Dancing Crow Designs

Feb 28-1

Feb 28-1
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

This was the first one I finished. I like the simplicity of it, I like the clear impression of the masher (the best rendition of it besides a picture so far) and I missed a trick with the embroidery, but can't quite figure out what. Probably because I slept badly last night and my head hurts.

I think the theme for March is Water.

Kate suggested fabric manipulations, like ruching and ruffling and gathering and yoyos and generally messing about. It reminds me of Colette Wolff's book on fabric manipulations. She can take a concept and beat it to death with a stick - nothing if not thorough - and the pictures are extraordinary. She used the same unbleached muslin for all her examples, so it is easy to see what effects she has accomplished with each step. She made patterns for dolls and animals too. Platypus designs, I think. I have a mouse pattern of hers that is art. A chicken too, and a mermaid.

second of 2

Feb 28-2
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I made two, because I was staring at the leftover pieces and thought of two last things I wanted to try with this particular masher. This is the second. Well, I kind of did them in parallel. I wanted a rubbing on the face with a picture of the object. Then I remembered (drum roll) the Blo-pens! I remember getting dizzy with the kids when we tried using them on paper. These are special fabric ones I've been hoarding (two points for a. finding and b. using them) and finally fished out and applied. I should have stopped with just one blown color. But I may have something here.

Anyhow - I'm done.

big key

Feb 27
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I loved the bumples around the outside of this key, and I tried all kinds of ways to show them - rubbings, paint, sun prints, pebeo contact prints; nothing worked very well. I finally figured it out. Make them really really big. Print out. Embroider like mad. I love this postcard. I need more grays.

I had a really happy day. Not complicated, but full, and each part good. I had a great yoga class, where we were all packed in and communal and friendly and you had to not hit anyone when bending and twisting, and the teacher made us laugh. I ran a mile and felt better at the end than the beginning. Red Kate brought cherry oat scones which we ignored while we made a test version of a cape for Serenity, then we walked down to Woodstar Cafe and had fabulous lunch and then to the bead store, where they had fabulous beads, and then home. I took the girls to Brattleboro for circus classes and I am thisclose to a freestanding handstand, all by myself. Being upside down makes me happy. But I was happy before I started. This is the kind of night I have happy dreams.

I need to think about my theme for March. I made a great list in Woodstar:

• play
• square, square, square
• flow
• water
• architecture
• arctitectural details
• doorways
• food
• testing, testing
• using only things I made
• horses
• eyes
• house animals (domestic)

There is some overlap, but I was just brainstorming, which means I have to write everything down. Red Kate helped. Plus there are my standards:

• leaves
• shells
• fish
• beach things
• rocks
• trees
• flowers (usually from my garden or it gets overwhelming)
• it came from the backyard
• landscape

Any suggestions?

rainbow mash

Feb 26
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

My mother found this when we were cleaning out my mother-in-law's house, and saved it for me. I like the way it looks like fish scales. I think I have now used every one of my potato mashers in my collection. I may need to print some more fabric with them once the weather warms up.

horses horses horses

I managed to bring my camera to the barn today, and use it!

This is Revy, he is youngish, and very stiff, and a bit thick, but very sweet, and he means well:

I did not ride him today, because I have graduated, sort of, to Tiger Eye. Tiger Eye is a little older, has a little more dressage training and is worried about things that he needn't be. It is my job to reassure him, and not get upset when he gets worried. This is Tiger Eye in the pasture: 

And this is Tiger Eye's eye, which is such a lovely, spooky golden color I had to photograph it.

A friend took this picture of me on riding him today. You should ignore my face which is awful because I am making noises, and focus instead on the equine cuteness you see here. I adore this pony. Of course, I adore most ponies, I have very little discrimination.

Isn't he a wonderful color? Is he not astoundingly sweet?

I'll have an actual postcard later. After I finish hyperventilating about my great ride today.

washer pansy

Feb 25
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I wanted to work in my new chair,

so I brought hand work downstairs to visit with people after supper and sew. The background is red silk from the lining of Red Kate's chinese jacket, the blue is silk from the Shaggy Man, the pansy ribbon is from the ribbon lady (who is having a half-off sale until Feb 28 - so you should go, NOW and order something fabulous for half off). Once I got the first big washers together, the ribbon begged to be added. It was just sitting there being admired before that.

We went to see the Really Big Show this afternoon at the Academy of Music. Some acts were great, some were mysterious, and on the whole it was a lot like a town wide talent show, uneven but endearing. We were cheering on our Family circus instructor Cody and Big A's friend from gymnastics and now a full fledged member of Circus Smirkus. They totally rocked.

andirons

Feb 24
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I took a pile of pictures in my mother's cellar as well. I couldn't move anything (I didn't want to lose it for her) and the light was awful. The flash didn't help much because then I lost all the shadows, so I got a bunch of blurry, interesting pictures of antiques and hardware. I love the twist on these andirons, so I accentuated that in the embroidery. The negative of the picture helps show it up as well.

Another day of costume making. Today I finished the longer red one for Serenity and made up version 1.0 of a slinky purple object for Cody, our Family Circus teacher. I'll try to get pictures of the people in their costumes, in part because they look pretty amazing. 

I am thinking I need a Finished Objects file of pictures, because other things are getting done in my sewing room that are not part of the original charter. Which is good.

hard worn

Feb 23
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I took a lot of pictures on the beach the last day with my mother, and some of them fall into my hard wear category. These are the steps going over the dunes and down to the beach. The texture enchants me. I thought I wanted a medium gray for the embroidery, but when I realized I don't have any I stared at all my colors again and chose this really light purple. I like it a lot. I love this beach. I badger my Mum and kids to go every time we visit. They laugh at me, but they go too. And we always have a good time.

I have been working on a costume for Serenity out of stretchy dark red lycra material covered with gitter dots. I pulled the pattern off a costume she has that fits. I finished the first iteration of the costume yesterday, but when she tried it on this morning, it was too short - my model has more vertical stretch than the red stuff, so I stretched the pattern vertically, and I hope it fits because I pretty much finished off the fabric. She seemed unworried about it - insisted that is why she bought extra - but I feel bad.  This stuff sheds the glitter and odd bits of fluff everywhere, it will be nice to be finished with it.

Sally Sledding

I have the bravest mother in the world! Not only did she try my childhood sled down the hill, she whooped happily most of the way and bailed out with (some) grace at the bottom. And her dog followed her happily all the way.

sledding

I promised a sledding picture, but it is past my bedtime, so here are the two girls thinking about heading down.