antique black glass beads.

I wound up making the jump rings out of pieces of regular dress pins. Anything larger in diameter wouldn't fit into the fine links of the chain.

It works well, actually, since I have this nifty pliers tool for making links.

Moravian Christmas Stars

It's time to start unloading the box of Christmas ornaments and think about decorating the house for the holidays.

I ran across boxes brimming with folded paper stars.

A few years ago, I got the Martha Stewart kit for folding Moravian stars and went totally mad making basic forms and then inventing variations.

I made them in three different sizes and three colors.

A video with instructions and examples of stars and star May baskets (which I had never seen before) is available on: http://www.highhopes.com/3dstar.html

Wonder if you could make them out of gift ribbon?

Silk Sew Kit

Some time ago, I made this handy little sew kit to stick into a drawer, handy for quick fixes or mends.

It is quite small as you can see from the size of the embroidery scissors. (Beautiful little scissors, a gift from my daughter-in-law one Christmas.)

The outer fabric is a choice bit of special kimono silk done in the shibori style.

At first glance, it is hard to comprehend how complicated the fabric's construction and dye treatment is, but even after studying all this time, I'm not sure I understand all the process and tedium needed to produce it.

I can't imagine an entire kimono of this, but it must have been a stunner. The mind boggles at the work!

Perhaps it was just part of an obi, the sash that goes around a kimono.

The silk is very fine and soft; of the first quality.

It was first dyed in pastel pink and green background dyes.

Then, using fine thread and a fine needle, the maker made tiny tufts or peaks of fabric. These were spaced uniformly all over the piece so that the peaks stood up higher than the ground or background of the fabric.

Usually the next step is to plunge the whole thing in a dye bath that is of darker color than the sewn sections. Sewing tightly keeps the dye from getting to those parts and they usually remain lighter than the general background colors.

But in this case, the peaks are darker. The only conclusion I can come to is that each one of them was individually died with the light charcoal pigment, using an extremely fine brush.

I just can't imagine the hours it took.

Inside, there are two soft pockets for scissors, thread, a thimble, etc. The pockets are tacked at the center in order to keep things tucked inside them securely.

I had a couple of tiny antique celluloid buttons that worked perfectly here. One is round and the other is an oval.

The center fabric is kimono lining silk made with a faint woven pattern--Another choice piece.

The center pin cushion is stuffed tightly with polyester 'fluff' for pins on the sides and a needle or two at the center. It also acts as a spine for the kit.

Another antique celluloid button is used to close the kit with a satin loop. This one has subtle graining to look like ivory.

The inner lining (under the pockets) was sewn to the outer layer using two adjacent rows of hand stitches to secure the layers to each other and give the outside some structure and strength.

The satin binding and loop was made of a leftover piece from vest-like top I made for myself many years ago.

The top went with a formal full- length skirt of softer fabric.

I still have a few more scraps of this beautiful fabric.

The sewing kit measures about 8 inches by 5 inches and is all made by hand.

There is a softness to things put together by hand that is absent in machine-sewn things. You can coax the shape more easily and shape the fabric into a softer form.

I really should treat the whole thing with Scotch-Guard or something. Until now, I hadn't even thought of washing it, since it is hardly ever handled except to sew something. Will have to test a scrap to be sure the dyes won't run.....

Kimono Pillow

Although it looks very oriental, the only thing Japanese on this pillow is the background--antique formal kimono with a Mon or crest.

The black/white applique fabric is a silk print that was a remnant and the crisscross tape comes from Sweden.

The Japanese "Bog Coat"

I hoarded the yellow-background fabric shown at the top of the jacket for years. It pictures "Mons" or Japanese coats of arms.

I only found a small piece of it in cotton. But really, that was all I needed. Any more of that kind of busyness of pattern would have been too much.

The back of the jacket repeats the fabric arrangement like the front except the yolk with the Japanese pattern piece is higher up in the back--almost half the width as the front. More flattering and a better line. I can get away with the difference in size because the two pieces are separated by the stripe fabric and are not viewed at the same time.

