swinging again

the rains have finally arrived; the supply of green fields is guaranteed.

no cabin fever here because i took to the studio for a much longed studio session.

 the result: an earphone pouch.

nice outcome, however, a tad big. back to the machine for a second take maybe using other colors.

the pattern comes from some experiments using cell automata . there are apps on the sidebar if you, like me want to disregard the math and just go for the graphics.

percolating an idea to be worked for the whole year in different mediums.  

snow forecast for this week.more time inside!

neki desu

aesthetics of cool

when glitch is good.
have a great weekend







neki desu

for weavers, stitchers, knitters

pattern generator

lace generator

random pattern generator

the pattern generator provides endless fun. keep scrolling to the right! it can be used for weaving, stitching knitting and your take.  the random pattern generator is multivalent and the lace generator is more for knitters, but with such creativity out there who knows?

neki desu

 

do real weavers warp back to front?

took the plunge and am warping back to front.feel on tenter hooks because this yarn is  extremely fine.
i have only one cross on the back with the lease  sticks.realized i should have made 2 crosess .

also discovered  via woodyarn.blogspot.com where to place the raddle high up .so those black knobs at the back were for the raddle!DUH!

i also found  many  tips for the magic dobby to make weaving and threading easier. 

she has also customised her loom to take an ondule reed and documented the customisation.

moving on, the strathmore online workshops are about to start, free inscription.

i took a mixed mediaworkshop with tracey bautista and enjoyed it very much.almost anything that can be done on paper can be done on fabric. right velma?

back to fiddling with yarns

neki desu
 

on sewing

 since i have not sewn in ages and i am in the process of starting the sewing production i have been visiting sewing blogs. my beloved vogue patterns are unfortunately too small and i needed to learn ways of altering them to add those extra centimeters. useful digression- if you find yourself in that situation i recommend this  place full of useful tutorials. they cover almost all needs and then some more like taking good photos of your garments!

back to me, me,me : i was u.s. size 10 blindly, i would open the envelope , lay the pattern and cut away.the only alteration needed was shortening the patterns. now that my figure has changed i am in the middle of two sizes,but i have also noticed that patter sizing has also changed. me size 16??? NAH.

faced with having to choose between the current rtw which is  poorly made has minimum if not any styling and the fabrics used are cheap and awful 90% of the times, the diy alternative makes much more sense.especially now that i am in a yarn stash busting scenario weaving my own fabrics.

considering that i still have to alter whatever pattern i buy why not start from scratch and learn the basics of pattern drafting?  i found lots of very good but scattered information on line and  there was  a recurring mention of the book  modern pattern design by harriett pepin.everyone who mentioned it sang all the possible praises in praiseland . the book was first published in 1945 with 2 later reprints. it is a course book with simple, clear instructions and problems that serve as guidework for drafting your own patterns.

i tied locating it on line and was appalled by the prices ranging from $95 to $300! 

some people had even scanned it and are selling it as an e- book  making money on a book whose copyright has probably expired and should be now in public domain. sorry, no, i was not going to go that route.

but since i believe in fairies i do, i do (as you all peter pan readers will recognise) oh bliss! oh glory!! after much research i located these two sites that have the book on line.

•  scribd on line downloadable e- books. you have to register, but it's a free 7 day trial and you can download the book as pdf.caveat: the last three chapters on lingerie, coats and children's clothing are missing.don't forget to cancel the subscription or you'll get billed!
•  way back machine web archive the whole book is there.caveat: on line reading only. but you can do a screen capture and save it. the book is part of the vintage sewing info web a treasure trove of vintage sewing design resources.

 what can i say, i am absolutely taken by the book. it is full of charming styling; cowl necklines, katherine hepburn type trousers,  all sorts of  pleats, hollywood style gowns etc. 

it even instructs how to create patterns for those bulging, and drapey skirts that are so popular now.seems that the latest guru did not invent anything new after all  ;-)

"It has always been true: costumes individually created have that indefinable quality of charm that never fails to win interest and approval." 

unknown

neki desu

not much textiles

happening. its cold again. very cold, even snowed in the pyrenees.and wet and gray. i'm beta testing the new seamless studio application at color lovers. i and many others. so basically these are what i'm doing. these and the annual med check ups. and in this kind of weather. yes, i'm cranky.


