y(e)arning

Put a Bow on It: Thinking about Packaging

2011-11-21T18:11:00.001-06:00

The default for the lazy gift wrapper is just to "put a bow on it"! Here I wanted to show off how I've done the work for you. These top two are recent examples of packages I've sent off from Etsy orders. They didn't ask for gift wrap, but I feel like opening something from the mail should be a special experience. Besides, how else would I wrap up my goods? The top package is sewn fabric slipcase for a baby girl's hood. The package below is felt wrapped over miniature bunting, then secured with fabric and baker's twine. Notice how I keep saying fabric? I switched from tissue paper to fabric for shipping years ago. Why would I spend all those hours making the perfect delicate item only to wrap it in cheap tissue paper, when, instead, I can make a permanent home for it with fabric that you'll use over and over to store and protect your garment?

For the recent batch of craft shows I've done this fall, I made these paper packages. The smaller ones are made from an extra copy of "Pride and Prejudice," while the larger ones are made from "Dwell" magazine. For the magazine b I added a piece of Japanese sticker tape and my own MA stamp. I used the same tape to tape the bag shut after it's been filled. All of these bags have single pleat sides.

When thinking about how I wanted to make my packaging I kept coming back to what would be the most delightful and environmentally friendly solution? What would best reflect my brand for Modest Ambition as well as my own personal views on packaging, excess, and waste? Just because I run a business doesn't mean that I have to contribute to the chaos of clutter. Hopefully, I've made something that you will either keep, re-purpose, or recycle, but only after you've had a moment of enjoyment and delight.

DIY Holiday Crafts: Mini Bunting

2011-11-17T16:10:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the sheer amount of opportunities to make things: cookies, decorations, gifts, wrapping, cards! So much fun. I decided to share some of that joy with you with my craft kits.

I've expanded my miniature holiday garland making to include mini bunting kits! Your choice of four festive colors or classic red and white. Each kit comes with four tiny crocheted felted wooly flags tied up in a 14-inch crocheted strand. Ready for you to sew or glue together (fabric glue recommended, though hot glue would do in a pinch). Each flag measures about an inch. Everything looks cuter tiny.

Besides flags, you can also add jingle bells, fabric, tiny toys, and other trinkets. I'm planning to embroider my daughters names on her bunting -- four letters, four flags. Luckily, her name is simple since my embroidery is very primitive. I'll have these with me at the Jingle Bash on Saturday and should have them in my Etsy shop by next week.

Candy Colored Hats for Cold Days

2011-11-10T11:14:00.002-06:00

Brrr, it was cold this morning. Winter is definitely coming! I'm excited to present my new candy-colored crocheted hats for Winter 2011. These are one-of-a-kind brightly hued hats that will go fast. I'm debuting them at The Holiday Experience in Fort Worth this Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 12-13, at Will Rogers, presented by Funky Finds.

Each hat is designed to stretch and have a deep fit to keep even your ears warm. The yarns are from my personal stash. It was fun to work in as many different possibilities of each hue as I could find in a way that still makes for an overall pleasing effect. These are not striping or variegated yarns; each color is hand-worked.

Then, it was on to stripes and creating either bold patterns or subtle color shifts. You won't find anything like these hats at the mall. Each is completely individual. While I may not be listing these hats on my Etsy shop at the moment (they go too fast in person!), I'm always up for a custom order in adult or kids' sizes--contact me through my Etsy shop or website. I'm sticking with last year's prices: $30 each or 2 for $50. What a steal!

A Tiny Reindeer Scarf

2011-11-08T16:33:00.002-06:00

I was a little late in finishing these, but they've been safely delivered now. Meet my promotional item for the 2011 Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash's Bash Bag! It's a reindeer scarf/bookmark. If you're one of the first 50 people in line when the doors open at 1 p.m. on Nov. 19 you'll be the proud owner of one of these.

I split it evenly with these two red and blue color combinations then threw in six in pink and green, just for fun. In case you can't tell, that's a simplified snowy hillside in the distance, i.e. a pinked curved line. It seems like no matter how easy the project is, as soon as you have to make 50 of it, it's hard to keep it fun.

Indexing Bobby Pins

2011-10-12T14:10:00.000-05:00

I just finished packaging my new Index Bobby Pins to debut at the Cowtown Indie Bazaar this weekend, Saturday, Oct. 15, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Fort Worth, TX. They are perfect for the bibliophile of any age. The Index Bobby Pin is replacing the Heidi Bobby Pin, but continues the use of recycled book pages in the packaging.

While the Heidi featured illustrations and text from a vintage edition of Heidi, the Index is on actual index cards and has delicate little paper leaves cut from Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice. Note, the leaves are not part of the hair accessory, just part of the packaging.

Check out the nifty box for my index cards. I feel very organized. The Index Bobby Pin is not available in my Etsy shop yet. Come see me at a show or send me an email if you're interested.

P.S. Just added to my shop here. Free gift wrapping available!

Chair-i-tree

2011-10-03T19:20:00.003-05:00

Here is my submission for the Etsy Dallas Chairity Event, October 13, 6:30-9 p.m., Blue Room, South Side on Lamar, 1409 S. Lamar, Dallas, TX 75215. My chair was inspired by new Modest Ambition logo design by La Alicia! I transformed our adorable little chair into a tree--a chair-i-tree! Wouldn't a fluffy little squirrel look cute sitting in this tree/chair?

Here's the info from the Etsy Dallas website:

Sit Down to Stand Up for Kids: Little Chairs for a Big Cause is Etsy Dallas' first ever charity-spotlight event. We invite you to come party with us, all while raising money for a good cause. Etsy Dallas believes in giving back to our community, and we do it by using our artistic talents to help out others! All proceeds benefit the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center (DCAC), a non-profit agency serving abused children in Dallas County.

Post-Flea Picts

2011-09-26T16:09:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of my booth at the Dallas Flea last Saturday. I'm looking forward to the Cowtown Indie Bazaar, October 15, in Fort Worth. I'll be debuting my fall and winter wear for the season.

At the Flea, I focused on my baby hoods and ponchos, hair accessories, and new fiber necklaces. It was great to see so many people out. I was next to Lauren from Blue Eye Brown Eye, my old neighbor from last year's Funky Finds fall show.

Preparing for the Dallas Flea

2011-09-23T21:25:00.000-05:00

I've been busy this week getting ready for The Dallas Flea on Saturday, 9-4, South Side on Lamar, 1409 S. Lamar. This is my first real show of the fall season. I've been working on new merchandise, new designs, and new displays. I can't wait to show it all off tomorrow. I went by the space tonight and I'll be right in the middle of the Artist's Quarter by the stairs for Hip Hazel Hoops, which is great!

Sadly, I don't think this scarf will be ready in time. I'll hold off on the winter wear until the October shows. It is supposed to be 94 tomorrow so I don't think anyone will be clamoring for hats and scarves. However, it is fun to show off this "in progress" photo. The final scarf will be hot washed and dried to felt the 100% wool yarn into a tighter smaller weave.

Notes Black Ruffle Necklace

2011-09-06T23:01:00.001-05:00

This weekend I finished and gave this necklace as a birthday present. It is the third ruffle necklace I've made so far. This one is made from a loop of stretchy black and white print fabric. I stitched the two pieces together before starting then tied a knot in the back to make the necklace shorter. Since it is stretchy it will slip over the head, or you could untie the knot and have a longer necklace.

The thread is fairly easy to crochet with a tiny steel hook; it holds its shape really well. Working in black makes it more challenging since it is so hard to see. It seems to suck all of the light from the lamp, but as long as I can find the next loop everything is fine. I love how the crochet starts to ruffle in beautiful crenelations. This is a form of hyperbolic crochet with two stitches in every one, just like the hyperbolic pseudospheres that I like to make. I look forward to trying more combinations of fibers and fabrics.

I thought this would look really great with a crisp white shirt or black sweater.

Macrodons!

2011-08-27T20:55:00.000-05:00

My friend Billy Zinser makes Macrodons. For his new baby, Tilly, I made this crocheted plush version based on the 20-foot blow up version he made last year. I'm really happy with it. I can't wait to meet baby Tilly!

New, New, New!

2011-08-24T00:37:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, I set up for my first show of the 2011 season. It was at a baby store, so I geared the items towards babies and little girls. It was my first opportunity to debut not only a whole new line of products, but a new display, tags, and sign. It's a complete visual make-over! Everything is green, gray, or cream. These delicate neutrals set the stage for the muted colors that I prefer and the wide range of colorful yarns that I use in my crocheted button pins (and now hair clips!). There is also a literary theme working throughout the display: pages from the class children's book Heidi are used in item tags, drawings and pages from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice are used on the new gray trays I made and on my new Modest Ambition sign. In addition, I have a new logo, sort of. I'm still working on it. It's my signature MA text, plus a few hand drawn flourishes in a nice fluid, yet brittle line.

I'm very excited about all of these new items and I'm really looking forward to putting the new baby merchandise out with the new and returning favorites for adults at The Dallas Flea on September 24, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at South Side on Lamar. I'm planning on bringing a whole new line of crocheted necklaces -- in advance of my October 23 Crocheted Necklace Workshop at Oil & Cotton Creative Exchange, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. So... maybe I have a thing for seersucker right now?

By the way, I also have a new website. More on that soon.

Wee Thing Winter Wear

2011-08-19T14:39:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, I'm debuting my new baby items at the Babytique Grand Opening, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Here's Lena trying on a few things for me. We're going to have to work on her on her ability to sit still! But, she's awfully cute. The baby hoods and coordinating ponchos are made from either acrylic and bamboo blend or acrylic and wool blend yarns. All are really soft and wearable. The buttons on the hoods are from my vintage collection and the ponchos button at the flower, so the neck opening is nice and wide. I can't wait to share these!

More DIY Kits

2011-08-03T10:48:00.001-05:00

I just dropped off more DIY Brooch Kits at Oil & Cotton last week. Ireally enjoy the opportunity to play with the colors and textures and choose the buttons. I think they will be really fun for someone to assemble into their own creation. There are so many possibilities! On sale now exclusively at Oil & Cotton in Dallas.

Introducing Modest Ambition Vintage and Supplies

2011-07-14T15:54:00.001-05:00

After the Supplies Me! Art + Craft Supply Sale I was inspired to open a second Etsy shop just for supplies and vintage. I've toyed with the idea of opening a vintage shop for awhile, but just hadn't gotten around to it. Now, I've finally done it. Modest Ambition Vintage & Supplies or modestambitionvands will focus on supplies, both handmade and commercially available that I use already, and vintage, mostly paper goods. I'll be adding to the shop regularly as I build the inventory - I have plenty here, I just have to find the time to put it up.

I opened my original shop in 2007 and let me just say, Etsy has really changed since then! It is so much easier to open and run a shop now. I'm glad they are putting the work in to make it better.

By a Thread

2011-07-11T12:13:00.002-05:00

My friend Stephanie gave me a box of thread for crochet and tatting. I made this piece from some of the thread for her birthday. The fabric looks like needlepoint canvas but it is actually an upholstery fabric sample. I crocheted all of the components for the collage except for a small string of tatting that is folded up inside of the red pod. My grandmother made that. I had fun playing with the fibers, choosing different weights and hooks for different effects. I actually enjoyed using my tiniest steel hook to create the crenelated shape at the bottom corner, working two stitches into every stitch on every round to create a hyperbolic pseudosphere. I hope to try my hand at this sort of project again soon.

