Put a Bird on It!

Okay, so I love this Portlandia skit. Most of you have probably seen it, but I'm posting it anyway. Birds are everywhere in the craft world (particularly, bird silhouettes) and I love them, while at the same time recognizing that I'm a part of this whole hive mind thing that's going on. So this is my homage to putting a bird on things. We just can't help ourselves, can we?

Rotary Cutter Fail.

A few weeks ago I purchased my first rotary cutter and mat. I know. Way overdue--I had been cutting my fabric with scissors on my dining room table for years. The shame! I was so excited to finally own a rotary cutter, and had even found both it and the mat for half off at Beverly's! I was all pumped to go home and start cutting fabric like a mofo! Once home, I tore it out of it's packaging and rolled that bad boy across some fabric just as intructed, with firm and even pressure. I imagined quick, clean lengths of fabric stacking up faster than I could say "flour sack towel!" And then it happened.

Despite the reassuring sounds of the rotary cutter biting through the fabric, when I lifted one length of fabric from the other, all I saw was a terrible shredded mess of fabric only cut apart every few inches or so. It didn't cut. No--it shredded. And when I tried cutting using more of a back-and-forth pizza cutter motion, it created multiple, randomly spaced slices of fabric, along with a mat full of fabric dust, chopped threads and well, fabric dust. I've tried various pressures, techniques, forward-cutting, backward-cutting, cutting while hanging from the ceiling. Well, not really, but I would have tried it had I thought it would work.

I'm back to using my scissors. I don't get it. I don't know what the big fuss is about rotary cutters! I may have bought a dull one, I may have bought the wrong brand (this is a major brand, and new out of the box). I may not know what the hell I'm doing, but really? Can it be that difficult?

Oh rotary cutter, why hast thou failed me?

What's on Your Craft Book Wishlist?

I love to read, I love to craft, so it makes sense that I love crafting books! I only own a few, however because let's face it--books can be pricey! So I've got a wishlist going, and here it is. These are all beautiful little gems of books and I can't wait to read them!
I'd love to hear what your crafting book wishlist includes, so drop me some comments!


Craft, Inc. Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business

Any one of the Crafty Chica's Books! (Especially Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul: Glittery Ideas to Liven Up Your Life)

The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and On-Line

Blogging for Bliss: Crafting Your Own Online Journal. A Guide for Crafters, Artists, and Creatives of all Kinds.

One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Fabric Projects; Look How much you can Make with just One Yard of Fabric!

A quick glimpse at a few of the things I've been working on in my ArtFire studio...

ArtFire Studio, a set on Flickr. 

Lots more in my actual studio, linked in the top right hand side bar! Whew, creative pursuits have wiped me out this month!

What do *you* groove to while Crafting?

For the past couple of years, I've been entranced by the sounds of Alela Diane. Her sound is soft, melancholic, dreamy, nostalgic--everything you need while embellishing floursacks the way grandma used to do. It helps me flow with that strong feminine current that propels my creativity, and fills the house with the reedy sounds of craftmaking. I don't know how else to describe it--it just sounds like soft fabric.

On other days, especially while sewing on shimmery, glittery goodies, I listen to Mercedes Sosa's Gracias a la Vida. Her voice is grounded, earthy, passionate, and the rhythms of it seem to mimic my foot on the sewing machine pedal. I feel the presence of my female relatives right over my shoulder as I sew along, and I just vibe with it.

So I'm curious--am I the only one who grooves to something while I get my craft on? What do you listen to?