The striped material that completes the sides and sleeves is a medium-weight raised ridge weave that matches the other colors perfectly. And the bottom half of the front and back panel is a navy and cream closely printed stripe.

I had to reinforce the 'mons' pattern and the narrow stripe piece to equal the weight of the body/arms fabric.

If anything, you would want the front and back center-body panel to carry a heaviness for the drape of the garment. The reverse of this would make the coat not hold it's shape well.

The jacket is made on the "Bog Coat" pattern, an ancient technique for making garments with narrow pieces of cloth.

Early weaving wasn't that wide, so this technique for making clothes makes the most of the fabric.

An excellent site for patterns and examples can be found as a PDF at http://www.mtnladyarns.com/weaving.pdf

The jacket is washable cotton and completely lined. It has wide, kimono style sleeves and handmade closings using oriental coins and a handmade bias tape.

My Snug Rug

When I was weaving, I got the bright idea to make a jacket using custom shaped rug segments.

I made the sleeves out of the legs of some bell-bottomed Levies. And the jacket was lined with bright red and blue bandanna-like print.

I left the fringe at the bottom of the weaving.

This jacket was shown in a wearable art show and another time in a section set aside to display clothing at my local quilt guild show.

I still have the jacket--it's very heavy.

The Medicine "Book"

Some years ago, my son gave me a wonderful pill dispenser. It contained seven slide-out compartments; one for each day of the week that had movable dividers fitted into the compartment. It will hold over a month's worth of pills.

The case had a leather cover and over the years, the leather just gave out. I really liked the container and was not able to find anything as compact or well-designed as it was.

I had saved many pieces of beautiful up-market upholstery samples. The one I chose was a really good printed velvet reminiscent of pheasant feathers.

So one day, I decided I could replace the case and still keep the individual dispensers just like in the original one. The compartments have little removable dividers and I can store daily medications in them of up to a month's worth.

This is the result.

Measuring the slide- out compartments and the original case, I cut out the fabric, found some suede like binding fabric that did not need to have finished edges and located some interesting buttons.

I replaced the plastic transparent window in the original case with some flexible acetate.

In this case, the container had to be made on the sewing machine because of the need to anchor the acetate window down well.

The front button is a combination of a bone and brass button backed by a life-saver shaped bone button.

The back is a repeat of the front button and is anchored permanently in the back with the loop sewn down.

The front button has a loop closure.One of the main problems with a replacement was how to make the front and back cover rigid like the leather back and front.

To solve this, I made pockets behind the front and back covers that I could insert stiff cardboard into. When I want to hand-wash the case, I remove the cardboard and wash it in warm, sudsy water.

I also write down my current prescription names, milligrams dosage and amount on a 3 x 5 card and slip it into the pocket.

One unfortunate thing--the front of the case has faded much more than the back--the back shows the original print colors. The front is always laying around exposed to the light.

One of these days, I will have to replace the case again.

I did not write down an instruction sheet for myself this time, but on the next go-around, I will probably sew in the window on the machine and make the remainder of the case by hand.

A Cotton Vest and Coat

This is a vest I put into a quilt show presented by the North Kitsap Quilters.

I loved this fabric. Yet another remnant. It lends itself so well to a quilting pattern.

It could actually be worn in the reverse, since it tied shut and was bound with muslin--the same fabric as the lining.

The photo shows it rather brown, but it is more of a maroon.

The red, black and white jacket is made from a weird length of fabric given to me by a Capuchin Monk in Bahrain. How exotic that sounds!

"Father Bart" was originally from Chicago. A little dynamo, he was our link to the Bahraini culture taking us on trips to otherwise inaccessible weaving villages and pottery factories.

Somewhere he came across this unique piece of fabric and gave it to me because he knew I liked to sew.

The jacket has a cross-over front, full length sleeves and is also reversible.