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creating textures on fabric

a while ago i came across this product and curious as i am i set on a quest to get it and run some tests.
i lucked out when i discovered it was sold in madrid and last month when i was there i finally got it.
it also served as a good excuse to explore a neighborhood we were not familiar with and take one of our famous marathon walks. 2.6 kilometers each way!
when i opened the pack i became dubious about the sort of fabric, it was similar to a plastic tent, but taking a beep breath i realized that if it was going to shrink both ways hence creating texture it had to be plastic.

the steps:

• cut a piece larger than the finished size you want.
• pin it to the back of the material to be textured.  
• stitch, either hand or machine.
• place an iron over never on ,remember it's plastic, and steam.
•  edges will curl and  you may need to pin the fabric so that the steam gets to the center.
• it will stop shrinking when it's done.

by altering the spacing of the stitching  more or less dramatic texture can be achieved .

 according to their weights fabrics can give interesting textures, i even ran a test on a handwoven sample. the only caveat is that it feels stiff and the fabric won't be reversible.but i think it has possibilities for book covers and tapestries.

you can see samples on various  fabrics in the slide show.

have fun!

neki desu

making ends meet

because i had tension- the warp not me- problems i had to cut and re tie several times thus ending with 3 panels of different lengths. now i'm practicing live geometry and needing those few centimeters.

hoping  that as patterns tend to be generous with the measurements it will all end well. and  about patterns this is a good place for them, especially vintage ones.

really, really wish i had 90cms wide of handwoven fabric  to try this

neki desu

stalled

difficult to compose. very difficult. have tried different placements except the dead-no-no center. so i keep adding stitching with the hope that it will organize. itself.  who said symmetrical compositions were easier?

then what does one do when one gets stalled, besides feeling sorry for one's self? this. it's pretty intuitive, no need to know the language. and you can print it too and shape it into a 3d paper incarnation of your- perhaps inner self???? (^_^)

at least we can play our woes away.

neki desu

vintage embroidery chart series

 latest scan  for your enjoyment. the legend says it is the embellishment for a ladies purse or bag. i can see it in silk with a tassel dangling from the bottom, very art nouveau! the motif can be used isolated or grouped in any way you fancy. the scan is half of the chart so you can resize to your taste.

go here to download the chart.
hope you find this useful.

neki desu

of julias, julians and julianscope

consciously and guiltily steering away from the loom.learning to use apo7x(see yesterday's post)

won't bore you with the fractalspeak, just enjoy the image above.one good thing about creating your own images is that besides avoiding copyright issues you can have a stock to illustrate whatever. and they can also turn into textile works. want more?

today i'm using the image to illustrate an information rich post.

• say goodbye to color balance photo woes.here are some good easy tips to get your color balance right. you need  to scroll down to get to the meaty part.

• for sewers -the ones who use fabric, not the sewage conduits-(^ ^ )a great post on making bags and how to avoid some common mistakes.

• if you're interested in visual journals here's a list of free on line workshops.

and for closers some incredible photo eye candy. enjoy!

and yes catherine, if you care about your time stay away from the program (^ ^)

neki desu

accute japanophilia attack and an invite

this morning in front of the computer and with my coffee i checked into sharon b's  and being naturally curious,i  followed a link she provided.there it was the name of this tool i had bought years ago in sado-ga-shima! i once heard its name in a documentary i was watching, but not having a pen near not mentioning the darkness made it impossible to note down  and retain. this beautiful tool is called a baren  馬連、馬楝  and it is used as a brayer in block printing. once you know the name it's the proverbial piece of cake.with icing.

the find incited more knowledge acquisition :D  and as everyone knows one thing leads to another, another and yet another one. so i spent practically the whole day  in a very non academic research  rich with finds.

you are invited to follow my steps if you'd like to.

firstly baren and japanese brushes here. they are irresistible, and work like no other, trust me. you can give them  other uses than those prescribed.

there is a wealth of information in this one. some techniques are applicable to surface design.

over here you get the why and how of nikawa　膠 or binder glue and /or paper size that can be bought here.

for my book arts friends perhaps you already know this paper place that also carries japanese brushes.but the top shelf find are these papers.don't tell me they are not the essence of awesomeness. 

as they say here i'm  roaring like a motorcycle, como una moto. this is not to mention the amusing maiko and geisha groupies that i found and sakuran via joan lintault at facebook.

 but those will be subjects of another post.
i think i need a rest.

neki desu 

few things compare

few things compare to a nice stitched border. this one is a vandyke stitch. it is an easy stitch with an almost zen like quality ,once you get the hang of it, that works quickly and fills up nicely. 

