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| Becka's Library Shelf |
| Becka's Games Shelf |
| i finished this just a couple of days ago, just in time for halloween. we have an affection for halloween bats at our house. we had the first one visit our bedroom just a couple of halloweens ago. we have since closed up their entrance, since we really didn't want bats in the house, but we always decorate with lots of them this time of year. this is a tiny amulet bag done in peyote stitch with delica seed beads. i modified a pattern by vicki star. i got her candy corn bat pattern but i couldn't find orange beads that i liked, so i made my bat flying through the night sky. if you look at the side of the bag, you can see the full moon, too. |  |
i have been doing some weaving recently and i thought i should post a few pictures. i took a card weaving class and learned how to make woven bands using a very simple loom. basically, the threads are strung through a series of cards and the cards are rotated in different directions to move the threads for a pattern. after you rotate the card, then you weave the weft through. the 2 examples on the left are card woven. then i joined a band weaving study group that is focusing on inkle weaving. an inkle loom is a small table top loom that is also used for making bands. our study group is called "the banditos", which is just cool. the examples on the right are made with the inkle loom. i am learning to do "two-color pick up". that means i have a set of light threads and a set of dark threads. in my samples, i made designs by picking up some of the dark threads and carrying them over top of the light ones.
becka on 10.25.04 @ 09:07 PM CST [link]
are you still wondering what to do for a costume this year? i have collected a lot of fun and easy costume ideas in my creative files and i want to share them with you! so starting today, here are some ideas to inspire you.
another evening spent browsing the internet and seeing where links take me. this time it's not textiles, but other fun and funky artists. i found myself at Penelope Illustration, reading and viewing her art blog project "Illustration Friday". the idea is that a topic is announced on monday and then everyone draws and scribbles until friday when you post your entry to your blog. this week's topic is "smelly" and here is my entry:
mine was drawn on paper, scanned and then colorized in Illustrator. check out Penelope Illustration to see other artist entries. beautiful work and funny smelly pictures.
becka on 10.15.04 @ 10:44 AM CST [link]
 | it is a finished costume for rachel. rachel and i co-designed this one. she decided that her witch should look like she wore this dress to concoct all sorts of potions, so that is why there are patches everywhere. she is a scatter-brained sort of character who spills things all the time. the patches are all made from scraps of velvet, so everything has a little bit of shimmer. rachel also didn't want a witch's hat, so i decided that if she was a working witch that she ought to have a spider-webby kerchief to hold her hair out of her eyes as she stirred her kettle. (that's the triangle in the corner of the picture). i will put it in the mail to SD tomorrow, providing there are no more last minute instructions... |
i have been so busy with classes the beginning of this week that i haven't had a chance yet to mention the St Paul Art Crawl. it has become sort of a tradition for us to go have dinner at our favorite japanese restaurant and then wander around the building and check out the art. there were at least 50 studios open that we could look through and lots of reallly cool art. one of our favorites was erica gilbert at keptfresh.com. her little cartoon creatures made us all laugh right out loud.
becka on 10.13.04 @ 10:05 AM CST [link]
here is the costume design i have proposed to rachel. i got fabric today to get started, so i hope she will approve. i am thinking about having a costume clinic at our house this weekend or next weekend for anyone who needs help with a costume. i have already volunteered to help a friend transform himself in to a dead guy...
becka on 10.11.04 @ 05:09 PM CST [link]
rachel has decided to be a witch for halloween this year, so i am off to the fabric store to look for patterns. here are a few i found online. i saw some great lace a while back that was black spider webs. it would be great for spooky witches' wear. any votes?
becka on 10.06.04 @ 09:35 AM CST [link]
i haven't posted much, but i am busy working. i am in the middle of 2 embroidery projects, teaching myself how to do circular peyote stitch with beads and last night i took a card weaving class. card weaving uses a pack of square cards with holes punched in them in place of a loom. you tie one end of your warp to a door knob, one end to yourself and use your body to keep tension on the loom. then you rotate the cards to change the top and bottom threads, which changes the design. card weaving is good for long narrow strips, like belts and straps. i have a warp that is navy, rust, yellow and cream, which makes a ripple kind of pattern. my homework for this week is to get a bunch of weaving done so i can try a new pattern next week.
becka on 10.01.04 @ 08:45 AM CST [link]