A Small Weaving

This little weaving is about 4 inches by 5 inches. It was done on a table loom and has tapestry inlay.

The ground is cashmere, the design is made up of silk threads, an angora, and fine wools. The warp is cotton.

It was mounted on a wooden board, but I removed it and plan to make a new backing for display.

It might make a nice little bag to hang on the wall for outgoing mail......maybe a small storage bag for hose to go into the suitcase......or maybe, just back on the wall for decoration.

Wool Poncho

Now residing over the guest bed, this poncho is about five feet long. It's made of natural wool, still in oil. "Still in oil" means it is supposed to be waterproof, since the natural lanolin has not been scrubbed out of it. Nor has it been carded to make it fuzzy or soft. I wanted it to be just like the native ponchos were made--to use as covering and protection from the elements.

This piece dates from 1960. I made it in a poncho factory in Guanajuato, Mexico when I went there on scholarship for summer study. The loom I used was a commercial one, all handmade and massive, very old and located in a large adobe building. The loom had a bar in front of the breast-beam that was there for the worker to sit on while they wove. I could barely reach the treadles.

My 'maestro' or teacher, showed me how to weave in the design after I drew it out for him to show what I wanted to do. The crosses are symbolic of all the crosses I saw on the mountain tops while traveling in Mexico. They were the very devil to do for a beginning weaver.

My shuttle was very large and handmade. The wool was wound around flexible bamboo like spools. The would spring to fit into the holes drilled at the center of the shuttle.

The fringes are knotted in the tradition of the factory.

The factory was halfway up the mountain side. (Guanajuato sits beautifully in a valley. It is a very old colonial town.) After hiking up there, pounding the wool into place and then hiking down to the house where I stayed, I would be famished. I would stop by the Mercado, a large open-air market, and buy a mango or a piece of pan dulce (sweet roll) to munch on. No wonder I gained 10 lbs. by the time I came home!

Handmade Beads and Boxes

From time to time, I've made handmade boxes cutting the parts out of hard greyboard and covering them with luscious papers.

The first one is designed to hold several sizes of the small double-pointed knitting needles that are used for making socks. I wanted to keep the needles sorted since at this size, it's difficult to see the numbers and eventually over time with use, the numbers tend to be worn off.

Also, I wanted to be able to pick the needles out of the container easily, so by tipping the box forward, the needles all fall to the front, still in their individual compartments and easily accessible.

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the needles in the drawer, but they are in small compartments that have a 'bridge' holding them in. The sizes are placed in order, so there's no danger of mixing them up.

It would be a nice design element to mark the backing paper for each set of needles with artistically drawn large numbers. Next time.

The rope is raffia strands, twisted in the technique used by Japanese to make rice straw rope.

The bead was made by me using a two-part mold. It is porcelain and only fired to bisque range. I write more about it in my clay blog: www.jeanetteharrisblog.blogspot.com.

I wrote a short article for Studio Potter about the process and included several photos of a few of this and other beads.

The box pictured here is a lesson in how to make a sliding drawer. The funny thing is, you make the drawer; THEN construct the box around it. Tricky.

The bead is a hand-formed and glazed with a transparent glaze.

The last box is one made for my sister. (A purchased bead tops off the box.)

This idea is a box made like a perfume box with a top that slides upwards. It is also a sock knitting needle container and the needles fall forward and fan out when the top is opened.

You can't see it in this photo, but the box has 6 compartments--three on one side and three on the back. If I make this design again, I would incorporate a tiny draw-string to corral the needles before sliding the lid back on.

Or, make little sliding compartments that could be pulled up to select the right needles. I would put the needle numbers on the top so it would be easy to pick the size.

Buttons

Isn't this a great bunch of buttons?

They are currently residing in a drawer in my clay studio. (See www.jeanetteharrisblog.blogspot.com for my pottery blog.)

These are all made of bone and have incised decorations. Some are stained. I love the look of them.