DIY Brooch Kit

2011-07-07T18:03:00.001-05:00

I've started making brooch kits for sale at Oil & Cotton in Oak Cliff, Dallas. Here are two examples. There are 9 different crocheted parts plus one fabric yo-yo. I've made sure that there are numerous ways to put kit together so the design is really up to you. Each kit comes with two pin backs and two pony-tail holders. Why two ponytail holders on a brooch kit? Because I don't like waste! I've included enough parts for four items, but since you're only making 2 brooches, what to do with the rest of it?

The kit also comes with matching thread and two felt squares for backing the brooches. Finally, four buttons are included. Again, this is to give you lots of choices so you can make the best most awesome custom item just for you. The buttons are from my vintage stash and picked out just for the color combination included in the kit.

The packaging is completely recycled from other purchases of mine -- clean and new when I got it, lovingly repurposed for you. Baby stuff comes in lots and lots of plastic so I have a sea of it. The kit also includes step-by-step instructions for making your brooches.

Altogether you have a kit with endless possibilities, handcrafted and selected for you. What do you want to make with it? The kit retails for $20 and is currently only available at Oil & Cotton. It makes a great gift for a crafty friend or buy it and make one for you and one to give away.

Supplies Me! Art + Craft Sale 2011

2011-06-20T16:53:00.001-05:00

Shop art and craft supplies from Dallas’ craftiest! Etsy Dallas announces Supplies Me! Art + Craft Supply Sale on Saturday, June 25, 11 am–2 pm in the Blue Room at South Side on Lamar in Dallas. This is an exclusive opportunity to buy art and craft supplies directly from the members of Etsy Dallas (http://www.etsydallas.com).

Crafty members of Etsy Dallas will be offering their coveted supplies for sale to the public, including: fabric, beads, buttons, scrapbooking supplies, and loads of other crafty odds and ends. This is your chance to stock up on unique finds to help you express your artistic side. While there will be plenty of inspiration available, there will be no finished goods at this event. Participating members include: ChildsPLAYdesign, DCimaginations, Haute Hardware, La Alicia, Loop and Lil, maggie may I, Modest Ambition, silla soup, and tefi.

Proceeds from sales at the Etsy Dallas team table and extra supplies will be donated to Captain Hope’s Kids, a nonprofit organization that provides clothing, diapers, and other childcare supplies for homeless children all across North Texas. Through their programs, events, and partnerships, they help meet the needs of our community’s homeless children (http://www.captainhope.org).

Free to attend, free parking.

What: Supplies Me! Art + Craft Supply Sale

Who: Etsy Dallas

Where: Blue Room, South Side on Lamar, 1409 South Lamar, Dallas, TX 75215

When: Saturday, June 25, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

More blogs about this event here: The Goods, The Charity

Lena's Green Dress

2011-06-13T15:37:00.000-05:00

I made my first (completed) attempt at a dress for Lena. It is a real dress complete with a lined bodice and proper hem, but it doesn't exactly work. The fabric is too stiff and coarse to drape right, but it was fun to make and I love the color and pattern on the fabric. Next time I'll choose a thinner fabric. Meanwhile, this dress is great for absorbing drool and does actually fit.

2011 Etsy Craft Party

2011-06-09T00:47:00.001-05:00

Etsy Dallas and Oil & Cotton present

2011 Etsy Craft Party

Celebrate the Craftiness in Your Community

Etsy Dallas and Oil & Cotton present “2011 Etsy Craft Party,” 7-9 p.m., Fri., June 10, 2011 at Oil & Cotton, 837 W. 7th Street, Dallas, Texas 75208. Come celebrate the craftiness in your community as we mark the sixth birthday of Etsy, Inc., a Brooklyn-based global online marketplace and community for the handmade, with the second annual local craft party. This event is free, for all ages; open to the public.

The “2011 Etsy Craft Party” will include “craftivities” from Oil & Cotton including landscape necklaces, leather cuffs, and paper teepees, a community collage, spinning demonstrations by local artists, a community weaving project, an Etsy Dallas photo booth, handmade deserts from Etsy Dallas members, drinks, raffle prizes, and a screening of the documentary “Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft and Design.” We’ll also be raising money for scholarships for kids in the Oak Cliff neighborhood to attend art classes or camps at Oil & Cotton.

Come meet local artists and experience the handmade scene in Dallas.

Etsy Dallas and Oil & Cotton present

2011 Etsy Craft Party

7-9 pm, Fri., June 10, 2011

Oil & Cotton, 837 W. 7th Street, Dallas, Texas 75208

Free, all ages, open to the public

Etsydallas.com

Etsy, Inc., based in Brooklyn, NY, is an online marketplace for handmade goods, supplies, and vintage wares. This is the second year that Etsy has called for a global craft party to be organized independently in each city to celebrate their birthday. “Last year, over 5,000 people participated in over 500 meetups from Dallas to Romania, and this year our goal is for over 15,000 people to share in the spirit of Craft Party,” said Julie Schneider, a member of the Community Team at Etsy Labs, Brooklyn. “We envision Craft Party to be a celebration of the wide array of making and an expression of the diversity in your local community.” To find out more about the global impact of the “2011 Etsy Craft Party” visit http://www.etsy.com/storque/events/throw-an-etsy-craft-party-in-your-town-12650/.

Etsy Dallas, the original Dallas team and the first city team in Texas, is a cooperative, all-volunteer group of artists, crafters and designers living and working in Dallas who sell their work on Etsy.com. The team boasts talent from a range of mediums and crafts, and is independently run by its members. “Etsy Dallas" and the "Handmade Bash" are independently located in Dallas TX and are not affiliated with Etsy, Inc. For more information visit etsydallas.com.

Oil & Cotton opened in September 2010. Blending an appreciation of the past with current multidisciplinary art practices, our students are invited to engage in the expressive languages of both music and visual art. Our hands-on classes are taught by professionals with knowledge of traditional and contemporary practice. We provide creative space for education, exhibition, performance and exchange between the public and the art community. For more information visit oilandcotton.com.

Lena's First Easter Basket

2011-04-23T10:18:00.000-05:00

It's Lena's first Easter! This tiny basket with one egg is perfect for a 6 week old. Maybe next year I'll put something in the egg. Parts: plastic egg, crocheted egg cozy with side slit, grass pad with grass fringe, basket with bow and button. My design. For Lena!

Be Awarded!

2011-04-16T00:32:00.002-05:00

After a long dry-spell I am proud to announce the arrival of a new design! I just debuted my new Crocheted Ribbon Award Badges on my Etsy site. You'll also find them at the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash in the coveted Goody Bags (only if you're one of the first 50 people at the door). This was a fun design to develop and I love playing with the color combinations. I focused on pastels for Spring and bold colors to mimic actual award ribbons, like red, blue, and gold. The best part about this item is that it is completely customizable--you finish the project and tailor it to your needs, wants, and style. Here are some suggestions I came up with, but the list is endless!

• Add a safety pin or pinback to make a brooch
• Adorn a gift or Easter basket
• Customize with a center felt circle, button, or 1” pin
• Glue onto a scrapbook or framed collage
• Sew onto a jacket or sweater as a badge
• Use as a bookmark
• Wear on a headband or hairclip

Tell someone you value them with this tiny soft award.
Available in a wide variety of colors, pastels and bold colors.

Misty's Cloud

2011-02-28T18:42:00.000-06:00

I don't make plushies too often, especially not ones like this, but it was awfully fun! This little guy is a mean storm cloud with a lightning bolt. He's based on a mural a friend's husband did for their nursery. I just made the flat illustration into 3 dimensions, complete with nubby protrusions all the way around. He should be fun for little hands to hold or for adults to admire.

Little Kimono Jacket

2011-02-16T07:40:00.000-06:00

My sister Amanda gave me a beautiful skein of bamboo and wool blend yarn. I used my new yarn swift and baller to wind it up into a ball, then proceeded to design and make this little jacket. I used blanket binding on the diagonal edges.

As you can see it could be worn open or crossed. I haven't added any ties, frogs, or buttons because I'm not sure which to chose. I think when I see a little body in there it will make more sense what to do. Meanwhile, I'm happy with it as is. It's very soft and I've already washed and dried it. I'm hoping it should fit her at about 6 mo. It's also very airy, so it doesn't have to be more than slightly cool for this to be comfortable.

Outfitting the Closet

2011-02-10T22:23:00.001-06:00

The closet in the baby's room has built in shelves that aren't quite triangular or square. They are 16 x 16 x 14 x 6 inches--a very awkward trapezoidal shape. Using upholstery fabric given to me by Laura of Butter along with some scraps I already had, I made custom fabric bins. The bins are different heights depending on the shelf. Each is lined and has a cardboard reinforced bottom.

I thought the fabrics were all very pretty and extremely sturdy. All of the bottoms, interior and exterior are a chocolate brown velvet. While the walls aren't reinforced, once the bins are in place and being used they should stand up just fine. I'm very pleased with how these came out. Now, I won't have any wasted space because of the odd size and despite my being a very poor seamstress and mathematician these actually came out looking good!

Preparing the Layette

2011-02-04T15:57:00.003-06:00

When January arrived I had finished making items for the fall shows and just barely finished my Christmas present projects. Finally, it was time to start making things for the baby. She's due in just four weeks now. The layette sleeper is my most accomplished item so far. I based the pattern on a sleeper I had received as a gift for her. It took a bit of thinking, but I figured out how to put an elastic in hem binding and weave that through the bottom so it stays stretchy. The top has an envelope opening at the shoulders. Designing just the right shape for the bodice pieces so it would fold correctly was a bit of a challenge too. I added a top stitch to the sleeves so they wouldn't be so plain and the body, below the bodice, is worked in a stitch that stretches both directions - more like a knit garment. (Go here to see Lena in her outfit!)

Prior to starting the sleeper, I made this little set. I needed to feel like I was making progress, so I whipped up a little hat and matching booties. Having never made booties before and designing as I went the first one was a little slow, but the second was done in a flash. These are all made from a super soft bamboo/wool blend that's very silky feeling. The mary-jane style booties have a loop closure over the button.

Then, I made a little blanket. It's just the right size to fit over an infant carrier, a perfect little square with two ruffled edges. I ran the stripes in random combinations of four colors: pink, cream, mint blue, and light teal blue. It's very soft and light, completely breathable.

I have more to do. I'm working on a little bonnet to go with the sleeper and I have many more ideas. More hats and booties are needed for sure. Meanwhile, my husband has been working on the baby's room. Here's a peak at the color we picked out. It probably won't show up correctly here, so I'll just tell you it's called beeswax and it's a soft yellow, not too brown or green or too pale. It's sunny and happy.

"NEST" featuring Michael Mazurek and Jesse Morgan Barnett, Curated by Anne Lawrence

2011-02-02T15:34:00.004-06:00

“Nest”

Featuring Michael Mazurek and Jesse Morgan Barnett
at Bows and Arrows

February 19-March 23, 2011

Dallas, TX, February 2, 2011 -- Bows and Arrows presents “Nest” featuring Michael Mazurek and Jesse Morgan Barnett, curated by Anne Lawrence, opening Saturday, February 19, 2011, 6-9 p.m. The exhibition will include site-specific installations by each artist.

“Nest” centers on the question how do artists respond to having a child? While feminist and conceptual artist Mary Kelly’s seminal “Post-Partum Documents” tracked the evidence of the child with forensic precision creating a subtle narrative of the mother’s relationship with the growing child, Mazurek and Barnett, both fathers, are each known for their elaborate constructions and installations; thus turning away from the processes of the body towards the process of making and building.