Inspiration: Holy Spaces

This weekend I found myself at a Hindu temple with my mother-in-law for a holy day celebration. As I always do, I found many similarities between the lace draped, candle-lit altars of gods and goddesses and those of the saints in the Catholic cathedrals that I also frequent. The incense, the garlands, the fresh flowers and shimmery fabrics were so concentrated and stunning that it took my breath away. Maybe it's the unusually gloomy weather, but I've been thinking lately about how to integrate some spirituality into my crafting. I'm thinking along the lines of some kind of fabric wall-hanging shrine or altar. Dia de los Muertos isn't until November, but I always have trouble finding some free shelf space for even a small ofrenda or niche shrine.
So that is my next project--wall art, blending together the various fabrics that I have in my closet--the satin-stitched flowers on Mexican blouses and the gold and silver weave of sari borders--along with pictures and sentiments of those who have passed--a wall shrine that weaves it all together.

Some Fresh Ideas for Scrap Fabric Projects

I've spent many hours googling "scrap fabric projects" and while I've found some cool sites, I'm getting a bit tired of the usual coasters and iPod cases. I thought I would put some of my ideas out there for inspiration! So here is my list of some new ideas for putting those beautiful little scraps to good use.

* Decoupage! There are some great fabric-to-paper and fabric-to-glass glues and sealers out there, so pick some up and start decoupaging those scraps! Small boxes, glass plates, frames, votive candleholders--pretty much anything you can find in your thrift store's housewares section can be decoupaged using the last few inches of that gorgeous Amy Butler fabric that you have left over from last year's project! An example of some commercial decoupage sealer great for using with fabrics.

* Add Ruffles! I absolutely adore ruffles, especially random-colored ruffles on dishtowels, aprons, dresses, anything! It doesn't take much, and you can ruffle through your scrap pile in no time! I recently found this blog, which features a  cute-as-hell ruffled flour sack towel!

* Cover a lampshade. Years ago I had a small nightlight in the shape of a lampshade. It was plain white, so I bought a remnant of some pretty white and ecru paisley fabric and glued it to the lampshade. Now, every time I turn on my bathroom nightlight, I see delicate illuminated swirls and paisley shapes. It still makes me happy after all these years!

 

* Cover buttons and bangles! Perfect for those micro-scraps that you kept for some crazy reason.

* Scented hot pads/trivot. Sew your scraps into a quilt square shape, pad with some batting and lavender or rosemary, place your cup of hot tea on it, and inhale! You have a scented hot pad or small coaster. If you have a good amount of lavender or other herbs and spices, you can stitch up a simple sachet. Great in a guest bedroom or as a little hostess gift!

So there you have it. A few of my ideas from over the years. Do you have any to add? Suggestions welcome!

The Inspiration Behind my Crafting Style

 As a little girl, I inherited my aunt's folklorico dresses. I remember wearing them to cultural events that my parents dragged me to, feeling the stiff black netting of my skirts floating around me, the smooth silk threads running through the fabric in shades of hot pink and turquoise. I remember the dragging weight of one of my sequined dresses, each tiny sparkle sewn on by my mother, creating a massive display of the green, white and red colors of Mexico. The dress was dripping in sequins, no fabric visible beneath it's heavy layer. I held it up with both hands, not to look like the regal Mexican girl the dresses are made for, but to keep it from slipping off of my tiny hips.

Fast forward to my wedding day, and I'm again holding up my sparkles--this time in a stiff, heavily beaded lengha of red and gold hand-embroidered organza. It is the Indian version of my childhood princess fantasies, and I realize that these textures and colors seem to follow me throughout my life. In as many ways as I've fought against certain constraints of the cultures that make up my life, I am still grounded in it. It is my life, and my crafts have evolved into a reflection of that. And while not everything I craft is in any particular ethnic style (I still love my pastels, trellises, vintage 50s calicos and Victorian stuff), I know there must be more of us out there, weaving together the strands of our grandmothers' lives with our own.

In short, I am an American Mexican girl married to an American India(n) guy. Our life is a whirlwind of cultures, one weekend listening to mariachi music in a cousin's backyard, the next weekend visiting a Hindu temple in our best Indian clothes. It's our norm, and we've managed to create quite a household, with kids who know no different. Kind of like a crazy quilt.