I have boxes and boxes of buttons I'll never use in my lifetime, but ya just can't have enough buttons, I say.

Once, I happened on a huge bowlful of buttons on the counter of an antique store. There were celluloid and metal ones, Bakelite and bone, Lucite and glittery ones. I was in heaven.

I suppose had all been cut off cards from a huge collection. Or maybe just one accumulation from a button hoarder. I spend about two hours stirring and stirring, picking out absolute gems to take home at 25 cents each!!

I use them on choicey things like soft jewelry bags and sewing kits. A few I've added in to necklaces.

(Note to self: Photograph those buttons and post them.)

Soft Sculpture Necklace

Before clay, I worked extensively in fibers; weaving, needlework, ethnic clothing design, baskets.

Some time ago, I was going through some more slides of previous work and came across one of the soft jewelry pieces I made some years ago.

The soft jewelry grew out of designing ethnic clothing.

At one point, I was heavily involved with The Children's Art Center in Norfolk VA and a the Textile Designer's Association of Virginia.

A wonderful teacher, Margot Carter Blair arrived upon our horizon and taught a great series of classes on design and application of a huge range of fibers and embellishments. Margot is a gifted and inspiring teacher. You can see her work on: http://www.softflexcompany.com/WSWrapper.jsp?mypage=spotlightdesigner_Nov07.html. Margot is currently concentrating on doing rosary workshops using bead design.

This necklace is a pendent made of a cross-stitch pattern I designed, cotton embroidery thread tassels and beaded pom-poms and wrapped cording. The length is adjustable by positioning the two loops on either side of the back section. It can remain at the shortened length or lengthened by slipping the loops over the pom-poms on either side. The natural tension of cotton upon cotton holds the adjustment in place.

One day, I will repeat the necklace, but instead of cotton, use more luxurous materials--maybe a porcelain pendent and matching beads.

I'm so glad I started to keep a photography record of my work early on. It's great to have the visual references in order to dip into them and think about new variations on old themes.

Custom Books

I love lacy fall leaves. I collect them and use an old book press like this one to flatten them for later use.

I also hoard great paper, raffia and beautiful twigs. (Rocks too, but I haven't figured out how to use them yet---maybe a cut-out with a suspended rock.........)

The cover of this book is old photograph mounting albums. I ran across a bunch of these, dismantled them and cut them to fit the pages. The pages, which aren't shown, but are beige and have the same texture as the cover, are off-cuts from a publisher.

The second book is made the same way, but I had to figure out how to attach the bare twig to the back.

The Bisque Baby in a Basket

For as long as I can remember, I've had this tiny doll in a bassinet. She must be all of 1 3/4 inches long. She's made out of colored bisque and has separate arms and legs, wired together. She's packed away in tissue paper as she has always been until I can find a dome the right size to put her in.

When my mother gave her to me, her basket had no hood. I made the one shown using strips of cane bent over and attached to the basket. The bed is lined with cross-quilted satin lining, the bottom is a tiny pillow of cotton batiste. And she has an even smaller head pillow.

Mom made a set of clothes for her and I would carefully undress her, wash her bonnet, nightgown, booties, panties, and robe; all the bedding except the outside of the bassinet. Then, I would carefully re-dress her and put her away again.

Some years ago, I decided to make her a new set of clothes. The idea started when I ran across the beautifully embroidered handkerchief that now doubles as a coverlet. It was so wonderfully made, it spurred me to take a shot at making a new bonnet and nightdress. I had been hoarding a shoebox full of antique lace--some inherited, some bought at an estate sale in Portland OR. I had taken a course in French Hand Sewing and used what I had learned to construct the new outfit. It took a while to find a needle small enough to do this.

I had some very fine batiste that I had bought while taking the course, so I was set. I'm glad I bought a whole bolt. Really fine fabric seems to be getting scarce.

I would recommend sewing in the sunlight if you are doing French Hand Sewing--especially if the work is white on white.

Later I'll post some more examples of this kind of work.