By changing the physical space of the room, they are reordering the spatial experience. New parents, like other animals, are hit with a powerful urge to create a safe place for the birth and infancy of their offspring. This need to “nest” goes beyond cleaning clutter and nursery decorating often giving way to a process of self-reflection and evaluation of the pre-child state. There is a need to put the house in order, literally and metaphorically.

After the birth of his first child, Mazurek was motivated to make a dramatic change. Quitting his full-time job he enrolled in graduate school, first in architecture, then fine arts. Mazurek’s work has shown a strong inclination toward building and construction evolving into complex, even chaotic, structures of ever increasing size, with strong references to architecture and theatrical stage-setting. Mazurek stated, “I returned to art and chose this path very specifically due to the birth of my daughter. The clarity of that moment still amazes me. She put everything in perspective, practically immediately.”

Barnett’s work bridges photography, video, installation, and performance. In this exhibition he will present a video and sound-piece laced with a fetal heartbeat along with a site-specific installation. As he explained just a few days before the birth of his son in mid-January, “Coping with both biological and artistic creativity occurring at the same time is challenging and stimulating.”

Mazurek and Barnett will both receive their Master of Fine Arts from University of Texas at Arlington in 2011. Lawrence is expecting her first child sometime in early March. The image on the postcard is of her sonogram taken January 25. Bows and Arrows is located at 1925 Greenville Avenue, Dallas Texas 75206. Open Wednesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. The exhibition will be on view February 19-March 23, 2011.

###

Bows and Arrows is part floral emporium, part art gallery, and part craft bazaar run by Alicia and Adam Rico. Voted Best Florist for 2011 by D Home Magazine, they are currently using the space next to the shop as an alternative art annex.

Bows and Arrows
1925 Greenville Avenue, Dallas Texas 75206
Open Wednesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
214-828-2697

info@bowsandarrowsdeluxe.com

www.bowsandarrowsdeluxe.com

www.bowsandarrowsdeluxe.blogspot.com

P.S. That's me! This is my last curatorial project before our baby is due in early March.

Post-Holiday Showoff

2011-01-10T20:04:00.000-06:00

This Christmas I made some ambitious crochet projects in advance of the little one I having coming later this Spring. I thought I'd try out my toy ideas on my nephews. The Octosweaterpus was a collaboration with my husband Todd. He drew the picture and I made the plushie based on it. I think that was one of the most complicated color switching projects I've ever done! I'm very proud of how this one turned out and our nephew Ryan surprised us all by loving it! He twirled it around by the head and even came back to it later despite all the other toys.

The arms are a very satisfying size for little hands to grip onto. By the way, Todd did the drawing on his iPhone.

For my twin nephews I made matching elephants. I wasn't up to 16 more octo-arms. I designed the pattern myself. I'm particularly happy with the stubby legs and solid feet pads. I think they came out pretty cute!

Creating the Gift-giving “WOW” Factor

2010-12-03T18:01:00.000-06:00

(This article was first published in the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash booklet given out free at the Jingle Bash on November 20. Written by me!)

Most of us have re-gifted a fancy holiday gift bag or two, but what are some other creative, and eco-friendly, ways to present your gifts?

• Stash your present inside another gift, such as a pretty pouch, petite purse, or bold reusable shopping bag. Personalize the bag with embroidery or iron-on letters to add a, well, personal touch.

• Decorate a reusable box with decoupaged images, stickers, and letters spelling the recipient’s name or initials. I prefer boxes with plastic lids like instant breakfast, oatmeal, or some cereal boxes. Put a big ribbon on top. After the holiday it can be used to store other treasures.

• Use a scarf or scrap of fabric to tie up a fancy bundle or bottle. Add a gift tag and you’re ready to go.

• Fashion a stack of fabric pouches from a variety of old colored t-shirts. Create an envelope fold pouch that only requires stitching on two sides (like a pillow slipcover), tuck your goodies inside, make a stack of different colored pouches, and then bundle together with a ribbon. Viola!

• Fold a paper box and lid. Find instructions for an origami box. Use print outs of your favorite digital pictures, magazine images, or pages from an old book. If the paper isn’t stiff enough, mount the images on cardstock first.

• Create a gift terrarium with your present nestled under a glass dome among moss and tiny plants. You could rest a glimmering necklace on a rock or situate a tiny gift box among flowers.

Other ideas to make gifts fabulous? Sew, crochet or knit a pouch. Embellish with buttons and embroidery. Add a homemade tree ornament as the gift tag.

Just in Time for the Holidays

2010-11-21T12:34:00.002-06:00

If you saw me at the Jingle Bash in Dallas this last weekend or Funky Find's The Experience in Fort Worth earlier this month you might have noticed that I'm now 6 months pregnant! Things are going well and we're so excited about our new baby coming in March. While I won't be doing any shows in the Spring, I am so happy to have had the opportunity to do such amazing shows this Fall.

I had a blast at the Jingle Bash yesterday and even though it was completely exhausting, it was totally worth it. Same for The Experience in Fort Worth, but the Jingle Bash holds a special place in my indie-craft-heart. I've done that show every year for all of its three year history. Every year I am blown away by the crowds, the enthusiasm of the shoppers, and the quality of the Bash. The Etsy Dallas team does an amazing (all-volunteer) job of organizing a fun, creative, and high quality shopping experience.

Once again, I'm in awe. I'm exhausted, but still kind of giddy from the success of the day.

Full Circle Hoop Experience

2010-07-26T13:07:00.002-05:00

In addition to crocheting, I really enjoy hooping. I've been working with Hip Hazel Hoops making and teaching hula hooping since September. This August we're teaming up with three other hooping instructors for our first all day hooping workshop. Here's the scoop!

Spin Cycle Hoop School announces Full Circle Hoop Experience on Saturday, August 21, 12-5 pm at South Side on Lamar in Dallas.

No longer just for kids, adult fitness hooping has come full circle offering both physical and mental benefits for all who want to give it a whirl! Full Circle Hooping Experience will include activities for all levels, including beginning and advanced workshops with area experts, a hooping showcase, hooping videos, a hoop boutique, and an open hoop jam with Q&A. If you’re curious about how the hula hoop has evolved into a fitness revolution, this is the event for you! No previous experience necessary.

What: Full Circle Hoop Experience

Who: presented by Spin Cycle Hoop School

When: Saturday, August 21, 12-5 pm

Where: South Side on Lamar, 1409 S. Lamar, Dallas, TX 75215; Free event parking

Cost: $75 in advance, $80 at the door
Web: spincyclehoopschool.ning.com (click on EVENT REGISTRATION)

Email: spincyclehoopschool@gmail.com

Bespoke(n)

2010-06-03T18:38:00.000-05:00

I just finished two commissioned pieces back to back. Here is the cream and brown puff sleeve shrug that is going to Austin. It is based on my Chocolate and Cream Shrug, but resized for a custom fit. It was really fun to revisit this item. I love how sturdy the acrylic feels; it really helps give the sleeves the right amount of structure.

Just before that, I finished up a very challenging piece in silver lame. It looks and feels more like chain mail than your typical yarn. I used a smaller hook than normal and found it took a little while to get used to handling it. But, I think the results are stunning. This piece is off to Cardiff, UK.

The back is longer and the sleeves are fitted. The piece was created exactly to fit the customer. This is the first time I've had a chance to use the size Large dress form. It was very helpful when establishing the drape around the sides from the front to the back. With the longer back, this pieces has more sewing with piece work than some of my other shrugs, like the one above. With these two now in the mail, I'm off to my next project!

Renegade in Austin

2010-05-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

I spent last weekend in Austin at the Renegade Craft Fair. I was super psyched to be juried into this show! I went to the Renegade in Brooklyn last June and it was amazing. I agonized over how to set up my booth and finally break free from the table table display I've come to rely on. So, for this show I had a dress form with one of my shawls and three panels across the back of the 10 x 10 booth. I covered the panels with fabric and either clipped to or stitched through the fabric to secure the items on display. Yes, that is an IKEA bath mat that I repurposed as a background for an arrangement of pins! I still had my trays of crocheted button pins, baskets of crocheted scarves and hats, and my hanging rack of goodies, of course. But, I really wanted to try some new things with my display. I also added a new sign. I kept my crocheted script sign and added a logo painted on a large stretched canvas that could be propped up.

I really enjoyed the process of preparing for this show. It was challenging trying to load the car for the first time with all of these new additions to the set up and a new car. The drive down to Austin was full of blinding rain, but we didn't have any more rain for the rest of the trip. We went to the Etsy meet and greet on Friday night and found Korean BBQ from a street vendor later that night. Saturday night we had burgers and sausage out on a patio. By Sunday evening I was ready to go home. Renegade was fun. I spent plenty of money buying wonderful goodies and oogling everyone's stuff. There are so many talented and creative people!

Spring is finally here!

2010-03-31T18:26:00.000-05:00

I just finished my contribution for the Spring Bash. I made tiny crocheted flowers with button centers and magnets on the back. Very cute and petite. I made ONE leaf. A very special person will find that in their Goody Bag. Although I'm not participating in the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash with Modest Ambition, I still want to contribute to the team!

I will, however, be there with Hip Hazel Hoops selling hoops, classes, gift certificates, and demonstrating hooping. It's going to be so much fun! I just signed up for the decorating committee. I feel like we're getting ready for the prom.

Custom-ize Me

2010-03-15T11:55:00.000-05:00

February and March have been surprisingly busy for me. I was lucky enough to have a flood of custom orders including all the ones featured in this post. I didn't have time to photograph all of them properly before shipping, but at least I have some kind of record. The pink and off-white shrug was based on my Chocolate and Cream Shrug. I'm working on a black version for my shop right now.

Here's a better view. I forgot how much I like this item! the lacy grid on the arms and trim really help differentiate this shrug from all the others. I made two brooches in case the one photographed here was just too dramatic, i.e. too big.

This ivory silk mohair shrug was based on my Silk Mohair Orange Shrug. It was designed to go with a lovely floral print dress in shades of green. The brooch is just pinned on so this shrug will be wonderfully versatile.

This is probably my favorite custom item that I've done recently. The customer took my Silk Mohair Blue Dream Shrug and turned it inside out, reversing the colors and adding red for the rosettes. I love how it came out!

Finally, this was the most complicated of the recent orders. The photograph doesn't do it justice at all, but this is a version of the Ivory Alpaca Lace Ruffled Shrug. We changed the fiber to a brighter shinier one, an alpaca silk blend, shortened the back and made the entire thing smaller. I took this photo at night and since it doesn't actually fit me I couldn't model it, in fact, I think my hanger was too big, which is too bad - the mohair ruffles were so pretty.

White Rockin' It

2010-03-13T18:47:00.001-06:00

I was at White Rock Local Market today and it was so much fun! I have a terrible sunburn from being outside from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. but I'm so glad it was such a nice sunny day. I split my booth between Modest Ambition and Hip Hazel Hoops, which made for some chaotic moments, but seemed to work pretty well. I wore my crocheted shrug and demo'd hula hoops. Kids love to play with the hoops, but really we focus on adult fitness hooping. The colors did sparkle in the sun. I'm experimenting with my display; I debuted my brooch board. Which worked great, until a great gust of wind knocked it over. Oh well. The hoop rack came down once too. Yikes! At least it wasn't as windy as yesterday. Some of the booths had tents and others didn't like mine. While I benefitted from the warmth of the sun in the early morning (like in the picture) when it was in the 40s, by the afternoon we were getting cooked but still it was only in the 60s. I'd say that was a perfect March day.