this piece has gained a lot by using it as a border.more of the piece tomorrow. perhaps.

turning a page yesterday i mentioned colorand composition and on my visit to blogs found a  great post regarding color at mags ramsay's. she talks about  color as less representational and more allegoric of the subject, as a creator of moods.

follow the link she includes as  it is a very good read.

must be the zeitgeist as there a few people in the community reflecting on the topic.

neki desu

ob*se*s*sions of late

 audrey hepburn one of the prettiest, most graceful and dignified women ever. revisiting some of her movies.

languages and linguistics, reading don't sleep there are snakes by daniel everett. won't even start on this one.

this blog with its innovative crochet and knitting. so many ideas here.

 procrastination and its effects(via textile arts resource guide) don't we all suffer from it?

 and this exercise in awesomeness that has been going around the net for a while now. 

it worked in firefox for me. i could see my house and my patio!!!

still obsessed with livebrush   :)

have a fun weekend!



neki desu

is more, more?

following some sage advice i received i took a piece of cloth and let myself go. i had just two things in mind whatever the outcome  it was going to become a  much needed needlecase and i was going to use colors i don't normally use.the basic where is it going was already there ( -_o )

there were no preconceived notions about techniques, shapes materials nada, blank page.

opened drawers bursting with materials and in the end decided on wool roving (yes, in the middle of a heat wave)choosing what i call underwear pink
yuck!(>0<).
as a result it almost had to be needlefelting and i got going.

the felting layer was mindless work, but what if i add some free motion stitching to it? hate that pink- i ended in the hot pink spectrum laced with purple. what if i  embellish some of that iridescent chiffon?and beads oh yes, beads! hmm i need to pull it all together, the human touch of hand stitching. of course now that i am the self appointed master of bullion knots let's throw some in  and seed stitch to give some highlights and texture. functionality; how is it going to close? something simple a ribbon to wrap around. a bead at the end acting as a sort of closure. and then satin stitch all around. note: i stopped close to blue, but not quite, it's on the teal side, towards the green (  >0< )

 no pressure, no hesitation about when to stop.it was almost exhilarating. think i'll incorporate this kind of work as a routine exercise when the going gets tough. lots of  painless decisions ie.effective thinking, downplaying   the importance of techniques-they're just words in a lexicon.

besides chocolate gratification i needed something more. chance had it i found a link via the digital  designers group in stitching fingers.

a thank you gift for all you supportive people here is the free brush creating  application livebrush   which comes with hardly a learning curve and  will get you to those places or at least will give hours of fun.

and believe me almost all the gorgeous fabrics and designs out there that fill you with doubts about your work happen with a lot of help from the machine if you know what i mean(-_o)

 have a fun weekend!

neki desu

recreational

waiting for the ph meter to arrive and the rain to go away.playing a lot with my photos and getting textile ideas.surprised with  how one thing can lead to another and  get me in textile territory. fold and play fun.♠♣♦



 go here to get instructions on how to make your kaleidocycle.

neki desu
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the excitement goes on

weaving some more words for a friend.this is going to be a surprise, so no photo today.instead a pattern of mine created at colour lovers, one of the funnest on line communities. full of  design resources.check it out.

neki desu

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we interrupt navel gazing

to take a look around and see what's going on in the world beyond. Translated= finds.

 From their press kit :

"Alabama Chanin is a lifestyle company that focuses on creating an array of products through focusing on slow design and sustainability.

We craft limited-edition products for the individual and the home. Our products are made-by-hand using a combination of new, organic and recycled materials. Each piece is constructed with care by talented artisans who live and work in communities in and around Florence, Alabama."

Alabama Chanin

Poetic stitching- Ruth Rae 's blog.

For those needing a graphics program, this one is free :

Inkscape 

"An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X,"

 i'm learning to use it and i really like it.

And speaking of graphics this  blog has some very interesting pattens with a different sensibility.Usually updated every month.

neki desu


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factual evidence

i am into rust! found this application in Flickr toys and created a mosaic from some of my photos.Photos were randomly chosen and it was surprising to see the underlying theme.Rust related either in topic or in color. And this is what i'm doing, procrastinating a big warp fix :(

neki desu


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new love

There's a new(to me) online crafters community. It's not a venue, but more of a promotion place for your items. The tone is very friendly and there are lots of cool applications,networking opportunities and you even get a blog. What more can i say but that i'm in love with it.
Visit them at Byhand.me

neki desu


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