News and more news

2010-02-14T00:36:00.000-06:00

So a bit of news to catch you up - first, Etsy Dallas announced their 2010 team roster and once again I am proud to be part of this group! I hope to become even more involved this next year, participating in the spring and fall bashes, writing for the team blog, and promoting team projects.

I am also excited to announce that I have been juried into the Renegade Craft Fair in Austin, May 15-16. This is a very competitive show and I know many people that were disappointed not to be selected. I am so honored that they chose my shop and I'm going to be working very hard to take advantage of this opportunity. I know I need to completely rethink my booth display and I have some exciting ideas. Think installation art / scene setting with a heavy DIY emphasis. I want to present my designs creatively and thoughtfully, but never in an overly commercial pre-packaged generic way. I know this show means I have to step up my game and consider the entire exhibition space as an extension of my work. Excited!

Finally, I am so happy for my friend Regina who is the featured seller for this week on Etsy with her amazing soap shop Soapopotamus. She gave me a shout out as the maker of her favorite handmade item - a custom hood. I've mentioned this hood before in my blog (Post-Pop Anime Hood), but I here it is again. I thought I was going to go blind while working on it because I was using so many colors at the same time. I wish I had taken more photographs of it, but I'm working with 3 skeins of alternating colors for just about every row. It was so much fun! Congratulations to Regina for being the featured seller!

Warm Memories

2010-01-29T14:07:00.003-06:00

This picture is dated 1975. That's me on the left and my older sister Karen on the right. The weird line across the picture above is from the plastic sleeve of the photo album. I didn't want to take the picture out to scan it. I love the weird compositions in snapshots. Karen's face is clearly in the center. I'm off to the side, but still nicely in the frame. The pink chair on the side and the bottom of the picture frames, well, those add interest to the side and top, right? Or, for me, it firmly locates the picture in my grandparent's formal living room. I remember fondly this coat, and later Karen's coat when I grew into it, and the detachable hoods with faux fur lining and black drawstrings.

I've been a hood-kick lately. Designing and making hoods for adults that are playful, nostalgic, warm, and one of a kind, like this one. I love red and blue together and I've been inching my way towards more complex color switching and patterning. After finishing this project I can confidently say that I have this skill. Images are next! Playing with the geometric patterns was fun and easy. No mistakes here. The gusset is new too. I've been creating blunted points for the hoods by angling the last few inches and knocking off the sharp point. Here I stitched it up straight, as usual, then repositioned it and stitched straight across to create the gusset, which I tacked to the side-back, rather than the top. On the whole, I'm very pleased with this project. I can't wait to think of my next design.

Through the woods

2010-01-23T17:25:00.000-06:00

After working on this piece for two weeks and three attempts at photography, I finally listed my newest item. I'm not totally happy with the images, but maybe I need to walk away from it. This is a kind of bizarre piece - not your normal hat to toss on when it's cold. I wanted to push myself so I completed the alternating zigzag pattern by counting stitches and rotating yarns. After the piece was felted I started to work on the brim and embroidery. I'm new to embroidery so it may appear a bit rough, but this is a lovingly handmade piece and I figured that would add to the quirkiness. It was made to be an exception to daily life, a kind of talisman providing escape to a world that actually does get cold, where are there forests to walk through, and wildlife to wonder at. It's still January, but it has been in the 70s this week already. I imagine this hood with a layer of powdery snow across the brim when extended. I can dream.

Leaf-ing Update

2010-01-21T14:57:00.006-06:00

After attending the SASSY Virtual Labs critique last week and receiving some much needed advice from a member (thanks CricketsCreations!), I just had to do something about my photography. It's just a start, but here are my NEW photos of the leaf pins. I reshot the flowers too and the combo images. Whew, thank goodness the photos are actually getting better. I was so relieved to have the lightbox that I didn't realize the photos just weren't there yet. Now, I feel like I'm a bit closer. It feels so good to make progress! This lovely mild sunny January day has now been pressed into my leaf pin photos.

Circling back

2010-01-11T16:10:00.006-06:00

Happily my hands have been busy and I've posted a few new items today from the Everyday Circle Scarf series. I have five completed and one more in black that is almost done. The circle scarves were really fun to play with. I did notice that some are much longer than others! They range from 28 to 40 inches. Oops. I'll probably make a few more since they are so fast.

Other projects I'm working on include a hood in olive green and coral with a zigzag pattern created by alternating colors and some new crocheted button pins with rusched fabric bits. I'm trying to challenge myself to incorporate new materials into my crocheted pieces and to try to master new techniques. I am stretching my ability to concentrate on the hood, counting and switching colors frequently, but the pattern itself is very easy. In the end I plan to felt it, so mistake-forgiveness is built in.

I'm also happy to report some numbers. My Etsy shop is just shy of 800 hearts, my shop now has 63 items, and my highest viewed item is almost to 3600. I'm still mulling over my goals for 2010 and how they might look in hard numbers, but I'm encouraged the recent activity. Also, as part of my 2010 plan, I sorted out my bookmarks and revisited some of the great links that have been recommended, which led to my reading a 25-page guide to SEOs. Finally, this trip down the rabbit hole of links lead me back to Craftster.org, a website I discovered and joined in 2005. Amazingly my login still works! And my avatar was a platypus skeleton? What?! Oh yeah. Well, we all change over time. I'm looking forward to exploring the "new" Craftster and showing off my super-duper skills. I remember how comforting it was to first find Craftster. I spent so much time there. I've come a long way since 2005.

Minty

2010-01-06T08:59:00.006-06:00

Think of this post as a tiny memorial to an item that sold that I now miss. I ordered handspun tomato orange flecked mint yarn from circuspony and was giddy when I saw that it was even more amazing than I had thought! I worked and reworked the body of the hood three times because I kept running out of that yarn. I added the alternating squishy orange alpaca rows and finally went and bought the cream wool to be able to finish it. I then added the ruffle at the bottom, just because! Well, to balance the design and add an extra touch of whimsy.

I don't work with handspun yarn as often as I would like, so I feel like I have a special obligation to take someone else's beautiful work and try to do my absolute best with it. This hood sat proudly on my hat stand at the Etsy Jinglebash last Fall and was featured on a few blogs before making it to the front page two days before Christmas and finally selling on Christmas day! I'll make other hoods, but this one was magical.

Blue Skies and a New Day

2010-01-04T10:26:00.005-06:00

It's the first work day of the new year and I'm busy-busy. I was sick most of last week but managed to add over 30 items to my little shop, plus three more to photograph and list today or tomorrow. Now that I'm listing smaller items, with successful photos, I've been catching up on inventory. But enough of this boring talk, it's Monday of a new week of a new year!

I have so many new ideas. I'm really excited about sharing my designs from yesterday, a mohair shrug and two scarves in a new design. Maybe it was being sick and watching lots of movies that helped me keep my rhythm, but I was mighty productive yesterday. Thanks Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby! I watched "Blue Skies", featuring those two fellows and I felt down-right lazy after watching all the tapping and dizzy from all the saturated colors. Such gorgeous costumes too. By the way, that movie has the strangest plot. It is surprisingly dark and empty-feeling for a movie with so many song and dance numbers.

Meanwhile, here's a peek at what the flowers and leaves that I've been posting lately looked like before completion. I do love color.

Small Items Paradox

2010-01-01T10:28:00.004-06:00

I'm still working on my personal New Year's resolution list, but it certainly includes spending more time trying to figure out how to make modestambition work. I know that I need to treat it more like a business than just an extension of my hobby. For example, I can make all kinds of things and often I choose the things that are the most exciting and most challenging to me. But as a business, I am often confused about what to make and who my customer is.

I have learned a very clear lesson from the craft shows that I participated in this last year, all five of them (two in the Spring, one in the fall, and two closer to Christmas). In person, different items sell than online, for many reasons I'm sure including how the product looks in person, how long the customer wants to spend shopping, and who that audience is. Smaller, lower priced items sell better at craft shows. I've sold hundreds of crocheted button pins in person, received 2,614 views on that item at this date, and sold just a handful online. I've tweaked the listing, played with the price and even taken it down for awhile, but it continues to draw traffic, so it's back. I've included them in samplers, team giveaways, craft show goody bags, etc. Sometimes I get really tired of that item, but then I find myself eager to make more - new color combinations, more scraps of yarn to use, new button finds!

The Heidi Bobby Pin was developed as a craft show (in person) item. I made just a few bobby pins in the spring and they did pretty well. By fall, I decided to re-merchandise them and I developed the elaborate collaged card with a paint sample front, my business card info, and scenes and text from a vintage children's book "Heidi" on the back. They were a big hit! I almost sold out at the Etsy Jinglebash. So here they are, online now.

I took my time figuring out how to photograph them. I found tutorials, built a light box, and finally posted a big batch of them.
I think they are an adorable small item and a good gift. Domestic shipping is free, so that won't be the issue. So, the question is how does this sell in person vs. online? I'm going to start making larger crocheted button pins that will be photographed and listed individually. Let's see how this goes.

2010, Year of the Maker?

2009-12-30T12:23:00.006-06:00

I just posted my first contribution to the Etsy Dallas blog. I made the illustration above and scanned it for the article, but here's a snapshot of it. I had way too much fun making this. I see more of this in my future.

When I was a kid I had a notebook just for describing new inventions, a binder with notes, illustrations, and diagrams/floorplans for the stories I was writing, a folder for poetry, sketch pads for drawings and paintings, and collections of things for craft projects and sculptures. I didn't think of myself as an artist or a crafter and certainly not an artisan. I considered myself a "maker." It was the word I was most comfortable with and best described how I saw myself. My output was limitless and I was very prolific. I always had multiple projects going and I was constantly trying out new techniques.

Since then, I've gone to art school, art history grad school, worked in museums, galleries, universities, and been a part of a very creative community. With my professional career though, I stepped out of the role of "maker" and became a culture producer - a terribly clinical-sounding way of describing someone who works in the arts, but isn't the artist.

Right now, though, I feel more like a "maker" than I have in a very long time. Don't misunderstand, I NEVER stopped making things. I crocheted, collaged, drew, photographed, etc. I can't not make things (double negative for emphasis). But, that part of myself was pushed aside as I stopped identifying myself as an artist after art school and took up the label amateur crafter and DIY'er. I am in a transitional place, between jobs and at the crossroads of my career. I wonder, aloud even, if I'll ever work in the arts again. Maybe that was my last job in the profession I trained in? Who knows. I'll keep looking and keep trying - I'm not giving up. But, I feel free to try anything and everything: writing, drawing, making, inventing. Everything feels open and limitless.

Here's a quick sampling of a few of the projects I'm working on:
writing for Arts + Culture - pick it up at a local gallery or museum
producing and hosting Art This Week - a video podcast featuring interviews in local museums and galleries and art news
contributing to the Etsy Dallas blog as a guest writer, hopefully once a month
maintaining my Etsy shop, Modestambition
assisting and apprenticing to Hip Hazel Hoops, a very cool company that hand makes hula hoops and teaches lessons
blogging more frequently here

I'm working on a few more things too, but you get the idea. I'm trying to get a grasp on my plan for 2010. My new year's resolutions will be the next post.

Monkey boy

2009-12-22T13:03:00.007-06:00

I don't make kid's items for my Etsy shop and my track record for making baby gifts is mixed. I'm terrible at guessing sizes so my things are usually too small. Now that I have three nephews and two nieces all under 3, I have more opportunities to try to get it right! Here's a preview of the Christmas presents for the 7 month old twin boys and the one-year old nephew on the other side of the family. Pretty cute, huh? I can't wait to see what these look like on!

Making the badges for the initials was a good warm up for the more complicated project ahead. The monkey applique is a new technique for me. I drew the monkey on my computer. Any real graphic designers would be horrified to know that I actually used MS Word to draw the ovals and circles. I saved it as a PDF then resized it when printing it. If I remembered how to use Adobe Illustrator, I'm sure I could have made a really cool vector graphic and done all kinds of neat things. As it is, I'm so proud that this worked at all! Once printed I cut out the main shape, taped it to my felt and cut that out. Then I trimmed the pattern down to the next interior shape, taped that to lighter brown felt and cut that out. I glued the two pieces of felt together and cut and glued the inside ear half moons. I stitched on the button eyes, white buttons with black buttons on top, and added the yarn smile and nose. I glued the whole thing on to the hat and then carefully did a running backstitch all the way around the monkey face. Finally, I added a stitch in the middle of the ear to tack down that tiny sliver of felt. Now all of the felt pieces are glued and sewn (the eyes, mouth and nose hold down the center felt piece).

These were fun projects. I'm looking forward to giving these as presents and maybe trying my hand at other animals in the future!

Etsy, a furry dog, and a crocheted collar

2009-12-16T23:25:00.000-06:00

I just applied for the Second Etsy Community Council, which consists of a group of Etsians talking about Etsy - sounds fun! I'm sure everyone is applying, so I'm not holding my breath, but I thought I'd share my answer to the essay question: Why do you want to participate?

"I believe Etsy touches on some of the most important issues of our time, including, but not limited to, how we work, how we live, how we use objects to identify ourselves, and how we interact with each other in a marketplace and as a community as well as sustainability, DIY, entrepreneurship, craft/art, fair wages, globalism, and craft as heritage."

So there it is in a nutshell, well 250 words. Etsy touches on most of the questions that rattle around in my brain. It may sometimes just be a site for the cute and the uber-geeky, but it has the potential to be so much more.

By the way, my dog does not usually pose for my Etsy listing pictures. I don't make any dog items, but he was sitting still and I was sorely tempted to make him wear this piece. I actually just draped it on him for 30 seconds, snapped the pict when he looked at me and took it off. No dog cooties to worry about. Too bad we can't see his cute black button eyes! He loves this cold weather and is looking especially wooly.

Melancholia and Wool

2009-12-15T18:21:00.000-06:00

I know I mentioned this hood at the bottom of my last post, but since then I went on the Etsy Forums and asked for a general critique that took this item in particular to task for being overly dark. I prefer to think of it as dramatic and moody, but they are right. It's dark. I reshot it and you can see the new sunnier, happier photos on Etsy. I tried to play up the whimsy of wearing a hood with a funny pointy top and big soft poms at the ends of long strings. But still, I'm attached to the original photos (the three photos shown in this post), which say more about how I'm feeling this winter.

Winter is a tough time of year; it's dark and cold. Like many before me, I use the long hours trapped indoors to challenge my hands and try to "make" my way out of the winter-blahs. I made a brightly colored hood to distract/shield/protect me. I turn inward, away from the light and become a darkened silhouette.

Winter is a very fertile time for my wooly imagination. I think of ways to stay warm, new patterns and designs, and develop hand and arm muscles that rival a marathoner. And, as excited as I am about the ultimate handmade gift exchange opportunity (Christmas), I am still slowed and pulled down by Winter's forces: an enveloping gray sky during the day revealing the dead leaves and grass and at night a chilled dark blankness. I appreciate the opportunity to slow down and reflect, even mourn for the year that has passed. I know I wasn't the only one to have a rough year, so I won't go into it. Like winter, this will pass. Who knows if 2010 will be any better, but at least we'll have the opportunity to make it our own.

Leaf-ing

2009-12-02T11:01:00.000-06:00

I have been very busy working towards the holiday shows this weekend. Not only have I been working to replenish my inventory after the Jinglebash, but I've been developing new things as well. I do become bored very quickly with repetition, so I like to try lots of new things, including these individual leaf pins. I designed the leaf sets originally for hats, but now I'm trying them out at pins. I wore the one I had completed to the Jinglebash and sold it off my dress. I also found a stash of vintage buttons at the thrift store that add more color than my usual brown buttons.

I still haven't had time to work on the fingerless gloves I've designed. I've made two pairs, but that hardly seems like enough to put out. We'll see... I'll be at the North Haven Gardens Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair, 10-5, Sunday, Dec. 6. My fall leaves and hats should fit right in.

My big accomplishment for the Thanksgiving holiday was the completion of a hood crocheted in wool and then felted. The felting was so tight I had to do a running stitch with needle and thread to create the loops to add the mohair trim. It has my first foray into intarsia with crochet - just a simple repeat of three stitches. I also changed colors on almost every line. I'd gone to the yarn store earlier that day and I was feeling the need for lots of color! The little balls at the end of the strings are made from hand-dyed and spun yarn (that I bought) that was un-spun to make perfect soft little puffs.

(See more on this item in my next post)

Jingled II

2009-11-24T10:45:00.000-06:00

Wow, the second annual Jingle Bash on Saturday at Sons of Hermann Hall was amazing! I was so excited to see so many people and so much great stuff. Several vendors said it was their single busiest day ever! I had a great time meeting so many wonderful customers and talking about crochet and yarn - always fun for me! I'm so proud of the Etsy Dallas team and all of the talented vendors for making this such an outstanding event.

Now, it's time to get busy and start filling the custom orders from the show and to see how many hats I can make in two weeks. The North Haven Garden Holiday Arts and Crafts show is December 5-6. I'll be there Sunday, December 6, with a replenished stock of hats, scarves, and if I finish them in time, I'll be introducing gloves (the fingerless kind).

Twirling and Swirling

2009-11-09T20:03:00.000-06:00

Last year I designed the cream and blue scarf and debuted (and sold) it at the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash in November. This year, I am excited to have the scarf in blue and green to offer at the 2009 Jingle Bash on November 21 at Sons of Hermann Hall. Both are made from 100% wool then felted through a hot washing and drying process. The spiral is created line by line by going back and forth with a variety of sized stitches. It feels like a very tedious process when you are doing it, but I love the final effect. Check out the item listing to see more pictures. The blue and green version is made from a slightly finer yarn with more color variation from the dying process that give it more depth and variety. The felting process makes it seem more uniform, but color variations are still perceptible.

Chunky Cowl

2009-11-04T21:50:00.000-06:00

I know I'm supposed to be working on smaller items for the upcoming Etsy Dallas Jinglebash on Nov. 21, but I'm in the middle of a design spree right now. It seems like every other day I'm completing some new project from start to finish that is completely unique - like this cowl. I've had that chunky brown wool-acrylic for almost a year, and I've never had a single idea of what to do with it, until now! All the sudden I had an idea and I had to make it right then. I've never even seen an item exactly like this before. The collar actually stands up and folds over itself with buttons on the side facing out on the side closest to your neck - or you wear it laying down over your shoulders by turning it inside out.

The brooch is removable. I thought the piece needed a little more color. Again, it's probably too warm to be worn much around here, but I imagine it would be very useful up north in addition to your heavy coat and hat.

Hooded

2009-10-28T14:54:00.000-05:00

I just completed a new hood in hot pink and gray. The new one is shorter in length compared to my earlier ones, shown here, above and below. The red one was an accident after the original project didn't work out. I had a length of red and gray crocheted fabric that I folded in half and decided would make a really cute hood. From there I decided to repeat the accident on purpose and I made the gray and orange version. The hoods are so cute and have sold well to cold places, like Portland and Amsterdam! There's not too much use for a hood like this in Texas, but we have some cold days. It was 65 F today!

Fall Weddings

2009-10-26T14:44:00.000-05:00

This is a custom order for two shrugs, similar to my Lilac Shrug, in custom colors for brown dresses at a Fall wedding. I ended up using a woven cotton yarn, which was so soft, instead of wool, like the Lilac Shrug. The colors are warmer than they appear in my photograph. I hope they did their job and that the wedding was a lovely happy occasion!

Up on the Roof

2009-09-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

So, in addition to my yarn obsession, I'm now getting into hula hooping! It's so much fun. Here's my friend Jen of Hip Hazel Hoops on the roof at Southside on Lamar. She teaches beginning and advanced hula hooping and makes and sells hoops and accessories. I'm really enjoying working with her and learning more about coordination as well as how to laugh at myself and of course how to try and try again. The magic is when you finally get it and it feels effortless. For more on Jen on the roof, here's a video. We also worked with Kevin Todora on a fantastic photoshoot on the roof, like the image above.

Ms. Austen, again

2009-09-14T18:20:00.000-05:00

I was just playing around with SocialMention - your site for searching the blogosphere for mentions - and noticed a reference to my Austen Flutter shawls here. I just watched Sense and Sensibility again and remembered why I do love that period and Ms. Austen so much. I kept interrupting the movie to tell my husband that the part coming up was my second, or third, or first most favorite part of the movie. I already have them in order in my head and could hardly stand the anticipation waiting for the final BEST moment at the almost-end. Here is another shawl inspired by that same line of shawls - the last one in my shop until I make more.

Autumnal

2009-09-14T15:12:00.000-05:00

I just finished photographing my new hats for Fall. Here are three of the gazillion I've made recently. I can't seem to keep up with the listings. I'll work on it more today.

Meanwhile, I've just been featured on the Etsy Storque in an article on Fall Weddings! http://www.etsy.com//storque/spotlight/etsy-finds-fruitful-vows-5134/

Hoorah!

Oh, and I'm in the Gift Guide for Fall Weddings! http://www.etsy.com/gift-guides/168?page=1

Timing

2009-09-06T13:13:00.000-05:00

This is a custom order that I just finished. It's the white shrug with black trim that I made last spring, but with a standup collar and button closure at the neck added. The black yarn holds the lacy pattern of the crochet beautifully. I think it's pretty sharp. I'm surprised at how many custom orders I've been doing lately. The timing is spot-on. My last day of work at my full-time job is coming up this week. I'm just breaking down my office now. It's good to have projects and feel like I'm filling a need or a want. I don't expect to make a living off Etsy, or at least not off what I do at Etsy now, but it is satisfying. I try my best to make original items and to give the best customer service believing, whether there is a tangible reward for it or not, that it's the right thing to do - it just feels right. As embarrassed and self-conscious as I am sometimes, I like to feel proud of what I'm doing.

I have so many ideas for new things to make and designs to try. It's a good thing I'm going to have time, at least for a while.

Maker as Model

2009-09-02T00:19:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a brief chat in the Etsy forums I was asked to write a tutorial about my photography process - specifically tips about how to be your own model and photographer. Check it out on Artful Chatter by Renaissance, a blog by fellow Etsian and fiber enthusiastic Rag House International. In addition to the advantages ad flexibility of being your own art director, photographer, and model I think that we (the designers/makers) are often the best embodiment of our own brand. That said, if I had the cash I do have ideas...

I photographed this hat for the article, but it sold too quickly! This is the second time I've made this design, previously in orange, and the second time I've ever had a sale in less than an hour. I NEED to keep making this hat!! :)

Jingle jingle

2009-08-29T17:23:00.000-05:00

Great news! I've been juried into the JingleBash at Sons of Hermann Hall on November 21, 1-7 p.m. I have lots of ideas for new things to make between now and then. I'm thinking hats! And scarves, shrugs, shawls, and more. I'm also thinking about how to change up my display and maybe even try to look a little less DIY, maybe. Last year was a blast.

It's going to be great.

Fall Finally?

2009-08-05T21:33:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to say I have started posting my backlog of shawls and shrugs from this spring and summer. I've been so behind! I'm glad Fall is on its way. People might start to think about staying warm and cute little shrugs and shawls and hats. In addition to my general procrastination, I changed cameras and I needed time to learn the new one. I think it's working pretty well. I have more hats still to list and I'm working on some new items too, so there should more regular activity on my Etsy site to come.

Spring Sprung

2009-05-16T21:20:00.000-05:00

Just got back from the EtsyDallas Spring Bash. It was fun to see friends and to see what everyone else is making. There is so much talent in Dallas! It was also great to see my Southside on Lamar resident friends and to listen to my friend DJ JuanSolo all day. It was still too warm to even think about wearing anything slightly warm, so not great for crochet, but a fun day nonetheless. I have more inventory to post coming up over the next few weeks to catch up. I'm also going to remake the black alpaca lace shrug that I've made twice now for custom orders and try to photograph it for the first time. I finished the off-white longer version with the mohair trim ruffles and I might keep it for myself. I love how the alpaca yarn keeps the structure of the loops in the crochet. Lots of things to play with and think about. Maybe I'll start making hats for winter! Hard to even think about with June just around the corner.

Spring fairs

2009-04-27T22:43:00.000-05:00

I'm still recovering from the Spring Fling in Fort Worth, but I'm getting excited about the Spring Bash in Dallas! Southside on Lamar is a great venue and I love being so close to home and seeing all my friends here.

Shrugging around

2009-02-23T12:45:00.000-06:00

I've been busy focusing on shrugs for the spring shows coming up in April and May. Etsy itself continues to be very slow for me right now, but I've rebuilt my inventory and I've started working with fusing plastic bags, sewing, and other experiments. I'm also playing with some new yarns, like this Alpaca Lace. It's a very fine soft alpaca without the bulk you usually see in this fiber. I'm very happy with the way the green shrug turned out and I'm working on a cream version. I'm planning to try longer sleeves. We'll see. Despite it's thinness, the fiber seems pretty easy to work with and loops up beautifully. I had trouble with the green tangling and making terrible knots. I had to cut it twice before I started pulling from the outside instead of the inside. Maybe it just can't take ANY friction? Usually a shrug takes an entire skein of yarn, but with this yarn, I could easily make at least two. Or, as I plan to, try to alter the garment into something more - perhaps adding tapered three quarter length sleeves or a longer back? We'll see.

Post-pop anime hood

2009-01-13T22:10:00.000-06:00

Every once in a while you get the opportunity to have the freedom to make something truly special for someone and you know for sure that they will love it. THIS is one of those pieces. It is so over-the-top and was soooo much fun to make. This technicolor creation was blinding to work on. I'm so proud of it. I'm glad Regina likes it.

Yarn as a Form of Escapism

2009-01-06T22:00:00.003-06:00

I just posted this yesterday. It's my fourth variation on the the Flutter Shawl. This time I tried a few new styles in the presentation. It's a substantial shawl! It has a nice weight to it. I find so much satisfaction in creating, finishing, and presenting these crocheted goods. My slogan for my Etsy shop and this blog is "yarn as a form of escapism" and let me tell you just how true that is. I came home today so stressed about work and restless and worried. I find myself forcing anxious thoughts out of my head and trying to calm my hands and challenge myself to create something all of my own. The process of designing and figuring things out is my favorite part, above all; but there is something to be said for having steady handwork to do. I was listening to a neuroscientist talking on a recent radio program. She was explaining why knitting can fight depression just like serotonin drugs. They produce a similar result. She said doctors used to prescribe knitting as a treatment for anxiety. (I've gone a bit loopy trying to remember the show or search for anything about this - I'll look again later.) The steady rhythm of the work is calming and there is a finished product as a reward at the end. For me, I appreciate that this thing (whatever it is that I've made) belongs to me and exists because of me. I'm proud of what I've made and I like that feeling. I've forgotten what I was upset about completely. Escape accomplished!

Hats at Christmas time

2008-12-15T10:58:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's so close to Christmas now! I'm sorting out what to give, what I still have to make, and what to put on Etsy. I just posted a bunch of new hats. Hats are easy and quick to make and good gifts. I started my Etsy adventure with hats in February of 2007 and have sold one on Etsy - though my two hoods did sell. At the EtsyDallas Jingle Bash in November I sold out of my hats except one! I think it helped that I was one of the few vendors with hats. Anyway, I'm going to give it a shot on Etsy again. If I can sell almost a dozen hats in one day maybe it's worth trying again.

P.S. The orange leaf hat featured above sold in about 3 hours. I guess it's a hit! I'll have to play with that form again.

Jingled Out

2008-11-24T20:40:00.001-06:00

The EtsyDallas Jinglebash was this last Saturday and it was so much fun! I brought tons of new stuff -- lots of scarves and shrugs and capelets and hats... and a few Christmas decorations. I made a Christmas garland and a few sets of ornaments.
I loved the venue and the crowd was really supportive. I definitely exceeded my goal for this show. I was a bit sad to see some of the pieces go, but it was a really exciting day.
We've already set the date for the next EtsyDallas show: May 16 at Southside on Lamar. I should have plenty of time to come up with new things by then.

Jingle all the way!

2008-10-30T21:41:00.000-05:00

I'm participating in the Jingle Bash at Sons of Hermann Hall on November 22, presented by Etsy Dallas! I've been working on new items for the show -- felted ruffled scarves, neck warmers, and lariat style scarves! It should be great.

"Dress Sexy at My Funeral" Treasury

2008-10-08T22:34:00.000-05:00

This might be one of my favorite Treasuries that I've been in so far! How funny and stylish and dark. I'm so glad she found my Victorian Flutter Shawl to include. It's a great fit! It is very dramatic and serious, but in a romantic fantasy kind of way. I love all the ruffles she included.

Shrugging

2008-10-08T22:18:00.000-05:00

It is not surprising that I did not post anything for the month of September. Opening the new gallery has been completely consuming! What is shocking is that I managed to complete this beautiful new shrug. It sold within a few hours. It is one of my favorite things that I've made this year. It is so delicate and detailed with a really graceful flow. There is tie at the front or it can be left open. I love the colors and how they work together, but most of all I loved the challenge of figuring out how to make it work - how to shape the garment, when to increase, to decrease, and how to finish off.

I don't like to repeat myself and this was truly a one of a kind piece, but I'd like to play with this form again. I see more shrugs in my future.

Ready, set, go! Dara Market Bag

2008-08-12T19:58:00.000-05:00

Apparently, I'm obsessed with my market bags. I can't seem to stop. This version has a few changes -- the body is longer making the curve more pronounced and the sides shorter. It still has plenty of room, but it's distributed differently. The handle isn't wrapped at the shoulder and the joint where the strap ends meet is permanently fixed at one point so the entire strap doesn't slide through like in the others. There are no flowers on this one either. These are really minor changes, I think. The big change is the yarn. This is 100% cotton. I found the yarn at times stiff and difficult to work with and prone to unraveling. Argh. That may explain the no-frills approach. I have lots of confidence in the strength of this yarn. It's tough.

These colors are a departure for me too. Very bright and summery. Almost neon! I made it for the EtsyFAST August challenge - The Summer Olympics. I love watching the swim events and this is a great bag for taking to the pool. I also like how the shape and texture is similar to the "Nest" stadium in Beijing. I struggled for a name and finally decided to name it after Dara Torres, four time Olympian and the first American to swim in four Olympic games!

To the Library and Market Bag and Back Again!

2008-07-21T12:35:00.000-05:00

I finished the second Library-Market bag last night. The strap takes longer than the bag to make! I made the second strap even tougher and more reinforced. It hardly stretches at all. In the photo I stuffed the bag with my yarn. It's huge! I can't believe how much the bag stretches.

Below you can see just part of my doornob'd bag collection. The mirror doubles it. You can't have too many, right? Have I mentioned I'm partial to green, orange, and blue?

To the Library and Market Bag

2008-07-20T13:41:00.000-05:00

I'm a huge fan of market bags and (apparently given the number I've now got) a collector of tote bags. I've developed a real hate for plastic bags and I find that carrying a tote bag with a market bag stashed inside seems to meet most of needs as I run around town. That said, most of the market bags I see are really plain. Very functional and wonderful, but a bit boring. The number one most important thing about a bag like this is it's functionality. It has to be up to hard everyday use.

Taking this into account, I considered this my design challenge! How to make a market and book bag that would look unique and follow with my Modest Ambition aesthetic while being really tough. I choose to start with acrylic yarn because it has lots of body and is very starchy - and I have a surplus. I crocheted with two strands at a time, crocheting through, then wrapping around, each time I connected. The shape is a long rectangle with the straps woven through the long sides the 1/3 of the short side before connecting them together. At that joint, the yarns are tied together before being crocheted over then wrapped in a long chain. I experimented with the strap quite a bit before coming to a satisfactory solution. After wrapping the strap I stitched back through it with yarn to make it extra secure. It's very cushy.

I really enjoyed making this bag and I've started a second one with the same colors, but different orders with the strips.

Here's what's in the bag in the photos and what I'm currently reading: Richard Florida's Who's Your City, Naomi Novik's Victory of Eagles (just finished it), Peter Brinckerhoff's Mission-Based Marketing (reading for work), and Christopher Paolini's Eldest (just borrowed it from my sister).

Coral Reefs

2008-07-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

Todd and I went to the Dallas World Aquarium Saturday. After much fidgeting with my three year old camera I came away with these images and many more. I am fascinated by the shapes, colors, and textures like these found in nature. They are so similar to what I have created in own crochet and what was presented in the IFF's Hyperbolic Crocheted Coral Reef project.

They are so beautiful and intricate and fragile and just gorgeous. I still can't believe how great my photos came out! I definitely have more ideas for crochet projects.

Of course the point of the IFF's Hyperbolic Crocheted Coral Reef is to draw on community activism (the crochet social networks that make the reefs) and their public exhibitions to call awareness to the plight of the real coral reefs.

Buying, not Selling, Today

2008-07-09T16:45:00.001-05:00

I just bought a really adorable new necklace from yaelfran on Etsy and realized I'm quite the world shopper. I have now purchased items on Etsy from Buenos Aires, Gloucestershire, Finland, New Zealand, Canada, North and South Carolina, California, and here at home in Dallas. Trust me, I would buy so much more if I could!

Baroque Golden Flutter Shawl

2008-07-03T14:48:00.000-05:00

Whew, talk about drama. This piece took me from here to there and back. I was frustrated with it almost as much as I was delighted by it. After completing the Austen Flutter Shawl I decided that there was so much with this format that I hadn't tried. The Austen Shawl alternates with big and little holes, meaning more or fewer stitches before attaching. What if I didn't do a nice gradual progression, but instead dramatically changed the stitch ratios suddenly! What if it got really tiny and very frequent? There are parts of this shawl that appear to be solid, but are actually very small stitch counts of 1 and 3. Then, for the drama, it gathers up tight, then releases with counts of 7 and 9 and back down again at the very bottom with counts of 3. Maybe I'm the only one that will know what I'm talking about here... I created a problem. I tried to make the shawl defy gravity and it slumped. It sagged. I had to fix it.

Here, you can see what I did. I gathered the point of greatest contrast - where that tiny tight point meets the big expansive stitch - and crocheted them together from the back. Okay, that's good. But it still looks like a lump from the front. So I stitched the front 1/5th of each side into place forming closed pockets. I crocheted over that 1/5 section so often I made it stiff with yarn, now making the piece more structured. Not slumpy. In fact that entire fold has become a ridge and gives the whole piece its backbone.

So I call it Baroque because it is dramatic; it is bold in its attempt to defy or challenge nature's gravity, it is a decadent pale golden hue, it is delightfully soft to the touch, and it wraps the wearer in a kind of theatre in which you are center. My t-shirt and khakis don't do it justice.

Toot! Toot! That's my horn

2008-07-02T16:20:00.001-05:00

Look! That's me on the front page of Etsy, in the green capelet on the bottom left. I can't take a complete page in my screenshot, so pardon the composite. I was in shock this morning when I pulled up Etsy and saw my item. For those of you not as familiar with Etsy, it's a big deal to be on the front page! Tons of exposure. They even have button for you to add to your item page that brags about being featured on the front page. My item sold later in the afternoon so I didn't have a chance to add that, but I would have.
Which brings me to my other toot, toot moment today -- a sale! A nice big one. Feels good. And, I passed a milestone with my Etsy hearts; I'm over 200 now. That means over 200 other people have hearted my shop. All in all, a good day. So pardon me for tooting my own horn. :)

UPDATE: More to brag about... EtsyDallas selected ModestAmbition for a Member Spotlight profile. I don't know what to say!

Also, you can see my contribution to the July Jewelry Sampler at The Sampler here, if you scroll down a bit.

Light Green Shrug - Design Notes

2008-06-30T08:03:00.000-05:00

I had the idea for the this shawl for a while, but when it came to actually making it I changed stitches as I went. I really liked how it turned out. My second attempt at this style -- a giant flat circle with undulating edges -- was the pink frothy circle wrap/capelet. This light green piece was more finished; I stitched the parts together to make the arm holes, but I made the ribbon removable.
The yarn is surprisingly soft and fuzzy. It feels a bit like wearing a tiny afghan. I photographed this shawl several times and changed my Etsy shop posting accordingly. I had lots of traffic, hearts, and treasuries for this item -- which I was very happy about! It finally sold at the EtsyDallas Beer-B-Q. I learned so much in making, photographing, and promoting this item. I still love the first photo at top. And, I should probably make something else like this soon. We'll see.

On Ambition

2008-06-24T08:58:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to write something about my shop name. I'm so used to it now I hardly even notice the words anymore, funny how that happens. But in 2007 when I was dipping my toe into the Etsy waters for the first time I spent a lot time trying to find a name that would work for me. I hadn't decided "what" I was going to sell on Etsy and my interests are varied. I'd spent years perfecting papermaking and collage techniques and origami folds (even made up some new ones). The shop has settled into crochet, mostly because that's what I was producing the most of for Christmas time and post Christmas 2007 I didn't want to stop. I wanted to make more and try more things.

But back to ambition, in art school I, like every other painter, was told that I needed to work big. Size is a test of the integrity and strength of your idea, your composition, your technique, etc. You can fudge things on a small scale that you can't get away with on a 6 foot canvas. Mistakes can't hide. You must be confident in order to work on a large scale. The painting becomes the environment and you interact with it differently, and so on. I love large paintings and I've made a few that I truly like, but in the end, as with any one-size-fits-all piece of advice, I started to pull away from it. In retrospect, telling student painters to work big seems like an exercise. Or perhaps not, we say the same thing to artists at the gallery sometimes. Anyway, when I graduated with my undergraduate painting and drawing degree I immediately started working small. Very small.

It was partly as a reaction against my painting professor and an acknowledgment of my new freedom, but it was strongly informed by what I was reading in feminist theory. Big was bold, confident, the only way to go -- big was masculine. I come from a long tradition of crafters with crochet, knitting, needlepoint, and sewing projects tucked away to be pulled out at any moment and worked on until the next chore, child, meal, or task came up. These are small modest projects beautifully worked, flexible enough to be started or stopped at any point. Rather than the isolated artist in the studio, these pieces were made within the presence of a community - at the kitchen table, on the sofa, sitting around in the backyard. I started playing with interchangeable parts and small scale projects, mostly paper collages and small charcoal drawings bound into artists books. I like the idea of discrete units that seem negligible until they are combined and added together they are stronger. Maybe it's the metaphor that I like and the resemblance to quilts. Like any piecemeal project, quilts can seem modest in pieces, but they are ambitious. Even a scrap of a quilt means, or is evidence of a desire, to be an entire quilt - quite a project!

I returned to these ideas about craft and women's work when I was doing my thesis and read so much more. This entry isn't footnoted and I don't want to get it wrong, so forgive the generalizations - maybe I'll put up a reading list later. I think I started working small after college because I found some personal identification with that kind of work. I've seen a lot of post school artists do so because they are forced by the constraints of the kitchen table or bedroom floor, but I still had my studio at that point. After I lost my studio, well, that's another post. After a few years I stopped making art and stopped calling myself an artist. I don't identify with it now and I'm okay with that.

In 2004/5 when I came back to crochet full force I started making things that were less than functional, then completely baroque and fantastic and we started taking photographs of them. In 2006 my photos were in a faculty show in Oklahoma and in 2007 one of the crocheted pieces was in a juried art show. I have no aspirations for this work as art. I enjoy making it and I'm thrilled when people are curious about them, but my ambitions have changed. Tempered by my experiences working at museums and galleries, I don't want to be on that side of it. I want the work to be complex and imaginative and fantastical and away from this world.

Which brings me back to ModestAmbition, you won't find any of my "less than functional" crochet on Etsy. Not at this time. I want my Etsy site to stay on the commercial functional side. My "modest ambition" is to figure out how to make something that might sell and thus allow me to make an enhanced future, therefore using the open marketplace with creative and crafty muscle to supplement my lifestyle, one piece at a time. The ambition is big, but the means are modest.

The photographs in this post where taken by Todd at White Rock Lake and are of a piece that I gave him for his birthday that year, 2005.

Tribute to frothiness

2008-06-18T17:35:00.000-05:00

I'm excited that I sold this piece to a friend in May, but I miss it! I miss having the pictures up on my Etsy site. I miss the frivolousness and frothiness of this piece. It says that I have a great sense of humor and an imagination and nothing is too silly to not be taken seriously. And, it's incredibly versatile. In the picture below I've added three matching crocheted flower pins.

It is, in fact, just a large circle folded and tied into different shapes: a capelet, a shrug, a shawl, a scarf...

... a bundle of pink goo. Perfection in pink. I finished that skein finally with the Lula pillowcase flowers. It served me well.

Jane Austen Lit-Wear

2008-06-11T11:28:00.000-05:00

I love participating in the EtsyFAST monthly challenges, but I thought I was going to sit this month's out. I had zero ideas about "Heros" as a challenge. I think it's a great idea - bold and creative, definitely a challenge. I've been finishing this shawl/capelet for the last week and finally it dawned on me that a capelet is just a small cape and heros wear capes... so, why not? Add to that a comment from a friend/customer referring to her shrug/capelet as a queen's cape, and you've got hero ready-to-wear. Or, more like Jane Austen heroine-wear. Which is where I've decided to tie in my new fluttery capelet. Think of it as lit-wear. I couldn't decide on just one of Austen's characters, so I'm going for her body of work (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and more). Here I am trying out some decidedly dramatic poses!

Here I am rebuking suitors, pondering my future, alternately making my own way then pining, all while navigating difficult social circumstances, expectations, and family loyalties.

This is the most challenging piece of this type that I've attempted. The pattern was designed on the fly and kept me on my toes because of my decision to cluster -- alternating stitch counts in order to create groupings for better hang and fluttering. The top, bottom, and ends are reinforced with additional stitches for better structure. The tie is separate and loops through anywhere on the shawl and is, of course, a spiral for more drama! I started a champagne version that is going to make this one look simple - more draping, puffing, and fluttering, but smaller in scale, so far.

From the EtsyFAST message board someone posted a fabulous link to a quiz that determines "Which Austen Heroine Are You?". It's great! I'm Elinor Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility - which makes sense, right?

Fun with Buttons and Ribbon

2008-06-09T19:09:00.000-05:00

Recently I completed a large order for my button and crochet bookmarks. I tried not to repeat my color combinations and came up with this cacophony of colors--buttons, threads, and ribbons all fighting for attention! Each is crocheted with two strands of DMC embroidery thread and features a button or two on each side.

This is what 50 of them look like together! Fun to play with. I couldn't resist arranging them different ways for some quick photos before I sent them out.

More Crocheted Button Pins

2008-05-26T13:39:00.000-05:00

I've been working on my crocheted button pins and plan to make lots more of them over the summer. They are easy and fast and fun. Each one is different and I really enjoy playing with the colors and textures. These pictures are from my photoshoot with my latest batch. I think I'm going to make a set of 50 for The Sampler. They sold pretty well at the Beer-B-Q and I've been using them as my gift of choice lately. I like how the light shows off the details in the photographs.

The Lula Pillowcase - Confronting Tacky in Crochet

2008-05-20T10:49:00.000-05:00

I finally finished my EtsyFAST May challenge - flowers - and posted it today, the Lula Pillowcase. Since I already make several items that qualify as flowers (see my crochet pins, Pink Icing Flower pins, Grayscale flowers pins, etc.), I wanted to make something really special. My grandmother loved pink roses and bright colors. Her house was full of bright pinks and greens and she liked to wear bold floral patterns. She was a very talented home sewer and very creative.

Crochet always has the potential of being tacky; not slightly tacky or kinda tacky, but really kitschy tacky awful wonderful. Rather than skirt around the issue with this project, I wanted to really go for it and make it as full and loud and textured as possible. I guess I still have some natural restraint. There are no tassels or fringe! It was an exhausting exercise and took over a month to complete, but the finished product makes me smile and reminds me of the feeling of being at my grandma's.

Here's the pillowcase in progress. Arranging them was fun; sewing them on was a total pain. Below you can see the pillowcase peaking out from my booth-in-a-bag, see my post on Beer-B-Q Success! for more images of the pillow in action (on a table).

Beer-B-Q Success!

2008-05-19T18:15:00.000-05:00

The Etsydallas Beer-B-Q was yesterday. It was a blast! Over twenty Etsydallasites gathered for a homemade trunk show complete with free food, music, raffles, and goody bags. We were stationed from the front yard to dining room to the garage. Here you can see Jen, of HipHazel, and I sitting in our booth space. Jen and I are both sporting my crocheted button pins and I'm finishing up a shawl/wrap/capelet that promptly was tagged and put on the rack with the others.

Here's Jen with Hazel, the original Hip Hazel, and below another image of our booth. We thought the wall color was great with our color schemes.

Regina of LittleCookie was our dining room neighbor. Her Kanzashi flowers are amazing. She hand dyes silk and folds them into traditional hair ornaments originally meant for geisha. Her work is exquisite and beautifully presented.

We thought we were lucky to be inside, though I hear it wasn't too bad in the shade with a breeze. It was great how many friends stopped by and hung out, eating free food, listening to the band, or just chatting. Customer traffic was good and sales exceeded my very low expectations! So, it was all good and very fun and I was exhausted at the end of another very full day.

Treasuries Explained

2008-05-05T20:20:00.000-05:00

I've been lucky enough in my short time at Etsy to have been featured in several Treasuries. Etsy Treasuries are made by fans and supporters of Etsy as a way to create a favorites page that is published and available for everyone to browse. It's a great way to visually take in a sampling of what Etsy has to offer. Treasuries can be grouped by themes, colors, interests, materials, almost anything! Some are quite artfully done and reflect a real curatorial bent. Quite often Etsy team members will build Treasuries to showcase their team. I've been in several Treasuries just because of my team memberships in EtsyFAST, EtsyDallas, and Etsy Texas Crafters.
There is also a secondary treasury called Treasury West. It is labeled the experimental treasury and can disappear at any time. Treasuries are competitive and very much like a game. The more clicks you get on a Treasury the higher that list goes on the master list.If popular enough, it might even be selected as the front page of Etsy. Understandably, Treasuries are sought after and the space is limited. Even if you want to make one, there might not be room! So, there is much excitement if one is able to "score" a Treasury and then there is a frenzy to get the word out so you get lots of unique clicks and your list will be bumped up.
Each Treasury has an expiration date. Some would-be Treasury creators will troll the list looking for almost expired lists so they can time their attempt. The title of the list itself is also important and tends to be clever and not always descriptive. The point is to make you look, even if what you find surprises you. On the whole, I find Treasuries a pleasant diversion and fun way to browse. I'm always thrilled when I find myself in one; there is a small yellow star next to the name of the list when one of your own items is included, if you're logged in.

My items in the Treasuries featured include from top to bottom: light green shawl, crocheted pins, light green shawl cropped off and pink flower pins, and pink and grey ruffled scarf.

Freebies for all - or at least some

2008-05-01T17:44:00.000-05:00

I received my sample packet from Etsy Texas Crafters today! Very exciting. I submitted my crocheted pins, as seen in an earlier post of mine from March 16. Here's what the packs looked like (you can see my pins on the left). I've just sent off my samples for the EtsyDallas Beer-B-Q and I tried to make something smaller and new. I settled on bobby pins and hairbands with little crocheted circles and buttons. I think they are pretty cute.

I've been away from Etsy because of my trip to Chicago for the art fair, but I have plenty of projects underway. I have a fantastic project half done for the EtsyFAST monthly challenge for May - flowers. I'm making a ridiculously flowery pillow. No, I mean really FLOWERY!! It's funny and tacky and, well, you'll see. I hope to finish it soon. Maybe I'll post it next week if I make good progress. It's so much work and will cost so much, I'm sure to never sell it. Coming soon...

Gift'd & Progress Report

2008-04-07T14:11:00.000-05:00

My Etsy shop was busy last week - I had two sales for multiple items each and my first request for gift wrap! How did I do? Luckily I have a huge stash of handmade papers, fabric ribbons, felt and buttons. Too bad all of my gifts don't look this good. I was very excited that these little packages came out so well and sooo precious. They are for two little girls; one likes blue, one likes pink. How sweet.

Overall, I'm continuing to work on new designs, new ideas, new yarns. I finished my samples for the Etsy Texas Crafters swap coming up. I need to think of something for the EtsyDallas promo bags - something very small and fast. I'm thinking bobby pins with tiny hyperbolic crochet blobs... maybe? Sounds funny. I'm trying not to get sucked into the Etsy forums too much and really trying not to worry too much about promotions. The more I read about it, the more work it seems to require. Focusing on the product, the photography, and the other details comes first. I know I need to do more... but, on the plus side I've lost count of how many Treasuries I've been in and I'm staying active with EtsyFAST and EtsyDallas. In fact, I'm going to do my first real live craft show next month with EtsyDallas in North Oak Cliff, May 18, Beer-B-Q. I don't even want to think about how much work that's going to be! Or how bummed I'd be if I didn't sell anything :( More info on that event later.

Meanwhile, I posted two new capelets today, one white, one green. I actually crocheted both of these last year, but finally photographed them today.

Notes on Storm Cloud Shrug

2008-03-31T11:37:00.000-05:00

I was shooting for the first week in April to finish this piece and get it posted, but I finished early and posted it today. It's for the EtsyFAST April Challenge: Storms. I had so much fun participating in last month's fairy tales challenge that I was overly excited about this one, plus I had a good idea. I knew I wanted to make a shrug, but it grew very organically from there. My small shrug became huge when I started the rows too long, then I wrapped them under the arms and added triangular sections before gathering and tapering the sleeves. I then added a section to the back and rounded out the opening, first gathering then adding a nice soft finished edge. This shrug became so complicated quickly for such a simple idea, but I could easily remake it without having to rip out the left sleeve (twice) due to miscalculations on size - needed them to match. The ombre color shifting is okay, but not my favorite part of this piece. I might try it in a solid color instead. It does get unpredictable at times.

I think the basic idea/inspiration behind the design worked. I wanted something billowy, dark, versatile, moody, brooding, tragically romantic - all that good stuff. And, killer with a pair of jeans!

Hyperbolically Speaking

2008-03-22T13:30:00.000-05:00

How exciting! The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef project that I saw in Chicago is coming to New York! Read about it in the New York Times. Or go to the source, The Institute for Figuring.

I bought the latest issue of Craft magazine just for the article on Hyperbolic Baby Pants (hyperbolic pants being one of the permutations of hyperbolic crochet). Of course it should be baby pants!

Can't wait to try more of this myself.

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain

2008-03-19T15:06:00.000-05:00

When I was in Oklahoma in 2005-2006 (fall and spring), I spent a lot of my free time at a small park. It was a nature walk and running trail with lots of trees, and a surprising number of animals, situated on a near barren windy plain. There were some hills and this space was tucked in; the trees created a shelter, which, I suppose, explains the number of animals: foxes, quail, rabbits, hawks, turtles. I would run or walk there almost every night.

I took a series of photographs there one fall evening around 4 p.m. I love the golden amber quality of the light during that time. These are just three from that series. I was playing with my crocheted organisms and the natural space. They were outsiders to this place just like me. They were trying to make sense of the place, hold on to it, and find root -- like me. I put them in trees mostly as places of refuge against the windswept plain.

The bright artificial acrylic yarn that I used wasn't as much of a contrast as I might have expected; instead, the colors complemented the intensity of the blue sky and the fiery red-orange of the fall leaves. My pieces were no less natural than what was already there. Ensuring the documentation of these two pieces on that day was very important. I knew I was about to give the work away and I needed to have something that would last as a record for myself and to share. I made the work to give away. Not to just anyone, but to specific someones who would appreciate their strangeness and unique qualities. Not that yarn is a difficult medium to maintain, but I expect the work to droop, to get dusty, to be put away, to be attacked by cats, to be crushed and refluffed, to age and by getting rid of it I am absolved of all of those issues. I don't see it. It stays perfect against a blue sky with a crisp fall wind. It's not that I don't care about what happens next. Quite the opposite, I think moving it (a crocheted lump) out into the world is where it starts to get interesting and develop its own independence apart from me.

Todd and I talk about this quite a bit, very intensely at times. What is my project? Why am I making these, what do I want to do? For a long time, for me, it has been about perfecting technical challenges from my imagination and placing them, through a gift economy, with a friend that might accept the challenges of owning it and might appreciate the labor and imagination. (By gift economy, I mean as a birthday or holiday present in place of an itunes card or the like. It doesn't cost me money, but it acts in place of money spent for an identical purpose.)

So how is this art? Is this art? Is this craft? Is it a hybrid? Is it photography or even performance or conceptual art? Maybe the latter or maybe none of the above. I took it one step further this year when I created a piece divorced of a planned recipient - the 500X show piece (see the first entry in this blog). I created it to be mine to enter in the open juried show. It was accepted and my secret life in crochet was partially exposed. Most people still don't realize that was mine or what lies behind it. My intention was to create more like it, but I haven't yet. Plenty of ideas, but my crochet has turned more practical lately with my current Etsy obsession. I'll turn back and explode with a force. With Etsy, I crochet daily and my speed and execution have never been faster. I just need to relax and refocus to determine what to make next, how to display/photograph/gift/or keep, and what it will be.

Spring cleaning - The Office

2008-03-17T16:20:00.000-05:00

Here's something to be proud of! I cleaned/rearranged my office and found my floor. It's quite big. I'd lost it for some time.

We moved in October and I keep cleaning the office, then discovering boxes that really go in here or holiday things that belong here or I buy new stuff that goes in here... and I lose the floor again.

Finally, things are looking quite organized and proper. I love the light in this room and I think it is plenty big enough for me.

My desk looks messy, but it's the hub of the room and I'm glad to have it fully functional. Everything is where I need it and can find it. I've been very busy creating and posting and it's nice to have a clean, clear space to work in. These photos are just proof that I CAN do it, when I choose to :) We'll see how long this lasts.

Colorful crocheted pins

2008-03-16T13:03:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy with how this pins have been turning out. They look great all together! This is something I've been working on for the ETC (Etsy Texas Crafters) Spring Sample Trade. It's fun to play with colors and textures and to pick out just the right button. I'm going to add a spot to my Etsy store for a random sampling of 3 of these - or something like these!

Over half of these were crocheted while I was in various waiting rooms during Todd's surgery and follow up. It feels good to be productive or at least distracted during uncomfortable times. Todd's fine and now I've got all these lovely pins.

I really enjoyed the process of playing with the colors and textures of the yarns, trying different combinations, and selecting just the right button to pull it together. I plan to make plenty of these. I also surprised myself with how well the photography turned out. It makes a very compelling image. I'm starting to have more confidence in my abilities as a photographer.

ASPCA - ETC Cares for March

2008-03-15T10:32:00.000-05:00

Here's Bradley to tell you about my sale for the ASPCA!
Several of my crocheted hats are on sale down from $30 to $15 from March 14-18!
20% of ANY sales from my shop during this time will go towards the ETC Cares charity for March, the ASPCA. (Etsy Texas Crafters)

Just to get things started I decided to have a sale!
http://modestambition.etsy.com

Spring-sprung

2008-03-03T11:14:00.000-06:00

I wanted to add Todd's pictures to my other pictures of the yard, flowers, and Bradley. Here are a selected few! By the way, we're not mowing the backyard on purpose (too many flowers!) but the front yard looks fine and proper - trying to keep it nicely mowed. Todd looked up the purple flower and it is called Cancer Weed. What an awful name! Look for more exciting outdoor backgrounds in the pictures of my crochet.

Spring flowers

2008-02-29T17:47:00.000-06:00

I took pictures outside today for my new flower pins. It was a gorgeous day! Bradley, my dog, laid in the flowers and rubbed himself in the grass enough that he now has grass-stains on his muzzle. He does like to roll and rub! I took pictures with dandelions this morning and now, this evening, they have turned to puff balls ready for the wind or lots of wishes.

I'm finally starting to post my pins, or maybe I should call them brooches? I've always called them the other, hmm. I guess it's time for spring - hoorah! I'm looking forward to more bicycles rides and trips to the dog park.

Neck-Ruff Envy

2008-02-26T12:15:00.000-06:00

I made a new scarf for my Etsy shop and it makes me laugh - I've definitely been watching too many period dramas and suffering from neck ruff envy. It is beautiful and unique and kind of ridiculous and that's wonderful.

Todd says it looks like a sea worm. Probably, they are flat and undulating and very curious looking. Technically, I'm surprised how much yarn was required. I went through almost an entire skein. It is very dense! I think it makes a great sculpture. I love the picture of Bradley (the furry mass, my dog) with the scarf but I couldn't post it on my etsy site, so I'm putting it here. Click here for more images and options for wearing it.

Some things that possibly put this idea in my head:

The Pride and Prejudice Masterpiece marathon on PBS currently running.

Becoming Jane

The Tudors

Previews for the upcoming new movie, The Other Bolyn

my love of weird sea creatures and expanding crocheted forms...